Fabulous Folklore: Neptune - God of The Sea & Freshwater

This is Neptune’s Grotto at Burghley House in Stamford, Lincolnshire. The Romans celebrated Neptune as the god of freshwater, and of the sea. It was thought that Neptune was associated with freshwater springs long before he became associated with the ocean. He was appropriated from his Greek pantheon counterpart, Poseidon, ruler of the seas.

Neptune only had one temple in Rome, situated near the Circus Flaminius, a Roman racetrack. Like Poseidon, Neptune was worshipped as a god of horses. They were said to pull the chariot he travelled in over the sea. Neptune was one of only four Roman gods to whom it was considered appropriate to sacrifice a bull. The others were Apollo, Jupiter and Mars.

Neptune was often described as a tall, white-bearded figure who carried a trident. The Romans celebrated him on Neptunalia, the festival of Neptune, on July 23rd. He was petitioned in times of drought and heat. Ironically, and rather coincidentally, we visited this grotto within a few days of this date; in the height of a heatwave.

Simple Magick: 6 Simple Snow Spells

It’s been snowing for hours! I haven’t seen snow like this for many years, it’s makes me so happy!

It’s not something I tend to do in my practice - because I rarely see it! - but you can use snow in your spell work. Collect in a plastic bag and store in the freezer.

Simple Snow Spells:

Make a snowman and use him or her as a magickal guardian. Build him or her near the entrance of your home.

Add a cup of clean snow to a ritual bath for purification.

Write the name of someone who is bothering you on a slip of paper and pack it in snow. Freeze it until they “chill out”.

Form bad habits into snowballs and throw them away from you.

Write something good you’d like on a piece of paper, roll into a ball, and then keep rolling until your intention gets bigger and bigger.

Place snow in a jar and when it melts you have “snow water” - leave out under the moon to make snowy moon water.

Do you like the snow? Do you see it where you live every year? Do you use it in your practice? Maybe you hate the stuff!? What do you think?

NEXT - Simple Magick: Using Eggshells
NEXT - Winter Magick: Using The Winter Season to Create Change
NEXT - Simple Magick: Using Snow in Magick

Simple Magick: 9 Types of Divination with Water

There are many types of water divination, and some have been around for hundreds of years.

Lecanomancy is a form of divination using a dish, and usually involves water. Some practitioners add oil to the water and divine messages from the oily patterns and bubbles; others use the water ripples and movement to glean information. Another example of Lecanomancy is the indigenous people from the Catawba Indian Nation placing a bowl of water by a deceased person’s head. On the third day, the whereabouts of the deceased person would become apparent according to the ripples of water.

Hydromancy is a similar method of water divination to Lecanomancy whereby pebbles are dropped into a pool, and the resulting ripples, colour, ebb and flow, are read.

American folklorist Charles Godfrey Leland describes the practice of Scyphomancy in his 1891 book Gypsy Sorcery and Fortune Telling:

“...it may be observed that gypsies in Eastern Europe, as in India, often tell fortunes or answer questions by taking a goblet or glass, tapping it, and pretending to hear a voice in the ring which speaks to them. This method of divination is one of the few which may have occurred sporadically, or independently in different places, as there is so much in a ringing, vibrating sound which resembles a voice. The custom is very ancient and almost universal...”

Different Types of Water Divination:

Bletonomancy - method of divination using water current.

Ceromancy - method of divination by dropping wax into water.

Cyclicomancy - method of divination by swirling water in a cup.

Hydromancy - method of divination using pebbles dropped into a pool.

Lecanomacy - method of divination using a bowl and usually water.

Pegomancy - method of divination using fountains.

Phyllorhodomancy - method of divination using roses and usually water.

Plumbomancy - method of divination observing molten lead poured into water.

Scyphomancy - method of divination using a cop or goblet and water.

Do you use water divination in your craft?

NEXT - Simple Magick: Meet The Ancestors
NEXT - Simple Magick: Using Water & Rainwater 

Magickal Places: The Chalice Well - Glastonbury

The Chalice Well (also known as the Red Spring) is situated at the bottom of Glastonbury Tor.

It is said to have been in use for the last 2000 years, and as a result it is one of the most ancient, revered, and well-known holy wells in Britain.

It is fed by a deep aquifer in the lower levels of the Pennard Sands, and even during a drought it issues at least 25,000 gallons of water a day!

The waters that flow from the Red Spring are said to have healing properties, and so many people come here to bathe or to drink the sacred waters. It is said that faeries from under the Tor spend time in the Well, giving the waters their magical powers.

The waters leave a red iron deposit, meaning many myths and legends have been attributed to this special place. Some say that this spring emerged from the spot where the chalice (Holy Grail) that Jesus drank from at the Last Supper was placed; and some people believe that the Holy Grail is actually buried here.

For others the water is representative of the very essence of life, and see the Well as a symbol of femininity. Consequently, it has become a destination for those paying homage to feminine deities.

Whatever one’s beliefs, it is a very important place to spiritual people of many paths from all over the world, and well worth a visit.

Simple Magick: Using Water & Rainwater

In many Pagan traditions ~ as in other religions ~ water is considered holy and sacred.

Rain is cleansing and purifying, and readily available ~ especially in England! ~ making it perfect for rituals and spells. Rainwater can be enhanced by being left to charge under a Full Moon.

Different rains will bring different energies to your spell; rain from a warm summer rain may bring peace and tranquility, whereas rain from a thunderous storm may be used far more forcefully.

Rainwater Spell

Fill a bowl with rainwater. On a small piece of paper write down a bad habit you wish to be rid of, or something you’d like to let go of, in chalk. Immerse the paper in the water and imagine the bad habit washing away.

Alternatively, you can take the spell outside - and allow the rain to lash down upon you, washing the words away from the piece of paper.

NEXT - Simple Magick: Casting A Circle

Fabulous Folklore: Salt

“Salt! Salt! I put thee into the fire, and may the person who has bewitched me neither eat, drink, nor sleep, until the spell has been broken”.

In the 19th Century it was believed that the power of a witch could be destroyed by sprinkling salt into the fire nine mornings in succession. Quite how you protected yourself for the first eight days I do not know!

There are many superstitions surrounding salt. For example chucking it over your left shoulder, should you spill any, to avert bad luck.

You can create Black Witches Salt by combining sea salt, charcoal, incense ash and black pepper. Some witches use salt to represent the element of earth as it is a mineral, and some use it to represent water as it has come from the sea. 

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Crystal Balls 

NEXT - Fabulous Folklore: Horseshoe Magick