See the truth

December 11, 2022 ~ marjolijnmakes ~ Leave a comment

A soft coloured photo of a pair of glasses. The frame is oval shaped and the lenses are a soft pink. The background is soft pink and yellow — Photo by Dids on Pexels

Sometimes our own perception of people can be (rose)coloured because of nostalgia, or the expectations that we have wrongfully placed upon them. This poppet spell helps take off those rose tinted glasses and let go of the person we built in our heads, to instead see and accept the real them.

You need:
– paper and scissors
– pen
– pink coloured pen (optional)
– string or twine

Fold your paper in half and cut out a gingerbread person shape, so you have two separate poppets. On one poppet, write (with rose tinted ink if you wish) your coloured view of this person. On the other, write what you know to be the truth. Make sure these line up on both poppets. So, for example, on your one poppet you write “kindhearted” in pink ink on their left arm. On you other poppet you write “mean” on their left arm.

Lay the poppets on top of each other, writing facing up. Your coloured view will be the top one. With the string, tie their wrist, ankles, waist, and neck together. Take a moment to look at the things you’ve written and see this person in your mind as you see them now.

Over the course of however long it takes (do not rush this!) take the poppet and read one of the qualities you’ve written. Focus on this, why did you think this? Let any thoughts or memories come to you and sit with them for a moment. When you’re ready, cut the thread and fold the limb over until your top writing is no longer visible. Look at the truth you’ve revealed. Why is this the truth? Reflect on what it makes you feel and whatever memories or thoughts come up.

At the end you’re left with a crumpled up poppet. Toss that one out in the trash, you no longer need this twisted view of this person. The other poppet you can keep as a reminder, or simply toss it away as well. Whatever feels right for you.

Be aware that this can be a pretty emotional spell, so really take your time, and let whatever emotions come up sit with you for however long you need. Take your time and take care of yourself.

Nemetona

November 20, 2022November 20, 2022 ~ marjolijnmakes ~ Leave a comment

Okay, typing this out with possibly a second covid infection on top of my long covid, so the brainfog is real. Hope it makes sense, lol

Some thoughts on Nemetona and sacred space

an areal view of a piece of open field with trees on the left and bottom. Slightly to the right is a labyrinth in the grass. — Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash

Basic intro from Wikipedia: “Nemetona, or ‘she of the sacred grove’, is a Celtic goddess with roots in northeastern Gaul. She is thought to have been the eponymous deity of the Germano–Celtic people known as the Nemetes;[2][3] evidence of her veneration is found in their former territory along the Middle Rhine[1][4] as well in the Altbachtal sanctuary in present-day Trier, Germany.[3][2][5] She is also attested in Bath, England, where an altar to her was dedicated by a man of the Gallic Treveri people.[2][6]“

So Nemetona is the Goddess of the Sacred Grove, which is what the Gaul and British people possibly used to venerate their deities. A lot of what you find about modern veneration of Nemetona is how she is the Goddess of the Grove, the Goddess of the sacred places deep within the woods. And I have absolutely felt her presence there. So I didn’t bother to look further to be honest.

Then, at the beginning of the week, I felt the call to look deeper into her, and perhaps reconnect with her on a deeper level. I came across the book Dancing with Nemetona by Joanna van der Hoeven. It’s not a great book, and it is not a long book, but it had some pretty good points about where to find Nemetona outside of the Grove:

Your personal space. We all have this bubble of space which we consider “ours”, an invisible border that people can invade when they get too close. This is *your* space, *your* body and therefore it is/can be sacred.

Your home and hearth. Another example of *your* space that hopefully is a safe environment. A place where you can relax and be your true self. Take care to keep it that way, or to create a small bit of safe and comforting space within your home if you share it with others. One room, the showerstall, whatever you need. This can also be sacred space, dedicated to Nemetona.

Ritual space. Joanne is a druid, so they very much still work with casting circles, which is a pretty obvious example of making sacred space. However, your altar/shrine space, your kitchen while creating kitchen magic, your art studio, all can be made sacred if/when you need it.

Sanctuary. We talked about safe space before, so anything that is a sanctuary can also be a sacred space to Nemetona. Wildlife reserves, (women’s) shelters, even churches.

It gave me a lot to think about and new ways to connect with Nemetona without “just” needing to see her as a Goddess of Sacred Groves. So hail the Lady of Sanctuary, hail the Lady of Boundaries and Edges, hail Nemetona!

Floral Pentagram

October 16, 2022 ~ marjolijnmakes ~ 2 Comments

And it’s finally done! This took months, but I am very proud. My first time drawing botanicles in this way, which was a journey. I’m hoping to get this laserprinted (burned?) onto a ringbinder to serve as a Book of Shadows/Grimoire.

The Crafty Coo!

October 12, 2022 ~ marjolijnmakes ~ 2 Comments

So my dear and gorgeous friend has just opened their own shop! Queer and witch owned, focusing (for now) on handmade greeting cards (also witch festival themed!) and planner stickers! She will have a launch around each major holiday/season change. Keep an eye on them, there will be queer themes, all witchy holidays, as well as many, many others for many cultures.

Shop, and Etsy Shop

Magic: the Gathering, the oracle

September 25, 2022 ~ marjolijnmakes ~ Leave a comment

Magic: the Gathering is known for it’s amazing artworks. Did you know that they now have art cards? Did you know these are amazing for making your own oracle deck? Did you know these are cheap????

I mean look at this? Discover the Impossible by Ryan Pancoast. When I saw this card I immediately had several meanings: dreams, imagination, other world, and yeah; discover the impossible.

Introduction to Prophesy by Micah Epstein. Time, divination, visions, discovery of your power.

Crackle with Power by Micah Epstein again! Know your own power, stand your ground, let them see what they are dealing with

I could go on and on but I won’t. So the good: many different styles of art, including watercolour, digital, stained glass, traditional japanese, manga, and black and white lineart. Cheap: I paid €0,50 per card. Fully customizable. With new sets coming out there will be new cards, so you can keep adding things as you like. Beautiful and evocative art. You have signed and unsigned versions, so you can choose. (the website shows the signed versions with the signature in yellow, on the unsigned version there is no signature at all.)

So the… not bad per se, but things to keep in mind: they have no backs. The backs are white and include the M:tG logo, the title of the artwork and the artist. You can always back the cards yourself if you wish to. The cardstock of earlier cards seems lesser. A bit more thin and flimsy, I don’t care, but some might. So far it’s the Zendikar and Kaldheim. The cards come in horizontal and vertical, making readings look a bit more messy. I found that I do not care, the cards are amazing

Stardew Shrines

September 19, 2022 ~ marjolijnmakes ~ Leave a comment

A thing I’ve been looking into lately is pop culture paganism/witchcraft. There are so many interesting ideas and ways of working to be found, and it’s really been a huge source of inspiration for my own path. One of the things I’ve done is made some shrines in a game! Stardew Valley was my game of choice, and I made some sheds to serve as shrines/temples. Take a look!

Shrine for Liyesa, pop-culture goddess of beauty

Shrine for the Gilded Three, pop-culture triple deity of fate, creativity, and stories

Prayer Beads

September 3, 2022 ~ marjolijnmakes ~ Leave a comment

I’ve been getting back into prayer beads lately, so I thought I would share my latest set! This set is meant to symbolize the Gilbert Baker pride flag and the meaning of each colour, the phases of the moon, and the wheel of the year. A more generalized witchy set, instead of one specific to a deity.

Baduhenna Moodboard

August 15, 2022 ~ marjolijnmakes ~ Leave a comment

I’ve been taking the time to delve deeper into Baduhenna , and what she stands for beyond the battle aspect. It’s been pretty illuminating for me, although I’m still searching and researching if the UPG that comes up has some bases in history or not. For now, a moodboard on Baduhenna in her aspects of Goddess of the Wetland Forest and Witchcraft (UPG)

A moodboard of nine pictures, all in even squares. The pictures are: a fern, a misty forest edge, a forest from above, bundles of herbs drying on a string, a woman hiding in green ferns with only her eye and part of her face visible, a hand holding a large crystal point, dew on lady's-mantle plant, three tarot cards on a table with a candle and crystals, a river surrounded by trees.

All pictures through Unsplash: [X] [X] [X] [X] [X] [X] [X] [X] [X]

SDV Harvest Festival Card

July 30, 2022 ~ marjolijnmakes ~ 2 Comments

During the last lockdown my partner and I spent a lot of time playing Stardew Valley together. At some point he challenged me into making a Stardew Valley themed card. I, of course, could not say no to this challenge

A card that looks like a tiered Harvest Grange display from the game Stardew Valley. The front has a sign with "Brightheart Farm", accompanied by rainbows and a rainbow heart. In the display are several items, in rows of three. A strawberry, a pink cake, a pomegranate, corn, garlic, pineapple, a purple bottle of starfruit wine, a yellow jar of fairy rose honey, and a white jar of mayonnaise with a blue lid. The items have coloured stars of gold or purple to designate quality. The top of the display has green swirling vines and pink flowers

I decided on making a harvest display as used in the Harvest Festival in the game. You get a grid of nine products to display, and display your best – and most expensive – wares. There is also a quality system in the game running from copper to iridium (purple). The stars on the items designate the quality. I filled the display with items we farmed and crafted, some specific to the game, and added the name of our farm to the front.

Top view of a card that looks like a tiered Harvest Grange display from the game Stardew Valley. The front has a sign with "Brightheart Farm", accompanied by rainbows and a rainbow heart. In the display are several items, in rows of three. A strawberry, a pink cake, a pomegranate, corn, garlic, pineapple, a purple bottle of starfruit wine, a yellow jar of fairy rose honey, and a white jar of mayonnaise with a blue lid. The items have coloured stars of gold or purple to designate quality. The top of the display has green swirling vines and pink flowers

Side view of a card that looks like a tiered Harvest Grange display from the game Stardew Valley. The front has a sign with "Brightheart Farm", accompanied by rainbows and a rainbow heart. In the display are several items, in rows of three. A strawberry, a pink cake, a pomegranate, corn, garlic, pineapple, a purple bottle of starfruit wine, a yellow jar of fairy rose honey, and a white jar of mayonnaise with a blue lid. The items have coloured stars of gold or purple to designate quality. The top of the display has green swirling vines and pink flowers

I used an exploding box card from Lawn Fawn as the base, and cut off the side flaps. The items were stamped using several sets from Clearly Besotted.

My partner loved the surprise card and I had a lot of fun making this fun display!

I also added a Card Gallery to the top of the page, where I display all cards that I’ve made over the years, including ones that didn’t get their own post. Please check it out!

Story: a mother’s choice

July 21, 2022 ~ marjolijnmakes ~ Leave a comment

A macro photo of a piece of dragonfly wing against a green background. The wing is transparent with black veins. — Photo by Timothy Dykes on Unsplash

Prompt: Two identical infants lay in the cradle. “One you bore, the other is a Changeling. Choose wisely,” the Fae’s voice echoed from the shadows. “I’m taking both my children,” the mother said defiantly.

I watched the children for a moment. One was looking up, not seeing much, but content with the colours and light that swirled around them. The other was looking around, fascinated by the world. Eyes too bright, too knowing, too wise. And yet. They were John’s eyes. John who would sometimes give a look that was wise beyond his years. Eyes the warm brown of fresh baked bread on a misty autumn morning. Sparkling with mirth and mischief and joy.

What was the right choice? The human world was a cruel and heartless place sometimes, I knew. I stayed my hand from where it wished to reach to the necklace I now wore. The wedding ring on it bent and twisted. No use giving the fairy watching me more to work with. Perhaps for a child being raised in the wondrous world of the fey would be kinder. I looked towards the creature that had taken my child. The grin it wore at seeing my apparent indecision was not kind. No, no-one deserved to abandoned here.

It would be difficult, raising a fairy child, but I could learn. Besides, Mother would know what to do. I’m pretty sure my brother used to be a hellspawn and she raised him right. A fairy would be easy in comparison.

I could love them both. And, if I was honest with myself, I did love them both. After all, they were all I had left of my John.

Just seeing John’s bright smile not once, but twice a day would be worth it. To see his brown eyes take in the world anew, filled with wonder. Yes, the choice was not the difficult part, that would no doubt come later. But with love we would get through anything, could endure anything.

So with a mother’s love wrapped around me like a cloak I walked towards the cribs and picked up the little bundles wrapped in soft leaves. I looked towards the creature still grinning at me with malice on contempt. I pulled on my mother’s defiance, on my aunt’s way to command room, on my sister’s strength, and lastly on John’s love and wisdom. I drew that all in and raised up myself and my voice. “I will take both my children.”