My husband and I would love to participate in what we'd like to call the Twelve Days of Winter Solstice. We don't really resonate with the traditional days of yule and was looking to make our own themed days. We were thinking of doing three days, each dedicated to the Earth Moon, and Sun. A day for ancestors. A day for self care maybe. A day for celebrating the kitchen/food (lots of baking). Something along these lines. Any suggestions? How do y'all celebrate?

I would like to start mixing my own herbs and teas together but I haven’t found a good place to buy quality products that is reasonably priced. Anyone have any recommendations? Also anyone do the same?

How are you all celebrating the solstice?

For our friends in the northern hemisphere, how are you warding off the cold? How are you resting? What are you dreaming? How do you celebrate the returning of sun?

For our friends in the southern hemisphere, how are you celebrating the summer? What has grown for you this year? How do you celebrate the height of the sun in the horizon?

May this time of the year find you in joy and comfort.

Hi, all! I have a question :) I have a very high intuition. However, I am not always the best at being conscious of my intuition or making decisions intuitively (I am recovering from immense grief, so not everything is in full swing just yet). Regardless, I do some things to elevate my intuition (for example: tarot). But, I was wondering, what do YOU do to strengthen your intuition (does NOT have to be grief-recovery related)?

Edit because this was previously removed for some reason: intuition building is both a spiritual and scientific process for many people. Not only are there witchy ways to do this (tarot, lapis lazuli, and much more), there are scientific and medical ways to do this too (mindfulness and meditation, exercising, journaling, creative activities, etc). This was originally removed because it wasn't "on topic" but this directly relates to the practices of many SASS Witches. I want the opinions of other SASS Witches. Thank you

I just learned that my son’s partner is a sass witch. Is there anyone that sells identifying merch?

Edit: this, so far… (fyi)

https://critwitch-collective.printify.me/products

I’m not affiliated, just found it

i saw another post on here kind of similar, but i want to get into doing protection braids because it's a nice little secret way of doing witchcraft. i have long hair but i've never really styled it because i'm too insecure to i guess. i've been practicing doing protection braids but obviously i'm new to it and my braids end up being really frizzy. i know i could put this in a different subreddit but it's nice to chat in this little community right? i'm just wondering if people have tips. of course practice will help but if there are any tips that'd be greatly appreciated! also my hair is kinda curly/wavy but more on the curly side. i want to get it to a kind of silkier wavy level. i know it's not as simple as "use this" because it's different for everyone but if anyone has any products they recommend? thanks!

For no particular reason, I've been encountering ideas lately that reflect the same basic concept: "Talking to subconscious parts of your mind." It started with someone recommending Internal Family Systems, but I've also encountered references to Shadow Work and Inner Child Work (a.k.a. re-parenting?).

This bounced off an idea I've been toying with about visualizing parts of myself as servitors/personas. And that got me thinking about internal representations of gods and spirits, and now I'm a bit muddled.

Before I get myself too deep in the weeds (and potentially cause myself more emotional damage since this is all self-directed), can anyone recommend a reasonably straightforward text that might help me make sense of all these ideas?

It's only about three weeks until the days start to become longer again!

For the upcoming Yule, I am planning a big meal with my friend! Afterward, we're going to have a small bonfire, where we'll write down 12 wishes for the coming year on tea bags and set them on fire. They will then rise into the air and be sent out into the universe. To remind us of those wishes, we'll make salt dough and shape it into large round forms (like big coins), on which we'll paint our wishes. These will decorate the living room for the upcoming year.

Then follow the twelve nights of Yule.

I will have to work (and study) on most of those days, however I want to do something special for every day. Do you have any ideas on what I could do? How do you spend that time?

Have you ever been asked this?

This was the question I was asked when I met my first local witch, and it made me so uncomfortable because I didn't have a " real"answer so I felt like I wasn't a real witch. I didn't want to lie, so I said Nature. You can always find me in the garden, in my seed collection/drying room, or in a book.

I don't do the "traditionally witchy" things so the question caught me off guard. And I don't really like being asked this, when I meet other witches, I want to make friends and get to know them on a personal level. They'll usually open up about their craft without me even having to ask. And it's because of this group that I feel validated in not needing to work with a deity, especially since I've been atheist for a very long time. Doesn't feel right to revert back to having a faith when it's why I left the church in the first place.

How do you respond when someone asks?

Ive had an interest in witchcraft for a while, but never really joined or practiced because it always never seemed to align with mu beliefs. However, I just found put about SASS witches and it seemed perfect! So I would like to ask about the basics of witchcraft, and how the views and practices of a SASS witch would differ from a normal witch. Any videos and/or articles/websites are greatly appreciated. I know little to nothing about witchcraft (only that witches use crystals a lot for reasons I don’t know, and thats it) so even if you think its something so very basic and simple, please tell me about it, any bit of information is highly appreciated :)

disclaimer, i find it EXTREMELY hard to put thoughts into words, so bare with me because this will probably worded badly.

so i'm an autistic non binary (i think, still figuring it out) amab, i'm 16 years old. i live with my mum who is really amazing and accepting etc. i think partly due to autism i've been a bit of a "goodie two shoes," my mum knows almost everything about me except for a few things, i don't really keep secrets. i've always been interested in witchcraft, though i am completely atheist and don't really believe in it (so happy i found this subreddit!!) i am really excited by the idea of practicing witchcraft in secret (from my mum) it's nothing against her, i just want to have some sort of rebellion as a teenager. i'm also interested in witchcraft as a means of helping me deal with things (i do have a psychologist that helps me deal with problems, don't worry!) such as depression, anxiety etc. i just think the idea of being able to have some secret from my parent and be able to indulge in something i don't necessarily believe in would be really therapeutic for me. i just want to know, is this valid? thanks! <3

edit: thank you all for the lovely comments, highlight of my week <3

Hi friends, hope all are well. I've identified as nonbinary for many years now, and before that had gender dysphoria since around age 7. I am afab and was on testosterone for a little over a year a couple years ago. I've been considering top surgery since I found out it was a thing; always wanting it but always finding excuses why I shouldn't get it.

A few years ago I went through an ego death sort of thing/spiritual awakening, which I'm still very lost and confused from. That process hasn't ended and has been very distressing when figuring out things for my transition. I even considered detransitioning fully because of how my spiritual views have changed.

I've come to an understanding that all things are inherently empty (this effects all other areas of my life too because I have OCD and I want to figure out what is morally "right" all the time) and also suffering from gender dysphoria. No matter what, I can't seem to figure out a path forward. If anyone has any advice or has gone through a similar crisis, I would love to hear your thoughts. I also posted this on the Trans Buddhist subreddit and they were very helpful. Thank you so much <3

More specifically, I want to remove my own fixation on the things that have been said/done by this person so I can quit dwelling on it. So looking for some good “water off a duck’s back” energy if possible.

Hey all! I'm new to all things Wiccan, but the more I'm learning, the more it resonates with me on a spiritual level. I'm not sure that I believe in magick, I kind of want to, but I'm enjoying the reverence of nature, meditation, rituals, visualizations, and feeling connected to the universe.

At the same time, it does feel kind of weird that I'm doing all this witchy stuff by night and I'm a scientist by day lol. I have a doctorate in chemistry, and I work in a lab doing fundamental atomic-level research. So when I mentioned to people in my life that I was getting into Wicca, they were... confused to say the least. I'm almost a little embarrassed, and I especially don't want my friends at work to know.

In my brain, science is a tool for understanding the physical world and how to manipulate it, and spirituality is used to make sense of the spiritual and emotional world. Do I believe that the atomic structures of crystals embue magical properties? No, we can describe that with science (crystallography) buuuut I did bless an amethyst and put it under my pillow so I would stop having nightmares, and it worked (n of 1, but hey I'll take it). I still struggle sometimes with this perceived paradox. Any other scientists feel the same?

Welcome to Wisdom Wednesday!

Share with us what gives you inspiration and food for thought this week!

What is informing your practice lately? What is some new and interesting thing you’ve learned, or perhaps, what is some old piece of wisdom that still serves you today? Whether your source is a podcast, a book, a video, or some other source, share with us what is inspiring you at the moment.

Every Wednesday, you're invited to share quotes, observations, sources of encouragement, or anything you consider to be valuable wisdom. As always, if you have a source, please share it to give credit where it's due.

It seems like there's been a big uptick in posts here about "There's a ghost in my house!" type posts here.

I wonder if the mods could make an automod response when someone posts that explains what SASS is so those users aren't wasting their time/getting unhelpful responses that don't fit their beliefs.

Hi everyone!

I am currently recovering from a repetitive strain injury in both wrists. It’s annoying, the braces make me feel like an angry cat with a medical collar. Unfortunately the main solution (apart from icing and stabilization) is time.

The more frustrating part is that in my witchy practices I consider myself to be very hands on. Making things, baking, writing… all of these things I do to process my feelings and express myself are either impossible or clumsy right now. And even if it isn’t one of those things, it just hurts. It’s so incredibly frustrating and my main outlets for frustration are not available.

Any advice? I feel like I’m stuck between a rock and a hard place. If you have similar experiences I would love to hear your story.

Helloo my favorite sub!

I have been working on my meditation practice more lately. I'm definitely someone who typically thinks at a mile per minute, and after flirting with burnout this summer I decided that this practice could be beneficial for me. But I had a weird experience recently that has made me a little hesitant to try to get deep into it again.

I have created for myself a little living room with a fireplace where I like to go when I meditate. It's kind of like my dream living room, warm and cozy and eclectic. When I go to this place in my meditation, I go through the same motions every time. Put my keys on the credenza, put on my slippers, stoke the fireplace, then settle into the old sofa to look at the fire. The last time I was in this place while gazing into my imagined fireplace, suddenly I go this shock of vibration/buzzing that shot through my whole body that seemed to last for several seconds. It brought me out of the meditation, and thinking that it might happen again has been a bit of a block.

I understand that meditation can bring about states of altered consciousness, and as such a high strung person I wouldn't be surprised if it was just a surprising release of pent up tension... but I'm just wondering if this is an experience shared by any of you, and what may be causing it!

Thanks! :)

I'm sorry if this is a bit incoherent. I'm trying to understand something about myself, and sometimes, it's easier for me to talk it out.

In another thread, I asked for advice on tarot decks, and while I've been given several good suggestions (many quite beautiful in their way), none of them felt right. So, I took some time this morning to poke at my brain to see what fell out and came up with this:

I'm a child of the 1980s, and while I've certainly enjoyed consuming media from a witchy perspective, science fiction shaped a lot of my personality. Not only the big movie franchises (Trek, Wars, etc.) but also books by Adams, Stephenson, Sterling, and Gibson. So, my mindset has always been to look forward, not back.

Don't get me wrong... I have nothing but respect for classical pagan traditions and those who revere the natural world, but I'm a kid from the 'burbs who would rather mess with a computer than a garden.

I think that's what initially drew me to Chaos Magick. Then, it seemed to devolve into "Look at this sigil I made" and "How do you work with this character from fiction?"

(I know this is a drastic oversimplification, but you get the idea.)

I feel like I want to be a modern witch (or possibly a postmodern one)—one who honors the past but looks to the future. Does that seem reasonable?

PS: I'm still looking at tarot decks, but I'm focusing on more sci-fi designs. I like the Eldritch Overload deck and some of the stuff Pixel Occult does, but I haven't quite found The One™ yet.

Does anyone do palm reading and how does it fit in with a SASS practice?

I know very little about it but it seems like there isn’t a good way to use palmistry as a reflective practice. The only thing I can think of is like “how do I feel about having a long life line?” Or something along those lines. I’m just curious.

Hi all,

After nearly seven years, I am starting a new job in December (I think I manifested it - or at least opened my mind to it!). I work from home, so my office will be the same as my old job, and I want to clear the old energy and make space for the new (the old energy isn't bad, just stale). Other than basic cleansing with smoke and oils, what else can I do to prep my space?

TIA!

So, I'm putting together my Giftmas list, and I'm thinking about adding a tarot deck, not for divination purposes but as a focus for meditation/contemplation.

I was going to choose The Witches' Tarot (which I've already bookmarked on Amazon), but I wanted to ask if you had any suggestions for better candidates. Traditional RWS is just a bit too old-fashioned for me, but the sheer number of alternatives is a bit daunting.

(Honestly, I'm not really sure what I'm looking for, but I'll likely know it when I see it. )

Any recommendations?

Howdy, I was wondering if anyone here has book recommendations for someone very new to SASS witchy stuff.

I’m pretty science-minded and skeptical of supernatural stuff, but I believe very much that rituals can affect your psychological state which in turn greatly affects how you conduct yourself and how the world responds to you. I also believe in the ability of nature to influence a person spiritually.

As I said, any books that reflect this attitude would be very much appreciated, or even random resources like an herb database or something. Thank you!

I began to look into witchcraft, tarot and that kind of stuff after my friends did, and they were delighted to gift me things, do readings, invite me to go crystal shopping with them etc., but something about the way that they went about it just didn't feel authentic to me, like I was being pressured to believe things that didn't seem plausible to me. I felt as if by going along with the full belief in spiritual energy and being called I was feeling less and less like I was in control of myself and less grounded in reality. I think I subconsciously hated the idea of everything I thought and felt being guided by unseen forces. Yet, the beautiful oracle deck my friend gave me has been a really helpful tool for introspection, and there's something that really resonates with me about the concept of being a witch and connecting to the natural world and its cycles, or connecting to the past and what my ancestors believed about the world around them. I think reading the posts in this sub has given me the confidence to pull myself back down to earth. I don't need to pretend that I think there's anything really magical about a deck of cards or the stones I have on my windowsill, but I do believe in the symbolism attached to them, that the brain associates objects and images with emotions and other things. I believe that my friend who can make accurate assessments on my mental state knows me well and is very good at gaging my emotions. I don't need to align with their interpretations of the world to feel that I too could fit into the category of witch.

I thought I loved the symbolism of Hecate, but the more I learn about it the more I realize she's been sort of co-opted to describe women's relationship with men. Her youth being purity her adulthood being fertility and her old age being isolation and endings.

I like the origins of her being a deity of transition and liminal spaces and magic. I want to worship her differently. Her youth being youth, her adulthood being adulthood, and her old age being old age. Without any mention of purity or fertility or what we need to do to serve men. I primarily wanted to worship her as an old wise woman, but realized this is pretty much completely ahistorical.

I want to worship her in this way, but I also want to be able to share with and be apart of the greater pagan community. I don't want to be shit on because I'm not worshipping "the real Hecate."

Are there any other deities you know of that are primarily depicted as old wise women? Maybe there's someone else I haven't found yet.

I am in early stages of interest in chaos magick....there were some fabulous comments about NeuroD and chaos magick recently, many thanks for that (Im very NeuroD). I feel the Ch Ma, approach fits well with my thinking style etc but there's a real potential sicking point. A significant proportion of NeuroD, especially ASDers, score highly on the Asexual scale. I am becoming increasingly unsure if it's going to be worth the effort for folks who are very Ace as there is likely to be a massive mismatch, ive already begun to pick up the signs. It would help to know whether to cut and run before investing in too much energy or time...biggest problem is non Ace people can not envisage what it's like or wrap their heads around the reality that there is a section of the population with zero interest in something they take for granted... I am kinda beginning to wish that someone would come out and just say.. 'don't bother with Ch Ma if your Ace', gonna save the Ace folks loads of time.... thanks in advance for insightful comments.

For starters, I’m a newer witch. I’d say maybe 4 months into truly practicing. After an amazing experience with a tarot reader a few months back, I took the initiative to learn more about divination, mainly with dice (strictly made from bone).

I haven’t found many resources on this but the only references or guides I have found are very negative in their correlations. This has been extremely disheartening as I’m on a journey seeking more positivity. I’ve seen people ditch the original meanings of rolls and techniques for casting and just create their own, but I feel like that dilutes the point. I’m now considering switching to Tarot for my divination practices.

Does anyone have any further information on this topic or any suggestions/recommendations? Thanks for reading!

I've been going mad with a larger witch group on FB, posting the most innocuous things, asking what the signs mean. A curl in someone's hair and a shadow on a dirty glass window have been recebt culprits of pareidolia... but now, a watermelon. Admin gets on you if you post anything fact or science based.

The only thing civil I could comment, "If everything is a sign, nothing has meaning."

I'm an extremely skeptical person but have always had an intense fascination with magic and witchcraft. I recently discovered SASS Witches and the like, and using spells and rituals as ways to look at situations from a different viewpoint. One aspect of witchcraft that I want to learn more about is the role of the deities to skeptical witches. I know that some view deities as archetypes, but what does this mean to you?