So,I know that smudging with white sage is a closed practice, but can I still burn incense made from the herb?

Sorry if this doesn't make sense. I don't have a diety that I subscribe to strictly, at least not on a worshipping level, but I acknowledge the presence of them. I have an altar that I use for acknowledging the three moon phases (maiden mother crone), as a way to keep myself in tune with time and phases of my life. I have my own system using certain materials and the theban alphabet for cleansing, warding, making wishes or putting general energies out into my environment. I do want to find a deity that I feel confident in having a connection with.

I was zoning out the other day and the name "Hecina" (like heh-see-nah) came to mind while I was thinking about how the phrase "oh my God," doesn't really make sense for me to say since I don't want to acknowledge the Christian God I grew up.

I don't really know what Hecina is about, tried to see if there were any deities with a similar name but Hecate keeps popping up, and I have mixed feelings about following her. As a pagan, is finding a new diety, one not among the known pantheon, for yourself something you should avoid doing?? I'll add a picture of my altar cause why not. I'm just looking for other pagan opinions since I don't really have anyone else to talk to about it >_<

For context this is in reference to the cards I pulled and posted about in the Hellenism sub. I feel bad for this mornings spam! 😅 I just felt great and still do about today

Saw this in a group on Facebook, figured I'd share because you never know who needs help or who can share it with someone who needs it.

Who are the Pagan Gods/Goddesses of Eyesight?

I wanna help Elton John

Hi all! I am nearly brand new to learning about and through the old gods and I'm at a point right now where I would like to begin attempting contact with the gods through offerings. I am familiar with making offerings and altar spaces but I'm having a hard time choosing who to reach out to as I'm afraid of making the "wrong" choice. I feel I have been reached out to by both Heimdall as well as Freyr - Freyr definitely moreso, but I feel much more of a personal connection to Heimdall. How do you guys, especially in the beginning of your practice, make the decision of who or where to first make contact with?

A mini altar of thanks to the goddess Freyja for her blessings in my life.

I work with Freyja love and prosperity and I am in awe and appreciation for all she has done in my life

Yellow honey candle, cinnamon sense, foreign money from my last international trip, pyrite and tiger's eye. This beautiful card I borrowed from my fiancé's Nordic deck derck and of course, a nice dose of mead.

The cards are a reading I took this morning and she gave me some guidance.

I know after some time you dispose of the offerings, but I feel like it's a waste to throw it in the trash, doesn't feel right of me to eat it, so could I feed the offerings to the pigeons in my neighborhood?

The offering will be apple slices.

So I have something that has been getting at me lately. I am a Norse Pagan who sees Odin as my mentor deity. To me he is a wise protector figure. A scholar , a wanderer, and a magician. This comes from mythos as well as personal feelings (I know there is a term for this but I can't remember for the life of me). But then I hear other stories and tellings that show him to be a violent tyrant. Someone who will harm others for his own benefits. I know we have lost a lot due to Christianity influences but I can't help but wonder if I misinterpreted something. Can someone provide some council on this matter.

I just want to share this photo of the Vegvisir symbol—a powerful Nordic compass said to guide those who carry it through even the stormiest seas. For me, it’s more than just a design; it’s a reminder to stay grounded and keep moving forward, no matter how rough the journey gets

Does anyone know of or if they could recommend a botanica in the Capital Region (NY)?

I posted this question in the Norse Mythology sub and I'm just...kind of more confused now, so I would like to ask it here as well as one other.

First, I had an idea for a pendant depicting Yggdrasil. I would like to use ten different pieces of wood to make the pendant, one piece of ash for the "trunk" and nine others to represent the nine different realms in the branches. I just don't know what wood to use for each. Would anyone have any suggestions?

Second, the other sub told me pretty flat out, and others have been told by them, that the nine realms are just a modern creation and not actually part of the mythology and beliefs. I tried researching this, but pretty much only like...three sources support their claim and everything else I can find supports the original belief of nine separate realms. Would anyone have any more concrete information or academic sources to help here? I'm a little stuck.

Thanks to any and all that take the time to read this, I greatly appreciate your time and energy, even if you don't respond!

Hey guys this is a something that happened to me today and I wanted to share. So… I was hanging out with this guy from my city that I found out he was also a pagan, everything was going kinda well and we weren’t actually talking about paganism, only normal things of life. Then he started asking me questions, some of them even a bit uncomfortable, about my beliefs and personal life, like… a big wave of questions. I asked him why he was doing that and he told me that I didn’t look pagan ?!?!???!? and then he refused to believe that I was pagan, yuppy! 😂 I really don’t care about this i just wanted to share because I have nothing to do eheh.

Btw, reasons why he told me I didnt look pagan (I asked him after eheh): -I’m a straight male -I wasn’t wearing any jewelry or whatever related to gods or religion -I still identify a bit with Christianity I think it was all… that’s it guys if you read all of this have a goodnight 🌙

Hi! For some background I have some pretty bad anxiety and sometimes and it causes me to have a lump in my throat. I work/worship Rhiannon and last night I had a big lump in my throat and I could not go to bed cause of it, It was really stressing me out so I decided to pray to Rhiannon. I told her about my day and asked her to watch over me and remove the lump in my throat. within a 2-3 minutes the lump was gone and I was able to go to sleep quickly.

I just wanted to share this cause this was one of the first times ive had a really real feeling experience. Has anyone else had an experience with her or another deity like this?

For a long time now I have been sensitive to the changes due to global warning. I have very well tuned claircognizance and clairsentience. When I say it causes me pain, I mean physically.

I've felt the strong need to work with a deity for guidance and my own comfort, possibly even to open my senses to what I can do to make things better in more ways than the obvious.

The problem is I don't feel a pull from any of the pantheons I'm most familiar with, but again perhaps I am just overlooking one while I'm feeling so disturbed. I usually work with Greek, nordic, and sometimes celtic deities.

Any insights or experiences? Thank you.

Hi! So just to mention, I'm a minor and I'm raised in Bible belt,I'm also a baby witch. I haven't really been taught anything about cultural appropriation and I don't really understand how me doing certain practices offends people?

Like how is me using coyote bones when bone throwing hurting indigenous cultures?

I just genuinely don't understand why certain practices are banned. I just feel like it's kind of separating people

I'm so sorry if this comes off offensive at all, but I'm genuinely trying to understand.

Looking for a good general discussion on this. One point to the community at large, how do we handle desecrations of sacred space, altars, etc. Whether large or small. I'm keeping this as a pretty broad question, but I'm talking about this like having your altar thrown out. Your space trashed (or violated). Books destroyed, etc.

I prayed to Hermes to find something I lost, and I didn't find it in the only place it could be... I even told him I'd make him an altar if he helped me... I know he probably tried his best and it's not anyone's fault but mine for losing it, but I'm just sad since it was important to me

(Hopefully this isn't too frivolous - feel free to suggest a different subreddit if it is)

I like to make different playlists for the different deities I am working with/through as a way to remember their emotional truths.

Recently, Brigid has been calling and as I sat down to make her a playlist I realized that she wants me to be more communal. So I thought I'd throw back to my younger years and, for want of a better term, crowd source this one🙂

What is a song or songs that remind you of Brigid? Any genre, modern/traditional. Only rules would be that it is a female artist/singer and can easily be found on Amazon/Spotify.

Thanks!

Is there a god or goddess I can "talk" to or pray to about finding good job and being hired there?

I wanted to write a poem as a small offering for Harmonia, as I’ve been interested in working with her. A primary reason for this is she represents balance, a concept symbolized by Baphomet, an entity I worship, which is also why I conceptualized this partially from their perspective. Blessed be, I hope you enjoy 💙

As above, so below 

That’s the mantra of our blood 

Overseers of equilibrium 

Our souls serve as the scale 

We carry with diligence 

Dawn to dusk 

Eye for an eye 

The revolution of a clock 

Sounds in time with our pulse 

Time weaves inwards, outwards

Then back around again 

A flow that predates dogma 

The significance of our deeds 

I weave a lifeline from my hands to yours 

A breathing olive branch 

Fractured in places but alive all the same 

My lady, my lord, to whoever shall hear  I offer a tribute as I rehearse 

As above, so below 

I'm trying to make a ritual broom and need help with figuring out the bristles. So far, I have willow branches as the base and pomegranate skin at the hilt tied with pink,green, and white thread. I live in a very small town in the Midwest USA so I don't have pine trees. All I have is a Walmart and a few dollar stores for store resources. I'm not sure if I have enough mint to use mint stalks. Any ideas on what to use?

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Hi everyone so i recently made a protection spell jar and i wanted to wear it as a necklace but if i make a small puncture just to use it as a necklace would the power of the power of the jar leak?

May not be limited to Paganism, but I just had this idea as I'm struggling with my personal beliefs and ideas. What if I am to set up an altar for nothing more than ritual and offering for the sake of, not to a specific entity or being. Has anyone ever done this? I know it may seem a bit silly but my lack of any strong belief with a deep desire for it seems to have found this idea.

It may seem like a silly question, but in pagan practices (in their most varied forms and experiences) is the "magic circle" open or is this exclusive to Wicca and the like? Well, for me, I don't see the need, because once all the purifications, protections and such are done, I feel more comfortable than "opening a circle".