Celtic Paganism - Blog Posts

𝐈𝐦𝐛𝐨𝐥𝐜 𝐌𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐉𝐚𝐫 𝐈𝐝𝐞𝐚 ❄🕯🌿

Blessings everyone!!🌸 I want to wish you all a blessed Imbolc full of love, light and peace☁️ As some of you already know, I love making these magic jars for every sabbat, dedicated to welcoming the energy of the season and honoring nature. I use them as a mini altar and they are great if you don't time or energy <3 For this year’s Imbolc magick jar (my first since 2021) wanted to focus more on the color purple, as it represents the whimsical energy and the revival of spring, while still honoring the winter we are in. My very first magic jar had a similar vibe, so I wanted this one to reflect that while also adding a bit of authenticity and making it resonate with the energy I feel now. I’ll be lighting it on February 1st and 2nd, and I might change the candle color at some point. ♡🍇☀️🐑

Here’s the list of elements I used for it 🌿 hope you like it! ♡

• Coins – Wealth, abundance

• Crystals – amethyst, pink quartz and ruby

• Fire elements for Goddess Brigid: a piece of wood and Carnelian (symbolizing her flame)

• Rosemary – Love, good memory

• Snail shells – Patience, good luck

• Lots of salt – Purification and protection

• Himalayan salt – Love and purification

• Dried rose petals and crocus flowers (I meant to add dried snowdrops from last year, but I forgot where I put them oops!)

• Seashell – Emotions, love, protection

• Purple candle (I wasn’t sure whether to choose this or a pink one, but I decided to keep a whimsical purple energy. You can use any candle that feels right for Imbolc.)

• Bay leaf with a sigil of Goddess Brigid ♡

🌸🐑🌸🐑🌸🐑🌸🐑🌸🐑🌸🐑🌸🐑🌸🐑🌸🐑

And here are the items that I used <3 I forgot to add some dried lavender too, but maybe tomorrow ☀️ Of course, you can use any element or item that works best for you. Wishing everyone a happy Imbolc! I hope it brings us all joy and everything we wish for. Stay safe 🍇

╺⃝⃤ Welcome!

My name’s Five! I use any pronouns, but my main ones are it/its.

This is my blog for pretty much anything. I basically just fire my brain into this space and see what happens. Mainly this will be for my nonhuman stuff, mental health, and pets.

FUN FACTS

I’m physically nonhuman. I am a changeling in the form of a snake, a deity/angel, and a wolpertinger.

I have schizoaffective disorder (bipolar), ADHD, and DID.

I’m aroace.

I have three pet rats <3

I’m an adult (19), but this blog is completely sfw, so minors are free to interact.

Zoophiles, pedophiles, homophobes, transphobes, racists, ableists, etc. do not interact.

Does anyone else on the pagan community feel genuine love for their deities? Not in the romantic sense, but more in the way you love a family member. It's especially strong coming from a religion where you never felt a genuine connection to "your" God. You felt fear, obligation, confusion, curiosity, and maybe love on some level, but this love is different.

It is finally understanding the feeling people around you described from being in church every Sunday. It's growing up finding the congregation's hands in the air, the singing and crying, the raw emotion to be... unusual, strange. What were they feeling? How can I feel this way? You try to forge that connection, but you're never successful. You start to doubt the God you grew up with. You wonder if he hates you, or if you're not trying hard enough — if you're broken.

...Then, one day, you find what you've been searching for all this time, somewhere else. You experience the feeling of finally meeting your soulmate, finally finding your place or your tribe. You experience the pure joy, the peace, the childlike wonder, the longing, the wisdom, the bond, the reverence, the admiration. You experience an unfamiliar tightness In your chest when you pray to them or make offerings.

I've never felt more in love than I am with my gods. Ive never felt more at home, more at peace.

I hope to feel this way for the rest of my days, because what is life without the gods? What is life without something beyond this world, yet at the same time, an integral part of understanding the meaning of existence on this physical plane — on this planet?

Meetin folks

Heya friends! This post is a bit different than my normal posts, but I’ve been in a bit of a rut lately.

I’m a trans, gay Irish/Celtic pagan and folk practitioner, and I haven’t been able to find a community wherein I’m able to thrive like this. None of my friends practice paganism, and it can be hard not having folks to talk to, even though it seems so trivial. In most queer spaces, spirituality is sort of laughed off, and if anyone has any resources, or is in a similar spot as I, please let me know!

I apologize for the downer vibe of this post, but I just hope folks stay happy :D

If you want to connect, lmk! 🤍

Yule art that put me in the holiday spirit!

Michael Kerbow, Esther Remmington

Renae Taylor art, Margaret Ellis

Renae Taylor arts, L. Helje

Julien Hatswell, Briar

Wendy Andrews, Lynn Bywaters art

Revisiting Manannán mac Lir in his youth. I suppose if Orbsen mac Allot, aka Manannán mac Lir, was born in our times and in our dimension, he would have collected nerd treasures such as Funko Pops, or vintage comics, or whatnot, like all of us mortals. But when you're a Tuatha Dé Danann prince and a pirate captain (don't take my word on it, check out Sanas Cormaic!), you have to make do with jewelry and elven heads. Sigh.

His majesty King of the Sea is not in the mood for kidding.

Enough graveyards for now, here come the princes of the sidhe!

These are young Bodb and young Orbsen, and they’re absolutely not amused.

pov: Lugh Samildánach offers you a game of fidchell. your bet?

Lugh Samildánach coming up nicely

Bodb Derg son of Dagda, High King over the Tuatha Dé Danann.

A commission of Brigid for @bloodtreachery (awww, it was SUCH a pleasure to do it!). I put an emphasis on her aspect as a poet, hence the fire of poetry ablaze! The poem in the flames is a liberal translation of these lines from The Hosting of the Sidhe into Old Irish (courtesy of my wonderful husband):

...if any gaze on our rushing band, We come between him and the deed of his hand, We come between him and the hope of his heart.

Just a kindly reminder that this hungry trans doctoral student artist is taking commissions! Your favourite deity / literary or DnD character / living or not so living person can be drawn for you in 3-7 days max in this style (normally 2-3 but being on the safe side here).

Manannán mac Lir getting ready to remove someone's head.

Manannán mac Lir getting ready to remove someone's head.

Celtober 2023 Days 10, 11 and 12: Siblings, Medicine, Sacrifice

Now Núadu was being treated, and Dían Cécht put a silver hand on him which had the movement of any other hand. But his son Míach did not like that. He went to the hand and said ‘joint to joint of it, and sinew to sinew’; and he healed it in nine days and nights. The first three days he carried it against his side, and it became covered with skin. The second three days he carried it against his chest. The third three days he would cast white wisps of black bulrushes after they had been blackened in a fire.

Dían Cécht did not like that cure. He hurled a sword at the crown of his son's head and cut his skin to the flesh. The young man healed it by means of his skill. He struck him again and cut his flesh until he reached the bone. The young man healed it by the same means. He struck the third blow and reached the membrane of his brain. The young man healed this too by the same means. Then he struck the fourth blow and cut out the brain, so that Míach died; and Dían Cécht said that no physician could heal him of that blow.

After that, Míach was buried by Dían Cécht, and three hundred and sixty-five herbs grew through the grave, corresponding to the number of his joints and sinews. Then Airmed spread her cloak and uprooted those herbs according to their properties.

Cath Maige Tuired

Celtober 2023 Days 7, 8 and 9: Dream, Birds and Divination

The druid, then in his sleep, at the end of the night beheld a man stark-naked, passing along the road of Tara, with a stone in his sling.

The destruction of Da Derga's Hostel

Celtober 2023 Day 3: Seduction

Morrígan seduces a hero with a bloody and terrible death (hence aided written on the ogham stone in the background), he's duly enthralled, and his fate is sealed.

A norse runework starter pack!

Because runework is basically at the core of my craft, I use it all the time and I’m already more than familiar with it. Runework is super easy to incorporate into everyday life and it’s got a wide range of use so I truly recommend. It feels safe and reliable, and I don’t need to put a lot of time or focus on them. Now let’s get down to business to defeat the Huns.

Their story real quick:

So in His endless search for knowledge, Odin the Allfather hung Himself and was pierced by His own spear in order to be alone with Himself. He accepted no bread and no mead until He found the truth He’d been looking for. And He did: through the darkness of His own mind, Odin saw the runes and reached for them. It was told they were so powerful He could bring a man back from the dead using them.

The basics:

The runic alphabet, otherwise called Futhark. Because I’m a history nerd I try to use the “elder futhark” as much as possible, though there’s a new one going around that’s really popular too.

The more complicated stuff:

Vegvisir (you’ll often find it depicted inside a rune circle like the second pic, especially on jewelry and pendants): Vegvisir is first and foremost a compass, and its name translated from Icelandic quite literally means “that which shows the way”. Historians speculate that its shape might be derived from old sailing wayfinders in Scandinavia, thus its association with the compass. It’s supposed to guide one’s way through the storm, according to a line in the Huld manuscript. (x, y)

Aegishjalmur (Helm of Awe): Protection, protection, protection! That’s what it’s about. All of its branches are considered to be “guarding” the center, thus making it a major protection rune. Once you get the gist of it, it’s super easy to draw and useful. If you’re a fan of dragons like me, perhaps you know Fafnir’s invicibility was drawn from this rune, as stated in the Fáfnismál: The Helm of Awe | I wore before the sons of men | In defense of my treasure; | Amongst all, I alone was strong, | I thought to myself, | For I found no power a match for my own. (x, y) 

Aight quick presentation for other complex runes:

Now; How do I use runes? Where do I put them? 

Draw them anywhere and everywere. I wouldn’t recommend painting a ten-feet inguz on the closest police station but there’s still tons of places where runes can be useful. I draw them inside my wrists and close to pulse points, as way of “pumping” them into my system, so to speak. I write them down to focus my intent during rituals, choosing the one/s I need most atm. In a similar way, I envision them during meditation to clarify my intent. I also use them to decorate altars or devotional art. If you’re a norse pagan like me, maybe look up what runes your main deities are associated with! Quick rundown:

Odin is usually othala or ansuz

I often see Freyja associated with fehu, but that’s also the case for most of the Aesir

Tyr with teiwaz

Thor with thurisaz or uruz; etc…

What about bind runes?

By definition and according to historical speculation, bind runes are futhark runes which were merged into a single glyph (sometimes by carving them all on a single straight line, like oghams). They were super rare back in the viking age but they’ve become popular in the last few years.

People create them according to their needs. This aspect makes bind runes extremely versatile and personal because you can set really specific intents for them. They’re not exactly like sigils, though: when it comes to sigils, feeling and instinct usually guide people’s creation process. As for futhark bind runes, they’re made using existing glyphs from this specific alphabet. Here’s a bunch of bind runes that have been going around, just to give you guys a few ideas of what they can look like:

OKAYYY that’s all for me, time to sleep

Muire Imbolc! To all who celebrate, including myself! Spring is coming in swift as the new green pokes through the snow.

"Imbolc" By S.R. Harrell, 2025.