As some folks may know based on other writings of mine, my partner and I have been working to find a House Faery (specifically, a Hob) willing to form a compact of employment with us. This pact would essentially entail the faery in question watching over us and helping with our domestic affairs—from minding the garden, to protecting the hens. This relationship essentially falls into the category of a Tutelary Deity, in that, a particular entity would be propitiated in exchange for its guardianship and domestic services. However, while many people in the occult community acknowledge and work with beings of this kind, I think something which is overlooked all too often by practitioners is the Spirit of the house itself; an animistic personification of the interwoven virtues that make up a house. This is, essentially, a variety of Genius Loci, and over the course of getting to know our home, we have come to call this specific form of animistic presence the Genius Domi (ie. ‘Nature of the Home’.) Maintaining and getting to know this spirit can prove highly useful, since any workings that involves the house are more easily undertaken with the cooperation of the house itself, but what’s more, I believe that a Genius Domi has the power to subtly effect the wellbeing of its inhabitants. If it goes neglected for long enough, or if it’s exposed to ongoing unhappiness and/or acute trauma, it can be energetically changed in ways that will eventually begin to negatively impact those who dwell therein. In fact, I think it quite likely that many hauntings are merely the result of a Genius Domi “gone bad,” which leads to feelings of fear, insecurity, sadness, anger, and/or paranoia for the inhabitants. As such, caring for the spirit of your house can have further reaching consequences than many would think
What I share here is the hearthside altar we use to engage with that presence —which we subtly adjust throughout the year, following the seasonal progressions. It is called the Nidus(meaning ‘Nest’) and it serves to honor and empower the unique and living conglomeration of Spirament that forms the Genius Domi of our home, and it acts as a focal point of interaction between us and any Domestic Wights we may collaborate with in the course of our work. It draws on our connection to the Land, the Ancestors, and the Gloaming Folk, in order to underlie and secure our relationship to the Spirit of our home.
The top tier of the altar represents prosperity. It houses a potentFamily Talisman of Luck, passed down to us by my partner’s father when we moved into the house, crossed with small boughs collected from a young White Oak that is growing by our Front Gate. A selection of Oak galls resides at the forefront—gifts of fortune granted us by a number of different Oaken Wights who we’ve tended and fed in honor of the Wild One.
The second tier of the altar represents protection. It houses another family talisman, passed down to us by my mother when we left our place next-door to hers and moved across the country; a Robin’s Nest that once resided in a birch tree outside my old house, which was continuously inhabited by generations of robins for nearly ten years, before a particularly bad storm finally dislodged it one day. Thereafter, it was incorporated in the Domestic Altar of my old home, until it passed to me. Within the nest rests a large Snail Shell—a powerful symbol of both home and protection—while several spiny, storm-blown boughs from a nearby Hawthorn form a protective cradle that watches over them both.
The third tier of the altar represents the land we live on, and the innumerable forces and entities who pervade its forests, hills, and rivers. With the Faerie Faith playing such a central role in both of our lives, it acts as the lens through which this natural synergy is perceived and, accordingly, accessed. While we maintain a shrine in the nearby forest where we meet with and appease the Gloaming Folk, this part of the altar manages to serve as a window, of sorts, into that power and connection, which helps to underlie and support our relationship with both our Genius Domi, and the vaster Genius Loci of our land.
Along with our maintenance of the Nidus, we have also nurtured and built rapport with the Spirit of our home by learning its name, reverently cleaning and repairing it, and feeding a part of every meal we make to Hearth—the central, burning heart of the Genius Domi. In doing these things, not only have we contributed to the long-term welfare of our house, but we taught this domicile to recognize, protect, and care for us. And that domestic love and respect has absolutely come back to aid us in times of strife.
I love this so much. Wondering what to put on my top shelf.
Intent:To harness the power of the lunar cycle for the manifestation and fulfillment of wishes.
Materials:
Small Jar with tight-fitting lid
Chime candle & fire source
Oil for sealing
Herbs and Items representing your wish
Ideal Timing: Waxing or Full Moon
Find a clear space to work. Make sure it’s free of fire hazards. If possible, try to work near a window through which you can see the moon. (If you don’t have one, that’s all right too, since you’ll be setting the jar out for the moonlight when finished.) Light your candle, focus your intentions, and get to work.
Select herbs and trinkets which fit inside the jar to represent your wish. For example, if your wish is for money or prosperity, you might include coins or small craft gems. If your wish is for health, you might include vitamin pills or a charm representing medicine. Check your books for herbs or crystals that correspond to your wish as well. This is your wish - make the spell your own. The contents of the jar can be whatever you want. Use the materials that resonate best with you, but remember that your intent is the most important component of all.
Some common plants associated with wishmaking include:
Bamboo
Bay Leaf
Blue Violet
Dandelion Seeds
Dogwood Petals
Nutmeg
Peppermint
Sage Leaf (any color)
Sunflower Petals or Seeds
Once your jar is complete, drip three drops of wax from the candle into the jar and circle the mouth of the jar three times with the oil to seal the charm. Then cap the jar and seal it with wax. Leave your thumbprint in wax on top of the lid. Place the jar somewhere that it will be touched by the light of the full moon and leave it overnight. The jar should work for about a month, or slightly longer if you’re working with a supermoon. When the next full moon rolls around, you can recharge the jar by leaving it out overnight again, or make a new jar with a new wish.
Marmalade and magick in a jar that will last throughout winter.
You’ll need:
1.25 kg (Seville) oranges
1.2 kg (normal) sugar
1 lemon
1 l water
jars (the number depends on the size of your jars and how much water evaporates but you probably won’t need more than 6 “normal”-sized jars)
(paper and pen)
***
Before you begin making the marmalade, take a moment to reflect on your intentions (write them down if that is helpful to you).
First, think about some negative aspect that you’d like to avoid. Is it a particular event your not looking forward to? A recent feeling or development? Or something more vague and general, like i.e., the gloominess that often comes with grey winter weather? Why do you perceive it as negative? What is it exactly that is negative/ unpleasant about it?
Then, focus on something positive? Is there any part of the negativity that can be turned into something good? What would that look like? What form would it take? Otherwise, what would be a positive alternative? What is missing to make things go well? What is important for your happiness? What do you wish to bring into your life/ a particular situation?
Now that your intentions are clear, you can get going…
1. Peel the oranges and lemon and remove the white pith from it. Cut the peels into thin strips - set them aside. Remove the pith from the fruit as well. Over a bowl -to catch the juice - remove the membrane and seeds and set them aside (you’ll need them for their pectin). Now you should have three bowls: One with the zest, one with the juice and fruit flesh, and one with the seeds and membrane.
2. Add the zest and enough water to a pot and boil it two or three times (for a few minutes), changing the water every time. As the boiling water is taking away the bitterness of the zest, bring back to your mind whatever bad thing you thought about earlier. Visualise it being in the pot with the zest, being soaked up by the water. And as you pour out the water, all the negativity leaves with it.
3. Add zest, fruit flesh, juice and sugar to a pot and cover them with water. As you wait for the mixture to start boiling, focus on the positivity you set as your intention. Stir sunwise and visualise the good things and happiness you seek to manifest. You may speak them out loud; naming on aspect and thereby “adding” it to the marmalade, then picturing it in your mind while stirring, and moving on to the next aspect.
4. Put the membrane and seeds in a cheese cloth (or something similar) and tie the ends together to make a bag. Once the ingredients in your pot begin to boil, add your pectin bag to the mix.
5. After fifteen minutes you can start testing whether your marmalade is setting (although it will probably take quite some more time). To do so, take a plate (best put it in the fridge before starting to make the marmalade) and drop some marmalade on it. If, after a moment, you can draw a line through the marmalade without it closing again, it is setting.
6. Let the marmalade cool down for five to ten minutes. Then, pour or spoon it into clean (and sterilised) jars. Put on the lids and let it cool down completely.
(If you store the marmalade in your fridge, it is enough if the jars are properly cleaned. If you plan on storing it outside the fridge, I recommend sterilising the jars by leaving them in boiling waters for a few minutes and then letting them air dry on a dish towel.)
Every time you use your marmalade, take a moment to be mindful and to remind yourself of the intentions you put into those jars of happiness.
Personally if I had enough energy (I hesitate to say “spoons” on someone’s post about a literal recipe) to get through Step One, I could certainly get to Step Six and go, “Oh shit, the jars were meant to be STERILIZED?!” but I think perhaps Step Zero here is teaching Partner Dude to make marmalade while I furiously Think Good Thoughts at it from bed. #fibrolife
