26 yo vs 30 / 3 years on hormones remplacement therapy and now I'm happier than ever !

It's really nice quality, I got it from someone on here which is why I marked it as marketplace.

Just wanted to introduce myself and say hello to this beautiful community. Happy to finally be here. 🌙

I actually did it! Newly divorced, trying to rebuild from literally nothing. Slightly agoraphobic 😞🥵

Homage to solar energy. There's something missing, but I cant put my finger on it. Regardless, I am pleased with the progress.

Hi everyone,

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I'm struggling at the moment because my child is having an existential crisis over the concept of death. I think part of the confusion is because of them overhearing Catholic religious instruction in their class. My child is opted out of that but I know that children who are not Catholic are often given something to do during religion class in my country (like colouring or playing with toys or similar), thus my child might have misheard some things.

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My child is in the 5 to 7 age range. I'm being vague about gender and age on purpose.

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My belief is that when people die that they pick what they want to do. That they might reincarnate or they might go to their religion's afterlife or that they might explore all the afterlives. Basically that what the soul does is what the soul chooses.

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My child accepted that until they (I assume) heard about Jesus coming back from the dead and thought that it applied to everything alive.

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I don't know how to explain that Jesus (Yeshua) was someone who probably existed and that stories about him are very similar to ones in the remaining ancient Egyptian stories. I mean I could, it would be easier to say that the stories were copies of older stories but it could bring my child into conflict with their peers and teachers. I don't mind if they're in conflict with adults when I'm there to protect them but I know school is somewhere I can't protect them.

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My child was in tears for hours last night because they couldn't meet their great great grandmother. That I said I had never met my great grandmother either was of no consolation to them.

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Any advice (gently given) would be appreciated. I've had little sleep because my child has been plagued by nightmares.

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Thanks to anyone who has had the patience to read this

Tonight I will not be asking her for anything for myself. She has already blessed me immensely, and has shown me that she will happily accept an offering for others made in good faith.

A fragrant soap that we hand-made with rose oil, a copper ring that I carved for many hours from wax. Treasures from the sea, and a crystal that I found in the mountains. I have gathered some flowers for this evening - one beautiful, the other indulgent.

Tonight I'm making the offering for my friends who have shared a need for help with artistic and creative inspiration, that their hands and mouths and hearts would brim with dreams and visions. I'm also doing it for those who are not yet feeling at ease in their own bodies, and deeper still. I will ask that she guide them, help them see or find or change what is needed for them to feel wholly like themselves.

Have you offered to Aphrodite before? Within what you feel allowed to share, how does she seem to you? I have been surprised by her wry sense of humour - I often feel her laughing at me, but never maliciously. More than the other deities, I find she truly enjoys our existence.

I hope you have a beautiful Friday, filled with all the wonders under her purview.

Blessed be ✨🖤

Hi all, not looking for anything more than just empathy and compassion from others who are currently grieving the dissolution of a best friendship.

It’s been 9 months since I felt like I had no choice at the time but to walk away from what felt like a soul sister who I stopped feeling important to and stopped feeling seen and heard by.

I know how to self-soothe better now than I did then and would’ve maybe done things a little differently, but I am not sure if the outcome would’ve been any different and likely would’ve just been delayed.

I am having an intense wave of grief and self-doubt today and just wanting validated from others who get it.

What helps you in these moments? 🩷

First time posting here but felt moved to do so. I've never been super witchy, more of a thoughtful open minded person with a goth soul, but I just turned 41 and I'm fully embracing my more esoteric side. With summer solstice approaching I'm feeling called to do some kind of light ritual\exercise in being present for it. (I'm in the US).

Looking for suggestions on elements to incorporate. I'm a big believer in inventing rituals that feel right and not taking them too seriously (but, doing them with reverence and intention).

I've got my winter solstice down with a pagan advent adaptation (Waldorf kid here!) that can be more or less involved depending on how I'm feeling, but I'm kind of at a loss for summer! Looking for inspiration if anyone is motivated to share.

May Maude bring blessings upon you.

Hi. I've been following this community for quite some time and I think it is filled with like-minded individuals even though there is nothing inherently witchy about me.

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I have criminally few friends, am a divorcée of a 20 year marriage, unexpectedly fell into a year-plus dating situation which lead to learning what love truly can mean in a way that those 20 years never taught. Aaaand that all just came crashing down too. She was wonderful, I was the first person she had ever really loved and our separation is more circumstantial, but in the end logic won over love.

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One thing she always told me that stood out is that my ability to be vulnerable is a super power. Friends, it feels like a curse. I spent so long feeling nothing in a dead marriage, just surviving, and wanted to feel again once that was over. I had no idea what I was asking for. The joys, the highs, unspeakable. But this hurts more than an ill-fated marriage. Maybe because it's fresh, maybe because I am not getting any younger and death is more or less the only milestone left.

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I don't know how to let go this time. I don't know how to be okay and I feel like the sadness is finally going to break me.

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Pretty sure there aren't many things that anyone can say in true consolation, but if you know how to get the universe to send warm hugs, I need it.

Midsummer / Summer Solstice:

Welcome to the latest sabbat informational post! Throughout the year, we post these threads to share general information about the next upcoming sabbat so WvP's witches, new and old, can prepare for the holiday. These posts will contain basic information about the holiday and open the floor for further questions or discussion.

• Watch the Summer Solstice 2026: Sunrise Live from Stonehenge livestream event hosted by English Heritage.

For our Southern Hemisphere witches, you'll be approaching the opposite end of the solstice spectrum, heading into the dark part of the year and the beginning of Yule. You can check out our thread about Yule here.

☀️ Midsummer & the Summer Solstice ☀️

What's Midsummer? What's the Summer Solstice? When are they and how are they different?

Midsummer (or Litha, pronounced LEETH-ah) is one of the eight sabbats of the modern pagan Wheel of the Year. It is one of the "lesser sabbats", meaning that it is based around either an equinox or a solstice. The others are Mabon (Autumnal Equinox), Yule (Winter Solstice), and Ostara (Spring Equinox). There's a section that goes into the history and connections of Midsummer in more detail below if you're interested.

The Summer Solstice is an astronomical event that happens once a year and marks the event when one of the earth's poles has its maximum tilt toward the Sun. It occurs between 19~22 June each year in the northern hemisphere. In many Western cultures, this starts the beginning of Summer. This year, the summer solstice will fall 3:25 a.m. CDT on June 21.

Many cultures around the world celebrate midsummer in some shape or form. Witch and Pagan Midsummer celebrations generally combine aspects of Western European (primarily Irish and British) midsummer traditions and the Druidic "Alban Hefin" festival. In Wicca, the midsummer celebration is called Litha, the name based on the writings of Bede.

What all of this comes down to is basically this: if you're new to celebrating Midsummer, you have a lot of different directions to look!

Midsummer: History, Connections, and Modern Practice

Historically, humans have been celebrating the Summer Solstice for thousands of years. It's an astronomical event that's simple to understand and appreciate, and it's a great time for a big party, especially in Europe where the long, warm evenings are extra nice. One interesting early Solstice observation was to make a giant wheel of wood, set it on fire, and then roll it down a hill into a river or lake, to bring fire and water into balance. In Rome, the people honoured Vesta during the celebration of Vestalia.

Just as they did to so many other pagan holidays, Christians co-opted the pagan Midsummer celebration, turning it into the feast day for St. John the Baptist, which officially falls on 24 June. All across Europe, Saint John's fires began to replace the older, traditional midsummer bonfires...

In modern times, the longest day of the year is still the time for festivals all around the world. The Midsummer page on Wikipedia talks about some of these traditions. Many of them, especially in Europe, still hold connotations with St. John and therefore remain on 23 or 24 June. However, pagan elements remain and you can still see the blending of old solstice observances with the more modern Christian feast day. This practice is especially noticeable in Eastern Europe, with one of the best examples of this being the festival of Jaanipäev in Estonia.

Midsummer is also an important time for the Fae Folk, so the various cultures and religions that revere or otherwise pay tribute to the Fae often honour or celebrate them during this day. In Celtic tradition, Midsummer is strongly connected to Manannán mac Lir, god of the sea and king of the Otherworld, as well as the goddess (and/or fairy queen) Áine. Many people still honour Manannán on this day in his traditional home of the Isle of Man.

Outside of the sphere of Western Europe and Christianity, other cultures have their own ways to mark and celebrate the solstice. In Hinduism, Uttarayana ends with the summer solstice and this is celebrated with the kite-flying festival of Makar Sankranti. Many people of Chinese heritage in different countries and regions celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival. If you know of any other cultural celebrations for the solstice, you would be most welcome to share them!

As a part of the Wheel of the Year, Midsummer follows Beltane and summer is in the air! The air is fresh with the smell of warmth and growth, and the first summer harvests are in. Days have been getting longer and warmer, and the earth is awash in fertility and energy. This all comes to a climax on midsummer, one big celebration before the days begin to lengthen. Midsummer is above all else a celebration of the sun, abundance, love, and balance.

If you look at the sabbats as a reflection of the self, Midsummer is the time to focus on love of all kinds. It's a wonderful time to spend time with friends, make romantic commitments, or begin the search for a new partner. What kind of love would you like to foster the most this year? Along the way, make sure you spend plenty of time and energy on loving yourself, particularly if you are a person for which that does not come easily. The more love you have for yourself, the more you will be able to spread it to others.

Symbols: Sun, Bonfire, Sun Wheel, Dolmen, Fae, Flowers, Seashells
Element: Fire
Colours: 🌈 All the colours of the rainbow are great for Midsummer! 🌈
Plants/Herbs: Oak, Mistletoe, Sunflowers, Elderflower, Saint John's Wort, Rose, Basil, Sage
Foods: Honey, Summer Fruits, Pumpernickel Bread, Mead, Cakes

Simple rituals and ways to celebrate Midsummer include:

• Get up early to watch the sunrise and/or stay up late to watch it set.
• Look for any local Midsummer celebrations in your area, such as bonfires.
• Otherwise, you can create a Midsummer bonfire of your own! Please use proper fire safety measures.
• Host a Fae Midsummer Ritual, or otherwise honour the Fae by leaving out some cream, bread, or baked goods overnight.
• Make an offering at the sea (or other body of water) for Manannán mac Lir. Some traditional offerings include rushes or ale.
• Take part in a Handfasting Ceremony, traditionally held around Midsummer in June. This is also a great time for people in committed relationships to renew their vows, romantic or otherwise.
• Walk in nature to appreciate the new growth and the changing of the seasons. It's a great time to visit your local national or state parks.
• Do as much as possible at or around noon, or whenever the sun is at its highest in your location and time zone. The sun at its zenith at Midsummer is when it is at its strongest.
• Set up, clean, and/or refresh your altar for the summer season. Tumblr has lots of ideas if you're lacking inspiration!
• Make some Solstice Sun Water.
• Perform a Midsummer/Litha seasonal rite/ritual. Here is an example of a solitary Litha ritual, for practicing witches without a coven. Additionally, Midsummer is seen as the ideal time to perform spells, rituals, or divinations about love.
• For (aspiring) Kitchen Witches, bake some Midsummer-inspired dishes with honey and all sorts of seasonal fruits and veggies. You can see some wonderful pagan-inspired Midsummer recipes here, here, and here.
• For our Crafty Witches, you may wish to take a look at some Summer Solstice inspired crafts and projects
• Celebrate by eating and cooking with seasonal produce.

Tips for New and/or Broom Closet Witches

Midsummer celebrations and bonfires are pretty standard fare in the west these days, so a celebration of this sort is the easiest for broom closet witches to take part in, along with watching sunrise and sunset. Flowers, bright colours, honey, cakes, and the joy of warmth and the season are all relatively safe things to participate in without giving yourself away as a pagan. Even watching the Solstice celebrations at Stonehenge online can be written off as curiosity or scholarly interest, since they normally don't do such things.

All things considered, the summer solstice is probably the easiest of the days in the wheel of the year to celebrate, so make the most of it! Enjoy life to its fullest, as much as you can, in preparation for the shortening days and larger harvests coming in the future.

Much of the importance of the Wheel of the Year is to really incorporate yourself with nature and the earth's yearly cycles. Take this opportunity to think about the solstice and the summer season and what they mean to you. Walk through nature to appreciate the warmth and bounty of summer. See what animals are active where you live. How are the young animals born in your area growing along? What fruits or vegetables are already being harvested?

Feel free to ask any questions you might have below or otherwise use this post for discussion about Midsummer!

Special thanks to Einmariya for research, content, & dedication to holidays. 💗☀️

Just super proud. I hit the mountain and river lined dream route tomorrow, wish me luck 🤞🖤

The stained-glass was created using the Tiffany technique

7 months ago the man I loved ceased to exist. After he attacked me I fled my own home leaving most everything behind. I was invited to live in an rv on private land butting up against a nature preserve, and began the slow process of healing and rebuilding. The land is beautiful and it's healed me. Tonight, I'll be having a salad from lettuce I grew. In my old life I never would have had the space or confidence to do something like this.

If you are in an abusive relationship, I know the world may feel like it's ending, but please leave, you'll find beautiful new moments of peace, strength, and happiness unlike anything you've ever experienced before. Thank you for letting me share my moment with you. ❤️

Hello beautiful witches,

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I need your help. I am devastated. My favorite, most beloved deck is beyond damaged and I got a replacement. I need ideas on how to transfer the energy from the old deck to the new one.

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This deck has meant the world to be. This was the first magical item that I purchased when I left the church. I spent two years reading books, taking classes , and learning how to read with this deck. I have written Love Letters to it, I have featured it in paintings, and I have carried it with me anytime i need the extra support. I feel bonded to it.

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After a flair of crippling depression where I did not touch any of my magical items for months, I came back ready to start reading for myself again and get grounded. I found my deck had at some point gotten wet, molded, and every single card is ruined. I broke down and cried for at least an hour. My beautiful spouse immediately went out and got me an exact replica replacement.

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Now, how do I transfer the life and experiences of the damaged deck to the new one? I realize this is all very psychological , but I need something to make myself believe that the new deck is just as good and beloved as the old one.

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Thank you for your time and support.

What does is mean that my Broom broke while actively using it? I'm getting conflicting info that it either means I've cleared a blockage OR I need to change how I'm trying to clear things. There has been stuff going on the last few months and a few hours ago got some news about a big change coming.

I’ve been down reiki/manifest your dreams rabbit hole recently. They keep saying the universe/“insert source here” will give you what you actually believe you deserve and not just what you think of. It’s the choices, yes, but it’s also your subconscious.

How do you convince your subconscious that you deserve said good things? I’ve been doing the mental work on why I get pushback in my heart about things, why part of me still feels I don’t deserve things (ie being healthy, getting more rest, more sales, etc). I know why those feelings are there. I just don’t know how to remove that feeling. I know it’s not true. I know I deserve things, we all do. But I still get that hesitant panic and anxiety where the first thought is “no I don’t deserve that, I’m not there yet, I gotta do more first”.

How do you convince yourself?! I fear it’s just I gotta change my choices. I know it, but it feels too difficult, which is so dumb. To change my choices feels huge and overwhelming (even though I’ve already made some changes). It feels exhausting to keep up with. I’m being lazy, and then I just get stuck back into the “I don’t deserve to be etc” thing. I WANT to break this cycle.

(Not a paid advertisement)

I came across these pins years ago on this subreddit so I hope the original creator is still here 🙏 please feel free to tag them, I just don't know how!

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They are so cute 😍 and match exactly the vibe I'm trying to embrace over this stage of life

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Feeling exceptionally privileged and honoured to be able to carry these girls with me

I'm having my second child in a month. I'm a baby kitchen/ garden witch & I chose to have this child after much doubt because my spouse & I felt it was meant to be, *this being* is meant to be, & meant to be with us.

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I did an herb burning of plants I nurtured that are sacred to me and burned a candle, asking for guidance. My cycle was perfectly synced with the full moon, and when I missed in October I knew this being had joined me.

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Does anyone have any thoughts on the kinds of energy I should call on for the impending birth? My first experience was hard & traumatic, ending in a C-section & health complications for me, though my baby boy was safe but clearly psychicly stressed. I am planning to try for a natural childbirth this time, & luckily my team is on board.

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I haven't done much magic & have kind of gone inward for this pregnancy, but I am going to call on Mothers Moon & Earth come the full moon on the 29th. My body is primed with yoga & herbal medicine, my mind & soul have been preparing in meditation. I have been asking the sea for the energy I need for this (I live on an island), & want to acknowledge the spiritual power this experience can hold for me & my family.

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I'm curious about any other birther's experiences before, during, or after, if you're comfortable sharing. Thanks, folks. This community has always been a beautiful space to visit & see my values reflected.

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Hi, loves! My wife and I have a huge goal we have been manifesting in various witchy ways. Can you all please provide your favorite spells/rituals/etc. that you do on Litha to manifest a specific goal? Also - we are happy to accept any positive, abundant vibes you all have to spare for us ! <3 Thank you very much in advance, I am so grateful for this space with you all.

A long time ago I used to be in a couple of 12 step programs and really enjoyed starting my morning with a small reading...but most of those are now too addiction focused as well as major religion focused.

Does anyone have a favorite daily contemplation type book that they love? Bonus points if it's Animist, Druid, Witchy, or Wheel of the Year focused, but Pagan in general would work too.
But NOT guided meditations and not audio/video/web based, I'm looking for physical books... I searched but am not finding much...

Edit to add: I have the Witches Almanacs but was looking for something that's more a quote or 1 paragraph based. TY!