Hello friends! As we begin a new calendar year, I thought it would be a nice time to re-introduce myself.
I’m Celeste, and I am a pagan witch 👋🏼 More specifically, I am a practitioner of earth-based and ancestral magic & spirituality, with my beliefs and practices rooted in the northern traditions — those hailing from Scandinavia, Ireland, & the British Isles.
An animistic worldview is the foundation upon which all of my beliefs & practices rest. The land is my church, and spirits of the wild are my teachers & guides.
When I created this account nearly five years ago, I chose the name “mage by moonlight” because of my deep passion for occult studies and magical practice. As my path winds ever onwards, taking me in various new (at times unexpected) directions, this passion continues to burn as brightly as ever.
Thanks for being here 🕯️
📸@almaravision
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#magebymoonlight #traditionalwitchcraft #paganwitch #oldways #witchery #seidr #runes #norsepagan #witchcraft #witchcommunity #folkmagic #hedgewitchery #hedgeriding #animism #landspirits
Take care of yourselves and take care of one another, friends 💚🌳🧚🏼
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🏷️ #magebymoonlight #animism #witchcraft #folkmagic #traditionalwitchcraft #paganwitch #oldways #norsepagan #irishpagan #spiritual #witchery
What does it mean to be a witch? 🌀 Being a witch isn’t about wearing black clothes and a pointed hat, or living in a cottage in the woods, or carrying an old book filled with spells and charms.
What it really means to be a witch is to recognize that the world is alive with Spirit.
Spirit is in all things big and small — in trees and plants, in rivers and lakes, in planets and stars, in the fire and the wind and the soil.
Spirit is alive in us, too.
And it is the presence of Spirit that makes magic possible.
When we anoint a spell candle with oils and herbs and strike the match to light it, we are melding our energy, our magic, with that of the spirits we are working with — the fire, the herbs, the candle.
When we cast a certain spell on the new moon or in the hour of Venus, wielding an oak wand or a quartz crystal, we are inviting those spirits into our ritual so they might empower our workings.
It is this partnership between spirits that gives spells and charms their spark, allowing us to alter the course of things, to breathe life into our intentions, to weave our dreams into being.
A witch is someone who uses their birthright of magic to create change in their inner and outer world — and that birthright belongs to all who choose to claim it.
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#magebymoonlight #witchwound #healthewitchwound #witchcraft #witchywoman #witchery #witchcommunity #paganwitch #witchlife #norsewitch #paganism #folkwitchcraft #animism #traditionalwitchcraft #oldways
Lore drop 🧝🏻♀️ Favorite moments from the Enchanted Rose Ball @mysticfateuk 🥀
📸 photo credit for the first seven photos to the incredibly talented @liz_isles_photography
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#fantasyball #fantasy #folklore #mythology #romanticizeyourlife
Still not over the Enchanted Rose Ball and probably never will be 🥹🥀 @mysticfateuk
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#fantasy #fantasyball #scotland #romantasy #romanticizeyourlife
Bealtaine blessings! 🌸🌿🧚🏼 In the Celtic lands, the ancient festival of Bealtaine marks the start of the summer season.
Traditionally Bealtaine did not have a fixed date, though it has come to be celebrated by many in modern times on the first of May (and here in Ireland, this week has indeed very much felt like our first glimpse of summer).
At this time of year we celebrate the greening, fertility, and abundance of the natural world. The land is bursting with life all around us, renewed from the long sleep of winter.
Much like the festival of Samhain, which sits opposite from Bealtaine on the ever-turning wheel of the year, this is a liminal time when the veil between our physical realm and the spiritual Otherworld thins.
It is said here in Ireland that the Sídhe, the fairy folk, are more likely pass through the fairy forts, ancient burial mounds, and other “thin places” at this time of year (and folks who wander near these places may likewise find themselves wandering into the Otherworld).
Many of the rituals performed during this festival are protective in nature. Perhaps the most time-honored of these rites is the Bealtaine bonfire 🔥 If you are unable to light a large fire, candle magic is a good option as well.
This energy makes Bealtaine a potent time for spirit work, hedge crossing (i.e. trance journeying), and divination. Similarly, you may have noticed your dreams becoming more vivid, or you might even experience prophetic or lucid dreams.
I have been fortunate in past years to attend wonderful community events such as the Bealtaine festival at the Hill of Uisneach (the sacred “navel” of Ireland) and the Beltane Fire Festival at Calton Hill in Edinburgh. This year, I am simply enjoying a quiet (but no less magical) celebration at home.
In my own practice, getting out onto the land to connect with the local spirits is one of the most important aspects of this day. I gather herbs and flowers, have a picnic, sing, dance, and share offerings with the local spirits of place 🌀
Nine years ago today, my love and I exchanged vows beneath two beautiful old pecan trees in Central Texas 💍🌳 (we began dating over 15 years ago)
We’ve grown up together.
We’ve traveled the world together, climbed glaciers in Iceland and sand dunes in Morocco and mountains in Albania, explored ancient temples in Egypt and Mexico, sipped cocktails in Shanghai and Gdansk, slept in a hut on the beach in Thailand, and motorbiked around a tiny island in the South Pacific.
We’ve immigrated across the sea to begin a new chapter of our lives in a new land 🇮🇪
But what I’m most proud of is how we continue to show up with the deepest devotion and respect for one another and the love that connects us.
Neither of us are perfect.
Even the gods aren’t perfect, even nature isn’t perfect…why would we expect to be?
We accept and honor these imperfections in one another.
We listen and learn and try to do better.
We meet every challenge as a united front.
We allow space for one another to evolve and to express ourselves fully.
We laugh and hold hands every single day.
Every single day.
Every single day.
What a blessing it is to be truly seen and truly loved, and to truly see and truly love that person in return.
Here’s to us and to many, many, many more years my love ✨💚
Blessed Imbolc, Brigid’s Day, Lá Fhéile Bríde! 🕯️
What you see in the video here is the foundation of Brigid’s Fire Temple near the cathedral in Kildare 🔥
As a member of the Tuatha Dé Danann, Brigid is the goddess of the sacred flame, healing, poetry, smithing, and domesticated animals.
It is said that the priestesses of Brigid used to keep an eternal flame burning at her temple in Kildare, in honor of the goddess.
When Christianity spread to Ireland, Saint Brigid founded her abbey on the same location. As the mother saint of Ireland, she is also the patroness of healing, poetry, smithing, livestock, and dairy production.
Like the goddess, Saint Brigid also kept a perpetual fire burning in Kildare, which was tended by nineteen nuns.
The temple’s flame was eventually extinguished, but was relit by the Brigidine Sister in 1993 and as been kept burning in the Solas Bhride Centre ever since 🔥
Here in Ireland, Brigid is venerated on this day both as goddess and as saint, and many will make a pilgrimage to Kildare to visit her temple, her garden well, and other sacred sites.
OPPOSE FASCISM, ABOLISH ICE, PROTECT HUMAN LIFE
1. Refuse to be silent. Speak out in your everyday spaces, especially where harmful ideas go unchallenged. You don’t need a huge platform to make an impact. Use whatever platform you DO have to challenge misinformation and support the immigrant-led organizers and communities who have been leading this work.
2. Donate what you can to the Immigrant Defenders Law Center (@immdef_lawcenter ) to support legal defense & rights education for immigrants
3. Donate what you can to the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota (@immigrantlawcentermn ) to support legal services for immigrants in Minnesota /donate/
4. Contact your U.S. Senator. Ask them to oppose increases in funding for ICE & CBP in the upcoming federal spending bills. As a constituent, let them know your values and that you will remember their votes at election time.
5. Learn and share “Know Your Rights” info. The ACLU (@aclu_nationwide ) offers excellent free resources /know-your-rights
The Cailleach is the winter crone, the keeper of storms, winds, ice, snow, wild places, and woodland creatures.
Her essence is inherently linked with the changing of the seasons and even the shaping of the landscape itself.
As a deity whose name means “veiled one” (as well as hag, crone, old woman, or witch) it makes sense that the Cailleach’s lore is shrouded in mystery.
That said, there are tales stretching across Ireland and Scotland that refer to her powers — for instance, her staff that freezes the ground as she walks, and her breath that sends icy winds across the lands.
Some legends say that the Cailleach turns to stone on Bealtaine Eve, returning herself to the land to rest until Samhain.
Others speak of her actions at Imbolc, which is soon approaching. According to these tales, if the weather is sunny and mild on Imbolc (Brigid’s Day) it means the Cailleach will spend all day outside gathering firewood to sustain her through a long winter.
But if the weather is harsh on this day, she will not be able to gather as much firewood and winter will end sooner.
So perhaps if you wish to know when winter will end, it is better to await an omen from the Cailleach rather than asking ChatGPT or the weather app ❄️🧊
I had been yearning to see the Boa Island stone figures in person ever since immigrating to Ireland more than three and a half years ago. Fortunately, I knew I had time as these enigmatic figures have stood watch over this cemetery for centuries.
I finally had the opportunity to sit with these stones at the end of October, and I can say it was worth the wait 🪨
#ireland #eire #megalithicmarvels #ancienthistory #oldways #pagan #irishmythology #folklore #sacredsites
