Patron Deities 101 - Loki

Welcome to another Patron Deities 101 class, where Magick User's University brings the gods to you! We hope you enjoy today's lesson on a Norse deity. Knowing is half the battle. ♥

Today's honorable patron deity is...!

*~ + Loki + ~ *

Alternatively, Loptr

His happiness is your potential bad day.

+ About Loki

Who doesn't know about Loki? He is one of the most infamous gods of Norse mythology, and many tales, books, movies, you name it, have had him in it.

Loki has the bad reputation as a trickster god, whom would cause trouble and mayhem for those in Norse mythology. He's known for letting loose strings of insults and has a silver tongue. His sharp wit can be attributed to his association with the element of air. But did you know that other tales say he was the exact opposite? Many tales say he wasn't a trickster, but actually a rather fine guy who assisted the gods when needed. So which is real?

Perhaps that's up for you to decide.


He's been on many an adventure with Thor, the god of thunder and weilder of the great hammer that protects the land of the gods, Asgard. Loki is also the father of three other gods: the Great Wolf Fenrir, the World Sepent, and Hel, Goddess and keeper of the Underworld. Quite a family there. 

If anything, one can take away from this that Loki is unpredictable. Whether a trickster or a helper... who really knows what this guy is thinking?

+ So what makes Loki patron god material?

For those of you who like tricks and treats, Loki is your guy. As he was also known as a shapeshifter, his unpredictability and ability to adapt makes him compatible for a lot of spell work that a witch may find themselves doing. He's quirky, fun, and mischievous. A great patron, and companion, if you don't mind the occasional joke being pulled on you (where did my keys go?).

+ Holy Statistics, Soull!

Name: Loki

Alternative Names: Loptr

Nationality: Norse

Type: Trickster god

Physical Appearance: Fiery red hair and green eyes. Usually depicted as a slight figure.

Colors: Green, red, yellow, white

Day of the Week: Thursday

Attributes: Air, luck, revenge

Want to see any specific gods or goddess in Patron Dieties 101? Leave a comment here, or even follow us on Facebook! ♥

12th Spell - And Today I Met a Pixie

I hadn't been having the best couple of days. One can tell by my hair. I had unceremoniously thrown it back into a ponytail instead of taking the usual painstaking route of straightening it. So, my friend Kieran thought a day out would be good for me. After dropping off Lore at a local bookstore, we headed out to the Galleria, which is the high-end mall of the area. What were we there for?

Chocolate.

So much chocolate. We ended up getting a chocolate shake, which was delicious with its tiny, tiny little chocolate bits in it. They stuck to the sides of my mouth and melted. Sweet delicious melting.

Witchcraft if I ever saw it.

I was looking for something new to read in the magick department, so we hit up a couple of bookstores before going to the rather large Half-Price Books in Dallas. It was there that Kieran and I split up, and I teetered over to the Metaphysics and Magick section to see if they had anything interesting available.

When I turned the corner, there was a young girl sitting on the floor, right in the corner of the section I was browsing in. Since she wasn't in the area I was trying to look at (yet), I ignored her. However, she spoke up first.

“Am I in your way?” She asked.

“No, you're fine,” I stated off-handedly, waving towards her so she knew she was all right. I was trying to concentrate on what I was looking at (what had I been looking at?), but my eyes kept drifting towards her hands, watching her pick at some of the books. Admittedly, I was being a bit of a vulture, but she looked to be in my target demographic for the blog so I was watching to see what she was reading.

Watching. I felt like such a creeper.

She eventually scuttled away, and I moved into the spot she'd been occupying to finally get back to what I was doing—right. Looking for a book on magick theory. I looked over to she she had approached an older woman, and she said, “mom”, so...

I thought it was rather interesting, seeing that her mom was here with her. Not at the bookstore, actually in the magick section with her. It completely blew my mind. I wanted to strike up a conversation with Pixie (yes, I already gave her a naaaame, due to her haircut—which was so adorable--)

I should of just complimented her then and just upped the creeper factor.

Regardless, she finally made her way back over to me. Perhaps it was to put a book away, or get another one—I couldn't tell you. That was because I was wondering how to approach her and strike up a conversation. One that didn't sound stupid. My self-confidence was rather on the low side this week so my usual suave tendencies were out the window. I must of used it up at my past two modeling shoots.

But this was a test: how did you strike up a conversation with another (potential) witch? There were many questions I could of asked, in hind sight. In fact, I was laughing on the way home from the bookstore when I told Kieran how I idiotically opened up the conversation. It went a lot like this, actually:

Pixie: [ doing something in my general vicinity. This was when my mouth decided to act without my brain's permission ]

Me:  Excuse me, um... how old are you?

...

How old are you?

How old are you?

...Did I seriously just say that?

Wooooow. I was just hitting all 10s today in being a complete weirdo. It sounded like I was trying to pick her up at a bar or something! But it was too late by then. I'd said it, and now I was just hoping she didn't look at me oddly and go, “Mooooom...?”

Pixie seemed to take it coolly enough. “Sixteen,” She answered. Yes! Score one for University Witch!

“Oh!” I remarked, and tried to smooth it all over casually. “You just looked so much older!” Yes, save yourself while you can, Soull.

We did get to talking, and I got to use my card (second time that day!), but her mother eventually came over to talk, as well as Kieran. We stood around chatting for a good hour or so, and I realized, after giving Pixie's mother my card and email as well, that I felt really good about myself. I kind of felt like I learned something too.

Us witches don't have to be solitary.

It just takes one brave step forward to find others.

The meeting was enough of a good thing to get my mind off of some stuff, and really, that was the point of the day, wasn't it? I even got an interesting book out of the deal.

Intro to Magickal Texts - Everyday Witch A to Z

Intro to Magickal Texts is a course in Magick User's University that strives to promote the reading of material outside of the site to broaden your own horizon! These books are written by great authors who certainly know their stuff, and can enlighten you in any aspect of magick! From general knowledge to the specifics of witchcraft in general, Intro to Magickal Texts hopes to touch base with them all. Lets see what we have in store for today!

Everyday Witch A to Z

Deborah Blake

I decided to start off this course with a general book! Afterward, it will be all in the air, so to speak.

+ So what is this book about?

Everyday Witch A to Z is a simple, but still informative guide book to the world of witchcraft. Written in a humorous fashion, it goes over a number of topics, from the Sabbaths, altar tools, an even terms used by witches in today's society.

Under each letter is a handful of terms that Ms. Blake decides to go over. For example, the letter C contains the following words up for review: coven, Craft, Crone, colors, cakes and ale, correspondences, candles, and Charge of the Goddess. How many of those terms do you know? You may know all of them, but I can almost guarantee that, no matter how seasoned you may believe yourself to be when it comes to magick, this book will teach you something new.

The book is also humorously co-authored by Magic the Cat, who throughout the book answered letters from other witches, adds in a few spells, and generally inputs his “cat-tascular” wisdom. There are also fun lists, jokes, and even recommended reading in case you want to learn more! All-in-all, a win-win situation, and a fun book.

+ Who do you recommend it to?

This is a great book for someone who's curious about witchcraft, as well as beginners, and even people who have forgotten why they started on the path. With its wit and fun tidbits here and there, this is good book for anyone!

+ So where can I buy it?

After exhausting your local discount bookstores (like I tend to do), and of course your local retailers, if you still can't get a hold of it, you can order it directly from the Llewellyn website! If you're interested in learning more about Deborah Blake, check out her website: http://www.deborahblakehps.com/index.html

Happy Reading!

Have any suggestions or input? Make sure to comment or follow us on Facebook! ♥

11th Spell - Merry Litha!

Happy Litha! ♥ Or Midsummer, whichever you call it. As you may or may not know, Litha falls on or around June 21^st. Its widely considered a holiday for lovers, as well as for the Patron Deities of fire, light, and the sun! Also, its the beginning of the summer and marked as the longest day of the year—which is great for us magick folk because, party hearty!

I had asked Lore if on this day, if she wanted to go to our sacred spot (where we celebrated the full moon and cleansing the ritual area last month) and celebrate by being out in the sunshine and having a picnic. She agreed it was a good idea, so we settled in for the night, prepared for a good sleep.

But then it started raining.

At the moment we were going through a drought, so any rain was good (even if the earth soaked it all up). The sky outside was having a field day with lightning. The white streaks tore across the sky, shooting down to the earth, clinging to clouds, and crawling across the darkness. I took a step outside on the upstairs balcony to admire the view, before asking Lore to join me.

“It smells so earthy,” I commented, and Lore nodded.

“I like the smell of rain,” She added, and we both looked up at the sky.

It was then a particularly bright and devious bolt of lightning struck down from the sky, lighting up the whole neighborhood. Lore spun around off the balcony and took off in a run to the bedroom.

“See ya.”

...Of course.

I merely followed in afterward, thinking that the weather would be nice atmosphere. I began pondering on reading a book I had gotten from Half Price Books that day, or if I would play the computer game Dracula: Origins that I had scored from the same place.

While I pondered on either witches or vampires, it was then that the power went out.

 Though you probably could have imagined that without my help.

The light flickered on and off for a bit, and I pulled the plug on my laptop as I watched the flickering continue. Lore and I sat side by side on the bed, staring at the light, before it finally went off completely.

I closed my computer.

“That's probably a sign for us to go to bed,” I stated, and Lore agreed, flopping down on the bed sideways and looking out the glass doors of the balcony. I laid my head down on her shoulder, both of us watching the lightning outside creating a strobe effect in our dark room. It was pretty, certainly, and I watched the light brighten the whole sky. I wondered if any of the trees outside would be struck by lightning or not.

But as we lay there enjoying the view, the wind picked up. The rain pounded down harder. The trees beat against the wooden balcony, and finally, heavy cracks and thumps sounded. Hail! Chunks of ice started hitting the ground. We stepped out into the hallway to make sure the glass was okay, when I heard the howling of the cat, Fritz.

“Is he outside?!” Lore and I exclaimed, and we started heading towards the stairs quickly. Luckily, by the time we made it there, Fritz tore up the stairs, indicating he was inside. I was instantly relieved.

Lore started texting a few of her friends outside of the area, asking if they knew if there was a tornado watch or warning issued (since we had no electricity to check the TV or internet). There was nothing of the sort in sight, just a bit of a nasty storm, so we headed back to our bedroom, and finally went to sleep.

However, though the morning arrived, and the day was clear once more, the electricity had still not come back on. Lore and I plodded downstairs (as it was cooler there), and I splayed on the smaller couch while she sat in the recliner, holding her Nintendo DS.

“You know,” I let out after about twenty minutes. “...Its kind of like we're celebrating Litha right now. Its supposed to be for patrons of fire and the light and sun, right? And at the moment, we have no electricity, and no heat to cook anything, and the sun is just outside, beaming away on us.”

“Reaaaaally makes you appreciate modern conveniences, yeah?” Lore let out, standing from her chair. “I'll go make ya some watermelon. Sound good.”

Curse the stereotypes. “Yes,” I stated, and closed my eyes. “Happy Litha, darling.”

EDIT: The power didn't come back on all day! But it finally did sometime today, in the morning. Remember, fellow witches, to appreciate what the gods and goddesses have given you!

Clover Comic Coming to University Witch + Interview

I'm proud to introduce a new aspect to University Witch! We will be hosting a small four-panel style comic here, which will be fondly known as the Clover Comic. This comic stars the young witch Clover, a freshman at Magick User's University. In between updates here, Clover's tales of triumph and learning will be posted for the readers of University Witch to enjoy!

Here to talk about the upcoming comic is the witch herself! Give a big hand to Clover! ♥

The Magickal Interview of the Year!

University Witch: Hello there, Clover! Its nice to meet you!

Clover: Nice to meet you too!

UW: Well, I'm Soull Soothslayer, the University Witch. Here at our blog, your story about attending Magick User's University is going to be one of the highlights! So, how does it feel having your days as a college student out on display for everyone to see?

Clover: Mmm... its a little nerve-racking, but hopefully everyone will enjoy it.

UW: What about the Clover Comic do you think will get people to read it?

Clover: Well, its an American/European twist with a sort of manga style to it! The story line is really simple and lighthearted... and with how often I'll probably mess up, filled with lots of gags. [ nervous laughter ]

UW: You don't think such a basic plot will turn people away?

Clover: Maybe, but... the [art and story] style is charming, and endearing, which makes how simple it is nice to read. Its not an epic, just a slice-of-life... but a magickal one.

UW: So what exactly is the plot of the Clover Comic? 

Clover: Well, its about me, Clover, attending Magick User's University! Witches from all over the world go there to learn magick at a higher level. Previously, all magick is taught at home. The problem is, I'm not the best at it, so a lot of things tend to go wrong. But that's why there's a school!

UW: So its a story about you becoming a well-trained witch.

Clover: For the most part. Its more about the lifestyle of being a witch, and seeing the world from that point of view. There might be some sad parts, and lots of fun parts, but that's life too!

UW: Speaking of your lifestyle, tell us a little about your family.

Clover: Sure! Well, its a small, almost typical American family. There's my mom, who's a pediatric surgeon, and my dad, who's the witch of the two. He's a stay at home dad, but he does do work as a party planner exclusively for witches, like, for the Sabbaths! And of course, there's my little brother, Yew. He's seven years old, and as annoying as he is cute... which is very.

UW: Any pets?

Clover: We have a family cat, Quicksilver. I want a pet, but I haven't gotten one of my own, yet.

UW: Tell us a little about yourself. Do you have any hobbies?

Clover: Me? Hm... I'm eighteen... and I'm just... normal, I guess? I like going to the mall, arts and crafts, and I read shoujo manga! And I've never had a real job, but I'm always asked to babysit for the kids in the neighborhood, so that's a decent amount of pocket change. Plus, I get an allowance.

UW: What class at MUU are you looking forward to taking?

Clover: Spellcraft 101, definitely!

UW: The least?

Clover: Intro to Magickal Texts. I'm so bad with reading material. How can someone possibly memorize all this stuff?!

UW: [laughs] What's your favorite thing about being a witch?

Clover: Well, being able to do magick is one of them... but I think I really like the freedom of being able to set your own path, and strive for things you believe in.

UW: The least?

Clover: Mmm... the misconceptions of being a witch. Magick isn't evil. Its what you do with it.

UW: Well, thanks for the interview, Clover! We look forward to your comic at University Witch.

Clover: No problem!

UW: Any last words?

Clover: Yes! Thank you for the interview, and I hope everyone enjoys the upcoming Clover Comic here at University Witch! Please come see us soon! Bye! ♥

Spellcraft 101 - Book of Old Soulls

Its time to break out the fun stuff guys! Magick User's University is all about interesting crafts that can be useful during your travel through the world of Magick. Today, we're going to focus on a project of making the Book of Old Soulls today in Spellcraft 101.

+ So what is the Book of Old Soulls?

While the title is cute and all, it is more of a reflection as to the nature of the project itself. While I have a really nice, huge hardcover Book of Shadows, I reserve it to write down spells that have worked, to make a gorgeous copy of it and then I can pull out the book when its complete, and the spells will be in there, nice and orderly for me. However, of course I'm always trying to make new spells, and taking notes on things I learned, so I wanted something I wouldn't feel bad scribbling inside of. Of course, even though it was going to just be “scribbled inside of”, I still wanted it to look nice—but not only nice. Archaic. Ancient. Old. I don't care for “new” or “modern” looking things, and my friends always call me an old soul. So, hence the title. (And of course, the  play on my name, Soull, har har.) After scouring plenty of bookstores, new and used, for the perfect journal, I couldn't find anything. Why? The lines! I can't stand lined journals! So, I decided after some deliberation, that I would make my own.

+ Book of Old Soulls +

This is a good how-to for taking a journal you like (say you adore the cover), and making it look old and well worn. If you wonder why you'd want to do that to a new book, think about why people make rips in jeans. There are always ways to vary the end design, but though trial and error, I've put the way that seemed to work best. Lets go!

It all begins with a little ingenuity!

+ Materials +

Blank Book

Sandpaper (or) Exacto-knife

Black Tea (such as English Breakfast)

Spoon

Plate (or) Towel

If you're not interested in making a sort of “scratch paper” book like me, this could also work for a diary, your own personal Book of Shadows, or even if you want it for another paper project, you can do this to separate sheets. This is pretty much just one step short of going all out and making your own book... which I considered until I realized how much I detest leather-work.

The instructions may seem a little difficult, but this is in case two different scenarios play out, depending on the book you've selected. If you're only dying sheets of paper and don't have a whole book, you can skip step one.

+ One: This is the fun part: selecting your book! Find a nice book, and make sure you're happy with the cover. I can't tell you what kind of book to get on this one; this is all about your personal tastes and originality. If you're trying to go for an “old” look, I suggest leather/faux leather, or at the very least, the colors black, brown, red, and dark green. Earthy colors work the best!

Once you've decided on your book, open it up and check out the binding. Has it been sewn into the spine of the cover? Or has it been glued? If its been sewn in, great! It won't fall out of its bindings during the dying process. If its glued, you're in for a rocky time like I was. Take the time to removed the spine. Glue isn't that tough, so you might be able to rip it out, or, of the book is bound in cloth or a paper cover like mine, you can dip the spine in hot water, and wiggle it out. Once you do that, you can continue on.

+ Two: Take your chosen book and take a glimpse at the pages. This part is optional, but I feel it gives a more used look to your book. Take some sandpaper, or an exacto-knife, and start scraping at the edges of the book, like so.

Move the sandpaper the opposite direction of the spine to the edges, going against the grain of the paper. Choose random spots on the edges of the page, sometimes rubbing longer against it than other times. Doing so will make a deeper divot into the page.

Looking good so far! Those black grains are the sandpaper I used. If you have those on your book, you can blow them off after.

+ Three: Once the egdes are done, its time to do the other pages! Open up the book, and from there, stares scraping the sandpaper in multiple directions over the page. It would be too time consuming to do every page, but go through and every few pages, mark on them in the sandpaper.

It can be one long scrape, or just scraping at the corners, the middle... have fun! Sure, at the moment you might not really see a difference, but that happens when you dye it! Keep it up until you've done all the pages you want.

+ Four: Bust out a large pot ( large enough to fit your book) and some tea, and get to boiling it! Alternatively, boiling tea and then pouring it in a large pan or dutch oven

Double, Bubble, Toil and Trouble! That about sums this project up.

Make sure the tea is brown, before plucking out the bags. If you're using loose leaf tea, make sure to keep it in one of those cute straining balls so the leaves are not all over the place!

+ Five: Time for the long part! This will take awhile so make sure you have plenty of time on your hands. Take a small section of pages and dip the book (or separated pages) into the pot, submerging slowly. Try not to dip it all the way to the top where the binding is, lest the thread and glue holding it together unravel or melt due to the hot tea!

Unfortunately, no matter how many times you dip, the middle pages will not get wet if you try and just submerge it all at once. You'll have to dip it in sections like instructed! Believe me! I tried it, and it didn't work.

+ Six: To get into the edges nearest the base, take a spoon, scoop up the tea, and gently pour it along the edge, allowing tea to slide down the page and back into the pot! If your pot is big enough, you might not have to do this, but mine didn't quite fit the book so I had to make do.

Be careful not to get it all over your cabinets!

+ Seven: During step five and six, you might want to set the book down on a plate or towel to rest for a bit. Too much water/tea will make your pages fragile and subject to tearing. Give them a few minutes or so after submerging (or when you fee they might tear), and during that time do something else, such as read a book or even surf the net. Go back and repeat until your pages are a bit darker than you want them to be; once they dry, they'll be lighter!

+ Eight: When you're all done, take it outside and lay it out to dry! Outside, fresh air does better, plus it keeps the smell of the tea out of the house while it dries. It smells a little strange, and the indoor air doesn't dry it nearly as fast.

It might take a few days, but the end result will be great! Now its free for you to use in whatever means you desire!

And there you have it! Another course in Magick User's University, Spellcraft 101. Hope you join us in class again soon!

Questions, ideas, comments? Make sure to follow and contact us on Facebook! ♥

New Things Abound!

In order to keep a blog running, people need material. In the end, that's what separates one blog from the others: its content, and of course, entertainment value.

Its strange, because while a witch uses magick in their everyday life (even if its something as simple as thanking the gods), when you stop to think about exactly what you do that might be interesting to other people, that's when it gets a bit difficult.

Its because of this, that Magick User's University will be opening its doors to not only courses on cooking, crafts, and history, but also focusing on other things! So, what's important to a witch? Surely, I must have other hobbies than reading spellbooks, casting charms, and hunting down altar items. Right?

Well, luckily that's correct.

Hopefully, here at University Witch, you'll stick around to find out what things I have in store!

But for now, you'll just have to deal with his picture of me on a bench!

Happy Broomtrails. ♥

Love,

Soull, the University Witch