Guidelines and Terms of Use
Digital Sages gathers the correspondences, lore, and practices of the world's esoteric traditions into one place. Please read these guidelines before you use what you find here. By using the site you agree to them.
What this is
Digital Sages is a reference and a teaching tool: the correspondences recorded by traditions such as the Golden Dawn, Agrippa, traditional astrology, Kabbalah, Norse rune lore, Christian mysticism, and modern Wiccan and pagan practice, alongside the Arkedalia, a modern mythos from the world of EXILLVS.
Where traditions disagree, we choose one answer, the Signature, and show the others beneath it. Every correspondence describes what a tradition teaches. None of it is a promise of results.
Not medical, mental health, legal, or financial advice
Healing associations for colors, stones, plants, and planets are complementary practice. They never replace a doctor, a therapist, or medical treatment. If you are unwell, see a qualified professional.
Nothing here is legal or financial advice. Ritual can accompany a court case, a business decision, or a fertility journey, but talk to a lawyer, an accountant, or a doctor about the real thing.
If you are in crisis or thinking about harming yourself, please contact a local emergency number or a crisis line right away.
Plants, potions, salves, and brews
In our recipes a potion is something you make and charge with intention, then keep, pour out, or offer, not something you drink. A salve goes on the skin. A brew is something you drink, and we will only ever suggest one when every ingredient is a known culinary or tea herb.
Many plants in the old correspondence tables are poisonous, among them yew, nightshade, belladonna, hellebore, hemlock, and mandrake. Never eat, drink, or burn a plant unless you are certain it is safe. Treat old texts as history, not as a pharmacy.
Some common herbs are not safe for everyone. Mugwort, for example, should be avoided during pregnancy and nursing. Check with a doctor or a qualified herbalist before taking any herb, and patch-test anything you put on your skin.
Keep herbs, oils, and resins away from children and pets.
Candles, incense, and fire
Never leave a burning candle or incense unattended. Burn on a fireproof surface, away from curtains and anything flammable, with a window open for smoke. When a working says to burn paper, use a fireproof dish and make sure the ash is cold before you dispose of it.
Animals, minerals, and protected materials
Some materials named in the traditions are toxic (mercury, lead, cinnabar) or protected by law. In the United States, feathers and parts of most wild birds are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and many countries restrict ivory, coral, and parts of endangered animals. Use images, symbols, or ethically sourced substitutes instead.
Animal correspondences are for contemplation and symbolism. Never harm an animal for a working.
Ethics of practice
Work on yourself and your own life. Love workings are for attracting love, never for overriding a named person's free will. Binding works on harmful actions, never on a person's wellbeing. Protection workings are not a substitute for real safety: if someone threatens you, contact the authorities or a support service.
Divination, whether tarot, runes, or anything else, is a tool for reflection. Use it to think more clearly, not to hand over important decisions.
Living traditions
Several of the traditions here are living faiths. Jewish Kabbalah, Christianity, and Norse Heathenry each have their own communities and teachers, and what Digital Sages presents is the esoteric and correspondence-based reading of them that grew up in the Western mystery tradition. We present them with respect, and we encourage anyone drawn deeper to learn from those communities directly.
Sources and accuracy
Correspondences are drawn from published sources, including Crowley's 777, Agrippa's Three Books of Occult Philosophy, Barrett's The Magus, the rune poems, and widely shared modern practice. We work carefully, but traditions disagree and mistakes happen. If you find one, tell us.
Moon phases and the Moon's sign are calculated in your browser and are accurate to within minutes, which is more than enough for practice but not for navigation.
Email and privacy
If you sign up for emails, your address is stored with our email provider, Kit, and used only to send you Digital Sages rituals, lore, and updates. Every email has an unsubscribe link. We never sell your address.
The site does not ask for an account and does not use advertising trackers. Your birthday in the Prime Element reveal is worked out in your browser and is not sent anywhere.
Terms of use
The text, design, and the Arkedalia and its elements are the work of Digital Sages and EXILLVS. You are welcome to use what you learn here in your own practice and to share links. Please do not copy the site's content wholesale or republish it as your own.
Digital Sages is provided as is, for education and entertainment, without warranties. You are responsible for how you use what you learn here. We may update these guidelines; the date above shows the latest version.
Safety notes by entry
Specific cautions for the plants, stones, metals, colors, intents, and workings that need one.
- Bat · Animal
- Never handle wild bats; they can carry rabies. Work with images, not the animal.
- Crow · Animal
- In the US, crow feathers are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act; keeping found feathers is illegal. Use images or ethically made replicas.
- Eagle · Animal
- Possessing bald or golden eagle feathers is illegal in the US without a federal permit. Use images.
- Magpie · Animal
- In the US, magpie feathers are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Use images instead.
- Swan · Animal
- Swans are protected in the US and UK; do not collect their feathers from the wild.
- Black · Color
- Color healing is a complementary practice; it doesn't replace medical care.
- Blue · Color
- Color healing is a complementary practice; it doesn't replace medical care.
- Brown · Color
- Color healing is a complementary practice; it doesn't replace medical care.
- Crimson · Color
- Color healing is a complementary practice; it doesn't replace medical care.
- Electric Blue · Color
- Color healing is a complementary practice; it doesn't replace medical care.
- Gold · Color
- Color healing is a complementary practice; it doesn't replace medical care.
- Green · Color
- Color healing is a complementary practice; it doesn't replace medical care.
- Orange · Color
- Color healing is a complementary practice; it doesn't replace medical care.
- Pink · Color
- Color healing is a complementary practice; it doesn't replace medical care.
- Purple · Color
- Color healing is a complementary practice; it doesn't replace medical care.
- Red · Color
- Color healing is a complementary practice; it doesn't replace medical care.
- Scarlet · Color
- Color healing is a complementary practice; it doesn't replace medical care.
- Sea Green · Color
- Color healing is a complementary practice; it doesn't replace medical care.
- Silver · Color
- Color healing is a complementary practice; it doesn't replace medical care.
- Yellow · Color
- Color healing is a complementary practice; it doesn't replace medical care.
- Nature · Element of Arkedalia
- Nature work supports wellbeing; it doesn't replace medical care.
- Air · Element
- Ventilate the room when burning incense or herbs, and avoid it around anyone with asthma.
- Fire · Element
- Never leave a candle or fire unattended, and burn paper only in a fireproof dish.
- Water · Element
- Don't drink moon water left outdoors unless it was covered and is safe to drink.
- Binding · Magical intent
- Bind actions, never a person's free will or wellbeing. If someone is threatening you, contact the authorities or a support service as well.
- Dreams · Magical intent
- Avoid mugwort if pregnant or nursing; lavender is a gentle substitute.
- Emotional Healing · Magical intent
- Complementary practice: it supports, but never replaces, medical or mental health care.
- Endings · Magical intent
- Yew is highly poisonous; use a picture or a fallen sprig only, never handle it carelessly or burn it.
- Fertility · Magical intent
- Ritual can be a source of hope, but it is not a substitute for medical care; talk to a doctor about fertility concerns.
- Healing · Magical intent
- Complementary practice: it supports, but never replaces, medical or mental health care.
- Justice · Magical intent
- Ritual can support a legal matter, but it is not legal advice; talk to a lawyer about real cases.
- Love · Magical intent
- Never work love magic on a named person to override their free will.
- Protection · Magical intent
- Spiritual protection is not a substitute for real safety measures; if you are in danger, contact the authorities.
- Psychic Ability · Magical intent
- Avoid mugwort if pregnant or nursing.
- Vitality · Magical intent
- Complementary practice: it supports, but never replaces, medical or mental health care.
- Lead · Metal
- Lead is toxic, especially to children. Avoid handling it, melting it, or using it in ritual; use symbols or substitutes.
- Quicksilver · Metal
- Liquid mercury and its vapor are highly toxic. Do not use real mercury in any ritual; use symbols or substitutes.
- Aloe · Plant
- Topical gel is generally safe; aloe latex taken internally is a strong laxative and not advised.
- Comfrey · Plant
- Do not take comfrey internally; it contains compounds that can damage the liver.
- Mugwort · Plant
- Avoid mugwort during pregnancy, and use it sparingly if you are sensitive to ragweed-family plants.
- Narcissus · Plant
- All parts, especially the bulbs, are toxic if eaten; keep away from children and pets.
- Nettle · Plant
- Wear gloves when harvesting fresh nettle.
- Sage · Plant
- White sage is overharvested and sacred to some Indigenous peoples; garden sage works well and is easy to grow.
- Tiger Lily · Plant
- All parts of true lilies are highly toxic to cats, even the pollen.
- Yew · Plant
- All parts of the yew except the red flesh of the berry are deadly poisonous; never burn or ingest it.
- Obsidian · Stone
- Raw obsidian edges are sharp enough to cut; handle unpolished pieces carefully.
- Justice · Tarot card
- Ritual can support a legal matter, but it is not legal advice; talk to a lawyer about real cases.
- The Devil · Tarot card
- If something you feel bound by is an addiction, ritual can support recovery but is not a replacement for professional help.