It is a simple way to charge up and cleanse your crystals without having to focus on visualisation. Simply put your crystal in the center of a piece of paper, and write around it two categories of words: the things you want to fill your crystal with, and the things you want out of them. Then draw arrows pointing into the crystal for the positives, and away from it for the negatives.
This is a visual way to charge/cleanse without having to maintain focus. I’m certain it could work for any object you want to use, not just crystals!
Good idea!
This is brilliant!
This would be especially useful for beginner witches who are learning. Use it as a visual aid.
Recently I started a witch circle of close and new friends to practise and support each other. Rather a lot of the members are new to magic and are a bit unsure where to start. So, after dumping about a billion links on them, I decided to make a short compilation of really easy spells to get started with.
I might well make them into a proper pdf one day to pass around.
Every week, I randomly choose one amazing, underrated witchblr to feature! I want to make sure that more people discover these great blogs, and also to Wake Witchblr, because there are a LOT of interesting blogs to follow; you just haven’t found it yet ♀️
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JustAWitchyGirl is a devotee of Aphrodite and she posts a lot of sweet appreciation posts of her
Her blog gives you a daily dose of wholesome relatable Aphrodite appreciation along with plenty of posts directed at baby/beginner witchies.
She also runs the discord server 'Just a Witchy Coven’, which I absolutely LOVE. It has a strict anti-bigotry policy and everyone there is just so welcoming.
Currently, she is looking for a mentor. I’m not sure if she is still looking atm, but if you feel you would be interested in this, definitely contact her, and join her discord too, while youre at it!
DoNOT cast spells for positive effects that involve:
Burning a picture of yourself*
Burning a piece of paper that anywhere contains your name*
Burning a piece of hair or other taglock*
*Unless you really know what you’re doing
I don’t know how sigil culture got people to think that burning anything = sending it off for spirits, but NO. Across pretty much every magical practice, burning involving a person = destruction. Burning as a means of generically sending things off is mainly used for offerings.
On a similar vein, do not cast spells for positive effects that involve taking a human figure and ripping up, burning, submerging in soil or water, or doing anything else to that figure that would maim or kill a real human. (unless you really know what you’re doing)
Remember the Law of Similarity. Destruction of an image = destruction of the thing itself.
I’ve left a group over this one. Though it was drowning not burning. To get rid of negativity in the group, we were supposed to make poppets of ourselves and then make a paper boat and put the poppets in the river. Where the river would carry them away as they sank. And drowned.
I said no. This refusal created more negativity. Okay, I may have also said something like “I don’t know what Ophelia shit you’re up to here, but I’m not doing the spell.” Which probably caused more negativity because the reference was probably went over some heads. But…
You do not create representations of yourself and destroy them. If anyone who thinks they should teach witchcraft or lead a group tries to get you to do that, you have every right to leave. Or to severely question what they think they’re up to.
(Need to get rid of negativity or excess energy? Get a good size rock. Not a fancy crystal, just a hunk of basic rock. Hold the rock and let your energy flow into it. Then put the rock outside on the ground and the energy will flow into the earth. This transfers the energy without destroying anything. I know witches who have a specific rock just for this purpose.)
I can’t believe they wanted you to make a poppet of yourself and sink it. Besides the environmental impact, based on what materials used put in the river, this feels more like a curse than a remove negativity spell. Did the person who put the spell together want yall to be miserable together, stuck in a river? What happens when the river floods…. I love the Ophelia comment because definitely that feel.
I like the rock idea, I’ve done this with negativity, with harmful spirits too. If you really want it gone gone for good, that’s when you throw that rock in the river that contains your negative energy, etc.
New witches, if you do not curse personally remember to research into what cursing holds! This is exactly why.
You can definitely make poppets of yourself for positivity but you should never EVER destroy or harm those poppets unless you have already removed all connections to you from them - or else you are essentially unintentionally setting up yourself for the possibility of allowing some very negative unexpect outcomes to rear their heads into your life.
Remember the aspects of cursing and what different steps in cursing means to avoid doing that to yourself.
Actions to avoid doing to yourself or a poppet of you (this includes anything with your name or photo or other taglock unless you are doing very specific spirit work contracts but that is a whole different thing):
1. Burning: burning brings not only destruction it is often done to poppets and items of people to represent anger, hateful energy, bringing complete chaos and ruining good things that they have. In cursing you burn poppets of others as one of the more severe types of curses and often to get very large outcomes.
2. Submerging in Water: as discussed above this represents drowning which isn’t literal in most cases but often represents anxieties, sinking emotions, flooding or drowning someone with negative emotions or misery, losing control of one’s life and paranoia. Drowning is usually connected to extreme punishment connected to another’s emotions and their own self-views.
3. Burying: burying a poppet represents caging, confining, repressing and smothering them. It can also be used to ‘bury a person away’ or toss them out of your life. Doing this to something strongly connected to you outside of a properly made witch’s jar or well researched ritual is not only environmentally bad if its not made out of safe materials but can repress yourself from achieving goals, reaching milestones or succeeding in things you do such as trying to improve upon something.
4. Cutting/Slicing: never cut or slice a poppet meant to represent yourself! This represents pain, bringing old wounds to the surface and suffering. I’ve seen way too many younger communities try to say cutting up something with your face or name on it is letting go - it can be but not in this context. Cutting things like strings, ribbons, tangled up knots, etc is much safer and proper without risk of the above.
5. Tying, Knotting, Hanging: using thread, ribbon or anything else to bind up a poppet or photo even if its in a pretty bow is the same actions done as in binding spells - which are meant to restrict and immobilize others. Make sure you do not hang your poppet especially not by the neck or limbs for this can also represent suffocation (usually not literally but emotionally or socially) and removing someone’s ability to protect themselves and making the vulnerable.
Remember intent only goes so far! You can put as much intent as you want into things but that doesn’t always ensure that they will happen - do your research! Research what correspondences are to everything you use, make sure any actions you are using are not going to counteract with the spell or worse possibly ruin the whole spell and make sure you are well researched in self poppet and taglock work!
Note: all craft is different, everyone walks their own path, just research before you try to tackle things that may go against what you are trying to do. As said intent only goes so far. If you are certain that you have a safe method for anything above and have done it before thats great! this is intended for witches who are new, finding their footing and may not realize how to properly protect themselves or master their craft yet. All craft is valid! We just want to make sure people do it safely and know the basics before they jump into things they aren’t prepared for
An incantation or a charm is a magical formula intended to trigger a magical effect on a person or objects. It’s a fast but sure spell that you say outloud to make it work.
In my native witchcraft traditions (armenian&georgian) we use a lot of incantations, because there’s nothing stronger than the power of words. But what’s the formula for the perfect effective incantation? We use just 3 ingredients: rhythm, rhyme, and imagery.
Rhythm turns a whisper into a strong energetic drumbeat, rhyme helps you remember and add strength to your voice, imagery binds the intention.
The rhythm. Make each word sound like a drumbeat when you say it outloud. Recall how shamans use the sound of drums to create their magic. You incantation, when said outloud, should be that drum. Your words should have their own rhythm, power, proper emphasis.
The rhyme. Make it rhyme, make it easy to learn by heart and repeat. It only adds to its strength if you say it outoud yourself, without peeking in a book.
Imagery. Use rich metaphors. Incantation is as much poetry as it is magic, so it’s very important to make it sound vivid, and so that each word is there for a purpose, not just too fill the void. Compare sickness to a black bird, kill it with a stone and throw it in a fire to make it go away. Be vivid, be creative.
Bonus, an example of an old georgian incantation aganst a cold:
Surdo metsvia sadilad, Cold visited me at dinner. Ra gavuketo sadilat? What shall I make it for dinner? Magrad shevkar, shevpachiche, I tied it [i.e. the cold] Shavsa dzaglsa gadavkide. Hung it on the black dog, Dzagli Khidzed gavarda, The dog fell over the bridge, Surdo tskalshi chavarda. The cold fell in the water.
Once you begin actively trying to develop your psychic abilities, you may notice that you are more sensitive to the energy around you. You may find yourself receiving unwanted psychic messages at work, in class, or at the grocery store. This isn’t necessarily bad, but it can be very draining. For this reason, it’s a good idea to keep some psychic shields in place.
I want to stress that the reason shields are a good idea is NOT because evil spirits or other witches are out to get you. (In my experience, most spirits don’t care enough to make the effort to intentionally fuck with you.) You aren’t protecting yourself from harm — you’re protecting yourself from minor annoyances and unnecessary drains on your energy.
Think of it like a raincoat. Going out in the rain without a raincoat probably won’t cause any lasting harm, but you’ll be more comfortable if you have one. Another way to think of it is as closing your psychic inbox. A shield lets the world know that you aren’t receiving psychic messages right now.
There are lots of ways to create a psychic shield. Here are a few of the easiest methods:
Visualization. This is probably the most popular method of psychic shielding, because it doesn’t require any tools or elaborate ritual. To use this method, find a quiet place to sit or lay down. Close your eyes, and imagine yourself surrounded by something protective. It can be a sphere of white light, an iridescent soap bubble, a suit of armor, or anything else that resonates with you. The imagery isn’t important, as long as it makes you feel safe. Keep focusing on your visualization until you feel it become solid around you. It’s best to do this exercise every morning before you leave the house, but you can use visualization to strengthen your shield throughout the day if you feel you need some extra protection.
Herbs and oils. There are several herbs that are associated with protection. Keep a stick of cinnamon or a sprig of rosemary in your pocket for protection from both physical harm and psychic overload. You can also make or buy oil blends specifically for psychic protection. I wear a Fiery Wall of Protection oil to reinforce my psychic shield. When you apply the oil, you can say a prayer or incantation for psychic protection.
Iron. Carrying iron for protection is a very, very old practice. In medieval Ireland, iron was said to protect from fairies, but it can be used to protect from all spirits. This is especially helpful for natural mediums who often have spirits popping in at inconvenient times. I work at a very spiritually active place, and I carry hematite in my pocket because of its high iron content. You could also carry an iron nail or other small piece of iron for similar results.
Crystals. There are several crystals that can be used for psychic protection. My favorite combination is selenite and black tourmaline. Selenite is a cleansing stone, so wearing it on your person keeps psychic and energetic garbage from sticking to your energy field. Black tourmaline, in my experience, is more useful for blocking things out. When you wear them together, very few things will be able to get past. Other crystals that work well for psychic protection are hematite (as previously mentioned), shungite, jet, or any other black stone.
Religious iconography. In many traditions, religious jewelry and talismans are believed to have protective properties. Many, many Christians wear cross necklaces for protection, or carry rosaries or images of saints. Wiccans wear pentacle necklaces, because the pentacle is a strong protective symbol. Norse pagans might wear a Mjölnir pendant, Kemetic pagans might wear a wadjet, etc. If you identify with a religion that has its own protective symbols, wearing or carrying those symbols can provide strong physical and spiritual protection.
Ask for protection. Although I think it’s important to be able to create your own psychic shields, there’s nothing wrong with asking for help. If you have a good relationship with a spirit or several, you can ask them for psychic protection. You might ask your ancestors, spirit guides, familiars, deities, saints, angels, or any other spiritual beings that you frequently work with. Remember that it’s rude to ask spirits for favors right off the bat — work on establishing a relationship first, before you start asking for things.
Nothing bad is going to happen to you if you don’t use psychic protection. But you’ll probably be more comfortable and find it easier to conserve your energy if you have one or more of these systems in place. Experiment with the different methods of shielding yourself and see what works for you!
I was planning to talk about pathworking and astral travel before getting into banishing, but in light of some asks I recently received on Tumblr, I think it’s important that we take a moment to discuss how to get rid of spirits that, for whatever reason, you don’t want around.
There are lots of reasons you might not want a spirit in your space. Just like with people, some spirits just aren’t a good fit for you and your practice. Part of being a spirit worker is cultivating a “spirit team” of beings that you can have healthy and beneficial relationships with.
Some spirits are mischievous and like to cause trouble. If you find yourself on the receiving end of lots of spirit pranks, you may want to gently encourage them to move along. And there are some spirits out there who just genuinely hate humans and will go out of their way to cause mental, emotional, and even physical harm.
Don’t get me wrong — malevolent spirits aren’t common. In my experience, the vast majority of unwanted spirits are more annoying than dangerous. I’m not saying this to scare you or make you paranoid. But these things do exist, and it would be negligent of me not to mention them in a series on spirit work.
There’s a reason that one of the most common truisms in witchcraft is, “Never conjure something you can’t banish.” If you’re going to be working with spirits, it’s a good idea to know how to banish them just in case. With that being said, here’s how you can clear out any nasties that may be lingering in your space.
Cleansing
The first step is to kick those unwanted spirits out of your space. There are lots of ways to do this, so choose the one that is the best fit for you.
Cleansing with fire and smoke is a very old and very simple method. If this is the way you decide to go, there are several magical substances you can burn to banish spirits. Burning sulfur or asafetida will clear out just about anything, but they both smell awful and are potentially toxic, so you’ll want to get an okay from the other people living in your home, burn a little at a time, and make sure you have lots of windows open. (Some people say sulfur and asafetida will banish all spirits, not just the unfriendly ones, so you may have to invite your spirit team back in later.) For something that smells a little more pleasant, you can try a mix of frankincense and myrrh resin, or burn a mix of dried rosemary, sage (garden sage, not endangered white sage, please!), and bay leaves — but again, make sure you have windows open, because these get smoky. Plus, you want the windows and/or doors open so the spirits have somewhere to go when the smoke chases them out.
If smoking up your living space isn’t an option for you, you can manually clean your space with a wash or powder. If you have hardwoods, you can make a floor wash with water, salt, lemon juice, rosewater, lavender essential oil, and either bay laurel or rosemary essential oil. (This is adapted from an uncrossing bath in the book Utterly Wicked by Dorothy Morrison.) Use this mixture to mop your floors, as well as to wipe down your walls and furniture. If you have a humidifier or essential oil diffuser, diffusing some of this mix would also be a good idea.
If you have carpet, you can make a powder by combining salt, dried lemon peel, dried roses, lavender flowers, and bay leaves. You’ll need to ground this really fine, so I recommend using a coffee grinder or food processor. Sprinkle the powder on your carpet, let it sit for a few minutes, and then vacuum it up. I would supplement this by also diffusing a mix of saltwater with rosewater, lemon juice, and lavender and/or bay laurel essential oil. If you don’t have a diffuser, at least sprinkle some saltwater around the room and on your belongings.
No matter which form of cleansing you decide to use, it’s important to verbally state your intention to banish these unwanted spirits from your space. Tell them out loud that they are no longer welcome here and that they need to leave. Don’t be rude about it, but be firm and speak clearly and with confidence.
After you cleanse your space, it’s a good idea to cleanse yourself as well to remove any psychic ties to the spirits you’ve just banished. The easiest way to do this is with a ritual bath. The floor wash recipe mentioned earlier can also be used as a psychic cleansing bath. Other options include a bath with salt, frankincense, and myrrh or a bath with salt, rosemary, sage, and bay laurel. You can use essential oils for your bath, or add the resins and herbs to a cheesecloth bag and drop it into the tub for easy diffusing and cleanup.
If you don’t have a bathtub, you can cleanse yourself in the shower. Place two cups of salt in a bowl. Add lemon juice, rosewater, lavender essential oil, and either bay laurel or rosemary essential oil. If you don’t have essential oils, you can add dried lavender and crushed bay leaves. Add some of your favorite body wash to create a scrub (if you don’t have body wash, use olive oil). While in the shower, use this mixture to scrub your skin — visualize yourself scrubbing away any psychic gunk you might have picked up.
Protection
Once you’ve removed any unwanted spirits from your space, you want to lay down some protection to keep them from coming back. There are as many ways to ward off spirits as there are witches, but here are a few ideas to get you started.
One option is to create a ward. You can do this by anointing the door frames, door knobs, and window frames of your home with a protective oil blend and/or by creating lines of salt across your doorways and just inside your windows. You can use other protective substances if you prefer. As you lay down these protections, visualize a protective shield around your home, and speak aloud your intention to keep harmful spirits out.
Iron is said to repel spirits. Keep a railroad spike or other large piece of iron under your bed to prevent nightmares and to keep spirits from messing with you while you sleep. There’s an old superstition that says that hammering iron nails into the four corners of your home protects it from spirits — this may not be possible if you’re renting, but you can create a similar effect by displaying a piece of iron in each of the four corners of your home. Hematite is a crystal that is high in iron, so it can be used in a similar way to ward off spirits.
Aloe is said to protect from negative spirits, and to bring protection and good luck more generally. It’s also a common house plant that is easy to care for, so this method of protection is especially great for witches who need to keep their practice a secret. Keep several aloe plants in your home to protect those who live there.
For witches with a crafty side, making a witch bottle is another option for protection. There are lots of different recipes for witch bottles, but the basic method is to fill a bottle with sharp objects, add something from your body, and hide it somewhere outside your home (traditionally buried on the property, but leaving it in an outbuilding works just as well). The idea is that any nasty spirit that comes looking for you will be attracted to the bottle (because it contains part of your body), get caught by the sharp objects, and be trapped. To create a simple witch bottle, fill a mason jar about halfway with sewing pins, then add a bit of your hair and some of your fingernail clippings, and finally fill it with liquid (traditionally, this liquid is your own urine, but if that makes you uncomfortable vinegar will also work). If you want, you can also include some of your favorite banishing herbs, resins, or crystals.
Religious symbols can also keep nasty spirits away. If you identify strongly with a religion, display protective symbols from that faith in your living space. For example: a Christian witch might hang up a crucifix or set out a statue of Archangel Michael, a Norse pagan witch might hang up an image of Mjolnir, a Hindu witch might display a statue of Durga, etc. Sometimes the most effective way to keep nasty spirits away is to let them know that you’re under the protection of someone more powerful.
When dealing with unwanted spirits, the most important thing to remember is that you do not need to be afraid. You are a powerful witch, and you are more than capable of getting rid of them. Be confident in your abilities and know that whatever happens, you can handle it.
Resources:
Southern Cunning: Folkloric Witchcraft in the American South by Aaron Oberon
In spirit work, we often connect with the spirits that have crossed over and are present in the physical world. However, there are also ways to cross over into the spirit world and connect with spirits in their home environment.
Pathworking
As I mentioned in a previous post, a pathworking is a specific type of meditation where you go on a psychic journey, but are still anchored to your physical body. It’s sort of like dipping your toes into the spirit world.
There are two important elements to a pathworking: a clear entrance/exit point and a way to retrace your steps. Pathworking journeys are typically cyclical — there is both a journey out and a return where you go back the way you came. This makes it easier to fully return your consciousness to your body, and failing to do so can cause you to feel disoriented upon the return.
Your entry/exit point can be absolutely anything, but common examples include a door, a gateway, a tree (or sometimes The World Tree), a cave/tunnel, or a natural landmark like a beach or mountaintop. What’s important is that it’s recognizable and easy to find your way back to.
If you want to try pathworking, make a rough “road map” of your journey beforehand. This doesn’t have to be super specific, but it should contain the following: a goal for the pathworking (such as to connect with a certain spirit), an entry/exit point, and a general idea for the route you’re going to take. If you’re worried about getting lost, author Thea Sabin recommends using “the Theseus trick.” Like in the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, you can tie a golden thread or rope to your entry point and the other end to your astral body. If you get lost, you can follow the thread back.
Pathworking is fairly beginner friendly, and I highly, highly, highly recommend starting with pathworking and becoming comfortable with this method before trying astral travel. Even for more advanced witches, pathworking is often a better option than astral travel because it’s less involved and requires a little bit less effort. I personally prefer pathworking for most situations.
Performing a Pathworking
Before you begin, establish a clear goal for your pathworking and write out a rough “road map.” At the very least, you should know what your purpose is, where your entry point is, and how to find your way back.
Begin in a dark, quiet room. Cleanse the room by burning incense, diffusing or spraying essential oils, or using a ritual broom to sweep out old energy.
Find a comfortable place to sit or lie down and begin meditating. You may want to play meditation music, practice breathing techniques, or use some other method to help you reach a meditative state.
Once you reach a meditative state (you should know what this feels like if you have experience with meditation), see yourself standing at your entry point. This is your entrance to the astral realm.
Set out on your pathworking.
When you are ready to leave the astral realm, you will need to find your way back to your entry point. Once you reach your entry point, it should be fairly easy to return to your body.
Once you’re fully present in your physical body, use your favorite method to ground yourself.
Write down everything you experienced during your pathworking in a journal.
Astral Travel
If pathworking is dipping your toes into the spirit world, astral travel is diving in the deep end. Also called spirit flight and hedge riding, astral travel includes actually sending your soul/consciousness out of your body and into the spirit world. As you might guess, this is more complicated and requires more effort than pathworking. For this reason, astral travel is not beginner-friendly. If you are completely new to meditation, witchcraft, and spirit work, it’s best to learn to pathwork before you attempt astral travel.
A word of warning: you may want to avoid astral travel at times when you’re in a very vulnerable or volatile emotional state. Some days you just aren’t up for it, and that’s okay. On those days, a pathworking or another form of spirit work may be a better option.
Triggering Spirit Flight
In astral travel, a trigger of some kind is used to help disconnect the soul from the physical body. Common triggers include drumming, special music, shaking a rattle, chanting, and dancing.
You can find shamanic drumming tracks on YouTube that can help you achieve astral travel. If you find that repetitive motion helps you trance out, you may look into getting a small drum or rattle to play.
Animal Guides
In many cultures, those who travel into the spirit world do so with the guidance and protection of an animal spirit. From the Norse fylgja, to the shamanic power animal, to the witch’s familiar, history is full of examples of these types of guides.
Before you begin astral travel, do a pathworking to meet your animal guide. It’s important to note that you aren’t choosing an animal guide — only meeting one that has always been with you. Your guide may be an animal that you like or identify with, or it may not. When I first began experimenting with astral travel, my guide was a coyote — an animal I had never identified with before, but who I learned was deeply connected to my inner self.
It’s important to always have your animal guide with you when going on astral journeys, as they are an important source of protection and power. They may also literally guide you to the things you need to see and the spirits you need to meet.
Flying Ointments
Historical accounts describe witches using “flying ointment” to help them achieve spirit flight. These traditional flying ointments contained toxic and/or hallucinogenic plants like belladonna, datura, henbane, mandrake, and opium poppies. For obvious reasons, most modern witches do not use these herbs.
Please do not try to create your own flying ointment with poisonous plants. If you’re a true traditionalist and feel like you just have to try a historically accurate flying ointment, Bane Folk Apothecary sells several. Bane Folk is run by Sarah Anne Lawless, a kickass witch who knows her stuff and produces safe, medicinal products inspired by traditional flying ointment formulas. I am usually very pro-DIY, especially when it comes to witchcraft, but this is one case where it really is best to defer to a professional.
To create a modern, non-toxic flying ointment: heat eight ounces (or one cup) of poppy seed oil over low heat on the stove. Once the oil is warm, add 2 ounces (or ¼ cup) of beeswax into the oil. (Use carnauba wax for a vegan alternative.) Take the mixture off the heat, and allow it to cool off a bit. Once it has cooled (but before it’s begun to solidify), add nine drops each of mugwort essential oil, star anise essential oil, and peppermint essential oil. Pour the mixture into a mason jar and seal tightly. To extend your ointment’s shelf life, add a few drops of Vitamin E oil and store in the refrigerator. If you don’t have access to essential oils or prefer a more traditional method, you can buy dry herbs and infuse them into your oil instead — to do this, crush up 2.5 ounces (or 1/3 cup) each of dried mugwort, star anise, and peppermint and add them to a mason jar; add enough oil to the jar to cover the herbs completely, with about an inch of oil above them; seal the jar and place it in a sunny window for 2-3 weeks to infuse; and finally, strain the herbs out of the oil with a mesh sieve or a cheesecloth. You can then add your Vitamin E oil and beeswax to create an ointment.
This modern recipe does not contain hallucinogens, but it does contain plants that are commonly used in magic to increase psychic abilities and aid in astral travel. You can say an incantation over this ointment while making it to add some extra magical potency. Applying the flying ointment can also become a sort of ritual that prepares you for spirit flight by helping you slip into a more spiritual head space.
Performing Astral Travel/Spirit Flight
Before you begin, know why you are journeying to the spirit world. You should always have a clear goal for your astral journeys.
Begin in a dark, quiet room. Cleanse the room by burning incense (mugwort incense aids in astral travel), diffusing or spraying essential oils, or using a ritual broom to sweep out old energy.
Use your favorite method to ground yourself.
If you are choosing to use a flying ointment, rub it on your skin now.
Hold a protective item in one of your hands. I like physical items for protection during spirit flight, because they can ground you and help you find your way back to your body. Examples of protective items include a sprig of rue, a piece of iron, or a protective crystal like black tourmaline. If you ever feel scared or uncomfortable during your journey, you can bring this object into the astral realm to protect you. It will also keep your body safe while your consciousness is occupied.
Start up your trigger, whether this is drumming, rattling, dancing, etc.
Allow yourself to drift into a trance state, and then to disconnect from your body.
Call your animal guide to you.
Set out on your journey in the spirit world.
When you are ready, feel yourself returning to your physical body. Allow yourself to come back slowly — don’t rush it.
Ground yourself. One good way to ground after astral travel is by eating a snack.
Write down your experiences in a journal.
Resources:
Wicca for Beginners by Thea Sabin
Southern Cunning: Folkloric Witchcraft in the American South by Aaron Oberon
Hedge Riding by Harmonia Saille
“How to Make Herb-Infused Oils for Culinary & Body Care Use” and “How to Make Herbal Salves” from the Mountain Rose Herbs blog
From the Roman priest reading auguries to interpret the will of the gods to the modern fortune teller reading with a deck of playing cards, divination has been a part of human spirituality for thousands of years. Today, divination is an important part of many witches’ practices, and can be an important tool for self-reflection and analysis.
Merriam-Webster defines divination as, “the art or practice that seeks to foresee or foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge usually by the interpretation of omens or by the aid of supernatural powers.” Divination can be used for many things, not just to predict the future. It can be used to understand the past, identify patterns at work in your present, or as a tool for working through trauma.
In the book You Are Magical, author Tess Whitehurst describes divination as, “a way of bypassing your linear, thinking mind and accessing the current of divine wisdom and your own inner knowing.” As I’ve discussed in a previous post, all of us are receiving psychic information all the time, though many of us don’t realize it. Divination tools like tarot cards or rune stones act as triggers to help kickstart our natural psychic gifts.
Divination relies on the use of our intuition. Intuition is defined my Merriam-Webster as, “the power or faculty of attaining to direct knowledge or cognition without evident rational thought and inference.” These are the things you know without needing to be told. Another way of thinking of it is this: your intuition is the way you interpret the information you receive through your psychic senses.
The most important thing to remember when doing divination is that the tool you are using isn’t giving you information — it’s simply helping you to access information you already know. The revelations come from you, not from the cards or whatever other tool you may be using.
When using divination to foresee the future, it’s important to remember that the future is never set in stone. These tools can only show you the most likely outcome based on your current direction.
Beginner-Friendly Divination Tools
These are the divination methods I would recommend for beginners. For one thing, most of these systems are fairly easy to learn and use. For another, these are some of the most popular divination methods among modern witches, so it’s easy to find information about them and/or talk to other practitioners about their experience.
As you’ll see, each divination method has its own strengths and weaknesses, so you may choose to learn several methods that you can combine to get stronger readings. Or you may find that you can get all the information you need from a single method, which is also okay.
Tarot. This is my personal favorite divination method, but it’s also the one with the most misconceptions surrounding it. Tarot cards do not open a portal to the spirit world, and they probably didn’t originate in Ancient Egypt. In fact, evidence suggests that the tarot comes from a medieval Italian card game called Tarocchi, although the modern tarot deck as we know it didn’t come around until the 20th century. Tarot cards are not any more or less supernatural than ordinary playing cards. (Which, incidentally, can also be used for divination.)
Tarot makes use of archetypes, and many readers interpret the cards as a map of an archetypal spiritual journey. For this reason, tarot cards are especially useful for identifying the underlying patterns and hidden influences in any given situation.
Most tarot decks follow the same set of basic symbolism. Unfortunately, this does mean that new readers will need to study the accepted meanings. This isn’t to say that your readings will always match up 100% with the standard meanings of the cards — you may receive intuitive messages that deviate from tradition. Still, it’s helpful to know a little of the history and traditional symbolism behind this powerful divination tool. The good news is that, since most decks use similar symbolism, once you learn the traditional meanings you can successfully read with almost any tarot deck.
I’m planning to post a more in-depth introduction to tarot very soon, but in the meantime, if you want to learn this divination method I recommend starting with the book Tarot For Beginners by Lisa Chamberlain and/or with the website Biddy Tarot.
Oracle Cards. Oracle cards have been rapidly gaining popularity in the witchcraft and New Age communities in the last few years, and it’s easy to see why. One major appeal of oracle cards is how diverse they are — there are countless different oracle decks out there, each with its own theme and symbolism. Another big plus is how beginner-friendly they are; Oracle cards are usually read intuitively, so most decks won’t require you to learn a complex system of symbolism. (Of course, the fact that every oracle deck uses different symbolism can be frustrating for some readers, because they have to learn a new set of symbols for every deck.)
Some readers (myself included) also find that oracle cards usually give more surface level information. Tess Whitehurst says that, “While oracle cards can help us answer the questions ‘What direction should I take?’ and ‘What is the lesson here?’ tarot cards are more suited to helping us answer the questions ‘What is going on?’ and ‘What is the underlying pattern at work here?‘” For this reason, many readers choose to use tarot and oracle cards together to get a more well-rounded look at the situation.
Another common complaint about oracle cards is that many decks are overwhelmingly positive and shy away from dark themes or imagery, which creates an imbalanced reading experience. I think this is best summed up by one Amazon review for the Work Your Light Oracle, which says: “Basically, this is very much a deck for Nice White Ladies™ who like crystals and candles but aren’t ‘super into all that witchy stuff.‘”
There ARE oracle decks out there that address darker themes, but many of the most popular decks on the market are overwhelmingly positive. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes a little positive encouragement is more helpful than brutal honesty. However, too much focus on the positive can lead you to ignore your problems, which only makes things worse in the long run. For this reason, finding balanced decks is important — if you’re going to use a very shiny happy deck, my advice would be to alternate it with more grounded decks, or with a deck specifically designed for shadow work.
That being said, oracle cards are a great divination tool if you can find a good deck, especially for beginners who are intimidated by more structured systems like tarot and the runes. If you’re interested in working with oracle cards, the best way to start is to find a deck that 1.) you feel a strong attraction to, and 2.) has a good guidebook. (My favorite oracle deck is the Halloween Oracle by Stacey Demarco, which I use for readings all year.)
Runes. The Elder Futhark alphabet is a runic alphabet that originated in ancient Scandinavia around 200 AD. While this was an actual writing system, it also had magical and mythological associations in the cultures that originally used it. While using the runes for divination is a modern practice, it is based on the historical sense of magic surrounding these symbols.
Like tarot, the runes have a traditional set of meanings. However, because there are only twenty-four runes, there aren’t as many meanings to learn as there are with tarot. Some rune sets also contain a blank stone, which has its own special meaning. I have personally found the runes to be a great source of wisdom and insight, although they do tend towards “big picture” messages rather than small details.
However, there is one major stain on the runes’ history; they were studied and used by Nazi occultists before and during World War II. Like many symbols associated with historical Germanic paganism, the runes were appropriated as part of Nazi propaganda — for example, the Sowilo rune was incorporated into the SS logo. This isn’t to say that you can’t reclaim the Elder Futhark alphabet, but I do think it’s important to know the history going in. Because of their association with Nazism, it’s best to avoid wearing or publicly displaying the runes.
There are other ancient alphabets that are used for divination, like the Anglo-Saxon runes or the Irish Ogham, but the Elder Futhark is the most popular.
If you’re interested in learning divination with runes, I recommend the book Pagan Portals: Runes by Kylie Holmes.
Pendulums. Pendulums are interesting because, unlike tarot, oracle cards, and runes, they can be used to answer yes or no questions. For this reason, many readers use pendulums to get clarification on readings they’ve done with other divination methods, but you can also use pendulums on their own.
A pendulum is any small, weighted object hanging from a chain or string. You can buy a pendulum made specifically for divination from a metaphysical shop or an Etsy seller, but you can just as easily use something you already have: a necklace, your housekey, or a small rock or crystal tied to a string.
Pendulums may be the easiest divination method to learn. The only thing you need to do to learn how to interpret a pendulum is ask it what its “yes” and “no” motions look like. To do this, simply hold your pendulum in your hands and focus on your connection to it. Then, let the pendulum hang from its chain or string so it can swing freely. Say or think, “Show me ‘yes’.” Allow the pendulum to swing, and pay attention to its movements. “Yes” is often a forwards-and-backwards swing or a clockwise circle, but your “yes” may look different. (Some witches even notice that different pendulums in their collection have different “yes” and “no” movements!) Once you’ve gotten the pendulum to show you its “yes,” ask it to show you its “no.” For many readers, “no” is a side-to-side swing or a counterclockwise circle, but again, yours may be different.
The biggest downside to pendulums is that because they typically only answer “yes” or “no,” you have to be very specific with your questions. Pendulums aren’t the best tool for general energy readings or open-ended advice. However, that specificity makes them great for validating your gut feelings, interpreting your dreams, identifying a deity or spirit that you think may be reaching out to you, or any other situation that requires a little clarification.
There are several methods you can use to communicate with spirits, depending on your skills, preferences, and comfort level.
Signs and Synchronicity
The most organic way to receive messages from spirits is to wait for physical signs in your environment.
The concept of synchronicity was first introduced by Carl Jung. A synchronicity is a “meaningful coincidence” — a seemingly random event that feels meaningful to the individual. For example: crows have a lot of spiritual significance to me, and whenever I see or hear one it has a very specific meaning for me.
Another way a spirit might send you a sign is by surrounding you with physical reminders of them. I’ve most often experienced this with deities. If a new deity is reaching out to me, I’ll see images of them in places I wouldn’t expect to and may hear their name mentioned over and over again around me.
In her book The Angel Code, Chantel Lysette encourages readers to ask for physical signs when they connect with spirits, as a way to confirm that this is a genuine spiritual experience. This is something that has really stuck with me, and has become common practice in my spirit work. It can be very powerful to see signs in your mundane life that validate your spiritual experiences.
Divination
One easy way to communicate with spirits is to use your favorite divination method. (I’ve already done a whole post on divination, so I’m not going to spend much time on it here.) When using divination to communicate with a spirit, address your questions to them by name. From there, proceed as you normally would.
One thing to keep in mind when using divination to communicate with spirits is that the communication will be limited by the divination method you use. If you’re using a pendulum, you can only ask yes or no questions. If you’re using a tarot or oracle deck, the spirit will be limited to the cards in that deck when they’re trying to answer. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it is something to keep in mind.
Automatic Writing or Channeled Writing
This is a little bit different than other divination methods, because in this case you’re actually connecting directly with the spirit in order to write down messages from them. Automatic writing is the act of allowing your hand to write out a message without focusing on the words — the idea is that your hand will be guided by the spirits in order to write down their message for you. Some people believe that you should use your non-dominant hand for automatic writing, as this is your “receptive” hand. Channeled writing is the act of receiving a message through your psychic senses, which you then write down. Automatic writing is a type of channeling, but not all channeling is automatic writing.
I personally prefer channeled writing, simply because I find it more comfortable. Some witches prefer automatic writing because it bypasses your conscious mind, thus making it less likely that you’ll unknowingly “edit” the message. However, automatic writing can be a little bit harder to learn, so I’m going to focus on channeling here.
To channel a message from a spirit, you will need something to write with — a notebook and pen/pencil works, but so does a laptop with a word processor or even the notebook app on a smart phone. You will also need to enter a light trance state (this is the same state of consciousness experienced in meditation), so you might choose to use trance triggers like incense, shamanic drumming, or binaural beats. Begin by creating a protective space around yourself. (This is just to make sure only one spirit comes through at a time.) Invite the spirit you want to receive a message from into your space. Enter a trance and open yourself up to whatever it is they have to say. Don’t think about the words that come to you — simply write them down. You can analyze the message later, after your trance has ended.
Meditation
If you have a specific question you need an answer to, you can receive an answer to that question in a meditation. Likewise, if you want to connect with a certain spirit, you can do so through meditation.
This is fairly straightforward. Prepare for meditation in the way you normally do — light incense or candles and play music if you’d like, and make sure you have a comfortable place to sit or lay down. Before you begin to meditate, speak your intention out loud. This could be as simple as saying, “My intention for this meditation is to connect with [insert spirit’s name],” or “My intention for this meditation is to receive an answer from [insert spirit’s name] about [insert topic here],” or it could be an elaborate prayer.
From there, meditate as you normally would. Focus on the spirit you’re trying to connect with or, if you have a specific question, focus on that question. Whenever I do this, I often receive an answer in a sudden information download — suddenly the answer to my question is clear and obvious.
Pathworking
Apathworkingis a specific type of meditation where you go on a psychic journey, usually with a specific goal in mind. I like to think of pathworking as the halfway point between meditation and astral travel. With pathworking, you are still anchored to your physical body, but your consciousness is able to make a journey into the astral world.
There are two important elements to a pathworking: a clear entrance/exit point and a way to retrace your steps. Pathworking journeys are typically cyclical — there is both a journey out and a return where you go back the way you came. This makes it easier to fully return your consciousness to your body, and failing to do so can cause you to feel disoriented upon the return.
A very common entrance/exit point is a door or gate which you use to enter and exit the astral realm. Sometimes it’s more of a home base — for example, my entry point is a rocky beach. I’ve also heard of people using a tree, or even The World Tree, as their entry point. Whatever imagery you choose, make sure you’re able to find your way back to it. If you’re worried about getting lost, author Thea Sabin recommends using “the Theseus trick.” Like in the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, you can tie a golden thread or rope to your entry point and the other end to your astral body. If you get lost, you can follow the thread back.
If you want to try pathworking, make a rough “road map” of your journey beforehand. This doesn’t have to be super specific, but it should contain the following: a goal for the pathworking (such as to connect with a certain spirit), an entry/exit point, and a general idea for the route you’re going to take.
Astral Travel/Spirit Flight
Perhaps the most direct route, astral travel (also called “spirit flight,” “soul flight,” or “hedge riding”) involves sending your spirit or consciousness into the astral realm/spirit world. Astral travel is not a beginner technique. This method should only be used by witches who have experience with meditation, pathworking, and other altered states of consciousness. The major advantage of astral travel is that you’re visiting the spirits on their own turf, which means you can communicate with them much more clearly and directly.
I’ll talk about both pathworking and astral travel at length in my next post. In the meantime, know that it is an option but that I only recommend it for intermediate to experienced witches, and even then only after some serious research into how to do it safely.
Some Basic Precautions
No matter which method you use, here are some basic rules to keep you safe and comfortable during your communication.
Cleanse before you begin. The best way to make sure you’re talking to the spirit you want is to clear out any other nasties before you begin. There are lots of ways to cleanse your space, from incense to sound baths to sweeping with a ritual broom. Use your favorite method to energetically tidy up before you try to contact anybody.
Use protection. A few safety precautions never hurt anyone, and they’re a good idea if you’re going to attempt one of the more involved methods of communication, like channeled writing or astral travel. The salt circle is an oldie but a goodie — once you’ve set it up, only spirits you invite can enter the circle. (But please don’t sprinkle salt on the ground outdoors — this hurts plant life! Use another protective substance, like rosemary, to form the circle instead.)
Know who you’re talking to. It may not be in your best interest to chat it up with whoever presents themselves. Not every spirit has good intentions. I speak from experience when I say that opening the lines of communication to whoever is around is not the best idea. Be clear and specific with which spirits you invite into your space, and don’t open the door to spirits who make you uncomfortable. This is part of the reason that having an established relationship with spirits that you know and trust is important.
Don’t take things at face value. Something that doesn’t get brought up enough in the New Age community is the fact that spirits can and do lie. They can also be wrong, and may give you false information in good faith. Just because a spirit tells you something doesn’t make it true. Always do your own fact-checking outside of spirit work.
Don’t be the idiot in a horror movie. Use common sense when working with spirits. Use safety precautions (see previous notes about cleansing and protection). Don’t intentionally contact negative entities — don’t be that guy who buys a Ouija board so he can talk to Jack the Ripper’s ghost. If a spirit gives you bad vibes, tell them politely but firmly to leave. When in doubt ask yourself, “Would a character in a horror movie do this?” If the answer is yes, don’t do it. You’re smarter than that.
Resources:
The Angel Code by Chantel Lysette
Wicca for Beginners by Thea Sabin
Southern Cunning: Folkloric Witchcraft in the American South by Aaron Oberon
New World Witchery podcast (several episodes, including “Episode 164 — Irish Folklore and Magic,” “Episode 161 — Practicing Safe Hex,” and “Episode 152 — Honoring Ancestors”)
“My Goddesses: How and Why I Work with Mary and Hel” by Kelly-Ann Maddox
In my last post, I talked about different types of spirits that witches may work with. Today, we’re going to discuss how to approach spirits and establish a working relationship.
Keep in mind that these are general guidelines, and every spirit is different. I encourage you to do your own research beyond this post, especially if you plan to work with powerful entities like deities, angels, or fairies.
Remember the Four R’s
It’s important to keep these things in mind when working with spirits:
Respect. The spirits are powerful, and you need to have a healthy respect for that power when working with them. It’s also important to respect them as individual, autonomous beings.
I’m not saying that every interaction you have with the spirits needs to be a full blown ritual with incense and chanting. (In fact, some spirits don’t care for those types of rituals.) But every interaction you have with them should be conducted with an air of respect and reverence.
What this mostly boils down to is good manners. Being polite will get you better results — and it will also keep you from being on the receiving end of spirit mischief. Proper etiquette depends on the type of spirit you’re working with, which is one reason it’s important to do your research. In general, it’s polite to make an offering, use respectful language, and thank the spirits before you leave (unless you’re dealing with fairies — some traditions say you should never thank the fae).
Respecting spirits also means respecting their desires — even if that means respecting their wish not to work with you. Not every spirit you reach out to will want to form a relationship with you, just like not every person you meet in your life will want to be your friend. When a spirit turns you down, respect their decision, politely bid them farewell, and move on.
Reciprocity. The goal of spirit work is to establish a mutually-beneficial partnership — not for one partner to serve the other. On one hand, this means that you can’t just command spirits to do your bidding without giving anything in return. On the other hand, it also means that you won’t be worshiping/honoring them without receiving some kind of boon.
This is why it’s important to make offerings to the spirits you work with. These offerings “feed” the spirits by giving them power, and a good offering will likely make a spirit more willing to work with you. Offerings are not payment for favors from spirits (it’s not quite that simple), but they are a sign that you intent to practice reciprocity in your relationship.
In general, it’s important to make an offering when you first introduce yourself to a spirit and again before you ask them for anything. But you shouldn’t only make offerings when you’re about to ask for something! How would you feel if you had a friend who only did nice things for you when they were about to ask for a favor? You’d probably start avoiding them, right? You might even get angry. To avoid this kind of dynamic in your spirit work, make regular offerings to the spirits you work with. If you’re especially close with a spirit, you may want to offer to them every day.
Relationship.The spirits are not vending machines where you put offerings in and blessings fall out. They are living, sentient beings with feelings, and deserve to be treated as such. Your relationship with the spirits you choose to work with is just that: a relationship. And like any relationship, it requires time, energy, and emotional labor.
If that sounds like more effort than you want to make, there are plenty of ways to do magic without ever working with spirits. You don’t need to do spirit work to be a witch. It may not be your thing, and that’s okay!
But if you choose to work with spirits, it’s important to remember that you are working with them as an equal partner — you’re not their boss, and they are not obligated to like you, help you, or even tolerate you. Relationships with spirits are built over time, through mutual respect and trust.
You wouldn’t drive up to your friend’s house, throw a fast-food burger at them, and then demand a special favor. Likewise, you shouldn’t just dump an offering on your altar and demand something of the spirits. Take the time to sit down with them. Talk to them. Get to know them. Put some thought into your offerings, instead of just offering the same thing every time. Spirit work is, at its core, about building an authentic relationship with the spirits we choose to include in our practice. Enjoy it.
Research. When it comes to spirits, it’s important to know exactly who (and what) you’re dealing with. As previously mentioned, the etiquette for dealing with fairies is very different from other land spirits. Different deities have different standards for their worshipers, which vary from one pantheon to the next. The way you interact with your ancestors will probably be shaped by their personalities, cultures, and values. All this is to say it’s important to know who you’re reaching out to, preferably before you reach out to them.
With deities, this is easy. Most witches who choose to work with deities will feel drawn to a certain pantheon, or even a specific god or goddess. There’s a lot of information out there about most historical pantheons, so researching them is easy. The same goes for angels, saints, demons, and even fairies.
It can be a little more difficult to do your research when you’re dealing with land spirits, spirits of place, or other less well-known figures. In these cases, it’s best to take three steps: 1.) figure out what type of spirit you’re dealing with (land spirit, animal spirit, ancestor, etc.), 2.) find out what this type of spirit is like generally, and 3.) find out how that applies to your specific spirit.
For example: you want to connect with your local land spirits. You do some research to find out how land spirits have been treated in various cultures — you find out that they’re typically benevolent, are closely tied to the natural landscape, and were often given food offerings. Then, you do some research into your local plants and animals — what form might a nature spirit take in your local environment? Would it be a huge moose with snow-covered antlers, or a magnolia tree in full bloom? Is there any local folklore in your area that could be describing a land spirit? Once you have answers to these questions, you’ll have a much better idea of how to approach the spirits and start up a relationship.
Initiating a Relationship with a Spirit
Begin by identifying who this spirit is. For example, let’s say you choose to reach out to a specific ancestor spirit — maybe a deceased grandparent. Make sure you’re familiar with the etiquette for interacting with this type of spirit so you don’t accidentally do something disrespectful. (If your Grandma hated cussing, try not to drop any f-bombs while communing with her.)
Create a special space to communicate with the spirit. This can be as simple as lighting a candle or as elaborate as setting up a special altar. If you’re reaching out to a grandparent, you might set up a small ritual space with a photo of them, any of their belongings that you have access to, and some things that they enjoyed while they were alive. These items may make the connection easier, but you don’t need them to communicate. What matters is that you’ve taken the time to create a special space for this moment. (Like all ritual spaces, it should be clean and tidy, and it’s a good idea to do an energetic cleanse beforehand.)
Make an offering. Make sure your offering is appropriate for the spirit you’re connecting to. Offerings should be made with an air of reverence — don’t just toss a bag of Doritos on your altar and expect it to be well-received.
Introduce yourself. Speak out loud. State your intention and who you are hoping to connect with.
Wait and listen. You may feel a presence or receive some kind of sign — or you may not. Just because you didn’t get a sign doesn’t mean that your offering wasn’t noticed or that you’re being ignored. You may also receive a sign several hours, days, or weeks after you first reach out. Be patient.
Say your farewells. Express your gratitude for the spirit’s presence, and let them know that you are ending your little ritual. It’s up to you whether to invite them to stick around or politely tell them to leave, but if you’re going to give a spirit permission to linger in your home you better be 1000% sure you know who they are and what their intentions with you are.
Moving Forward
As you work with this spirit, it is important to establish clear boundaries for the relationship. Be clear about what you want to accomplish by working with them, and make sure you understand what they expect from you in return.
You might want to establish a time limit: for example, maybe you’re choosing to work closely with the goddess Brigid from Imbolc to Samhain, at which point you can choose to continue the relationship or to take a step back. Or, you may choose to work with a spirit on a specific task — for example, working with the goddess Aphrodite to get back on your feet and rebuild your self esteem after a breakup. Once this task is accomplished, you may choose to form a more long-term relationship or to take a step back.
Forming a permanent or long-term working relationship with a spirit is a very big, very serious commitment, and should not be taken lightly. This goes double for anything involving a ritual commitment, such as dedication to a deity. When you make these commitments, you are choosing to make a spirit and their energy a permanent part of your life. This decision requires some very serious introspection and consideration, and should not be made impulsively.
Resources:
Southern Cunning: Folkloric Witchcraft in the American South by Aaron Oberon
A Practical Heathen’s Guide to Asatru by Patricia M. Lafayllve
Where the Hawthorn GrowsandThe Morrigan: Meeting the Great Queens by Morgan Daimler
Wicca for Beginners by Thea Sabin
Azrael Loves Chocolate, Michael’s A Jock: An Insider’s Guide to What Your Angels Are Really Like andThe Angel Code by Chantel Lysette
New World Witchery podcast (several episodes, including “Episode 164 — Irish Folklore and Magic,” “Episode 161 — Practicing Safe Hex,” and “Episode 152 — Honoring Ancestors”)
I love lockets. Especially vintage ones that have filigree designs engraved on them. Or sometimes they come in different shapes like hearts, circles or ovals. Lockets to me already feel kind of mysterious reminding me of poison rings but for keeping photos or secrets inside.
If you have a locket sitting around, this spell is the perfect way to switch it up and wear your locket with your spell intention. If you need a locket first, try checking out thrift shops or craft stores. You can find pretty inexpensive lockets at any jewelry rack at a second hand shop, or score a pack of them at your local craft supply store.
Making spell lockets is really simple and only requires a few ingredients depending on what you choose to designate your locket for.
Protection Spell Locket
Black Obsidian Chips
Mugwort, Sage, and/or Rosemary
Black Candle Wax
Incense
Abundance Spell Locket
Citrine Chips
Basil
Green Candle Wax
Incense
Psychic Abilities Spell Locket
Amethyst
Jasmine
Purple Candle Wax
Incense
To Find Other Witches Locket
Labradorite
Rosemary
Gold candle wax
Incense
To create your spell locket set your items out in front of you and light the candle color correspondence to the spell locket you are creating. Light your candle and incense. Meditate to clear your mind and cast a white circle around yourself and your spell.
Light your incense and cleanse your locket by passing it through the smoke first. Next, cleanse the crystal chips and herbs you will be using.
Arrange the crystal chips in your locket. Next, arrange the herbs. Both the crystals and the herbs should be placed in a way that the locket can still be closed and latched if necessary. If you have too many pieces in your locket, reduce them by removing a few herbs and crystal chips.
Once you have the desired amount and your locket can easily close, take your candle and let the wax drip inside setting the crystal chips and herbs inplace. (Careful not too much!) Let the wax dry. If you’ve over dripped or are no longer able to close the locket, carefully take a toothpick and scrape the excess wax off.
Set your intention over the locket by reciting the following but paraphrasing for your intention: I create this amulet for ______________ and charge it with my intention to _________________. (For instance you can say, “I create this amulet for protection and charge it with my intention to protect me from all harm.”)
If you are actively wearing the necklace, don’t forget to take it outside and charge it under the full moon each month.
Graphics on this blog post were created by Obsidian Odyssey. Thank you so much for creating the amazing art art for this post! Check out her witchy blog and join her online coven. <3
