Acorn - Good luck, personal power, protection and wisdom. Dried acorns are a natural amulet for youthfulness. It’s associated with the Sabbat of Litha and the element of water.
Angelica - Also called Archangel. It is a very powerful protection herb, healing, creates harmony and courage and helps in exorcisms. Aids vision. Element Air.
Apple - Garden magic, love, healing and wisdom, also vanity, marriage and beauty. Associated Mabon & Samhain. Element water.
Basil - Also called witches herb. Use in spells for Love, exorcism, wealth, sympathy, and protection. Associated with Imbolc. Aids astral projection. Element Fire.
Bay Leaf - Protection, success, purification, strength, wisdom and healing, also increases psychic powers. Element Fire.
Belladonna - Also Called: Deadly Nightshade. Toxic. Use for forgetting past loves. Protection, beauty and original flying ointments. Adds energy to rituals. Element Water.
Bergamot - Money, prosperity and sleep. Protects from both evil and illness. Good for luck and wealth. Increases magical power. Element Fire.
Black Pepper - Banishing negativity, exorcism, and offers protection and help with inner strength. Element Fire.
Blueberry - Protection of children, keeps evil out, and strengthens the aura. Associated with the Great Spirit. Element Water.
Calendula - Also called Marigold. Attracts success and justice in legal matters. Increases psychic/spiritual powers and aid prophetic dreams. Dispels negativity. Element Fire.
Cardamom - Lust, love, and fidelity. Sweetens the personality Use in handfastings. Element Water.
Chamomile - Love, sleep, protection and purification, also reduce stress. Use for meditation work and to attract money. Solar Magic. Element Water.
Cinnamon - Also called Sweet Wood. Use for Solar magic. Meditation and astral projection. Increases spirituality, success, healing, protection, power, luck, strength, and prosperity. Element Fire.
Clove - Use to protect, banish negative forces, and divination. Also helps with any teeth spells. Aids money and draws love. Element Fire.
Dandelion Root - Magical uses include divination, wishes and calling spirits. It also enhances dreams and works well in astral projection. Element Air.
Evening Primrose - Ideal for moon magic. Also use in love charms and to attract fae. Element Water.
Ginger - Increases magic power. Success, love, money and power. Element Fire.
Hibiscus - Attracting love and lust. Use in divination. Associated with lunar magic. Element Water.
Horsetail - Use for strength and resolve. Protection, cleansing and clearing unwanted emotions. Element Earth.
Jasmine - The herb of attraction. Helps prophetic dreaming, money and love. Element Water.
Lavender - Magical uses include healing, sleep and peace. It also promotes chastity and love. Increases longevity of life, tranquility and happiness. Element Air.
Lemon Balm - Also called Melissa. Love, success and healing. Aids psychic/spiritual development. Supports mental health disorders and compassion. Element Water.
Lemon Grass - Psychic cleansing and opening. Use in lust potions and when using Dragon Magic. Element Air.
Lime Tree Leaf - Healing, calm and love. Aids strength and tranquility, Element Air.
Marjoram - Use for cleansing, purification, and dispelling negativity. Also aids grief and sadness. Element Air.
Mint - Promotes energy, communication and vitality, protection and draws custom. Element Air.
Mugwort - Use for strength, protection and healing. Mugwort amplifies magic. Aids astral projection, and psychic power. Element Earth.
Nettle - Uses include dispelling darkness & fear,and curse breaking. Healing and protection and increases lust in partners. Renewal. Element Fire.
Orange Peel & Flower- Attracts abundance, luck. Love and happiness and strengthens divination. Element Fire.
Passion Flower - Attracts friendship and passion. Caming, peace and instills passion into stale relationships. Good for house blessings too. Element Water.
Patchouli - Used in spells for connecting with spirits. Money attracting, increases fertility and lust. Calming and peaceful. Element Earth.
Peppermint - Use for headaches and other forms of healing. Increases sleep and love. Use for increasing psychic power and divination. Element Air.
Rose - Use for divination, increased psychic power, love, lust and healing. Helps strengthen close friendships. Place around sprains and bruises to help them heal faster. Element Water.
Rosemary - Use in healing poppets and love/lust spells. Improves memory. Increases sleep, mental power and protection. Burn to help purification and removing negativity. Associated with faery magic. Element Fire.
Sage - Used for self purification and cleansing. Helps grief and loss. Healing and protection, also increases wisdom. Element Air.
Strawberry Leaf - Attracts success, good fortune, and favorable circumstances. Increases love and aids pregnancy. Element Water.
Thyme - Attracts loyalty, affection, and love. Increases good luck and psychic power. Drink in tea to aid sleep. Element Air.
Verbena - Psychic protection, peace and purification. Healing and helps depression. Increases beauty and love. Mind opening and clearing. Ideal use for exams. Element Earth.
Willow - is Used for lunar magic, drawing or strengthening love, healing, and overcoming sadness.. Element Water.
From the Herbal Grimoire by the blog The Wiccan Lady. Here’s the link to the blog for the complete list and further reading:
You can literally just ask your ingredients/tools what they are best at, or if they’ll be helpful in a specific spell, or for advice on how to best utilize them.
Yes, you can, right now. You can just do it, whether or not you’re a spirit medium or can “visualize”.
Don’t get me wrong, I find cultural and historical research of correspondences to be very important. But also, just ask the thyme in your cupboard what it likes to do in its spare time. (Bonus points if you take notes and compare to your research later on)
Here’s how I do it. I call it my “pinging” method, like how a modem pings a server. Here’s how:
Prepare your question.
If you want to be polite, start with a, “hello, is anyone there?” Although admittedly this is more for animists. If you believe you’re just reading energies and there is no indwelling spirit, why not get right to it?
Questions to explore utility and correspondences include:
“Magically speaking, what are you best at?”
“If I added you to this spell, how would you influence/affect it?”
“What kind of intents are you best at supporting?”
“What kind of magic do you not like to be involved in?”
“What other ingredients do you work well with?”
“What other ingredients do you not get along with?”
Focus on the thing which you would like to communicate with.
Avoid performing this technique on living animals, as it often scares them :(
Have it in your field of vision, or touch it, or do whatever you need to do in order to feel focused on it.
Observe, Believe, Feel, Understand, or Know, aka OBFUK(my handy acronym I use to replace “visualize,” which I ordered that way because it kind of sounds like “oh f*ck,” as in, “oh f*ck, the ubiquitous use of the word ‘visualize’ has caused many witches to be ironically equipped with blinders that require energy perception and control to be funneled through a filter of sightedness and images, which for many is counter-intuitive and detrimental to their practice”). Anyway -
Observe, Believe, Feel, Understand, or Know that the object which you would like to communicate with is aware of you and will hear you when you send your question.
Send your prepared question.
Speakor think your question to the object. OBFUK that the object receives your question.
Anticipate receiving the answer.
Listen, here’s the downfall of this technique: You need a wee bit of open space in your mind. No, you don’t have to be a meditator to do this technique (I did it for years before I began meditating). You just need enough space for the answer to arrive.
I have found that ideally, this means actively anticipating receiving your answer for 1-3 seconds.
This works on the same meditative trick as, “wait for your next thought to come and it never will.” The force of anticipation itself is what creates an open platform for your answer to arrive at.
Your mind does not have to be “totally clear”. You can have a lot of tabs open and still be able to pull off this technique.
Analyze what comes.
We will all get answers in different ways. Repeat: there is no golden standard for how you are “supposed” to receive your answer. Here are some ways your answer might appear to you:
Snippets of memories, songs, scenes, verses, or literature pop into your awareness.
A fully or partially formulated concept comes to you all at once.
You are strongly reminded of something (say, the god Aries, or a soothing woodland scene).
An image or images come to your mind’s eye, either still or animated.
Nothing seems to come to mind at all, but certain things on your altar or around your house, or certain colors, suddenly stand out or seem especially relevant.
Nothing seems to come to mind, but you feel energy moving on or around you.
Nothing seems to come to mind, but you feel as if you can smell or taste something that wasn’t there before.
It is unlikely that you will hear a voice in your mind that says, “hi, I’m Basil, and I’m good at…” Our particularly clairaudientally blessed friends may receive such information, but the rest of us are likely going to have to apply some level of interpretation to what we receive.
Be aware that if you’re talking to something with an indwelling spirit, it may not be interested in trotting out answers to your question, and may have questions of its own, or something else it wants you to know instead.
Ask more questions, or say goodbye.
I believe good manners go a long way, so even if you feel you haven’t received any answer, it’s polite to send a message like, “thank you for your time, have a good day.”
Your answers are now UPG.
I really want us all to understand this!
UPG stands for Unverified Personal Gnosis. It means that you have personally received information through spiritual means, however, that information is not necessarily agreed upon or accepted by anyone else but you.
Please don’t go around sharing your UPG as if it is actually verified spiritual canon!
Even if that information is totally cohesive within your personally constructed spiritual system, I’m sorry, but your personal spiritual system is not universal.
If I have a communication session with my rosemary plant, and it tells me, “yes, I’m a plant of protection and dreams [community accepted correspondence], but that’s only one side of me; I’m also a spirit of evil, nightmares, and destruction, and that’s why I can also defend against them [unverified personal gnosis],” it is wildly misleading of me to go on Tumblr and post a new rosemary correspondence that includes “cursing, nightmares, and destruction” as if everyone needs to automatically accept and believe my own claims.
It is now on you to experiment with the information you receive, compare it to other resources, and decide if what you heard was valid,legitimate information for a certain group, tradition, or practice, or if it is untrue, or if it is only true for you.
Your UPG might end up being totally valid and verified by others (this is then called verified personal gnosis) and this is such an exciting, wonderful, and validating thing to experience.
However, every single time I have a question about a spirit or god, and someone says, “hold on, I’ll ask them!” and comes back 5 minutes later with an answer they assume I should accept as canon, I want to reach through the screen and slap them.
Your spirit communication is not automatically spiritual canon, and should probably undergo many steps of testing and verification before EVEN YOU accept it as true.
Troubleshooting
“It isn’t possible for me to complete the active anticipation portion, what could I do instead?”
This technique is specifically a telepathic one; you receive communication within your mind. If doing so on the fly isn’t possible, I’d recommend trying an entirely different technique, such as asking the same questions through tarot or another divination system, or petitioning the ingredient for a dream.
“I don’t think I’m receiving any answers, what do I do?”
Not all spirits want to talk to us. Or from a secular perspective, not everything is imbued with enough energy for us to get a reading, or that energy may be hard to access or understand.
Objects which are very often used in witchcraft, such as magical and culinary herbs, minerals, and animal parts, often have something to say. (Perhaps the reason they are used in magic is because they’re so willing to work with us in the first place!)
You can also gently cleanse the object and offer it some incense or water, then invite the spirit/energies back, and see if that changes your results.
Or, you may need to try contacting it over several days, maybe also with feeding and cleansing, before it responds. (Remember, it takes the object energy to communicate with us, whether it is a spirit or just a lump of energy, something must be expended to send you a message).
Plus also:This technique is a skill you need to practice. If I tell you how to hold a guitar and how to make three cords, it’s still going to take you a minute to strum out Wonderwall. I recommend a minimum of hours of practice before you write off your own psychic abilities.
“I don’t know how to tell the difference between a spiritual answer and my own thoughts.”
Practice, practice, practice - and verify. Also be patient and gentle with yourself, and move forward with the understanding that far from 100% of people are magically born with thought patterns clear, regular, or tame enough to easily (or ever) track.
Perhaps the best way to move verify is to communicate with common ingredients in witchcraft, ask them for information, and then verify it against information online. Don’t give up too quickly; common correspondence lists are often oversimplified to the point of uselessness. Your herb might have given you a snippet of information commonly ignored by mainstream witchcraft.
“I’m only getting invalid answers - my rose quartz told me it’s used for blood magic and banishing.”
Try cleansing and charging objects before you read on them. For beginners, it may be difficult to discern whether you’re contacting an object, or the energies it’s sucked up or wallowed in.
There may be an indwelling spirit or energy “haunting” the object and returning invalid or silly answers. Try reading on different objects and see if your luck improves.
You may be particularly psychically closed off. When I don’t properly connect, I get all kinds of nonsense that seems like a real answer, when it’s just my random thought generator (un)helpfully trying to fill in the blanks. General practice of divination and spellwork will assist you. I would avoid using this technique to practice, as it may confuse your discernment to accept your inner voice as external communication. Set it aside and come back to it after a couple of months and see if there are changes.
Similarly, the spirit might just not want to talk to you, or isn’t present in the item (or, the energies you seek to understand don’t exist in that item).
The spirit may be giving you valid information that most people just don’t agree with. My UPG for rosemary is that it is sort of an “uncrossing” agent for your life in general - part of the way it protects you is to align things around you so that misfortune is diverted. It’s not a good luck charm, this is just how it achieves its goal of protection. This isn’t totally off the wall; I think almost everyone agrees that rosemary is protective, powerful, and “high vibrations.” But I don’t think I’m going to find anyone else talking about how rosemary works the way it does, so I’m not going to be able to cross-check this anyway. But even if they do, they might talk about a different aspect of rosemary or something else it does. So I’m caught in a limbo where this information is true for me and the plant works that way every time I use it, but I can still never verify that with my community. If your answers aren’t totally out of left field, you may be receiving genuine information about how the object wants to work with you. But that doesn’t mean you will ever be able to verify that with your community.
Stir your beverage/food/etc counterclockwise to banish negativity.
Speak fondly to your plants to help them grow
Charge something by holding it in your hands and thinking of happy thoughts and joyous memories
When cleaning, visualize you are collecting negative energy and throwing it out of your house.
When cooking, trace sigils on or above the food
Dry clothes out on a clothesline to charge with sunshine
Open up curtains/windows/doors (if weather permits) to let sunshine in to create positive energy in your house.
Instead of spells or incantations, take quotes from literature to use for your intent
Salt for protection; Pepper for banishing; Garlic powder for protection; Onion powder/Onion for a ward; Beans for purification; Rice for absorbing negativity; Cocoa for banishing, love; Cinnamon for protection, happiness; Rosemary is a free for all so to say; Basil for protection; Corn for prosperity, abundance; Apple for fertility, abundance; Orange for health, happiness; Cheese for blocking/ward; *All herb correspondences are open to interpretation
Sing songs that match your intent to charge an object
You can use playing cards also as tarot cards
A necklace works just as well as a pendulum
Keep a small pot of dirt to bury spell objects or for offerings. Remember to take items out after awhile if not biodegradable and to keep space freed up
Ok so I am gonna say this is my personal reference, its mainly through associations. You might TOTALLY disagree and thats chill!
Its more something to think about and a guideline of what I use myself…
Candle Magic:
Carve a candle when…. the candle represents the target, in sympathetic magic. When, essentially, the candle is a poppet and lighting it is a symbol of destruction or empowerment to the target.
Place something under the candle or before it when… you are doing general candle magic, when the candle represents empowering a wish, idea or concept.
Anoint the candle when… doing work with spirits and gods, when you mark the candle for a special purpose, when doing high magic.
Herbs and plant work:
Use dry herbs when… it is convienent to do so, when the herbs are out of season or when you need to store them in a jar or bottle for a long time.
Use fresh herbs when… the spell is very earth orientated, when doing magic on behalf of another or when the magic is sympathetic so that the herbs represent the target, within kitchen witchery.
Use flowers when… when the spell concerns love and sex, or perhaps fertility and attraction, due to flowers being the reproductive parts of the plant.
Use fruit when when… working with children as a target, or with children practising. When you work with fertility and abundance spells.
Use wood and twigs when… when the spell is for protection or binding, for hardiness.
Burn herbs (recaning/incense) when… you wish to cleanse or banish, or invoke an atmosphere - that being, for divination using herbs that are said to open up your perceptions, when banishing, burning acrid or pungent herbs.
Use oil infusions when… you wish to anoint something, when you wish to mark something permanently.
Use floral waters (rose water etc) when… dealing with spirits and gods, for glamour as it has a long history of being used to beautify.
Crystals:
Use metals (haematite, copper, ores etc..) when… you work in protection, when you do energy work due to the conductive properties of metal.
Use shell, pearl, coral and such when… you work in sea magic, when you work within emotional magic due to the element of water.
Use points when… you wish to direct magic to a target.
Use tumble stones when… you wish the magic to be gentle or manifest at a certain place on the body on a target.
Use geodes when… you work in protection, when you work with glamour aimed to obscure and hide.
Knot magic:
Use cotton when… it is convenient.
Use silk when… doing spells that benefit the target.
Use ribbons when… love spells and wealth spells, as well as confidence and beauty spells. Spells to ensure victory.
Use rope when… doing spells that aim to hurt or weaken the target, binding especially.
Poppets:
Use cloth when… the spell aims to benefit who the poppet represents, use particular care when sewing or cutting, choose colours that are appropriate to them.
Use wax when… you wish to manipulate the target.
Use clay when… wish to create fetches or servitors, when you wish to create permanency.
Use twigs when… you wish to bury or throw the poppet out, when you want the poppet to be easily destroyed by breaking or setting on fire.
Sigils:
Use an alphabet grid or circle when… you wish the sigil to be more random and less attached to you.
Combine the shapes of letters from a sentence… when your sigil is very specific and a short term goal.
Use your own personal symbols when… you want the magic to be connected to you, when it is personal.
Amazonite supports communication, inspires creativity, and aids in personal expression. It helps to release blocked emotions. This stone is also known to ease problems with the ears, nose, and throat. It helps to filter environmental toxins of all sorts, including electromagnetic waves, microwaves, geopathic stress, and others. It aids in balancing the physical body with the etheric, helping us maintain optimum health.
Amazonite can be particularly useful in accessing memories, especially those of past lives. It is also helpful for tapping into ancestral energies. It supports and enhances psychic abilities.
Amazonite is associated with the heart and throat chakras, and the astrological sign of Virgo.
Amazonite aids with:
Emotional trauma
Calming nerves
Computer stress
Adverse environmental factors
Balancing physical body
Preventing damage from x-rays
Calcium deficiency
Metabolic imbalances
Spasms
Osteoporosis
Tooth decay
Skeletal system
Please note: none of this is intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any specific illness or ailment, yadda, yadda. Please see your doctor if you have anything going on medically…etc.
A kiss is a very powerful thing, even in fairytales and lore of the past the power of kisses are told of (true love’s kiss, siren/mermaid kiss, first kiss, etc). a kiss can be a powerful tool for any witch. Here are a few suggestions for using kisses and the power they hold.
Use a kiss to charge objects: crystals, tarot cards, charms, amulets, etc etc. Use it to send your emotions and energy into the object. Love is a good emotion, but any positive energies you wish to charge the object with can be transferred this way. Adding your love to something can really give it a boost as well! Especially if it is for another to use. (Note: do not kiss toxic stones please! Be safe and smart)
Spell Sealing: Use a kiss to magically seal spells such as jar and bottle spells or use it to strengthen a (cooled!) wax seal. Imagine placing the kiss its like placing an invisible seal upon it, stamping in energy to lock th spell inside.
For Air and Wind spells: For all of my fellow witches who use air and wind spells, blowing a kiss after a chant or spell to summon a wind in the direction you wish it to blow is a good way to guide the wind but also show it positive reinforcement. Use it to show your gratitude for the wind’s cooperation. It is best for gentler wind spells.
Glamour and Beauty spells: Kiss the mirror after a beauty or glamour spell. Thank the mirror for its aid and seal any negativity into it. It also a wonderful way to reflect love back at yourself!
Love Spells: Kisses are great for powering up love spells! Kiss a candle before lighting it (careful if you are using essential oils be sure not to kiss where they are), kiss the written name of the one you desire, kiss a charm or amulet to help bring love into your life, and finally blow a kiss when finishing the the spell to close it.
Kitchen Magic: blow a kiss to finish a dish (don’t be too close though, don’t want to spread germs) to put a final charge of love into it before serving it to others. Good for with tea and coffee spells too!
Public Magic: Want to remain discrete while casting a spell in public? Blow a kiss! Its much subtler than pointing or hand motions, especially if it is a positive spell you are casting on another or a friend but it is also good for curses, either way its a wonderful way to send your intentions. Whisper the words or chant needed for the spell (if any) under your breath, imagine them them gathering in an orb of energy at your lips as you do so. Then do a subtle kiss motion on your lips (no hands and no ‘fish lips’, you are trying to be subtle). Then release the energy and words towards the target with a gentle blow of breath, sending the ball of energy in that direction.
Mourning/Remembrance Rituals: Ending such a ritual with a blown kiss to close it can help release your feelings in a positive manner and close the ritual with love and sincerity.
Thanking tools: As someone who uses tarot cards and many other divination tools, I like to place gentle kisses to the sides of the decks after using them to help bond with them. To show them my gratitude for assisting me in not only readings but also in my spell work. I also before days where I know i will be doing a lot of divination work, I will kiss them to help charge them up (as said above). It is an excellent way to bond with your tools!
Also known as : Laurel, Sweet Bay, Victor’s Laurel
Scientific Name : Laurus nobilis
Identification : Evergreen Shrub or Tree with leathery dark green leaves. Small yellow flowers and shiny black berries.
Properties : Antiseptic, Antifungal, Mild Sedative, Anti-dandruff, carminative, cholagogue , digestive, diuretic, nervine, and vermifuge, It contains 10 anti-bacterial chemicals.
Uses: Diabetes (It boosts insulin to balance blood sugar), Migraines, Chest infections, Pain Relief, culinary, Cancer, Dandruff and blood pressure.
Try It : Placing a bay leaf under your pillow on the new moon is said to lead to prophetic dreams. Interestingly the priestesses of Apollo went one stage further and chewed the leaves for an extra kick.
Warnings: Never ingest the oil. Patch test the oil as it can cause Contact dermatitis. Sadly some people have died from perforation their intestines with fragmented bay leaf, always remove the leaves before eating the dish. Mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia), cherry laurel (Prunus laurocerasus) and West Indian bay (Pimento racemosa) are highly toxic and should not be ingested
Parts used: Berries, Leaves and Seeds
Magic: Divination (The Delphic Oracle used Bay), Protection (neither poisoners nor witches can harm those who carry bay)
Planet : Sun
Element : Fire
Deities : Apollo, Aesculapius, Ceres, Eros.
Folklore and History: Highly valued by the Ancient greeks and romans it was used as a medicine, as a tea or bath fragrance, a spice in cooking and for decoration. For the festival of Saturnalia (Roman winter solstice) the leaves were picked and twisted with holly to make garlands. Greek students would take the berries to help them study as they are a good stimulant. Lighting is not supposed to land where it is planted. In the 17th century it was carried as a protection against black magic. Today it is used as a fragrance in toothpaste.
Plant Tips : Growing well in almost any soil type it just needs to be well drained. It is very slow growing, so if you are using a pot you will need to use a fertilizer.
In Irish mythology, Brigid is the daughter of the Dagda and had two sisters also named Brigid and is part of the Tuatha de Danann, the supernatural Irish race. The three sisters made up the triple aspect of the one goddess: Brigid of the hearth, Brigid of the forge and Brigid of Inspiration. She is a goddess ofspring, fertility, family, the hearth, childbirth, fire, blacksmiths, scholars, physicians, prophets, healing, poetry, occult knowledge, and justice. She was said to be born at sunrise and is often depicted with solar rays coming out of her head, making her one of the Irish solar deities alongside Lugh. It is said that wherever she walks four leaf clovers and flowers will grow. She also created the tradition of “keening” when her son Ruadan died in battle, a song-like wail used by women at funerals. In some cases she is also the goddess of sacred wells, springs and healing waters.
History
Her name comes in different spellings like Brig, Brighid, Brigit, or Brigid but it means “Exalted one” or “Fiery arrows”. She is a goddess of Pre-christian Ireland but versions of her are found all over Europe; she has ties to Brigantia, a warrior goddess of the Brigantes tribe of Britain. She was a beloved goddess of the Celts and has survived through centuries including the Christianization of Ireland and the rest of Europe where most traces of Druidism and Paganism were forgotten. The people of Ireland loved her so much and refused to let her be demonized by the church -like the rest of the gods- that they converted her into a saint known as St. Brigid of Kildare. There are also three rivers named after her one in Ireland, Wales and England: Brigit, Braint and Brent.The river that runs through Wales is known to have healing properties.
Imbolc
Also known as Brigid’s day, Candlemas or St. Brigid’s feast, Imbolc is one of the four fire festivals in Celtic paganism and celebrates the return of spring. Since Brigid is the goddess of spring and was said to go away during the winter, people would light a candle in honor of her return. Offerings of milk, bread, and corn cakes were set out and a seat at the dinner table was left open for her presence. Cows and sheep were seen as sacred to the goddess because they would provide milk for the town during the cold months and they would give birth around Imbolc. This festival celebrated the Maiden aspect of Brigid and young women would carry corn dollies dressed in white which represented the goddess. The women would also dress in white and attend a special feast for Imbolc where young suitors could mingle with the ladies. Imbolc is a time of fertility, cleansing and the light returning after a long winter.
Plants- blackberry, hawthorn, basil, mugwort, apple, heather, dandelion, snowdrop, willow, oak, shamrock, crocus, trillium, corn, lavender and sage. Personal one is cinnamon and chamomile.
Crystals- amethyst, bloodstone, carnelian, garnet, moonstone, clear quartz, and peridot.
Symbols- Brigid’s cross, candles, triquetra, faeries, four leaf clover, cauldron, chalice, corn dolly, anvil or hammer, poetry, forges, hearths, wells, rock formations.
Colours- green, red, white, gold and blue
Devotional Acts
offer her blackberries, baked goods, milk and honey or beer
dedicate a piece of your art to her like painting, knitting, singing, etc.
meditate with fire
savour the warmth of the sun or fire
incorporate the elements of water and fire into your craft
write her a poem
watch the sun rise
say hi to cows and sheep :)
hang a Brigid’s cross above your doorway for protection and blessings
study healing magick, reiki, herbalism and faeries
Like herbs, oils, and crystals, you don’t need to work with magical timing for your spell to be successful. You can cast a spell at any time, no matter your intention, and get your desired results. However, working with the energy of the sun, moon, and days of the week can add an extra power boost to your magic.
Think of it this way: certain energies are dominant at certain times. Those energies are easier to connect with because they are closer at hand, so to speak, so you can bring them into your life and your spells more easily and in a more powerful way. That doesn’t mean you can’t call on other energies during these times — it just means that you may not connect to them quite so easily.
If you choose to work with magical timing in your spells, there are several yearly, monthly, weekly, and even daily cycles you can align your spells with.
The Cycle of the Sun: Solstices and Equinoxes
These are the turning points that mark the solar year, and are associated with the relationships between day and night, light and dark, summer and winter. Each solstice or equinox marks the end of one season and the beginning for the next. Because they are so rare and so potent, these days are a great time for your “big picture” spells or for spells that need a big power boost.
Winter Solstice. The winter solstice marks the shortest day and longest night of the year, and falls between December 20 and December 23, depending on the year. In some pagan traditions the winter solstice, or Yule, marks the beginning of the new year — you may choose to set intentions for the coming year on this solstice. After the winter solstice, the nights start getting shorter and the days start getting longer — so spells related to healing and bringing things into the light are especially effective at this time of year. The winter solstice marks the end of the “dark half” of the year and beginning of the “light half” of the year; at this point, our focus turns from inward reflection to outward manifestation. You may choose to think of the time between the winter solstice and spring equinox as a “planning phase,” where you examine yourself and your desires, decide what you want to work on in the next year, and make plans for manifesting what you want.
Spring Equinox. An equinox occurs when the day and the night are exactly the same length, representing a perfect balance between light and dark. The spring equinox marks the beginning of spring and occurs between March 19 and March 22. The Christian holiday of Easter and the pagan holiday of Ostara are both related to the energy of this equinox. At this time of year, the natural world is coming back to life as winter begins to fade. Plants are beginning to grow, and baby animals are being born. This is a powerful time of year for fertility magic and any magic related to new beginnings. You may choose to think of the time between the spring equinox and the summer solstice as a “planting phase,” where you “plant the seed” of the things you want to manifest and begin doing the work to make it happen.
Summer Solstice. This solstice marks the longest day and shortest night of the year. It occurs between June 19 and June 23. As I am writing this post, we are coming up on the summer solstice (June 20, 2020). Life, fertility, and growth are at their peak during this time of year, which makes this solstice a perfect time for big manifestation spells. At the same time, this marks the end of the “light half” and beginning of the “dark half” of the year, so after the summer solstice our energy shifts from outward manifestation to inward contemplation. You may choose to think of the time between the summer solstice and fall equinox as the “harvest phase,” where you reap the results of your hard work and manifest your desires in the physical world.
Autumn Equinox. This is the other time of year when the day and night are perfectly balanced. The autumn equinox occurs between September 19 and September 23 and marks the beginning of autumn. This is traditionally the time of year when crops are harvested, and many pagan groups celebrate harvest festivals around this time. Nature is beginning to die or go into hibernation in preparation for the coming winter. This is an especially powerful time of year for shadow work or for magic related to endings and transitions. You may choose to think of the time between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice as the “reflection phase,” when you retreat from the outside world to rest, focus on yourself, and do your inner work and self-healing.
Important Note: This post lists dates for the solstices and equinoxes in the Northern hemisphere. In the Southern hemisphere, the seasons are reversed. If you live in the Southern hemisphere, you would observe the winter solstice in June, the spring equinox in September, the summer solstice in December, and the fall equinox in March.
The Cycle of the Moon: Lunar Phases
If you don’t have time to wait for the appropriate solstice or equinox, you can still connect with the cosmos in your magic. One of the biggest pros of the lunar cycle is that it happens roughly every month — so you never have to wait very long for the next full moon. The moon is also associated with magic and spirituality in several traditions, which makes it an especially powerful astral ally for witches.
New Moon. The new moon is when the moon is completely invisible in the night sky, and is the phase opposite the full moon. The new moon is a powerful time for shadow work (because it deals with things that are hidden) and for magic related to new beginnings.
Waxing Moon. The moon is waxing when it appears to be growing in the night sky; this is the phase between the new moon and full moon. This is a powerful time for any magic that deals with drawing something in, building something up, or strengthening something that already exists.
Full Moon. Many witches believe that the full moon is the most powerful time of month for any kind of magic. This is a good time to cast any spell that needs a serious power boost. The full moon is also an especially powerful time to release what no longer serves you or to work healing magic.
Waning Moon. The moon is waning when it appears to be shrinking in the night sky; this is the phase between the full moon and new moon. This is a powerful time for any magic that deals with sending something away, banishing negative energy, or bringing something to an end.
Dark Moon. The dark moon is the three day period immediately before the new moon. In some traditions, it is believed to be bad luck to cast spells during the dark moon. Other traditions hold that the dark moon is the best point in the lunar cycle for destructive magic, such as curses and hexes. Many modern witches don’t recognize the dark moon as a separate moon phase at all. I personally like to use the dark moon as a time for self reflection, and may focus on shadow work during this time.
Magical Correspondences for the Days of the Week
The days of the week also have their own unique magical energies, and each day is linked to a certain planet and to certain deities.
Sunday. Sunday is, of course, connected to the Sun and solar deities. Sunday is the best day of the week for any manifestation magic that needs an extra boost. Its energy is also associated with healing, personal growth, power, and success.
Monday. Monday is associated with the Moon and lunar deities. Monday is a quiet, introspective day, and can feel very ethereal. It’s the best day for magic related to intuition, nurturing, and shadow work.
Tuesday. Tuesday is associated with Mars and with gods and goddesses of war and action. (It is named for the Norse/Germanic god Tyr/Tiw.) Tuesday is a very “active” day, and is good for magic related to action, activism, victory, or finding courage.
Wednesday. Wednesday is associated with Mercury and with gods and goddesses of wisdom, learning, and communication. (It is named for the Norse/Germanic god Odin/Wodan.) Wednesday is all about mental activity. It’s the best day of the week for magic related to thought, travel, communication (written, spoken, or digital), and learning/study.
Thursday. Thursday is associated with Jupiter and with gods and goddesses of prosperity, wealth, and protection. (It is named after the Norse/Germanic god Thor.) Thursday, like Jupiter in astrology, is all about outward expansion. It’s the best day of the week for magic related to career, prosperity, and wealth.
Friday. Friday is associated with Venus and with gods and goddesses of love, fertility, and sensuality. (It is named after the Norse goddess Freyja, or perhaps the goddess Frigg.) The energy of Friday is fun, lighthearted, and sexy. It’s the best day of the week for magic related to love, beauty, and sex/sexuality.
Saturday.Saturday is associated with Saturn and with time and wisdom. (The day and the planet are both named after the Roman god Saturn.) Saturday is practical and wise, but it does have a little bit of a dark side. It’s the best day of the week for magic related to banishing and protection.
Magical Times of Day
Okay, so you’d like to start working with magical timing, but what about emergency magic and last-minute spells? What if you don’t have time to wait for the next full moon, or even the next Sunday? You can still align your spell with magical timing! There are several moments of power each day, and each has its own magical associations.
Sunrise.Sunrise is, of course, the birth of the new day. This makes it the perfect time for spells related to new beginnings or expanded possibilities.
Noon. This is the peak or high point of the day. This is a powerful time for healing magic.
Sunset. Sunset is the end of the day, and forms a gateway between light and dark. This is a great time for spells related to accepting endings, releasing that which does not serve, and moving on from the past.
Midnight. If noon is the peak of the day, then midnight is the peak of the night. Midnight has a very ethereal, transformational energy. Like with the full moon, some witches believe that any spell will be more powerful if cast at midnight. This is a powerful time for both banishing and attraction magic.
Resources:
You Are Magical by Tess Whitehurst
Green Witchcraft by Paige Vanderbeck
Wicca for Beginners by Thea Sabin [specifically the chapter on the sabbats]
Qabalah Made Easy by David Wells [Note: Qabalah is based on an appropriation of Jewish mysticism, and I am NOT endorsing its practice. However, much of the magical timing associations used in modern witchcraft is shared with Qabalah and other forms of ceremonial magic, which is why it’s referenced here.]
Fertility and purification are the associated powers of pine.
This may be why some use pine branches to sweep the ground before performing magick or rituals outside.
Pine Needles scattered on the floor inside drive away evil and negativity as well as burning them purifies and cleanses the home. Pine Cones are carried to increase fertility.
ACACIA: Burned with sandelwood to stimulate the psychic powers.
AFRICAN VIOLET: Burned for protection and to promote spirituality within the home.
ALLSPICE: Burned to attract both good luck and money.
ALOES: Burned to attract good fortune, love, spiritual vibrations, and strength.
ALTHEA: Burned for protection and to stimulate the psychic powers.
AMBER: Burned for love, comfort, happiness and healing
AMBERGRIS: Burn for dreams and aphrodisiac
ANGELICA: Burn for protection, harmony, integration, insight and understanding, stability and meditation
ANISE SEEDS: Burned as a meditation and emotional balance incense.
BASIL: Burned to exorcise and protect against evil entities such as demons and unfriendly ghosts, and to attract fidelity, love, good luck, sympathy, and wealth. This is also an excellent incense to use when preformiong love divinations. Also burn for concentration, assertiveness, decisiveness, trust, integrity, enthusiasm, mental clarity, cheerfulness, confidence and courage
BAY: Burned to facilitate the psychic powers, and to induce prophectic dream-visions.
BAYBERRY: Burned mainly to attract money and also burned for protection, happiness and control
BENZOIN: Burned for purification, astral projection, clears negative energy, emotional balance, eases sadness, depression, weariness, grief, anger, anxiety and to attract prosperity.
BERGAMOT: Burn for money, prosperity, uplifting of spirits, joy, protection, concentration, alertness, confidence, balance, strength, courage, motivation and assertiveness
BISTORT: Burned often with frankinsense as a powerful incense to aid divination.
BRACKEN: Burned in outdoor fires to magickally produce rain.
CARDAMOM: Burn for mental clarity, concentration, confidence, courage, enthusiasm and motivation
CARNATION: Burn for protection, strength, healing, love and lust
CEDAR: Burned for purification, to stimulate or strengthen the psychic powers, attract love, prevent nightmares, and heal various ailments, including head colds.
CEDARWOOD: Burn for healing, purification, protection, money, balance, grounding, clarity, insight and wisdom
CHAMOMILE: Burn for harmony, peace, calm, spiritual and inner peace
CINNAMON: Burned for protection and to attract money, wealth, prosperity, business success, stimulate or strengthen the psychic powers, and aid in healing. Also burned for stimulation, strength and lust
CITRON: Bunred in rituals to aid healing and also to stregthen the psychic powers.
CITRONELLA: Burn for cleansing, warding off, healing and exorcism
CLOVE: Burned to dispel negativity, purify sacred and magickal spaces, attract money, and stop or prevent the spread of gossip. Also burn for pain relief, intellectual stimulation, business success, wealth, prosperity, divination, exorcism, protection, eases fears, improves memory and focus
COCONUT: Burned for protection.
COPAL: Burned for purification, uplifting spirits, protection, exorcism, spirituality and to atract love.
CYPRESS: Burn for strength, comfort, healing, eases anxiety, stress, self-assurance, confidence, physical vitality, willpower and concentration
DAMIANA: Burned to facilitate psychic visions.
DITTANY OF CRETE: Burned to conjure spirits and to aid in divination, astral projection, especially when mixed with equal parts of benzoin, sandelwood, and vanilla.
DRAGONS BLOOD: Burned to dispel negativity, exorcise evil supernatural entities, courage, purification, attract love, and restore male potency. Many Witches also burn dragon’s blood for protection when spell casting and invoking. When added to other incenses, dragon’s blood makes their magickal powers all the stronger.
ELECAMPANE: Burned to strengthen the clairvoyant powers and scrying abilities-divination by gazing.
EUCALYPTUS: Burn for healing, purification and protection
FERN: Burned in outdoor fires to magickally produce rain. Also used to exorcise evil supernatural entities.
FRANKINCENSE: Burned to dispel negativity, spirituality, purify magickal spaces, consecration, protect against evil, exorcism, aid meditation, astral strength, induce psychic visions, courage, protection, attract good luck, and honor Pagan deities.
FUMITORY: Burned to exorcise demons, poltergeists, and evil supernatural entities.
GALANGAL: Burned to break the curses cast by sorcerers.
GARDENIA: Burn for peace, love and healing
GINGER: Burn for wealth, lust, love and magical power
GINSENG ROOT: Burned to keep wicked spirits at bay, and for protection against all forms of evil.
GOTU KOLA: Burned to aid meditation.
HEATHER: Burned to conjure beneficial spirits, and to magickally produce rain.
HIBISCUS FLOWERS: Burned to attract love, lust and also for divination.
HONEYSUCKLE: Burn to attract money, happiness, friendship and healing
HOREHOUND: Burned as an offertory incense to the ancient Egyptian god Horus.
HYACINTH: Burn for happiness and protection
JASMINE: Burned to attract love and money, and also to induce dreams of a prophectic nature, purification, wisdom and astral projection
JUNIPER: Burned to stimulate or increase the psychic powers, and also to break curses, exorcism and hexes cast by evil sorcerers. It is also burned for calming, protection and healing.
LAVENDER: Burned to induce rest and sleep, and to attract love-especially of a man. Also burned for cleansing, healing, happiness and relaxation
LEMON: Burn for healing, love and purification
LEMONGRASS: Burn for mental clarity
LILAC: Burned to stimulate or increase the psychic powers, and to attract harmony into ones life.
LOTUS: Burn to elevate mood, protection, spirituality, healing and meditation
MACE: Burned to stimulate or increase the psychic powers.
MASTIC: Burned to conjure beneficial spirits, stimulate or increase the psychic powers, and intensify sexual desires. The magickal powers of other incenses are greatly increased when a bit of mastic is added.
MESQUITE: The magickal powers of all healing incenses are greatly increased when mesquite is added.
MINT: Burned to increase sexual desire, exorcise evil supernatural entities, conjure beneficial spirits, and attract money. Mint incense also possesses strong healing vibrationsand protective powers.
MUSK: Burn for aphrodisiac, prosperity, courage
MYRRH: Burned (often with frankincense) for purification, consecration, healing, exorcism, and banishing evil. Myrrh is also aids meditation rituals, and was commonly burned on alters in ancient Egypt as an offering to deities Isis and Ra.
NUTMEG: Burned to aid meditation, stimulate or increase the psychic powers, and to attract prosperity.
OAKMOSS: Burned for money and attraction
ORANGE: Burned for divination, love, luck and money
PATCHOULI: Burned to attract money, love, growth, mastery, sensuality and also to promote fertility.
PEPPERMINT: Burned for energy, mental stimulant, exorcism and healing
PINE: Burned for purification, and to banish negativeenergies, exorcise evil supernatural entities, and attract money, as well as to break hexes and return them to their senders. Also burned for grounding, strength, cleansing and healing
POPPY SEEDS: Burned to promote female fertility, and to attract love, good luck, and money.
ROSE: Burned to increase courage, induce prophetic dreams, house blessing, fertility, healing and attract love. Rose incense is used in all forms of love enchantment and possesses the strongest love vibration of any magickal incense.
ROSE GERANIUM: Burned for courage and protection
ROSEMARY: Burned to purify, aid in healing, prevent nightmares, preserve youthfulness, dispel depression, attract fairyfolk, and promote restful sleep and pleasant dreams.
RUE: Burned to help restore health.
SAGE: Burned for protection against all forms of evil. It is also burned to purify sacred spaces and ritual tools. Plus it is great for promoting wisdom, clarity, attract money, and aid in the healing the body, mind, and soul.
SAGEBRUSH: Burned to aid healing, and to banish negative energies and evil supernatural entities.
SANDALWOOD: Burned to exorcise demons and evil ghosts, conjure beneficial spirits, and promote spiritual awareness. Sandalwood incense is also used by many Witches for protection, astral projection, healing rituals and in wish-magick.
SOLOMONS SEAL: Burned mainly as an offertory incense to ancient Pagan deities.
STAR ANISE SEEDS: Burned to stimulate or increase the psychic powers.
STRAWBERRY: Burned to attract love and for luck.
SWEETGRASS: Burned to conjure beneficial spirits prior to spellcasting.
SWEET PEA: Burned for friendship, love and courage
THYME: Burned for the purification of magickal spaces prior to rituals, to aid in healing, and to attract good health.
VANILLA: Burned to attract love, increase sexual desire, and improve the powers of the mind.
VERVAIN: Burned to exorcise evil supernatural entities.
VETIVERT: Burned to break curses, exorcism, for protection against black magick and thieves, money, peace and love.
VIOLET: Burn for wisdom, luck, love, protection and healing
WILLOW: Burned to avert evil, attract love, and promote healing. It is also used by many Witches as an offertory incense for Pagan lunar deities.
WISTERIA: Burned for protection against all forms of evil.
WORMWOOD: Burned to stimulate or increase the psychic powers. When mixed with sandalwood and burned at night in a cemetery, wormwood is said to be able to conjure spirits from their graves.
YARROW: Burned to arrow courage, exorcism
YLANG-YLANG: Burned for love, harmony and euphoria
The Herb Grimoire from the Magickal Cat- This website is free to use and lists a ton of herbs and flowers in alphabetical order with their correspondences. I’m pretty sure they have like every herb known to man on here; it is an incredibly amazing resource!
A table of herbs from the White Goddess - This is another great and free resource for herb correspondences! The correspondences are shorter and simpler explained than the Magickal Cat, and it is in alphabetical order!
Crystal Correspondences from the Magickal Cat - This website also lists crystals in alphabetical order with their correspondences! The list is not very long, but common crystal correspondences can be found here.
Correspondences from the Crystal Wind - This website has a long list of crystals with their correspondences as well as stones and metals in the mix. It is in alphabetical order and very, very helpful!
Candles and their meanings - This post by @gemeauxtarot has correspondences for candle colors, candle figures, and what days correspond with what colors!
The burning of candles for spiritual purposes is a practice that dates back to ancient times. For as long as there have been candles, there were people who believed that a lit candle can connect the physical world with the spiritual realm. To these people, fire and flame are representations of the spark of creation. To light a candle is to illuminate the self.
Individuals accepting these beliefs use the burning light of candles to unfold their divine potential. What follows is an examination of these beliefs and the meaning behind illuminated candles combined with prayer and meditation. This examination will of course include a look into the significance and meaning of candle colors.
White Candles
The white candle represents the highest level of consciousness. Burning a white candle in conjointment with a meditative state is to seek protection, healing and purification. White represents truth, unity, harmony, and wholeness of spirit. The user who burns a white candle is invoking lunar energy. Since all colors are derived from pure white light, a white candle can be used as replacement for any other candle in many rituals.
Red Candles
The color red is firmly rooted in the physical world. The burning of red candles is said to put one in touch with the power of the flesh. Red represents temporal pleasures. It symbolizes passion and love as well as scorn and courage to stand up to one’s enemies. Red stimulates energy, vitality, fertility and personal power. Those who light a red candle are tapping into Scorpio energy. They seek love, respect, power magnetism and survival.
Yellow Candles
The color yellow exemplifies brainpower and intellect. He or she who lights a yellow candle is seeking to access the wisdom of the ages, and garner control over the full benefit of their own mental powers. Yellow embodies creativity, inspiration, concentration, logic, learning and action. The light of a yellow candle brings one closer to attaining the cheerfulness, endurance, stability and security they crave.
Blue Candles
Made from a primary spiritual color, blue candles are used in the examination of emotions (Saturn energy) and the attainment of calming wisdom and healing sleep. There are many shades of blue. Burning a dark blue candle promotes joy and laughter. Dark blue influences dreams and emotions. Royal blue signifies loyalty and fealty. Royal blue stirs the spiritual self and this color of candle is invoked by seekers of truth. Light blue is another very spiritual color. Light blue candles radiate Aquarian energy (calm waters) and are ideal for pursuing inspirational meditations. Those who light a blue candle are seeking truth, harmony and guidance while amplifying their creativity and perception.
Green Candles
Green is the color of success and abundance. This meaning can be traced back through the ages to when prosperity meant a bountiful harvest. Light a green candle when you want to mediate and reflect on nature, growth, healing and the good luck that makes finding employment or business success possible.
Black Candles
The burning of a black candle is serious business. This is done when one wants to neutralize negative energies. The color black offers protection from illness, evil and the negative energy cast upon you from outside forces. The black candle is also burned to harness the healing energy of the universe.
Pink Candles
The color pink manifests love, devotion, friendship and faith. Putting a flame to a pink candle means that the devotee is interested in forming a partnership or is possibly seeking affection or perhaps emotional healing. The color of universal love, pink represents the purest form of love – unconditional and enduring. Pink candles are used in rituals to attract attention or achieve some other joyful purpose.
Orange Candles
The great portrait artists of the Middle Ages understood well the power of orange. Orange is the color of sudden change. It confers upon those who dare to wear it, a form of super-power. Few people today (including royalty) possess the boldness required to put on orange garments. To this end, the act of burning an orange candle is an aggressive move. One would do so to effect instant and profound change. The lighting of orange candles is suitable for rituals occurring on the eve of weddings or important business meetings.
Purple Candles
Students of esoterism believe that purple candles have the power to cancel out the negative effects of bad karma. Ancient wisdom holds that the color purple is associated with the third eye. Burning a purple candle can enhance psychic powers. The color has a meaning steeped in meditation, divination and hidden knowledge. Those who burn purple candles do so to expand upon what they already have. They may also wish to obtain spiritual protection, find recognition, or seek reconciliation with something that exists in the realm of the spirits.
Brown Candles
Brown is the color of our Earth. This color represents above all things balance and a firm connection to the land. The individual who supplicates in the presence of a burning brown candle is sending a message to the universe that they respect the dignity and solemnity of mother Earth (they are well-grounded), and that they acknowledge the delicate balance of all things living on this Earth. Brown candles are used in rituals to regain balance, seek refuge from chaos, eliminate indecisiveness, find lost items and develop meaningful friendships.
Gray Candles
Gray is a neutral color. It is useful to the practitioner when meditating on complex issues. The gray candle has the power to offset negative influences without repercussions. The gray candle is used in the same manner that charcoal is used to flush poisons from the body.
Gold Candles
The gold candle is burned by the votary to achieve enlightenment. This is because the color gold emblemizes light in its purest form. Gold is the very symbol of good fortune. It represents money, success, protection and victory over our troubles. The burning of a gold candle enhances communication with the universe as it attracts positive cosmic influences. Gold candles are recommended for use in rituals undertaken to gain personal power or fortune.
Highly spiritual believers hold that a candle flame can create a passageway that will enable prayers and petitions to be more easily received by such powers from which help is being sought. For these supporters of the faith, the deep meaning of candle color is what enables them to focus and meditate on their goals, objectives, problems and their ultimate solutions.
~As with all posts, this is my take, my opinion, my knowledge. If you make your magick in a different way, great! Don’t hate on other ways of the Craft. As I say again and again, there’s no wrong way to witchcraft.~
Hi guys! I thought I’d do a little post about the 4 earthly elements and their correspondences!
Due to popular demand, I’ve decided to make a post on the uses of moon water!
Add a drop to lunar spell jars based on intent
Add to a bath for cleansing and relaxation
Rinse and cleanse your hair with it in the shower
Purify and use in consumable potions for enhanced psychic abilities, relaxation, protection, or dreamwork
Make a cleansing spray and use in your home
Sprinkle a few drops around the perimeter of your home or bedroom
Use to anoint and cleanse objects such as magickal tools or crystals
Use to anoint yourself before spellwork or divination, or simply to promote peace and relaxation
Use to charge objects with lunar energy
Water your plants with it
Add it to your water cup when painting to promote imaginative thinking
Add a few drops to the washer before washing bedsheets to promote dreaming
Use as a representation of either water, the moon, or both on your altar
Combine with corresponding crystals or herbs for an added boost of energy
Fill a hollow pendant with it and wear it to represent the moon, a particular lunar phase, or one of its associated correspondences (protection, relaxation, enhanced psychic abilities, etc.)
Anoint a charm with moon water and carry it with you for protection, safe travels, or improved memory
Tips & a few words of caution:
Always purify and filter your moon water before consuming
If you plan to add crystals to your moon water, use tumbled stones so they won’t break down in the water (especially if you plan to drink it)
If you do plan to consume your moon water, store it in the fridge to extend it’s shelf life
Don’t water your plants with cold moon water; make sure it’s lukewarm or at room temperature first
If you’re unsure on what kind of intentions correspond to lunar energy, check out the links below
These are just some ideas on how to use moon water, but feel free to get creative!
moon phase ☾ new moon - symbolizes planting the seed waxing crescent - embarking on a new journey
planets☿ ♃ mercury - acquiring knowledge, creativity, and abundance jupiter - growth, abundance, and control
deities ✬ Janus - beginnings, gates, transitions, time, duality, doorways, passages, and endings. Eos - goddess of dawn, new beginnings
time ↻ monday - initiation, new pursuits, and reincarnation tuesday - beginnings, energy, and courage
direction ⤏ east - illumination and beginnings west - strength and courage
herbs & plants ⚘ birch- new beginnings and strength ginger - adventure, new experiences, confidence, prosperity, and success jasmine - promotes new ideas, attracts love and wealth pine - new beginnings, prosperity, success, strength, and growth balsam fir - insight, progress against goals, and bringing about change peppermint - provides the push needed to bring change to one’s life
colours ◉ orange - creativity, inspiration, door-opener, luck, and positivity green - growth, prosperity, and health red - passion, good health, and vigor white - regeneration, protection, and purity
crystals ⬨ bloodstone - luck, honesty, and courage turquoise - courage, prosperity, and luck lepidolite - change and courage malachite - abundance, confidence, courage, prosperity, and self-determination citrine - energy, regeneration, inspiration, and self-improvement calcite - energy, creativity, learning, courage, and motivation
Sleep with a sachet filled with violet and a piece of carnelian under your pillow to bring about imaginative dreams
Create a sigil for creativity and imagination and activate in a manner of your choosing
Alternately, charge a planetary symbol that aligns with your intent
Anoint your dominant hand or writing utensil with a mix of lavender, orange, and tangerine oil (with grapeseed oil as a carrier) to promote mental clarity and personal expression
Make your own bath salt using skin safe oils and herbs - use in the morning to promote creative thinking during the day, or at night before bed to promote imaginative dreams
Keep carnelian or citrine on your person during acts of creative arts
Add citrus to your tea, or cinnamon to your coffee for a boost of inspiration
Anoint candles that correspond to your intent with the appropriate oil and burn down completely before acts of creative arts
Carve symbols that represent creativity into candles before burning them down
Time your spells using the appropriate zodiac sign, lunar phase, and/or time of day
Invoke the appropriate celestial energy to promote creativity
Keep one of the tarot cards mentioned above near your workspace or sleep with it under your pillow
Here is a list of unconventional and affordable ingredients that can be used in spells and witchcraft along with their correspondences; good for witches “in the woods” and witches on a budget. Many of these can be easily found for inexpensive prices or at home.
Acorns/Acorn Caps: security, abundance, longevity, good luck, youth and brings good health
Animal toys/stickers: relates to correspondences of that animal
Recycle bottles, jars and medicine bottles for jar/bottle magic
Reuse tea bags (though not too long after use) in bath magic
If you do wish to use herbs, it is cheaper to order them online in bulk rather than the supermarket. Trust me, supermarkets and grocery stores really over price most herbs. You can get triple the amount for 2 dollars less online
Make up and toiletries are great for glamours
Its fine to use kitchen knives if you can’t afford am athame
Look at the ingredients in food you eat to see what is in it and determine that food’s correspondences, quick and easy kitchen magic
Crayons, colored pencils, markers and pens are good for easy sigil and color magic
Binders are cheaper than blank books and make great grimoires
Chamomile(helps combat insomnia, a common symptom of depression) Green(contains an amino acid known as theanine which is known to fight depression) St John’s Wort(contains compounds known as hypericin and hyperforin, which may affect activity of the brain’s serotonin system) Lemon Balm(works as a mild sedative and can ease anxiety and depression) Ginger Root(helps to increase important neurotransmitters than can regulate your mood) Lavender(research shows that lavender can help combat depression, and has been said to rival antidepressants) Peppermint(the menthol in peppermint leaves helps calm mood and aides sleep)
CRYSTALS
Smoky Quartz(helps elevate moods, overcome negative emotions, and relieves depression) Rose Quartz(is a known healer and can help replace negative feelings with love and compassion) Amethyst(combats stress and releases a relaxed energy) Citrine(emits a sunny, optimistic energy which can aide in combating depression and anxiety) Angel Aura Quartz(is known to help with mental illness, and it’s energy can help process emotional disturbances, grief, or trauma)
️ INCENSE ️
Lavender(reduces stress physically and mentally, and promotes deep sleep) Jasmine(helps with alertness, evokes an uplifting energy, and is believed to ease symptoms of depression) Ylang Ylang(has a calming affect that elevates mood and is known to help with physical and mental symptoms of anxiety and depression) Lemongrass(promotes emotional balance, and uplifts emotional weight) Sandalwood(encourages calmness, serenity, and feelings of well being)
Spend time in the sun, and in nature. Even if you only go and sit in your backyard, it will help, and make you feel a bit better Drink water! LOTS OF WATER! Want an extra boost? Make a bunch of sun water and drink it on exceptionally low days to help with your energy and mood levels. Ground yourself every night before bed to rid yourself of negative energies Turn your sadness into creativity! Work on pages of your grimoire or book of shadows. Do some witchy DIY’s! Set up a new altar! Make some sigils! Being productive and creative are so helpful when you’re feeling melancholic. Have some spoonie witch tips for low energy days! Garden. Spending time in nature and creating something within the earth is not only rewarding, but gardening is actually a de-stressing activity and can soothe your mood. PLUS think of all the herbs you could grow to help with your craft! Talk to someone. Other witches. Friends. A professional. A hotline. Anyone who is willing to listen. Put that energy out there and it will make a world of difference, I promise. Let yourself have at least ONE self-care day a week. It doesn’t matter what it entails, as long as you’re taking that time for YOURSELF, magickal or not.
Be careful drinking teas with St Johns Wart if you’re on antidepressants! It can conflict with some SSRIs
~Anise- protection, psychic awareness ~Bay oil- manifests spirits ~Basil- emotional healing, peace, manifests spirits ~Black Pepper- protection ~Carnation- eases grief ~Cinnamon- spirit communication and connection ~Cinnamon Bark- psychic awareness ~Cyprus- protection ~Cypress- eases grief ~Dragon’s Blood- protection ~Frankincense- protection, spiritual connection ~Iris- courage ~Jasmine- psychic awareness ~Lavender- eases grief, grounding, psychic enhancement ~Lemon Grass- psychic awareness, anointing tools and offerings; especially necromancy tools. (Make sure to dilute it as it is not good for your skin; use with caution) ~Lilac- healing, peace ~Lotus- eases grief, heartbreak ~Musk- courage ~Myrrh- ease grief, protection ~Narcissus- eases grief ~Orange- eases grief and sadness ~Patchouli- grounding, protection spells and inks. (Associated with the Earth and Underworld) ~Peppermint- spiritual connection ~Roman Chamomile- grounding ~Rose- courage, protection, helping a spirit pass ~Rosemary- ease grief ~Rue- protection ~Sage- grounding, protection, helping a spirit pass ~Sandalwood- spirit communication, helping a spirit pass ~Thieves- grounding, spirit communication ~Vetiver- grounding ~Violet- protection ~Wormwood- can be used to help spirits manifest. (Caution when using this oil!! It is slightly hallucinogenic) ~Ylang Ylang- eases heartbreak So this is my list of essential oils in my correspondences (With the help of death-witch-envy!!) Feel free to add to the list or change some correspondences to your liking. Remember, some correspondences work for different people. I hope this helps!!
There are a number of plants which can be extremely useful to the necromancer. Among these are the following.
Mullein: Erroneously described as a substitute for graveyard dirt, this in fact is a misconception. Known as the “Hag’s Taper”. The soft leaves are used as candle wicks and the dried stalks are soaked in beeswax or tallow to make a torch for rituals of necromancy. It is also burnt to see manifestations of spirits of the dead at night, to see into the Otherworld, and communicate with the spirits and deities that dwell there. Can also be used in talismans.
Wormwood: Used for summoning spirits and to help them manifest.
Cedar: The dried needles when smouldered serve both as a sustaining feast and call for the blessed dead, and the smoke is used to exorcise malevolent shades. The wood works for this purpose as well when turned into a fetish or as a staff.
Dittany of Crete: Used to aid in the manifestation of the spirits of the dead. Also has somewhat of a nasty reputation because of where it tends to grow. Harvesters tend to fall from the cliffs and crags where it grows and plummet to their death.
Aconite: Also known as Wolfsbane or Monkshood. Because of its incredible toxicity it is better to not to harvest it. If one has the dried root it can be preserved in order to serve as a tutelary spirit. Not to be used by amateurs.
Yew: Known in European countries as the Death Tree, it is a symbol of death, reincarnation, and longevity. Is planted in graveyards to protect the spirits of the dead. It can be used to banish malevolent spirits of the dead. Often associated with sorcery and dark magic. It is considered the sister of the Tree of Life, the birch.
Apple:Considered the food of the Irish dead and the inhabitants of the Otherworld. Can be added to incense blends to feed the spirits of the dead and ancestors.
Mugwort: Ingested as a tea to aid in divination and talking to the dead. Also boiled in water and, then the liquid is used to wash divination tools.
Copal: Serves as a offering to the dead and can be used to appease the spirits who remain in states of trauma or confusion after death.
Willow:The wood of the willow is used in incenses and in the construction of fetishes dedicated to the dead.
Tobacco: May be presented as a herbal offering upon a ancestral altar or a grave in the form of a incense or sacramental smoke to honor the shades of the dead.
Cypress:The oil of this tree serves as a great addition to incenses and formula of the underworld.
Myrrh:The oil aids in all blends of a necromantic design. Can also be mixed into incenses.
Graveyard Mold: Technically no folklore or magical traditions associate this herb with necromancy of any kind. However I have included it here because I believe it can be used as a compound in necromantic incenses. Since it grows on graves it should contain some of the essence of the dead.
Mandrake: According to legend King Solomon carried a piece of this root in his seal ring to give him sovereignty over souls. Since one of its names is the “Little gallows man” it can be used as a poppet for laying curses of death, illness, pain, etc.
Birch: Petitions and blessings are written on the bark of this tree which is then burnt or buried in the grave of the spirit.
Bay Laurel: Used to communicate with the dead, possibly through use as an incense. Easily available in the form of bay leaves.
Chervil: Also known as garden chervil or “gourmet’s parsley” a tea or other drink made with it can be imbibed to aid in rituals of communion with the dead.
Lavender: Burnt as incense in order to bring peace of mind to the dead.
Marigold: Associated with funerals and used in funeral sprays.
Asphodel: In Greek legend is connected with the dead and the underworld. Sacred to Hades, Persephone, and Hekate. The roots were eaten by the poor of Greece and hence thought good enough food for the dead. Could be burnt as incense or the roots could be given as food offerings.
Thyme: Burnt as an incense helps ease the soul of a person who died a violent death.
American Sycamore: Known as “Ghost Trees” for their distinctive patchy appearance. Associated with the dead and poverty.Elder: In Norse mythology the tree is considered the Guardian of the Road to Hel (and thus sacred to Hela, Goddess of the Dead). Also associated with the ancestors.
Awesome post! It’s so rare I find something on witchblr thats not specifically for beginners <3 (not that there’s anything wrong with an abundance of beginner level knowledge being available)
Keep in mind everybody else though, make sure you research your herbs before going out to find and use some. Research to make sure it’s safe to touch with your bare hands or if you should wear gloves, and whether or not it’s safe it inhale the smoke of or consume if you plan on doing either of those things with any herb.
The issue with realizing the problems and pitfalls of a pre-written correspondence list is that the next step is often to create your own correspondence tables. This activity can range from confusing and unapproachable to time-consuming and impractical.
While there are great guides out there on the matter, many rely on skills you may not have, such as advanced energy sensing, spirit communication, or meditation. There’s a lot to be gained from spending a year in trance communication with the spirit of your intended plant or wand, but sometimes you just need to get shit done, and now.
Hopefully these steps will be a helpful guide in getting started creating your own personal associations. This is just one way, though, and it isn’t set in stone — feel free to go in whatever order you like, taking whichever steps apply and appeal to you.
What does it do?
This applies as “How is it used?” and “How does it act?” as well. A chicken egg holds life and potential. It protects the unborn chick. It feeds the hungry. It breaks as life emerges from within. I could go on!
For this post, however, we’ll focus on three things: A lightbulb, a magnifying glass, and a hypothetical plant.
Light bulbs illuminate. Some even provide warmth or extend growing periods for plants. If you turn on a light in a dark room, you reveal what may have otherwise been hidden.
Magnifying glasses help you see clearer, make out details, and give you a closer look at things you may otherwise miss. Very obviously speaking, they will magnify the appearance of whatever is in front of them.
Now for our hypothetical plant. It’s extremely invasive, but its flowers are fragrant and draw beneficial insects. The berries are poisonous to people when unripe, along with the raw leaves, but ripe berries are edible — delicious and sweet — and a tisane from the leaves will settle and calm an upset stomach.
What does it look like?
It’s a bit Doctrine of Signatures-y but the appearance of a thing can help you define correspondence for it, and I don’t just mean the colours.
The hypothetical plant, for example. Let’s say that it has pink and red blossoms. The ripe berries are vaguely heart shaped, as are the leaves (perhaps more prominently so).
The light bulb, depending on the shape, may resemble a human head, a ball, a planet, a star or tear drop. When it’s on, you may think it looks like the sun.
What about magnifying glasses? I’ve always thought that they look like mirrors or portals. Maybe to you it looks like a pool of water. I’m assuming a round glass here, by the way, so perhaps its very shape is worth considering. There’s a lot of meaning put into circles, after all.
What is its lore or background?
What are the stories behind it? You might take into consideration the circumstances the thing was created under, or with something like an animal or plants, what led to their creation or introduction to your area (Was it meant to eradicate a pest? Was it bred as a gift for a loved one? Is there a particular quality they tried to emphasize?).
Say that in a story, someone uses your hypothetical plant to charm a king.
Or what about Sherlock Holmes and his magnifying glass?
The light bulb is popularly associated with a “bright idea”.
Your Personal Symbolism and associations
Come on, y’all knew I was going to bring up Personal Symbolism at somepoint.
Magnifying glasses remind me of my grandmother. The woman has owned at least 100 in my lifetime, and once even brought one with her to a computer class in order to get a better look at her monitor.
Light bulbs remind me of the years I spent as a child fighting for environmental protections and rights. Conservation (and later, efficiency) was a HUGE part of my fight and the light bulb reminds me of the time I spent in debate and conversation.
Since my plant is imaginary, I don’t have any real memories or associations for it, but hey, that’s okay. Like I said, you don’t have to hit everything on this list.
Now think sideways.
I don’t think this is what Holly Lisle had in mind when she came up with How to Think Sideways, but I’m gonna borrow her term for a bit.
It isn’t that much of a stretch to look at the improved vision a magnifying glass gives you and apply that to psychic vision, right?
Or to take the toxic berries from an invasive and noxious plant and use them to completely wrecksomeone.
(But maybe you want to take the beneficial tea from the heart shaped leaves to completely soak somebody’s life with an all-consuming, all-soothing love that will totally bind this person to you…or both! Know your love or know pain. Wow man, that’s cold. :|)
Speaking of manipulating people, a head shaped light bulb that has been turned into a glass poppet to fill someone’s mind with the thoughts you want them to have (thoughts that will come to them as though it were an epiphany — their very own Bright Idea!) may sound like a good time to you. Or maybe you’ll use it to scry their clever thoughts right out of their head to use as your own.
So by the end of it all, you may have a list like this:
Magnifying Glass
Vision (including psychic vision)
Details
Portals
Finding things
The illusion of plenty
Light Bulbs
Cleverness
Ideas
Revelation
The Sun
Hypothetical Plant
Curseworking
Rapid growth
Obsessive Love
Calming down a situation
Completely fucking up a situation
And those lists can get longer as time/your imagination goes on! The length isn’t really important though. What matters is that what you put on the list has meaning to you and works for you.
