A doppelganger to Oregano in appearance, Marjoram has a few different uses around the home. Like Bay leaves, sprinkle some in each corner of the home for protection, or place it under your pillow or in a dream sachet to encourage prophetic dreams. Use it in your magickal baths for 7 days to aid with grief and sorrow. For those kitchen witches out there, add Marjoram to your recipes to strengthen bonds of love.
Marjoram can also be used in your spellwork for cleansing, purifying, love, and dispelling negativity.
Ingredients - Dried sunflower petals - Dried and ground sunflower leaves - Dried amaranth seeds - Dried lavendar petals - Dried red rose petals - Dried rose hips - Dried & ground bittersweet
Layer Ingredients: The order is unimportant - do what feels right to you. You’ll want to cleanse your jar prior to adding your ingredients; ensure that your jar is dried completely. You can store on your window seal or by your bed.
Pro Tip: • Do not add fresh flower petals in to your jar. Drying them prior to adding them helps avoid fuzzy mold from building up in your layers. • Bittersweet (Nightshade) is poisonous - be cautious when handling and do not ingest.
I know I haven’t done anything for months, but what with work, house problems, and having to protest shit AGAIN, I’m having a hard time even eating sensible meals.
Have a wonderful Spring Equinox, and hopefully we can all see a better season soon. In many ways.
I have always loved thrift stores. When my family was poor-ish back in the day, I would often get one shopping trip a year for clothes at the thrift store and I would get all my halloween costume pieces there. Maybe it’s the nostalgia, maybe it’s that I myself am now poor-ish but either way I think we can all appreciate a good deal regardless. Especially on staple pieces that can be used for your practice. Now ON TO THE FINDS!
Books
Sometimes it takes a little luck but I’ve found a couple great useful books for 3$ or less each along the shelves of books in my local Value Village. The crystal healing ones I found were a huge deal to me back in the day when I was but a baby witch and they were dirt cheap.
Candle supplies
Every witch needs something to burn candles on/in. Now I’m not saying it needsto be fancy, for a long time I used a dollar store plate (psa, do not burn candles on surfaces you care about because scraping wax off things is not a delicate process) but picking up some candle holders for less than 2$ is going to help keep candles from falling over and lighting your house on fire. You can also find some wicked pretty ones.
Curtains/Tablecloths/Pillowcases
Yes, I buy thrift store curtains. As I mentioned in my previous post in this series, many things may require scrap fabric and although you can get the dollar store scarves I prefer using old curtains or tablecloths from the thrift store. Not only will you be getting WAY more fabric but it doesn’t cost too much more than the dollar store.
String and/or Ribbon
Some of my spells and my favorite hex require some kind of yarn/string/thread. If your local thrift establishment of choice has any kind of craft section, no matter how big, you are in business. Bags of embroidery thread, spools of twine or other string and skeins of yarn are all SUPER cheap and often great quality. (Note: I mean the yarn, the other two options are pretty standard) Sometimes I can even find ribbon spools but those are interchangeable with plain old coloured string.
Picture Frames
Are you setting up your altar? Do you wish you had something nice to put the picture of your deity(ies) in? Look no further than the thrift store for GORGEOUS frames of literally every size imaginable.
Vases
You actually can not find nicer vases for cheaper than a thrift store. I don’t know what else you’d use them for, crystals maybe? Dried flowers waiting to be used? Candles? Either way, if you need one, there are virtually none cheaper or easier to find. Same goes for crystal or glass bowls. Besides, if you kill plants like yours truly, having flowers that are guaranteed to die is a nice way to enjoy plants without having to remember to water them.
JARS
That alone should be enough but I do want to chuck in one piece of advice. Do not forget about the cup aisle! I got a sweet glass skull that screws closed with your standard mason jar lid because it was donated with one of those lids with a hole and a straw. Hence it was a “cup” but NOT ANYMORE! It holds my dead flowers. I named him Herman.
As always, feel free to send me a message if you’d like/have more questions. Hopefully soon I’ll make a trip to IKEA for the next post in this series! If there’s something you’d like me to cover, let me know.
Much love ~ ♥
I mean, duh. Obviously.
Also, I dunno about the US, but around here, thrift stores always have a bazillion of neckties, many of them made from real silk, sold very cheaply because they’re out of style or have weird patterns or are torn here and there. They’re perfect to repurpose as witch bags that can hold really, really fine powders in. Plus, y'know, silk.
I’m making a massive protection magic masterpost! It currently has 80 links listed, but I want to have as many as possible, so if you’ve posted a protection spell in any form, some information on warding, information on servitors, etc., please comment on this post with the link to whichever posts you’d like to be included - they can be your own, or someone else’s, if you like.
Because you guys need to know more about Slavic folklore. So I’m gonna tell you about the god-divinity-ghost legendary figure from the Karkonosze mountains.
The Karkonosze mountains (part of the Sudetes) are a range on the border of Czech Republic and Poland, a range very special for many different reasons. There’s more folklore in there than it makes sense to write in a tumblr post, so this time I’m concentrating on Rzepiór.
His Czech name is Krakonoš, basically the same as they name of the mountains themselves, and the most popular name used in Poland is actually Liczyrzepa(lit. Counts Turnips), but Rzepióris infinitely cooler and more menacing.
But, you say, does he need to be menacing? Isn’t he usually depicted as a bearded druid-like guy, with a staff and a beard and an affinity to animals? Doesn’t the slightly-comical name with the turnips come from the fact that he was distracted by counting turnips and thus a princess ran away from him?
Well, yeah. But those are… laterlegends.
The earliest depiction of Rzepiór (Mountain Ghost, Krakonoš, Rubezahl, Berggeist… it’s a border region so he has many names in many languages)comes from a 16th century map, of all things.* That’s right, he was put on a damn map, all Here-Be-Dragons style. Oh, and on the map he was drawn like this:
Yup. Giant horns, goat legs, really scary beak-face. Looks familiar? Looks like a lot of other Horned God, Wild-Hunt, Herne types? Yeah. And the princess? Oh, he kidnapped her from her actual man. In the pre-Christian times, people used to sacrifice black cockerels to him. He was responsible for the extremely capricious and stormy weather of the Karkonosze mountains. But, on the Czech side, he’s also the one who gave humans the recipe for the traditional Czech sourdough soup (kyselo), and pestered the German landlords if they mistreated the rural Czech populace.
He is also credited with the creation of Błędne Skały - a rock “labyrinth” in the nearby Table Mountains. Which looks like this:
The shift from a menacing demon to a bearded old wanderer may have happened when the mountains stopped being mined for precious metals and minerals, and people didn’t need to be scared off so much. Or maybe because people got less scared of dark mountains and forests in general.
Whatever the reason for the change, his bearded-wanderer incarnation was on a postcard that Tolkien had. And which inspired the idea of Gandalf. So, yeah.
*(If you want to see the map itself, check here. Look for the highest peak of the mountain range, the demon figure is right below.)
It enhances all psychic work, is highly protective and smells beautifully witchy in any incense mix.
Bay has so many properties to boast about including: cleansing,wishing, warding negativity, healing, romance, protection, psychic abilities, fidelity, divination and dreamwork.
i am a green witch that pays for my medical bills by writing and illustrating little witchcraft books! this is my second book, called cottagecraft; it is a lovingly curated book of original spells, recipes, and herbal wisdom to make your home a cozy, welcoming and positive environment. it has 24 pages, every single one with illustrations, with a little section in the back to write down notes and scribbles.
i recently had an ovarian cyst surgery that debilitated me for three weeks, putting me out of work; i spent my recovery time doing all these illustrations.
here is the listing for the book on my etsy shop - the book is $11 with free US shipping and $2 worldwide shipping. if you are able, purchasing my book will help me work through the surgery bills! thank you all so much. xoxo
acorns are a cute, perfectly-sized magick charm to carry in your pocket. they represent the energy of the beautiful oak tree, which has long-held associations with strength, endurance, courage, generosity and honesty. for this reason, it has “kingly” attributes; it’s said that king arthur’s round table was made from a cross-section of a big elder oak tree’s trunk.
each acorn on the oak tree is believed to have its very own faerie watching over it. keep this in mind before you pluck an acorn from its tree; when harvesting acorns, it’s best to forage for fallen ones so as not to bring about fae mischief.
☾ using acorns as charms
carry an acorn in your pocket for health, abundance, prosperity and luck.
plant an acorn in your garden under a full moon to cultivate happiness.
use an acorn at your altar to represent the earth element.
wear an acorn around your neck to bring beauty, youth, and protection.
place an acorn in your purse or wallet to attract financial security.
an acorn at your desk inspires patience and long-term success.
☾ a simple acorn spell for strength during hardships
light a red candle, which represents strength, survival and endurance. hold an acorn in your hands and look at the flame, meditating on the hardships you’re going through and your wishes to overcome them. remind yourself that you are strong and resilient. visualize the end to the situation. warm the acorn over the candleflame, kiss the acorn, and place it under your pillow.
☾ kitchen witchcraft: acorn maple shortbread cookies
these cookies are delicious and rustic, celebrating the oak and maple trees. the cookies have powerful spiritual healing properties. here is a recipe for how to make acorn flour, which involves a couple days of labor and requires a food processor. the end product, however, is a delicious dark gluten-free flour that has chestnut flavor notes. for the cookies (makes 12), you will need:
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature (8 ounces)
½ cup sugar
¼ cup maple sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
A pinch of salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup acorn flour
1. Combine the butter, sugars and vanilla extract in a bowl and whisk together with a fork.
2. Mix the salt and flours together with a whisk in another bowl, then pour the mixture in with the butter/sugar. mix with a fork just enough to make a sticky dough with no butter chunks.
3. shape the dough into a large disk, wedge between parchment paper and freeze for at least two hours, so they maintain their structure in the oven.
4. preheat the oven to 350°F. flatten the dough disk to about ½ inch and use a cookie cutter to cut out the cookies.
5. place the cookies on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 23-26 minutes (or until the edges are beginning to brown).
☾ an acorn-top faerie offering
to make an offering to nearby fae and good spirits, place a ring of acorn tops on a tree stump, and fill the acorn tops with wine. leave a pile of rose petals in the center of the ring.
theathame (typically pronounced ah-tha-mey) is a blade used for ritual purposes both in traditional witchcraft and in neopagan practices like wicca. it is considered one of the four elemental tools in modern occultism, along with the wand, pentacle, and chalice. a typical athame is a small double-edged blade with a black handle (which sometimes features symbolic carvings).
purposes of the athame
contrary to naive assumptions, athames are not traditionally used for sacrifice or blood magick. they are used to direct energy during rituals, to represent the element of fire (though other practices associate it with air), for banishment rituals, and rituals involving fertility when accompanied with the chalice.
some practitioners strongly believe that the athame is not meant for any kind of physical cutting, while others will use its blade to cut plants, fabric, cord, and other things pertinent to a spell or ritual. keep in mind that the athame absorbs and channels the energy of what it interacts with, so avoid letting others use your athame and be mindful of what items you cut with it, if at all.
consecrating and blessing a new athame before use
when you get a new athame, it’s important to cleanse it and properly declare it your own. gather two candles, one white and one black.
⤏ pass the athame’s blade over the white candleflame, which cleanses it of its previously held energies and purifies its intentions.
⤏ pass the blade over the black candleflame, to endow it with protective properties.
⤏ finally, stick the blade into rich soil, to bless it with earth magick. wash the blade off with water, and it is ready to use.
ways to incorporate the athame into your craft
⤏ cast a circle by outlining it with the blade, channeling protective energy
⤏ cut open and re-close circles you’ve already cast by slicing and redrawing
⤏ use the blade to cut and harvest herbs for spellwork or kitchen witchcraft
⤏ carve sigils and other symbols into candles for candle magick
⤏ use the blade in banishing rituals to cut negative energy away
⤏ use in place of a wand during house exorcisms/protection spells
⤏ use in place of a wand during rituals involving fire
a few easy rituals you can perform with just an athame
love ritual: hold the athame in your dominant hand and visualize the kind of relationship you want to have, or your ideal partner. trace a large heart in the air in front of you with the athame and walk through the energy-heart.
protection ritual: hold the athame in your dominant hand and say “may your blade protect me from harm and ill will.” hover the blade over your body, starting at the head and moving down to your feet.
banishing ritual: hold the athame in your dominant hand and reflect on what you want to banish, whether it be a person, bad habit, spirit, negative energy, or otherwise. say with confidence “i banish you and cast you away” and extend your arm quickly, sweeping the blade away from you and pointing it outward. do this three times, or until you feel satisfied.
Vetivert is a traditional incense burned to entice money and riches, and to drive away evil spells. It is easy to get ahold of, if you know where to look. Usually, your local herb or witch shops will carry a supply.
Use in spells for:
Love
Prosperity
Money
Hex-breaking
Luck
Anti-theft
Use in these spell types:
Sachets
Poppets (used here to mean “an effigy of a person who is the target of a spell”, and does not have any cultural connotations)
Burning spells
Enchantments
As an incense or oil
Other uses:
Place in cash registers to increase business
Carry vetivert root to attract luck
Burn vetivert root to ward off evil curses
Medicinal Uses:
Can be used topically to reduce stress, repel insects, and to treat lice.
Can be taken internally by mouth to treat circulation and nerve problems, but be sure to check with your general practitioner first.
Pregnant women should not take vertivert internally. It is rumored to induce abortions and start menstration when taken orally, so I would be very cautious when using this herb medicinally if you are a woman.
I should also note that essential oils of any kind are not always made to be taken internally, and you should only do so under the supervision of a physician.
