8 oz. spinach, triple washed, patted dry, and de-stemmed
1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced
1 cup loose parsley, washed well
¼ cup chives, sliced
1 T. freshly chopped dill
1 T. lime juice
¼ t. salt
¼ t. hot sauce, of choice
1 - 8 oz. container plain vegan soy yogurt
In a non-stick skillet, saute the green onion and garlic in the olive oil for 2 minutes to soften. Add the spinach and continue to saute until the spinach just wilts. Remove the skillet from the heat and set aside to cool completely. Transfer the spinach mixture to a food processor. Add the remaining ingredients, except the vegan yogurt, and process for 2-3 minutes or until smooth. Add the vegan yogurt and process well to combine. Taste and add additional salt, hot sauce, or lime juice, to taste. Transfer the mixture to a glass bowl, cover, and chill for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to blend. Serve as an appetizer with raw vegetables, bread slices, crackers, or chips, or use as a condiment on sandwiches, cooked vegetables, or grains. Yield: 2 Cups
While the ability to menstruate is highly regarded in Witchcraft, it doesn’t mean that the process can’t suck. Here are some witchy ways to ease your period pains (note: if you have a medical condition that affects your menstrual cycle and/or are on medication please remember to research the interaction information when it comes to ingesting herbs):
Teas can be lifesaving when it comes to cramps. Use one or a mixture of these herbs:
Nettle
Ginger
Frankincense
Oat Straw
Dandelion
Red Clover
Yarrow
Chamomile
Valerian
Dong Quai
Red Raspberry
Motherwort
Black Haw
Basil
Cinnamon
Fennel
Parsley
Blackstrap Molasses (Add one to two teaspoons of blackstrap molasses to a cup of warm milk. Drink it as soon as you start having cramps and continue as long as needed)
Here are some tea recipes designed to help get rid of cramps and other menstrual symptoms:
High Tide Tea
3 cups water 1 tablespoon dandelion root 1 tablespoon oatstraw 1 tablespoon chamomile 1 teaspoon raspberry leaf 1 teaspoon rose hips 1 teaspoon ginger root Put herbs and water into a stainless steel pot. With the lid on bring the herbs to a boil and then turn off the heat and let the herbs continue to steep for two hours. Strain and reheat the tea and drink two cups a day to support a healthy menstruation.
Menstrual Tea
¼ cup nettle leaf
¼ cup alfalfa leaf
½ cup lady’s mantle
½ cup red raspberry leaf
¾ cup lemon balm
Mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl or put them all in a large jar, cap and shake until they’re well mixed. Store in a jar in a cool, dark place and don’t forget a label!To use, brew 1 tablespoon in 1 cup of hot water for 5 minutes. Make one batch at a time or a large amount and drink hot or cold. It’s up to you.
External pain relievers can provide temporarily comfort when needed. Try:
Massaging warm/hot (not too hot!) Castor oil on the pelvic region
Heat therapy on the lower back and pelvic region
Acupuncture
Soft, slow massage around the pelvic region
Grounding
Focused breathing
Avoiding stagnant air
Avoiding strenuous physical activity
Letting yourself rest
Stretching slowly and gently
Bath Magick is extremely useful when dealing with period pain. Here are a few herbal bath recipes and ingredients to make bathtime soothing:
Here are some bath recipes designed to help get rid of cramps and other menstrual symptoms:
The Menstrual Bath 4 gallons water ½ cup lavender flowers ½ cup rose petals ½ cup chamomile ½ cup hops In a large pot bring herbs and water to a boil then turn off the heat and let stand for 15 minutes. Pour herbs and water directly into the bathwater. Relax and let all of your pain wash away
Moontime Footbath 6 cups water 2 tablespoons rosemary 2 tablespoons lavender 2 tablespoons mugwort Bring herbs and water to a boil. Pour the mixture into a foot basin and when cool enough, soak your feet in the tea for about 15 minutes. This foot bath is very helpful for calming any anxiety and tension during menstruation.
Food choice can also help you out. See if some of these cramp-fighting foods work for you:
1 or 2 cups of fresh, food grade rose petals A pinch of dried hibiscus petals or hibiscus tea Enough water to cover the rose petals A spritz of water, for better shelf life (optional).
Instructions
Dump the rose petals into a pot, and cover them with water. Simmer them for 30 minutes until they lose all colour (basically, make rose water lol). Make sure to check up on your rose water every once in a while and stir clockwise as you think of your intention. When the rose water is done, add a pinch of dried hibiscus petals (and a couple drops of vodka if you want to) and stirr clockwise while thinking of your intention. Recite this incantation ‘Self love comes to me Beauty comes to me This potion makes me lovely in and out So mote it be’
Let it rest until cold, if possible next to a rose quartz or under the moonlight so it gets that extra love and beauty vibes. Once it is cold, sift the solids out and put it into a spray bottle or any other container. I put mine inside a spray bottle so I just spray the everloving shit out of my face whenever needed, but if you want you could dab a lil behind your ears before going out, wash your body with it or use it to rinse your hair.
In fact, I made it without vodka with my own garden’s rose petals and some hibiscus tea, and I even drank a little bit of it. It was stupid delicious.
Put whichever container you put this potion in INSIDE THE FRIDGE. Inside the fridge it will last you 7 to 10 days before degrading, some more if you added vodka, but out of the fridge it will start degrading and fermenting right away. THe fridge part is really important, guys gals and nonbinary pals.
(Also, you can totally make this potion with dried rose petals too. Just google how to make rose water with dried rose petals).
Hibiscus-Love, lust, passion, divination, dreams, beauty, marriage
HEALTH BENEFITS
Rose water is a very popular cleanser and toner and widely used across many different cultures as a part of beauty and skincare routines. It can help skin healing, it is great for delicate or easily irritated skin, can prevent infections, can help damaged, cut or sunburnt skin heal much faster and even skin tone.
Hibiscus tea is also antibacterial and gentle on the skin, and it can help soften skin.
Both rose and hibiscus are FUGGING PACKED with antioxidants and vitamin C, which helps skin elasticity, softness and moisture, helps fight wrinkles and gives you a youthful appeareance. This benefits apply if you drink this potion or if you apply it to your skin directly.
Some extra benefits if you ddrink it are also liver health, lower blood pressure, blood sugar regulation and potential anticarcinogenic effects (hibiscus) and headache relief, mood enhancer and digestive (rose).
And as an extra bonus it is stupid delicious.
Please let me know if there’s any errors or typos I should modify, if you liked this recipe (encouragement will help me feel motivated to publish more of my recipes) and what results did you have if you made it yourself !
It baffles and infuriates me that Hogwarts students don’t take Latin or Greek. Accio?Literally “I summon.” Lumos? Fucking “light.” Expelliarmus?Expel weapon!! Ooooh I wonder what Levicorpus does– you Dumb Ass Bastard. You ILLITERATE. It’s called Levicorpus, it liftssomeone’sbody,it LEVIES your goddamn CORPUS-
Hermione ghost wrote this
Counterpoint: Hogwarts actively discouragesstudents from taking Latin or Greek because if they knew either one every single magic twelve year old would be trying to mash up twenty words and make their own Ultimate Spell instead of using the Good Standardized Spells Known Not To Explode Magic Schools
I have a feeling that last point is aimed at the ravenclaws…
Bold of you to assume there aren’t sneaky chaotic motherfuckers in every house who would sit up nights poring over their Greek and Latin grammar to come up with a spell to make someone’s nipples fall off just for shits and giggles. And those are the TAME ones.
God help the poor bastards hit by something created by Muggleborns who came to the school well-versed in anime. That hex is gonna be sparkly AND devastating.
“In Nomine Lunae, Ego Te Punire!”
“Oh come on, what exactly is that supposed to HOLY FUCK IT BURNS!”
“CALL ME MUDBLOOD AGAIN BITCH, SEE WHAT HAPPENS!”
Honestly Harry Potter need some anime nerd friends. Can you imagine how quick the Death Eaters would have been conquered if a Japanese student hit them with a big ole
The rest of my Etsy order came in. These pouches for my tarot decks! I love them so much. They’re well made, the stitching is good and they each have a small quartz crystal stitched into the flap. I have them both sitting on my charging plate right now.
Sometimes it’s difficult to recognize what’s astral travel, and what’s imagination. Just like with spirit work, a huge part of this is going to be discernment. What is You and what is Not You. Sometimes it’s difficult to recognize what’s astral travel, and what’s imagination. Just like with spirit work, a huge part of this is going to be discernment. What is You and what is Not You.
With Discernment being key to most things in this place, you need to really take the time to discover yourself. Who are you? What is your energy signature? What are your thoughts? What do You sound like?
Know yourself well. This can be done a number of ways. My favorite is mediation. Mindfulness. Being still and 100% aware of your surroundings. Be with your breath. Count them. In, 1, Out, 2, In, 3, Out, 4… up to 10. Then start over. Do a body scan. How are you feeling today? Check in with yourself. Really get into the nitty gritty. This is also a good entry point into shadow work, but that’s a post for a different day.
Once you feel like you know yourself, you’ll be better equipped to recognize certain signs that you’re either in astral or just daydreaming/using your imagination. I’ll touch on signs later on.
What is the astral, though?
Think of it like outer space. There’s vastness and nearly infinite space around you. There are planets and galaxies and systems and all kinds of things out there. But here, you can add planets, even if temporary, if you put enough effort into it. And travel can be faster if you know where you’re going.
Some say that astral is a mental space where you can invite spirits to visit you. This is not wrong. This is a part of the astral, sure! It’s like your house in the middle of a space void. The spirits know where to go to get to you, you have a nice cuppa, then move on.
But the astral is so much more than that! Your mental space that you create is there constantly because you consistently feed into it and solidify it. You can also create new spaces that are single use, and those will disappear if not fed with energy consistently. You can visit those other planets, if you want to (keep in mind that they’re not always fun and games, you might not always be welcome there, the beings there are foreign to you, polite interactions might be considered insulting to them, etc. Those worlds are completely different from this one, and can be incredibly dangerous if you don’t know what’s going on or how to protect yourself).
What the astral ISN’T:
It isn’t always a mental playground. It isn’t roleplaying. It isn’t a dream. It isn’t all Your Space. You share the astral the same way you share this universe with other beings. It’s not all about you, and you don’t rule it. If you want to rule something, make your own space in it and rule that.
How can I tell if I’m just imagining it, though?
We talked about signs, earlier! Just look out for them. Stay aware of yourself.
One of the more obvious signs is the inability to influence the space around you. If you’re imagining things, you can change the landscape you can make people appear or disappear. Your conversations are predictable.
Another sign would be surprises. Something doesn’t feel the way you think it should feel. A person says something that you didn’t think they would say, or does something you didn’t think they would do.
With your imagination, you can replay the “scene” over and over again. Astral is like real life. Something happens and that’s it. Sure, you can do it again, but it’s not a replay. It’s like you did something twice. And if there’s anyone near you, they’re probably gonna think you’re weird.
You can also try looking away from something, clearing your mind, then looking back. If something changed, it’s probably your imagination. Your brain is adding stuff. If everything is the same, you’re likely dealing with astral.
My personal signs are the above, paired with my body “looking dead” (I’m frequently interrupted by my hubby who thinks I’ve stopped breathing), my sleep tracker flatlines (similar to “looking dead”), and my entire body tingles as my spirit reattaches.
So! There you go! Questions, comments, concerns? Did I miss something? Let me know!
Beltain is the time of love and love can come in many different forms, so since we’re stuck inside and can’t cuddle our loved ones I think we all need a bit of self love and self care right now.
(This might get a bit complicated but I was experimenting since I have all the time right now)
What you need
A Beltain coloured candle (Pink/Red/Yellow/Green, or white if you have nothing in those colours)
A medium sized jar
Paper and pen
Sea salt (protection and purity)
Rosemary(love)
Dried orange peel(joy)
Dried lavender/lavender incense ash (peace, love)
Dried rose petals/rose incense ash/rose themed decoration (like fake flowers) in pink or red (joy, love, sex if you need it)
Stones related to love, protection, and happiness
Any trinkets you find relating to love/happiness/protection.
Something small and personal that carries your energy (like a necklace or hair clip) I would recommed that your wear this all day prior to the spell.
A Beltain coloured ribbon (or a white ribbon of string if you have none of those colours)
Method
On the eve of Beltain, as the sun sets light your candle, if you wish to open your space to Deities or fae now is the time.
Write your intentions on the paper, fold it, kiss it, and put it at the bottom of the jar. Continue to think of your intentions as you go.
In an even layer, individually pour in your salt, rosemary, orange, lavender, and rose.
Nestle your stones and trinkets on top finishing with your personal item.
Close the jar and tie your ribbon around it.
Blow out the candle to finish your work and store the jar on your altar or by your bed until you feel the work is done.
I got this really pretty Dendritic Opal bracelet in the mail today from Lunar Source! I’ve literally never been so pleased with a gemstone bracelet. Almost every one I’ve ever owned has been just slightly too small for me. Just enough to make them uncomfortable. This shop makes them to order with your provided measurements. Thanks Heather!
See end for additional notes for neurodivergence and disabilities.
Once a Day
Meditate
Visualizing self-cleansing in shower
Write in your journal
Pray to your deities
Once a Week
Cleanse sleeping area
Put stones, tarot, etc. in the moonlight
Write in grimoire
Present offering to deities
At least one spell
Once a Month
Cleanse the entire month
Do a dedication ritual to deities
Read a new witchy book
Express appreciation to those you love
Please recognize that this is not definitive. Not everyone can follow this, whether you have time between jobs or school or you don’t have the spoons for it. THIS DOES NOT MAKE YOU ANY LESS OF A WITCH. While I recommend some type of scheduled practice, tailored to your style, I know it’s not right for everyone.
Obviously you guys don’t have to make a schedule for yourselves or anything but building in daily practice is a lot about growing your craft and yourselves not just as witches or pagans but as people in general.
As for the spoonies out there I know you may not have enough energy to do all of the things every day or every week or every month. Do what you can, and love yourself. One thing I read somewhere is that anything worth doing is worth doing halfway. What this means is that doing something halfway is better than not doing it at all. Like for instance flossing. Flossing your teeth once a week is better than not flossing at all. Don’t feel at the end of the week when you feel like flossing that just cause you haven’t flossed all week there’s no point. There always is. Take care of Yourselves.
Chilli Flakes (or Chilli Powder, whatever’s around) - to ward off unwanted guests
Rosemary - purification, protection
Salt - absorbing negative energy, protection, purification
Black Pepper (both peppercorns and grounded) - banish negativity, protection from evil
3 Bay Leaves - protection from harmful energies
Protection Sigil or a Banish Negativity Sigil
Preferably Black Candle to seal the jar (white may be used as a substitute as I have done)
A Jar
A Funnel (trust me, if you don’t use one shit will go everywhere, make and use a homemade paper funnel if you need to)
Spell Method
Cast a protective circle or do your own pre-spell rituals, whatever works for you and light the candle
Cleanse your equipment and ingredients (I use specific ritual incense but again whatever works for you, sage burning, etc)
Put the ingredients in the jar one at a time, repeating a chosen affirmation for protection with each one. The order doesn’t nessicarily matter as the intent is what’s most important. However, I recommend leaving the bay leaves until last
Use a marker to draw a sigil that represents protection or banishing negativity on at least one of the bay leaves. If you need to break up the leaves to fit them in the jar that’s okay; again, the intention is what’s most important
Close the jar and seal it with the wax from the candle
Beltane is upon us and this year most of us are going to spend it inside… A nice way to celebrate this special day is to bake. I filmed this recipe for you, I hope you will like it!
Beltane Oats and Honey Scones
These rustic scones are quick and easy to bake. The use of plain flour and oats makes them raise less. They are amazing eaten straight outside of the oven with some jam and clotted cream (or butter!) Beltane is the celebration of the coming of Summer and a celebration of fertility. Days are warmer and longer, plants are growing, and the soil is fertile. Unfortunately, most of us will spend Beltane indoor this year and I thought I would publish the recipe I’ll do to celebrate this day.
Even if you are not celebrating Beltane, these scone are delicious! Let me know what you thought of this recipe!
Ingredients
80g Self-raising Flour
80g Wholemeal Flour
20g Oats
Pinch of Salt
2 tbsp Sugar
75g Butter
60mL Whole Milk
2 tbsp Clear Honey
Recipe
Preheat the oven 170ºC / 340ºF, grease a baking sheet
Mix flours, sugar and salt in a bowl
Using your finger tips, rub in the butter until the texture is crumbly
Warm the milk and the honey together. Stir until the honey has completely dissolve
Add the warm milk to the flour mixture and mix to make a soft dough. If it is too moist, add a bit more flour.
Divide the dough in two ball. Roll each of them in a flat round about 2 cm thick
Cut the flat rounds in 4 quarters each
Bake for 15min, until pale golden and springy to the touch
Keep in an air tight container for a couple of days
