#sea witchery

So, I grew up on an island, which means I grew up with a little bit of beach lore that I realized, recently, might not be widespread information, especially inland. So, just in case, anyone is unaware, I wanted to share with you about these:

(photos by me)

These are called wishing stones, where I’m from. A dark stone with an unbroken, naturally occurring white ring around it, not too hard to find on most rocky beaches. What you’re supposed to do is toss it into the water as you make a wish — but I’m sure sea witch tumblr can think of a lot more creative uses for them ;)

That’s all. Just wanted to share a bit of local (or not so local, again, I’m not sure whether other places pass this lore on too), super simple sea witchery that anyone can partake in. Enjoy!

31 Days of PC Spells, Day 3: Write a spell based on a lesser-known and/or less popular fairy tale

Based on the fairytale “By the Pike’s Will” from Russia. This is a really quick and simple jar spell!

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What you need:

• a natural source of water (ocean, lake, river, pond, etc)
  
• a glass jar (relatively large)
• paintbrush (fine) and paint
• a seashell, smooth stone, or sand dollar — you must be able to paint on it and it must fit in the jar you’ve chosen.
• a wish to make

How to:

First, fill your glass jar with water from your natural source, and then return to your home/place of witchcraft. On the outside of the jar, paint the words “By the pike’s will, at my command” in any placement that pleases you.

Now paint your wish on your seashell/stone/sand dollar. To represent your wish, you may use words, drawings, or sigils — whatever suits you most. When you are satisfied, add this into your jar.

Instincts are very important in witchcraft, and here’s the time to rely on yours. At some point, you will take the wishing jar back to the natural source of water to release your wish. Do this only when your intuition informs you that it is the most appropriate time.

After you release your wish, refill your jar with new water. Make sure this water is completely foreign to the wishing jar; walk some distance down the water bank if need be. Collect a new seashell/stone/sand dollar for the next time you have a wish to make. Your current wish is already out there, waiting to be found and (hopefully) granted by a particular, very generous pike!

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sea-witchpanther:

This is a love spell meant to be done by someone wanting to attract a love interest – or in other words, a soul mate. This is not meant to be done by someone that’s already in a relationship (unless you’re in a polygamous relationship looking for another lover and your current partner is aware of your intentions) nor is it for someone who wants to do this but has a specific person in mind whom they want to attract. This spell is for attracting a person that has the qualities you’re looking for in a partner. Focus on the qualities that you want to attract, not a face.

This spell is called “to lure a sailor,” in reference to the Sirens in Greek mythology which were depicted as half-birds, half-women, that sang to sailors and caused them to crash their ships. In some myths Mermaids are believed to do this as well.

This spell requires a few Lady-in-Waiting Venus seashells because I love the look of them and they represent love, beauty and compassion to me. In Roman Mythology, Venus is the goddess of love, sex, and beauty. (If you do not have any Lady-in-Waiting Seashells then simple white clam seashells will do).

The color pink is also used in this spell – not red. Red is sometimes used to represent love, but personally red represents lust and sex while pink represents love to me. But if you want to use red instead of pink materials, the choice is yours.

Timing: Friday; Waxing Moon *

Materials:

• 1 glass jar/bottle with a lid
  
• 1 large Lady-in-waiting Venus sea shell – optional
  
• A pink or white candle – optional
  
• A handful of small Lady-in-waiting Venus seashells
  
• Pink ribbon
  
• Sand
  
• Pink rose petals – optional
  
• A piece of paper
  
• A writing utensil
  

Instructions:

• Once you’ve gathered all of the materials think about the qualities that you’re looking for in a partner and write them down on the piece of paper. While you put your spell bottle together, focus on the qualities that you’ve listed.
  
• Put the right amount of sand that you want in the bottom of the jar.
  
• Place the rose petals and the small Venus-in-waiting sea shells in the jar on top of the sand.
  
• Wrap your note with pink ribbon and then place the note in the sand that is in the jar.
  
• Seal the jar with the cork or lid when you’re done. (You can also seal the jar with white or pink candle wax if you want).
  
• When you’re done you can wrap the jar with more pink ribbon and decorate the ribbon with the larger Venus-in-waiting sea shell. (I don’t recommend sealing the jar with both ribbon and wax. Choose one or the other).
  

Welcome to one of my Sea Magic series posts, Sea Magic: Book of Tides. Here I’ll be explaining what a Book of Tides is, how it differs from other magical journals, and how you can begin your own. 

First off, lets talks about what a Book of Tides is. 

A Book of Tides, much like a Book of Shadows, is a record of a witch’s magical journey. It can be a book of spells, rituals, correspondence charts, personal thoughts, etc. A Book of Tides, however, differs from a Book of Shadows because although it is a magical book for witches, it is specifically a magical book for Sea witches. 

Where did this term first come from?:

I’m not exactly sure, but I would have to assume this term was first used / came from seawitch.org. Although Sea magic is not necessarily a new practice, it is oftentimes a solitary one, so there is no real “official” book or other source with information set in stone for us Sea witches to gather information from bestowed unto us from a renowned Sea witch that can say this and this is that or this is because of that, and so on. So it’s a bit hard to pin point where a term such as a BOT comes from.

How does a Book of Tides differ from a Book of Shadows?:

Depending on the witch, a Book of Tides may not be all too much different from an ordinary Book of Shadows. However, no Book of Shadows is the exact same from one another. A Book of Tides hints at feel towards Sea magic, and a Book of Tides may be completely dedicated to a Sea witch’s experience in practicing Sea magic. (To understand what I’m saying in further detail, scroll down to my Book of Tides Table of Contents options below).

Do I have to call my magical book a Book of Tides?:

No. Even if you’re a Sea witch you do not have to call your book a Book of Tides. You can call it a Book of Shadows or whatever you want, honestly. I personally prefer the term Book of Tides since I feel it better reflects my practice more. I also love the sound of it, too.

Where can I find a Book of Tides?:

There are some wonderful etsy shops that make and sell blank Book of Shadows that you can use as a Book of Tides. My personal favorite options are from the shop OddSoul. (The owner even has books that are Sea and Mermaid themed!) You can also look for ordinary journals that have Ocean / Mermaid / etc covers.. Oryou can even get creative and make your own by gluing seashells, sea glass, glitter, plastic mermaid/fish scales, pictures of the Ocean or beach as a cover - etc. 

What goes in a Book of Tides?

As I’ve said before, no two Book of Shadows/Tides will be the same and a Book of Tides does not have to consist of only Sea magic related topics. But if you want to have a book for your Sea magic practice specifically, you can add any of the following contents:

• A Book Blessing
  
• Charge of the Sea Goddess
  
• Charge of the Sea God
  
• The Sea Witch Tradition (A introduction to what Sea witchcraft is to you).
  
• How you started practicing Sea Magic
  
• A list of Sea Gods & Goddesses
  
• Information on Sea Fetches (magical ocean bound animals that help aid in your practice).
• Information on entities such as mermaids, nymphs, and so on.
• Your Altar, Shrine & Tools
  
• The Tides
• Moon Phases
• The Winds (and information on weather magic if you practice it).
• Oceanic Offerings: Offerings to the Ocean & Sea Gods
• The Sabbats, Esbats, or a list of any sacred days that you might celebrate.
• Correspondence Charts (Correspondence charts for seashells, sea glass, and other ingredients and tools of a Sea witch). 
• Sea Spells & Rituals
  
• Divination (Methods you practice, specifically ones relating to Sea magic such as Seashell divination, Sea Scrying- etc).
  

A simple sea spell to rid yourself of a negative thought, fear or habit.

Materials:

• A glass jar with lid
  
• Salt water
  

Instructions:

1. When near the seashore open your glass lid and fill it to the top with salt water. 
   

1. Close the lid and hold the jar up close and shake it to make a swirl. 

1. When looking at the swirl in the jar focus on your current negative thought.

1. When you are done and when the tide is going out throw the water back into the sea, visualizing your negative though escaping your mind.

Offerings to leave to the Ocean:

• Lighting candles, incense – etc. Anything in shades of blue, green, or white is acceptable and relates to the Ocean, but any colors of your choosing will also do. Seashell candles or incense burnt in certain seashells is also an acceptable option. (Please refrain from burning candles or incenses around flammable objects).
  
• Flowers.Especially flowers that share some association with the sea - such as Rosemary, but any flower will do. (Please don’t deal with plants unless you know what you are using in regards to the possibility of anything being poisonous).
  
• Saying – or singing – prayers, chants, songs, poems – etc.
  
• Sigils, runes, or symbols in the sand. Such as making a symbol near the seashore and allowing the tide to wash over the symbol.
  
• Finding things washed ashore and putting them back into the Ocean. Such as a seashells, seaweed, or a seahorse. (Please be careful  when dealing with living things, such as refraining from collecting a seashell homing a hermit crab. Don’t touch any animal washed ashore that could harm you).
  
• Seashells. (If you find that you have too many seashells that you’ve collected over time and don’t have any particular use for them, take them back to the beach).
  
• Pouring libations onto the sand.
  
• Pursing an interest in the Ocean. Buy/Check out books at a local library on anything Ocean related.
• Donating to an Ocean organization. 
• Picking up litter at your local beach. Not littering / picking up any litter anywhere, even if not near the Ocean helps the environment as a whole.
• Purchase an Ocean / Mermaid themed Oracle or Tarot deck - or practicing any divination methods that involve the Ocean, such as Sea Scrying, Seashell Runes, etc.
• Baking a neat Ocean themed dessertorsnack.
• Decorate an area in or outside your house with Ocean themed decor. You can decorate your room, bathroom, or garden with seashells, driftwood, etc.

Please always be responsible when offering anything at the beach. Don’t leave any litter behind - even if it’s not your own - and use biodegradable objects. Leave nothing but your footprints. 

A simple sea spell to help strengthen an existing bond between you and another. Be that of a friend, family member, significant other, or even a deity.

Please do not do this with a person in mind whom you don’t share a bond with. Nor should this be done for someone you do or have had a bond with but doesn’t want the bond between you two anymore.

If you feel that this spell led to an unhealthy relationship between you and another person, break ties with you and that person, take the shells apart and get rid of the wax. It’s important to focus on good, positive vibes between you and the other person(s) involved while doing this.

Please also always be careful when working with candles! Never leave a lit candle unattended, and don’t do this spell near any flammable objects.

Materials:

• Two cockle shells that are roughly around the same size.
  
• Three different color candles that are of your own choosing, depending on what kind of bond it is that you want to strengthen. [One of each candle represents you, the other person, and the kind of bond you’re focusing on. For instance, if you want to strengthen a bond between you and a friend, then choosing the color yellow – since yellow is sometimes symbolic to friendship – to represent the bond itself would suffice]. Taper candles, or just using melted wax in general, would probably be best for this.
  

Instructions:

1. After choosing the colors of all three candles that you want to be used as representations, set aside each half of the cockle shell apart.
   
2. Light the two candles that represent both you and the other person with your intentions in mind.
   
3. Take one of the candles and tilt it over one half of the seashell long enough to get a few drops of wax in the shell.
   
4. Then take the other lit candle that represents the other person and do the same as the previous step, melting the wax on top of the first and combining the colors together.
   
5. Once you’re done with the previous step, put the other half of the seashell on top of the one with the wax in it, then take the third candle that represents the bond and use that wax to seal the seashells together.
   

Note: Although this spell can be used to help strengthen relationships, it can really be used for all purposes. Say you’re in a rut and could use some extra money. Choose a candle that represents yourself and a green candle to represent wealth. Melt the two candles together in the seashells and then seal it with the green candle wax again.

This spell can also be used as an offering to a sea deity, which is something that I’ve done. When I did this for Amphitrite and myself, I used a dark shade of blue to represent her and a lighter shade of blue to represent myself. I then sealed the shells together with the dark shade of blue candle wax, which represented our bond, the Ocean and my practice overall.

Moon snail seashells belong to a species of predatory sea snails from the Naticidae family. 

Although Moon Snails vary in size and color, they are round, slightly coiled, and share a spiral shape design. 

Moon snails are also known as Necklace shells and can be used as a protective talisman or as wards for your home.

Associations: 

• Cycles
  
• Protection
  
• Survival
  
• Intuition
• The Moon
  

Magical Uses:

These seashells can be used to - 

• Protect you and your loved ones.
  
• As Wards for your home.
  
• To promote peace and tranquility during meditation.
  
• As a talisman when worn as jewelry.
• As a small flower pot.
• As an altar tool to represent the Moon or Ocean waves.

My spells and tips that involve Moon Snail Seashells:

• A Sea Witch’s Intuition Jar Spell
  
• Moon Snail Talisman Necklace DIY *
• Moon Snail Protective Charms for the Home *
• Sea Witch Moon Snail Seashell Tip
• Sea Witch Meditation Tip *

Unmarked links with * next to them are wips

Photo source [x]

Place Moon Snail seashells around your home (in corners, on tables, or windowsills) to promote inner peace and protection for you and your household from unwanted energy.