I’ve gotten SEVERAL asks about research, so I’m just going to make a quick post about it and hope it strikes a chord with some of y'all.
Researching the metaphysical can definitely be tricky. There’s a lot of fake suggestions, and mockery from people who don’t believe in what we do. Between Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings jokes, there are a lot of people who are trying to help but have false information themselves.
So how do I tend to find my information? My main tool is cross-referencing. If I find some information that I think sounds genuine, I don’t just write it down and call it good. I find other sources, usually more than 6, and see what lines up. If multiple sources from different places suggest similar or the same information, that’s when I tend to keep in my grimoire. Over time, I tend to find sources where I repeatedly find good information that passes the cross-reference checks, and that’s how I find the books or websites that I keep in mind when studying.
Keep in mind that there is no such thing as knowing it all. There are going to be times when research fails you, and you have a mess to clean up. However, that is why we always have backup options: if you’re casting a spell, you have a ‘spell shut-down’ ready if things go south. If your spell jar ended up not doing what it needs to do, you have a sealed Dry Jar (a jar that holds deactivated spell jars or their ingredients) to keep it in.
Hopefully this advice does y'all well. Be safe, be smart, and don’t take anything for granted. Blessed Be :)
Tips and Commissions for a struggling witch: Ko-Fi
Tough times lead to magical measures. Here’s the recipe to my ultimate money jar that’s beginner-friendly.
What you will need
A medium jar with a lid
A green candle
A pen
A bay leaf
A star anise pod
A dollar bill/paper cash
Twine
1 tbs basil
1 tbs cardamom
1 tbs cinnamon
1 tbs ground cloves
1 tbs nutmeg
1 tbs rice
1 tbs sea salt
(Optional: Citrine, Tiger’s Eyes, or Clear Quartz piece)
What you will do
Cleanse your jar and money with your preferred method, then write “financial gain” onto your bay leaf.
Add in your salt, basil, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and rice in that order.
Place your bill flat against the counter and place the bay leaf on top. Roll the bill tightly and tie shut with twine, adding multiple knots. The more knots, the stronger the effect.
Add it into your jar and cap the entire affair, sealing it with green wax.
(If you have a crystal, press it on top of the wax while it’s still hot and let it seal on.)
How to make the most out of it
Magic won’t fix all of your problems. If you work, keep working: this just might help you get a bonus, raise, or large tip from a nice customer.
If you don’t work or if you’re on disability/waiting for disability, seek out ways to try and make a little cash under the table. This just may help you find something for an extra bit of gasoline or pet food. Keep in mind that spell jars are only as powerful as the intentions set behind them!
Okay, listen y'all, I know that making blends to use is just common sense. I know. You don’t have to say it. However, I am a dumbass, and sometimes my common sense is MIA. So this post is also for those who occasionally have their common sense going MIA.
Kitchen Witchery is my personal favorite kind of magic. It can involve all sorts of things, from just intentions to even adding crystals to the baking routine (I’ll make a post on that later). It’s a love language for me as well, so it’s a two-for-one. However, herbs are a very important part of this - so I make blends that I use often and with intentions.
Here are some of my personal blends. Some can be used for tea, some are great as toppings on desserts. Some can be cooked with. Use your imagination, there’s no limit!
Homesteading: Apple, cinnamon, nutmeg, orange, allspice, star anise, cloves, ginger.
To those that have been around my blog for a while, y'all know it ain’t a secret that strawberries are one of my favorite things, ever. To eat, to use in spellwork, to draw - strawberries are a delightful joy from mother nature and far too many of us take them for granted. To combat that, I came up with a pancake recipe guaranteed to delight - and to carry that delight all morning.
Strawberry Sweet Day Pancake Spell Ingredients: (For 6 pancakes)
In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
In a large bowl, blend together buttermilk, eggs, and butter/oil.
Mix together until just combined. There may be a few small lumps, but that’s fine. Let it sit for a few minutes (5-10) to let it hydrate.
While it rests, heat a non-stick skillet or pan on your stove on medium-high heat.
Carefully stir in your berries, then dollop ¼ cup of batter onto the pan. Once the edges are set and the bubbles aren’t filling in, carefully flip.
The first two pancakes are the Sacrificial Pancakes. If too dark, turn the heat down to medium and try again. Chef Snacks.
Top with preferred topping and ignore the dishes until your roommate asks for a pancake. Then they are obligated to was the dishes. Thems the rules.
Strawberries are great for a variety of things. They invoke sweetness into your life, and can help encourage you to take better care of yourself and those around you. Inspiration is also something strawberries can invite. Plus, they’re basically just dollops of manna from heaven. You may quote me on that.
In case y'all haven’t noticed, I love apples. Apple juice, applesauce, apple crisp, apple pie, apple crumble, apple cider… it’s absolutely one of my favorite fruits (second only to strawberries). But other than being delicious and nutritious - it’s also superstitious.
Okay, that was a bad word to use, but I really wanted a rhyme.
APPLES!
Let’s get down to the basics. Apples represent a whole ton of good, wholesome things. As seen in my Apple Cider Homesteading Spell post, we know that apples represent love, luck, prosperity, and healing. But what they can also represent is garden magic (which is exactly what it sounds like), fertility, and in some cases, lust/sexual tension. Apples are often offered to gods and goddesses of fertility.
But how do I use apples, Ander? Well for one, you can make me a pie. And for two, that’s a great question. Let’s make a quick list of ways I enjoy using apples in my witchcraft.
Kitchen Magic. As you all know, I am most aligned with being a Green, Kitchen, or Herbal witch. Cooking is a love language and so is infusing my food with magic to help those I love. Make an apple pie for your partner, made apple cider with your best friend, bake apple dumplings for your sister. Food can be infused with your intentions just like any other tool.
Offerings. For a house blessing, cut an apple in half. Eat half of it, and place the other half outside your front door. This will invite in a good future for your home!
HangingBlessings. If you have a dehydrator, thinly slice an apple into slices and let them get crispy. You can add whatever you like! Orange slices, cloves, nutmeg…. you get the idea. Once they’re all dry, string them onto some twine and drape it across your doorway to invite love, luck, and friendship into your life.
SamhainBurning. With preferably dry apple pieces, burn them after a silent dinner to honor those who may be reborn in the spring. It’s a sign of respect and thankfulness.
As always my lovely creepy crawlies, practice in a cleansed space and be safe! Blessed be
I just want to touch on what may be a sensitive topic for some of us.
Grief is a very difficult emotion to manage. It can be really big, and really frightening to face. Trust me, I understand. I have been there. But please, please, don’t expect witchcraft to be the only support you need.
It’s a wonderful tool to use in aid of recovery, but help is not bad. You are allowed to seek out those to mourn with, or those who specialize in emotional recovery. Therapy is a normal thing. There’s nothing wrong with it, and if you are grieving, it may benefit you.
Relief spells are great for emotional aches and pains, but grief isn’t just an ache and pain. It’s a potentially fatal injury. Please seek the care you deserve.
In case y'all haven’t noticed, I love apples. Apple juice, applesauce, apple crisp, apple pie, apple crumble, apple cider… it’s absolutely one of my favorite fruits (second only to strawberries). But other than being delicious and nutritious - it’s also superstitious.
Okay, that was a bad word to use, but I really wanted a rhyme.
APPLES!
Let’s get down to the basics. Apples represent a whole ton of good, wholesome things. As seen in my Apple Cider Homesteading Spell post, we know that apples represent love, luck, prosperity, and healing. But what they can also represent is garden magic (which is exactly what it sounds like), fertility, and in some cases, lust/sexual tension. Apples are often offered to gods and goddesses of fertility.
But how do I use apples, Ander? Well for one, you can make me a pie. And for two, that’s a great question. Let’s make a quick list of ways I enjoy using apples in my witchcraft.
Kitchen Magic. As you all know, I am most aligned with being a Green, Kitchen, or Herbal witch. Cooking is a love language and so is infusing my food with magic to help those I love. Make an apple pie for your partner, made apple cider with your best friend, bake apple dumplings for your sister. Food can be infused with your intentions just like any other tool.
Offerings. For a house blessing, cut an apple in half. Eat half of it, and place the other half outside your front door. This will invite in a good future for your home!
HangingBlessings. If you have a dehydrator, thinly slice an apple into slices and let them get crispy. You can add whatever you like! Orange slices, cloves, nutmeg…. you get the idea. Once they’re all dry, string them onto some twine and drape it across your doorway to invite love, luck, and friendship into your life.
SamhainBurning. With preferably dry apple pieces, burn them after a silent dinner to honor those who may be reborn in the spring. It’s a sign of respect and thankfulness.
As always my lovely creepy crawlies, practice in a cleansed space and be safe! Blessed be
Dandelions (scientifically known as taraxacum officianale) are little fluffy circles of sunshine no matter how badly my family tries to convince me they’re just weeds. They’re beautiful, useful is so many ways, easy to grow, edible root to flower, make great rest stops and pollen distributor for bees, and have so many magical benefits that I doubt I can list all of them here if I tried. But what I can do is list a few things they (and their parts) are good for.
Dandelion leaves: purification, cleansing, banishing negativity, and inviting happiness.
Dandelion root: inspiring wishes to come true, grounding, earth magic, divination, and sleep protection.
Dandelion flower: invoking joy, light, happiness, hope, and healing.
Dandelion stem: forming connections, growth, patience, and creativity.
Dandelion ‘fluff’: lightness, spreading your wings, and finding a new home.
Dandelion plant: growing a whole dandelion plant symbolizing grounding, growth, and new opportunities. Make an excellent altar plant.
Each part of the dandelion can be used in a variety of ways. Most of it is edible, and the dried flowers can make an excellent infused oil or dried for tea. Making a flower grown out of them is a common way to celebrate the coming of spring. Gifting bouquets of dandelions symbolizes friendship and well-wished for those you give it to.
Plus, bee food. God, bees are so cute.
As always y'all, practice in a safe, cleansed space, and always do your own research before trying something new. Blessed be everyone!
Another simple list! This one is for common (in my area) citrus fruits that are easily incorporated into spellwork. Many citrus fruits have similar effects, but different uses, so don’t forget to do some more thorough research on top of this list!
Orange: Happiness, Abundance, Yes/No Divination, Love
Tea spells are super easy, effective, and beginner-friendly spells that I still use almost daily. It’s broom-closet friendly as well, which is an excellent bonus for those of us who still live at home with traditionally religious folks.
So how do I make one? Glad you asked! There are two ways I tend to do it: one easier than the other.
Pre-made Tea Packets: Simple; get teas that align with your needs. I usually end up opening the bags, adding other ingredients in, and stapling it back shut. Label the little tags and you’re good to go!
Loose Leaf: Just as effective but with slightly more potential for some mess. Toss the dried herbs/ingredients you want in your brew together and brew however you’d like.
Here are a few of my favorite recipes!
Relief and Relax: Chamomile, Strawberry, Cherry
Energy and Zest for Life: Strawberry, Lemon, Tangerine, Ginger
Happiness at Home: Allspice, Cinnamon, Clove, Nutmeg, Orange, Ginger
Self-Love: Strawberry, Apple, Hibiscus, Rosemary
If you come up with anything you like in particular, please feel free to add it into the comments. I’d love to try some new things!
Tips and Commissions for a struggling witch: Ko-Fi
So I know that when we think of crystals, we don’t think of beads, pendants, and charms. Usually, we think about… well, crystals. In crystal formation.
But the shape of a crystal doesn’t necessarily affect how it benefits us. Plus, things like beads, pendants, and charms can be easily turned into wearable items like jewelry or sewn into clothes and accessories. Plus, beads can be well hidden if you’re in the broom closet. It’s much less suspicious to have a bracelet with purple beads on your windowsill than a giant shiny hunk of purple crystal.
So, here are a few examples from my favorite jewelry supply/crystal bead supplier. There are also a few things like towers, chips, etc. but they will be listed as beads that are undrilled (no holes).
Although it seems a little sketch, I’ve ordered from here before and can personally attest that as long as you look for natural, undyed stones, they are genuine. Shipping is calculated by weight, and it does come from outside the States so it may take some time.
Would I prefer to support a small business and pay a decent amount? Yes.
Kitchen witches know that one of the most precious things we can do for someone is give them something we made by hand, infused with magic to make their lives a little better. Well, if someone you know is just getting into witchcraft and want to try something new for themselves without depending on you to make it, this is a good place to point them.
Magical teas are incredible. You can use any herb, any spice, pretty much any fruit - you get the idea - to make powerful, sometimes tasty blends (Note to self, never make oregano tea again. Uck.) that benefit you all day or night. But other than the tea leaves themselves, what else could we infuse? Honey, sugar, absolutely - but what about the water itself?
Moon Water: We all know what this is: water charged with the magic benefits of the moon. Great for all kinds of things, this is the best beginner water to use! It’s great for cleansing, but also for most kinds of rituals, spells, sabbats, and more. Seeping your tea in moon water can help you keep a clear mind, amplify the effects of the tea blend, and in general help you feel more like a ‘whole person’ though the day. It’s also a great choice when it come to self-cleansing: clearing away negativity, opening your mind, etc.
Sun Water: I always see sun water as the 'citrus’ of magical water Energizing, charging, confidence-boosting - it’s an empowering water that would be amazing to use for confidence, power, or self-sufficient spells.
Snow Water: Snow water is pretty unique, and it’s my personal favorite. As someone who rarely fin myself attractive, snow water is perfect because it invokes beauty, peacefulness, reflection, and purity. The teas that pair best with snow water are ones that invoke self-love or self-satisfaction. Here’s a strawberry self-love spell that could be paired with snow water rather than moon water for an even more potent effect!
As you probably know, there are so many different magical waters that can be used, but these three are my personal favorite! As always, do your own research, cleanse your space, and blessed be <3
