u in the mood..??

HOW TO DRESS YOUR CANDLE ACCORDING TO YOUR INTENTION

Candle magic is surprisingly something I was late to the party for. Sure, I used different color candles for my spells but actually using candles and dressing them for intentions came later on in my practice. 

I don’t really know what held me back from working with candles, but they are one of the most efficient ways to send and set your intentions out there to get results.

1 Decide on your intention

The first thing you want to do before you move forward with your spell candle is deciding on your intention. Are you wanting more money? A new career opportunity? Or opening yourself for a new relationship? Be as specific as possible. 

2 Choose your candle 

Choosing your candle doesn’t have to be a perfect match, but pick something that speaks to you. This could be the color of your candle, green for money, red for love and passion etc. Choose the size of your candle according to how many days you want to light your spell candle. For instance if it’s a quick spell, a small candle will be fine, for something that you need across 7 days, use a large pillar candle. 

3 Cleanse your candle

Once you have your candle chosen, you are going to want to cleanse it. I am guilty of skipping this part, but it’s still important. Cleanse your candle like you would any other working tool. I preferably use incense but choose whatever cleansing method works for you.

4 Dress your candle

Dressing your candle is basically rubbing it down with oil. Choose an oil that works well with your intention. Olive oil is great for drawing in, or finance. Rose oil for love. If you don’t want your candle oily, light the top of your candle until the wax on the top has a melted pool. Drip your oil in the melted wax and then let the wax harden. You can also add herbs or other small crystals to dress it up more. Continue to choose crystals and herbs to match your intentions. 

5 Carve your candle

Next carve your candle with your intention. You don’t have to do this step, but sometimes it helps set the candle if you carve one word phrases such as LOVE, MONEY or something to that effect on your candle

Once you’ve dressed and carved your candle, it’s ready for your spell work. 

Witch tip: The longer you work with your candle and ‘dress it up’ the stronger the energy will be when you send out your intention. how to dress your candle according to your intention

Kick start your spring season by getting some spiritual cleansing done! For more witchy content, tips on starting your practice and more >> follow or visit witchesbelike.com. 

Living With Intention

When I first heard of living with intention I thought it was just some girl boss energy that I didn’t really want to participate in. I’m not a hustle wake up at 5 am person, so that never really works for me. I’m more of a lay in bed until 11 and I’m hungry enough to get coffee gtype person. So I initially just brushed it off as another lazy way businessmen are trying to hype up manifesting money. (That never really works mind you,) But then I learned that living with intention isn’t goal setting, it’s a lifestyle that adheres to what you want and how you can live your life to make it happen, in any way that you want. And no, you don’t have to get up at 5 am everyday to make it happen. 

Intentions not goals

I HATE goals. Like deep hate for them. All that slander in the early days of hustle culture really hit a nerve because not everyone is built for that same energy. And I saw a lot of people feel really guilty when they failed simply because that system was not designed for them.

When I say we are all different, I mean it. Each member of my family has a different energy type. So when you have one recipe for goal getting, it’s not going to work for everyone in the room. And yes, some people will fail and it has nothing to do with how hard they tried or how much effort they put into it, despite what all the hustle gurus tell you. 

Because it’s all about intentions NOT goals. You see, goals are little demons that crawl around making you feel guilty for stepping outside of your dream and doing something different just because you feel like it. Example 1: Oh you overslept, you didn’t get up at 4:30am and you missed your workout class now you are a failure forever. How is that mindset even healthy?!

Intentions are more simple and have a slower pace. Intentionally I want to someday live in an old Victorian house that we can fix up and make beautiful again. So I look up how to fix things and practice in my current home. I also read blogs on fixer-uppers and DIY everything I can in my house. This helps prepare me for the big dream. Intentions are not goals, but small steps you take to move forward with what you want. Can intentions change? Sure, I may never even move (LOL) or I may fall in love with a different style home. But does that mean I’m a failure? No, it means my intentions have changed and there’s room for that flexibility. 

Intentions can be other things, like career choices, what you want to study in school or how you visualize your life. Let’s say you want to someday be a salon owner. You can start living intentionally by researching salon ownerships, studying business or researching where you can get your cosmetology license. All of these things have the intention of someday being a salon owner. You can also do other things like enjoy your life, go out with your friends and work on your mental health. None of the other things take away from living with your intentions. It just means you are experiencing a full life. 

Intentions are moving forward daily and taking small steps towards how you want to build your life, without all the drama that comes with goal setting. With intentions there’s room for failure, flexibility, and changing your mind all while still manifesting the life you want.   

How I live intentionally

Journaling

Journaling has always been a big way for me to sort out my feelings and I incorporate that into my intentional living. I know goal setting is all about writing your goals, and setting time frames but we are setting intentions here so let’s scrap that. If you want to set intentions and use your journals, write how you feel. How you would feel walking into your salon (if that’s your goal) or what you feel like researching or doing in the next month to live in your intention. If you manifested life includes owning a salon, maybe you want to look up cosmetology schools in your area, or maybe you want to do something fun like practice doing your own hair. Either Way make sure it’s bringing you energy and lots of happiness when you’re doing it. Intentions should never feel like work or a chore, they should feel fun and full of invigorating energy.

Making a mood board or collage

Start by clipping images, having a dedicated Pinterest board or just using Tumblr to get an aesthetic of how you see yourself in the future. If you’re owning a salon in your future you can imagine how it would look on the inside, maybe pick a logo or color palette or make business cards for fun on Canva. Remember it doesn’t have to be stressful or complete. Just fun ways you envision yourself living the life you want. 

I like to  categorize everything to make it easier for me, so I might have several folders on my laptop with pictures of things I’ve gathered over the years. My folders are categorized in things like, family, home, career, money etc. That way I can see each board individually and play around with the images I find online. Sometimes I print them out, sometimes I don’t. 

The important part of making a board or collage is to help visualize how you see yourself in the future. If you want to go to a specific school or live in a certain state, start compiling images in that space and picture yourself there. Use full sensory visualization. How does it feel? What is your day like? Remember visualization makes reality because our thoughts are things. 

Using spells

Spellwork is a great way to move forward with your intentions and can be the magical boost you need. Want to get a certain job? Maybe as your first step towards a new career? Before you interview, do a spell to set up that energy up for success. You can continue to use spellwork throughout your life to manifest your needs step-by-step and create a mindset where you are attracting what you want. 

It helps to break down your intentions into digestible parts and start with the first step. Each time you move towards another step in your journey see if you can incorporate spellwork into your manifestation. Each little jump forward is you moving closer to the life you want and more importantly living your truth.

Art on this post was created by Obsidian Odyssey! Thank you for collabing with me and creating the art for this post. Check out her witchy blog! Also she’s an AMAZING artist and has a free coven you can join!

Things to do for a Spring Witch

Spring isn’t really my jam, but I do like to incorporate seasons into my practice. I love how each season brings with it a certain focus so you can really explore your magic throughout the whole year.

March 20th  is the first day of spring this year, and where I live we have had a long snowy winter so I’m really ready to incorporate some warm days into my magic. 

1 Clean out your witchy supplies

It gets to be a mess, I know. Spring is a great time to cleanse and purge your witchy things. Donate what you don’t need and organize the rest. Your magic will thank you. 

2 Do a big ritual cleanse for all your baddy spell casting

Kidding, but for real. Spring is a time for cleansing. 

3 Sweep out the negativity from your life 

This is not in the literal sense. To do a broom cleanse, open all your windows and doors and take your broom two inches above the floor metaphorically ‘sweep’ the negativity out of your space. 

4 Spring walks for collecting items

Spring is the best time for finding witchy things outside. I’ve found insect wings, small animal bones, rocks, anything you think you’ll need for your craft. 

5 Spells for New Growth

Ready to get that new job? New home? Or start a new business? Spring is the nest time to piggyback off that energy. 

6 Spells for Abundance

Want to attract more abundance around this time? Add dill or parsley to a drawstring bag and place it on your altar or carry it with you. 

7 Charge your Crystals (for real this time)

I’m not the greatest when it comes to taking all my crystals outside and charging them under the full moon because really it’s a nuisance. But I try to commit once a year and spring it when it is. 

8 Cleanse your tools

While you’re charging your crystals, do some more magical spring cleansing and charge your tools too. 

9 Honor your Ancestors with fresh picked flowers 

Next time you’re outside, pick up some fresh dandelions or spring flowers and place them in a vase for your ancestors. 

10 Draw, write, meditate outside

Take some time to sit outside and reflect. 

11 Focus on spiritual growth

Remember that the season of spring is all about new growth, growing spiritually and creating the life you want for yourself. 

12 Spring Clean your space

Sometimes it starts with the mundane work. Take some times this spring and clear out your physical space, sometimes it helps with your mental space too.

13 Make sun water

Make sun water on the first full spring day for the masculine equivalent to moon water. 

14 Go outside, camp, take a walk, connect with nature

This one speaks for itself, but go outside, connect and get out of the winter mood. 

15 Grow your food for spells

Even if you don’t have a lot of space (me!) take an old terra cotta pot and grow some tomatoes or zucchini. Use the vegetables in a soup spell. 

16 Grow herbs

Another way to bring spring into your home is to grow herbs. Start with basil on your windowsill and go from there. 

17 Make sun tea

Sun tea is simply making tea and setting the pitcher outside letting the sun brew the tea for a few minutes. Create sun tea and absorb that good energy from the sun in every tea glass. 

18 Press flowers or leaves

Press flowers or leaves gathered from your next walk and use them to decorate your spell book or journal.

19 Read tarot 

Do a really intense tarot reading for the season and see what’s headed your way.

20 Learn a new divination 

Spring is the perfect time to pick up a new skill. If you’ve been leaning towards learning a new divination technique, now is the perfect time to learn it!

Self Protection Jar

This is a throwback to an old spell that uses a lot of sharp items to create a protection jar. Using sharp objects like thumbtacks, pins or broken pieces of glass is a way to create a ‘psychic fence’ so to speak. That way anything negativity coming towards you will be pushed back or deflected by all the sharp objects surrounding your energy field. 

What you’ll need

• 1 clean and cleansed jar (see note on this post on how to cleanse your jar)
• Sharp items (Thumbtacks, pins, opened safety pins, needles. If you’re going to use broke glass PLEASE BE CAREFUL)
• Add in any protection herbs or crystals if you choose to but I usually skip this step. 
• Something that binds you to the jar such as fingernail filings or a lock of hair. The original spell asked for drops of blood but that’s a whole different thing if you want to do that. I recommend just using hair because of the risk of infection by cutting yourself.

Cleansing your jar

It’s important to cleanse your jar first and foremost. You can use any jar (Hello salsa and sauce jars!) Clean them out super well. If you are stuck with a smelly jar that has retained a strong odor even after washing out thoroughly you can rinse the jar with vinegar or let it sit overnight. That will usually get rid of any smell. 

Once you have cleaned your jar, I simply cleanse it by using incense. Light your incense and let the smoke thoroughly fill up your jar before releasing it into the air.

What to do

Set up your spell with any provisions you would normally use. Light candles, incense, and have any crystals out that you feel connect you to your magic. Protect your space by imagining a white light in a circle around you encasing the jar and sharp objects inside. 

Place each object inside until your jar is at least ¼ to ½ of the way full. Last, add a lock of hair or item that you chose to bind this jar to you. 

Once everything is inside, close the jar. If you want to seal the jar with wax you can take a candle and drip wax on top of the jar or on the sides letting the wax drop down into the seal. 

Close your spell and release your circle. 

Take your jar and hide it in a dark place where no one will find it. 

SPECIAL SHOT OUT to Obsidian Odyssey for collabing with me and creating the art for this post. Check out her witchy blog! Also she’s an AMAZING artist and has a free coven you can join! 

Ever since I can remember I’ve had really bad nightmares. Eventually as I got older, it got to this point where I had developed insomnia and anxiety associated with sleeping. It sounds so dumb, because sleeping is a super basic natural function so why was it so stressful? 

Over the years I learned a lot about sleeping, how humans are designed to sleep and how stress, trauma and anxiety can lead to problems getting a good nights sleep. I also learned how unproductive people are simply because we are tired all the time. 

I first ran into this chant reading an article that interviewed a spiritual medium. I am no medium, I do not  communicate with spirits on the reg nor do I help people talk to their dead relatives. However, the chant still really helped me put up some barriers when trying to fall asleep.

The chant isn’t really a ‘chant’ but a series of visualizations that I throw up right before I go to sleep. It takes about a minute and I never forget to do it. 

Before you fall asleep, while you are laying in bed with your eyes closed, say this:

I ask my spirits and guides to watch over me and keep me safe when I sleep. 

I ask for protection from all ghost, demons, spirits, negativity and anything else while I sleep. 

Now imagine in your mind a bright white circler of protection around your room keeping you and wherever you are sleeping inside safe.

That’s pretty much it. Super easy. Feel free to modify it in anyway that works for you. (The original chant was different but I changed it to work for me.)

Sometimes I also picture a massive ‘gate’ and close/lock the gate to lock out anything I don’t want in my head or dreams while I’m sleeping. This is also super effective. 

In addition to this chant I also sleep next to a hunk of Black Tourmaline and a Selenite, but work with whatever crystals vibe with you. 

In the end I don’t know if it’s really ghost keeping me up at night, or just the ghost of my own stress and anxiety manifesting in the creepy-ness. Like I said I am not a medium so I don’t play in that space. But regardless this simple chant has helped me for YEARS so I wanted to share it. 

*Note sleep disorders are serious business, in no way is this advice to be taken in precedence of a doctor. If you are seriously suffering from insomnia or anxiety please seek out professional help. This chant is only meant to aid in sleeping or getting a good nights rest, not a cure for a serious medical condition. 

I hope all you witches have a happy holiday!!

I love it when the seasons change. Each shift of warmer to cooler months feels like a fresh start, and the seasonal magic is really where it’s at. In the summer I like to focus on cleansing, doing things outside and lots of gatherings. But in the winter things change to a more personal perspective and I want to work on inner growth and spending time with myself. 

I’ve put together a list to give witches some ideas on what they can do this winter. Feel free to add to it in the comments and write your own take on things. Happy winter witches!

1 Winter spell jar - Sometimes I like to create a fresh spell jar for the season. I view this jar as me, my psychic energy, and I place it in things I want to cultivate during the season. Maybe it’s an image of the High Prestress from tarot, because I want to learn to connect more to my higher self. Or maybe it’s a rose quartz because I need to work on self-love. Place it in whatever feels right for you and leave it out to remind yourself of where you’re going this season. 

2 Melt away the stress snow spell - Collect snow from outside and bring it in. Pace it in the center of a circle of white candles. Say your intention over the snow and let it melt away whatever you were stressing over. Modify this spell in any way you want as a release spell. 

3 Collect snow for other spells - Snow melts. But you can use it otherwise in place of water during the winter. You can use it to cleanse crystals or wash ritual items. If you’re feeling very witchy you can collect snow from graveyards. Just be mindful of ‘who’ you’re collecting the snow from if it’s from the tops of graves. 

4 Cinnamon ornaments - Make cinnamon ornaments with cookie cutters, glue and powdered cinnamon. Mix together and make a dough, cut out with cookie cutters and tie up with string. Not only does cinnamon smell good, it brings in prosperity energy.

5 Winter wish fire spell - If you have a fire going, use it to write a wish on a bay leaf and toss it in the fire. 

6 Winter graveyard walk - Nothing is prettier than an old graveyard covered in snow. Walk around and take it in. Leave pennies as offerings to anything guarding the cemetery.

7 Winter offering - Don’t forget your ancestors this winter. Leave them out their favorite holiday treats, drinks, or light candles in memory of them. 

8 Yule ornaments - Collect pine cones, sticks, or berries from outside and make yule ornaments to hang on your Christmas tree. 

9 Pine cone candle holders - Pine cones also make great candle holders. Cut them in half and hollow out a space for a candle on the inside. Perfect if you want to add a little winter decor to your magical working space. 

10 Charm your soup for a winter healing spell - The winter blues is real, and this spell helps with feeling blah during the cold months. Make a soup (any soup, really) and say your intention over it. Mix your spoon clockwise and imagine a white light mixing into your soup, while you eat it imagine it going into your body and warming you up from the inside. 

11 Herb jar candles - Evergreen is a nice winter herb to burn and looks great in candles. Make your own jar candles with melted wax and jars you might already have. Add evergreen herbs and even white quartz crystals to the tops of your candles.

12 Lavender sachets - If you’re having trouble sleeping, make a lavender sachet. Use purple felt and sew up three sides. Flip inside out and fill with lavender herb. Sew up the remaining side. 

13 Bird feeders - Love making these during the winter. Only because I feel like birds need a break too and there’s less food for them during the winter months. Take a toilet paper roll and smear peanut butter on them, then roll them in bird seed. (Kind of preschool project, I know.) Hang them outside on your trees. 

14 Read read read! - Since most people are spending more time inside during the winter, it’s the perfect time to catch up on any witchy reading. Try your local library and see what they have on witch books, cook books and more. 

15 Orange slices - Make orange slices for citrus cleansing baths by slicing fresh oranges very thin and baking them on low 175 degrees for 3-4 hours or until they are dry. String them along for a garland for another variety. 

16 Winter blessing - Do a winter blessing spell for you and your loved ones. 

17 Baked breads and cakes - Lavender bread is my favorite but make sure you purchase edible lavender herb first. Try cinnamon cakes or anise for a winter theme. Look up the meanings of the herbal properties before adding them into your dough. 

18 Tea leaf reading - The colder months are a great time to brush up on your tea-leaf reading. You’ll need loose tea leaves and a keen eye to pick out the shapes in the cup. 

19 Tarot meditation - Brush up on your tarot by doing tarot meditations. Choose a tarot card that you would like to connect with more closely. Light a candle and place the card in front of you. Close your eyes and meditate with the card taking in any messages, feelings or visuals you receive. 

20 Write your grimoire - Get creative and start your own grimoire with your favorite spells and rituals. 

Sleeping is hard. Especially if you have anxiety about something going on, or just plain stressed out. Our modern lives are not built to include a lot of rest and relaxation, and this can really play on how we fall asleep. If you’re like me, you make an attempt to go to bed at a decent hour, but after trying some downtime, like reading, you’re left tossing and turning for hours just to go to bed at the super late time you were trying to avoid in the first place. Next night, rinse and repeat. If you’re struggling with a decent night’s rest, try these five stones to help you get those much-needed Zzz’s.

Moonstone

Of course, the stone of the moon would help you get some sleep. This iridescent stone is absolutely one of my favorites. It almost glows from the inside. Moonstone promotes our biological clock to engage with the moons’ energy thus promoting a restful night’s sleep, and falling asleep when one intends to. 

Howlite

Covered in black streaks, Howlite is the stone of relaxing energy. Although not necessarily linked to the moon, Howlite’s relaxing energy can help calm down any nervousness and get you the nights rest you deserve. 

Amethyst

Another favorite of mine. Besides offering all around protection to the wearer, it also soothes energy. Perfect for a nightstand, choose a chunky Amethyst for both it’s beauty and peaceful energy.

Lepidolite

Like Amethyst, Lepidolite is another soothing purple stone. This stone is almost exclusively used for it’s relaxing energy. Set it up next to your Amethyst, and you’re ready for 

Rose Quartz

The stone of self-love is said to indirectly sooth your energy, promoting restful vibes. This pink stone filters out the negativity, self-destructive talk and promotes positive energy. Mix and match your perfect bedtime crystals and find the combination that works best for you. Another idea is to acquire all smaller sized crystals and place them in a drawstring bag and either place it under your pillow at night, or on your nightstand next to you. 

Sweet dreams!

*Warning if you suffer from depression, insomnia or anxiety, please seek out the advice of a medical doctor. Crystals can help the vibe, but they can not cure any serious ailments.

✤ Luck & Prosperity Jar  ✤

Every now and then, we could all use an added boots of luck in our lives. Be it for that job interview, sales for our small business, whatever the case may be. For me, luck and prosperity go hand in hand, and together they make a dynamic duo. If you need an extra boost in your current situation, try out this jar!

Supplies:
✤ Jar
✤ Basil
✤ Bay Leaf
✤ Cinnamon
✤ Ginger
✤ Green Candle

Directions:
Layer all your supplies into your jar neatly, in whatever order you see fit. All the while, think positively about drawing luck and prosperity into your life. You DESERVE this after all. Listen to some upbeat music, create it in your work space, even wearing green while making it could also be a fun option. When done, seal with green wax and keep on hand either in your work space or near your front door!