Paint magical symbols on walls/ceilings for a specific purpose, using salt water or lemon water. If you get the chance to do it before you repaint a room, do it the same color before you paint over it.
Walk your property boundaries with cornmeal and water (separately), asking blessings and friendship of the spirits of the land to guard and protect those who live there.
Salt water left out in the center of a room all night will absorb negative energy. Wash it away with flowing water in the sink or outdoors next morning.
Placing a mirror in a window on each side of your home, facing outward will reflect negativity back to the sender. Likewise hanging a witch ball (a polish glass globe) in the window will absorb and return negative energy.
Bells or wind chimes hung from the doors guard against intruders and stagnant energy. Hang them where the air currents can ring them. They will set up movement in the air and clear psychic energy of your home.
Hang a mirror empowered to reflect negative energy inside, facing the front door.
Bury protective stones such as onyx, malachite, or amethyst under your doorstep, porch or steps.
Hang Pennsylvanian Dutch hex signs associated with protection inside and outside your house.
Hang an iron horseshoe above your door, with the open end facing upward.
[Disclaimer: These aren’t actual legal rules, but important knowledge to avoid, you know, dying.]
Foraging herbs is an extremely good way to get both food and magik supplies on a budget, but mistakes can be dangerous and even deadly. These are some of the most important rules to follow if you want to be safe.
1. If you aren’t entirely sure what a plant is, treat it like it’s toxic. Even if you’re mostly confident, you need to be absolutely certain before you put anything in your mouth, and ideally before you touch it. 2. Never assume plants away from home are the same as the ones where you usually forage. Generally speaking, once you change climate and/or time zones, at least some plants will change and lookalikes will appear. Also, some plants become more or less toxic with temperature and location changes–white clover is a good example of this. 3. Don’t guess the safety of a plant you can’t identify. Many extremely dangerous plants look unassuming and pleasant, and a lot of plants that look like murder in a leaf are totally harmless. Also, never consume a herb if you don’t know its medicinal properties or if it’ll interact with your medication or a health condition. If the name ends in -wort, it probably interacts with anti inflammatory meds, SSRIs, and/or heart medication, but other plants can, too. 4. When you learn a new plant’s identification, learn its lookalikes, too. This is especially important for leafy plants, which are more likely to have dangerous lookalikes, but goes for all plants. This helps you know if it’s safe to make a mistake (for example, wild blackberries have lookalikes, but they’re all nearly identical edible berries), when you can’t risk it, and what to compare. 5. Know what parts of a plant are safe, and know if its age affects its use or edibility. Some plants are edible when young, but extremely toxic when mature, or have edible roots but emetic flowers. 6. Know what assumptions you can make. Generally, if you can cook it or breathe it, you can burn it, if you can eat it, you can touch it, etc. 7. Remember that medicine is preferable to herbs for a reason. Herbs produce chemicals in different amounts, can be misidentified, and are generally unreliable. Pills are significantly less likely to accidentally give you an overdose. If you have access to working medication, that’s always the first.
a quick guide to the holiday of the summer solstice
WHAT DAYS IS IT CELEBRATED?
Its celebrated on the longest day of the year. In the NH this is usually from 20-23rd June. Most people celebrate it on the 21st June or across the 3 days. In the SH it’s usually from 20-23rdDecember.
WHAT DOES IT CELEBRATE?
It’s a celebration of the longest day of the year with the shortest night. It also celebrates the peak of summer, the sun being in its fullest,passion,success,ferlitity of the earth and growth.
TRADITIONAL WICCA CELEBRATION?
It traditionally celebrates the pregnancy of the Goddess and the Sun God being at his most powerful and full potential.
Be sure to cleanse your crystals often. However, I wouldn’t recommend washing and drying them - this will damage certain crystals! Be sure to check your pockets before throwing your clothes in the wash!
️ Create freezed potions: set some herbs and spices in an ice tray, and add them to your water or natural juice.
☃️ Take care of a moss terrarium or an ivy. You can put some chrystals on the soil as “decoration”
️ Go for a walk outside. Feel the cold temperature in your face and let it “clean” yourself. Be properly wrapped so you don’t get a bad cold! Watch the changes in your environment. Are the leaves gone? Is it snowing? Is it something different?
❄️ Learn something new. As the weather is getting worse, get cozy at home and use your phone/tablet/computer to know about anything: mythology, correspondences, simple spells…
☃️ Draw a sigil in your morning tea/coffee before taking it to prevent colds.
️ Meditate for 10 minutes everyday before sleep.
️ Buy a generous amount of incense/candles and say it was a secret-santa gift.
Basil:For luck in financial matters, basil is a go to herb for many. If you want to invite money and wealth into your life, place pots of basil near your door. By doing so you will bring luck and prosperity into your home. By caring for your basil plants you are also helping your fortune and success grow. Another common way to attract wealth using this lovely aromatic herb is to put a leaf in your wallet or purse.
Allspice:Similarly to basil, allspice (which is its own plant, and not a spice mix like I first thought) can be utlizied for luck, prosperity and you guessed it, attracting money. One great way to use Allspice to attract luck and money is to take 7 dried berries and put them in your pocket. They will bring you luck and prosperity for 7 days. Once the 7 days have passed, throw the berries into running water and wish for luck and abundance as the water runs over the berries.
Clover: One of those general luck herbs, clovers can be used to give you a lucky boost in almost any charm or spell. While four leaf clovers are a little dubious whether they exist, that doesn’t mean the three leaf ones are useless!
Mint:Not only is it easy to grow and can be a delight to put in food for a fresh taste, but it can also bring luck in many areas. It can attract customers to your business and wealth in general, but also is regarded as an herb that’ll provide luck for travels to prevent delays and help the journey be safer in general.
Remember that you can have personal correspondences about herbs too! If you don’t associate mint with luck, then don’t use it that way. If dandelions are an herb that speak to you in a luck based charm or working, that’s fine, use that instead! Personal correspondences can be just as, if not more, powerful as the generally accepted ones. They can also differ by culture,
wash your front door gently with a wet cloth and some drops of essential oil, like cedar, sage or peppermint, to cleanse your home and protect it from unwanted energies.
If you’re an established witch you’ve probably run into the “Good Gods Why Won’t This Paper Just Finish Burning Already” conundrum. I, too, used to suffer from the Eternal Fire of Ain’t Nobody Got Time For This, before I learned a simple, easy way of making that paper burn waaaaaaay faster.
Substitute your ordinary paper for a standard paper coffee filter. The thin material lights quickly, and burns out fast.
Idk if people in other cultures do this but in Haitian culture we NEVER but bags on the floor. If you put your bag on the floor you will lose money….Haitian superstitions lol
i wrote a little book of autumn recipes, rituals, and crafts
‘the cider moon - pagan tradition + craft to celebrate the autumn’ is a 28-page hand-illustrated book full of medieval pagan wisdom, autumnal herbal magick, harvest recipes, and meaningful rituals. it’s perfect for the new or experienced witch (and lovers of autumn, halloween, and all things spooky).
this is my masterpiece so far, and i’m so excited to share it with you! ‘the cider moon’ features:
the history and symbolism of mabon and samhain, the pagan autumn festivals
a collection of spells which use autumnal herbs and colors
step-by-step instructions on making walnut shell candles and old pagan wheat-stalk charms
recipes for cardamom apple cake, a pagan currant shortbread, and roasted spiced squash + potatoes
an original poem, and LOTS of autumnal illustrations
and much more! check out some photos…
‘the cider moon’ is $10 a copy, and i can ship anywhere in the world! i self-write, edit, illustrate and publish these books all myself - i make them to help pay off my medical debt from years of asthma attacks and ovarian cysts, and also to help with my student debt. if this book interests you, your purchase would help me out immensely!
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.
