blackswampwitch:

1. There is no “correct” sigil. If you find two completely different sigils that are supposed to mean the same exact thing, neither one is stronger or more effective or more valid than the other until an intent is put behind them. 

 2. Divination readings are not set in stone. You have as many futures as there are stars in the night sky. Imagine a giant wave is crashing over you, or a strong wind is pushing against you. You can either fight it or let it take you on its course, but you always have a choice. Use divination as a tool to see the wave coming and to even fight the wave, but do not use divination as an excuse to simply give up in an unfavorable situation.

 3. Yes, herbs are real medicine. However, this does not mean you should simply abandon your medication for the sake of a seeming more “witchy” or “natural”. For instance, herbs can ease my depression, but they will never cure it. Herbs can soften some symptoms of my depression, but they will never be able to ease my pain as effectively as certain medication can. During the apocalypse or whatever, sure, take all the herbal alternatives you need. But for now, we live in a modern world and not all modern tools should be shunned. (You’re on tumblr right now, aren’t you?) Do not be ashamed if you need more mental care than just a handful of leaves to live comfortably. You are not any less valid as a witch. 

4. You are magick, your tools are… well, tools. Don’t let anyone bully you for substituting your tools with something more creative if you can’t afford expensive or excessive witchcraft supplies. Quartz can act as a substitute for any other crystal in spell work. Rosemary can substitute any herb. Simple table salt can substitute sea salt. White candles can replace any color candles. Grimoires don’t need to be ancient-looking or leather-bound, plenty of beautiful Grimoires are made from three-ring binders. Sacrifices don’t need to be expensive either, you can make some simple cookies, draw a picture, or even write a poem. Just be creative. 

5. Consent is a big deal and should not be overlooked. You can easily turn a spell or blessing into a hex or a curse if you choose to cast it over someone without their consent. For instance, in my opinion, love spells walk the very fine line between white spellwork and black spellwork. If you wish to walk on the lighter path, you may wish to cast a spell on YOURSELF for attraction, confidence, or beauty. Glamours would work perfectly for this situation. But on the other hand, without consent, you might meet with some resistance. If you do choose to cast a spell over someone else without their consent, they may try to battle it, which can be stressful situation having a spell come back at you. You may find that the outcome is not what you intended (like the old saying “be careful what you wish for”) and you might have a difficult time reversing it. You may even jeopardize the person’s lifestyle. 

6. On that note, cursing is a topic of hot debate here on tumblr. It is up to each individual witch if they want to curse or not, and you should not let anyone else dictate what you can and cannot do in your practice. Just know that nothing in this world is without sacrifice. Be mindful of your craft, protect yourself, and be prepared to pay the piper when the time comes.

7. It’s easy to get overwhelmed in a sea of knowledge that’s offered on the internet, but be sure do do research before you put any practice into motion. Pay attention to closed religions. Does your spell or tool appropriate a culture that isn’t yours? It’s one thing to research and admire another culture’s practice, it’s another to cherry pick the “cool” parts of a culture that isn’t yours. Be thoughtful of the terms you use. Chances are, when referring to your own practice, you probably shouldn’t be saying “smudging”, you should be saying “smoke cleansing” or “censing” or even “saining”. You probably shouldn’t be saying “voodoo dolls”, you should be saying “poppets”. You probably shouldn’t be saying “rosary”, you should be saying “prayer beads”. This isn’t simply “to-may-to, to-mah-to”, this is respect for other human beings and their journeys. 

8. You do not have to speak in order for a spell to be effective. Many witches actually prefer not to say anything at all. Some can write it down, some can focus enough that they only need thought and their will.

9. Don’t get in a rush to find out what “type” of witch you are. Lots of witches don’t like to limit themselves to labels, while others may take pride in certain specialties. But those titles came with a lot of work and chances are those witches experimented in a lot of branches of witchcraft until they found their “place”. Be patient, enjoy the journey. And don’t forget that it takes both time and effort to be good at anything, includingwitchcraft.

10. Take everything with a grain of salt. Even this post. Not everything you read is true. Not everything that’s true is applicable for your situation. Your craft is exactly that, your craft. And no one can take that away from you.

7 Laws of Foraging

[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.

growing-yet-into-magic:

Somehow, on this blog, I’ve gotten it into my head to write reviews and suggestions on witchcraft books, but I don’t think I’ve ever explained my method or criteria when I read a book. I am hesitant to label this as a “how to”, as everyone reader will be looking at their own criteria, but consider this an example on what to look for when analyzing a book for use in your own practice. 

There are good witchcraft books, abysmal witchcraft books, and everything in between. Whether or not a witchcraft book may actually help you is not the same as deciding if a book is a book is “good” or “bad”; it depends on why you’re reading, and what you’re reading it for. 

Keep reading

:

if anyone has any beginning things i can do for headaches (spells, wards, fixes, anything) it would be appreciated ‍

i have them daily and not much works except biweekly chiropractor visits. any help for the days between those visits would be so great

I’m assuming you are also investing in medicine approaches too, like over the counter pain meds and dr visits. If that’s so… here’s some witchy ideas that might be useful to accompany that:

- There are many web articles about crystals for headaches. It’s not my area of expertise so I recommend researching a bit and selecting the type of crystal that seems to resonate best with your type of headaches. You’ll find they all approach the problem a little differently.

- Teas can be great for headaches. There are mixes at the store in bag form but if you like loose tea the mix I use for headaches is: equal parts lavender, chamomile, rosemary, and mint.

- Meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, and paced breathing may help if it’s related to stress or tension in the body.

- For each of these things I recommend writing a little prayer or chant that can really focus your energy towards healing. If you follow deities, invoke those you work with or healing ones from your pantheon.

- You may find some scents like lotions or essential oils may aid your headache, or may worsen it, so approach with caution if you explore that route.

- Self massage or receiving a massage from a loved one may be helpful too.

- If you think it may be caused by harmful energies or psychic attacks or such try cleansing. This can be done with incense, baths, showers, etc. I prefer showers with a peppermint salt scrub and meditation with a focused visualization of releasing energies of all sort from my body, hair, and skin. Then I follow it up with protection, which may look like creating a protective tailsman, doing energy work…

Just remember to make sure you’re also looking for mundane reasons and seeking a doctors advice since it is so long term. The brain can be tricky and you want to make sure there’s nothing seriously wrong or easily fixable through modern medicine.

If you want help fleshing out the details of a particular idea for a witchy approach, holler. :)

My main goal when sharing the knowledge I’ve picked up over the years is to show other witches easy and simple ways to incorporate their practice into everyday life. In a world where young witches hide who they are and old witches have been caught up in the day to day struggles of a modern life, I want to inspire them to keep following the path in their hearts. So with that in mind here is my list of easy ways to celebrate the spookiest sabbat of the year!

• remember it doesnt have to be large and extravagant. Especially if you are a witch with a low budget or a closet witch. A small shelf, a window sill, a hidden area of your bedroom closet, or the base of a tree in your yard or a local nearby park are all acceptable places to set up your altar.
• you do not have to purchase decorations nor do you have to have a million candles, crystals, or decorative skulls. Witchcraft is a nature based practice, meaning you can feel free to decorate with items you find outside such as: dead leaves, acorns, corn stalks, squash, pretty rocks, ect.
• all altars are beautiful, don’t get caught up scrolling through tumblr posts of “altar aesthetics” Big, elaborate, and beautiful altars are great, but that doesnt make a small and simple altar any less great.

• Samhain is similar to the mexican “Day of the Dead” in the fact that we honor the spirits in the otherworld and remember our ancestry and heritage.
• ways to honor your ancestors include burning a candle, taking a moment of silence, exchanging favorite stories from the deseased life with loved ones, or any other ways you personally show respect for the dead

• these cookie/biscuit like cakes are really simple and easy to make and can be left as offerings at you altar, at the base of a tree, or at loved ones graves.
• the simplest recipe I found only needs: 1 stick of butter, 1 ½ cup sugar, 1 ½ cup flour, and 1 egg. First mix the butter and sugar thoroughly and then mix in the flour and egg. Then you use the dough to make little cookies, put them on your baking pan, and cook them for 10-15 minutes at 350°
• if you want to add more to your soul cakes you can also add: cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin spice, and/or malt vinegar.

• Along with honoring the spirits of those who have passed before us, Samhain also marks the end of the seasons filled with life and growth. It is the beginning of a season that is dark and dead, but to witches that doesn’t mean anything negative! Its is our new year, and it begins quietly, peacefully, and from a truely blank slate.
• Now is a good time to cleanse yourself and your tools. So you can begin your year as unburdened and refreshed as possible.
• take some time to also reflect upon yourself. Congratulate yourself on all the amazing things you have accomplished and forgive your inevitable mistakes. Make peace with your year and open your heart and soul to the future.

one time, i was watching noodle recipes to make the next day and suddenly, Lord Apollo popped up. his energy was right behind me. just as i was about to change it, he said “no i want to keep watching” and i said “no i don’t want to” then grinned, tried changing it but he made me open another video anyways. 

we gave pendulum readings to strangers on amino with Lord Apollo.

i was meditating. i walked into a castle to see Lady Artemis throw an arrow at Lord Apollo, chase him. i still can’t figure out what the hell that was. 

Lady Artemis enjoyed the yarichin b club opening when i sang it to her. 

i guess i will add more, but the others are a bit more personal. these are weird enough tho anbdhwhujdhw. 

I remember there used to be a Tumblr blog where you could submit basic info about yourself and ask to either be a witchy mentor or a mentee.  I’d really like to find something like this again, but can’t seem to find an active blog that does this anymore.

Any recommendations?  Or if you just want to be witchy friends, feel free to get in touch!

thewatchfulwinterwitch:

• Doors, door handles, the top of door frames etc. Most effective with guardians and the like.
• Hung or tied on gates. Make a warning sign with a sigil or knot magic with ribbons.
• Any entrances or exits, including ventilation, drains, holes of any kinds etc.
• On window sills. These will catch light - make use of this!
• Under lamps and on lampshades.
• On shelves and hearths.
• In pockets, in wallets, sewn onto clothing. If they are close to you, they will absorb body heat, many in witchcraft charge stones and the like with their own energy, so be wary of this if you have little energy yourself.
• On animal collars! As they travel about, they carry protection.
• On top of the loo, the sink or tied to the tap or on the shower-head. Be aware that the bathroom is not the cleanest of places and that water can do some damage to things like metals and stones.
• Medicine cabinets and cupboards, protecting your medication and food is wise idea, it might be best to avoid strong smells with herbs and spices as this can be absorbed by some food.
• The four legs or posts of a bed, I hang charm-bags alternating between sweet smells to help sleep and strong smells to ward things away. Half the battle of warding is feeling secure yourself!
• Under your pillow or sewn into a blanket; a blanket or duvet can be a ward itself - as everyone knows, you pull your blanket over yourself as protection as a kid, we use blankets to shield from the cold and the feeling of a blanket weight’s makes you feel secure!
• Your computer monitor or laptop, place something on it while it is off.
• Bookmarks and bookends can acts as wards, especially in stories that can affect you psychologically  it is a good idea to ensure that scenes and images won’t haunt you in your thoughts and dreams.

breelandwalker:

thelivingwiccan:

purplevains:

If you want to keep something close, bury it in your back yard.
If you want to attract something, bury it under the front door step
If you want to destroy its influence, burn it.
If you want it to move away and sink, throw it in running water
If you want to disperse it to a distance, throw it into a crossroads
If you want to fix its influence, inter it in a five-spot pattern
If you want it to work by means of spirits, bury it in a graveyard
If you want to hide its point of origin, conceal it in a tree
If you want it to work in secret, give it in food or drink
If you want it to work by stealth, hide it in clothing or on objects
If you want its influence to begin or strengthen, throw it East
If you want its influence to end or weaken, throw it West
If you want its influence to rise and fall cyclicly, float it in a tidal estuary

Oh, guys. Oh. Guys. This, if you’re ever stuck on how to perform a spell! Handy little guide of awesome.

Yeeeeah, except for the food-and-drink part. Don’t do that. Unless you’re working with food magic, do NOT go giving people random magical shit in their consumables. That is a really good way to accidentally poison someone or set off a food allergy you didn’t know about.

If you want it to work in secret, put it in a locked container upon which light does not fall.

hellboundwitch:

The issue with realizing the problems and pitfalls of a pre-written correspondence list is that the next step is often to create your own correspondence tables. This activity can range from confusing and unapproachable to time-consuming and impractical.

While there are great guides out there on the matter, many rely on skills you may not have, such as advanced energy sensing, spirit communication, or meditation. There’s a lot to be gained from spending a year in trance communication with the spirit of your intended plant or wand, but sometimes you just need to get shit done, and now.

Hopefully these steps will be a helpful guide in getting started creating your own personal associations. This is just one way, though, and it isn’t set in stone — feel free to go in whatever order you like, taking whichever steps apply and appeal to you.

• What does it do?

This applies as “How is it used?” and “How does it act?” as well. A chicken egg holds life and potential. It protects the unborn chick. It feeds the hungry. It breaks as life emerges from within. I could go on!

For this post, however, we’ll focus on three things: A lightbulb, a magnifying glass, and a hypothetical plant.

Light bulbs illuminate. Some even provide warmth or extend growing periods for plants. If you turn on a light in a dark room, you reveal what may have otherwise been hidden.

Magnifying glasses help you see clearer, make out details, and give you a closer look at things you may otherwise miss. Very obviously speaking, they will magnify the appearance of whatever is in front of them.

Now for our hypothetical plant. It’s extremely invasive, but its flowers are fragrant and draw beneficial insects. The berries are poisonous to people when unripe, along with the raw leaves, but ripe berries are edible — delicious and sweet — and a tisane from the leaves will settle and calm an upset stomach.

• What does it look like?

It’s a bit Doctrine of Signatures-y but the appearance of a thing can help you define correspondence for it, and I don’t just mean the colours.

The hypothetical plant, for example. Let’s say that it has pink and red blossoms. The ripe berries are vaguely heart shaped, as are the leaves (perhaps more prominently so).

The light bulb, depending on the shape, may resemble a human head, a ball, a planet, a star or tear drop. When it’s on, you may think it looks like the sun.

What about magnifying glasses? I’ve always thought that they look like mirrors or portals. Maybe to you it looks like a pool of water. I’m assuming a round glass here, by the way, so perhaps its very shape is worth considering. There’s a lot of meaning put into circles, after all.

• What is its lore or background?

What are the stories behind it? You might take into consideration the circumstances the thing was created under, or with something like an animal or plants, what led to their creation or introduction to your area (Was it meant to eradicate a pest? Was it bred as a gift for a loved one? Is there a particular quality they tried to emphasize?).

Say that in a story, someone uses your hypothetical plant to charm a king.

Or what about Sherlock Holmes and his magnifying glass?

The light bulb is popularly associated with a “bright idea”.

• Your Personal Symbolism and associations

Come on, y’all knew I was going to bring up Personal Symbolism at somepoint.

Magnifying glasses remind me of my grandmother. The woman has owned at least 100 in my lifetime, and once even brought one with her to a computer class in order to get a better look at her monitor.

Light bulbs remind me of the years I spent as a child fighting for environmental protections and rights. Conservation (and later, efficiency) was a HUGE part of my fight and the light bulb reminds me of the time I spent in debate and conversation.

Since my plant is imaginary, I don’t have any real memories or associations for it, but hey, that’s okay. Like I said, you don’t have to hit everything on this list.

Now think sideways.

I don’t think this is what Holly Lisle had in mind when she came up with How to Think Sideways, but I’m gonna borrow her term for a bit.

It isn’t that much of a stretch to look at the improved vision a magnifying glass gives you and apply that to psychic vision, right?

Or to take the toxic berries from an invasive and noxious plant and use them to completely wrecksomeone.

(But maybe you want to take the beneficial tea from the heart shaped leaves to completely soak somebody’s life with an all-consuming, all-soothing love that will totally bind this person to you…or both! Know your love or know pain. Wow man, that’s cold. :|)

Speaking of manipulating people, a head shaped light bulb that has been turned into a glass poppet to fill someone’s mind with the thoughts you want them to have (thoughts that will come to them as though it were an epiphany — their very own Bright Idea!) may sound like a good time to you. Or maybe you’ll use it to scry their clever thoughts right out of their head to use as your own.

So by the end of it all, you may have a list like this:

Magnifying Glass

• Vision (including psychic vision)
• Details
• Portals
• Finding things
• The illusion of plenty

Light Bulbs

• Cleverness
• Ideas
• Revelation
• The Sun

Hypothetical Plant

• Curseworking
• Rapid growth
• Obsessive Love
• Calming down a situation
• Completely fucking up a situation

And those lists can get longer as time/your imagination goes on! The length isn’t really important though. What matters is that what you put on the list has meaning to you and works for you.

thepaperwitch:

The funny thing about this question is that I do.  But also I don’t.

Wait, what?

Keep reading

This really resonates with me.  This is one of the things that has kept me as a dabbler and prevented me from fully committing myself to witchcraft.  I’ve always been a skeptic and I believe it would be very, very hard to prove the definitive existence of magick or the efficacy of spells. 

Terry Pratchett’s theorization of witchcraft as “headology” in the Discworld series has always really spoken to me.  If witchcraft is just an outlet that encourages me to learn and live my life more intentionally, does it really matter if it’s “real” or “works” or not?  If it helps me become a more thoughtful person who’s aware of the world around me, the way I am affected by the world and the potential I have to affect the world positively or negatively depending on how I spend my time and energy, that’s good enough for me. 

There are a number of young folx on Tumblr and I feel I should make this clear: magic is NOT a substitute for medical best practices. This is always true and it is especially important to emphasise now.

Magic can help you emotionally to feel calmer and safer. Physically, you need to wash your hands, practice social distancing, and seek medical help if you have symptoms.

Be safe. Be well. May it be so.

babyxlunarxstormxwitch:

Fae offering

What you will need:

• Walnut shells (any nut works, but walnuts are most compatible)
• Local(!!!)honey
• Fresh flower petals
• Glitter (optional)
• Bell

Steps:

1. Spoon honey into shell. Sprinkle in petals and glitter. Whisper a blessing
2. Place in a garden or wild place (depending on the faeries you wish to please).
3. Call out “Faeries of the [wild/garden/etc.] I bring you this!” Ring your bell. Turn around and walk away without looking back. Listen for signs of Fae (e.g. wind picking up, wind chimes)

Notes:

If you cannot access local honey, thats okay. It works better with honey from nearby (my honey is from literally from my friend 600 feet away), but honey is honey.

The moon outside our house at 5:30 AM.

Northern sunset at my Mum and Da’s.

Positive energy for January: Temperance - Alchemy, integration, flexibility, adaptation

How to start the year: Dreamer of Candles - the Dreamer of Candles is the beginning creator full of raw passion and unafraid to share the light with others; excitement and enthusiasm

Reminder for January: Visionary (Hierophant) - speak from your heart; spirituality, truth-seeking, self-determination, belief, mysticism; expand your universe

Deck: the Numinous Tarot by Noel Arthur Heimpel

Quaaltagh

Quaaltagh or first-foot, refers to the idea that the first person to cross your threshold in New Year’s Day will be the bringer of fortune for you through the coming year.

Happy New Year!

Blessed Yule!