*Smudging is a ritual from a closed practice, please research this before buying that shell, feather, and sage bundle from 5below… stay aware!
Alternatives to smudging: smoke cleansing (literally just get incense cones or sticks!), sound cleansing (get a bell or play cleansing frequencies), deep cleaning (vacuum, open the windows, wipe everything down), and your words (declaring your space sacred & protected)!
*Support your local crystal shops, farmers markets (if the season permits), and don’t be afraid to askquestions: such as, where items are sourced!
*Now is the time to for introspection, grounding, cleansing, spending time outdoors, home cooking, self care (beyond that face mask), meditation, decluttering, reorganizing, andgrowth!
Chamomile(helps combat insomnia, a common symptom of depression) Green(contains an amino acid known as theanine which is known to fight depression) St John’s Wort(contains compounds known as hypericin and hyperforin, which may affect activity of the brain’s serotonin system) Lemon Balm(works as a mild sedative and can ease anxiety and depression) Ginger Root(helps to increase important neurotransmitters than can regulate your mood) Lavender(research shows that lavender can help combat depression, and has been said to rival antidepressants) Peppermint(the menthol in peppermint leaves helps calm mood and aides sleep)
CRYSTALS
Smoky Quartz(helps elevate moods, overcome negative emotions, and relieves depression) Rose Quartz(is a known healer and can help replace negative feelings with love and compassion) Amethyst(combats stress and releases a relaxed energy) Citrine(emits a sunny, optimistic energy which can aide in combating depression and anxiety) Angel Aura Quartz(is known to help with mental illness, and it’s energy can help process emotional disturbances, grief, or trauma)
️ INCENSE ️
Lavender(reduces stress physically and mentally, and promotes deep sleep) Jasmine(helps with alertness, evokes an uplifting energy, and is believed to ease symptoms of depression) Ylang Ylang(has a calming affect that elevates mood and is known to help with physical and mental symptoms of anxiety and depression) Lemongrass(promotes emotional balance, and uplifts emotional weight) Sandalwood(encourages calmness, serenity, and feelings of well being)
Spend time in the sun, and in nature. Even if you only go and sit in your backyard, it will help, and make you feel a bit better Drink water! LOTS OF WATER! Want an extra boost? Make a bunch of sun water and drink it on exceptionally low days to help with your energy and mood levels. Ground yourself every night before bed to rid yourself of negative energies Turn your sadness into creativity! Work on pages of your grimoire or book of shadows. Do some witchy DIY’s! Set up a new altar! Make some sigils! Being productive and creative are so helpful when you’re feeling melancholic. Have some spoonie witch tips for low energy days! Garden. Spending time in nature and creating something within the earth is not only rewarding, but gardening is actually a de-stressing activity and can soothe your mood. PLUS think of all the herbs you could grow to help with your craft! Talk to someone. Other witches. Friends. A professional. A hotline. Anyone who is willing to listen. Put that energy out there and it will make a world of difference, I promise. Let yourself have at least ONE self-care day a week. It doesn’t matter what it entails, as long as you’re taking that time for YOURSELF, magickal or not.
EDIT: Because I’m awful and forgot how vast Tumblr is, and how so many different people, in different situations, use Tumblr, I didn’t mention some very crucial points:
1) DON’T substitute herbs for medication or treatment, unless you’ve consulted a medical professional. 2) DON’T take an herbal supplement WITH your medication unless you have consulted with your doctor first. 3) Witchcraft should NOT be your “go to” when it comes to medical help. Witchcraft is a tool, and although it is helpful, it can also be harmful if you don’t take the proper precautions (thorough research, getting advice from a professional, etc). Keep practicing, keep making magick, but be safe! 4) Lastly, if you need help, physically or emotionally, please consider contacting a professional instead of taking it upon yourself. You’re wonderful and intelligent and a powerful witch, but you aren’t invincible. So, please take care of yourself, talk to a professional, even if it may not seem like the most desirable approach.
And FINALLY, thank you SO MUCH to all of the wonderful witches who contributed on this post. Without their input I may never have remembered to acknowledge that this post is one that NEEDS warnings. So, thank you honey bees, I really appreciate it!
Just wanted to add, crystals and sigils won’t cure your depression but they are a great visual reminder that you are recovering and putting in the work to get better. To remind you to keep good intentions.
during the colder months, a cup of hot cocoa can bring wonderful warmth and coziness. you can add a few spices to bring magick into the mug that inspires happiness, healing, and self-love. you will need:
☾ ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (self love and grounding)
☾ ½ cup granulated sugar (granting wishes)
☾ 1/3 cup hot water
☾ ¼ tsp salt
☾ 4 cups milk (dairy or non-dairy)
☾ 1 tsp vanilla extract (love, restoring lost energy)
☾ 1 tsp fresh orange zest (abundance and happiness)
☾ a pinch of ground nutmeg (attracting prosperity)
☾ a pinch of allspice (warmth and healing)
combine the cocoa, sugar, salt, nutmeg and allspice with the water in a pot over medium heat. stir constantly until the mixture boils; continue stirring constantly for 1 more minute.
stir in the milk and continue to heat the mixture, without letting it boil. remove from heat and add vanilla and orange zest. serve immediately.
The moon in a natal chart represents how we nurture, how we want to be nurtured, our habits and our receptivity.
If you’re feeling tense, anxious or in need of self care and nurturing, look to your moon sign for some help as to how you can take better care of your emotional well being.
Moon in Aries/1st House/conjunct the AC from the 12th - Express your emotions to others upfront - Take care of your appearance - Do jobs for yourself, you’ll feel better being independent - Have that emotional blow up, don’t hold it in - Don’t sit around wallowing in your emotions. Get up, and go DO something, take initiative - You want to cry? Do it…. - Be in solitude sometimes (if your moons in the first house, you’re quite receptive to other people’s emotions. You need to get away from that from time to time)
Moon in Taurus/2nd House - Material comforts such as good food, a soft bed, and comfy clothes will greatly help nurture you - Having a well balanced bank account - Write down 5 things a day that you value (about yourself, and/or what you have - not what you want). A gratitude diary would be great! - Listening to music (or making music if you like to) will help you relax. Also painting and sculpting - Hugs! Physically holding another will help you relax - Nice smelling perfumes on your body or in your house - Using Body moisturiser and beauty products
Moon in Gemini/3rd House - Talk about your feelings - Get out of the house and go for short trips around your neighbourhood/local area. Being in your house for too long will make you agitated - Talk to others, In real life or online. Prolonged solitude can make you feel lonely very quickly (Facebook/Snapchat/Skype people when you can) - Hang out with your siblings (if you have any/if your moon isn’t afflicted). If you don’t have any siblings, cousins and neighbours you’re close to is also great! - Write things down, especially about how your feeling. You may enjoy journaling
Moon in Cancer/4th House/Conjunct the Ic (possibly from the 3rd House) - Hugs Hugs Hugs! - Cook/eat your favourite food - Spend time at home (if you’re a 3rd House moon conjunct the IC, go out for short trips then come home to relax - you kinda need both) - Be with your mother/family (if your mother is present/if your moon isn’t afflicted) - Nurture others - Be with children - Cry on someone’s shoulder, it’s ok! - Snuggle in bed
Moon in Leo/5th House - Be generous and spread happiness to others - Take the spotlight (but don’t be too greedy) - Let people know how you really feel (don’t be too pushy about it) - Express your creativity! - Dance if you want to! - Watch a comedy or joke around with friends - Play games with children/Release your inner child - Party - Play games! - Express your love to your lover. Give and get kisses and cuddles you deserve
Moon in Virgo/6th House - Take care of your health. Take your medication, eat healthy and exercise - Do yoga - Make a ‘To-do’ list and calendars. You’re naturally emotionally stressed, make it easy for yourself by planning things - Keep your house and environment organised and clean - Pamper yourself by being well groomed and hygienic - Relax in a spa bath - Enjoy a healthy meal - Make goals for yourself and aim to achieve them - Help someone else out. Be of service - If you aren’t feeling great, ask someone to do some jobs for you. It’s only fair
Moon in Libra/7th House/Conjunct the DES from the 6th - Make art. Draw and paint - Make yourself look beautiful. Wear your favourite outfit, get your hair/makeup done - Listen to music - Talk to others and close friends - Spend time with a romantic lover - Do something nice for someone - Settle/balance an argument - Weigh the pros and cons to making a decision - Beautify your home and environment
Moon in Scorpio/8th House - You’re emotions are so intense, you may need to seclude yourself fairly often from people. Take time out with yourself to avoid emotional strain - Spend time ‘going within’ yourself. You can do this through mediation or simply self contemplation. You have a need to know yourself. - You need to protect your vulnerability. Find someone you can trust 100% to tell your feelings to, for you need a channeled way of release - You can purge excess emotion and passion through sex and connecting with someone on a higher level - Share your feelings with those you truly trust
Moon in Sagittarius/9th House - Go for a long drive/bus/train trip. Explore your local area, or if you can, take a trip to a nearby town. Explore your sense of adventure - You probably generally don’t like to think/talk about your emotions, and your resilience allows you to support yourself - Enjoy the company of good friends. Laugh and have a good time - You may enjoy watching a comedy - Ask yourself the biggest questions of life and let your mind wander in the possibilities. It brings you ease knowing that everything happens for a reason, allowing you to maintain your optimism
Moon in Capricorn/10th House/Conjunct the MC from the 9th - You like Scorpio moon folk, tend to prefer to keep your emotions under wraps - You make like to literally ‘work’ your problems out. Doing jobs and focusing on goals allows you to gain satisfaction of achievement - At times, you may feel lonely and cut off from others. This is often self imposed. Don’t be afraid to open to others who you feel comfortable with - Like Virgo moons, setting your self job lists can help give you direction, removing any feelings of being at a loss with life - Spend sometime away from people who try to pry you open all the time as this can really stress you out
Moon in Aquarius/11th House - You’re emotional wellbeing may not be the focus of your life, and you have great difficulty expressing your feelings to others - You have the ability to logically analyse your emotions and fix things in your external environment that’s causing you problems - Change things in your home/environment often to keep yourself stimulated - Perhaps spend time partaking in humanitarian causes - Talk to anyone and everyone. Being part of society can make you feel quite buzzed
Moon in Pisces/12th House - Your emotions are highly sensitive and you are greatly sensitive to the emotions of others. Surround yourself with loving and supportive people or if that’s not possible, find a secluded space - You react to emotional stimulus quite easy. Listen to happy music or watch a funny, lighthearted movie - Never blame yourself for something you know you didn’t do. Don’t give into pieces victim mentality. Tell yourself the truth always - Learn how to set yourself boundaries and don’t give into everyone all of the time. It’s great to be loving and generous, but you need to also take care of yourself - Watch movies or play games that really draws you in and allows your imagination to run freely in a channeled way
limited ingredient & super limited effort spell designed for when you’re feeling really drained after work or after an outing, yknow <3
what you’ll need;
white candle (or pink!!)
honey
optional;
rose quartz <3
light your candle anywhere you can place it safely in the bathroom, aim for somewhere you can see it’s light nicely from inside the shower but if you can’t that’s ok no worries ofc!! take a dab of honey and place it onto your forehead. i usually just put it on my finger(s) and press in some intention for a moment, sometimes i’ll press some across my cheeks too <3 rinse off your hand but leave the honey on your forehead and anywhere else you put it to rinse off in the shower! if you’re using one, get your rose quartz and hover it above your honey covered area(s) for a moment and take a few breaths, then go ahead and shower with your rose quartz in sight or just near the tub! blow out your candle when you’ve finished up your night routine <3
this little scrub is great to use in the shower after work or after dealing with any other stressful event i.e meeting up with toxic family, running errands, etc! it helps soothe that hectic feeling and provides a healing and comforting energy
what you’ll need;
sugar
thyme
chamomile
optional;
rose quartz helps this process move along and charges up the spell perfectly if you have some on hand! i like to charge the scrub with it as i’m grinding everything up and/or hold it over my chest with the scrub sitting on it for a moment, but literally none of this is necessary i don’t even do it every time i just use it for a little kick when i need it
just mash everything up together neatly and methodically, meditate on the state of mind you’d like to work towards and how you’d like to feel. then take your scrub and work it clockwise over your heart and work those intentions in, after that just scrub all over and proceed how you normally would! i usually end up curling up in bed under a fluffy sheet right after this scrub, it always makes me feel so cozy and safe <3
Beltain is the time of love and love can come in many different forms, so since we’re stuck inside and can’t cuddle our loved ones I think we all need a bit of self love and self care right now.
(This might get a bit complicated but I was experimenting since I have all the time right now)
What you need
A Beltain coloured candle (Pink/Red/Yellow/Green, or white if you have nothing in those colours)
A medium sized jar
Paper and pen
Sea salt (protection and purity)
Rosemary(love)
Dried orange peel(joy)
Dried lavender/lavender incense ash (peace, love)
Dried rose petals/rose incense ash/rose themed decoration (like fake flowers) in pink or red (joy, love, sex if you need it)
Stones related to love, protection, and happiness
Any trinkets you find relating to love/happiness/protection.
Something small and personal that carries your energy (like a necklace or hair clip) I would recommed that your wear this all day prior to the spell.
A Beltain coloured ribbon (or a white ribbon of string if you have none of those colours)
Method
On the eve of Beltain, as the sun sets light your candle, if you wish to open your space to Deities or fae now is the time.
Write your intentions on the paper, fold it, kiss it, and put it at the bottom of the jar. Continue to think of your intentions as you go.
In an even layer, individually pour in your salt, rosemary, orange, lavender, and rose.
Nestle your stones and trinkets on top finishing with your personal item.
Close the jar and tie your ribbon around it.
Blow out the candle to finish your work and store the jar on your altar or by your bed until you feel the work is done.
There are 48 colors of the moon, but here are some of the most frequently talked about colors and what they mean for witches :) I will also discuss some things you can do on any full moon, whatever color it may happen to be! :)
How To Celebrate Every Full Moon
Gather moon water
Cleansing and charging warm-toned crystals in the moonlight
Painting
Doing shadow work whilst observing the moon and meditating
Full Moon Bath Ritual
First things first, before you take this bath, clean the bathtub mindfully using the appropriate scents for your upcoming bath’s intentions
Gather your favorite items and or items related to the pink moon such as stones, a specific drink of your choosing, candles, and perhaps either your shadow book or a book that you see if we connect with
Turn off the lights and work by candlelight, perhaps with appropriately calming music
Meditate in the water along with herbs, flowers, and bath salts chosen according to your intent. You can also finish connecting to each of the elements by adding in the elements of air through incense, however I would argue that the element of air is covered if you decide to take a hot bath or have some kind of purifier on in the room, creating a mist or fog
You can finish your bath by visualizing the cleansing of your soul and magick as you drain the water, and then lightly clean out the tub once again to make sure that all of the herbs and flowers are taken care of and disposed of properly
Finally, take note of how you feel after the ritual and record it for future use
This is a ritual that can be adapted to any full moon, as full moon baths are quite a popular activity.
Pink
The pink moon in witchcraft is generally all about spring.
Also called the egg moon, the grass moon, the pink phlox moon, and many other names, the pink moon is mainly about fertility end growth. It signifies faith in the future and anticipates abundance, and is the perfect time to set new things into motion or make new commitments. It is also a good time to find courage, trust, adaptability, and maturity in relation to new paths in life. It is a wonderful time for reflection and shadow work, and it has been said that doing shadow work during the pink moon is more fulfilling on top of the many other feelings associated with the work.
Red
The red moon in witchcraft is generally all about fall.
Also called Hunter’s moon, the blood moon, the sanguine moon, and many other names, the red moon honors the year that has been and the sacrifices made by the plants and animals used to sustain us. It is a sort of celebration of life for the aspects of nature that gave their lives, and the day is spent honoring ancestors and releasing old griefs. It signifies growth, renewal, wisdom, company, and resting. Associations with the Blood Moon being an omen of destruction to come, but it is also generally understood that the night of the blood moon should be used to celebrate life and the flowing of life in relation to the flooring of blood through your veins. You are to make peace with your past and understand your shadow-self, balancing and enhancing your magical energies and powers through recognizing and letting go of grief.
Blue
The blue moon in witchcraft is an extra full moon in any season and occurs once every 2.7 years. There are some negative connotations fine Blue Moon because it confuses people who were attempting to prepare for various types of weather and crop rotations. This, and another negative connotation spawns from the fact that with the addition of this extra Moon there is an unlucky number of 13 full moons in that year instead of 12. However the Blue Moon is quite a fortune in time when it comes to Witchcraft because it is seen as a taken moment; a time of the year that is separated from the norm and ergo the perfect opportunity to re-gather ones senses and hope for the superstitious “once in a blue moon” luck of something unusual. The blue moon is also a time where you should set goals, as they will be strengthened under this moonlight. You can also utilize the blue moon to call for safety, joy, peace, love, health, energy, and empowerment. Meditation is best done in the moonlight of this night, and most you will see better results from verbal magick and spells. This is the perfect time to prepare yourself for what’s to come. It acts as the perfect break to collect yourself before continuing on with your craft following this night.
sources: scattered but mainly from “Wicca Year of Magic” by Lisa Chamberlain. Overall a good book but here are a few gripes: not very inclusive.. just uses she/her pronouns when talking about witches. talks about requiring a lot of tools when not all are necessary. however it’s a good book for beginners, talks about history very well, and generally promotes differing perspectives and ways of practicing the craft
