Getting Back Into Your Practice

Witchcraft 101: Unlocking the Power of Self-Reflection & A Guide to Inner Transformation

Self-reflection is the process of looking inward and examining one's thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and behaviors with curiosity, honesty, and compassion. It's a vital tool for personal growth and transformation, as it helps us gain clarity on our goals, values, strengths, and challenges, and empowers us to make conscious choices and changes in our lives. In this guide, we'll explore the power of self-reflection and some practical tips on how to cultivate it.

Why Self-Reflection Matters:

Self-reflection is more than just navel-gazing or self-absorption. It's a way of cultivating self-awareness, which is the foundation of emotional intelligence, empathy, and resilience. By becoming more aware of our inner world, we can:

Reduce stress and anxiety, as we learn to observe and regulate our thoughts and emotions.

Improve relationships, as we become more attuned to others' perspectives, needs, and feelings.

Enhance creativity, as we gain insight into our unique talents, passions, and values.

Develop a sense of purpose and meaning, as we align our actions with our deepest desires and aspirations.

How to Cultivate Self-Reflection:

Self-reflection is a skill that can be learned and practiced, although it requires patience, curiosity, and humility. Here are some tips on how to cultivate it:

Set aside time and space. Self-reflection requires a quiet and uninterrupted space where you can focus on your thoughts and feelings. Choose a time when you're not distracted or rushed, and find a place where you feel comfortable and safe.

Use prompts and questions. To help jumpstart your reflection, use prompts or questions that invite you to explore different aspects of your life. Examples include: - What am I grateful for today? - What am I proud of accomplishing recently? - What challenges am I facing right now? - What lessons have I learned from past experiences? - What do I want to achieve in the next month/year/decade?

Embrace discomfort. Self-reflection can be challenging and uncomfortable, as it requires us to confront our fears, doubts, and shortcomings. However, by leaning into the discomfort, we can gain valuable insights and growth opportunities. Allow yourself to feel any emotions that arise, and be gentle and compassionate with yourself.

Practice mindfulness. Mindfulness is the practice of paying attention to the present moment without judgment. By practicing mindfulness, we can become more aware of our thoughts, feelings, and sensations, and learn to observe them with clarity and acceptance. Try meditation, deep breathing, or mindful movement to enhance your self-reflection.

Incorporate self-care. Self-reflection can be emotionally draining, so it's important to take care of yourself physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Get enough sleep, eat nourishing foods, exercise regularly, and engage in activities that bring you joy and relaxation. Seek support from trusted friends, family members, or professionals if needed.

Self-reflection is a powerful tool for personal growth, inner transformation, and wellbeing. By practicing it regularly, we can cultivate self-awareness, empathy, and resilience, and align our actions with our values and goals. So, take some time today to reflect on your life, and see what insights and opportunities arise. Remember to be kind, non-judgmental, and open to new possibilities. The journey of self-discovery is ongoing, but the rewards are immeasurable.

If this post was of interest to you please consider looking at my shop for digital grimoire pages to dowload and why not browse the wand collection or get a tarot reading while you're there? Visit Pegasus Emporia on Etsy today and use code TUMBLR20 for 20% off

You do not need a sign.

For the love of the gods, just pray. You do not need to be called. You do not need to be contacted. Just pray.

🌙 13 Tips for Powerful Witchery

1. Focus on your intention more than your tools

2. Pay attention

3. No matter how long you’ve been practicing, maintain a “beginner’s mind”

4. KISS! (Keep It Simple, Stupid!)

5. Practice discernment

6. Notice when some thing/place/method resonates with you and use it often

7. Learn to quiet your mind

8. Befriend your shadow self

9. Have boundaries

10. Develop your intuition/inner voice

11. Never practice when you’re shaken up like a snow globe

12. Know when to do nothing

13. Craft your own rituals

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Spirit Work 101: Types of Spirits

Disclaimer: All my spirit work advice is from personal experience and what I have been taught by mentors. Everyone has different experiences and this is only what I suggest.

When it comes to spirit work, one of the most common questions I have seen is, “Who do I contact when starting out?” Personally, I divide spirits into four different categories: Human, Species, Nature, and Deities.

Deities

Yes, you read right. Deities are a type of spirit. However, they do have more energy and power, and therefore they tend to be a little easier to contact. Many times, I will recommend that when someone first starts out in spirit work, if you already have a deity you connect with, try working on communication with your deity/ies. This tends to be a “safer” route, as deities are less likely to manipulate or attack you with malice without being triggered in some way. Another reason is that deities have a larger amount of energy and power, so they can be easier to sense and hear. They have an easier time manipulating divination tools for communication. Finally, as you already will have a bond with the deity, the bonds you have will only strengthen and make it even easier for communication.

Nature

In my experience, most anything that is alive will have some sort of spirit. All animals and plants, perhaps even fungi. I have found most rivers and lakes and other bodies of water will have a sort of spirit as well. Certain natural landmarks like mountains. These spirits are a little more on the neutral side. You can communicate as you would with any other spirit, but a bond with the land they are on is needed. To do this, offerings and time spent is what I recommend. Always show respect. Recycle/throw away trash you find left around. Helping the land and the nature in question tends to appease nature spirits and have a bond form with them. Once the bond forms, they will be more willing to speak with you.

Human

Human spirits can be trickier, as many times they are “stuck” to wander the earth and are not ready to pass on. Humans also can be anywhere on the greyscale of “good” and “evil”. They can manipulate and show malice. They can simply be upset with their situation and lash out. They can call for help. There are so many different personalities just as you would find with a physical, live human. Always take this into account, and get to know them carefully.

Species

When I say species, this is where I mean the “mythological creatures.” Just like humans, all demons, vampires, werewolves, fae, and so forth have a greyscale of “good” and “evil”. I have seen “good” demons. I have seen “evil” angels. But those terms are moot in my opinion. They all have personalities, goals, passions, and so forth. Now, certain species will seem to be more malicious due to their moralities being different than with humans. This specifically pertains to demons and fae most commonly. It is always something to keep in mind, that they will have different rules in their societies, therefore some things may seem malicious to us but not to them. And some things can seem malicious to them that are okay with us. Point being, with every species you encounter, read up on mythology, keep an open mind, and definitely be careful. Species are the trickiest because of this, and I recommend being fairly confident in your abilities before reaching out to them, or work with an expert.

TLDR; start with deities and nature spirits, always show respect, and take the time to form bonds.

Glory and praise to almighty lord Satan and all his wicked demons from Hell. I want to sell my soul to the devil and I want to worship Satan for ever and ever and ever and ever

Some topics + prompts for your grimoire or book of shadows

books you want to read

local folklore / mythology / legends

the wheel of the year

plants you have in your house or garden (their care, properties, uses, draw them etc)

theban alphabet

days of the week and their correspondences

write about a deity you worship / are drawn to

draw art for / of a deity you worship or are drawn to

colour magic

the elements

write about the crystals you own (draw them, write their properties, correspondences, uses, how it makes you feel etc)

how to make your own crystals

your birth chart

your sun, moon and rising sign

natural medicine (as a chronically ill witch I love natural medicine NOT AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR PRESCRIPTIONS! for example I take all my prescription meds and then if I'm having period pain I might drink some raspberry leaf tea)

positive affirmations / mantras that you connect with

how to manifest

history of witches

deities in a certain pantheon you're interested in or drawn to

write about a spell you've done (how you did it, why you did it, how you felt, the results of it, what you would change if you did the spell again etc)

chakras

write about a dream you've had

tarot reading tricks and tips

moon phases

sabbats

zodiac signs

family tree

poetry / songs / quotes you connect to (i like to find ones that make me feel powerful or witchy, or remind me of certain aspects of my practice. a song i like for this is rhiannon by fleetwood mac and i'm going to post more things like this regularly on my page)

feathers and their meanings

simple everyday magic

recipes

some ideas for the next sabbat you plan to celebrate

tarot spreads you like

write about a tarot reading you've done (any prep you did, the deck you used, the cards you pulled, your personal interpretation of the cards based on the art and how you feel, the meaning of the cards, how the cards relate to the questions you asked, final reflection on how you feel the reading went)

interesting mythology

tree of life

glamour magic

money bowls

crystal shapes and their meanings

grounding techniques

cleansing

protection

banishing

cord cutting spells

essential oils

types of divination

planets and their correspondences

angel numbers

witchy wishlist

go to supplies and ingredients (herbs and things that you use regularly)

favourite crystals

working with your inner child

if you've had a really good or particularly insightful meditation session it can be nice to either draw or write what happened and how you felt during it

witchy arts and crafts and diys you want to do

altar ideas

read a witchy book / watch a witchy video and take notes

write about your ancestors

witchy things to incorporate into your daily routine

what is a tower moment

witchy reset / self care days

the history of the area you live in

veiling

how to make your own incense sticks

shadow work

shadow work prompts

ok, that's all the ideas I have for now and I hope that helps someone! I'll be posting some pages from my grimoire and some more prompt / topic ideas in the near future which I'm really excited for.

P.S. please remember that everyone's practice is their own and you should do what feels right to you while respecting that other people have their own beliefs (as long as they're not hateful).

I highly recommend to interview your Tarot decks. There are deck interview spreads online, and help you understand your deck so much better. Some decks come into your life for specific reasons, some decks are to only be used by you and not to read for anyone else etc.

When I first started reading tarot I had all these reservations and newbie mistakes that I sometimes made for YEARS. Don’t be like me, learn how to read tarot, be confident and understand that the good comes with the bad. And you’ll be an expert tarot reader in no time. 

Tarot is a tool for YOUR intuition - I don’t know why, but this really didn’t resonate with me right away. I would second guess, re-read, and not use my intuition when interpreting  the cards. In the end that cause some really inaccurate readings then if I would have just used tarot as a tool to grow my own intuition and spiritual feeling. 

Don’t stress read - I know I know we all do it. Madly shuffle the cards then start pulling whenever things start to go array. Let me be the first to tell you that is not an accurate reading. That is just you stressing out pulling cards in a fury that will only lead to more stress. 

Take time to meditate and clear your mind beforehand - Don’t come into a reading with a cloudy head. If you really want to get a good read, spend a few minutes clearing your mind before you shuffle your deck. 

There are no bad readings - I repeat, there are no bad readings. Even horrible tower falling outcomes are just the start to something new and better. If you do get an outcome from a tarot spread that is less than favorable breath and take it one day at a time. 

There are also no bad tarot cards - Just like there are no bad readings, there are no bad cards. Endings are just beginnings in reverse. So even if your BFF is stabbing you in the back with the 5 of Swords, don’t worry it’s just your spirits getting rid of them for you. 

Get to know your decks beforehand - Each deck sometimes has a little personality. Spend some time with them, know them, see how they read for you before you jump in with all the important stuff. 

Meditate with cards you feel drawn towards - Do you really vibe with the High Priestess? Or maybe it’s The Hermit for you. These cards could be your archetype. Pull them out, meditate, feel their answers and seek guidance from them. 

Take breaks from reading - I am a huge advocate from taking a break from tarot. Sometimes you need to change it up, put it down or just step away for a few days or a year. Whatever it is take time away if and whenever you feel the need to. 

Use tarot as a tool for manifesting - Ask questions, lots and lots of questions about different outcomes. If you don’t like the outcome, change your question or change your mind and ask again. Once you get the desired results stick to it. 

Don’t read for free, but practice - I see so many new tarot readers reading for free online. Don’t do it! Your time is precious and if someone wants a free reading, they can lean it themselves. 

Don’t skip knowing your shadow self in a reading - One of the best things you can do is learn exactly who you are, and you can’t do that without knowing all the parts of yourself you’ve rejected. Use the tarot to get to know yourself in the shadows too. 

The cards never lie - Never. Ever. 

Reshuffling won’t bypass a reading you didn’t like - Don’t get yourself trapped into ‘clarity’ cards. That’s shuffling and asking the same question again and again for clarity, or until you get the answer to the question you want. Sure ask for clarity ONCE when you don’t really understand, but don’t ask again and again just to see what you want. 

Don’t wait to start tarot - If you feel called to read tarot, start now! You don’t have to wait for someone to gift you a deck (who started that bad rumor anyway?!) 

Confidence is key - This also took me a long time to ‘get’. Read with confidence. You are a badass witch. You have stepped outside to do so much spiritual growth, why would your card reading reflect any different? 

Your tarot reading is not the end all be all - Tarot is subjective, not prophecy. So change your mind and change your future. Nothing is set in stone. 

✨Connecting with your Tarot deck✨

Regardless if you’ve got a new deck or revisiting a deck you’ve not used for a while, it’s a great idea to connect with it so it can become in tune with you.

The more you connect with your Tarot deck the more it’ll connect with you!

Here are some ways you can connect with your deck:

Interview your deck

This is a really great way to get to know your deck, how it can help you, why it came into your life at the time it did etc. there are loads of deck interview spreads to choose from! I’ll do a post about that.

Put it under your pillow while you sleep

This is a great way to put your energy into your deck, and you can develop a subconscious bond with your deck too. I highly recommend connecting with your deck this way!

Take them with you EVERYWHERE

Even if you don’t plan on using them, take your deck everywhere with you. The more your deck is with you the more it’ll connect with you.

Meditate with your deck

Especially if you do meditation anyway, sit and meditate with your deck. Visualise your energy going into the deck ✨

I hope this has helped! Let me know which way you connect with your deck if you do this already. Also let me know which new method you will try next!

According to Rites of Lilith by Asenath Mason, Lilith chooses who she works with … 👀

If you're not Jewish and "work with Lilith" fuck all the way off from this blog