1. Start your own Herbal. There are some great books out there, but recording your own experiences/uses/collected lore for herbs is invaluable. Draw, press or take photos of the plants you include.
2. Learn about plants by seeing them with your own eyes. Visit botanical gardens, nurseries, garden centres and parks to see the plants in situ and (hopefully) correctly labelled. The human brain has an amazing memory for plants, it is a survival skill to be able to identify them. When you walk through a park or garden, notice the plants and identify those you know to re-establish this memory.
3. Grow things. Be as ambitious as your space, money and time allow. Collect plants that are hard to find, appeal to you and suit your climate. Go beyond culinary herbs. Be aware of where you plant things in the garden, both directionally and symbolically. Plants you have grown are constantly receiving offerings of your time, energy and resources and are therefore more likely to be willing to assist you.
4. Plants will die. Even the most experienced gardener will lose plants. Accept it. Don’t just buy a few seedlings and then decide you lack a green thumb because they all died. Some herbs are annuals, that means they only live for a season, some plants are deciduous, some will simply not be suited to your climate or area and fail to thrive. Be patient and persistent and become a student of gardening as well has herbcraft.
5. Work in depth with a particular herb or tree to discover its secrets. Read everything you can about it, research folklore and planetary correspondences, consume it raw, dried, as a tea and a tincture. Prepare a spagyric essence from it. Burn it as incense. Infuse oil with it. Grow it, talk to it, dream about it. Watch how it changes through the seasons, collect its seeds, smell its flowers. Do this until you know it inside out, and then begin again with another.
6. Substituting herbs is tricky business. No, you can not replace all flowers with lavender or all herbs with rosemary. That is lazy nonsense. Put some actual effort into getting the herbs you need for a spell, and if you genuinely can’t acquire them find something botanically related, energetically similar or at very least ruled by the same planet.
7. Treat herbs and trees as spirits, with respect and humility. Ask before your take, leave offerings, communicate, bond with them and you will be rewarded with gifts and wisdom and powerful ingredients for your spells.
8. Poisonous herbs and strong entheogens are for advanced practitioners. Don’t just start growing or using them because you want to be taken seriously. Some of these plants are tricksters, they can be very seductive. They are quite capable of controlling you. Be wary.
9. When harvesting for magical use, think not only what the plant is but where it is growing. A tree on a university campus will have different properties to the same kind found in a graveyard. A herb growing at the crossroads is different to one found by a stream.
10. Expand your learning and awareness beyond trees and herbs. Learn the lore of mosses, lichens, fungi and seaweeds. Parasitic and carnivorous plants. Get to know the plants that grow locally, even if they are far removed from those found in your books.
11. Check your sources when it comes to lore. If a book tells you lavender is good for love spells, question it. Try to discover where the information came from, look up the older herbals, read books of plant folklore, investigate planetary and elemental correspondences based on the nature and virtues of the plant, not just what Cunningham says.
12. Develop relationships not only with individual trees and herbs, but with particular species. Plants can be spirit guides in the way that animals can. There is an oak tree, and then there is Oak. They can teach, guide and protect. Having a handful of plant allies you know intimately and fashioning your tools from their wood, planting them around your house and visiting them in the wild will make your connection to those spirits all the stronger.
BLESSED BE 🖤🦇
*pulls out draft from over a year ago* ENJOY
Hi! this is a list of witchy self-care things you can do. Most of these are pretty basic on account that i wrote this ages ago but they definitely still work. Anyways, I hope these help :)
Do the dishes and dedicate it to your house spirit (if you have one) or a deity (if you're religious)
sweep/mop your floor in the shape of sigils
add rosemary (or rosemary water/essential oils) to the water you mop with to set an intention of cleansing
taking ritual a bath/shower
cleansing your energy. it's so basic but I forget more than i'd like to admit
dedicating time to yourself. it's just as important as dedicating time to your deities/other spirits
light shadow work or going to therapy. bettering your mental health also betters your spiritual.
go outside and ground yourself
take a nap (less witchy, more, I love naps. rest is important)
work out/stretch and dedicate it to an entity
do some gratitude
take 5 minutes to just sit and turn off your devices. you can use this time for anything, just take a second to get off screens and connect with the world around you
meditate. if you can't sit still long enough to meditate, just focus on taking 3 deep breathes
when you wash your face, draw sigils on your face with the cleanser and moisturiser
^do the same as above but with your body wash and when you wash your hair
say some affirmations/manifestations while brushing your teeth
just check in with yourself and see how you're feeling spiritually, psychically and emotionally. sometimes we don't actually know how we're feeling until we sit down and actually ask ourselves.
If anyone has any more to add please comment. I'll add them to the list (with credit of course)
I have been performing a bit of energy work+spell with an ailing plant this past week. I find this practice to be helpful at getting me to spiritually focus on my plant and its needs. I align myself with its experience and try to help it recover while lifting the spiritual morale. This is my personal method on how I work on a sick or injured plant. I sometimes just use my own energy, other times I call upon other energies for an added boost. 🌺🌸🌺 🌱First, I troubleshoot my plant and figure out what’s wrong with it. A google search is useful if I am dealing with something I am unfamiliar with, however typical problems could be overwatering, watering at the wrong time of day for certain plants in certain climates, not watering enough, wrong sunlight situation, infection, poor soil, or shock. I take the necessary steps to correct the issue first. The energy work is to help the plant recover, not to heal it without tending to its needs.
🌱Place plant in front of working space, or I sit near the plant (for the ones not potted). I also place any items corresponding with my intent on the soil before the plant (crystals, oracle cards, etc). Tip: I like to play plant favorite music during this energy work session.
🌱Center and ground
🌱Optional for extra energy that is not my own: Visualize a large taproot extending from my tailbone and rooting deep into the earth.
🌱Call upon the earth to grant me extra energy that I can direct to the ailing plant. (If I work with any other spirit or energy, or call upon guardian spirits like spiders or bees, this would be the time).
🌱An earthly energy winds its way up through my roots and into my body. As it flows through me, it intermingles with my personal energy and I focus on charging it with an intent. For example, to heal or aid growth.
🌱I feel the energy being charged as it begins to flow up my spine, into my chest, through my arms and out my finger tips. At this point I place my fingers on the plant gently and visualize it receiving my energy.
🌱When it feels complete, I withdraw my roots and send the plant one last burst of my energy to seal the session.
🌱Leave an appropriate offering for the condition it is recovering from. If it needs fertilizer and water, consider offering banana eggshell water. (Obviously do not offer water if the plant is suffering from being overwatered). I also leave a strand of my hair with the plant as a protective token.
🌱Leave an offering for the earth for its assistance, and to any other spirits I called upon. 🌺🌸🌺 I repeat these sessions every day or every other day until my plant is beginning to show signs of improvement. Sometimes they don’t make it, and that’s ok. I bless the plant and return it to the earth (compost) so that it may be useful for future growth.
Of the divinatory techniques with which I am familiar, bones are my personal favorite. Yes, they have that very witchy vibe – but it’s more than that; the bones are honest. They don’t sugar coat, and while they have to be interpreted, once you know how to read them – there’s little room for interpretation. They are very direct and are much better suited to answering yes or no questions than tarot. With a little imaginative methodology, there few questions the bones can’t answer. And even fewer they won’t answer (as tarot cards can be known to do). A few examples of things I think the bones are better at answering than tarot: questions involving time, questions regarding health, sickness and maledictions; they present a broader grasp to any given situation – incorporating things outside of the question presented and how these things relate to the question or the reading, showing the interconnectedness of life – and how these things all relate back.
Our countless cultures have countless methods for collecting and reading the Bones – and I can only rightly attest to my own methodology: one in which the Bones need not necessarily consist solely of bones, but a collection of gathered trinkets and curios, all with their own meaning, their own story and their own energy. My collection consists of: bones (bare and painted), coins, stones, shells, jewelry, twigs, buttons, animal teeth and other squabbles. The only rule I implement is that the item can be easily gathered and (safely) tossed without breakage or injury (save your razor-blades and glass shards for witches’ bottles!).
Most any small bones will do, though its recommended that you use bones that haven’t been cooked, as cooked bones have a tendency to get very brittle – especially in the case of chicken, which is quite common. In my collection I have a number of different animal bones: most are chicken, but I also have some raccoon and possum bones, as well as teeth and claws. I built a “base” of bones, but am continuously adding or replacing as I see fit.
A short list of “Bones” I like to include – most of which serve as my “base” bones:
Self Bone – used for the reader
Other Bone – used to represent another person or the person you are reading
Magic Bone – represents the need for or use of magic
“Evil” Bone – malicious or hateful acts, disadvantageous behavior
Love Bone – represents romantic love
Male Bone – represents male fertility, masculinity, sexuality or a man
Female Bone – represents female fertility, femininity, sexuality or a woman
Health Bone – represents physical or mental health
Wealth Bone – represents financial standing or monetary issues
Family Bone – represents familial connections or a family member
Fate Bone – represents destiny and your lifepath (I use a shell for this: open side up means an event can be altered, destiny is not set in stone; open side down, this path must be walked – prepare in lieu of fighting)
“Key” Bone – (I actually use a small key) which represents the key to any given situation, the remedy or problem at hand and its cause
This list is by no means comprehensive and I have many more bones in my collection with more menial meanings. This is simply a small list of options to be added to and adapted by whosoever casts the bones.
There is no right or wrong way to read the bones, there is simply your way and their way. Below I will dictate how it is that I do a general reading – again, this is just an example of one way, take and adapt to fit your own unique style or tradition!
Begin by collecting your bones into your hand. I keep mine in a leather pouch, but don’t like to toss them directly from the bag as it doesn’t allow for much control – i.e. the bones fall out either in a massive, unreadable pile or they fly out in such a scattered way nothing is close enough to read. Throwing them from the hand allows for a rather contained casting, and one that can be read easily. I do not include the Self or Other bone, instead, the Self Bone is placed before the caster and the Other Bones is placed either in front of the person you’re reading for or simply in the middle of the casting area. When reading for yourself, place the Self Bone in the center and discard the Other Bone.
Throw the Bones. This can be done on a square of cloth on which a circle (or any number of complex shapes) has been drawn or simply upon a flat table. If throwing in a circle, discard all bones that fall outside of it. These bones are null for the reading, though they can also be read as “far from the person’s mind/current situation.”
Interpret the Bones. This is done by noting the location and connection of the bones present. For instance, note the Love Bones proximity to the Other Bones and the Male Bone. This could be interpreted as being the male love of the querent – but if the “Evil” bones is introduced, this could symbol ulterior motives or a hostile or explosive relationship. Read based on both their proximity to the Other Bone – the closer, the higher priority the matter is – and their relation to one another. It’s very much like investigating a big puzzle, putting it together piece by piece to form a comprehensive understanding of their life or situation. Also not their relation based on the third dimension: x bone seems to be overlapping y bone – is the x issue eclipsing an underlying problem or truth represented by y? It depends. Only through practice will you find clarity.
Convey the message. I always like to spend a few moments making a variety of “hmm” noises when reading for others – it builds up their anticipation. Or you can throw in the occasional gasp or snarky smirk. Their responses are usually hilarious – even more so when yours are genuine! If you are reading on your own, it may be a good idea to sketch out a general map of the readings as opposed to taking a picture as often bones overlie others, which makes for a rather misleading photo representation. You might also find jotting down notes rewarding, especially in synthesizing a cohesive read.
Once you’ve garnered all the information you can from that particular toss, feel free to specify: take the bone/situation you wish to examine and toss the rest again over it/them, reading the others through that particular lens. I.E. Who is this person mentioned? What are their qualities? What is the nature of this love? What magic is being referenced here? Follow that rabbit hole as far as you wish, building your understanding.
Do not be afraid to adjust your style! Want to narrow down a time frame? Make a sort of timeline with the bones. Wish to determine the source of an ailment? Shape the bones into the form of a body. I find the bones allow for far more creativity and ingenuity than cards. And above all – TRUST YOUR GUT.
Photos: These are photos of my “base” bones when I first started reading; since then they have probably doubled (if not tripled) in number and do not incorporate my other animal bones, claws or teeth.
These could apply to any earthly god or goddess really, so feel free to borrow any ideas that speak to you! And please tell me about how you worship your deity, I'd love to know 💚🪲
Going for daily, mindful walks. Sometimes I'll listen to music, other times I'll just listen to the world around me.
Wear a lot of greens and browns, as well as recycled and more sustainable fabrics (a lot of my clothes are also thrifted, and I try to avoid overconsumption)
Decorate my space with earthy colours, posters and pieces of the earth - I have crystals, bones, pressed flowers and even rocks and twigs in my room
Learn about nature and the world around me - I am a zoology student so my academic career is also a devotion to Mother Nature but I also learn about what animals I can see locally, I study when and where flowers bloom and how to tell when rain is coming etc
Reconnect with my more primal side - a significant part of my work with Mother Nature is reognising and accepting that humans are animals, and we behave as such; we cannot allow ourselves to become seperate from wilderness. To me, this involves connecting with my intuition and gut feelings, recognising my emotions and desires and working with them
Making and wearing daisy chains or flower crowns
Creating art inspired by the world around me and myself
Caring for animals (that includes other humans) when I can and it's safe: from helping a snail move across the path, to making sure a dying bird can rest peacefully, to giving food and money to the homeless
Loving myself, though it isn't always easy
Spending time outside with my hands in the dirt or streams, speaking with the trees and birds and listening to their replies
I have condensed some info I’ve gathered to put into my grimoire. Below is from multiple posts that I organized for my own personal use. I’m uploading it since I already typed it and might as well. I hope this comes in handy for someone!
Keep reading
though i do not myself believe in the concept of a “beginner” spell, a lot of new witches often ask me what i recommend for them to start with. here’s some of the simpler lot, that should be easier to perform.
shine like the sun - to be radiant like the sun
glow like the moon - to reclaim youth and past beauty
sweeten your feelings - simple jar spell to sweeten a bond
rose bath spell - a bath of roses and milk to gather love and beauty
fries friendship ritual - simple spell of binding friendships.
respect jar spell - simple jar spell to help gain respect
restarting spell - a ritual for fresh starts, to remove old energies, and invite new ones in
stuffed animal sleep spell - a spell for keeping negativity out of dreams, whether it’s pain, difficult subjects, or people that hurt you.
face wash spell - a simple spell to promote beautiful or healthy skin.
soft shores bath spell - for peace and tranquility in one’s life and energy
jar spell for clarity - for emotional/mental clarity and wisdom
rose quartz healing tears - simple ritual to heal emotions
pumpkin head curse - seasonal curse to “burn” those who wrong you
burn your wishes - a simple curse to destroy someone’s wishes
simple study spell - scent-based studying/memory spell
finding things/memory spell - a spell for when many things go missing, to help things reappear
rosemary memory spell - a simple spell for when you need help remembering something
plant growth spell - a spell for helping plants/herbs grow and stay alive
pastel stars - a spell to enchant paper stars with luck, love, happiness
candle intention ideas
here are some ways to infuse intention into your candle spell work that aren’t carving, oils, & herbs:
• wrap string around the candle with colors that align with your intention (ex: black string for protection)
• anoint the candle with a certain element if it is prominent in the spell (ex: water for a dream spell, dirt for grounding, etc)
• wrap a taglock hair around it
• write your intentions on a piece of paper or bay leaf and tie it around the candle
• tie a printed paper photo around the candle (taglock) could also be a piece of paper with their handwriting on it
updated 10/4/2017 - a masterpost of several smaller masterposts, of nearly 300 different spells organized by type / intent / occasion, plus other resources
all links under the cut because holy fuck this post is still very long
Keep reading
Hi, can you please suggest some offerings for Lady Nyx, as I can rarely find any info..
Hi hello! Here’s a list of my personal offerings, what I feel that she likes, etc. You’re right, it’s hard to find info about offerings and other info when it comes to the primordial deities!
7 Moons wine (ever since i saw it, she’s been telling me that she wants it. I finally got some, and she loves it!) {21+ offering}
Moonstones
Black candles
Galaxy/Celestial/Moon print items
Star candy
Coins (this is a universal offering!)
Moon water
Obsidian
Hematite
Celestial jewelry
these are all i can think of at the moment! I hope it helps!
i store all the witchy things i find here
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