Edwin Howland Blashfield (1848-1936)

“I’m a baby witch! What do I start learning?”

Here’s a quick-and-dirty list of things that I think sets up a good foundation for someone moving forward with magic work and why. They’re also in order of what I think is best approached first. (For a time reference, I recommend the whole thing taking at LEAST a year, but individual steps and overall length will vary in each person.)

Learn basic magical theory. What is happening when you cast a spell? What is grounding? How do correspondences work? Why is X step or tool important? Learn about what it is you’re doing before diving into actual casting. Have a basic grip on how it works. 

Some form of divination, even if it’s something as simple as a pendulum. Other people won’t always be there to help you answer questions, validate your interpretation of something, or offer direction. Having some form of divination under your belt helps you avoid dependency on other people. You can more easily answer your own questions, check your own intuition, and take matters into your own hands.

Protection and Cleansing. No matter what path you go down or what type of magic you end up doing, these are two things that every magic worker needs to know how to do, and know how to do it well. They also tend to be fairly straightforward to learn. Cleanse your space, cleanse yourself, cleanse that object, cleanse your grandma. Then protect them. Learn how to set up wards and shields, which brings us to….

Basic energy work. You’ve probably already run into it a lot by this point and it’s fine if you’ve already picked up some things. But now is the time to really focus on it and get comfortable with it. Learn how to confidently sense what’s around you and interact with it, fix gaps in your wards and shields, project your intent into things, you get the idea. Energy work will always be there in a pinch and requires no materials besides your body, and is extremely versatile. Plus, most paths really require at least a base-level understanding of it these days. Can’t hurt.

Start honing your specific path. Here’s where the cookbooks, the old graveyards, the skulls on the shelf, the fairy figurines start really coming into play. If you have an idea of what sort of path you’d like to follow, start really getting into the meat of it! What does it look like? What are the first steps to that type of magic? If for now you’re still eclectic or aren’t sure, then just read what interests you or try more advanced general spells than you have so far.

Go back and do it all again. That’s right. You can also put time into your path or your regular research, but go back and pick up those old books from step one. Read the old articles. Return to the basics and see how your views have become more nuanced, or how you disagree. What details flew over your head the first time? Can you pick up a new form of divination or try something new with your main form? Could those wards and shields be stronger? You get the idea. Once you’ve revisited it, you should have a really solid foundation that will help you no matter what direction you take next!

Other stuff to study on the side: Local folklore, mythology, and types of spirits. You may not want to work with spirits, but sometimes spirits want to work with you! So it’s good to have an idea of what to do if they pop up.  What plants grow in your area? What‘s edible? What is used in healing?  What plants are NOT edible in your area? What’s poisonous?

If you think there’s another important step that you recommend that I didn’t include, feel free to add it! :)

The wonders and magic of space: images via nasa

New moon in 10 days. 🌖 moonios.com

Crystals and their Uses

Love: rose quartz, diamond, garnet, jade, kunzite, peridot, blue sapphire, zebra stone, separtian, shiva lingam, rhodonite

Happiness: sunstone, lithium quartz, critrine, golden beryl, sardonyx, papagoite, calcite golden, carnelian, hematite, spirit quartz

Peace: chrysocolla, smoky quartz, kunzite, blue quartz, green aventurine, desert jasper, petrified wood, selenite

Success: citrine, carnelian, aventurine, bloodstone, cinnabar, green sapphire, amber, fire opal, orbicular jasper

Health: peridot, amethyst, turquoise, celestite, shungite, emerald, fluorite, jade, lapis lazuli, desert rose

Courage: tiger eye, garnet, ruby, red labradorite, red spinel, bloodstone, fire agate, fluorite, pyrite cube, black tourmaline

Arctic Wolf by Jim Cumming

Full Moon Vibes. (gif found on giphy.com)

tw// explosion

Hello, hope all of you are safe and doing well.

You may have heard of what happened in Lebanon today and if not, basically, there was a big explosion in Beirut that affected many cities, destroyed shops, homes, cars, caused many injuries and deaths. The cause is uncertain.

As a fellow lebanese myself (that also lives there), today was absolutely terrifying, probably the scariest moments of my life. We heard a deafening sound as the floors were shaking. Some of us thought it was an attack, others thought it was an earthquake. As soon as it ended many expected a second one, which luckily never happened.

Here's a video of what happened that was sent to me, there are also many others that you can find online.

Windows were broken, doors wrecked, cars flipped over, buildings collapsed, people hit by flying or falling objects, and unfortunately, many didn't make it out alive.

We were one of the lucky ones, our families and friends were all safe and our homes were fine.

Some people couldn't even get out of the crumbling builings, so we saw corpses being pulled out, although some people survived the crash. But wherever we looked, there was blood, poeple were half covered in it, their shirts, pants, hair, everything. And that sight was traumatizing.

We watched the news with elders severely injured, children with blood-spattered shirts and people in pain that couldn't get in the hospitals because they were full.

Some people are missing. Just try to imagine the pain and fear their families and friends are feeling.

Articles about what happened, there are a lot more

aljazeera.com

Dozens killed, thousands wounded in Beirut blast: Live updates

Officials expect death toll to rise after huge blast rips through Lebanon's capital.

euronews

Dozens killed and thousands injured in Beirut port blast

The explosion took place at the port shortly before 19:00 local time (18:00 CET) with a large cloud of smoke billowing over the city. Eyewit

Not only are we in the middle of a pandemic, but Lebanon is also going through a very serious economical crisis. To give you an example, before, $1 equaled 1 500 lebanese pounds. Nowadays, $1 equals more than 7 000 lebanese pounds. Not to mention that we obviously don't have any dollars at disposition, so yeah we're fucked.

People are hungry, homeless, unemployed. And even if they are getting paid, it'll be useless since the prices of everything went up because they were affected by the economical fiasco.

Important additional information

Today, I heard my 7 year old cousins scream in fear that they were going to die. I saw my aunt shaking, worried that her children won't survive. I saw my dad freak out while trying to reassure us when we both knew that we were uncertain about the next minutes of our lives. I heard the panic in the trembling voices of my family and friends as they couldn't believe what had just happened. I thought my loved ones and I were going to die in the next seconds.

I'm never forgetting those moments and feelings.

I don't think signing petitions will help, i don't even know if the following links will help either, I just know Lebanon and it's people are desperate for anything because the future of this country is extremely uncertain.

https://helplebanonnow.carrd.co/

Lebanon

Lebanon

How can you help?

https://lebanoncrisis.carrd.co/

Lebanon & Ways to Help

Lebanon & Ways to Help

Lebanon Needs You More Than Ever. Know more about the crisis in Lebanon, sign petitions, donate or explore volunteering opportunities.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/lebanonneedsorg?utm_source=customer&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link

gofundme.com

Lebanon Needs organized by Christina Nakhle

<strong>What?</strong> We founded Lebanon Needs to provide those who need it the most with essential s… Christina Nakhle needs your support

https://helplebanon.carrd.co/

Help Lebanon

Help Lebanon

Ways to help local Lebanese communities survive the crisis.

http://redcross.org.lb/SubPage.aspx?pageid=1370&PID=158

http://www.caritas.org.lb/get_involved/donate

Caritas Lebanon

Donate | Caritas Lebanon

JustGiving

Help raise £500000 to provide disaster relief after the explosion in Beirut

Weʼre raising money to provide disaster relief after the explosion in Beirut. Support this JustGiving Crowdfunding Page.

https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/lebanon-relief?utm_term=PYp7gXzyD

Lebanon At Risk of FAMINE

Lebanon At Risk of FAMINE

Help families, domestic workers, and refugees in Lebanon with food and other basic needs during this economic and public health crisis

I think donating to the red cross would be the most helpful, so if you are considering it, it'd be great.

There are so many great threads on twitter about what you can do to help, just search help lebanon or something to find them. Also if you can, please donate, and as I said, the lebanese pound is pretty much worthless currently so USD is way more useful to us.

hi I'm ashley-I'd love a reading surroundingmy developing connection with a man named Howie. were aligned spiritually & both in transformative periods of our lives.

Hello love! So the first card I pulled was the Four of Pentacles. Don't hold on too tight. You will actually block positive things from entering your life and the relationship. Remember that control doesn't automatically equal stability. The next card was the empress. Now is a great time of your own abundance and creativity. That can also be channeled into this new found relationship. Remember to still keep your own autonomy and identity in this transformative time with a love. Lastly is the two of swords. Make sure that you acknowledge all of your emotions and feelings to yourself and him. Do not push them away. Face them. I hope this helps :) feel free to contact me if something doesn't make sense or for future readings 💚💚💚