Tips/Reminders For Witches Just Beginning Their Craft

doing another tarot card tip, today with our good friend Death! 

1. Find Death in your deck 2. The card above: What you need to put to rest 3. The card below: What you can grow in its absence

I hope it does some good for y’all :)

I first made my own herbal chai blend after reading about it in @thymeherbal The Herbal Homestead Journal, which is still one of my favorite herbal references. I love this blend so much around this time of year, especially as someone who doesn’t drink caffeine. I didn’t put rations on this one since everyone likes theirs a bit different, but this is how I roughly make mine: 

•1:1:1 burdock, dandelion root (which I prefer roasted), and saspirilla root. This ends up being around 3 

•6 tablespoons each for me

 •1-2 tablespoons peppercorns, orange peel, cloves, crushed cardamom pods, and anything else your adding to the mix 

•2 crushed cinnamon sticks 

•1 tsp fresh ginger and turmeric to each cup 

hmmm feeling the need to get lost and goat herd in some unknown alps and live in a little cottage drawing and writing books, picking mushrooms in a small woven basket, planting lots of herbs and bathing in cold rivers when the full moon is up. 

If you are seeing this then you have been chosen by the universe

Remember this date: August 27th

You'll see

I love this artwork, it belongs to @paperwitchco 🎃

They certainly are! 

Resources of Interest for Early Modern Magic in England & New England (circa the 1500s to 1800)

Primary Sources

The Key of Solomon. I’ve heard a lot of good things from several ceremonial magicians, including @thedesertgod , that the edition to go for is Skinner’s. He’s compiled, edited, and added scholastic commentary to The Veritable Key of Solomon, as well as The Magician’s Tables. Joseph Peterson, also recommended, has worked on The Lesser Key of Solomon and the Clavicula Solomonis (or Key of Solomon). I probably would read it in its original Latin, if you have the means. 

Agrippa, Cornelius (false attribution). The Fourth Book of Occult Philosophy. 1655. Stephen Skinner also worked on an edition of this book. Unlike the actual Agrippa’s original three books, this volume does not hold much in the way of theory but offers plenty of practical instruction.

Casaubon, M. A True and Faithful Relation of what passed for many years between Dr. John Dee…and Some Spirits. 1659. As a record of the seances held by Dr. Dee and Kelley, it recounts the techniques used to conjure spirits. 

Chamberlain, Richard. Lithobolia. 1682. One family’s account of witchcraft perpetuated by the fetch of a neighbor.

Culpepper, Nicholas. Complete Herbal. 1653. It provides a comprehensive description of the herbs, along with their medicinal uses and instructions on preparing them to treat illnesses. 

Culpepper, Nicholas. The English Physician. 1652. The first medical guide published in the American colonies (apparently), it is intended for the average person. 

Defoe, Daniel (assumed). A Compleat System of Magick; or, The History of the Black-Art. 1727. As a skeptic, like Reginald Scot, this anonymous author (who we’re pretty sure is Defoe) provides much information on the work of witches, conjurors, and cunning-folk. 

Hale, John. A Modest Enquiry into the Nature of Witchcraft. 1702. After the Salem witch trials, he challenges the legal proceedings and religious principals of witch hunts in general. 

Magnus, Albertus (false attribution). The Book of Secrets. “Provides a portrayal of the magical culture that predominated in the 16th century. This work includes secrets which are divided into five distinct parts: Of the Virtues of Herbs, Of the Virtues of Stones, Of the Virtues of Beasts, Of the Planets, and The Marvels of the World.”

Mather, Cotton. Memorable Providences. 1698. Having fanned the flames of the Salem hysteria, this book discusses several witchcraft cases in New England before the Trials arose.

Mather, Increase. Cases of Conscience. 1693. Intended to vindicate the Mathers’ involvement in Salem, it was intended to prove that witches and devils could assume the shape of an innocent person. 

Scot, Reginald. The Discoverie of Witchcraft. 1584. By attempting to debunk witchcraft as a hoax, it managed to record a good cross-section of their formulae. 

Turner, Richard. Botanologia The Brittish Physician: or The Nature and Vertue of English Plants. 1664. Another guide to British herbs and medicine, by an astrologer, occultist, and botanist.

Modern Accounts

Davies, Owen. Cunning-Folk: Popular Magic in English History. Hambledon and London, 2003. 

Demos, John. Entertaining Satan: Witchcraft and the Culture of Early New England. Oxford University Press, 2004. 

Godbeer, Richard. The Devil’s Dominion: Magic and Religion in Early New England. Cambridge University Press, 1989. 

Merrifield, Ralph. The Archaeology of Ritual and Magic. Batsford, 1987.

Semmens, Jason. The Witch of the West: or, the Strange and Wonderful History of Thomasine Blight. Semmens, 2004. 

Thomas, Keith. Religion and the Decline of Magic. Peregrine, 1978.

Weisman, Richard. Witchcraft, Magic, and Religion in 17th-century Massachusetts. University of Massachusetts Press, 1984. 

Wilby, Emma. Cunning Folk and Familiar Spirits: Shamanistic Visionary Traditions in Early Modern British Witchcraft and Magic. Sussex Academic Press, 2005.

*Lucky Chai Tea Latte*

I originally found this post from @starlight-witches. This is specifically for one of the lattes on the long list, called The Lucky Chai. I thought I would try it out and it’s absolutely delicious! It’s perfect for those cold, winter days where all you want to do is cuddle up with your pets and watch Netflix!

Recipe: from @sidewalk-crystal  

｡･:*:･ﾟ★, ｡･:*:･ﾟ☆   ｡･:*:･ﾟ★, ｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆   ｡･:*:･ﾟ★, ｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

This recipe makes one serving. I tripled this and made three servings!

What you’ll need: ✧ Milk or milk alternative ✧ Filtered water ✧ Tea that goes well with milk (not green tea or fruit flavored teas) ✧ Cinnamon or cinnamon sticks for clairvoyance and prosperity ✧ Cardamom for luck and love ✧ Sugar or honey to taste Optional: ✧ whipped cream ✧ chocolate chips ✧ ground cinnamon for topping

｡･:*:･ﾟ★, ｡･:*:･ﾟ☆   ｡･:*:･ﾟ★, ｡･:*:･ﾟ☆ ｡･:*:･ﾟ★,｡･:*:･ﾟ☆   ｡･:*:･ﾟ★, ｡･:*:･ﾟ☆

Steps: ✧ fill your mug ¾ of the way with milk ✧ fill the rest (¼ of your mug) with water ✧ By this point, your mug should be filled all the way. So more than half of your mug should be milk and the rest water. ✧ Pour the mixture into a medium sized pot with your sugar or honey and wait until your mixture boils.  ✼ Tip: Make sure you stir it well as you boil it and leave it on medium-low heat or it will boil over! ✧ As it’s heating up, put in your cinnamon and cardamom. I used only one cinnamon stick per serving, but feel free to add more ground cinnamon at the end. And I only used a pinch of cardamom! ✧ When it’s done boiling, it will get frothy and foamy. At this point, take it off the heat and add in your tea. Steeping it would take way too long so just cut open the tea bag and pour it right in! You can strain this if you want to, but I found no need for this unless you’re cooking with big tea leaves. ✧ Serve hot, and depending on your preferences, serve with whipped cream, chocolate chips, and ground cinnamon for topping!

It came out even more beautiful than I ever imagined! Thank you for this recipe! 

｡☆✼★━━━━━━━━━━━━★✼ ☆ ｡

I hope this brings you luck and warmth this season!

I found out Odin & Hœnir & Loki shares a common theme: birds! Odin is raven(or eagle), Hœnir is water bird(either crane, heron, or swan), Loki is falcon/hawk.

Oh that’s true! They are all associated with a specific kind of bird at some point in the myths. Odin and his ravens are sort of recurring because they’re his familiars, so to speak; Hoenir’s relation with swans/water birds comes from Lokka Tattur if I’m not mistaken, when he hides the boy in a single bird’s feather; and Loki being a falcon/hawk comes from the Skaldskaparmal, when he borrows Freyja’s falcon feather cloak in order to rescue Idunn

motivational tea potion

🌅☀️🌿💫🕯

this potion is wonderful first thing in the morning before a busy day, right before a work shift or school day, before you have to do a bunch of cleaning, even before spellwork! just all around a great tea to light a fire under you whenever you may need it

[ what you’ll need ]

2 cups sun water

motivation, energy, healing, comfort, focus, communication

2 tsp black tea

grounding, energy, prosperity, motivation

1 stick of cinnamon

comfort, healing, motivation, energy, prosperity, communication, good luck, communication, protection against negativity

1 whole clove

prosperity, grounding, longevity of energy, good luck, communication

2 sprigs of rosemary *

rolls negativity off you, focus, compassion, motivation, energy, good luck, prosperity

1 - 2 black peppercorn

high energy, motivation, grounding, good luck, protection

honey to taste

communication, abundance, gentleness, good luck, energy, motivation, focus, comfort

maybe a tsp or so if you’re using dried, can be subbed out for thyme *

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this is meant to be a recipe for a drinkable tea but you could also pour this potion into a bath or just bottle it up and keep it on your desk/nightstand, etc! as always feel free to send in any questions, happy witching :)

💛🕯☀️🌿