You really don't need all the fancy bullshit every tumblr influencer will ever tell you to use. Here's my countdown ofaxtually useful shit.
A pocket knife, preferably with a wood handle. Use that bitch for everything, enchant it, carve symbols in it. It will absolutely be your best friend.
A good bag or backpack with a couple of plastic or ziploc bags in it. If you ever run off into the woods to find minerals, bones, plants, etc. A set aside bag and some things to store your treasures in becomes a necessity.
Basic divinatory sets. You don't have to buy fancy shit, learn to divine with playing cards and dice, or learn geomancy, lithomancy, or rune casting with homemade sets. A tarot deck is nice, but it isn't necessary when you've got so many other divinatory aids available.
A nice sized chunk of scrap cloth. When you process dried plants or sort new ones, that shit can and will get everywhere. A scrap piece of muslin or linen can help contain all of that mess and make clean up way easier.
A stash of good rocks. Draw sigils or symbols on those babies and leave them in the garden, the windowsill,property boundaries, under the stoop, etc. You can never have too many good rocks.
A pendulum, for fucks sake. The cards are going to be vague as hell when you're trying to figure out yes or no questions, and using a candle to communicate with spirits is really fucking hard outside. If you can't afford one, find a nice chunk of pointy quartz and learn to macrame.
A workspace. Everyone talks about having big fancy altars, but no one mentions that you need a good surface to do all your work on.
Storage, so much storage. I'm not talking about mason jars and pill bottles, I'm talking about where you put all the things you put in those jars. Having a workspace with drawers is immeasurably helpful.
A broom and water source. You're going to be cleaning up after yourself a lot, it's helpful to have a jug of water and a broom that stays by your workspace.
A mode of cleansing. I make a salt concoction to scatter around my workspace on short notice and store it close by.
On that note: SOMETHING TO CANCEL SPELLS WITH. Eventually, something will go wrong. You'll want to end that spell immediately. Have something to do it with.
A strainer. If you don't have a blender, rub dried plants across it to get a powder. If you do have a blender, you can strain that powder with it. Either way, if you intend to powder shit, get a strainer.
Small trays. It makes drying flowers so much easier if you have a small metal surface to contain them with- then just stick those suckers in a southern window and let em go.
Yarn/string scraps. Having a box or drawer of scraps makes trying this up to dry easier and a bit less wasteful.
A stash of offerings for whatever you work with. Honey for fae, coins for graveyard gatekeepers, alcohol for ancestors, etc.
Protective talismans or charms. Once you're into all of this stuff, you'll likely stick your nose in something you shouldn't. Having basic protection with you or in your workspace is incredibly important. A key and hagstone with red string is simple and effective.
A lighter- so many people forget the most basic shit. You're going to want to light shit on fire if you're a witch.
And a last tip- if something is too hard for a mortar and pestle, a plastic bag and hammer works too.
The Light.
a tarot spread for litha.
1. The Heart.
The heart of the sun is your center. This is where you hold all your truths. Do not live in fear any longer. Let this card be your constant reminder that the time has come to be the person you truly are.
2. The Air.
The rays of the sun can be felt all around you within the warm summer air. Let this card be your constant reminder that you have been reborn as a being of strength and unwavering positivity. When you feel the warmth of summer, remember you are a new creation.
3. The Light.
Let the light of this new day chase the shadows of doubt far away. Know that there is nothing you cannot obtain. Let this card be your constant reminder that you have the ability to achieve your goals.
đź”® Correspondences: travels, dreams, psychic powers, peace, mystery, healing, home, fertility, emotions, family, divination
✨ Ritual: brew green tea and put all your positive intentions for this week in the tea by stirring it clockwise for good luck.Â
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đź”® Correspondences: bravery, business, courage, strength, war, partnership, passion, protection, sexual intentions, work, victory
✨ Ritual: connect with the strength and bravery of nature by going on a walk outside, a hike, or at least opening your windows wide open and letting the fresh, cold air of the morning in your home.Â
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đź”® Correspondences: art, astrology, communication, focus, creativity, education, excitement, inspiration, wise
✨ Ritual: take a ritual bath or cleansing shower, and repeat the following mantra “I cleanse myself so I may feel light, creative, peaceful and at ease”.Â
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đź”® Correspondences: abundance, money, luck, growth, personal development, prosperity, health, expansion, altruism
✨ Ritual: on a bay leaf, write a keyword or sigil representing a wish or dream of yours, focus on it with all your intention, then burn the leaf with a white candle to make it happen.Â
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đź”® Correspondences: affection, friendship, love, romance, beauty, social interactions, harmony, birth, reconciliation
✨ Ritual: after working or studying, bring harmony to your desk by thoroughly decluttering any unnecessary item, cleaning up the dust and magically cleansing it with sage or Palo Santo.Â
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đź”® Correspondences: banishment, spiritual communication, justice, curse, death, cleansing, purification, time, end, debts, home
✨ Ritual: to get rid of a curse or negative energy, fix a black candle in a bowl by letting some wax melt at the bottom of the candle. Then fill up half the bowl with water. Turn on the candle, then focus all your intentions on banishing the curse. When the candle has reached the water, the negativity will be gone.Â
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đź”® Correspondences: ambitions, goals, career, growth, beginning, masculinity, health, spirituality, success, prosperity
✨ Ritual: read your tarot by drawing 3 cards (Past, Present, Future) to learn from last week’s mistakes, understand your current mental state and prepare for next week.Â
They certainly are!Â
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
I view witchcraft in the same way that I do vitamin supplements. Vitamins can help boost you up if you’re deficient in certain things, but if you ate nothing but vitamins, you’d still be very unhealthy. Witchcraft is the same way. If you need help finding a job, a job spell can help increase your chances after you submit a job application. However, if you ignore mundane means and only ever use witchcraft, you’ll never reach your full potential.
I figured I would take a little bit of time to post the pictures of some books wow secular or really good base for people who are interested in kitchen/hearth/green witchcraft.
Also be a really good resource for those of you who are still in the closet as these books by themselves are innocuous enough to pass by unnoticed by most unless they know what you're doing
sending some kitchen magic from my home to yours this new moon eve 🌚✨
Anyone who can make a cup of tea and dye a skein of wool, or linen/cotton. It almost like alchemy that such common garden plants can produce an amazing array of vibrant colors. The way that this wheel works is the plant corresponds with the different mordant to help preserve the color. Natural dyeing has endless possibilities of colors that are able to be created depending on factors like soak time, varying up mordants, even which part of the plant you’re using! These mostly act as suggestions to a place to begin, even though there are limitless ways to produce plant based dyes. Here’s an example of how this process would would be done: Dyeing: 12 oz. marigold heads 5 cups water 2 tbsp alum Steps: Bring water to a boil with marigolds. Reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes. Strain and transfer only liquid back to pot. Add damp fabric and simmer 10–20 minutes. Rinse, or leave in bath overnight and rinse with hot water until water runs clear. Dry. Heat set by ironing for 5 minutes. What plants are your favorite to dye with?Â
*I am not an expert dyer, all of this information was researched via Garden Flower Folklore by Laura C. Martin. .
Spell originally by Cassandra Eason.
What you need:
12 white candles or tea candles (in a circle)
A red candle in the center
Festiveness around the candles (greenery, baubles, etc.)
Timing: Between December 21-23 in Northern Hemisphere; June 21-23 in the Southern Hemisphere (Yule’s timing)
1.) Light the red candle and from it the circle of candles. Say “I walk into the darkness without fear at the turning of the year, knowing the light will return. Candles no more burn.”
2.) Extinguish the candle circle so only the central candle flame remains. Say “ Let the old sun die, carrying away what must go, the illusions, the excuses, the inertia, and open the door to a new tomorrow.”
3.)After a few minutes relight each candle in the circle, clockwise from the red candle, saying “ The sun is reborn and light returns to the world. The dark times are ended.”
4.) Let the candles burn and use the decorations around the home (keep an eye on the candles so you don’t burn down the house :D )