I'm Also Struggling To Finish This Book. I'm Not Impressed.

I went on a walk today, I have been trying to go on daily walks, but I might have a skip day every now and then, but today I decided to take pictures of Lemon Park. So my area is thick with history of being you know...racist. A town called Kingman which is about 45 minutes away was KKK headquarters for this area. There are certain towns including Pratt definitely have creepy vibes, and we certainly have ghosts. Lemon Park is no exemption to creepy vibes. Stories go that the lynchings happened at the park as well cultist rituals. Everyone that talks about the park, it certainly begins to feel unwelcoming and after the sun goes down. It was also said to be common place for people to commit suicide, and I lived in town for 10 years now, there has been at least one of two that I know of. I think I'll find another place to walk.

I just really love this little cameo. There’s no electricity due to Magneto’s EMP, but surgery can’t stop so Stephen’s performing surgery under CANDLELIGHT. That’s insane, ohmygod. Plus he can’t even perform surgery normally due to his hands so he’s doing it with magic but he still has to do it because he’s, first and foremost, a doctor.

Job Hunting Spell Jar

Cinnamon

Thyme

Onion powder

Bay Leaf

Green glitter

Green candle

I had a dream where I was in a witch's cottage and in the kitchen she had an iron rack for wooden spoons. Like this but with a pentagram in the center:

And above each hook was a little sign with things like "love", "healing", and "strength". The spoons were enchanted for those purposes and hung on their respective hooks for easy access while cooking.

And I think that's just such a cool idea.... Now to find or make a rack.

Progress! I went over to Dillon's today because I needed to get some money orders, and I wanted to check on my job application status. There's like three job postings over there. One of the ladies over there was an old coworker of mine in the kitchen. She told me the woman who does the HR stuff will be there on Wednesday, and told me just to come in that day!

I forgot that about Neptune!

What's your favorite spacey thing and why? Planet, constellation, nebula, whatever. Bonus points for a pic!

goodness I have to pick just one?!

I'm very fond of Neptune. Its correspondences are cool af, it's literally so pretty, and it's theorized that Neptune rains diamonds. :')

I get what you mean about the good old days of witchblr. I was having a great time until I got cyberbullied and lied about by one bigger creator and she and her fans scared me for life. Now I'm just terrified to talk about my beliefs because I'm scared I'll just be abused again.

Yes, witchblr was fun for awhile, but I remember it getting so bad to the point, where the was the Mass Exodus of Tumblr, a good portion of the people quit all together, but some created their own blog pages. I also remember there was a few instances of bullying individuals and even a few groups. It just makes me genuinely sad and mad for my fellow peeps. I was talking with someone the other the day, and they share your same sentiment. It hurts my heart that it got to that point for you as well. That makes you the third person to say that, and I know there are many others.

Warding & Protection 101

What is warding?

Warding is the practice of shielding or protecting something, someplace, or someone. There are a million and two different types of wards you can create-- in many ways, you are only limited by your own creativity and knowledge.

Why/when should I use a ward?

I always recommend having, at minimum, a protective ward for yourself and your living space if you practice witchcraft (or something adjacent to witchcraft). What a ward does is dependent on what it was created to do. Different people have different needs, and wards are not one-size fits all. Wards can be generic or specific, but my personal preference is a well-defined ward. By well-defined, I mean "clear in what it will and will not do".

Basics

In order to figure out what sort of ward you may need, ask yourself these questions:

What does my practice focus on?

Where might I be vulnerable?

What are my strengths and weaknesses when it comes to witchcraft?

Who and what am I comfortable with having in my space?

When and where am I comfortable with having others in my space?

What do I need to keep out, and what do I need to keep in?

What existing practices/habits may affect my wards? (e.g. cleansing, banishment, rituals, etc.)

Do I have an energy source for a ward? How do I intend to upkeep my wards?

Do my wards need to be moveable or changeable?

What resources are available to me? Are there people or entities that are willing to help me?

What, in my mundane life, do I need help with? What do I need to protect?

What actions am I taking, in my mundane life, to protect myself? (e.g. driving safely, practicing good fire safety habits, etc.)

How to make a ward

As previously stated, there are a million and two different types of wards-- and a million and two different ways to create them. Best practice is generally to lean on your personal strengths and resources to make one. Here are some more specific examples:

Herbalism: A witch who works primarily with herbs could create a protective sachet or jar that is filled with protective herbs.

Kitchen Witchcraft: Someone who practices kitchen witchcraft could cook protective foods, or incorporate small actions into their regular cooking that add protective qualities into their food (i.e. stirring a certain way, routinely using certain ingredients, etc.)

Storm Witchcraft: A witch who works with storms could use the energy of storms to protect their home. They could call on fearsome breezes to blow away harm, rainfall to wash it away, darkness to hide their home, etc.

Glamour witchcraft: A glamour witch can work on how they are perceived. Don't want someone approaching you? Make them afraid of you. Have a fearsome appearance to those who would wish you harm. Make them hesitate. Or hide yourself altogether, as if you were never there.

Deity witchcraft: Ask your gods to guide your hand, to show you how to protect yourself. Ask them to protect you, and clarify what you need protection from.

Green Witchcraft: Grow a plant with the intention of having it take the blow for you, if anything negative gets sent your way. Or have it purify your space.

Divination Wards: Use the energy of specific tarot cards to protect yourself. Write protective runes on things you care about.

Music Witchcraft: Play empowering music. Belt out a song about how nothing can harm you. Hum a tune to make things go away.

Energy Witchcraft: Envision great shields and walls, fortresses and moats. Whatever screams "protection" to you.

Etc.

Types of Wards/Ideas for Wards

Keep in mind that any ward can be for both the magical and mundane (though, always act with common sense, and act as if your wards do not exist. A ward will not make you immortal, and they can be counteracted and/or destroyed. They are there for when shit hits the fan-- but they are not a free pass to start throwing shit AT the fan!)

Transmutative wards: Tranform harmful energy sent your way into something positive and useful. (e.g. negative rumors -> increased opportunities, bad intentions -> abundance)

Baneful wards: If someone hits you, hit them back. Reflect whatever they sent to you back on them, and thensome.

Banishment Wards: If something steps into your space, kick it back out.

Hiding Wards: Hide something from prying eyes. Make it invisible, or make it appear boring/uninteresting.

Reflective wards: Reflect something's image back at them, let them see what they expect to see, or let them see themselves.

Healing wards: Protect your health, or force healing upon those who brush up against them (e.g. if someone lashes out at you because they have not been working on themselves, a healing ward can be just as painful as an outright baneful one.)

Scrambling/maze Wards: Scramble any information someone/something gets, or make them lose their way. Commonly used for unsolicited divination.

Protective wards/wall wards: Stop anything from getting in or out. Stop or prevent harm

Alarm bell wards: Warn you about things coming your way.

Comfort wards: Keep comforting/soothing energy around you.

Examples of Useful Wards

Name/Reputation wards

Household/common places wards

Wards for safe travels

Wards to keep specified spirits/entities out

Wards for malicious intent

Wards for curses/hexes

Wards for natural disasters

Wards for misfortunes

Please feel free to ask any specific questions you may have, this is only a very brief overview to introduce the topic.

i love the fae !!!! shoutout to the fae i love the fae

To maybe help elaborate not all trees are nice, there is the Stinging Tree in Australia where everything you touch causes so pain and itch. The symptoms are said to cause pain for weeks to months. There are certainly other trees where every part or at least most parts are toxic and/or are deadly.

Some little things I've learned over a decade of witchcraft:

If you are feel called to work but are tired/drained, sit outside. Take in all the energies around you. Nature can help charge you

Every witch does a little bit of a bunch of types of magic but sticks mainly to one or two in general. You usually won't be eclectic forever. You'll find what magics work best with you.

Never be lazy or cut corners with spirits. Always be respectful and always tell them to leave when you're done

When you see a plant or ingredient with a long list of properties, there are different things at play. Season of collection, the part of the plant, the health of the plant, etc all play a role in impacting which properties it will carry.

Don't call on spirits unless you have confidence and control

Be careful with sea/water magic. Get into it gently and slowly until you have the energy figured out because it can get out of hand quickly.

Adding a little pinch of magic into your breakfast can make a major difference in your day.

Your personal emotions/feelings over something will impact a work

Planting some plants is good, not only to have a garden, but the dirt helps cleanse you too. Get all dirty and muddy. It's good for ya

Not all trees are nice

The more you listen to your intuition, the easier it will be to tell it apart from your anxieties and worries

Incense is very easy to make which is why it's usually cheap to buy. But you can find a million tutorials online on how to make your own personal incense which is great if you want a spell to take effect over a while but also want to infuse the fire energy in it.

The more you work with something the better feel you get for it. Cinnamon goes in almost everything i cook and most of my spells because me and cinnamon just get right along

Your path is yours and no one else's. It will look like yours and no one else's