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Why Witchcraft Might Not Be Working For You

There’s so many different reasons a spell or ritual might not be working for you. So I thought I’d share some common reasons why some new witches might be struggling with witchcraft.

✨ You’re not connecting to the ingredients, tools or supplies needed for the spell

What works for me, might not work for you, and that’s okay. This doesn’t mean the spell you’re using is a dud or that you’re not doing it right. It just means that you haven’t formed those connections with the ingredients or tools yet, or your connection with them is different. 

A great example is blueberries lol. In witchcraft blueberries are most commonly associated with protection BUT for me I associate them with creativity and astral travel. There’s a personal reason for this and through out my many many years practicing and studying witchcraft I’ve come to build this relationship with blueberries.

✨ You’re energy is too low

I know the feeling of just really really wanting to get into the magick of it all. But witchcraft is energy draining. If you’re low on energy (edited) then you’re gonna be putting out low energy and that can affect the effectiveness of your spells.

Give yourself time and practice low energy magick like smoke cleansing your space, charging your crystals under the full moon or rearranging your altar (or creating an altar).  

✨ You have been given a false idea of what witchcraft is and how it should feel or how it should work

Real witchcraft isn’t measurable nor is it able to be defined in one true way. Witchcraft is different for every single witch. Even witches in covens have given different descriptions of the feelings they’ve had while performing the same spell or ritual. That’s because we all experience magick a different way.

Don’t be too hard on yourself because you didn’t feel a hot light burning inside of you, like one witch may describe. And don’t feel bad if you don’t literally see colors radiating from your spell jar like another witch described. Personally I’ve never experienced either of those things but that doesn’t mean that what I was doing wasn’t working, it just worked differently and felt differently for me. I may not have had those exact same experiences but I had my own, and they were/are just as special. 

Next time you do a spell or ritual, write how it made you feel in your journal. Don’t just write the spell down but write all the things you felt, saw, smelled, heard and even tasted. This way you can get a better understand of how magick works and feels for you.

✨ Your space, body, mind or spirit needs to be cleansed

The biggest reason I’ve found for my spells just completely flopping is I didn’t bother cleansing before doing it. Negative energy is like white cat hair stuck to your favorite black leggings, it ain’t going nowhere until you clean it lol.

The great thing about cleansing is it can be done with just your hands! Yeah, bet a witch has never told you that before LOL. Sound is a great way to cleanse a space. Snapping, clapping and rubbing our hands together makes sounds. You can tab on a table, or use EFT (usually done as a meditative practice but could be utilized in cleansing the mind, body and spirit as well).

You can cleanse with incense, candles, oils, and water too.

✨ Your spells have too many ingredients

I find the more stuff you use for a spell the more unpredictable the outcome is, this is because each ingredient can have multiple properties. Even if you have personal correspondences with them they still usually have multiple uses. Like the blueberry example I gave, for me I associate blueberries more with astral travel and creativity but I also associate it with platonic relationships, happiness and protection. Even though I still associate it with protection it wouldn’t be necessary for me to use it in a protection spell if I’m already using something else that I more strongly associate with protection.

In witchcraft, often times, less really is more. I’ve created the 5 elements “rule” for myself and it’s worked out really well for me. I use 1 ingredient to represent each of the 5 different elements (earth, air, fire, water and spirit) in most of my spells and rituals. If it’s a spell jar, pouch, tea. elixr (or something like that) I like to try and keep my ingredients to a 3 - 5 limit. It prevents me from using up my stash so quickly and prevents my ingredients from completely canceling each other out.

✨ You’re scared

This is sooooooooo normal, don’t even think you’re weird or something because  you’ve got some fears or concerns about practicing witchcraft. It’s common for someone from a religious (especially an abrahamic one) background to hold onto the teachings of their religion and to be fearful of the unknown. Especially if it’s been drilled into your head that it’s evil and you’ll burn in an eternity of fire for burning a sage bundle lol.

If this is you, ease into witchcraft. Learn more about the different traditions and take your time studying. This isn’t a race. Witchcraft ain’t going nowhere lol. You’re not obligated to just dive in head first. It’s okay to take your time and really get comfortable.

✨ Lastly, you’re taking on too much at once

You ever see those witch blogs that seem to pop up out of nowhere and they’re just blasted into popularity, only for the witch to later denounce their practice in the craft claiming that it wasn’t really working for them or that it all turned out to be bs? This is usually because they watched 1 or 2 youtube videos about witchcraft and decided to buy a $300 witch starter kit, 10 books about witchcraft and 3 tarot decks all before even doing any research into witchcraft at all.

They took on too much, too fast. They’ve also taken on things they lack an understanding of and because of this lack of understanding (and a natural desire to want to be good at something instantly), when it doesn’t work for them they claim it’s bullshit and fake.

You need to be patient. Just like any skill or talent, it takes time to master and to see the results we want. So if you’re someone whose invested a lot of money upfront into your craft and now it just doesn’t seem to be working for you, take your time. You’re not going to learn everything about witchcraft overnight (chances are you’ll never learn everything about witchcraft lol). The amount of money you spend won’t make you a better witch or make you better at witchcraft. So don’t fall for those beginner witch starter kits that start at $100.

You don’t need to do everything at once.

I hope this is helpful. If you have anything to add to this list please do so. And remember, witchcraft is a craft. Crafts take time, patiences and skill. These are not things that you just develop overnight. Take your time, cleanse your space, grow relationships with your ingredients, tools and supplies, and allow yourself to experience your magick and don’t try to replicate someone else’s. 

Pendulums 🧵

Disclaimer This is all based on my research, experiences & opinion. 

Introduction  I got sent an ask referring to pendulums & although I use pendulums & have made a post before it was quite short & poorly written so here we are again with a new one! 

Defining & Acquiring A Pendulum 

What is a pendulum?  The mundane definition of a pendulum is-  “A weight hung from a fixed point so that it can swing freely backward and forward, especially a rod with a weight at the end that regulates the mechanism of a clock.” While this is simply the mundane definition, it gives you a good idea of an object or creation that might qualify as a pendulum. From a witchcraft perspective, a pendulum is a small item that hangs from a string/thread/chain that can be used for divination. 

Why use a pendulum? Many forms of divination require a bit of in depth analysis & aren’t very useful for simply or yes/no questions while a pendulum is perfect for this. It is also fairly simple, beginner friendly, closet witch friendly, cheap & portable! 

Where do I get a pendulum?  I got mine at a shop that specializes in crystal jewelry but you can make a pendulum, use a necklace, or buy them at crystal, metaphysical, or witchy/pagan supply shops. 

How do I make one?  You can make a pendulum out of really any small object and a string/thread/chain. A common way to make one easily is by using a needle on a thread. There a lot of options though depending on what you have access to, how much time you want it to take, how much knowledge you have & how witchy you want it to look. If you want to make a pendulum that is anything but simple then google pictures! 

Where can I get a pendulum? | How do I pick?  If you would like to buy a pendulum instead of make one there are a wide variety of things people use to make pendulums but a common one is crystals. Mine is opalite! The type of crystal or other material the pendulum is made out of will correspond with the uses the pendulum has. Ex: a rose quartz pendulum is good for questions relating to love. Other materials may carry correspondences too, such as wood or metal. 

How do I use a pendulum? 

Cleansing & Charging  As you do with all items you intend to use for witchcraft, cleanse the pendulum before you use it! You can also choose to charge it, especially if its crystal but this isn’t as deeply essential as cleansing. 

Method Selection  You can either ask the pendulum to “show you yes/no/ect” and watch/record the way it swings or use a pendulum board (good idea to google one so you get a better idea what I’m referring to.) A pendulum board has “yes/no/ect” written on it and you hold the pendulum above it. It swings & its answers are indicated by the board below. I have always used the first method personally but it’s entirely up to you! 

Basic Question  Now that you’re prepared, ask the pendulum several questions you already know the answers to. You could also chose to interview the pendulum as you would other divination tools such as a tarot deck. This is entirely up to you though. 

Practice  Practice makes perfect! If you want to get used to using a pendulum, practice a lot. Ask it diverse questions & record your results! 

Tips & Reminders 

Pendulums are best used for yes/no questions. 

If you can’t come up with a question, think of something that’s been troubling you & how you can turn that into a question. This also works with other forms of divination. 

If you use the method where you ask the pendulum to “show you” yes or no, it is advised you don’t just ask it to show this on the first reading & record results but ask it before each reading. Some pendulums are consistent, some are not. Some witches are consistent, some are not. 

I hope this helped you or you learned something!  Enjoy!  Have a lovely day 💖

💀 How To - Curses  💀

💀 what is a curse?

A curse is a spell designed to cause a person or place harm or misfortune for whatever reasons the caster has. Occasionally they have been used to protect when it used against a concept, “cursing out” infections and medical problems.

HOW TO WRITE YOUR OWN CURSES / SPELLS 💀

💀 common spell components for curses:

CRYSTALS    —  tourmaline  /  plain quartz /  amethyst /  selenite,

WATERS  — harbor water / new moon water / storm water / muddy water

TOOLS  — candles (black, red usually) / taglocks / string / poppets

ENCHANTED OBJECTS — knife / taglock / poppet / jar 

MISC  — sharp objects / alcohol / pepper / broken glass

💀 suggestions for various types of curses:

PAIN  — rusty nails /  raspberry leaves 

REVENGE  — chilis / rose thorns / rose ashes

REGRET  — thistle / wine / willow leaves / cypress

MISFORTUNE  — ashes /  barberry plant 

Reviving the Witchcraft Community

Due to basically everyone leaving tumblr for one reason or another, my dash has died and that makes me really sad

If you post anything related to witchcraft (examples below) in any way, please like or reblog this post so I can find you and follow you.

THIS POST WAS WRITTEN ON THE 21ST OF JANUARY, 2020. PLEASE HELP ME REVIVE THE ONLINE WITCH COMMUNITY

If you post anything relating to:

Your practice

Grimoire inspiration

Grimoire pictures

Altarspaces

Altar inspiration

Scrapbooking related to the craft

Pressed flowers

Herbalism

Spellwork

Spells

Spells jars

Sigils

Enchantments

Charms

Glamours

Witch bags

Mojo bags

Wildcrafting

Foraging

Candle magic

Divination of any kind

Recipes for kitchen witchcraft

Or anything else that you consider part of your personal practice

ESPECIALLY ORIGINAL CONTENT

Please, once again, like or reblog this post so I can revive my dash and start working on reviving the community as a whole

This post was written on the 21st of January, 2020.

Looking for a witchy challenge? Try writing a new spell every day for 30 days!

You have full creative freedom and are free to interpret the prompts as you will. You can make a spell as specific or as vague as you like.

A spell to remember something

A spell to forget something

A spell to attract something

A spell to repel something

A spell to achieve a specific goal

A spell to heal

A spell that incorporates deities

A spell to create something

A spell for communication

A spell for money

A spell to be noticed

A spell to be hidden

A spell for creativity

A spell of safety

A good luck spell

A spell that involves alcohol

A spell that involves food

A spell to strengthen a relationship

A spell to destroy a relationship

A knowledge spell

A spell that incorporates technology

A spell that involves divination

A glamour

A spell that takes inspiration from your heritage

A spell jar

A spell that requires more than one caster

A self-care spell

A binding spell

A spell that breaks barriers down

A spell that you would never ever cast

my favorite poison

With a stretch and groan, Draven looked at the clock next to the bed, it was five o'clock in the morning. He could hear his wife singing in Italian in the kitchen. Oh, how he loved the sound of that. His parents hated that he had married Giana but Draven had fallen in love with her the moment he laid eyes on her. Pushing himself up from the bed he made his way into the kitchen where she was cooking breakfast. His arm snaked around her waist from behind as he moved the hair from her neck with his free hand. Nuzzling his face against the flesh there as he breathed her in, "Dame un Bacio." He whispered into her ear as he turned her in his arms. Gia wrapped her arms loosely around his neck as she placed kisses all over his face before landing on his lips. "Dammene nulla." Her smile lit up the room, he loved when she spoke to him in Italian. It was one of the only reasons his parents had even agreed to their wedding in the first place. She was an Italian girl, even spoke the language. "You are my favorite poison." He grinned at her as he kissed her once more pulling her closer against him. "I've missed you so much." His words began to echo in his own ears as the vision of his late wife began to fade. Her body vanishing in his arms, sending him to bolt upright in his own bed covered in sweat. "GIA!" He screamed out to the empty house, the only sounds were the sounds of the city that could be heard just outside the windows of his home in Queens. The small apartment they shared in Manhattan long gone, traded in for the spacious home here in Queens. He had thought he had left her memory in Manhattan as well. The sting of tears could be felt in his eyes as he laid back against the pillows on his bed, those dreams were always the worst. He could feel her in his arms, taste her lips against his own, and smell her perfume in the air. The smell of her perfume hung in his nose. Looking over at the clock on the bedside table, his eyes blurry with tears. Five o'clock in the morning, it was the same time that she had always woken him up when she was alive. Draven picked up his phone looking at it as he realized what day it was. Five years ago to the day he had lost the love of his life. Five years ago today he had almost lost everything. He knew what he needed to do today. Today he would need to go visit her grave, she was after all still his wife. Pushing himself up from the bed he saw Hades watching him intently. "Come on big guy we are heading to the graveyard today."

Apple Pie Cookies

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 16 cookies 1x

Category: Dessert

Method: Oven

Cuisine: American

Description

Apple Pie Cookies – sticky and chewy, bite-sized caramel apple pies. Sometimes the regular old apple pie recipe is just too much dessert to handle. These gooey bites bring you the best of both worlds: the fruity-caramel flavor of traditional pie, with all of the convenience of a simple cookie recipe! (No fork required!!!)

Ingredients

For Apple Pie Filling :

3 apples (about 1 lbs.)-peeled and sliced into 8 slices each

1–2 tablespoon lemon juice

3 tablespoon white sugar

3 tablespoon brown sugar

3 tablespoon corn starch

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

A dash of nutmeg

3/4 cup water

For Pie Crust :

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter cut into cubes-chilled

2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 cup ice water

(or you can use 1 package Refrigerated Pie Crust (2 crusts))

Filling and Topping:

1 and 3/4 cups apple pie filling-chopped into small pieces

1 cup caramel sauce

1 egg -lightly beaten

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup sugar

Instructions

To make Apple Pie Filling:

Toss sliced apples with lemon juice and set aside.

In a saucepan or a pot combine cornstarch, sugar, browned sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and water. Stir well and bring to a boil over medium-high heat whisking constantly. Let it boil 2 minutes until thick, then stir in apple slices.

Reduce heat to low, cover the pot and let it simmer about 10 minutes. Apples should be soft but not mushy (cooking time depend on sort of apples). Remove apples from heat and leave them covered to soften and cooled.

When it’s cooled take out the apples from the sauce and chop into small pieces, set aside.

To make Pie Crust:

In a large mixing bowl place flour, salt and sugar and mix to combine.

Using a pastry blender incorporate chilled butter cubes into the flour mixture(the mixture should resemble coarse meal)

Drizzle 2 tablespoons ice water over the mixture and blend, repeat with another 2 tablespoons water. When you squeeze the dough it should holds together (you may have to add more water if the dough crumbles, add 1 tablespoon at a time)

Divide the dough into two equal pieces, flatten and form two disc, pack each disc with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour.

Lightly dust working surface with flour, place chilled dough, dust the dough and the rolling pin, too. Turn the dough as you rolling to prevent it from sticking. Roll it out 1/8-inch thick.

Repeat the process with the other disc.

Assembling the Apple Pie Cookies:

Preheat the oven to 350 F, line cookie sheet with parchment paper, spray with non-stick spray and set aside.

Spread the caramel sauce onto one pie crust.

Spread chopped apple pie filling over caramel and gently tap the filling with your palms.

Cut second pie crust into 1/2 inch strips and create a lattice top over the filling.

Using round cookie cutter (about 2.5 inch) cut out the cookies and place them onto baking sheet.

Beat the egg with a fork and brush the top of cookies.

Combine cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle the cookies generously.

Bake 20-30 minutes (until golden brown).

Malibu Sunset

INGREDIENTS

 ice cubes

 3 to 4 ounces pineapple-orange juice (I use a blend rather than purchasing separate juices)

 2 ounces Malibu Coconut Rum

 grenadine, drizzled

 maraschino cherries, for garnishing

 pineapple and/or orange slices, for garnishing

INSTRUCTIONS

Add ice to glass.

Add juice, Malibu, and stir.

Drizzle in grenadine.

Garnish with cherries, pineapple, and/or orange slices.

Serve immediately.

Drink is intended for those whom alcohol consumption is appropriate. Always drink responsibly.