Trans Disabled Witch Needs Help

Trans Disabled Witch Needs Help

Hey witchblr,

I know I’m not incredibly well known through the witchcraft community, but I really need help.

Since February I’ve been experiencing PTSD related seizures that have essentially rendered me completely disabled and nearly completely bed ridden most days. I’m no longer legal to drive or safe to be alone for long periods of time, I’ve had to quit working almost entirely, and I depend completely on my partners. Soon I’m going to be wearing one of these to track my heart because I’ve been having serious palpitations and issues regarding my heart. Just this Wednesday I was in the ER for what could have been a heart attack.

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Recently things took a sharp downhill swing, and I’m in need of some serious help. My medical debt is skyrocketing from trips to the ER, to weekly therapy sessions that I can’t keep up with. My living situation is also a toxic mess that I need out of asap, my home is no longer safe for me. I realized I can’t explain in detail but will answer all private PMs on the subject.

I’ve started a gofundme to help myself get out of the toxic (literally and figuratively) housing situation I’m in. If you don’t feel comfortable using gofundme, my paypal is etjernety@hotmail.com

Edit: I want to make it clear that any funds donated would go towards my medical bills/debt, the therapy I need, and living expenses.

More Posts from Moss-pond and Others

8 years ago

Tari’s Spellbook Masterpost

My Spellbook is a sorted collection of all of the spells and spell ideas that I have reblogged or posted here on Tumblr.  The Spellbook is constantly under construction, with new categories being added, so please click here to see the updated version of this on my blog ^_^

NOTE: Please open this post in a separate tag, as the links are to tag groups and will not be supported in the sidebar blog format on Tumblr.  If you open this post in a sidebar, the links will bring you to my blog’s homepage.  

#Spellbook  - Original Spells - Spell Seeds - Spell Collections - Simple Spells - References

Spells Sorted By General Intent

Binding Spells

Blessings

Charms

Cleansing Spells

Curses

Enchantments

Glamours

Grounding Spells

Healing Spells

Meditation Spells

Protection Spells

Purification Spells

Spells Sorted By Type of Witchcraft & Magick

Air Spells

Animal Spells

Art Spells

Bath Spells

Bone Spells

Bottle Spells

Candle Spells

Coin Spells

Cord Spells | Knot Spells

Cottage Spells | Domestic Spells

Crystal Spells

Digital Spells

Divination Spells

Dream Spells

Earth Spells

Energy Spells

Fairy Spells

Feather Spells

Fire Spells

Flower Spells

Food Spells 

Green Witchery Spells

Hedge Witchery Spells

Herbal Spells

Kitchen Witchery Spells

Jar Spells

Jewelry Spells

Lunar Spells | Space Witchery Spells | Solar Spells | Star Spells

Mirror Spells

Music Spells

Paper Spells

Pop Culture Spells

Poppet Spells

Powder Spells

Ring Spells

Sachet Spells

Sea Spells

Seasonal Spells

Sewing Spells

Shadow Spells

Sigil Spells

Soil Spells

Storm Spells | Weather Spells

Subtle Witchcraft Spells

Stone Spells

Tea Spells

Techno Witchcraft Spells

Urban Witchcraft Spells

Water Spells

Woods Witchery Spells

Yarn Spells

Spells Sorted By Specific Desire

Spells for Anxiety

Spells for Beauty

Spells for Business

Spells for Calm

Spells for Clarity

Spells for Comfort

Spells for Communication

Spells for Concentration

Spells for Confidence

Spells for Creativity

Spells for Energy

Spells for Fertility

Spells for Friendships

Spells for General Health | Spells for Mental Health | Spells for Physical Health

Spells for Happiness

Spells for Holidays | Halloween Spells

Spells for the Home

Spells for Intelligence

Spells for Letting Go

Spells for Lost Things

Spells for Love

Spells for Luck

Spells for Marriage

Spells for Memory

Spells for Money | Spells for Prosperity

Spells for Motivation

Spells for Nightmares

Spells for Pain Relief

Spells for Passion

Spells for Patience

Spells for Personal Growth

Spells for Pets

Spells for Positivity

Spells for Privacy

Spells for Productivity

Spells for Protection

Spells for Rain

Spells for Recovery

Spells for Romance

Spells for School

Spells for Self Care

Spells for Self Love

Spells for Sleep

Spells for Strength

Spells for Stress Relief

Spells for Travel

Spells for Truth

Spells for Wisdom

Spells for Wishing

Spells Sorted by Kitchen Ingredient

Apple Spells

Citrus Spells

Coffee Spells

Egg Spells

Ginger Spells

Honey Spells

Lemon Spells

Milk Spells

Sugar Spells

Tea Spells

Wine Spells

8 years ago

orriculum’s witchcraft 101 masterpost ✨

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✨ basics:

unpacking witchcraft - spell types ✧ some basic terms to know ✧ methods for spells ✧ grounding, a quick how-to ✧ how to write your own spells - resources ✧ when to cast a spell - by weekdays ✧ when to cast a spell - by time of day ✧  low effort witchcraft ✧ how to cleanse

✨ tools:

tools of witchcraft overview ✧ a witch’s wand ✧ building a broom/besom ✧correspondence resource  ✧  on making moon water  ✧    understanding herb associations with rosemary  ✧   herbs for spells : grocery store vs. home grown vs. edible wilds  ✧   grounding  ✧  disposing of spell materials  ✧  nullifying spells  ✧ how to substitute in a spell

✨ you should know:

“to be a witch” falsehoods ✧ other witches and you ✧ witchcraft and the law ✧ difference between a witch and a herbalist ✧ self care for the witch ✧ when your spell fails ✧ tarot and pendulums can get it wrong

4 years ago

Color Magick

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Ways you can use Color Magick

When choosing your outfit for the day

When picking out a candle for your spell and ritual

Candle Magick

Painting or Drawing

To add intention to your writing

Black

Symbolizes:

Grounding

Protection

Safety

Death

Underworld

Restriction 

Night

Magickal Uses:

Reversing

Uncrossing

Unhexing

Banishing 

Black Magick Repelling

Banishing negative energy

Releasing

Defense

Scrying

Hexing

Cursing

Protection

Wards off negativity

Spirit Contact

Correspondence to the Major Arcana:

Death

Planetary and Astrological Correspondences:

Saturn

Week Day correspondence: Tuesday + Saturday

Direction: North

Brown

Symbolizes:

Earth

Concentration

Construction

Stability

Animal

Magickal Uses:

House Blessing

Animal Magick

Pet Magick

Earth Magick

To influence Friendships

Element: Earth 

Planetary and Astrological Correspondences:

Scorpio

Capricorn

Direction: North 

Copper

Symbolizes:

Money

Fertility

Magickal Uses:

Business and financial success 

Money Drawing

Fertility 

Career Growth

Gold

Symbolizes:

Fortune

Abundance

Prosperity

Positivity  

Luxury

Health

Justice

Magickal Uses

Luck

Wealth

Good Health

Healing Spells

Solar Magick

Correspondence to the Major Arcana:

The Sun

Week Day correspondence: Sunday

Direction: South

Grey

Symbolizes:

Loneliness

Lore

Knowledge

Wisdom

Transformation

Magickal Uses

Removes negative influences

Increases Knowledge

Inspires Transformation

Communication with the faerie realm

Vision Quests

Planet: Moon

Direction: West

White

Symbolizes:

Purity

Unity

Cleansing

Peace

Balance

Spirituality

Innocence

Truth

Divinity

Love

Calm

Unbiased Opinion

Forgiveness

Acceptance                                                                      

Magickal Uses:

Eliminates negative energy

Creates inner peace

Uncrossing

Consecration

Moon Magick

Protection

Cleanses

Correspondence to the Major Arcana:

The Fool

Planetary and Astrological Correspondences:

Moon

Pisces 

Associated Chakra: Crown 

Week Day correspondence: Monday

Direction: East

Silver

Symbolizes:

Stability

Intuition

Dreams

Communication

Magickal Uses:

Moon Magick

Astral Energy

Telepathy

Clairvoyance

Psychic Awareness

Meditation

Correspondence to the Major Arcana:

The Moon

Week Day correspondence: Monday

Direction: East 

Green

Symbolizes:

Prosperity

Money

Abundance

Healing

Growth

Luck

Faeries

Hope

Rebirth

Youth

Intuition

Nature

Magickal Uses:

Money Spells

Herbal Magick

Garden Magick

Luck drawing

Faerie magick

Plant magick

Money drawing

Correspondence to the Major Arcana:

The Empress

The Lovers

The Hermit 

Justice 

Death

Element: Earth

Planetary and Astrological Correspondences:

Venus

Mercury

Aquarius

Cancer

Associated Chakra: Heart

Week Day correspondence: Thursday

Direction: North 

Blue

Symbolizes:

Communication

Focus

Forgiveness

Truth

Patience 

Harmony

Wisdom

Thoughtfulness 

Youthfulness

Creativity

Healing

Organization

Peace

Justice

Tranquility

Magickal uses:

Removing Bad Vibrations

Astral projection

Water element

Emotional Work

Correspondence to the Major Arcana:

The High Priestess

The Emperor 

The Hanged Man

Death

Temperance 

Element: Water 

Planetary and Astrological Correspondences:

Jupiter

Moon

Virgo

Capricorn

Aquarius 

Pisces 

Associated Chakra: Throat 

Week Day correspondence: Thursday 

Direction: West 

Purple

Symbolizes:

Wisdom

Power

Wealth

Prophecy 

Magickal Uses:

Contact with spirits

Good fortune

Prophetic visions

Meditation

Divination

Correspondence to the Major Arcana:

The Heirophant 

Planetary and Astrological Correspondences:

Mercury 

Saturn

Capricorn 

Jupiter

Gemini

Sagittarius 

Associated Chakra: Brow

Week Day correspondence: Wednesday + Thursday

Direction: East

Pink

Symbolizes:

Love

Compassion

Friendship

Romance

Intimacy 

Emotions

Self Love

Calming

Harmony

New Beginnings

Honor

Magical Uses:

Brings forth new beginnings

Attracts romance

Attracts new friendship

Encourages self love

Correspondence to the Major Arcana:

The Empress

Planetary and Astrological Correspondences:

Venus influencing Mars

Week Day correspondence: Friday 

Direction: South

Red

Symbolizes:

Passion

Anger

War

Strength

Conflict

Fire element

Healing

Inspiration

Bravery

Courage

Strength

Ambition

Leadership

Confrontation

Combat

Mercy

Magickal Uses:

Helps find love

Fire Element Work

Purification

Correspondence to the Major Arcana:

The Emperor 

The Tower

Judgement 

Element: Fire 

Planetary and Astrological Correspondences:

Aries

Scorpio

Mars influencing Saturn

Associated Chakra: Root

Week Day correspondence: Tuesday 

Direction: South

Orange

Symbolizes:

Creativity

Intellect

Justice

Kindness

Harvest

Strength

Joy

Ambition

Pride

Courage

Prosperity

Attraction

Kinship

Spirit

Abundance

Magickal Uses:

Business success

Spirit communication

Relieves Depression

Correspondence to the Major Arcana:

The Lovers 

The Wheel of Fortune

The Sun

Element: Fire

Planetary and Astrological Correspondences:

Sun

Leo

Sagittarius 

Associated Chakra: Sacral 

Week Day correspondence: Tuesday + Wednesday

Direction: South 

Yellow

Symbolizes:

Happiness

Success

Learning

Memory

Concentration

Inspiration

Imagination

Charm

Confidence

Air element

Will

Trust

Creativity

Communication

Summer

Improves balance

Friendship

Self-Esteem

Vitality

Beauty

Power

Learning

Magickal Uses: 

Sun Magick

Increases productivity

Heightens Self-Esteem

Psychic Endeavors

Correspondences to the Major Arcana:

The Fool

The Magician 

Strength

The Sun

Element: Air

Planetary and Astrological Correspondences:

Mercury 

Taurus

Libra

Associated Chakra: Solar-Plexus 

Week Day correspondence: Sunday

Direction: East

Sources: Witchipedia.com, spiritenterprise.com

May the Moon Light your path!

Moonlight Academy  

6 years ago

A Simple Bind To Shut Someone Up

For when you want someone to quit talking shit.

Procedure:

Take a piece of paper and draw a tongue (a horseshoe shape with a line going down the middle) then draw a large X through it.

Write beneath the drawing “You will hold your tongue.”

Fold the piece of paper over and glue it shut, or take a safety pin and pin it closed.

Slip this into a jar with a layer of black salt (or mud) at the bottom of it. Seal the jar and store in a place that light will not reach it.

* I did this simple binding when a manager would not lay off my ass and it worked fairly well for me. Happy binding!

8 years ago
For Some Reason Tumblr Insists On Ruining The Quality, But If You Click On The Image It Is Fine!

For some reason tumblr insists on ruining the quality, but if you click on the image it is fine!

8 years ago
Ostara Honey Cake

Ostara Honey Cake

This will be my first Ostara so I’ve been putting together my recipes for the event. The following recipe is a dairy and egg free cake with a hint of honey; a simple recipe I’ve modified. It can even be gluten free if you substitute a gluten free all purpose flour (I personally like Bob’s Mill) Perfect desert for the sabbat! It’s simple, not overly sweet, and I’ll be putting a light lemon glaze on top, but it would be wonderful plain. A perfect finish to bring in Spring/Summer.

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup granulated sugar 1 cup honey, warmed 2 teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons white vinegar 1 ½ tablespoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons oil 2 cups water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease 2 – 9 inch round cake pans then dust with flour. Warm honey in 10 second intervals in microwave until it moves around bowl like a liquid (DO NOT let it boil) Add the flour, sugar, honey, baking soda, and salt to a large bowl. Add the water, oil, vinegar, and vanilla. Mix with a whisk until well-blended. Do not over beat. It will still turn out even if there are a few small lumps. Divide the batter between the 2 greased cake pans. Bake on a middle rack of oven for 35 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool before frosting, dust with powdered sugar, or dive in while warm with a fork. Mmm, tasty!🐰🐥🐏🍰

4 years ago
A Collection Of Country Homes That I Would Very Much Like To Live In 💫💐🌼🌿✨
A Collection Of Country Homes That I Would Very Much Like To Live In 💫💐🌼🌿✨
A Collection Of Country Homes That I Would Very Much Like To Live In 💫💐🌼🌿✨
A Collection Of Country Homes That I Would Very Much Like To Live In 💫💐🌼🌿✨
A Collection Of Country Homes That I Would Very Much Like To Live In 💫💐🌼🌿✨
A Collection Of Country Homes That I Would Very Much Like To Live In 💫💐🌼🌿✨

a collection of country homes that I would very much like to live in 💫💐🌼🌿✨

7 years ago

9 Ways To Communicate About Relationship Problems…Without Making Things Worse.

9 Ways To Communicate About Relationship Problems…Without Making Things Worse.

One of the biggest pitfalls in any relationship is getting caught in the trap of needing to be right. Inevitably the two (or more) people in the relationship come across things they disagree on; stumbling blocks that put the relationship in jeopardy. If you don’t know how to communicate when you come across these blocks, or if you find yourself not understanding each other, you end up with a mess. You two might start resenting each other, or you might start arguing even more. And if you’re already struggling with disagreements, fighting more could be the final nail in the coffin. Avoid this weird, complicated process by taking care of yourself and your partner, and making sure you two are on the same page.

1. Utilize “I feel” Statements

If you speak from a place of personal experience, there’s less of a chance for someone’s defense mechanisms to come into play. Many times in arguments and disagreements it’s these defense mechanisms that cause the most harm. People get angry, sad, and they no longer think clearly. By making sure you’re talking about your experience and what you feel, you’ll……

Continue Reading Here

1 year ago
Hi ^__^ The San-x Website Has A Lot Of Cute Wallpapers I Thought You Guys Might Appreciate Them

hi ^__^ the san-x website has a lot of cute wallpapers i thought you guys might appreciate them

6 years ago
The Term “potion,” I Must Frankly Admit, Is Mostly Used In Fantasy Stories That Feature Magick, Such

The term “potion,” I must frankly admit, is mostly used in fantasy stories that feature magick, such as Harry Potter and The Dresden Files. In the fictional universes of those stories, the term means a variety of things, but in general it refers to some sort of liquid designed to have a magical effect. Most famously, in Harry Potter in particular, potions and Harry’s study of them in school plays a major role in the plot, and fantastic concoctions with names such as “Drought of Living Death” show up. Many witches, magicians and alchemists scoff at using the term “potion” to refer to something they make in real life just due to it’s sheer association with fiction these days. I guess the thought is that, while saying you made a “spelled tea” or “infusion” might be well and good, saying “I created a potion today!” will bring out naysayers ready to point out that Harry Potter isn’t real in the snarkiest voice imaginable.

Obviously, I disagree. The word “potion” is useful, having been used for centuries to refer to the liquid creations of witchcraft and magick. It comes from a Latin term, potio, which simply meant “drink.” Actual practitioners have been creating potions far longer than Harry and Snape, and thus I think we’ve got as much of a right to use the term as those who parlay magick into fiction. It’s a very convenient word, allowing us to describe a whole genre of magical practice.

I use the word “potion” to conveniently refer to all liquids imbued with magical intent and having a magical purpose beyond their physical effects. This means that, when I say “potion,” I am referring to a wide variety of things, ranging from simple magical teas to tinctures, oil blends, and even alchemical spagyrics. The physical basis of each of these differs, and most, if not strictly all, potions somehow involve elemental water, if only by virtue of being liquids. There are those who would argue that concoctions with an oil or alcohol basis might find their primary elemental association elsewhere, but I hold that a liquid will always have a watery essence, insofar as elemental water includes all liquids, just as earth includes all solids to a degree.

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It is important to note that while I tag most of my posts that involve potions under a general alchemy heading, and many books refer to potioncraft simply as “alchemy” or “herbal alchemy,” the vast majority of potions that witches make are not true alchemical formulas, though they may have been developed using alchemical theories and correspondences. 

When I use the phrase “true alchemy,” I largely refer to the practice of creating what some call spagyrics and similar, related concoctions, and I admit my understanding of it is currently a bit limited compared to some. If you’re interested in learning about the practice of true alchemy in a present-day context, I suggest reading Robert Allen Bartlett’s excellent book on the subject, Real Alchemy, or checking out Spagyrics, by Manfred M. Junius.

While I am writing this article as part of my series for beginner witches, and many beginners do create potions, it’s worth noting that potioneering, and in particular certain kinds, isn’t a very accessible part of witchcraft. Why? Well, many books tell you that you don’t need expensive tools and ingredients to do magick. While this is true in most cases, when it comes to potions, unless you’re very creative, you’ll have to invest a bit of funds and effort into just gathering the supplies. As I’ll hopefully show, these supplies needn’t be particularly pricy, and improvisation gets you a long way, but still, potioneering requires quite a bit more materials than most forms of witchcraft.

Another reason potion-making isn’t as accessible to a beginner as (for example) sigils or candle magick rests in the fact that many of the ingredients traditionally used in potion-making have physiological and psychological effects on human beings, making it risky to use them without doing a great deal of research, which can be daunting at best. It’s beyond the scope of this essay to discuss what herb or such is or isn’t poisonous and what can be consumed in which quantities, but many existing books and websites are full of that information. At the end of this essay, I’ll provide links to some potions I’ve developed that use highly innocuous ingredients, but everyone reacts differently chemically, and even with something like chamomile, be sure to do your research. I’m not trying to discourage anyone here, but if you choose to take up potion-making, do be mindful of your budget and research ingredients very carefully.

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If you want to make potions, I suggest choosing a focus. There are many different types of potions, and alluded to earlier, ranging from simple to concoct teas to complex configurations of essential oils. Most witches work a lot with oil or water-based potions, and plenty also make tinctures and other potions with an alcohol base. I would recommend choosing one medium/basis to focus on - do you want to make drinkable potions and teas, tinctures, or oils?

Regardless of what sort you want to make, you will probably have to buy or find some equipment and ingredients, unfortunately. As I’ve said, most witchcraft requires little investment besides emotional commitment, but potioneering does involve equipment and ingredients I personally have built up a large collection of supplies for compounding potions and brews, and while not everyone’s going to want or need to do this, my advice to those who are looking to create a large laboratory-like setup is to start small. Below is an image of my current supply cabinet, with all my potion-making supplies visible, as well as some charm bottles and other things.

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For the most part, herbs, flowers, and other plants make up the bulk of what is used in potions today. Choosing which herbs to purchase can be pretty overwhelming, but I always found it useful to buy herbs on an as-needed basis, slowly building up a collection over the course of a few months. Even if you cannot afford a lot of fancy ingredients, much can be done with simple household herbs and spices, like mint, basil, oregano and black tea. Many of the potions I make take the form of a tea-like infusion that may or may not contain actual tea leaves (often, it’s just herbs). 

For creating these, I find my porcelain mortar and pestle helpful, which I got from Amazon.com rather cheaply. I use it to grind up particularly difficult roots and herbs, and to bruise flowers such as lavender in order to better release their taste/scent into the mixtures I make. I also have a small scale, of the sort commonly sold in head shops, but I only really have this because some of the potions I make actually contain (legal) psychoactives and I’ve got to be careful about dosage. 

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Whether you need any of this or not really depends on what your plans are. If you intend to work with so-called “baneful” ingredients or anything that has a strong physiological or psychological effect on the human body, a scale might be a good safety precaution, as it helps you calculate dosage. If you plan on mostly working with things like mint and thyme, which are culinary and safe for most people, it might not be necessary or worth the investment. Similarly, while a mortar and pestle allows you to grind and mix ingredients rather easily and adds a level of effort (and therefore power) to the process, not everyone’s going to want or need one plenty of herbs don’t require grinding.  

If you’re mostly going to be working with oils and making magical perfumes/scents, dried (or even fresh) herbs won’t be as useful as pure essential oils, though. These compounds are called such because they contain the chemical essence of the plant - basically the active ingredients of whatever herb or plant they come from. While essential oils, for the most part, aren’t consumable or meant to be ingested, they capture much of a plant’s properties, both magical and chemical, and often have an extremely strong scent, making them useful for perfumes and anointing oils.

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Above is a photo of some of my oil and perfume-making supplies. I personally use essential oils rather extensively, mostly to make custom magical perfumes and scents, to create anointing formulas for candle magick, and also for use in cleaning (both in a non-magical and magical sense). Because essential oils are chemically as well as magically powerfully, I also use them in a therapeutic fashion - for example, I add a few drops of rosemary essential oil to my shampoo to improve my hair texture.

You can go into many stores and buy “aromatherapy oils” or “fragrance oils,” but in most cases, these aren’t actually essential oils and are instead synthetic forms of the scent, or just the essential oil diluted into a carrier oil. For example, if you buy a vial of rose oil perfume, it’s highly unlikely to contain any rose essential oil, and is probably a synthetic imitation of rose scent mixed into a carrier oil. Fragrance oils like this can indeed be used in magick if their smell is evocative enough, but keep in mind that synthetic rose oil perfume won’t have any of the chemical benefits (for example, clarifying the skin) that actual rose oil might give, and might actually do damage if you try to use it in that way. Once again, it’s really beyond the scope of this article to give a lot of safety and usage information, so please do your research. If you want actual essential oils, most health food stores will have them, and they’re available online quite affordably, even on Amazon.

For the most part, if you buy herbs online or elsewhere, they’ll be packaged in some form of plastic bag. Even Mountain Rose Herbs does this, but their bag’s rather thick and is vaccum-sealed. Either way, I recommend moving herbs from their original plastic bags into jars, which should be as airtight as you can find. I personally got a bunch of random jars at craft stores and places like Target, and store my herbs there, as well as in containers I just saved along the way, such as jars that used to hold instant coffee or peanut butter. If you’re potioneering plans involve making anything that you’ll save for later (an oil for later use, a salve, etc), you will need to have storage for it, too. I keep a small selection of bottles for this purpose, mostly purchased from the same herb stores where I get my essential oils and raw herbs. 

One note about that, though - while some of the jars I use to store my loose herbs have corks, I would never use a corked vial or bottle to store a finished tincture, salve, or other concoction, as most of the bottles you get that have corks are unlikely to be watertight and simply invite spoiling. Pretty much anything you make, though, will spoil eventually. There are methods (such as adding Vitamin E or buying a carrier oil that already has it in it) that will halt the process a bit, but nothing really has an indefinite shelf life. In particular, don’t expect to be able to keep a tea-like brew in your fridge for more than a few days without it going bad.

I personally recommend Mountain Rose Herbs for both dry herbs (in bulk) and essential oils, as well as carrier oils and many other products you might need for creating potions. Of course, there’s plenty to be had at most health food stores and even grocery stores, too. One thing I want to say about shopping for herbs is that it’s almost always best to buy loose herbs (say, mint, etc), instead of herbs already portioned into tea bags and labeled as a herbal tea. It’s much less expensive and generally gives you better quality because the herbs are fresher and, again, there’s less overhead. 

With loose herbs, you’re not paying for the cost of them being slapped into tea bags. I recommend getting some sort of tea ball or strainer if you want to do teas, and avoiding the cost of commercially-prepared tea bags. This is much more cost-effective in the long run. I cannot, obviously, cite prices everywhere, but as an example, here in Poland, a box of mint tea is roughly 9zl, whereas a slightly-greater amount of the actual herb, loose and without bags, is only 2.50zl. In the image below, you can see the strainer I currently use. I actually have a larger one for making teas for the household, but this one works very well for making strong brews for myself. I prefer strainers that allow the herbs to spread out in the water, so I rarely use things like tea balls.

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When you’re ready to take the plunge and make your first potion, ask yourself what effect you would want it to have. I am a firm believer that, in witchcraft, form has a complex interdependent relationship with function, but that the latter should be considered first and foremost. While almost any form of potion can be designed to have any number of effects, I’ve personally found that certain forms are more suitable (from my perspective) for certain tasks. Oils, when used to anoint the body, go a long way towards changing how the user is perceived, and thus I tend to use them to help me put my best foot forward. Teas and concoctions that are consumed are great for altering your mindset and deep internal changes. The creation of waters, floor washes, and similar products are obviously best-suited to spells designed to affect an entire area, household, or everyone who will encounter the formula. These are just some general rules I use in my practice - you might experiment and find things work differently for you, but I thought I’d mention them nonetheless.

Regardless of what form your potion will take, please keep safety in mind at all times. You might read in some old manuscript that a certain herb helps with a certain purpose, but if we now, here in the 21st century, know that herb to be poisonous, you probably shouldn’t use it, or at least exercise extreme caution! Safety first at all times. Choose ingredients based on the magical associations you personally have for them, first and foremost, which may or may not be based on whatever tradition you’re working within. 

With the added safety precautions required of something to be consumed, worn, or doused about, the advice I give in my article on bottle spells for choosing ingredients mostly applies here, too, but there’s other issues to be considered, as well. If you’ve decided your spell will be a tea, you must concern yourself with how it will taste, and if the taste of the finished product lends itself to the goal in question. With an oil, you don’t want it spelling foul in most cases, so the harmony of scents, as well, must be considered. There’s actually a really good book out there, called Mixing Essential Oils for Magic, by Sandra Kynes, that, while also giving excellent traditional information on the correspondences of various flowers and herbs, also explains the theory behind perfumery and how to make blends that smell delicious.

Basically, when choosing ingredients for a potion of any sort, many factors should be bouncing around in your brain, and these include:

Safety (first and foremost!)

Scent/taste

Appearance

Traditional correspondences.

Personal correspondences

Safety (of utmost importance!)

Usually, when I’m making any sort of potion, I start by listing ingredients that are safe, appropriate to the form I’ve chosen, and associated in my mind with my goal or purpose. I then experiment a bit with them, mixing and matching until I’ve got something that works and fits with what I’m trying to do. For example, if I’m making a perfume oil for prosperity, I might begin by just setting out all the essential oils and herbs I currently have that I associate with prosperity, then make tiny batches mixing and matching until I get something that works scent-wise and in terms of general association, at which point, I’d make a larger batch. 

For teas, once you’ve factored in and taken proper safety precautions, a lot of it is simple trial and error. Some of my recipes are modifications of tea recipes I found online, having worked out the correspondences. Others are just things I’ve tried and found delicious and workable. I admit to using my fiancé to taste-test some of my infusions, too! This isn’t really an exact science, though there are aspects of science to it. If you’re being safe, don’t feel bad if you end up a few times with a concoction or scent you hate - just dust yourself off and try, try again. It took me forever, for example, to find that I hate the taste of lavender unless it’s combined with mint, and that, while I love eucalyptus as a scent, it lingers too much and is ill-suited to my preferences in terms of a floorwash or area cleanser.

One thing that bears mentioning, though, is that magick is not about following a recipe or even creating one, and in my experience, a tea or perfume will be just that (i.e., not a potion) until it is in some way magically empowered or enchanted. I’ve written an article about this, too, which you might want to read. Most witches realize the importance of intent and that strange factor that seems to separate the magical from the everyday, and I personally do go about enchanting each ingredient, whether it’s an oil or herb, that I add to a potion. I also, as I mentioned doing for spell bottles, add a final bit of enchantment to the finished product before using it, and with some things (oils, etc.,) I continually empower them with each use. This is one of those things that’s incredibly difficult to explain, though most people who do magick have a way of doing this that works for them, I’ve found.

Here, at the end of this very brief introduction, I’ll include links to potion recipes I’ve written and posted here. I’ll admit there’s only a few, and not all of them are meant for human consumption. As usual, use caution and do research before mixing up something from an online recipe. Also, I’d like to include a link here to @honeycoyote​, a Tumblr user who’s blog features a wide array of tasty, tea-like potion recipes - check them out here. I’ve made quite a few of those and enjoyed them! Here’s my own small list of potion recipes I’ve posted:

Devotion Oil

Attraction Potion

Concealing Your Craft

Focus Enhancement

Blogging Potion

To Bring the Sun Inside

I also want to recommend the following books for those looking to learn more about potioneering and herbal alchemy! The following is just relevant bits posted from my masterpost of book recommendations, specifically the books focused on potioneering and alchemy, but they’re really quite useful.

The Herbal Alchemist’s Handbook, by Karen Harrison. I cannot praise this book enough for its concise and well-formulated approach to astrology, herbs, and magick as a whole.

The Weiser Concise Guide to Herbal Magick, by Judith Hawkins-Tillirson. This is excellent for anyone who’s interested in any kind of magick. Yes, the focus is generally herbs, but there’s a lot to be learned here about Kabbalah and other correspondence systems, as well.

Real Alchemy, by Robert Allen Bartlett. Excellent book, lots of history and detail. There’s a strong focus on tradition within the text, yet the author is quite accommodating of his audience and describes alternate methods that work better in a modern context.

Spagyrics, by Manfred M. Junius. With a highly-developed academic tone and attention to detail, this book is a meaty look at traditional alchemy. I recommend this more for intermediate practitioners due to the sheer density of information.

Mixing Essential Oils for Magic, by Sandra Kynes. Fills a very difficult gap in published knowledge regarding the use of essential oils by discussing, in great detail, how scents interact with each other and how to create a formula that’s not only palatable, but evocative.

I hope this article was useful and interesting. It’s meant to just be a short introduction to the concept of potions rather than a full guide. I’ve got plans for more potion-related articles and writing, and if there’s something in particular you’d like to see, don’t hesitate to contact me. Also, if you enjoy my work, consider offering support to help fund future endeavors. Thanks for reading! 

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