Spellbound-savvie - Witch Mom

The mentality that is preached in a lot of Christian circles that you have to be grateful and happy no matter what is so so harmful

You're allowed to have feelings and be angry and be sad and that is not a sin

Make a wish

Witchcraft 101: Let's talk about cleansing, because no, it's not just sage

First and foremost, every single element has an ability to be used for cleansing and banishing.

Air: Used to literally "blow away" energy

Open your windows

Turn on a fan

Use your breath (there's a reason you sometimes snuff a candle and other times blow it out)

Water:

Running water over an object (make sure this object is safe to do that with, okay? Don't be like the raccoon with the cotton candy)

Ritual baths and showers

Washing/cleaning

Earth:

Salt (again, careful with where you put the salt, but still)

Plants can be used as protective barriers

Burying an object for a period of time before digging it back up and cleaning it off

Certain rocks and crystals

Fire:

To get the obvious out of the way - burning. This does not mean you should commit arson. This is more "burning photographs of past relationships" not "light your ex on fire"

Burning candles

Spirit:

Meditation

Self care as a priority

Cleaning your space regularly

Now, most common forms of cleansing do not use only a single element (especially fire, for obvious reasons). So here are some of the most common and easy ways to practice cleansing in a practical, everyday manner.

Smoke cleansing - combines air, fire, and earth. Practices by burning protective and banishing dried herbs, plants, incense, or wood.

Salt water - combines earth and water. Can be used in either ritual baths or on its own, spread near the borders of a space. But again, careful with where you put salt.

Crystal grid - combines earth and spirit. Create by placing protective crystals in each corner of a space.

Steam cleansing - combines air and water. Use essential oils if you so choose.

Ritual bath or shower - combines water, spirit, and if you want to add bath bombs, salt, or flower petals, earth.

Tea magic - combines water, earth, and (if you inhale the steam) air.

Literal cleaning rituals - combines spirit and any other elements you so choose. Do your laundry, clean your room, declutter what no longer serves you.

🍞 Thyme Focaccia, a simple spell to attract good health. 🍞 Perfect for Lughnasadh / Lammas 🍞

Ingredients

7g fast action yeast or 15g fresh yeast

1tsp sugar

200mL warm water (37°C/100°F)

350g strong white bread flour

4tbsp olive oil

1tsp grounded salt

1tsp grounded pepper

A good handful of fresh thyme (the more the better honestly)

Recipe

In a bowl, mix the yeast with sugar and warm water until frothy. Let it rest, if the foam is growing, your yeast is activated.

In a big bowl, mix flour, salt, pepper and thyme together. Make a small hole and add the olive oil and the mix of yeast and water.

Knead everything for at least 10 minutes (if you're doing it by had) or 5 minutes if you are using a robot.

Form a big ball and rub a bit of oil around it. Put in a clean bowl, recover with cling film and let it rise until doubled in size (about 1 hour - 1h30) in a warm place protected from the wind (it will not rise)

Flatten the dough into a baking sheet, cover again and let it rise again for 1 hour.

Pre heat the oven 220°C / 425°F.

Lightly press the top of the dough with your fingers to make little dimples, drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Cook for about 15 minutes, until the top is a lovely golden colour.

Magick

Lughnasadh or Lammas is known as the feast of bread, this recipe would be perfect for your celebrations!

In this recipe thyme is used to attract good health. The plant was burned by the Greeks to purify temples. It is also carried and smelled to give courage and energy. Salt and Pepper are for protection.

Don't forget to prepare yourself and your kitchen when you are doing this spell. Before preforming kitchen witchery I always meditate on my intention, take a cleansing shower. I also prepare my kitchen: I clean it and cleanse it. I also love listening to music when I am cooking. I take the time to really feel the energy of the ingredients I am cooking with. If you are working with deities, a simple prayer and a offering can help! If you don't prepare yourself and your space you are just cooking, there is nothing magical in it.

Seeing the bread rising is kind of magical in itself, it reconnect with an ancestral tradition. To me the fact of rising enhance the properties of the other ingredients.

just some things i was thinking about this afternoon

Gavarnie, France, photo by Maxime Gourga

Sure-Fire Ways to Master Your Intuition

1) Scry Half Asleep

Go to a quiet place, and dim the lights.

Close your eyes and ask your higher power a question.

Pay attention to what you see. Names… numbers… faces… dates.

Once the visions stop, open your eyes and note them down.

After a few days, see if and how they manifested.

I once saw an old clock and heard the word “Praha”. I ended up being sent to Prague on a fully paid trip unexpectedly.

At first, your visions will mean nothing. They will be shallow. A McDonald’s signage… A TV commercial… This is your intuition warming up. Soon enough, it will be sprinting. As long as you keep going.

2) Designate People to Tarot

To a beginner, the characters in tarot can feel out of reach and intimidating. Bring them down to earth.

Does Strength remind you of your mother? Is she calm and fearless in the face of danger?

Does The Fool remind you of Harry Potter? Is he young and untrained, but rich in nerve and courage?

Do you see yourself in the Seven of Pentacles? Always planting seeds that are never quite ripe enough for harvest?

The next time you read tarot, you will not be seeing strangers, but people you know by heart. This is how your intuition can connect to the cards.

3) Record Your Dreams

Keep a journal on your nightstand.

The moment you wake up, write down what you remember. No matter how meaningless, no matter how strange.

Did you see yourself naked in public? Or late for class? Perhaps falling from a building? The theme here is fear.

Did you see a younger version of yourself? In a playground? Maybe eating a snack no longer sold today? The theme is nostalgia.

Analyze your own dreams. Research them further if you like.

This is you bridging the gap between your conscious and subconscious. This is you taming your intuition.

4) Know People’s Zodiac Signs

Be curious about your teachers’, superiors’ and peers’ astrological personality, even if only through their Sun sign.

Watch how the Air signs harmonize with Fire, yet clash with Earth and Water.

See how a Scorpio is quietly strong in her intensity, while an Aries is loud with his.

Life is complicated, and people are complex. But if you can understand their basic instincts, you will make fewer foes and more friends.

More importantly, your intuition will be able to warn if a person wishes you harm.

5) Devour Literature

For all the intricacies of life, every feeling that has ever been felt has already been recorded.

See movies. Read books. Really hear the words. Really watch the gestures.

Understanding characters is a step to understanding people, which ultimately leads to understanding yourself.

It will help you realize that your intuition is not some external being that is difficult to grasp. You will find that it and you have always been one right from the start.