🚩 Witch Red Flags 🚩

Someone tell me not to title this piece

“My Lone Star is a Pentagram -

An Introduction to Modern Witchcraft in Texas”

😅

🌕 Full Moon Magic 🌕

A full moon occurs in the night sky when the sun and the moon are on opposite sides of the Earth. The moon now appears fully illuminated from Earth's perspective. Technically, this only happens for a short moment, as it will start waning soon after its pic.

✨ Focus: celebration, strength, power, personal & spiritual development

🔮 Mantra: “I am interconnected with the rest of the world”

🕯️ Self-care prompts and rituals:

Plan a special activity with your loved ones to celebrate something.

Dance to release energy and celebrate your own power!

Enjoy a full moon bath or soothing shower.

Start a dream journal to keep up with your intuitive-self.

Increase your intuitive awareness by practicing mindfulness.

Watch the sky at night to connect with the magic of your life.

Bake and enjoy your favorite comfort food.

Gift yourself a fun snack while grocery shopping.

Sing your favorite songs out loud.

Hug someone you love or a beloved pet.

As a novice witch, I was wondering if you had any tips/ suggestions for me that might help get me more into the learning process. Book suggestions would be fantastic! Thank you.

Hello! Hm, some tips eh? I’m gonna give you the same schpeal I give to all new witches (copied from my old blog but meh).

I really think one should take the time to figure out what witchcraft is all about - what it offers, what it doesn’t, and the benefits and disadvantages of being a practicing magic user. Not only that, but think about what interests you about witchcraft - why you want to practice, what really drew you in to the craft, what you wish to do with magic, things you like about it, and even things you don’t. Do you have any expectations? Is there an end goal, something you ultimately want to achieve from magic? Do you want to be a magic user just for a certain amount of time, or indefinitely? Figuring out these things should help round out your practice and give you a bit of a path (heheh) to follow and explore.

There is never enough research. Really. You are most likely going to be studying and learning through your whole magical journey. I still am; I learn something new every day, and I love it. As a knowledge leech I love that part of witchcraft - spending hours reading up on various things makes me so happy. (Hey, no one said it was easy. :p) [This post] actually sums it up beautifully.

With the tons of research that comes with studying witchcraft, it will be good to keep a notebook (or grimoire / Book of Shadows) to store all your findings in. Write down spells, references, correspondences, rituals (if you plan to use them)… anything you think you’ll need to know or want to know when it comes to practicing your craft. I keep my blog for this purpose, though without internet it’s kind of hard to access at all times, so I have a physical book as well. And it doesn’t have to be any fancy leather bound anything - I have spiral notebooks and an obnoxious orange binder. xD

Don’t be worried if you can’t practice every single day. Maybe you can, and that’s awesome; maybe you can only work up the energy or privacy to perform spells once a week, or once a month, and that is completely valid. I only really use magic when I need it, and that’s fine too. Don’t beat yourself up for missing the moon phases or sabbats or what have you. It happens - I have missed every sabbat since I started practicing, and the only stuff I do on the full moon is cleansing my tarot deck or crystals (and I still forgot to do that yesterday, oop). We all have lives outside of witchcraft, and it’s important to maintain the rest of your life and other interests as well. As awesome as witchcraft is, don’t let it absorb you. The point of this was supposed to be, don’t feel bad for not going 150% with witchcraft all the time, but also know when it’s time to not practice witchcraft and engage in other areas of your life.

When it comes to supplies, particularly herb related, the grocery store is more than fine. Like, 90% of my herbs have come from there, either dried or fresh. It’s still the same herb, same genus, same biological build - it will work. The whole “witchcraft is ALWAYS organic” stuff that I’ve seen floating around is bunk. Like, if that’s what you want, and what you can do, awesome, but it certainly isn’t the only thing that will work, nor should you feel bound to comply with someone else’s ideology. Get what you can afford or find, and don’t spend so much time stressing about the rest of it.

Honestly, even if you *can’t* afford physical ingredients for spells, it’s no big deal. Witchcraft is about your intent and your energies, and how you work with them and manipulate them to bring about a desired effect. Spell components like herbs and crystals and all that are just bolsters to what’s really important - your desire to induce a certain outcome. They have uses, yes, and they help, yes, but they’re not all important, mostly just boosts for your own energies. You can be a successful witch without all the fancy herbs or rare crystals.

It’s okay if you stick to pre-written spells by other people. Some people don’t have the energy, or the full knowledge, to yet write their own spells, and that’s perfectly fine. There’s nothing wrong with referencing another witch’s work. (Though, when you can, learning to write your own spells and using them is an amazing skill to have. I used to suck at / hate spellwriting - now I try to do it as much as I can, and it’s super beneficial to personalizing your craft which is important too.)

That being said, you also shouldn’t feel tied down to what is written. Experimentation is encouraged, to help personalize things to you. If you’re looking at a spell and think, “Hmm based off what I know, I want to try this herb instead,” totally go for it. Give it a go, and write down your results. Personal associations for objects in spellcraft are JUST AS powerful, if not more so in some ways.

When I said “comply with someone else’s ideology,” I meant that, if someone has one way of doing things, and you don’t agree with it, that’s fine. If you do agree with it, though, that’s cool too. If you do things differently than someone else, it doesn’t mean you’re doing it wrong either. Definitely feel free to form your own opinions and experiences. Personalizing your craft to suit YOU and YOUR NEEDS is actually pretty important, and can have a big impact on your magic. If your magic is more suited to you, it is more likely to work for you.

Believe in yourself. I’m not kidding. It’s so corny and cliche, but your magic will be so much more powerful if you have confidence in it and in yourself. Feel empowered by the awesomeness of being a witch and working with spells.

For book suggestions, @natural-magics​ compiled some [books and resources], which is a good place to start. @visardistofelphame​ has a post of [witchcraft resources galore] too. Here is some more [recommended reading]. There is also this post about how to tell if [your book on witchcraft is bullshit], which will likely be of great use when reading as a beginner. Most of my knowledge has been gathered from Tumblr or other various internet resources; I can’t afford a lot of books right now, so I’ve never really read any, and can’t recommend any personally.

Also, here are a lot of links to other resources that you may find use for:

[Accumulating Witch Stuff on a Budget]

[Advice for Navigating the Witchcraft / Pagan Community] (an ask)

[Becoming a Witch] (an ask)

[Beginner Witchcraft]

[Beginner Witchcraft Resources Masterpost]

[For a Beginner] (an ask)

[FAQ]

[Frequently Asked Questions]

[Getting Started]

[Guide to Witching]

[How Do You Even Begin?]

[How to Do Witchcraft Research for Newbies]

[“I’m Interested in Witchcraft, Where Do I Start?”]

[Introduction to Magic]

[Limited Witchcraft Masterpost]

[Magic on a Budget]

[Masterpost of Masterposts]

[Miss Mango’s Secular Witchcraft Tumblr Resource Masterpost]

[The Newbie Witch - What Others Often Don’t Tell You About Beginning the Practice]

[So…You Wanna Be a Witch?]

[St.’s Short and Sweet Guide to (Not Asking Her) How to Get Started in Witchcraft and Magic]

[Subtle Magical Practice]

[Theory and Practice] (a masterpost)

[Tips for Beginner Witches] (an ask)

[Tips for Beginners] (an ask)

[Tips for Extremely New Witches] (an ask)

[Tips For Those Who Are Considering Witchcraft]

[Top Witch Tips]

[Welcome to Witchcraft - A Post for Beginners]

[“Where Do I Start?”]

[Witchcraft 101]

[Witchcraft 101]

[Witchling Tips]

[Witchtips’ Rebloggable “Frequently Asked Questions” - Part I]

I really hope that answers your question and gives you what you need. Good luck on your path! :D

Components of a Spell

Intent

Intent is the most important component and is the starting point of any magical process. Part of manifesting your desires into reality is defining them clearly and empowering that thought. 

Making your intent specific is very important because it will help you avoid unwanted outcomes. Here are some examples of intents:

Weak: Protect me.

Better: Protect me from negative energy. 

Strong: Protect my mind, body, and spirit from negative energy while allowing good energy in. 

If you are less specific, you may find that you block of good energy as well as bad energy! The universe can also twist your words in ways you do not expect so be sure that your intent is clear.

General and simple intents may work for some practitioners but I recommend beginners strive to be specific. 

Everything from here on will be directly related to your intent.

Materials

Choosing materials sounds difficult but if you have a clear intent, it should not be too difficult. Having a book of shadows or notebook and taking notes on spell materials is very helpful to crafting spells. As a beginner, you may be overwhelmed by the wide variety of herbs, flowers, spices, and crystals. Try to focus on a few at a time and keep track of their associations. 

Pick materials that align with your intent. For example, if we are using the previous example you would want the following materials:

One that brings protection 

One that connects to the self or the mind/body/spirit

One that absorbs or deflects negative energy

One that welcomes positive energy

You do not necessarily need all of these materials, as when you are performing the spell you can compensate for this through your words or actions. 

Finding the correct components will involve research so be prepared! Your choices should be based on a combination of outside sources and personal experience. As you cast and create more spells you will become more advanced at using and choosing materials. 

Words

The words you choose to speak, sign, or think, when casting a spell should reflect your intent. Your spell does not have to rhyme but the rhythm of a rhyming poem can 1. make it easier to remember and 2. help you connect more deeply to your spirit. You can also use repetition to strengthen the spell and solidify your intent. 

If you are lacking in components, you should take great care in crafting your words. This is your chance to communicate to the universe what you want and need. 

I recommend researching different types of poetry and literary techniques. In a way, your poem is an offering to the universe as a thanks for empowering the spell. There is value in choosing beautiful and meaningful words to aid your spell. 

Actions

I find the actions people use when executing a spell vary depending on their religion and background. In the end, you have to go with your gut and choose actions that feel right to you. Some examples of actions you can take during a spell are as follows:

Kissing a component

Burning a material

Grinding or combining materials

Drawing shapes or sigils with your hands

Facing a specific direction 

Sitting, standing, walking

Dancing or physical exercise

As you can see, actions are much more open ended which I why they are difficult to explain. However, I can say that the actions you take can aid in adding power and energy to your spell. For example, dancing releases your physical energy which can charge your spell. 

Actions can also help you invoke specific spirits or deities. There is a reason many Christians make a cross motion when praying. The motions themselves are a symbol that invoke whatever power you are calling upon.

Conclusion

Much of spell-making is a personal process of research and discovery. But, hopefully this post gives you an idea of where to start! I invite people to add on to this post with other ideas and suggestions as well as critiques!

(image from pixabay)

Sun’s fiery kiss.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CQ80wqJFVqZ

☀️💧Ideas for using sun water💧☀️

🌞 drink first thing in the morning, or whenever you’re low on spoons, for an energy boost

🌞consider charging locations, like: sun water charged by/in a courthouse for justice, a playground for energy, a beach for happiness. Etc.

🌞consider charging times, like: sun water charged by the summer solstice for abundance, happiness, and faery magic. Sun water charged by the autumnal equinox for warmth, clarity, prosperity, and peace etc.

🌞 drink when you’re feeling sad for a happiness boost

🌞wash your face with sun water for a confidence glamour, bravery/armor glamour, hapiness boost and to give your skin a glow

🌞drink it before a speech or presentation for confidence and leadership

🌞take your medicine, vitamins, etc, with it, or drink it when you feel sick for a health boost

🌞mix it with lemon juice for a potent cleansing spell

🌞drink before school or studying to help you remember what you learn, stay confident, and protect you

🌞use it as an offering to solar deities

🌞 put some sun water in a spray bottle with a little sunflower oil (or any carrier oil) and some sunny essential oils (citrus, cinnamon, frankincense, etc.) And use it as a room spray/perfume

🌞water your plants with it! Especially cacti/succulents!!

🌞bless your solar magic tools in it

🌞put a few drops in your eye or on your eyelid to enhance clairvoyance

🌞 rub some on your eyes/ears with intent to hear/see the truth

🌞use it for water scrying for a very clear and honest answer

🌞use it for baking or cooking to add a bit of sunshine, happiness, good fortune, and health to your food

Feel free to add more!

Building a Magical Home

One of my favorite quotes about the magic of homemaking comes from Cory Hutcheson, host of the New World Witchery podcast. He says, “Home is a transformational act. It is the thing you do to turn a space into a space… that is full of ritual and significance and meaning. So there is sort of this ongoing relationship you have with the space that makes it a home.”

The act of creating a home, of making a space your own, is inherently magical. But if you want to make your space feel a little more witchy, here are some ideas to get you started.

Charms and Talismans

Making your own magical objects can be a powerful way to bring magic into your space. The best thing about making your own charms is that you can make them look however you want, so it’s easy to disguise them as ordinary household objects. You can make a charm for any intention by combining objects based on their magical correspondences.

I’ve talked about protective charms in previous posts, so I’m not gonna spend a lot of time on it here. The simplest protective charm is keeping a large piece of iron under your bed to keep away nightmares, evil spirits, and negative energy. You could also make your own protection charm, like a witch bottle.

You can create a “happy home” charm to bring peace, harmony, and happiness into your home. This charm could include herbs like basil, rosemary, lavender, peppermint, and/or bay leaves, as well as other items that you associate with peace and good fortune, like lucky coins, crystals, or black cat fur. Write your desires for a harmonious and happy home on a piece of paper, fold it up, and add it to the charm. You could store these items in a green bag, bury them in your backyard (in this case, make sure you’re only using biodegradable plant matter — leave out the coins and crystals), or place it inside a household object like a lamp or an end table.

If you suffer from insomnia or other sleep issues, try making a dream charm to help you sleep well and have sweet dreams. To make a simple dream charm, fill a blue or purple bag with lavender, chamomile, peppermint, and any other objects that you associate with peace, restfulness, and sleep. If you want to have lucid dreams or receive psychic messages in your dreams, include a bit of mugwort. Place the charm in your pillow or under your mattress. (I personally swear by this one, as it’s helped a lot with my insomnia.)

Charms are great for homemaking magic because you’re actually creating a magical object, which can then become a permanent fixture of the space.

Magical Decor

You can use magical items to decorate your home to bring certain qualities into that space.

Hanging or displaying a broom is said to bring good fortune, protection from evil, and good hospitality. Cauldrons are used to represent the Goddess, rebirth, and raw potential. Horseshoes hung above door frames bring safety and luck to all who cross under them, and keep unwanted guests away. If you can get them legally and ethically, animal bones, teeth, claws, and feathers can represent the spirit and energy of that animal. You can also put up images of spiritual and occult symbols — I have an image of the Sun tarot card hanging in my bedroom to promote positivity and growth.

If you need to be a little more subtle with your witchy decorations, working with the magic of color is a great way to do that. Gathering a lot of items of a single color in one room changes the energy of that room. Here’s a quick guide to give you some ideas:

Yellow is associated with divination, mental clarity, the element of air, success, communication, and inspiration.

Purple is associated with divine power, spiritual awareness, mystery, astral travel, magic, and authority.

Blue is associated with healing, psychic abilities, the element of water, peace, truth, and patience.

Red is associated with protection, the fire element, sex, power, vitality, and love.

Orange is associated with ambition, creativity, breaking through blockages, and career success.

Pink is associated with romantic love, friendship, self love, compassion, and emotional well-being.

Green is associated with nature, herbalism, the earth element, money, wealth, prosperity, and luck.

Brown is associated with grounding, animal magic, stability, and balance.

White is associated with purification, cleansing, the full moon, new beginnings, healing, and spiritual growth.

Black is associated with protection, truth, outer space, banishing, and transition.

Decorating your home with colors that are meaningful to you can create a powerful magical space. You may also have your own color associations (for example, yellow is a very “happy” color for me), so feel free to incorporate those into your decor as well!

Growing Magical Houseplants

Most witches feel a very deep connection to nature and draw power from the natural world, but we can’t all live in a cottage in the heart of the forest. Even if you live in a tiny apartment in the city, you can still bring nature into your space by keeping houseplants. Many popular houseplants have magical uses, and many popular magic herbs can be grown inside. Here are a few to get you started.

Aloe. This is one of my favorite plants. Aloe brings luck and protection, especially protection on an energetic/spiritual level. I like to keep aloe in my bedroom to protect me while I sleep, as well as to bring luck and inspiration while I’m working at my desk.

Basil. Basil is very popular in money spells, and will attract prosperity and luck to your home. However, it also has protective properties — both spiritual protection and protection from bugs, since basil is a natural insect repellent! Basil can also be used in love spells, and is just generally a good plant to have around for good vibes.

African Violet. This flowering plant attracts positive spiritual energy into your space. It has associations with the moon and the water element, and is very good for promoting spirituality and psychic power.

Rosemary. Rosemary is one of those herbs that every witch should have on hand. It’s so darn versatile, it can be used as a substitute for virtually any other herb, and can be used for almost any intention. Some of the most common magical associations for rosemary include: cleansing, purification, protection, healing, mental activity, and enhancing memory. According to author Deborah J. Martin, there’s an old English saying that, “Where rosemary grows, the woman rules the house.” Like basil, rosemary is a natural insect repellent.

Lavender. Lavender brings peace, love, and gentleness, which makes it a perfect addition to any home. It can be used in spells for cleansing and purification, enhancing psychic abilities, and stress relief. Lavender is also a powerful addition to love spells. Keeping lavender in the bedroom can aid in restful sleep, while lavender in the kitchen will bring harmony to the home.

Sage. Sage is the most talked about cleansing herb, and with good reason. Unfortunately, a lot of the sage bundles you can buy at metaphysical stores are made with white sage (Salvia apiana), which is sacred to Native American peoples and is endangered due to overharvesting. Instead of buying those, why not grow your own garden sage (Salvia officinalis), which has a lot of the same magical properties? Growing sage in your home will purify the space and protect those who live there. Sage also has an association with wisdom and mental prowess.

Hoya. Hoya is a common houseplant that you’ve probably seen even if you don’t know it by name. It has a distinctive appearance with waxy, dark green leaves and clusters of white, star-shaped flowers. Hoya aligns and balances the energy centers within your body, as well as in the surrounding space. It’s associated both with grounding and with spiritual openness, so it can be great for balancing the two.

Peppermint. Peppermint has a variety of magical uses, but my favorite way to use it is for gently opening up blockages and getting things moving. It’s great for cleansing, but is more gentle than rosemary or sage. Place it in any room where you tend to do a lot of healing work, or where you could use some peace and love. Peppermint is also used in dream magic, so growing it in the bedroom may bring on vivid or lucid dreams.

Orchid. Orchids are used in magic for love and lust. Historically, orchid has been used in folk medicine to promote male virility and “Jezebel root,” used in American folk magic to attract wealthy male lovers, is a type of orchid root. If you live with a significant other, try growing an orchid in the bedroom to promote passion in your sex life. Otherwise, grow orchids in your home to promote love or to attract romance.

Catnip. If you have cats, they’ll love this one. Catnip is actually a type of mint, and has strong lunar associations. It’s said to make one more charming and attractive, and is especially useful for attracting women. At the same time, catnip promotes courage and fierceness. It is also, of course, associated with cats and feline deities, so this is definitely a plant you’ll want to keep around if the cat is one of your animal guides.

If you have a yard space that you can turn into an outdoor garden, your magical plant options are limited only by your local ecosystem. Some outdoor plants that have magical uses include roses, sunflowers, rue, lemon balm, and strawberries.

Creating an Altar

Altars are focal points of magical and spiritual energy. Many people, both witches and non-witches, find that having a designated space for their spiritual practice creates a deeper sense of sacredness and purpose.

An altar can serve lots of different purposes. Many witches use their altar as a magical work space to prepare spells, meditate, and do divination. You may choose to dedicate your altar to a deity, your ancestors, or some other spirit(s) you work with. You can also build altars for specific intentions, such as a money altar or a love altar — performing rituals at this altar everyday is a powerful method for manifestation. You altar may be some or all of these things, or it may just be a place to sit and connect with the spiritual.

You can set up an altar on any flat surface, like a shelf or table, or inside a container like a jewelry box. Your setup can be as simple or as elaborate as you like. An altar can be huge and complex, with statues and candles and flowers, or it can be as simple as a tealight and an incense burner. It’s all about what appeals to you.

Resources:

New World Witchery pocast, “Episode 143 — The Magical Home”

Southern Cunning: Folkloric Witchcraft in the American South by Aaron Oberon

Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner by Scott Cunningham

“Candle colors and their meanings” by Michelle Gruben on the Grove and Grotto blog

Green Witchcraft by Paige Vanderbeck

A Green Witch’s Cupboard by Deborah J. Martin

“The Magic of Orchids in Wiccan Love Spells & Rituals” on the Art of the Root blog