Clay Froggy Made By My Two Gay Hands :o

He whom love touches not walks in darkness.

Shadow Work 101: Ruminating vs Reprocessing

I need to start this off with my usual disclaimer that I am not a therapist and really underline it here. I speaking on this based purely on my own experience and a little bit of reading I’ve done on the subject. It in no way constitutes a expert opinion. (Also it’s 3 in the morning here, so even if I was an expert, this would not exactly be optimal material here)

However, it’s important enough that I want to at least bring this part of shadow work up because I realized recently that I’ve not addressed it very explicitly.

When you’re working with difficult memories and even trauma in your shadow work, it is incredibly important to evaluate whether you’re reprocessing the memory when you bring it up to explore it and sit with it.

What I mean is usually in going through old memories there’s this discovery process, where you suddenly see your past experiences in a new light. But it’s important to then move to the next part which is reintegrating that memory in a way so that remembering it isn’t painful or causing dysfunction. There are a ton of ways to do that. Therapists have a ton of tools at their disposal to help with this so if you can see one, I highly recommend it. But tarot is also a good way to begin to reexamine and reintegrate these difficult memories. Spreads can help you see those memories in new lights and help balance out the intensity of our negative thinking.

However, there’s something I’ve seen with some folks where they’ll almost obsessively recall memories and do not reprocess them. Or they’ll bring up more memories than they can possibly do any sort of reintegration work at a time. This can be overwhelming and even damaging in my experience. It can lead to folks freezing and shutting down. It can wind up being used to justify poor behaviors that might have sparked the exploration in the first place, keeping the person locked in their dysfunctional patterns.

That sort of obsession without reprocessing is called rumination. Where you feel as if you can’t stop thinking about a difficult memory or that you have to in order to prevent something bad from happening again. Rumination can almost become a form of self harm depending on how it manifests in a person’s life. If when someone messes up they then recall a bunch of times they’ve messed up and they don’t follow that up with any sort of reframing, it’s essentially like yelling and humiliating yourself. Rumination, even in it’s milder forms, is highly correlated to depression and, at least in my experience, can totally stall the shadow integration/healing process.

So when trying to figure out if you’re ruminating or reprocessing a memory, here are some questions:

When you recall the memory, do you see it in a new more compassionate light (reprocessing) or do you feel as if that’s the end of line, there’s nothing more to do (rumination)?

Afterward, do you feel lighter and more relieved (reprocessing) or do you feel heavy and shameful (rumination)?

When you’re thinking about the memory, do you account for the complexity of the situation (reprocessing) or do you find yourself believing you or another person was all good or all bad (rumination)?

While these aren’t perfect in their wording, they’re at least a start. If you find yourself ruminating a lot, there are a host of strategies you can use to cut down on it. One option, is just not doing memory work until you’re better able to manage that rumination. Sometimes we push ourselves too far too fast and we just need a chance to recoup in order to get back to reprocessing. There’s plenty of other shadow work skills to work on in that time - keeping small daily promises, describing things neutrally, breathwork - that don’t require you to bring up memories in order to be helpful.

If you’re really in a rut, I recommend TMS journaling - stream of consciousness journaling for 20 minutes with the focus on writing down things we’re afraid to admit to other people and then deleting or destroying it - twice a day. It’s been incredibly helpful for me to break the habit of rumination. Another option is talking for 20 minutes into a camera if journaling that much is too difficult. My question and answer method I wrote about can also be helpful here.

But maybe you’re like some folks I’ve talked to and you’re realizing you don’t really know how to reprocess a memory. While I definitely recommend a therapist above all else, one way can be to select a card as a signifier for the memory, shuffle you deck, find the card, and the cards on either side will offer a different framing for how to think about it. You can also check out some of the spreads I’ve posted under shadow working in my free resources. Working with stuck points if you’re in a good enough place can also be one way to shift the needle forward.

So I just wanted to put this out there for folks who might not realize their shadow work is actually rumination heavy and as something to consider if you’re stalling out in your shadow work. I really hope you all are well and I’m looking forward to writing more about this in the future.

Cedar - Magical Uses

Gender: Masculine Planet: Sun Element: Earth Deity: N/A Plant type: Evergreen Tree

Uses: Remove negative energy, open up to higher levels of spiritual consciousness, chase away nightmares, attract love, cocoon with your spiritual essence

Burned as incense to banish negative energy, raise spiritual vibration

Used to aid during meditation

Put inside of the pillow for a good night's sleep

For protection, keep a cedar box or animal carved in cedar wood in your home

Hung in the house to protect from lightning

Keep in pockets/wallet to attract money

A cedar stick carved into 3 prongs, placed into the ground near home protects from evil

✨🌊 Sea Glass 🌊✨

Sea Glass is often overlooked magickally and there isn’t much information out there but they are indeed magickal. They are like gifts from the water 🌊

Use it as you would a crystal. Carry some around with you (as itself or jewelry), put them on your altar to represent the water element or use them as a grid….. etc…

💠About Them💠

💠They have healing and cleansing properties

💠They can be used as water representation on an altar

💠You can create your own DIY Rune set

💠Can be used as offerings

💠If you happen to find a RARE colored sea glass it can be used for goodluck

💠Depending on the color - it can represent that colors properties

💠It has both water and fire element properties

💠Can be used in spells that have any sort of change/metamorphosis.

https://www.instagram.com/witchingmama/

🩸 Period Self-care for Witches 🩸

Periods can be unbearable, so here are a few witch tips to help people who menstruate… 

🍵 Drink tea with lemon, ginger and honey to soothe cramps and relieve pain.

🕯️ Light a red candle, stare at the flame and meditate about your body’s strength and power.

🚪 Protect your house from unwanted energies or spirits, by burying a few drops of menstrual blood close to your front door. 

💦 Apply warm water to alleviate your pain, using a warm bath or a hot water bottle. 

📔 Keep a diary of your cycle to take note of how you feel, the current moon cycle, and the dreams you have at night. 

🖌️ Explore sigil magic using your menstrual blood to increase power and intention. 

🛏️ Rest your body and soul. Having your period can be emotionally and physically draining, so take it easy. 

100 ways to incorporate magick in your daily life. 

I understand that these are not exactly all witchy but this is about intergreting your everyday life in your practice and appreciating as well as finding magick in the most mundane and simple things that we often miss out on. ♡

1. When you wake up, before grabbing your phone or getting out of bed, take a few seconds to breathe, and stretch all your limbs.

2. Say ‘’thank you’’ to your god/goddess/deity, or simply to acknowledge how lucky you are to live another day.

3. Open the window regardless of the weather and take a big breath of fresh air. This will not only cleanse the room but also your body. 

4. If it’s raining outside or snowing, take a minute to admire the beauty of it. 

5. Pick wildflowers (please don’t pick any endangered flowers or toxic ones, do your research).

6. Dry said wildflowers and put them in your Book of Shadows or any book or journal you are using.

7. Go for a walk in nature during the day and during the night as well. 

8. Sunbathe.

9. Moonbathe.

10. Light lots of candles.

11. If your room needs a cleaning, try to make your own household products naturally using your favorite scents and clean your room with them. 

12. Change your bed sheets and pillowcases.

13. If you have a clothing line, hang your clothes, blankets, sheets, comforters, pillowcases, underwear outside. Visualize the wind cleansing them. 

14. Grow your own favorite herbs. 

15. Buy a succulent. 

16. Dry your herbs and save them for bath magick, spells, teas or rituals. 

17. Sweep the floor and visualize yourself sweeping off all negativity out of the room. 

18. Sprinkle sea salt over areas that you feel have a negative energy to purify them.

19. Make your own purifying/cleansing spray. 

20. Take a hot, soothing bath. I am a sea witch so I find this particularly helpful when I miss the ocean/the beach. (Don’t forget to add herbs, essential oils, sea salt, flowers, crystals, or anything that has magickal properties for a magickal bath)

21. Sip a cup of your favorite herbal tea.

22. For kitchen witches, try brewing your own tea, and cooking meals with intention and magickal ingredients.

23. Make charm bags. 

24. Water your herb garden by hand. 

25. Show the people you love that you love them.

26. Show some love to your pets and spend a few extra minutes with them. 

27. Light up your favorite incense.

28. Keep a small bag of your favorite herb (for example: lavender) in a drawer, so when you feel stressed, just pop the bag open for a deep breath of calming aromatherapy. 

29. When you take a shower, visualize the water neutralizing your energy and washing off all the bad stuff. 

30. Bless your morning coffee or tea.

31. Keep a daily journal, whether it’s a Book of Shadows, a daily planner/organizer or a dream journal. 

32. If you wanna be low-key and discrete about your craft, draw small sigils all over everything. Your school notebooks, pencil cases, journals, shoes, etc. 

33. Read lots of books about magick and form your own opinion/path/views/beliefs.

34. If you read fictional stories, allow yourself to get lost in them and let your mind wander and escape. 

35. Put on your favorite clothes, makeup, shoes, or whatever little thing that makes you feel fabulous, even if you’re staying in. 

36. Be proud of your body.

37. Practice self-care.

38. Take time to unplug and spend time with yourself. (that includes smartphones, iPads, laptops, tablets, desktops, and all electronics/little gadgets we lug around on a daily basis.)

39. Go to the beach

40. Go to the forest.

41. Go to the desert. 

42. Go to the mountains. 

43. If it’s warm outside, make a bonfire and admire the flames. If it’s winter and you have a fireplace, light it up. 

44. Go somewhere you’ve never visited before. 

45. Go camping if you can, by yourself or with friends. 

46. Stargaze.

47. Breathe.

48. Dance.

49. Dance in the rain.

50. Sing.

51. Go outside in a snowstorm (but don’t drive and most importantly know if it’s safe or not. Be careful.)

52. Plant a vegetable garden, even if it’s just a pot of tomatoes. 

53. Walk barefoot and feel the earth under your feet.

54. Pull weeds.

55. Adopt an animal from the shelter.

56. Practice yoga.

57. Eat healthy, but if you wanna eat that last piece of cake, do it. Life is short.

58. Exercise.

59. Start a new hobby.

60. Mix your own perfume.

61.Make your own candle.

62. Make your own essential oil.

63. Make your own soap. 

64. Lay down and listen to your favorite music. (Mine is video game music, it’s just soothing for me.

65. Take a day just for you without answering the phone.

66. Pick dandelions and make a wish.

67. Carry crystals/stones with your in your pocket. 

68. Learn how to do tarot readings.

69. Collect rain, sun, snow water.

70. Plant lavender or rosemary for protection and luck. 

71. Bless your kitchen utensils, such as spatulas and wooden spoons, that all the food you make with them will promote healing and love. 

72. Charge your crystals under the full moon. 

73. Have tantric sex with a loving partner. 

74. Carve sigils into the sand at the beach and let the tides release them into the universe.

75. Re-arrange your altar. 

76. Keep track of your sleep and menstrual cycles and moods to see how the moon phases affect you.

77. Be open minded to the retrogrades.

78. Go outside on any phase of the moon and take in all its beauty. 

79. Keep your pendulum with you as a necklace so you’re always ready to do a little scrying. 

80. Burn sage or cedar first thing in the morning to start your day off fresh.

81. Look for constellations and learn them. 

82. Paint sigils on your mailbox.

83. Hang wood chimes, or a silver bell on your front door knob for luck.

84. Tuck a sprig of lavender under your pillow before bed to promote peaceful sleep. 

85. Watch a meteor shower with someone you care about.

86. Buy new candles. 

87. Water your plants in your garden counterclockwise to banish negativity from the space.

88. Paint your nails a color associated with the intention of your spell or ritual before you begin so that your hands become your wand. 

89. Plant red geraniums by your front door as this is a traditional sign of witches.

90. Bless more than water and crystals on the night of the full moon: set out your essential oils, nail polish, or a special bottle of champagne too. 

91. Dry your vegetables or plants and incorporate them into a charm bag. 

92. Wash your windows with moon water for extra clarity.

93. Use sun water when you brew tea for a magickal experience. 

94. Stir sugar into your tea or coffee with intention, willing sweetness into your day and life. 

95. Draw sigils or write a brief protection spell on the inside of your dog or cat’s collar.

96. Soak in a milk bath (or just soak your fingers in a bowl of warm milk) on the full moon to embrace the feminine energy. Plus you’ll come away with silky, soft skin. 

97.Hang up palmistry and astrology charts in your home for easy reference and pretty, witchy decor. 

98. Line your windowsills with protective crystals. 

99. Make censing sticks for the seasons, using chamomile buds for spring, lavender for summer, sage for fall and pine for winter. 

100. Just be you and love yourself. Don’t forget you are made of stardust. You are magickal and amazing.

🌿 Herbal Teas and Witchcraft 🌿

Tea is a powerful tool in witchcraft. I use it to improve my mood, give myself energy and strength, cure small illnesses, and bring casual magic to my life. 

–

Herbs for Magical Teas 

🌿 Basil: wealth, money, blessings, fertility, protection, house blessings

🌿 Catnip: love, beauty, happiness, working with cat spirits

🌿 Chamomile: luck, sleep, peace, purification, calm

🌿 Cinnamon: sexuality, lust, consecration, love, spice

🌿 Elderberry: exorcism, healing, prosperity, protection

🌿 Lavender: anti-anxiety, sleep, healing, meditation, psychic abilities

🌿 Peppermint: purification, love, anti-negativity, power 

🌿 Rosemary: cleansing, drawing the aid of spirits, mental focus

–

Magical Teas Recipes

✨ Attracting money: ¼ tsp chamomile, ¼ tsp basil, ¼ tsp goldenrod

✨ Love and sexual energy: ¼ tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp catnip, ¼ tsp ginseng

✨ Cleansing: ¼ tsp dandelion, ¼ tsp lemon balm, ¼ tsp thyme

✨ Protection: ¼ tsp pine needles, ¼ tsp elderberries, ¼ tsp blackberry leaf

ASTRO NOTES LONG WRITE UP(6)🌸

•water risings tend to have a lot of trauma especially in the realm of emotions due to their water houses falling on the cusp of air/earth signs and their “water rising” is merely a unconscious reaction to the trauma they see in others—hence why they come across as either nurturing or mysterious as that is their response to the trauma they experienced.

•Virgo and Gemini have a natural connection and can easily interpret the ideas and concepts that the other is making out.

•the sign born in the year of that designated Pluto sign tend to be the most mature and or intense of the bunch. The elements aligned with that sign as well to a lesser extent. Ex. Pluto in sag gen; Sagittarius placements and or sun in sag born during this time are far more intense then they’ve previously been and have a more raw Plutonian energy along with the Leo and Aries of this generation. Cancer/Scorpio/Pisces born during the Pluto in Scorpio generation are far more intense then they’ve been and so on. This applies as well to signs sextile/trine the sign itself. And even more so for signs square and or opposite in close degrees.

•your Lilith sign and the house it’s sits in shows where you will face your greatest battle. It also shows what brings the darkness out in you. Ex: Lilith in the 8th might start to find themselves becoming more ravenous and even controlling once sex is involved. Lilith in the 4th might find that family brings the worse out of them and might be the types to grow hatred toward communities and even churches once introduced.

•5th house: is the more simple you, the playful you and the you people date within the first few months.

•The 7th house: is the you people notice immediately, the you that’s out of your line of sight! They see this in tandem with your rising which creates a contradiction. A Capricorn rising seems stern but also in need of comfort. A cancer rising seems nurturing but also out of reach.

•Your 8th house: is the you that appears once trust is reached, the you after years of being with someone. This is why marriages change and relationships transform because the real us comes into play.

•Your 8th house is your traumas so you want to deal with this before settling down with someone as they’ll make center stage.

•Juno in Scorpio or in aspects to Pluto can show that you need and crave transformation in your relationships and may even force breakups and or tension in order for you and your lover to constantly grow.

•Neptune above the ic can show highly attuned spiritual abilities but can show a lack of grounding to this world and even someone who isn’t really here.

•Pluto below the ic can show a native who’s in tune with their power as well as themselves.

•Pluto above the ic tends to project Pluto’s traits on to others whilst finding it hard to see those traits in themselves.

•venus is how we want to be pleased sexually and what arouses us in a seductive manner. Mars is how we go about expressing our sexuality and or what turns us on in a more lustful way. Ex mars in Virgo will be turned on when they feel as though they deserve it and when their s/o is gentle and sensual with them. Whilst their venus in Scorpio will be at their mercy if they’re intense and overwhelming along with that.

•earth risings are very intune with their sexuality and have a very big appetite for sex due to their water houses being in fire signs! So sex is both a passionate yet emotionally fulfilling experience for them.

•fire risings tend to get lost in the act of sex and can have trouble separating the experience from their ego and that of their lovers due to their water houses being in the sign as well causing their more fiery tendencies to disappear once in love! Which is often why people can wonder why fire signs become more submissive and or passive aggressive once in love.

•sun square Pluto can produce someone who’s both magnetic and soulful but also someone who’s extremely intense and someone you’ll never be able to control no matter how cunning and manipulative you might be—they just always know what’s happening even if they don’t say a word.

•moon square Pluto is someone who has a complex and even destructive emotional world! They can see through the hidden in others and can be very good parents because of their ability to see the pain in others.

•mercury and venus square Pluto are cunning in social situations often able to bewitch a crowd with nothing more than a smile but what they succeed in the public they lack in themselves and can have a hard time understanding their own motives and or desires

•mars square Pluto are very cozy in they sexuality! Be it same sex or otherwise! That being said they’re extremely private and those that aren’t necessarily “out” yet May shy away from someone who’s asking them to do so early on as they like to have control over what they put out into the world especially something as sacred to them as who and what they fuck.

•sign lords can vastly influence how a sign is expressed! Ex: a aqua moon in the third decan is ruled by Uranus and Venus correct? Now place Uranus in the 10th house(Capricorn/Saturn influence) and venus In the 6th house(Virgo/mercury influence) this person is going to come across far more grounded and even more serious/somber than most aqua moons. Or take a Aries moon in the first decan which is ruled by mars correct? Let’s put their mars in the 12th house and have it be mars in cancer—so this native is far more emotionally cautious and receptive than most Aries moons along with maybe their Aries moon already being situated somewhere like the 10th house which adds grounding to all of this.

•12th house is sex on instinct! It’s what you already know how to do and what you desire on a soulful level. 8th house is how you have sex in order to merge with someone! This is the real way you have sex when you are connected to someone. The 4th house is how you crave to be treated during sex! This is how you nurture during sex and or can give insight as to how gentle and or loving will be about the act based on their upbringing.

•Pluto/mercury/Neptune/venus/Saturn in the 7th can have really nice butts be it any gender! Mercury/Neptune and Saturn are more petite and small but Shapley whilst Pluto and venus are more plump and or curvy.

•having more than 4 planets in someone’s 8th house is a sign of a karmic meeting and something that needs to be resolved between the two. Having two or three planets in someone’s 2nd house romantically can show deep loyalty and love that creates an unbreakable bond as well as a connection based on equal give and take out of wanting to do so not out of needing to do so. Planets in one another’s 11th house even if it only hits once can show deep familiarity and love between two people as friends and lovers!

•in synastry it’s good if the house your personal plants fall in is present in synastry or of the similar house elements. Ex: venus in the 6th house would love 2nd house and 10th house synastry and to some extent water! Mars in a fire house might love a lot of 5th/9th/1st house!

•the signs your personal planets fall in are also important! For ex: a Aquarius moon might like mercury aspects and venus aspects in synastry or even Saturn. Or someone falling in their 11th/3rd/7th Houses.

•SYNASTRY IS FELT BOTH WAYS. House person feels it as if they were the planet and planet person feels it as if they were the sign itself! Both parties and how they react to one another depends on if they like one another, the nature of the relationship and wether or not they’re comfortable with the themes associated with the house overlay in question! So if one of you is more Plutonian and the other is more airy you’re going to feel that 8th house overlay differently from one another but you’re both still feeling it.

•composite and synastry progressed show how you guys have grown overtime and it doesn’t replace the natal synastry or composite it just shows how those energies have grown to manifest as time has gone by. Composite mars in the 3rd moving to the 2nd house I’m progressed shows that you’re growing to be more patient with one another as well as putting more value into security and comfort with one another! Less into “brainstorming” and more into sensual moments with each other. You’re still talkative and bubbly as you were but it’s channeled more into the theme of security and you’ve learned to allow one another to speak!

•NO ASPECT DETERMINES WHO YOU ARE! It’s a blueprint to yourself! Like a map of sorts so you do with it what you will but using the aspect as an excuse for your tom foolery is not what astrology is for it’s for self discovery and positive growth!

•Gemini sun struggle less with remaining focused on situations than Gemini moon and Venus.

•cancer sun is more emotive than cancer moons

•Aries suns are less impulsive and Carry a more relaxed energy than that of Aries moons who are far more impulsive and even energetic than their counterparts.

•Capricorn moons and Scorpio moons along with Aquarius moons aren’t the types to say they love you first and would rather show you than tell you.

•sun in the fire houses heals very quickly and have a high vitality. Sun in the earth houses have very sensual and intune body chemistry making it easy for them to sense issues in their bodies. Sun in the water houses can have influential energy even to the extent that it can feel like a wave washing over when they’re around—but they also seem less “here” than the rest of us. Sun in air houses often read body language better than anyone! Which is part of what makes them so likable in crowds because of how well they use this skill to navigate around them.

dreams / mirage / memories of summer

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