Don’t Even Get Me Started On Hallowe’en

Just some witch stuff Dress: favorite Coat: Atelier Boz Hat and brooch: Vintage Shoes: Yosuke Tights: Verum by Grimoire Bag: Métamorphose, temps de fille Wand: USJ

Stolas aesthetic!

How to Set Intentions

Always in witchcraft there is going to be a spell or ritual that asks you to set your intentions in order to reach the goal desired. We always hear “set your intentions”, but we never get to hear how to set your intentions. Here, I’m going to give you a step by step guide on how to set your intentions for rituals, spells and anything else that requires your focus.

1. Write down your primary ideas for what you want your intention to be about

Example:  I want to be rich, I want to be able to buy things without worry of money, I want to have more tangible assets

2. Analyze your ideas for common themes. What is the main goal you are trying to reach?

Example: Money, Abundance, Wealth

3. Use the themes found to identify your intention. Always be as precise as possible.

Example: I will have an abundance of money, I will have excess cash to live comfortably

4. Write your intention on a specific piece of paper with as few words as possible, but be very specific.

These simple steps will allow you to understand how to set your intentions in an exact manner which will strengthen any spell or ritual you plan on doing. I hope this helped. Thank you for reading!

With spooky season coming upon us… let me tell you about one scary thing: Shadow work

There’s nothing more scary than facing yourself, the parts you don’t like about you, the ugly parts you want to keep hidden. The parts you want to deny about yourself. Dare I say lie about yourself. 

But shadow work is that necessary pain you need. You need to check yourself, work through your issues, whether that is trauma a reality check or something else. It overall should make you a better person or at the very least help you move on your way to becoming the best you you can be. And it’s hard to admit things.  Humbling yourself is a bitch. Admitting things about yourself is a bitch and it all hurts. But with that comes acceptance and change. Addressing an issue is the first step to overcoming said problem. You have to admit you’re addicted to something before kicking it. You have to acknowledge you’re a quitter because you’re either afraid of failure, success or…both at the same time. And I’m just naming things off the top of my head. 

When I first started looking into shadow work, I first thought it was more like Persona series. You gotta fight yourself and defeat yourself like the inverted version of yourself. But a lot of it isn’t about who wins and who loses. It’s all about you and what can be your best self. You don’t do shadow work to eliminate the darkness, you accept it and work with it. It reminds you of your mistakes, your shortcomings, your flaws. But most importantly, it allows you to not be perfect and I think that’s what we need the most. Like persona, your dark selves, the parts you hate, want to deny, ignore, can destroy you just as much as it can help you. It can easily become your armor, your weaponry, because it is you, but those dark parts of you don’t have to rule you. 

Racism, Spirituality, and Witchblr

As a Black witch, it first made me relieved to see so many people in the community band together for Black Lives Matter. Over the past 5 years as a member of the Witchblr community, I have been subjected to numerous acts of racist microaggressions and attacks ranging from slurs being thrown at me, death threats, insults to my cultural practices because they’re different from European witchcraft and folk magic, attempted doxxing, and more because I was outspoken about anti-racist action. And that doesn’t include the many accounts of racism and bigotry that I witnessed secondhand. So seeing the community come together to support BLM made me hopeful that there would be a cultural shift within the community. 

But, as time went on, the amount of support for BLM that I saw in the tags slowly began to dwindle as if the movement had some hidden expiration date for allies, as if all the work was done after the mass spells performed on the eclipse.

The work is far from over, witchblr. We still need to protest, sign petitions, donate, and do our part to end police brutality, defund/disband the police and abolish prisons, and address the systemic racism that exists in all facets of society.

To look “locally,” the same problems in our community still exist. And while we alone cannot eradicate racism from the whole of society, we can absolutely prevent its spread on witchblr and in other spiritual/occult communities. 

Being an ally means more than posting a black square on your Instagram page or changing your profile picture to “heathens against racism.” Being an ally means actively being anti-racist and doing your part to ensure the community is truly inclusive and safe for people of color.

So, how can we begin to address the problem of racism in the spiritual communities both online and offline? Here are a few tips. I’ve focused largely on how white allies can address racism as it impacts Black practitioners, as I can only speak from my own experience as a Black person. Other people of color of all races are welcome to add onto this.

Stop supporting cultural appropriation. I don’t care if they’re your favorite blogger, your favorite diviner, your favorite occult supply store, etc, but if they’re posting about hoodoo sweetening/honey jars and they’re not Black, it’s time to block and unfollow. If they claim they speak for the Orisha or the Lwa and they aren’t initiated, it’s time to block and unfollow. If you don’t respect our cultural practices, you don’t really respect us.

Educate yourself on non-European practices. Did you know that there are more ATRs than just Lucumi, Vodou, and hoodoo? Can you explain the difference between Voodoo/Vodou and hoodoo? What is the difference between hoodoo and witchcraft? If you can’t answer these questions, time to do some reading! Educating yourself prevents you from appropriating or saying/spreading ignorant misinformation.

Stop supporting spiritual/occult organizations that act as performative allies and/or refuse to explicitly support practitioners of color. That means covens, fraternal organizations, Discord servers, pagan temples, conventions, and other spiritual organizations (large and small.) Don’t donate to these groups and don’t attend these groups or their events.

Amplify the voices of Black practitioners. How many Black spiritual/occult authors, diviners, bloggers, podcasters, astrologers, priest/priestesses, and/or vloggers can you name? How many African or Black philosophers can you name? Our voices and contributions to religion, spirituality, and the occult matter. Listen to us.

Deplatform racists. If you are a moderator or leader of a spiritual/occult community, delete/ban/kick out anyone who expresses racist or bigoted ideologies. Defending racists under the guise of “freedom of speech” just allows them to spread their hate and potentially harm or traumatize POC. Even if you’re not in a position of power, refuse to engage with bigots to prevent their message from spreading. Don’t reblog their posts, watch their videos, buy their products, etc. If you can, spread receipts of their racist acts instead.

Stop speaking over practitioners of color. If we say that something is racist/appropriation/insensitive, listen to us instead of arguing in an attempt to “save face.” We all make mistakes. Just own up to it and do what you can to fix the situation. Attacking us just because we demand equal respect is an act of racism in and of itself.

Support Black-owned businesses. Instead of buying your herbs from Amazon, go to a botanica. Get readings or other metaphysical services from Black diviners. We deserve to be compensated for our labor. It’s the least you can do considering a large chunk of modern folk magic is inspired by, influenced by, or straight up stolen from Black spiritual practices.

De-center yourself from the conversation. Cool, you’re an empath or a “sensitive”, but venting all day about how much pain you’re in is honestly insulting. And, if you want to rant about all the racist things your family has done, maybe go to one of your other white friends instead of forcing us to listen to you repeat their racist garbage.

Acknowledge your own biases and privileges. There are tons of resources out there on white privilege, white fragility, and unconscious forms of racism. Educate yourself.

Keep up the work outside of witchblr and spiritual communities. Keep donating, keep signing petitions, and keep using your platform for anti-racist action.

These points are only the tip of the iceberg. Racism is so deeply embedded in our society that it won’t be removed overnight. But if you want to claim the title of “ally,” you need to join in and continue doing the work. Unlike you, we don’t get to “opt out” of caring for the movement as racism impacts us every single day of our lives. Don’t opt out on us now.

some of the best mushrooms I've seen <3

Just letting people know that "Shifting", that thing on TikTok that was popular, isn't real.

Dream scripting however is, and has been used to help people cope with PTSD dreams and other negative dreams. It is a useful skill, but you have to understand that it is a dream.

Lucid dreaming is also very real, and very fun! I've done it multiple times, and it's a skill you can learn.

"Shifting" is dangerous because it ends up targetting mental ill people and vulnerable people who want to escape their current reality and believe they are actually going to another reality. This can cause them to ignore their real life, the real world, and their real health.

This is a very unhealthy coping mechanism and I cannot stress enough that "Shifting" is not real.

"Shifting" is dangerous to believe in because it can seriously impact people's mental health. And I am so sorry to those who do believe in shifting, I really want you to reach out to a therapist to try and find healthy coping skills so you don't feel the need to escape this reality.

Crystal Care 101

Alright witches (and non-witches), let me give you a crash course in Crystal Care.

Universal Ways to Charge Crystals

Any of these ways can be used without damaging your crystals:

Moonlight. The moon is our best friend, she is amazing, she will not harm your crystals at all.

Touch. You can hold your crystals in your hand to charge them with your own energy and intention. It is a very personal way to charge your crystals.

Smoke. You can run your crystals through smoke from your incense, candles, or smoke cleansing sticks.

Sigil. Place a sigil meant for charging underneath your crystal to charge it.

Selenite. Some people use Selenite to charge their other crystals. I don't know why Selenite is associated with charging crystals, but it is.

Basic Crystal Safety

Do not consume any crystal or crystal powder under any circumstances.

Some crystals are toxic when in water, make sure yours isn't before you charge your water.

Do not heat your crystals with a flame.

Do not have Himalayan Rock Salt Lamps if you have a cat, they can lick it and become very dehydrated, which can lead to death.

In fact, make sure all of your crystals are out of reach for any of your pets, or children if you have them.

DO NOT PUT THESE CRYSTALS IN WATER

Amber, Angelite, Black Tourmaline, Calcite, Carnelian, Celestite, Halite, Hematite, Jade, Labradorite, Lapis Lazuli, Lodestone, Malachite, Mica, Moldavite, Moonstone, Obsidian, Opal, Pearl, Pyrite, Selenite, Tangerine Quartz, Turquoise

DO NOT PUT THESE CRYSTALS IN CONSTANT SUNLIGHT

Amethyst, Apatite, Aquamarine, Aventurine, Calcite, Celestite, Citrine, Clear Quartz, Fluorite, Green Amethyst, Opal, Rose Quartz, Sapphire, Smokey Quartz, Topaz, Turquoise

DO NOT PUT THESE CRYSTALS IN EXTREME TEMPERATURES

Amber, Amethyst, Aquamarine, Citrine, Coral, Emerald, Jade, Labradorite, Lapis Lazuli, Malachite, Moonstone, Obsidian, Onyx, Opal, Pearl, Touramaline.

This is just a 101 Guide, it's by no means a full list, so please make sure to also do your own research on your individual crystals as well. I hope this helps!