Latest Posts by the-horned-raven - Page 6

Never regret your mistakes. Admire the courage it took to attempt the unknown.

- My daily cup of tea.

never take criticism from people you would not take advice from

Witchy Tip!

Are you struggling with some financials right now? Is that making you feel like you aren’t being a “good enough” witch?

Copy all those spells you’ve been saving online into your Grimoire / Book of Shadows

If you have altar, take some time to tidy it up. You’ll appreciate having a clear space the next time that you go to work.

Meditate. It’ll clear things from your mind & give you a chance to feel refreshed.

Go for a walk! Either in nature or in the city to reconnect with your environment’s energy. If you have pets, they’ll love this one.

Reset your crystals with new intentions. This will have them work in a better way for you.

Look up the upcoming moon phase & mark it in your journal / planner. Plan out the ritual & tarot readings for it.

Go through your tarot journal (if you have one) & find any of the cards that keep coming up in your readings. Do a reading to figure out why it keeps popping up in your readings & being a creeper!

Take a bath to cleanse / purify yourself with the water. It helps more than you would think.

The Great Goddess Hecate (Hekate)

Who is Hecate? She is the Goddess of Witchcraft, Necromancy, Ghosts, Magic, and, in some instances, the Night, Darkness, The Mist, and Moon. For some She is also the goddess of motherhood, protection, and the sea. She is a Hellenic deity, born of the Titans Asteria and Perses. There’s a few beliefs circling around Her being a crone goddess or a Triple Goddess, but those are modern and neopagan beliefs—which She predates. I also consider Her to be a part of the Chthonic deities.

Symbology: Black dogs, Wolves, Keys, Torches, Flames, Torches, Crossroads, Serpents, Daggers, Birds of Prey (crows, ravens, owls), the Moon, witchcraft tools (such as cauldrons, tarot, athames)

Offerings & Devotional Acts for Her:

Figurines of any of Her symbols

keys, skeleton keys, lockets

fire witchcraft and candles, flames, matchsticks

dedicating any lunar or symbolic jewelry to Her

black/dark crystals such as obsidian and onyx

nocturnal animal imagery

black/cool colored glitter

baneful/poisonous herbs and plants

pomegranates/berries (She seems to really like blackberries)

dark blend wines

honey, cinnamon, poppy seeds, chocolates (dark)

mugwort, lavender, roses, jasmine, dragon’s blood

bones and feathers from birds of prey (please check your local laws about obtaining these)

pinpricks of blood (please DO NOT attempt this if you struggle with self harm/etc, blood magic is particularly strong and isn’t for everyone. She will understand if you cannot offer that to her).

Taking midnight walks, setting up altars and rituals at crossroads, paying respects to the dead and practicing your craft in a cemetery 

Any playlists, poems, literature, whether it be your own or just a piece you associate with Her, also make wonderful offerings. 

Lunar Influences & Connections: Reaching out to Hecate tends to work best at night, and really any time the moon is at it’s peak. The Witching Hours, midnight to 3A.M., during strong lunar influences (blue moons, blood moons, eclipses, new moons, etc) all hold strong bonds with Hecate. Also, any time it is particularly foggy or your surroundings are covered in a mist is a good time to try to connect with Her.

Disclaimer: These are correspondences that have been gathered through my personal experiences working through my craft with Her. If you find She responds better to different offerings/during different times, by all means, stick to it! Your bond with Her is your own and should be cultivated in whichever way works best for you and Her. Thank You!

It's been a while...

Hi, all. I apologize for my absence. I know I went AWOL for what seems like forever. I've been going through a lot of bad stuff these past few years (still hanging on by a thread) but I'm hoping to come back and reconnect with my crafts and witchy communities. I noticed that lot of blogs that I used to follow are no longer active. So, if you're an active blog that touches on any of these witchy paths, I would appreciate it if you could throw a like or reblog this post so I could follow you! ✨Kitchen ✨Green ✨Lunar ✨Tech ✨Shadow work ✨Charms ✨Hexes & Curses ✨Hearth ✨Hedge ✨Tarot ✨Elemental ✨Spoonie I'm looking to expand my old crafts and explore new ones. Thanks all and hope to get reacquainted soon. 🖤

20 Tips to being a Safe Witch

Altar Safety

When burning anything always keep a glass of water near you, unless you are working with burning oils, then keep a fire extinguisher or baking soda on hand.

When working with essential oils(EO), do not burn them they are highly flammable 

Never leave anything burning unattended, be it a burn bowl, candle, incense. DON’T LEAVE IT!

Please remove anything flammable such as paper or string from the candle, it will ignite and you will be alarmed.

Make sure that what you’re burning your candle in is fire safe, metal and cast iron are good bets. Do NOT burn in a glass, if you have to put it out and dump water on it, it will explode. 

Make sure you tie back loose hair and don’t have any floppy sleeves or necklaces to get in the way. 

When putting out a candle it is best to use a candle snuffer and do not use water. 

Don’t burn kitchen sage, it gives off a toxic smoke. Not something you wanna inhale.

Essential Oil Safety

Please, please dilute them properly. I have a chemical burn scar I can never get rid of due to undiluted cinnamon bark oil. The proper dilution is one drop per teaspoon.

Never ingest EO, there are some that are now generally recognized as safe by the FDA, but the quality of EO are not regulated. Who knows what a bad quality EO could do to your internal organs, not something I wanna test.

Essential Oils are photosensitive, meaning they deteriorate in light store them in a dark area to prevent them from spoiling.

DO NOT put them near on your skin and get in the sun or a tanning bed, especially citrus oils, they will blister.

Water will not dilute essential oils, only other oils(canola, olive, sweet almond, olive will all dilute). If you want to use them in a bath it is one drop per a teaspoon of oil.

Please seek medical attention if anything seems off after using EO, they seem harmless but can be very dangerous

Pets can be very sensitive to essential oils(particularly cats) and it is almost impossible to cover all my bases here. The sources provided below have some great resources.

Always go by the scientific name, German and Roman chamomile are very different products.

Kitchen Magic Safety

Wear shoes if you’re doing anything, I nearly lost a toe the other day cause I dropped a knife. I got lucky I was wearing boots. 

Wear correct clothing, and tie back hair. No matter if you have a gas, electric or induction stove, I’ve caught a lab coat sleeve on fire thanks to a torch while making a creme brulee. 

Use your knives correctly, learn about the pinch grip and use the correct knife for the job. Using a paring knife for chopping potatoes is asking for trouble. There are tons of videos online, I like the ones from Alton Brown and Jamie Oliver.

As a side note use sharp knives, a blunt knife will do more damage than a sharp one.

Don’t leave knives in the sink, someone could begin to wash dishes and cut themselves. 

Watch the steam. Steam can give a worse burn than dry heat, open pot lids away from you and don’t stick your face and phalanges in steam. 

Don’t leave food products unattended. 

Use your damn pot holders, they protect you and your counters. 

Store raw meat on the lowest shelves, and never store cooked meat on the same shelf

Wash your hands before, wash your hands after handling raw meats, wash your hands after. 

Don’t leave food that is meant to be cold or hot out for more than 2 hours, this is to decrease foodborne illness. 

When using the store turn handles in, to keep yourself from bumping them off the stove. 

Cook meats to proper temps(there is a chart in the sources)

If you are using herbs be sure to use kitchen grade herbs, those that are not kitchen grade are not held up to the same purity standards and could have more pesticide residue.

Herbal Safety

Please be aware a lot of herbs can work against prescription medications, or should only be taken in very specific doses( St. John’s Wort I’m looking at you.) Check in with your doctor or a licensed herbalist or naturopath before ingesting herbs.

Crystal Safety

Identify your crystals, some are water solvent some are not and it matters

Some that aren’t safe in water include malachite and selenite. They have copper and if aren’t sealed they can become toxic. There is no way to know for sure if it was sealed or not keep -ite crystals dry as a good rule of thumb. 

Some crystals fade in sunlight like rose quartz, amethyst and citrine, in order to prevent fading try cleansing them with sound, flower petals, moonlight and energy.

VIV Sassmaster, WHC Blog Manager, WHC Moderator @thestudiouswitch

Sources

http://candles.org/fire-safety-candles/

http://www.pixiespocket.com/2016/03/lets-talk-about-candle-safety.html

https://naha.org/explore-aromatherapy/safety/

https://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/cfcfr/CFRSearch.cfm?fr=182.20

https://www.thespruce.com/dangers-of-essential-oils-555089

http://www.thelavendercat.com/images/PDF-TheLavenderCat_temp_use.pdf

http://www.vetstreet.com/our-pet-experts/do-essential-oils-pose-a-risk-to-pets

http://www.usingeossafely.com/is-it-safe-to-use-essential-oils-with-dogs/

https://www.thespruce.com/top-kitchen-safety-tips-481834

http://www.dummies.com/food-drink/cooking/kitchen-safety/basic-rules-of-kitchen-safety/

https://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/mintemp.html

http://www.amfed.org/editor/BEAC/Articles/2011/AdultArticlesAdv/16.Minerals%20Safe%20to%20Handle-Some%20Require%20Caution.doc

http://arccitius.tumblr.com/post/149575827181/crystal-safety

🖤✨

Beautiful Old Italian Greenhouse Overgrown With Vegetation

📍Italy

📷 from @ksenia_hound

dancing in the mushroom circle

Don’t let the mainstream sterilize witchcraft

It’s not just love & light and good vibes. 

Witchcraft is walking through the dark when the light let you down.

Witchcraft is crossing your enemies who would rather see you fail.

Witchcraft is giving yourself agency and fighting your abusers.

Witchcraft is owning who you are in a world that wants you to conform.

Witchcraft is confronting your own shadow and healing.

Witchcraft is screaming when you were told to be silent.

Just reiterating that the heart of witchcraft is (just like science) experimentation and documentation. Try things out. Get them wrong. Mess up. Do better. Write down your efforts. Make changes and alterations based on what you have access to. Above all, if it works, it works; if it doesn’t, then it’s no good. Witchcraft is a results-based practice. 

♡ 赤羽根海岸の朝日と波の音 ♡

Consider:

You're journey begins and ends here

the sexual tension between me & the alternate reality I daydream about

Good luck blep 🌈

a cottage in the forest and zero responsibilities. i’m surrounded by animals. is this too much to ask for

Different Psychic

Abililies

Telepathy

Telepathy is the ability to pass on

information, ideas, thought, impression , feelings and moods between human beings without involment of sensory organs

Precognition

Precognition is the prediction of future events that are already anticipated or are experienced , whereby the prediction can realate to a few seconds or few years

Mediumship

The term medium or channel refers to a person who can establish a connection to the spiritual world and is thus able to convey messages between people and super natural beings such as angels, spirits or the deceased

Telekinesis

Telekinesis is the movement of objects through the power of human consciousness, without the aid of hands or other instruments that touches the object

Apportation

This type of psychic ability is defined as the appearance or disappearance of an object without the physical touch

Clairvoyance

Clairvoyance or clear seeing is the ability to use paranormal senses to see images and visions . Clairvoyance use their gift to obtain information weather it about an object, person ,future events, past events, even a location

Clairaudience

Clairaudience or clear hearing is the ability to hear things psychically without the use of your physical ears. People who have this ability receive information from spiritual beings in the form of messages and sounds.

Clairsentience

Clairsentience means clear feeling or clear sensing . A person with this ability feels the soul of a person and puts themselves into their feelings, emotions and perceptions and interprets them.

From Moon

Take care stay safe healthy

Credits to Pinterest

Happy Virgo season

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!