BEST WITCHY BOOKS FOR THE BEGINNER WITCH

May Money Find You. Like to charge, reblog to cast!

A Crash Course on Channeling

What is Channeling?

Channeling is allowing a nonphysical entity to use your physical body, in order to accomplish something. If that sounds, vague, it’s because it is. Channeling takes many different forms and intensity levels! Depending on how it’s done, it can be a medium-difficulty task or one of the most advanced things a spirit worker can do. 

Types of Channeling

I once heard channeling described as a car ride, and in my experience that’s very accurate. The car is your body, and you’re in it with an entity. Sometimes you’re in the driver’s seat, and the entity is in the back seat giving directions. Sometimes you or the entity is in the passenger’s seat: not calling most of the shots, but able to reach over and grab the wheel if needed. Sometimes you’re in the backseat watching the entity drive, and sometimes you’re in the trunk. In practice, this can take a number of forms.

Speaking on Behalf. This is the kind of channeling people do most often. The entity isn’t controlling you, just feeding you lines which you can then relay to a third party. You’re translating their messages to something other people can comprehend. If you’ve ever answered a question for a spirit in their words, you’ve done this. 

Isolated Channeling. The entity takes control of just a part of the body, usually the hands or fingers. This is mostly used for things like automatic writing.

Assuming Form. Also known as consensual possession. The entity is in the driver’s seat, speaking and acting for themselves without your help. Some people will call this “horsing.”

Possession. While the word “possession” could technically cover all of this, within the spirit work community it’s usually reserved for channeling where the human did not consent beforehand. This doesn’t necessarily mean in a violating way- I once had a friend who got possessed just long enough for an entity to yank them out of danger; once I was taken for just a moment to convey a quick (but very direct) message to a devotee, and snapped out of it right after. 

Reasons to Channel

Everyone will have a different reason to channel but most of them fall under a few categories:

Helping Someone Else. You’re channeling on behalf of someone who can’t [easily] reach the entity themselves, in order to ease communication between the two parties. This is often seen with mediums contacting spirit guides and Ancestors.

Aid in Other Works. The entity is better suited to accomplish a certain task than you, so you let them take the lead. This is often seen with a familiar or spirit companion, someone the practitioner works with closely enough to know their strengths and trust them. 

Easier Communication Overall. Channeling is a way to get really familiar with an entity’s energy. Again, we often see this with spirit companions and is more to bond than to achieve another goal.  This would include automatic writing or letting a spirit experience things “through” you. 

Ritual Invitation. In some traditions, it’s common to invite deities to ritual events. Often, some type of channeling/possession is expected and is usually reached through ecstatic experiences. It’s taken as a sign the deity has arrived at the party, either a sign the offerings have been received or a time for the deity to convey important messages. 

Before-You-Begin Essentials

Know How To Protect Yourself. This is non-negotiable. Is your discernment tuned enough to spot an impostor or malevolent entity? Do you know how to end a session early? Do you know how to banish a spirit in an emergency? If the answer is no, then study up and return to channeling when you’re ready. 

Know Your Entity. Channeling, by nature, puts the practitioner in an intimate and vulnerable place, so you don’t want to give that access to an entity who may misuse it. If it’s your first time channeling, make sure you trust this entity with your life. 

Don’t Channel Alone. When you channel, you’re in an altered state of consciousness. Having someone grounded near you helps keep the session on track and keep you out of trouble should you need it. (Either by forcing an entity out if needed or just keeping you from climbing that tree.) 

Other Notes

It’ll Probably Take a Lot Out of You. Have something ready to ground and rehydrate yourself after a session, and make sure you don’t have anything high-demand planned after. 

Start Small. No need to jump head-first into the most advancecd and high-intensity types of channeling! Start with automatic writing or painting and get used to the feeling and work your way up.

Don’t Make It Weird. Basic etiquette still matters. Channeling is not a pass to give unsolicited messages to other practitioners, speak on behalf of their deities to them (unless they’ve specifically asked), or say hurtful things cushioned by: “What? It wasn’t me who said it.”

Messages Are Rarely “Pure.” This means everything is still filtered through you, the practitioner. Your values, morals, biases, and beliefs can inform what messages get through and how they are conveyed. Nobody wants to send out a message they disagree with, after all. This becomes less of an influencing factor with experience as one learns to hone their skill and let go more, but it’s important to always keep in mind. (If a channeling friend says a deity doesn’t accept your gender identity or something, that’s a good sign that really your “friend” doesn’t accept it.) 

Things to Research Before Working with the Fae

Research is the most important thing to do before heading into Faery work and witchcraft. You want to have a lot of in depth and versatile knowledge covering many areas of the topic so you’ll be able to understand and interact with the Fair Folk! If you don’t want to work with the Fair Folk you can use this list to help yourself understand them and take the proper measure if you ever stumble upon them. I know the list could go on forever but I’m compiling the topics I find build a good foundation of understanding. I have compiled this list to give those interested guidance and a push in the right direction, it is best you do your own research before asking other’s personal knowledge and opinions!!

The Basics

Terminology ( Fae, faery, fairy, changeling, seelie, unseelie, sidhe, etc)

The Origins of the Fae (Tuatha de Dannan, Aos Sí, Tylwyth Teg)

Faeries in Different Cultures: Celtic (Irish, Scottish, Gaulish, French), Norse, Influences from Greek and Roman culture.

Folklore & Myths!! ex. Oisin and Tír na nÓg , Fenian Cycle, Arthurian Legend. 

Celtic Gods, Goddesses & Heroes- strong influences and connections to the Fae

Types of Faeries (study diverse types from pixies,brownies, pooka to Kelpies, Bwbach and Red caps) *Make sure you can at least answer who, what and where about them.

The Otherworlds (Tir na Nog, Caer Arianrhod, Annwn, Alfheim, Svartalfheim, etc.)

Faery Landmarks (fairy tree, fairy ring, fairy hill)

Signs of the Fae

Sacred Trees and Plants (Hawthorn) 

Protection!! very important

*Bonus if you learn Celtic Culture

Getting into Working with Them

Connecting to Nature and the Land

How to Banish Faeries & Protect yourself, house, family, etc.

Faery Behaviour and Proper Etiquette

Proper Offerings, How to give an Offering

Animals associated with the Fair Folk and Why? (raven, deer, etc)

Faery Festivals and Holidays (Samhain, Midsummer, Beltane)

Why certain things offend them- iron, saying “thank you”,etc.

The Courts (Seelie, Unseelie, trooping fairies, solitary)

Setting up a Faery Altar

How to work with them in Rituals 

Faery Flowers, herbs and crystals

A proper and personal way to communicate with them!!this means developing psychic ability, tarot, meditation, signs, etc.

Hagstones, heptagram/faery star

Some Good Books :) 

The Fairy-Faith in Celtic Countries, by W. Y. Evans Wentz  

Encyclopedia of Spirits by Judika Illes 

Enchantment of the Faerie Realm by Ted Andrews 

Faery Craft by Morgan Daimler 

Celtic Mythology: Tales of Gods, Goddesses, and Heroes by Phillip Freeman

**if you have more topics, books or anything else feel free to add some!

School Witchery

Magic resources for all my student witches out there! Remember, magic isn’t going to save your grades if you don’t also put the effort in. But it can certainly support you through your journey as a hardworking student <3

General tips and advice:

To the witches who are going back to school

Magical school tips

Back to school witch tips

Tips for high school witches

School witch tips

Herbs and crystals to help with school

Kitchen witchcraft for school lunches

University/college witch tips

Everything you need to know about being a college witch

College witchcraft

College witch tips

Little tips for the college witch

Dorm life:

Dorm friendly offerings & altars

Dorm hacks for the college witch

Dorm room witch tips

Dorm witchery

Living magically with roommates 

Kitchen witchcraft for the dorm

Candle/incense alternatives: [X] [X] [X]

Studying:

Witch study tips

Study candle spell

Study sachet

Spell for focus on homework

Stay strong and carry on study spell

Student witch hacks for focus and concentration

Back in focus spell bottle

Studying tips for witches

Tests and exams:

“I can do this!” motivation bottle

Cramming for a test spell

A charm to help you succeed on exams

Using sigils on your tests (tip)

Sigils masterpost for finals week

A spell for finals week

Focus for finals spell bottle

Final exam spell

Other spells:

A spell for good grades

Back to school success sachet

School success sachet spell

Knot spell for doing well in school

Sweet school year spell

“Leave me be” spell

Spell to banish anxiety and get a good mark

Restful sleep spell jar

Spells for back to school (masterpost)

Sigils for school, study and education (masterpost)

You may also like:

Magic to Replenish Energy 

Rejuvenating witchcraft 

Housewarming magic (dorm)

Sick witchery 

Periods suck. Witchcraft helps.

Mentally ill witchcraft: For your symptoms

Chronically ill witchcraft: For your symptoms

Drink Magic Masterpost 

Bath Magic Masterpost 

Bedridden witch series

There’s a reason this salt dough recipe is the first thing in my grimoire. Very few tools have been quite as versatile as this. I have made offering bowls, a measuring spoon, a deity statue, runes… and I could go on.

Salt dough is wonderful for witchery because you make it yourself, it’s cheap af, you can make it with things you steal from the kitchen while you’re stealing McCormack herbs (don’t lie, you know you’ve done it), and it’s salt based which is like the witchiest of witch things.

The small discs on the page are my latest idea, which is outlined in the second note on the page. I mixed dried herbs into the salt dough, formed discs, let it dry, and now I’ve got these portable little magic herb discs. The ones on the page are basil and powdered sugar for drawing wealth at work. But the possibilities are endless. If you can make an herb sachet or powder, you can probably also make it a salt dough disc.

Witch tip: set these out on a dish to dry by your window to give it all that good sun and moonlight.

Astrologic Correspondences

• Sun

Physical vigor, Success, Health, Victory, Creativity, Jewels, Illumination

Element: Fire

Day: Sunday

Regency: Leo, Aries

Color: Yellow, Golden yellow, Golden

Stone: Citrine, Topaz, Cat’s eye, Herkimer Diamond, Aventurine

Metal: Gold

Plants: Chamomile, Heliotrope, Orange sunflower, Marigold, Frankincense

• Moon

Psychological balance, Psychic aptitude, Beauty, Feminine forces, Dreams, Astral travel, Protection, Intuition

Element: Water (ocean)

Day: Monday

Regency: Cancer, Taurus

Color: Silver

Stone: Pearl, Moonstone, Selenite

Metal: Silver

Plants: Viper tongue, Lady of the night, Mesquite, Willow, Bergamot, Camphor

• Mars

Action, Strength, Partnership, Passion, Sexual love, Courage, Determination

Element: Fire

Day: Tuesday

Regency: Aries, Scorpio, Capricorn

Color: Red

Stone: Ruby, Pyrite, Grenade, Hematite

Metal: Iron, Steel

Plants: Nettle, Garlic, Passion fruit, Parsley, Cactus, Pepper, Fir tree

• Mercury

Wisdom, Omniscience, Movement, Communication, Transport, Velocity, Cure, Motivation, Creativity

Element: Air, Water (ocean), Earth

Day: Wednesday

Regency: Gemini, Virgo

Color: Orange, Gray

Stone: Carnelian, Agate, Opal

Metal: Aluminum

Plants: Dill, Scout, Lavender, Potentilla, Vetiver Root, Hazel, Horehound

• Jupiter

Material logic, Good Luck, Riches, Success, Law, Business, Honor, Expansion

Element: Earth, Fire, Air, Water

Day: Thursday

Regency: Sagittarius, Pisces, Leo

Color: Blue, Turquoise, Purple

Stone: Lapis lazuli, Sapphire, Turquoise, Amethyst, Chrysocolla

Metal: Pewter, Tin

Plants: Clove, Hyssop, Cinnamon, Jasmine, Chestnut, Saffron, Cedar, Honeysuckle, Cumaru bean

• Venus

Love, Growth, Health, Fertility, New projects, Beauty, Sensuality, Money, Pleasure, Prosperity, Friendship

Element: Air, Earth

Day: Friday

Regency: Taurus, Libra, Pisces

Color: Green, Pink, Copper, Pale red

Stone: Emerald, Pink Quartz, Pink Shell, Malachite, Watermelon tourmaline

Metal: Copper

Plants: Adam and Eve root, Pink, Caper, Heather, Strawberry, Tansy, Dandelion, Primrose, Apple, Yarrow

• Saturn

Test, Connect, Inhibit, Manifestation, Crystalize, Science, Concentration, Maturity, Invention, Pragmatic, Neutralize, Discipline, Longevity

Element: Earth (salt), Water (fresh), Air, Fire

Day: Saturday

Regency: Capricorn, Aquarius, Libra

Color: Wine, Magenta

Stone: Black Onix, Diamond, Granade, Jet, Galena

Metal: Lead

Plants: Ivy, Hemlock, Datura, Mandrake root, Tobacco, Moss, Aconite, Myrrh

• Uranus

Eccentricity, Inventive, Links unusual ideas to reform and expand, Clear electrical energy, Bizarre happenings, Unexpected changes

Element: Air, Water, Fire

Regency: Aquarius, Scorpio

Color: Lilac, Shiny White

Stone: Fire opal, Clear quartz crystal, Rutilated quartz

Metal: Uranium, White gold

Plants: Arruda, Clover, Birch, Burdock Root, Ebony, Pomegranate

• Neptune

Visions, Dreams, Ideas, Fantasy, Artistic aptitude, Psychic perception, Cure, Images, Water, Illusions, Chemical changes

Element: Water

Regency: Pisces, Cancer

Color: All iridescent colors, Phosphor, Opaque colors

Stone: Seashell, Beryl, Aquamarine, Blood jasper, Blue Quartz, Fire opal

Metal: Platinum, Pewter

Plants: Lotus, Watercress, Water Lily, Seaweed, Grape

• Pluto

Brings order to chaos, Group ideas, Subtle spell and thought manifestation, Witch power, Unite or Disintegrate

Element: Water

Regency: Scorpio, Aquarius

Color: Black

Stone: Black coral, Obsidian, Black quartz, Black aventurine, Jet

Metal: Chrome, Plutonium

Plants: Santonina, Pilriteirom Foxglove, Ginger Root, Vanilla Seed, Swordfish, Dogwood, Sanguinaria canadensis

• Earth

Action, Strength, Balance, Decisions, Reality, Shelter, Stability

Element: Air, Earth, Fire, Water

Regency: Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn, Pisces, Libra, Scorpio, Aries

Color: Brown, Rusty brown

Stone: Granite, Marble, Sandstone, Smoky Quartz, Clear Quartz

Metal: Brass

Plants: Protium heptaphyllum, Agripalma, Arruda, Mushrooms, Ginseng, Orange fur, Shepherd's purse, Absinthe, Tarragon, Carum carvi seeds, Adam and eve root

If you see this

You were visited by the magic kitten of rest. Reblog to have a good night’s sleep.

50 Tips for Tarot Novices and Masters Alike!

Always make sure your deck is shuffled and cleansed.

There is no one way to shuffle, find what works for you.

Cards that fall out when you’re shuffling may hold extra important meaning.

Learning from books is good, but use your own intuition as well. 

Thank your deck after a reading.

Be sure to charge your cards and be nice to them.

Using a cheat sheet or a book is not a bad thing.

Biddytarot is great for learning basic card meanings.

If you don’t have a tarot deck, you can use regular cards or make your own.

Tarot and Oracle are NOT the same thing.

There are a few tarot apps to help you learn (golden threat, galaxy, etc)

Watch for multiple cards from one suit.

Pay attention when a card follows you through multiple readings, it is usually trying to tell you something.

Find the card that matches with your birth-date/you feel a significant connection to. Use it in personal readings to help strengthen them.

Always be sure you’re using a deck that works for you!

Pay attention to the symbolism and art of the cards.

Interview spreads are great for getting to know a new or old deck.

Divination is not specifically witchcraft and is not always tied to it.

Don’t let anyone but you touch your cards unless doing a reading and you want them to touch them- messes with energy.

If someone besides you does touch them, make sure to cleanse.

Decks have different personalities, don’t be bummed if one doesn’t work out for you.

Be prepared for a deck to get sarcastic and give out riddles.

Keep a journal/notebook/google doc of different spreads. You can even organise them by type. 

Daily draws are great, but don’t knock yourself if you can’t do them every day.

Meditating before a reading can help gain clarity. 

An easy way to cleanse your deck is to put them all in order then shuffle them again. 

Flash cards are good to memorise meanings.

Bonding with your deck can help readings be more accurate. An easy way to do this is sleep with them under your pillow.

Cleansing/charging your deck can be as easy as leaving them in a windowsill, or as intricate as a ritual.

You can have as many or as few decks as you want. 

Making your own cards does NOT make you less of a diviner.

Readings are not set in stone, take them with a grain of salt.

Reversals are not always bad.

Upright is not always good.

The death card does not mean death. 

Keep a journal to record your readings.

Try to remember one keyword/idea for each card to help you learn.

Make sure your deck fits in your hands comfortably.

If you’re just starting out, use simpler spreads. 

Past/present/future is great for beginners.

Amethyst is a good stone to have around.

But, letting your deck choose it’s favourite crystal is also important.

Using a tarot cloth can help keep unwanted energy off of your deck, especially if divining in a public place. 

Tarot bags are easy to make, just find a drawstring bag tutorial and edit the measurements to fit your deck. 

Playing music while doing readings can help you focus. 

It’s okay to redo a reading if you don’t feel it’s right, but keep the first one in mind. 

If you practice witchcraft, you can use tarot in various spells. 

You don’t have to read reversals!

If tarot doesn’t work out for you but you still want to use divination, try other forms such as oracle, scrying, pendulums, cartomancy, and more. 

Practice!!!

How to Commune with Spirits While in a Graveyard

Post originates from my website. Headstone is from Julian Pioneer Cemetery.

In the death work community, most people emphasize gathering graveyard dirt and bones. Yes, these tools are significant: they connect us with the deceased when we’re outside of a cemetery. But in my practice, I rarely collect graveyard dirt when I visit the dead’s resting place. Instead, I practice other forms of devotion, spirit communication, and magic.

I don’t recommend packing up grave dirt during your first trip to the cemetery for a couple of reasons:

you don’t know the cemetery yet;

you need to be absolutely sure that you want to work with a certain spirit, because once you collect the dirt, you’re responsible for dealing with that spirit afterward.

I’ve received a lot of questions about how to contact the dead in a cemetery without using a divination vessel. Like any method of spirit work, this connection with the deceased develops through practice. The best way that I can answer this question is to respond with what I, personally, do in graveyards. Every death witch practices differently. Hence, this post is just here to give you ideas about how to advance your death witchcraft.

When I enter a new cemetery, here’s what I’ll do.

I explore. I can already hear the chorus of “duh” echoing from across the computer screen, but allow to explain what I’m looking for. Most cemeteries have sections that may or may not be clearly labeled. Older headstones tend to huddle together; babies and young children often get buried in one area. Depending on your path, you may want to focus on one specific section.

I am silent. I listen. If you’re familiar with energy work, this is the time where you want to focus on your own energy and senses. Sometimes, a particular soul or plot will jump out at you, or even call you towards it. To catch these signals, you must concentrate. This is not the time to chat or take pictures (although I understand how tempting picture-taking is).

I may meditate within the cemetery. If you have a hard time connecting to the graveyard’s energy, you’ll want to practice a meditation technique. I usually do this under a tree, because these spirits understand their graveyard well, and may inform me on where to go. In my experience, the best technique is to enter a meditative state, and connect your energy to the earth. Once you have a feel for the earth, sense the wind. Both elements are strongly tied to ghosts and will link you to the graveyard.

I donate offerings and tidy the area. Because we can’t take every grave’s dirt home, we need to communicate with the dead in other ways. This is a great way to communication with the deceased. For offerings, I usually give coins, small candles, and herbs. But you can also offer flowers and stones as well. Personally, I like granting offerings to effaced or destroyed grave sites: the Forgotten Dead. I also throw away trash and brush off dusty or mud-covered headstones (WITHOUT moving any offerings already present). The deceased usually appreciate the sacrifice and inform me about their lives.

I may sit with one grave for a long time. Once you explore the cemetery exhaustively, you’ll likely locate a grave or two that peaks your interest. I usually remain by these graves for the bulk of my cemetery time–listening, cleaning, gifting, honoring.

Even if I don’t bring home graveyard dirt, I may perform magic for the spirit once I get home. Depending on my interaction, I may give the spirit further offerings, or perform more magic to help the soul heal or move on. Later on, I’ll return the cemetery to confirm whether my spell worked.

While we’re talking about cemetery trips, here are some etiquette/safety tips to keep in mind:

DO NOT sit on top of headstones. It’s rude and unsafe.

If you see a fallen headstone, DO NOT try to upright it yourself. These stones are incredibly heavy and require several people to repair. Instead, contact the cemetery’s staff members.

DO NOT throw away offerings that are already on graves, including dead flowers. Leave that to the cemetery caretakers. However, you may upright a flower pot if it has fallen over.

If a staff member asks you to move or leave, do as they say.

DO NOT burn candles or incense inside the cemetery. It may start a fire.

DO NOT interrupt other peoples’ mourning time.

I hope this post inspires you to view cemetery visits as more than a way to gather tools. These visits allow us to communicate with the dead, advance our abilities, and build a reliable reputation with the spirits. I wish you best of luck in your path.

Witchcraft for the grieving

To anyone who needs this post, I am sending gentle and loving energy your way. Know that grief is meant to hurt, and with time it WILL get easier (but may not go away, and that’s okay). Please utilize this post only as a supplement, and talk to a therapist or loved ones if you need to.

Spells/Rituals:

Grief powder

Sage drops spell

Relieving grief

Jar of grief spell

Ease the grief spell jar

Honoring the dead

Ritual of grief

A remembrance spell

Remembrance spell/ritual

A spell for grief and moving on

A spell for passing and mourning

“Grief seed” pop culture spell

Sigils:

Grief over death is easier for me and effects me less

My grief does not control me

I grieve in peace

To bring aid in times of crisis and grief

Loss of pets:

Funerary spell

Animal Release Spell

Pet Farewell Ritual

Pet Funerary Spell

Other:

Emoji spell to bring comfort to those who are grieving

Tarot spread to ease grief

Norse spells/prayers for grief and death

Crystals in death magic (includes some for grief)

Crystals for PTSD (includes some for grief)

Helpful posts:

Masterpost for overcoming heartbreak

Rejuvenating witchcraft

Magic to replenish energy

Recommended tags to utilize when you’re ready:

#Moving on spell + #Moving forward spell + #Letting go spell

#Mental health sigils + #Mental health spell

#Self love magic + #Self care magic

#Release spell

Witchcraft is to be used in addition to proper medical care, treatment and medication, not as a sole alternative.

Links updated May of 2020, please inform me of broken links via askbox!