thesoftestwitch
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Banishing Nasty Spirits
If you’ve been following this series of posts, you know why a witch might work with spirits, how to establish a relationship with a spirit, and how to communicate with spirits. What we haven’t yet discussed is how to get rid of spirits that are bothersome, annoying, or malevolent.
I was planning to talk about pathworking and astral travel before getting into banishing, but in light of some asks I recently received on Tumblr, I think it’s important that we take a moment to discuss how to get rid of spirits that, for whatever reason, you don’t want around.
There are lots of reasons you might not want a spirit in your space. Just like with people, some spirits just aren’t a good fit for you and your practice. Part of being a spirit worker is cultivating a “spirit team” of beings that you can have healthy and beneficial relationships with.
Some spirits are mischievous and like to cause trouble. If you find yourself on the receiving end of lots of spirit pranks, you may want to gently encourage them to move along. And there are some spirits out there who just genuinely hate humans and will go out of their way to cause mental, emotional, and even physical harm.
Don’t get me wrong — malevolent spirits aren’t common. In my experience, the vast majority of unwanted spirits are more annoying than dangerous. I’m not saying this to scare you or make you paranoid. But these things do exist, and it would be negligent of me not to mention them in a series on spirit work.
There’s a reason that one of the most common truisms in witchcraft is, “Never conjure something you can’t banish.” If you’re going to be working with spirits, it’s a good idea to know how to banish them just in case. With that being said, here’s how you can clear out any nasties that may be lingering in your space.
Cleansing
The first step is to kick those unwanted spirits out of your space. There are lots of ways to do this, so choose the one that is the best fit for you.
Cleansing with fire and smoke is a very old and very simple method. If this is the way you decide to go, there are several magical substances you can burn to banish spirits. Burning sulfur or asafetida will clear out just about anything, but they both smell awful and are potentially toxic, so you’ll want to get an okay from the other people living in your home, burn a little at a time, and make sure you have lots of windows open. (Some people say sulfur and asafetida will banish all spirits, not just the unfriendly ones, so you may have to invite your spirit team back in later.) For something that smells a little more pleasant, you can try a mix of frankincense and myrrh resin, or burn a mix of dried rosemary, sage (garden sage, not endangered white sage, please!), and bay leaves — but again, make sure you have windows open, because these get smoky. Plus, you want the windows and/or doors open so the spirits have somewhere to go when the smoke chases them out.
If smoking up your living space isn’t an option for you, you can manually clean your space with a wash or powder. If you have hardwoods, you can make a floor wash with water, salt, lemon juice, rosewater, lavender essential oil, and either bay laurel or rosemary essential oil. (This is adapted from an uncrossing bath in the book Utterly Wicked by Dorothy Morrison.) Use this mixture to mop your floors, as well as to wipe down your walls and furniture. If you have a humidifier or essential oil diffuser, diffusing some of this mix would also be a good idea.
If you have carpet, you can make a powder by combining salt, dried lemon peel, dried roses, lavender flowers, and bay leaves. You’ll need to ground this really fine, so I recommend using a coffee grinder or food processor. Sprinkle the powder on your carpet, let it sit for a few minutes, and then vacuum it up. I would supplement this by also diffusing a mix of saltwater with rosewater, lemon juice, and lavender and/or bay laurel essential oil. If you don’t have a diffuser, at least sprinkle some saltwater around the room and on your belongings.
No matter which form of cleansing you decide to use, it’s important to verbally state your intention to banish these unwanted spirits from your space. Tell them out loud that they are no longer welcome here and that they need to leave. Don’t be rude about it, but be firm and speak clearly and with confidence.
After you cleanse your space, it’s a good idea to cleanse yourself as well to remove any psychic ties to the spirits you’ve just banished. The easiest way to do this is with a ritual bath. The floor wash recipe mentioned earlier can also be used as a psychic cleansing bath. Other options include a bath with salt, frankincense, and myrrh or a bath with salt, rosemary, sage, and bay laurel. You can use essential oils for your bath, or add the resins and herbs to a cheesecloth bag and drop it into the tub for easy diffusing and cleanup.
If you don’t have a bathtub, you can cleanse yourself in the shower. Place two cups of salt in a bowl. Add lemon juice, rosewater, lavender essential oil, and either bay laurel or rosemary essential oil. If you don’t have essential oils, you can add dried lavender and crushed bay leaves. Add some of your favorite body wash to create a scrub (if you don’t have body wash, use olive oil). While in the shower, use this mixture to scrub your skin — visualize yourself scrubbing away any psychic gunk you might have picked up.
Protection
Once you’ve removed any unwanted spirits from your space, you want to lay down some protection to keep them from coming back. There are as many ways to ward off spirits as there are witches, but here are a few ideas to get you started.
One option is to create a ward. You can do this by anointing the door frames, door knobs, and window frames of your home with a protective oil blend and/or by creating lines of salt across your doorways and just inside your windows. You can use other protective substances if you prefer. As you lay down these protections, visualize a protective shield around your home, and speak aloud your intention to keep harmful spirits out.
Iron is said to repel spirits. Keep a railroad spike or other large piece of iron under your bed to prevent nightmares and to keep spirits from messing with you while you sleep. There’s an old superstition that says that hammering iron nails into the four corners of your home protects it from spirits — this may not be possible if you’re renting, but you can create a similar effect by displaying a piece of iron in each of the four corners of your home. Hematite is a crystal that is high in iron, so it can be used in a similar way to ward off spirits.
Aloe is said to protect from negative spirits, and to bring protection and good luck more generally. It’s also a common house plant that is easy to care for, so this method of protection is especially great for witches who need to keep their practice a secret. Keep several aloe plants in your home to protect those who live there.
For witches with a crafty side, making a witch bottle is another option for protection. There are lots of different recipes for witch bottles, but the basic method is to fill a bottle with sharp objects, add something from your body, and hide it somewhere outside your home (traditionally buried on the property, but leaving it in an outbuilding works just as well). The idea is that any nasty spirit that comes looking for you will be attracted to the bottle (because it contains part of your body), get caught by the sharp objects, and be trapped. To create a simple witch bottle, fill a mason jar about halfway with sewing pins, then add a bit of your hair and some of your fingernail clippings, and finally fill it with liquid (traditionally, this liquid is your own urine, but if that makes you uncomfortable vinegar will also work). If you want, you can also include some of your favorite banishing herbs, resins, or crystals.
Religious symbols can also keep nasty spirits away. If you identify strongly with a religion, display protective symbols from that faith in your living space. For example: a Christian witch might hang up a crucifix or set out a statue of Archangel Michael, a Norse pagan witch might hang up an image of Mjolnir, a Hindu witch might display a statue of Durga, etc. Sometimes the most effective way to keep nasty spirits away is to let them know that you’re under the protection of someone more powerful.
When dealing with unwanted spirits, the most important thing to remember is that you do not need to be afraid. You are a powerful witch, and you are more than capable of getting rid of them. Be confident in your abilities and know that whatever happens, you can handle it.
Resources:
Southern Cunning: Folkloric Witchcraft in the American South by Aaron Oberon
A Green Witch’s Cupboard by Deborah J. Martin
Utterly Wicked by Dorothy Morrison
Where the Hawthorn Grows by Morgan Daimler
Ultimate Protection Magic Masterpost, Part 2
PROTECTION FOR OTHERS
Family/Loved Ones Protection Jar
Quick Protection Spell
Full Moon Protection Spell
“I Send You Safety” Spell
Knitting Spell (For Protection)
Ayano’s Theory of Happiness Spell
Ritual To Protect Loved Ones
“This Person Is Under My Protection” Sigil
“This Person Is Safe & Happy” Sigil
“My Significant Other Is Happy & Safe From Harm” Sigil
“My Child Is Safe From All Harm” Sigil
PROTECTION FOR PETS
Pet Protection Spell Jar
Pet Protection Spell Bottle
Pet Protection Spell
Pet Protection Spell
Protective Chant For Dogs
Protective Chant For Cats
Cat Protection Bag
Cat Blessing/Protection Spell
Animal Blessing Spells
Animal Protection Spell
Animal Candle Protection Spell
“Watch Over Me” Pet Protection Guardian
“Always Come Back To Me” Spell
“My Dogs Will Be Safe and Happy” Sigil
Pet Protection Powder
MISCELLANEOUS PROTECTION SPELLS
Protection Against Nightmares
Protection During Sleep
Nightmare Warding Stuffed Animal Spell
Ghost Nebula Protection In Sleep Spell
Protection While Travelling
Jar Spell for Safe Travels
Protection For Travellers Spell
Roadtrip Protection Charm
Empath/Emotional Protection
Calcified Heart Spell
Empath Protection Jar
Other
New Job Protection Pouch
Corvid Safety Spell
Emoji Spell for Protection Against Extreme Weather
Cleansing & Protection from Mind-Altering Spells
POWDERS, SALTS, OILS & WATERS
Dragon’s Bite Powder
Sweeping Powder for Protection & Energy
Dark As Night Protection Powder
Anti-Curse Powder
Archer’s Protection Powder
Protection Powder Recipes
Fire Salts
Black Salt
Empath Protection Oil
Demonwitch’s Hellcat Oil
Flying Devil Oil
Moon-Infused Protection Water
Storm Witch’s Ward Water
War Water
INFORMATION
Circles, Shields & Wards
Casting a Circle for Beginners
Methods of Casting Circles
Personal Shielding
Basic Protection
Keeping Yourself Protected
The Basics of Wards & Warding
A Crash Course In Warding
Top Ward Mistakes I
Top Ward Mistakes II
Threshold Magic 101
Charms
Charms, Amulets & Talismans
The Rowan Cross
Grass Charm
Hag Stones
Moon Snails
Protection Wreaths
Protection Chimes
Elemental Protection Charms
Folklore Charms for Home Protection
Tech Magic
Turning Your Wifi Into Wards
How to Anti-Taglock Pictures of Yourself
Simple Email Protection Spell
Technomagic Ward
Cyber/Tech Protection Ideas
Servitors
A Basic Guide to Servitors
An Introduction to Servitors
How to Create a Protective Servitor
Meditations
Spell and Meditation for Calming, Serenity and Peace Within Self
“Warrior of Light” Guided Meditation (YouTube)
Correspondences
Protection Correspondences
Protection Correspondences
Quick Protection Magic Reference Guide
[part 1]
🛡 Warding 🛡
Disclaimer: This is all based on my research, path, opinion & experiences! Intro: I really was holding out on doing this post because it’s such a big, important topic to cover and I really don’t want to mess it up or get anything wrong. This post needs to be done though, people have asked if I have such a post and an anon suggested it. So finally, here it is. - What Is Warding? Warding is a type of magick, it is the act of creating an energetic barrier around you, your home, an object, ect. They can be temporary or permanent, although typically they are cast with the long term in mind. They can banish or turn away whatever you choose. Warding is an excellent skill to have because it can keep you, and even others safe and with practice you can do it anytime with just about whatever you have on hand. When Should I Ward? Whenever you want an energetic barrier around you, most people consistently ward their home, themselves or their place of practice. Some people even ward their space every time they prepare for a spell. It should be done consistently in any area you want protected, but exactly where and how often is entirely up to the practitioner. What Should I Do Before? Cleanse, a ward is a barrier of energy and in the same way that it keeps things out it also keeps things in. You don’t want to trap anything inside of it. Cleanse yourself before you ward yourself. Cleanse your space before you ward your space! Tips Before You Ward- Phrasing Keep the phrasing in mind! You don’t want to keep anything out that you want in, or let something in that you want out. If you’re chanting or using sigils ect keep in mind exactly what you want to keep out both in your methods and in your mind. Covering everything Make sure to cover everything, a ward is useless if there’s a weakness in it or if the ceiling & floor aren’t probably covered. Be super thorough! Layering Your Wards One small little wimpy barrier? Ha, the spirits say as they scramble into your home to wreak havoc! You need to layer your wards, don’t just use one method one time, there’s no such thing as too much warding. What Are Some Ways That I Can Ward? Now we’ll get right down to the methods you can use to ward yourself and your space! Remember that warding is important and needs to be effective, don’t try anything that you don’t have experience with for warding. At first, focus on the stuff you know. If you like sigils, use sigils at first and slowly work your way into using other more complex methods or methods that solely rely on your abilities. Circle Casting You cast a circle by summoning the four elements to protect & energize what is in the circle. - Here’s my post about circles & how to cast them Chanting/Speaking Come up with a protective chant you can use to ward your space. This chant could be someone else’s or your own as long as you feel it’s effective. Speak it aloud and visualize a layer of energy protecting your space. Incense Burn a protective incense in the space you’d like to ward and visualize a barrier protecting your space. Athame Draw out the line of your ward with your athame, visualize the wall appearing, covering everything with a thick layer of energy. Spraying Spray a mix of blessed/magickal waters and or herbs with protective properties in the space you want to ward. Sigils Create a sigil using your favorite method with the intent to “ward” or “protect/protection.” Then charge and activate it as a layer of protection! Here’s my post on sigils if you’re interested in that: - Sigil Post Jar Spells You could mix up a jar spell for warding, set it in your house and forget it as a layer of warding. - My protective jar spell post Anointment Anoint the doorways of your space, you could also anoint the ceiling, floor, walls, corners, honestly go for it. Salt Sprinkle salt all around the edge of your home or space. Make sure to sprinkle salt on the INSIDE of your harm as salt can harm plants & wildlife if used outside. If you’d like to make a barrier on the outside of your home, you can use dried & crushed eggshells in place of salt. - Post on how to make eggshell powder here - Hag stones Hag stones are stones with holes in them that have been corroded into the stone because of rushing water. It is believed rushing water is protective & cleansing so if you wear a stone that sat in it long enough to have parts corroded away, that the stone will maintain and keep those properties with it. It’s a great way to personally ward yourself, and an excuse to go out in nature. They look like this!
Energy Manipulation If you’ve got a knack for manipulating energy, you can create a barrier through work and visualization that surrounds yourself or your space. This isn’t recommended for beginners though! Links: - Horse Warding Charm By @anothersusurrus - House Warding Spritz Mixture By @seleneblackwell Both of these are great if you’re looking for specific spells, types of magick, correspondences, sigils, ect! - Protection Magic Masterpost Part 1 By @auricwitch - Protection Magic Masterpost Part 2 By @auricwitch Personal Wards Also remember not just to ward your space but yourself, if you layer your home with wards, what happens when you leave? Exactly. Keep yourself safe too! Circle casting & hag stones are great methods I mentioned above that are good for personal warding. Can I Ward Specific Things And Not Others? Absolutely! I mentioned this in the phrasing section of this post, keep in mind exactly what you want to keep out when you’re warding. I like words like “negative” or “harmful” or “with ill intent” because they don’t necessarily keep out the Fae or positive/neutral spirits but it does keep out anything that wants to harm you in general. Just think about it ahead of time, find wording or a phrase you like and keep that in mind as you ward. What If I Live With People? If you’re out of the broom closet, explain to your family/roommates what you’re doing and why you’re doing it and make sure they’re cool with it and are aware of what’s going on. If you’re not out of the broom closet, you may have to resort to only warding yourself/your room, & that’s okay! I hope this helps someone or teaches them something new! Enjoy! Have a lovely day 💖
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.
Housewarming Magic
For when you’ve moved into a new living situation or are ready for a new start <3
Finding your home/moving:
House hunting crystals
Spell jar to find a house
Spell for your dream house
The witch’s moving checklist
Cleansing:
Room cleansing
To absorb negative energy from a room
Summer house cleansing
Herbal wall/floor wash + witchy cleaners
Home cleansing tips
Home cleansing brew
Thoroughly clearing spaces
Crystals to cleanse the home
Cleansing your space without smoke
Cleansing your space: a how-to guide
Energy cleansing
Low energy cleaning + cleansing
Warding + Protection:
A crash course on warding
To ward the home
Threshold magic 101
Protect my home spell
Home protection steam spell
Simple home protection jar spell
“Little lurkers” home protection spell
Room/home protection
Wall of fire property & house protection spell
Protection (wind) chimes
The Rowan cross
Protecting the property
Check out the sigils below!
Sigils:
“For a magical and happy home”
“Sospidonum”
“This space is full of life, light, and bright energy”
“No fighting in this home”
“My home is safe”
“This home is safe for all”
“This home is a safe and healthy environment”
“My house is protected from unwanted influences”
“My home is protected”
Witchin’ it up:
Happy home spell jar
Home sweet home spell jar
House to home spell
Doing the dishes the witchy way
Homemade laundry detergent recipe
Laundry magic
Pleasing household spirits
When a bad guest leaves
Building a magical home
Odds and ends:
Magic, and power, in homemaking
The history and creation of witch bottles
Cottage witch tips
Hearth witch tips
The basics of kitchen and cottage witchcraft
You may also like:
Bedridden witch: garden / stale energy / kitchen edition
Spells for job seekers
Travel witchery
Links updated October, 2020 (please inform me of broken links via askbox)
A Hearth Witch's Security System - Boundaries and Entrances
A Disclaimer: I am one person and my opinions (which I have in abundance) may not reflect the opinions of other witches, in general, or other people who call themselves hearth witches. In fact, they probably won’t, because I’m an asshole. I have a bizarre sense of humor that doesn’t convey well in text and I rant about shit I don’t like. A lot. If you don’t think you can handle that, maybe don’t read anything I write. Ever.
Protecting the Home, Protecting the Family
Let me preface this post by saying, I am exhausted, so probably nothing I write here is going to make sense to anyone but me. Also, that has just been my luck lately, but we’ll see how it goes anyway.
If you read my blog, you’ll know that I do a lot of stuff to protect my railroad cottage. Not just because I live here, but because I literally use my house as a symbol of my household and family. So, in a witchcraft sense, protecting my home is protecting my family. And, because that’s the witchcraft I write about most on my blog, that’s what I get a lot of questions about (spirit work aside, because that’s what I get the most questions about).
So, this post is going to be about various ways to protect your home and (hopefully) prevent nasties from creeping inside.
Rule Number One: Keep a Clean House
I know that sounds really boring. I know you’re like, “Emma, that is not witchcraft. Those are chores and I hate you. Did my mom put you up to this?” But, actually, there are two good reasons that’s Rule No. 1:
It’s not easy to cleanse a house that isn’t clean. Part of protecting your home is being prepared to go into battle for it. Now, witchcraft is known to make a house a little cluttered. If you’ve got ribbons falling out of your sewing box and stockpiles of tea on your counter. Don’t worry. You’re normal. But it’s possible for a house to be both cluttered and clean.
Cleaning a house regularly is a fantastic way to magically take ownership of the property—which I’ve discussed here.
Obviously, I’m not saying you’re house has to look like something from Good Housekeeping. My own cottage has four rooms and is home to more than four people. It’ll never be as neat as we want it to be. But’s it’s clean. And that’s what matters.
Rule Number Two: Good Fences Make Good Neighbors
I’m not talking about real fences—but those too. I’m talking more about magical boundaries. Like a witch fence. This can be set up in or outside of ritual, using a real fence, other objects, or using visualization.
So, let’s talk about putting up this fence, huh? The method I use is, of course, the “Gross Method”—and, by gross, I mean no one wants to do it or talk to me they’ve found out I’ve done it. It uses a pre-existing fence to create the boundary, which means that what you’re actually doing with this method is enchanting or reinforcing your standing fence. It’s supa supa easy. Like really, children could do if you let them. Only probably don’t let them because it’s probably a health hazard.
For this method, you will need 1) a fence, 2) something to mark your stake-points with, 3) some bodily fluids—i.e. menstrual blood, piss, spit, sexual fluids, etc., 4) your bad ol’ self
Step One: Walk around your property and decide where you want your stake-points to be. I refer to them as stake-points because what you’re actually doing is kind of like putting up a magical tent rather than a fence. These are the strength points of your enchanted fence. You’ll want at least one in every corner of the existing fence. Mark these places. You can do this by scratching or painting on the fence, tying something to the fence, or sticking something in the ground there. In my case, I used the support posts for my pre-existing fence as my stake points, so I didn’t have to mark them because I knew where they were.
Step Two: Collect fluids. (Unless you’re using spit, which you have.) You can water any of these fluids down if you need to—except probably spit.
Step Three: Using a paintbrush, herbs, your hands, a spray bottle, or whatever, apply the fluid to the INSIDE of your fence where your neighbors won’t be touching. As you do, visualize the stake-points linking together as they’re placed. I tend to visualize something like a barbed-wire fence going up between my stake-points, but white light works too if you’re into that. **If you’re going to forget, mark where you started.
Step Four: When you’ve completed the fence and connected your last stake-point to your starting point, visualize the tent going up. In my visualization this is something like a deer-skin version of a Circus tent, but I am a legit freak of nature, so your probably wont be.
Now, you can be done here, or you can write something to say to tweak the spell to your style. If you have Property Spirits that you work with, you may also want to ask them to guard the fence at this point.
Rule Number Three: Gardening = Ammo
While we’re still outdoors, let’s talk about ‘defensive gardening’. One of my favorite things to do with my garden is to reinforce my boundaries by planting protective herbs. Not only does it add punch to your enchanted fence, but it provides ammunition should you need to banish something later.
This can be done directly in the ground, in hanging planters at/on your stake-points, in windowboxes, in planters by the door, etc.
Some good protective herbs to start are:
Aloe
Rosemary
Roses (thorny for offensive magic, rosehips for defensive magic)
Mint
Lavender
You may also want to include banishing plants
Garlic
Sage
Sweeatgrass
Thyme
As well as flowers, trees, and shrubs to the same effect (like holly, cedar, etc).
Rule Number Four: Wards/Wardings Aren’t As Hard As They Sound
Come with me to the porch and let’s talk about wards! *runs to the porch, points at wards* Wards are awesome! There are so many different kinds and they can range anywhere from decorative to practical to invisible!
When you’re warding your doorway, like a lot of witchcraft, intent is super important. Really, it doesn’t matter what kind of ward you use as long as you have the intent. And, with the bucket load of types of warding, you should be able to find one to fit your needs.
My favorite way to ward a door or window is with a decorative ward, which was something we did in my family for years and then I finally saw it outside of our house in an Ellen Dugan book (which I bought JUST for that reason). This one isn’t mine, but it’s a good example of one:
These hang above doors and windows to ward off evil, ill will, etc. and can be made out of dried flowers and herbs (like above), fabric (such as a warding banner), carved into the wood above a door, or any other way you prefer.
I usually go with the pictured method. Typically I
Start with a base. For year-round wards I like to use wheat and dried grass (which you can find at a craft store—but not Hobby Lobby, because they areevil).
I face half of my base one way and half the opposite way—so that the cut ends are together and you have the awesome wheat/grass/evergreen ends facing out. Over lap the two halves a few inches and tie them together. (I usually use twine for that, but you can use whatever you like.
Next, go you your second layer, which is the actual warding part. For this, my favorite things to use are lavender (which grows wild in the neighborhood I work in), and rosemary. But there are plenty of other possibilities, too—sunflowers, rose, baby’s breath, holly, pine, mint, etc. These can be tucked into the tie you’ve already made, glued on, or tied on separately.
To finish mine off, I usually add a bell, to symbolize a signal, which sort of makes the ward into an alarm. Sometimes, when trouble is around, I’ll hear a bell even though it’s not ringing. Sometimes it actually rings.
The ward can go above your door, window, fireplace, or anywhere else you feel you want to hang it.
Of course, there are a lot of other ways to ward your doors and windows.
With energy and visualization.
With water or oil (drawing protective symbols on them with the water/oil)
Warding Wreaths
Other hangings (like photographs of deities or saints, Brigid’s crosses, horseshoes, strings or bells)
Salt lines and brickdust (I tend to mix these together)
Hanging herbs by or above the door (I typically dry my herbs next to the door so I never have a shortage of door-based protection)
Whatever
The most important thing is that you make your intent clear. Whether you want to ward off evil spirits or unwelcome mortal visitors, make your intent clear. If you need to do this by putting your warding into a big ritual, do so. If you need to activate your wards out loud, go ahead.
Rule Number Five: Everything You Need to Strengthen Your Protection is On/In You
Spit
Urine
Menstrual Blood
Sexual Fluids
Sweat
and so on
These are all totally useful supplies for witchcraft in general and for protection in specific. A touch of one of these on a window, door, doorknob, etc is fantastic for strengthening a boundary and clearly marking your territory to anyone who might wander inside. Surface cleaning with remove germs, but not the intent or the warning.
Rule Number Six: Never Let an Outsider Make Your Forget Whose House This Is
The conviction of ownership is pretty important to home protection. Don’t let an intruder scare you into believing that they own your home. They don’t. It’s yours. The people inside it are yours.
When NOT to Trust Your Intuition
“Trust your intuition” is a phrase we commonly see thrown around in witchy spaces, and in many cases it’s good advice. Part of practicing witchcraft (especially if your craft has a focus on divination or psychic abilities) is learning to trust in your intuitive promptings. In a lot of cases, going with your gut feeling is the right call. But not always.
Our intuition can be wrong, or can give us an incomplete picture of a situation. It can also sometimes be difficult to tell the difference between intuition and subconscious programming. The human brain is designed to find patterns. Because of this, it can sometimes be hard to tell if we are genuinely receiving a psychic prompting or just connecting dots that are actually unrelated.
There are a few common thought patterns that often get mistaken for intuitive messages by new and experienced witches alike. It’s a good idea to read up on these and to keep them in mind when determining the validity of intuitive messages.
Cognitive Distortions
According to Rebecca Joy Stanborough, MFA, writing for Healthline, cognitive distortions are “thought patterns that cause people to view reality in inaccurate — usually negative — ways. In short, they’re habitual errors in thinking.”
Like a computer error, cognitive distortions cause us to misinterpret information and draw incorrect conclusions. Cognitive distortions are common symptoms of mental illnesses [see below], but all of us experience them at some point, even if we’re 100% neurotypical. Research suggests that cognitive distortions may have evolved as a survival mechanism, and that they’re usually tied to trauma or negative experiences.
This is way too big of a topic to cover in a single post, but here are a few common cognitive distortions to look out for:
Black and White Thinking (also called “All or Nothing Thinking”): only thinking in extremes, framing every situation as either/or. (Example: “I have to do this ritual right or I’m a failure as a witch.”)
Overgeneralization: applying a conclusion based on a single experience to a whole group of people or things. (Example: “People who cast curses and hexes are all evil.”)
Catastrophizing: assuming the worst in every situation; turning everyday worries into major catastrophes. (Example: “I didn’t feel the gods during my ritual — the gods must have cut me off because they’re angry with me.”)
Personalization: taking things personally when they have nothing to do with you. (Example: “My friend cancelled our lunch plans for today — they must have decided they don’t like me anymore.”)
Mind Reading: making assumptions about what other people are thinking or feeling, usually projecting your own feelings onto them. (Example: “My partner is being quiet tonight — they must be angry with me.”) This cognitive distortion is especially important for witches to look out for, as it can be mistaken for empathy or claircognizance.
Mental Filtering: excluding positives and focusing only on negatives OR excluding negatives and focusing only on positives. (Example: You draw the Tower, the Sun, and Death in your tarot spread. You become fixated on the negative messages in the Tower and Death cards, ignoring the positivity and blessings heralded by the Sun.)
Labeling: reducing yourself, another person, a group of people, or a thing/activity to a single, one-word label. (Example: “I’m lazy.”)
I strongly encourage all witches to do research into cognitive distortions and learn to recognize them, especially if the nature of your magical practice has you leaning heavily on your intuition. A cognitive distortion is not an intuitive message — your intuition should be logical, and can often be fact-checked.
Prejudice
The prejudice I’m talking about here isn’t just the obvious kind, like blatant racism or homophobia. We all have prejudices, whether we realize it or not. Merriam-Webster defines prejudice as a “preconceived judgment or opinion” or “an adverse opinion or leaning formed without just grounds or before sufficient knowledge.” Prejudice simply means thinking we know what to expect from something, even if we’ve never experienced it before.
You may have an image in your head of what “real” witchcraft looks like. You might feel like emoji spells, for example, aren’t “real magic” because they seem silly, they don’t take a lot of time and effort, there’s no historical precedent for them, etc. etc. In short, you feel like they aren’t “real magic” because they don’t fit your idea of what magic looks like. This is an example of prejudice, and buying into that prejudice prevents you from having access to an easy, fun form of techno magic.
If you find yourself receiving an “intuitive message” that someone else is faking it, is lying about their spiritual experiences, or is only imagining those experiences, take a step back and seriously examine that thought and where it might be coming from. It’s possible that the thought came not from your intuition, but instead from your own prejudices. It doesn’t matter if the way someone practices magic or experiences spirituality is different from your path — it’s the right way for them, and that’s what matters.
When you bring your prejudice into a tarot reading or other form of divination, you bring a set expectation for what the cards are going to tell you. The cards are going to pick up on that, and they may very well tell you what you want to hear — or you may twist the meaning of the cards to fit your expectations. This prevents you from getting clear, accurate readings.
I know it’s hard, but witchcraft requires us to leave our prejudice at the door. There is no “right way” to be a witch or to practice magic. There is no “right way” to communicate with the gods or the universe. Prejudice, biases, and expectations will only keep you from fully exploring your spirituality. Work on letting them go and opening up to the full spectrum of possibilities.
Stereotyping
This one goes hand-in-hand with prejudice and is closely related to overgeneralization (a cognitive distortion). Stereotyping is a necessary coping mechanism that we use to simplify our social interactions — but it is also the root of serious social issues like racism and misogyny. We all use stereotypes without consciously thinking about it.
While it’s important to be aware of stereotyping in order to avoid contributing to social issues, it’s also important for witches to learn the difference between an intuitive hit and a stereotype. This is especially important for witches who use claircognizance, where information often comes in the form of “downloads” that can sometimes be difficult to tell apart from our own thoughts.
For example, you might “just know” or “have a gut feeling” that a man you know is gay. But if that man talks in a higher pitch, acts effeminately, and puts a lot of time and effort into his appearance, then your gut feeling may have less to do with intuition and more to do with applying stereotypes to your friend.
Mental Illness
Many common mental illnesses, like depression and anxiety, can cause you to feel like you know that something bad is about to happen. “Anticipating disaster” or feeling like something is going to go wrong, is one of the most common symptoms of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and other anxiety disorders. Hyperfixating on details and worrying over small things are also common symptoms of these and other mental disorders.
As a witch with two anxiety disorders, I’ve had to learn to tell the difference between my intuition and my anxiety. Here’s a very recent, real life example: Last week, the entire staff at my workplace was tested for COVID-19. The results were expected to come back on my day off, and I found myself constantly watching my phone. Now, I do have some claircognizance, and when my phone goes off I usually know who the message is from before I even look at it. But on this day, every time my phone dinged I was just sure that it was my boss texting me to let me know that I’d tested positive. After the first couple of “false alarms,” I realized that this was an anxiety thing, not an intuitive thing. I was anxious about the test results, so that was the first thing my mind went to every time. (For the record, when my results did come back, they were negative.)
If you have or suspect that you have a mental illness that affects your thoughts and emotions, I highly recommend seeking out a good therapist or counselor. A trained mental health professional can help you sort out your symptoms and learn to recognize them, so you can differentiate them from genuine psychic experiences. (I’ve personally had really good results with CBT and DBT.)
Journaling has also been really helpful for me, as it helps me keep things straight and allows me to go back and read over my experiences when I’m having a better mental health day. (In my experience, it’s much easier to tell the difference between anxiety and intuition when you’re not in the moment.)
Resources:
“What Are Cognitive Distortions and How Can You Change These Thinking Patterns?” by Rebecca Joy Stanborough, MFA, medically reviewed by Timothy J. Legg, Ph.D., CRNP, published through Healthline
“50 Common Cognitive Distortions” by Alice Boyes Ph.D., published through Psychology Today
“Stereotypes” by Saul McLeod, published through Simply Psychology
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) Facts page on the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) website
New World Witchery Podcast, “Episode 65 — The Slender Man Discussion”
Magic flows Power grows As the moon so brightly glows
Vices cease Old release As the moonlight does decrease
Darkness guide Look inside As the moon Her face does hide
Goals refine Create divine As the moonlight grows in shine
(Moon phases, by Marjolijn Ashara)
psa: if your magical “tool kit” doesn’t also include critical thinking skills and common sense, it’s useless.
🍞 Kitchen Magic 🍞
🌿 Herbs 🌿
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
–
🧂 Spices 🧂
Cardamom: love, courage, desire, sex, intimacy
Cumin: happiness, balance, peace, promises, protection
Turmeric: breaking a spell, power, purification
Mustard seeds: wealth, money, fertility, success
Nutmeg: warmth, luck, art, knowledge, psychic powers
Paprika: energy, creativity, strength, healing
Cayenne pepper: banishing, passion, fire, against nightmares
Pepper: curses, powerful spells, conjuration
Saffron: changes, wind, healing, love, happiness
Salt: abundance, earth, work, purification, protection
–
🍎🥦 Fruits and Vegetables 🍎🥦
Avocado: beauty, love, happiness, youth, transformation
Banana: wealth, abundance, growth, energy, health
Cherry: creativity, desire, divination, fertility, sex
Lemon: banishing, spirits, balance, healing, joy, purification
Pumpkin: prosperity, dreams, immortality, fertility
Strawberry: love, strength, harmony, inspiration, luck
Coconut: life, generosity, insurance, energy, opportunity
Olive: abundance, wealth, money, power, security
Bell pepper: mental health, protection, love, strength
Apple: soul, life, relationships, wise, health, success
Potato: money, luck, healing, truth, divination
–
🔮 Kitchen Rituals 🔮
Growing your own herbs will give them extra magical properties.
Before cooking or baking an important meal, bless your kitchen and caste a protection circle to keep only good energies in.
Use sigils when adding sauces or spices to your meal.
Create affirmations and spells to say out loud when baking or cooking your favorite meals.
Make herbal remedies to cure colds or small illnesses.
Sing or play music to bring positive energies while cooking.
Gift baked goods to friends, family or someone in need.
Stir your food clockwise to bring good luck.
Bless your most important tools, like a witch spoon, to make every meal extra special and magical.
🌊 Water Magic 🌊
Water is a powerful tool in witchcraft. Whether you collect it from the weather, the ocean, a lake, or from your own sink or shower, it can be used in many spells and incantations and has strong magical properties…
–
Water Correspondences
🌊 Water: love, banishing, beauty, calm, change, compassion, creativity, emotions, femininity, fertility, flexibility, healing, intuition, meditation, psychic powers, purification, dreams, sensitivity, sadness, life
🌊 Ocean / sea water: vastness, fear, power, life, protection
🌊 Rain water: growth, power, regeneration, rebirth
🌊 Storm water: clarity, strength, purification, banishing
🌊 Lake water: abundance, unknown, wealth, spirituality
🌊 Swamp water: disease, invisibility, connection, links
🌊 River water: charging, energy, movement, power
🌊 Pond water: limitations, silence, conjuration, immobility
🌊 Melted ice: creativity, growth, harmony, motivation, purification
🌊 Melted hail: pain, curse, bad intentions, anger
🌊 Melted snow: change, balance, endings, healing, power, purity
🌊 Morning dew: love, charm, fertility, sensitivity
–
✨ Spells & Magic
- Practice daily energy cleansing under the shower. - If you have a bathtub, create bath spells to give you power. - Open windows when it rains. - Make sprays with specific herbs for your home or your bed. - Listen to waterfall / rain playlists. - Charge jars of water under the moonlight to collect moon water. - Dress with blue colors to use the power of water.
easy witchy tips i have learnt through my craft
writing a protective sigil inside your door to avoid bad energies to enter your room
making sigils by yourself works better because you pour your intention into it and can be a great way to manifest
white candles can replace any candle when doing candle magick
clear quartz can replace any crystal
when drinking your daily coffee/tea, stir clockwise to manifest something and anti-clockwise to let go of something. repeat your affirmations as you stir
salt baths absorb bad energies so having a salt bath once in a while helps with having your energies balanced
write an affirmation in a bay leaf and burn it to manifest it
always keep iron on you for protection
work with the moon phases and transits to make your spells more powerful
keep a sigil in your phone case for protection/manifestation
after giving an offering to a deity, return it to the earth
drink mugwort tea for lucid dreaming/astral projection (don’t drink it if you are pregnant!!)
before you put a crystal under water or in the sun, research about it
keep a dream journal. it helps for lucid dreaming.
put an amethyst under your pillow to sleep better and to recall your dreams
charge your tarot/oracle cards by putting a crystal on top of them while you are not usinf them
mix moon or sun water with your cosmetics for a quick beauty spell
try to do an activity to connect yourself with each element everyday. (ex: a bath for water, walking barefoot for earth, lighting a candle for fire, singing for air)
make an habit of meditating everyday
🔮 Witchy Habits to Make 2021 a Magical Year 🔮
3 Daily Habits
🧘 Meditate and stretch every day, when you wake up or before going to bed, to recenter yourself and look inwards.
📖 Keep a journal, grimoire or book of shadows and write as often as possible, to remember your thoughts and log your progress.
✨ Find something to be grateful for every day, whether it’s a big event or simply watching a bird landing on a tree outside of your window.
–
3 Weekly Habits
🃏 Make a past/present/future Tarot spread on Sundays to reflect on the week that has passed, your current feelings and the week ahead.
🌲 Spend time around nature or observing the sky, at least once a week, to stay connected to the Earth and the Moon.
🍞 Practice Kitchen Magic by making at least one special meal per week, where you pour positive energies and magical intentions. I try to learn a completely new recipe once a week to keep it fun and interesting.
–
3 Monthly Habits
📝 Make a list of your goals on the first of each month, and keep it close to your desk to stay on track every day.
🌙 Follow the moon phases to connect to the Moon’s magic and power. Work hard, start projects and be productive when the Moon is waxing ; rest, recover and reflect when the Moon is waning.
📚 Learn something new about witchcraft, spirituality, or a completely different topic that interests you. Staying curious, even when life gets busy and complicated, is what makes it worth living.
–
3 Yearly Habits
🧹 Fully cleanse your home after each witches sabbats to get a fresh start and throw out old energies.
🕯️ Switch up and clean your altar at the end of each season, to keep it alive and filled with magical power. Decorate according to the coming season and sabbat.
🌱 Adapt your behavior to the rhythm of nature: spring and summer are high-energy, starting big projects and spending time outside, while fall and winter are about rest, reflection and spending time indoors.
SPIRITUAL HACKS
▲ Stop Overthinking by having mantras for certain scenarios. E.g. When thoughts keeps popping up from the past state: over, done with, gone. Or when you feel uneasy about things say: what is meant for me will not pass me.
∆ Hack: Redirect spiraling energy with confident thoughts and breathing. If you don’t adjust your breathing, you will soon begin to spiral again.
★This fires and rewires neurons to make a new pathways. Stop feeding old thoughts immediately and redirect the thought. With practice, healthier thoughts will become automatic.
▲ Don’t reciprocate energy. It’s natural for us to mirror each other, and this helps us feel more connected. But it can stand in the way of your growth when you match energy out of spite.
∆ Hack: Be authentic with how you feel. Don’t tolerate what bothers you, voice it, don’t project it.
▲ ⭐Golden Manifesting Rule:⭐ You’re always manifesting. Look around you, and your life will consist of your beliefs. “I’m broke.” You’re probably just making ends meet. “I’m lonely.” You probably struggle feeling close to others.
▲ Rule 2: It’s as simple & difficult as changing your thoughts. But just because you implement new thoughts doesn’t mean it will completely derail the old ones immediately. A lot of them are core wounds that need healing work done. Your deepest beliefs manifest.
∆ Hack 1: Work on believing in miracles. Your belief in miracles will open up many more options of avenues for the universe to deliver blessings upon you.
∆ Hack 2: Visualize how you want things to go beforehand. Negative thoughts contaminate an experience. To avoid this, visualize what you want to happen and dismiss unfavorable thoughts.
▲ Remind yourself that you are wearing a skinsuit. Changing your perspective from I am a human with a soul to I am a soul having a human experience shifts your consciousness. This allows you to see things from a higher perspective.
∆ Hack: Remind yourself of this when you feel materially contaminated or feel too attached to something earthly.
▲ Developing your intuition will be one of the most useful skills in life.
∆ Hack: How to distinguish intuition from anxiety: intuition is a calm, quiet voice. It will gently repeat ideas and statements. “Start a blog.” or “leave in 5 minutes, not now.” Anxiety is a racing, worried, loud voice that repeatedly questions. “Is starting a blog a good idea?” or “What if I leave in 30 minutes, will that be bad?”
▲ Get warnings from the universe through synchronicities. By acknowledging synchronicities, you increase them.
∆ Hack: If you pair your syncs with celestials events, you can more accurately determine events that will play out in your life, and when.
Hello, witches! Since I’m always harping on about learning your history and checking your sources, I thought I’d help folks get a head start by compiling some source material.
To that end, I’ve started a Dropbox folder with a stash of historical texts on witchcraft, magic, and related topics. Nearly everything I’ve managed to find so far is public domain (thank you Project Gutenberg), with the exception of a very thorough herbal grimoire I found online some years ago and a book of witchcraft from the 1970s that appears to be out of print.
I will be continuing in this vein with future texts that I find. Everything will be public domain or cited to the source that it came from, in PDF format. I will NOT be including PDFs of any book currently in circulation with a copyright linked to a living author or estate. The point of this folder is that everything in it should be free for sharing and open use as research materials.
Below is the initial list of titles. I tried to include as many as I could find, with a focus on some oft-cited classics. I will be adding new texts as I find them.
A Collection of Rare and Curious Tracts on Witchcraft and the Second Sight, by David Webster (1820)
A History of Witchcraft in England from 1558 to 1718, by Wallace Notestein (1909)
British Goblins, Welsh Folk-lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions, by Wirt Sikes (1880)
Curiosities of Superstition, by W. H. Davenport Adams (1882)
Daemonologie, by King James I/VI (1597)
Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry, Edited and Selected by W. B. Yeats (1888)
Irish Witchcraft and Demonology, by St. John Drelincourt Seymour (1913)
La Sorcière, or The Witch of the Middle Ages, by Jules Michelet (1863)
Lives of the Necromancers, by William Godwin (1834)
Magic and Fetishism, by Alfred C. Haddon (1906)
Magic and Witchcraft, by Anonymous (1852)
Modern Magic, by M. Schele de Vere (1873)
Plant Lore, Legends, and Lyrics, by Richard Folkard (1884)
Practical Psychomancy and Crystal Gazing, by William Walker Atkinson (1908)
The Devil in Britain and America, by John Ashton (1896)
The Discoverie of Witchcraft, by Reginald Scot (1594, 1886 reprint)
The Extremely Large Herbal Grimoire (date unknown, internet publication)
The Golden Bough : A Study of Magic and Religion, by Sir James George Frazer (1890)
The Illustrated Key to the Tarot, by L.W. de Laurence (1918)
The Magic of the Horse-shoe, by Robert Means Lawrence (1898)
The Mysteries of All Nations, by James Grant (1880)
The Mystery and Romance of Alchemy and Pharmacy, by Charles John Samuel Thompson (1897)
The Superstitions of Witchcraft, by Howard Williams (1865)
The Witchcraft Delusion in Colonial Connecticut by John M. Taylor (1908)
The Wonders of the Invisible World, by Cotton Mather and A Farther Account of the Tryals of the New-England Witches, by Increase Mather (1693, 1862 reprint)
Witch Stories, by E. Lynn (Elizabeth Lynn) Linton (1861)
Witch, Warlock, And Magician, by W. H. Davenport Adams (1889)
Witchcraft & Second Sight in the Highlands & Islands of Scotland, by John Gregorson Campbell (1902)
Witches’ Potions & Spells, ed. by Kathryn Paulsen (1971)
Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that these texts are (with few exceptions) more than a century old, and may contain depictions, references, or language that are outdated and inappropriate. The point of including these documents is to provide access to historical texts for research and reference. Inclusion in the collection does not equal unconditional agreement with or wholesale approval of the contents.
Take everything with a grain of salt and remember to do your due diligence!
Happy Witching! -Bree
Divination through Casting of Stones
A while ago I devised a simple divination method of casting stones on a board and interpreting where they fell. I ended up writing an entire ritual around this concept and performed it as a public ritual after teaching a class on the magical properties of crystals and stones. If I’m going to be teaching class and running a ritual afterward I like to tie the ritual into the subject covered in the class, so people can apply what they learned.
I decided to divide a reading area into three sections, for the physical, mental, and spiritual aspects of the Element of Earth, which would be marked with the colours associated with those aspects - green for physical, brown for mental, and black for spiritual. To really drive the Earth symbolism home I put the alchemical symbol for Earth on the centre of the reading board, and decided that if a stone fell inside that triangle then it had a stronger influence in the reading.
The three areas would break down as follows: Physical (green): The body, the home, physical concerns, structure, ‘real life’, wealth and finance Mental (brown): Control of thoughts, memory, discipline, patterns of thought Spiritual (black): Religious community, buildings, heirarchies, grounding, obedience and duty, moral and ethical issues, foundations
In order to make the board I went to Michaels and got the biggest wooden disc I could find, then carefully determined the centre and divided it into thirds which I painted with acrylic paint. I wanted the brightest colours possible, as I’d be doing this by candlelight. Two coats did the trick. At some point I may varnish them.
I gathered some of my collection of stones and decided to go with tumbled ones to minimize any possible damage. I wanted a wide variety of possible meanings for each reading, so my choices on what stones to use was heavily reliant on the symbolism I attach to them. I went with the following:
First row: Clear quartz: Clarity, power, wisdom Carnelian: Fire, strength, physicality, the body Hematite: Grounding Second row: Lapis lazuli: Divinity, the Gods, the sky Moss agate: Friendship, growth, the Earth Fluorite: Peace, inner calm, structure, learning Third row: Abalone: Inner beauty, secrets, Water Tiger’s eye: The Sun, power, protection, strength Moonstone: The Goddess, motherhood, the Moon, the psyche, magic Fourth row: Malachite: The Earth, growth, love Rose quartz: Love, pace, acceptance Amethyst: Sleep, dreams, peace, magic, the psyche Fifth row: Labradorite: Dark Moon, hidden secrets, new perspectives Amber: The God, the Sun, strength, power, healing Jet: Earth, night, grounding, stopping negativity
A sample reading: Physical: We have lapis lazuli, malachite, and jet, although the jet is partly on the spiritual side as well. Note the carnelian rolled off the board and as such doesn’t matter for this reading. The lapis is far from the centre, so has a weak influence here - the Gods and Their worship are not primary concerns for you right now as there are more important things going on. The malachite right on the Earth triangle tells us that growth is on the way, probably financial - the querent would have what they need to be fulfilled. As for the jet, its placement here implies that Earthy concerns are currently important to the querent, and it’s possible that they are feeling ‘in the dark’.
Mental: Abalone, right on the Earth triangle. There’s a foundational part of your self and psyche that you’re not revealing to others because you’re afraid to do so.
Spiritual: Moss agate outside the triangle tells us that the querent is making spiritual connections, be that to Gods, Elementals, some form of spirit, or connections in a religious or spiritual community. These connections lead to growth, but not in a spectacular way. The borderline position of the jet between physical and spiritual shows that the querent is a little uncertain about the connections they may be forming.
Of course, the stones used could be different, or a different reader may have a different interpretation of each stone, but still, I found it to be a useful method of divination and others seemed to appreciate the readings.
Goal list to make
Money, luxury and material values;
Training, education, knowledge and skills;
Family, home, children, relationships;
Health, fitness, lifestyle;
Fame, recognition and achievements
Travel, rest;
Hobbies and creativity;
Spirituality.
If you’re a TERF, please don’t follow or interact with my blog. This blog supports trans women, please leave my blog alone if you don’t.
6 Cute Ways to Make a Sleep Circle
We love sleep circles. They are great for enhancing dreaming, allowing deeper sleep and warding away bad energy and bad dreams when you’re in a vulnerable state. What we don’t love is surrounding the bed with salt circles or incense ash and getting it in the carpet. Pass.
So here are some ways to make a protective and dream-enhancing sleep circle – without all the mess.
1. Enchant a cute string of lights. Nothing chases away darkness faster than light, so why not put these to use? Weave pieces of thread around the cords in colors that match your desired effect. This is a particularly great option for college witches in dorms.
2. Make your own canopy or buy one and charge it for your intent. This is potentially thicker magical barrier because you can have it completely cover you while you sleep. Stitch in sigils you’ve made into the fabric for your desired effect.
3. Make a chandelier to hang above your bed like ones here and here. Use colored fabric that corresponds with your intent, or hang crystals with your desired associations. Moonstone, amethyst, and clear quartz would be ideal for this kind of fixture.
4. Or make a mobile. Make a simple crystal mobile like the one in this video. Press and dry flowers and herbs of your intent to make the one here. Are you a sea witch with extra shells? Make a fixture like this for protection. The possibilities are endless.
5. Hang some plants associated with protection around your bedroom. A cute DIY for this can be found here. As desert witches, we are partial to hanging little cacti in our planters for their protective abilities. You could also dry your herbs around your bedroom for the same effect.
6. Make a garland to hang around your bed or bedroom. You could make a macrame yarn garland like the one found here made with colors to match your intent. If florals are more your style, make this DIY and write sigils on the leaves.
What Native people say about the use of sage: you can use sage, but you cannot smudge as nothing you are doing (waving sage around) is actually smudging. Smudging is a ceremony and you are, we promise, not smudging. Please buy sage from either us, or someone who sources the sage from us. White sage may not be considered endangered by the US government but corperate sourcing is making it difficult for us to source sage for our own religious purposes. Let alone to sell it.
What white people hear: never use sage ever, don’t ever buy it, don’t own it, don’t even look at it.
Look, y’all. There’s a couple of facets to my talk today.
1) Yes! You can buy sage! You really, truly can! Buy it from either native sellers (go to a powwow! Eat our food, buy our stuff, watch some dancing!) Or buy it from a seller who sources the sage from native people. Pick one. And no, buying it from 5 Below doesn’t count.
2) you CANNOT smudge. This isn’t just you “shouldn’t”— this is a YOU ARE INCAPABLE OF SMUDGING. Waving a sage stick around your doorways IS NOT SMUDGING. It is smoke clensing. Smudging, depending on the tradition and tribe, could easily have dancing and drums involved. You, as a white person, do not have the cultural BACKGROUND to even know how it works. At all. Period.
3) please, for FUCKS SAKE, stop making posts here on tumblr where you tell other white people about cultural appropriation and what they can and cannot do. Please stop, your license has been revoked because none of you bother to get the facts right. We native people are FULLY CAPABLE OF DOING IT OURSELVES. Consider instead: a) reblogging our posts where we talk about it! We’re here! We have made posts!! b) Making a post that states what we said and then LINKS BACK TO US. Screenshot with a link if you must. Stop centering your own voices in these conversations. You are already centered in everything, stop centering yourselves in a native space.
I’m tired of this nonsense, y’all.
Thanks for coming to my TedTalk ™
🔢 Number Correspondences 🔢
I incorporate numbers into my spells very often- from how many pieces of a stone I put in a spell bottle, to how many times I make a certain gesture. Numbers can be very symbolic and important! So, here’s a list I’ve compiled from experience and research. These correspondences can be interpreted for divination and spellwork.
0 Emptiness, spiritual essence, potential, fluidity.
1
Unity, positivity, strong will, new beginnings, and pure energy.
2
Duality, partnerships (romantic or rivalrous), love, balance, and choice.
3
Magic, intuition, versatility, expression, and creativity.
4
Solidity, persistence, grounded nature, calmness, and home.
5
Travel, primitive energy, sudden change, and adventure.
6
Harmony, balance, sincerity, love, and truth.
7
Manifestation, scholarly activities, mystery, and the focused search for esoteric meanings.
8
Business, continuation, success, repetition, wealth, and cycles.
9
Attainment, satisfaction, accomplishment, intellectual power, inventiveness, and influence over situations and things.
And that’s all! For larger numbers, just add up the digits until it’s a single digit number, then refer to that for the number’s meaning. (e.g. 53 is the same as 8 because 5+3=8) I hope this was helpful!
Numerology: Calculating Your Life Lesson Number
Numerology Basics
Each one of us has four personal numbers that carry a specific vibration. They are the Life Lesson Number, the Soul Number, the Outer Personality Number, and the Path of Destiny Number. In this post, we’ll be focusing on the Life Lesson number.
The Life Lesson Number represents lessons one must learn in this lifetime and is most significant to career choices. It is derived from your full birthdate.
Though this post will be focused on calculating one’s number using the numbers in your birthday, I’m including information on how to calculate the numeric vibration of letters as well, because it’s intrinsically related.
To work with the value of letters beyond “I”, which is 9, we reduce the value to a single digit. For example, “O” is 15, so we reduce the number by adding the first digit to the second: 1+5=6. The number 15 is then written as 15/6. The letter “T” is 20. We reduce the 20 by adding the first digit to the second: 2+0=2. The number 20 is then written as 20/2.
Number Values of the Alphabet
A 1 J 10/1 S 19/1 B 2 K 11/2 T 20/2 C 3 L 12/3 U 21/3 D 4 M 13/4 V 22/4 E 5 N 14/5 W 23/5 F 6 O 15/6 X 24/6 G 7 P 16/7 Y 25/7 H 8 Q 17/8 Z 26/8 I 9 R 18/9
We can reduce any word to a numeric vibration by using the above table. Before we move on to calculating one’s Life Lesson number, lets experiment with a few words:
3 + 9 + 6 + 5 = 23/5 C R O W
We reduce 23 by adding 2+3=5, which is written 23/5
5 + 9 + 2 + 3 + 8 = 21/3 W I T C H
We reduce 21 by adding 2+1=3, which is written 21/3
3 + 9 + 7 + 8 + 2 = 29/11 L I G H T
We reduce 29 by adding 2+9=11, which is written 29/11
There are four double digits which generally are not reduced. These are referred to as master numbers. Master numbers offer more opportunity for expression, yet demand more effort from the person or thing in question. The master numbers are 11, 22, 33, and 44. Whenever you arrive at one of these numbers in your calculations; retain the master value.
Because the word “light” vibrates to master number 11, it’s written as 29/11 instead of 29/2, which would be the case if reduced entirely. The number 2 is still acknowledged as the base number as the word will fluctuate between the vibrations of 2 and 11.
An individual will fluctuate between any master number and its base digit because the vibration of the master number is too intense to live under continuously. Living under the vibration of one’s base number offers respite while preparing to work with the master number vibration again.
Calculating Your Life Lesson Number
To calculate your Life Lesson Number, add all the digits of your birthdate together and reduce the sum. Here is an example of how someone with the birthdate of 24 October 1948 would calculate their Life Lesson Number:
10 + 24 + 1948 10 + 24 + 22 (1 + 9 + 4 + 8) 10 + 24 + 22 = 56/11
Since the reduced sum of their birthday is a master number, the sum is not reduced further.
Now that you know how to calculate your Life Lesson Number, read on to see the description of each numeric vibration. All number descriptions come directly from Numerology and The Divine Triangle (1979) by Faith and Dusty Bunker, the reference material for this post.
Life Lesson Number Descriptions
1: You must learn to be original, strong willing, creative, and innovative. You should have the courage and drive to go ahead into new fields of expression and be a pioneer. You should always go forward, never turn back. At times you may be dictatorial and stubborn because you do not like to be restricted or directed. You are a good executive and work best alone. You are usually efficient and well organized. You are not naturally domestic but can manage well in any situation. You usually like sports and athletics and enjoy the thrill of winning. You are sophisticated, not emotionally romantic, and always appear at the head of social and commercial groups. By learning the lessons of number 1, you become intimately familiar with the universal energy; that probing, seeking, independent spark that moves all creation. You are creative on the physical plane because your pioneer spirit precedes all others and expresses your unique individuality.
2: You are here to learn to become a good mixer. You are a good salesperson, more persuasive than forceful. You should be a support for those in leadership roles, help them to find their goals in life, and remain behind the scenes if necessary. This quality can be a help to you in business because those who benefit from your talents will in turn help you make use of your abilities. In partnerships and groups, you will encounter the lessons you came to earn in this lifetime. Success is then very possible. You must have consideration for others and should bring people together for a common cause. Various professions are open to you as you learn to be adaptable to most things that need to be done. You could select a career in finance, music, medicine, religion, or statistical analysis and research.
3: You are best in intellectual, artistic, or creative endeavors. You need to be expressive to manifest and to see the results of your work. Beauty, fruitfulness, luxury, and pleasure are your keywords. You should have ambition and pride. You must become conscious of the law, and by being an excellent disciplinarian, you will achieve a position of authority over others. 3 combines the daring of 1 with the caution of 2. It is a number of self-expression and freedom. You must guard against becoming a jack-of-all-trades; rather, you should specialize. You could then be successful in artistic, religious, or inventive pursuits. You should avoid routine work because you dislike restriction. You should work alone for the best results. Business partnerships become too disciplined for your freedom-loving nature. You could write, lecture, teach, or find your niche in journalism. Whatever you decide to specialize in, you must use your creative and inspirational talents.
4: You must build a solid foundation on which to base your life. This demands a well ordered system of conduct and morals. Administration or some sort of management would be the best type of employment for you. You want your home life to conform to the culture in which you live. You will provide well for those within your care, and you expect them to respond with respect and dignity. You should become a diligent worker and honestly earn your success. By being thrifty, you will have an adequate savings account as security against any possible losses. You should learn not to take a chance unless it is a sure bet. You should seek high goals. You might want to achieve concrete results quickly, and therefore should strive for patience and perseverance. Learn to face reality and base all your efforts on sound practical reasoning.
5: Your keyword is freedom. If you have “free rein”, you can accomplish wonders, but if you feel bound or limited, you lose your enthusiasm and accomplish little. You would be a good explorer or Peace Corps volunteer, as you learn well by travel and experience. You are a diligent student if interested in the subject, but you may fail in subjects for which you see no useful ends. You should be eager for new experience, and shun monotony. In your quest for knowledge, you will become interested in discovering answers in books and magazines. An avid reader, a fluent talker, and a versatile doer, you are the witty conversationalist and brighten any group by your mere presence. You are here to learn and experience the value of freedom and should not tie yourself down too severely. Your talents once learned, prepare you for a literary career or a a position in sales and dealing with the public.
6: You are here to learn a sense of responsibility for your family and community. 6 is the love and domestic vibration and requires that you be responsive to the social needs of others. A fine sense of balance must be acquired so that you can equalize injustices. This keen sense bestows artistic abilities as well as judgmental talents which can be utilized in the legal system. You should develop compassion and understanding necessary to ease the burdens of those who will naturally be drawn to you. You are among those who serve, teach, and bring comfort to humanity. A wide choice of professions is yours including nursing, teaching, welfare work, ministry, medicine, restaurant enterprises, a legal profession, and possibly veterinary or animal husbandry. You may also choose to end a career in the arts, interior decorating, or hairdressing.
7: You are here to use and develop your mind. Your words should be full of wisdom when you decide to talk. Your strong intuition helps in any line you choose and gives insight when needed. You may be an enigma to others, and even to yourself at times. You like to read, think, and meditate. Many times you have to relay on your soul-force to solve difficult material problems. You may delve into the occult, the mysterious, and the phenomenal side of life. Music and other arts are in harmony with your keynotes. You may be drawn to the church, science, or research and analysis. A career in mathematics or investigation could hold your interest. You should learn to open time by yourself in the woods or by the seashore where you can get in touch with your inner self and your deepest thoughts because your destiny is to use your mind.
8: This is the number of power and ambition, the number of the executive, the boss, who lives by brain and brawn. You will learn to work and will want to see everyone else working. You can push people to become successful in their own right. You should lead and show by example how to profit in business. You are here to learn to handle power, authority, and money. You can build a business empire and should work to that end. You want success for your family and for the family name as a matter of pride. You want your offspring to carry your name with honor and dignity. Sports is another field open to you, as this number vibration bestows great strength and endurance. Many famous athletes operate under an 8.
9: You should be the universal lover of humanity, patient, kind, and understanding. You are at the peak of life’s expression and must turn and show others the way. You seem to receive wisdom from above; thus you know that the true way of happiness is in service to others. You are the marrying type, strong in passion and compassion. You easily acquire money or wealth, and know how to preserve it. You are never petty, but deal in broad concepts and can attain success in the face of difficulties. You are here to show others the way, through your breadth of thinking. You can choose from many professions; education and medicine are the most usual. You may become an orator, writer, or lecture with equal ease. Communication, foreign service, statesmanship, and leadership positions are easily within your capacity.
11: The keywords here are altruism and community. You came into a unique and testing incarnation. You must practice “love thy neighbor as thyself” and use it as your foundation. Your strong intuitions are of value in gaining wisdom and inspiration. 11 is one of the most difficult vibrations because the demand for high standards is constant. You must learn patience and at the same time be able to make quick decisions. Seek for balance between the material, physical life which has to be considered, and the inspiration, spiritual life which underlies your self-understanding. You can succeed in the field of science because all new inventions and discoveries such as laser rays, research in fields of anti-gravity or kirlian photography, or any area of electronics would appeal to you. You could choose to be an astronomer or an astrologer, or a bible researcher and interpreter. You may become a teacher or writer in the field of philosophy. You are original and creative and could become and inspirational speaker. 11 is an esoteric master number of spiritual import. It bestows courage, power, and talent with strong feelings of leadership. You must not let this power go to your head, since frame and recognition are likely; instead realize that true mastership is service.
22: You must express a basic building urge, accomplish things in a big way, and work with large groups or business concerns. You would enjoy the import-export business which could demand long distance travel and meetings with persons of authority. You like to take an inspirational idea and put it to practical use. Self-knowledge is very valuable to you. 22 gives the promise of success. You know how to use your ability to adjust the physical laws of life and living to demonstrate esoteric wisdom. You could become an executive in banking or financial affairs in a national capacity, or help organize businesses for others as an efficiency expert or the like. As an ambassador to foreign countries, you would demonstrate statesmanship. You like to be occupied in some large enterprise to challenge your power to achieve. Your lesson is to learn to take charge of large organizations and corporations and to handle money efficiently and usefully for the benefit of large groups of people.
33: You should be steady and reliable and develop a strong desire to protect others. You would like to live close to nature, and this urge may influence you to choose a life in agriculture. Your goal would be to produce food on a large scale to provide sustenance for the hungry of the world. You would never be found in any profession that could act destructively to humanity. Your talent may lie along the line of the arts: music to bring harmony, painting to bring beauty, or literature to promote education. Service in the field of medicine an healing could also attract you. Possibly, you would choose the law as a way to protect others through justice. Since the 33 consciousness is almost beyond that of humanity, a place within ministry or priesthood could lead you to the realm of your dreams as world savior. You may be required to sacrifice your own desires for the need of others in order to fulfill your Life Lesson vibration.
44: This number stands for strength and complete mental control over your life while on earth. It requires discipline in every department of life so that you may be instrumental in promoting the material advancement of the world. Your mind must be trained to let the higher forces work within it, and you must keep your body and environment in order so that you are ready for any opportunity to achieve this same results from others. Your high energy potential is meant to further evolution by helping others set their world in order. You should try to promote better ethics and justice in the world of business. You must recognize reality, then use what you learn to alleviate the physical burdens of others. You are the instrument by which this alteration takes place. By displaying bravery, resourcefulness, courage, and discipline; you serve as an example for others. Edgar Cayce is an example of the 44 vibration.
Please remember that these are just general descriptions of the numeric vibrations pertaining to the Life Lesson Number. Not everything may resonate with you, and that is perfectly fine. Numerology is meant to be tool to guide, not a stringent set of rules to live by.
Stay tuned for follow up posts on the Soul Number, the Outer Personality Number, and the Path of Destiny Number
((source))
Daily Witchiness
This is for all the witches who don’t feel like they are doing enough. You don’t need to enchant things, cast spells all the time, or write sigils everywhere to be doing witchy stuff! You are witching all over the place! You got witch everywhere!
Jewelry: this is the easiest witchy thing to do, in my opinion, because it’s so low energy. You can wear different crystals and minerals, seashells, pentacles, crosses, or other symbols pertaining to your beliefs. Pendants, bracelets, or rings are usually the most popular way. Whether you enchant them or not is up to you. I’ll set my bracelets and mala beads in full moonlight but I haven’t gotten around to enchanting anything yet. I do wear certain gems to correspond to my needs. If you study palmistry, you’ll know that wearing certain rings on certain fingers work with different energies. There is so much to this category.
Stirring anything: your food when cooking, the cereal in your bowl, your coffee/tea, the straw in your cocktail, the direction of your stirring is either conjuring up happiness and health (clockwise), or you’re banishing negativity (counterclockwise). Focus on your stirring and set some intentions for the day. Depending on your drink and if you chant a few words, it could turn into a spell 😉
Tea Drinking: I love a hot tea in the evening. Some witches correspond different herb and flavors to their needs. Some like to drink kombucha throughout the day. Some make sun tea. There are so many ways you can direct your energy with tea. Not to mention teas helpful for divination, and tasseography (divination through tea leaf readings).
Aromatherapy: Whether with fresh flowers and herbs, incense, candles, or an essential oil diffuser, it’s not that hard to enjoy some daily aromatherapy. You will experience benefits that include reducing anxiety, easing depression, boosting energy levels, speeding up the healing process, eliminating headaches, boosting cognitive performance, inducing sleep, strengthening the immune system, reducing pain, improving digestion, or increasing circulation. To pair aromatherapy with your jewelry, you can get a pendant oil diffuser or a bracelet with some lava beads to hold some skin safe essential oils.
Walking barefoot: Earthing/Grounding connects you to the earth’s free flowing electrons. I am unable to do this because I live in the city and there is too much broken glasses and the danger of needles. But when I go camping, I definitely run around barefoot like I did growing up on the farm. It’s so energizing!
Humming: “Humming combined with breath is a powerful way to release and let go of stuck energy and tension. Great for clearing and refreshing your throat chakra” It also improves your sinus health! Humming slows down your breathing rate significantly. Research shows, we normally breathe 15-17 times in a minute but with humming you can bring it down to 4-6 a minute which helps to slow down your heart rate and brings down your stress level. I like to hum when I’m cooking, driving, and I’ll hum along to the music at work. I tend to just hum the base notes so they are long, in rhythm, and in harmony with the tune. Lots of witches will hum during circle casting or while in the kitchen to help raise the energies.
Anything involving nature: going on a walk, watering your plants, stopping to admire some flowers, hanging out with animals, watching the sunset/sunrise, stargazing, etc. are all witchy and connecting yourself to Mother Gaia and/or the Cosmos.
Listening to Music: It’s part of the Quadrivial Arts, the Crossroads, the very core from which all paths of knowledge cross.
Working with numbers: Numbers and geometry are also part of the Quadrivial Arts, so whether you are an accountant, a cashier, or just doing your homework, you are doing some witchy stuff.
Your daily horoscope: Astrology is the fourth part of the Crossroads of the Quadrivial Arts. All four are the basis of the skeleton key to unlocking all spell craft. But checking in to your personal journey in the cosmos is a helpful guide along your journey through the universe.
Checking the weather: yes, it’s witchy. Knowing what is going on with the climate around you is an act of attunement to nature. And then you know how to coordinate your witchy outfit for the day.
| 100+ Grimoire Prompts/Ideas |
To see any updates to this post, click [here]. I’ll likely update it.
Disclaimer No single witch knows about all these things or has answers to all these prompts. This is just a reference list. Don’t get overwhelmed and focus on what interests you and relates to your path when making a grimoire or book of shadows.
The Essentials:
Does your grimoire have an index for organization? Make one!
Write about the history of witches, the occult, Paganism, ect.
What is witchcraft?
What is intent? What is your will? How do they work?
What types of spells are there?
What are some methods for spells?
What types of witches are there?
What is cleansing? Why is it important? How is it done?
What is charging? Why is it important? How is it done?
What is grounding? Why is it important? How is it done?
What is shielding & warding? Why is it important? How is it done?
What are circles? Why are they important? How is it done?
What is visualization? Why is it important? How is it done?
What methods are there for divination? How can it be used?
What is consecration? How do you consecrate tools?
Write about energy, energy work basics, how is energy used?
What methods of meditation are there? Have any favorites?
Write about any tips for meditation you know of!
Other Useful Stuff:
Make a list of terms commonly used in reference to witchcraft
How to write your own spells
How to make moon water
How to make sigils
How to dress candles
The wheel of the year. What is it? How do you celebrate it?
Make a pendulum board
Write the entire Theban Alphabet
Taglocks. What are they? How do you use them?
The Correspondences of:
The Elements
The directions - North, South, East, & West
Moon phases
Zodiac signs
Planets
Days
Times of day
Numbers
Colors
Tarot cards
Runes
Herbs & Spices
Flowers
Trees/Wood
Other plants
Essential Oils
Incense
Teas
Seashells & other things from the sea
Crystals & Metals
Gods & goddesses
Spirits
Angels
Fae
Entities:
List pantheons/deities
Basic spirit work
How to protect yourself from spirits
How to bind and banish spirits if something goes wrong
Fae etiquette
Types of Fae
List ways to communicate with deities/spirits/Fae
Information on constructs, servitors, tulpas, ect.
Your Path:
Page of tips/reminders
List practices, topics, deities/spirits of interest
How did you discover witchcraft?
What kind of witch are you, if any labels apply besides witch?
Why do you do witchcraft?
What inspires your practice?
Is your practice based on any certain culture, religion, ect?
Is witchcraft spiritual for you? How so? Are you Pagan, Wiccan, ect?
What is special about your practice? Do you have any unique methods, ideas, systems?
How do you believe magic works?
What has being a witch taught you?
Do you have any rules for your path? What are they? Why do you have them?
Write about your goals relating to witchcraft.
Do you have any familiars, deities or spirits you work with? Write about them.
Are there many witches, occultists, Pagans, ect that inspire you? Who? What about them is inspiring?
Make a correspondence page for you. Your natal chart, birth tarot card, numerology, elements or signature ingredients you connect to, ect.
Draw a chart of symbols you use in your practice. This could be alchemical symbols, sigils, runes, ect.
Offering ideas for your deities/spirits
Plants you have and how to care for them
Do you have any witchy drawings or doodles? Add them! Make some!
Write about folklore, especially personally significant or local folklore
Write about any myths or folk tales you like
Write about local animals, plants, in your area
Make lists of:
Witchy recipes, crafts, projects, ect that you wanna do
Tarot spreads you like
Other spreads you like, oracle, runes, ect
A section or separate book for readings/spells/rituals you do
Witchy places you like, that be it woods, cemeteries, shops, ect
A witchy wishlist, tools, ingredients, ect that you want
Witchy books you have and witchy books you want
Random topics:
Astrology
Astral projection
Auras
Crystal grids
Dream interpretation
Familiars
Herbalism
Lenormand
Runes
Sacred geometry
Scrying
Symbols
Tarot cards
Oracle cards
Palmistry
Pendulums
Raising a Ward 🕯🌿🍃
Wards are essentially autonomous protective barriers and walls that witch’s place around their sacred spaces or homes. Just like real walls, Wards require upkeep and maintenance. It’s advised that if you raise a Ward, then you need to regularly dissolve it for a little while to allow healthy energy flow in and out of your space. Please note, when putting up Wards, you are not only keeping things out, but you’re also keeping things trapped inside with you as well! This is why it’s best to dissolve Wards regularly.
To Raise a Ward Around Your Home, You Will Need:
White Candle in a Candle Holder
A Lighter or Matches
A Dish of Water
A Dish of Salt or Earth
Incense or Rosemary Herb Bundle in a Fire-Safe Dish or Cauldron
Raising the Ward:
Starting at your threshold, light your candle and walk clockwise around your home holding onto the candle in its candleholder. Visualize your protective energy in the sore around your home, forming a barrier. As you walk, say: “I build this boundary with fire.”
Next, starting at the threshold again, walk around your home clockwise with the dish of water and sprinkle it all around you as you walk. Say, “I build this boundary with water,” as you go.
Next, walk around your home again but this time with the dish of salt or earth and sprinkle it around you as walk. Visualize the earth’s lush green energy and trees growing up to guard your home. Say, “I build this boundary with earth.”
Next, light your incense or herb bundle and take it with you either in a dish or to it cauldron. Then, walk around your home again holding the dish or cauldron, waft the smoke up and down as you walk, saying, “I build this boundary with air.”
Finally, return to your threshold and place your hands/palms on a wall of your home and visualize your home being enveloped in a protective energy and say, “Fire, Water, Earth, and Air. Guard this home against all ill will and danger. Keep this house and all those who dwell in it safe from harm. I declare this ward to be raised and active. And so it is.”
Dissolving a Ward 🌿🙌🏻
Starting at the threshold, walk counter-clockwise around your home with your right hand extended outward as if cutting away and dismissing the energy. Say: “I dissolve this ward. You have my thanks for your protection in the past, and I release you with my blessing,” as you walk.
When you return to your threshold and stand before it. Stamp your right foot and say firmly, “I dissolve this ward. And so it is.”
Unpacking Witchcraft - Spell Types
A spell is a manifestation of intents, ingredients, and influences combined to bring about an intangible effect. However, there are a number of different of types of spells, intents, and methods.
CURSE— A spell designed to cause a person or place harm or misfortune of a grand scale. Occasionally used to protect when it used against a concept, “cursing out” infections and medical problems.
HEX— Commonly thought as similar to a curse, though it comes from a German word for witch. Commonly interpreted as a weaker curse, or a midpoint between a jinx and a curse on a scale of annoying to devastating.
JINX— A spell to cause momentary bad luck or annoyance, but can occasionally come back to bite someone later. Usually paired with irony, or used to bring about the opposite effect of what someone says out loud or hopes for.
BANISHING— A type of spell, designed to get rid of something specific, whether it be a concept, a person, spirit, or otherwise, and to keep it away.
WARDING— A type of protective spell in which you create and put up magical walls, usually against a specific thing, such as spirits or negative people, but could be used for evangelicals and teenagers that theoretically loiter on your lawn.
BINDING— Similar to banishing. Instead of removing a person, object, or situation from your vicinity, you prevent a person or creature from performing a particular action.
GLAMOUR— Often used for beauty spells, are a type of spell used for creating an illusion over a person or object. They can be used for a number of purposes, to make someone more attract, or to make an object harder to find, or a person be more or less likely to be noticed.
CONSECRATION— The ritual blessing of an object or place by cleansing it and instilling with a specific energy. Cannot be done to living creatures.
POTION— Any drink made to have a magical effect.
JAR SPELL— A spell made and contained within a jar, often herb sealed with wax.
these are just a few types, feel free to add your own!
moon phases.
new moon: setting intentions. active energy.
waxing crescent moon: resting, focusing. passive energy.
first quarter moon: taking action. active energy.
waxing gibbous moon: trusting, holding faith. passive energy.
full moon: acknowledging. active energy.
waning gibbous moon/disseminating moon: receiving, expressing gratitude. passive energy.
last quarter moon: returning, giving thanks. active energy.
waning crescent moon/balsamic moon: reflecting, resting, restoring. passive energy.
new moon: the moon is literally new. a rebirth. use this moon for intentions to do with fresh beginnings, starting again, cleansing.
waxing moons: the moon is increasing its size, it is opening; use these moons for intentions about gaining, growing or expanding.
full moon: the moon is at full charge, and can be the most powerful phase in the moon cycle. use this moon for intentions to do with power, clarity, or psychic ability.
waning moons: the moon is decreasing its size, it is closing; use these moons for intentions about ridding yourself of something (or someone), or purging.
application to the craft:
focus is the most important aspect of bringing an intent to manifest itself. focusing your energy can be made simpler by working with a compatible energy in the world as you focus that intent.
if the world around you is releasing an energy complementary to yours, it can be easier for that energy to find its way into reality; as opposed to facing any natural adversity.
cast passive energy intents in passive phases of the moon. (tranquility, creativity)
cast active energy intents in active phases of the moon. (strength, control)
this, in my opinion, is the concept of “the power of thought.” when more than one person thinks a thought, that thought holds more weight. this could explain why people practicing or praying together can often yield stronger, or more immediate results. it is a similar reasoning as incorporating tools and ritual into magick, as well.
your energy is a power in itself. but using the power of the elements, the environments, and the world can serve to add to that power.
books on chaos magic: once you complete your sigil, it’s very important that you forget about it.
me, a very absentminded witch: my time to shine has frickin come
“Witchcraft is not safe. Witchcraft is not good and kind. Witchcraft is the domain of the trickster, the outcast, the wanderer, and the crooked. It belongs to those who know every light casts a shadow; who have looked into the depths of darkness in their soul and accepted what they’ve seen along with all that is good. Witchcraft requires cunning, manipulation, self-awareness, adaptable morals, and dash of madness.”
— Sarah Anne Lawless (via gardenofthequeen)