Divination Through Casting Of Stones

App Recommendation for Green/Garden Witches: Vera

I looked into a watering schedule app that sends notifications because all of my plants need different watering times right now. I tried a few that were in the App Store and this one is by far the best in my opinion. I enjoy using this, I didn’t enjoy any of the others.

Pros

You create the entirety of the plant’s profile. You can put in a name, species, photo, what date you got the plant, where it is, and there’s a note section designated for special care info. This customizable setup is so much more user-friendly than the apps that make you scroll through a list of plants to select yours (if they even have it) and then gives you the uneditable watering schedule that doesn’t take into account your humidity, plant’s life stage, etc

You can choose what day of the week the watering schedule starts, how often (in days) you’ll be notified to water, and when in the day to set off the notification. You can also change the watering schedule of a plant at any time. Similar apps I’ve tried haven’t been as customizable

You can select multiple plants or a whole location group to mark as watered at once, instead of having to go through each individual profile to mark them

You can go on to a plant’s profile to see when it was last marked as watered and what day it’ll next need to be watered. I find this helpful to be able to check and some other apps didn’t have that info available to the user

You can use this app to track your plants growth progress through photos. It puts photos in the activity feed so it logs the date/time at which you upload a photo to the app, making it time-trackable. There’s also a ‘photos’ tab next to the activity feed if you only want to see the photos, so they’re easily accessible

To me at least, this app is a lot more visually pleasing and user-friendly to navigate than similar apps I’ve tried. The font is big but not overwhelming, the layout is aesthetically simplistic but not dumbed down, and everything makes perfect logical sense as to where they put it and such. As for app layout, left to right there is a home page (first picture), a menu of all your plants sorted by location (third picture), a button to add a new plant, a page to mark plants as watered (second picture), and lastly an info/your profile/social page (that last one doesn’t do much except let you log in and leave a review). As you can tell, the app is very straight forward and I like the layout

Cons

You can’t undo a watering. If you accidentally mark a plant as watered that day I haven’t found any way to reset it to needing to be watered. So just be careful of which plants you’re marking!

Counting Crows!

One Crow — Bad Luck, Death (Should be noted that a corvid alone is unusual as they are gregarious species)

Two Crows — Good Luck, Joy

Three Crows — Wedding, Female Birth

Four Crows — An Event, Male Birth

Five Crows — Money, Positive Business

Six Crows — Wealth Change, Loss/Gain

Seven Crows — Secret, Curse

Eight Crows — Life-Altering experience

Nine Crows — Love, Something Sensual

Ten Crows — Turnaround In Luck, Overwhelming

Eleven Crows — Surprise, Secrets (Hidden/Revealed)

Twelve Crows — Good Luck, Fulfillment

Thirteen Crows — Completion, The End

It’s been said that if the number of covids you see tallies up to something negative, then it can be countered with saying “Greetings Mr. Crow, I salute you!” as well as offering it a lil’ treat!

There are many different rhymes to help you remember! One of the longer ones goes as follows:

“One for sadness, two for mirth;

Three for marriage, four for birth;

Five for laughing, six for crying:

Seven for sickness, eight for dying;

Nine for silver, ten for gold;

Eleven a secret that will never be told.”

little witchy things to do 🌿

- make a spell and weave it into a friendship bracelet

- stirring sigils your morning coffee or tea 

- look through thrift stores for old candles or objects that you are drawn too

- embroidering sigils into your clothes or bags for a constant boost

- meditating to calm yourself and reduce stress

- colour coordinate your outfit with your intent for the day

- take walks in nature and just focus on the surroundings

- carry crystals to motivate you 

Shadow Work

Origins, Meaning and Utility

The Structure of the Mind

Carl Jung theorized the existence of three levels/spheres in the human psyche: the Ego, representing the conscious mind, the Personal Unconscious where memories are contained and the Collective Unconscious, where all knowledge and experiences of the species are shared.

Each Sphere has in it a certain number of Archetypes, used to better describe the components of those structures, and the Shadow is one of them.

What is the Shadow

The shadow can be seen as a instinctual or primitive part of ourselves, it exists as part of the unconscious mind and is composed of repressed ideas, weaknesses, desires, instincts, and shortcomings.

It is this archetype that contains all of the things that are unacceptable not only to society, but also to one's own personal morals and values, normally going against social norms and rules as well as what we personally consider right.

The Shadow is often described as the darker side of the psyche, representing wildness, chaos, and the unknown, and it is common for people to deny this element of their own psyche and instead project it on to others.

The Shadow in Witchcraft and Benefits of Shadow Work

Art: Unknown

The Shadow, in witchcraft, can represent The Unknown, hidden depth of ourselves. Speaking in terms of energy, this is an area that can be a deep source of energetic issues, because it’s locked up in the dark and always striving to reach the light.

To not work with one’s Shadow is to make it greedy and aggressive, as well as denying a big part of oneself, making everything a half of a whole.

Through that brief explanation, we can already establish the importance and role of the Shadow in witchcraft, and with that in mind, comes the concept of Shadow Work.

Shadow Work can be seen in a number of practices, meditation, trances, inner journey’s, lucid dreaming, astral travels, spells and divination.

The method can change, but the principle is simple: Centering your intent to self discovery, self knowledge and self acceptance.

Working with one’s Shadow is not only beneficial to one’s craft, as it allows one to get in touch with their intuition as well as allows for easier connection with one’s guide/guides, but it also allows for healing and acceptance of one’s feelings and needs.

Think of all aspects of life as a wheel. If there is one part bent, the wheel can turn, but with more effort. If the owner spends time fixing that bent part, the wheel will turn in a much more smooth manner.

That is what happens when you take the time to do Shadow Work, you have to put in effort, and most of the time it’s not easy, but once done, all other components on the wheel of your life will be relieved to move on without that obstacle that makes their job harder.

The Shadow is not evil, as evil is just a moral compass invented by humans. It is a part of one’s nature, and to deny it is to supress a connection with yourself.

Take the time to know and accept your shadow, and you’ll see that life will be a little easier.

References:

A Natureza da psique (Structure & Dynamics of the Psyche) by C.G. Jung

The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious by C.G. Jung

Energetic Blockages

Energetic blockages are energetic barricades that get in the way of your energy, and do not allow it to flow properly. Energetic blockages are created through various different means such as, but not limited to negative energy, negative thoughts, and feelings, self doubt, curses, being too open, or too closed, and many other things along those lines. These energetic blockages can form in any spot in your energetic body, and will not allow your spiritual energy to flow smoothly, or even at all. This can unbalance your energy centers. This can lead to a myriad of different problems depending on where the energy blockage is located. For example if an energy blockage formed around, or in your throat energy center you will have a harder time communicating, or expressing yourself. It may even take the forms of more physical ailments such as a sore neck, or headache.

One way to find out if you have an energy blockage is to scan your body. To do this all you need to do is take your projecting, or power hand, and run it over spots on your body, while you project energy, and feel into your aura. When you come to a spot that is energy blocked you will feel a different sensation than the rest of your body. This could be felt as a more dense, and compact place of energy, or it could be like a bunch of energy moving insanely quickly in every direction. You might not even spiritually feel it, but much rather get a sense that something is not right in this area. Another way to find energy blockages is that you will usually be able to feel them when you have them, since certain ailments are caused by them. This could be a whole plethora of different things, and could lead you to the source of the energy blockage via what it is screwing up.

You can clear these energy blockages through spiritual practices such as meditation, reiki, yoga, tai chi, qi gong, acupuncture, and many other varying types of spiritual practices. Certain gemstones, and crystals can also help you clear energy blockages in your body based on the energy frequency they emit. All you have to do is look up stones that are connected with the specific part of your body where you think the energy blockage is located. Some stones that would be good for healing energy blockages would be fluorite, black tourmaline, bloodstone, green calsite, and shungite. Once you obtain the stones keep them near you so there energy can be absorbed into your body. If stones are not your thing you can always use herbs to unblock the energy blockages in your body. These can be burned, eaten, or turned into oils to anoint certain parts of your body. Some herbs that are overall good for energy blockages are herbs like basil, sage, rosemary, clove, and lavender. To prevent energetic blockages before they happen the practitioner should take special care to always shield, and ground themselves when it is needed. It is very easy for these blockages to occur when you are unbalanced, or under some form of stress. Learning how to control this may help you to reduce the amount of energy blockages you get.

Energetic blockages are a common occurrence that all practitioners should be aware of. Most of the time these blockages are more minor inconveniences, and do not do much to impede your life, but learning how to control and get rid of them is a very useful skill anyone can benefit from.

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.”

✨ Chai spells ✨

Now that it’s getting colder I feel like it’s time to post about chai spells! 

✨  Basic recipe for chai  ✨ - ¾ mug of milk (or milk alternative) - ¼ mug of water - Any tea that goes with milk (so no green or fruit teas) - Sugar or honey to taste

Heat up your milk, water and sweetener, once boiling whisk in your tea. If using black or milk oolong tea then do not exceed 45 seconds of stirring - it seems like a small amount of time but your chai will be bitter if you go over this time! Any tea other than black tea would be alright for a bit longer, but you shouldn’t need much time at all! 

Pour the chai through a strainer and serve! Drink this while hot for the best flavour (though it doesn’t taste bad if it gets cold either)

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For the following spells, use the milk, water and sweetner and then add the tea specified! Feel free to personalise your blends!

✨  Self love chai  ✨  - Black tea - Culinary dried rose petals 

✨  Protection chai  ✨ - Black tea - Cinnamon - Ginger  - 2 peppercorns

✨  Banishing chai  ✨ - Black tea - Basil leaves (chopped) - Ginger 

✨  Sleepy time chai  ✨ - Culinary lavender - Culinary dried rose petals

✨ Happiness chai  ✨ - Black tea - Cinnamon - Orange peel

✨  Confidence chai  ✨ - Black tea - Nutmeg - Cinnamon

✨  Divination chai  ✨ - Milk oolong tea - Peppermint 

✨  Purity chai  ✨ - Milk oolong tea  - Coconut

✨  Lucky chai  ✨ - Black tea - Cardamom - Cinnamon - Clove

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Happy brewing everyone! Enjoy many cups of magical chai  ✨

(Credit for our basic chai recipe goes to @sidewalk-crystal  - thank you lovely!)

💰✨Broke Witch Tips✨💰

Wal-Mart has incense sticks/cones in packs of 40 for 84¢ and a standard wood burners for 84¢ as well. Add the cost of a lighter and you can now cleanse anything for less than $4.00

If you want to get a little fancier, Wal-Mart also has decorative incense stick holders and cone covers from $4-$10 I have a flower blossom stick holder I got for $5 that not only looks adorable but comes with quite a bit of incense in the set

Around back to school time, notebooks are very cheap-for my first/rough draft grimoire I got a pretty pink composition notebook for 50¢ and a pack of pens for $1.00-use this to record all the information you want to put in your final draft grimoire here (and honestly it’s great to have just a little book that I don’t care if it gets battered up)

Like pasta? Save your sauce jars, wash them out well, and BOOM-spell jars.  I’ve been living off shells with Alfredo sauce and I’m saving up tons and tons of jars

DOLLAR STORES-literally most of my witchy stuff I got at my local dollar store. Dollar stores are the absolute best for finding candles. They have tall candles, short candles, tea candles, votive candles, scented candles, unscented candles, LED candles, candle holders, you name it, dollar stores have it. So far from my local dollar store I’ve gotten

3 tall, unscented candles in glass jars (1 white, 1 yellow and 1 blue)

a 16 PACK of unscented tea candles. that’s right, SIXTEEN. for a DOLLAR. that’s less than 10¢ a candle

a really adorable holder for said tea candles

a 2 pack of white, unscented taper candles

a medium sized LED candle (batteries were included in this one, but that was the only one I could find with batteries included, however most dollar stores also sell batteries)

Don’t have the space for a big tabletop altar (also for closeted witches)? a tin of mints is around $2.50 and, empty of mints, makes a great tiny, hide-able altar space. it fits conveniently in a purse or bag and won’t arouse suspicion. Tape sigils to the inside, spell recipes on tiny cards, chants, a tea light and a lighter, the possibilities are endless

follow crystal shops on Instagram, a lot of crystal shops will have ‘flash sales’ on social media, so you can scoop up great crystals for a good price

reminder:

tarot cards have set meanings, yes, but each deck has different depictions that change the meaning slightly (colors, images, directions, etc. can change the way it is interpreted), and your intuition should influence the reading. your first interpretation of the cards is what your gut is telling you. trust it. there are many ways to interpret any set of cards you draw, so listen to that little voice in your head. it knows best.

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.