Ultimate Protection Magic Masterpost, Part 2

Divination Tips for Beginners

Divination can be hard and draining, it takes up a lot of energy. For those who are still new to it, it can really drain you and result in headaches and frustrations. Here are some tips to help all you beginners out with divination and how draining it can be.

Drink plenty of water, being dehydrated is not fun and especially not when you are using so much energy

Take a shower or bath before any divination work to help cleanse yourself 

Meditate before big divination work to help center and ground yourself

Crystals good for divination and psychic work: nuummite, amethyst, amazonite, fluorite, and aqua aura quartz

Clear Quartz is a good energy booster and can help you feel less drained after divination

Drink some black tea to help ground yourself and give yourself extra energy for divination work

If you are starting to feel tired during divination, that is okay, take a break or take a nap. Forcing yourself to keep going will only exhaust you further and make everything more difficult. You deserve breaks

It is okay to use notes during divination, don’t worry what others say. Its not ‘unprofessional’, even veterans in divination use notes. Keep a notebook with you full of different meanings of cards or stones or runes, take notes as you go, write down your thoughts and keep it near you every time you practice.

Yellow is the color of divination, keep yellow things around you to help. Yellow blanket(s), yellow pillows, yellow candles, yellow pieces of paper; anything you can find. Purple is also another color good to help with psychic abilities and awareness

Herbs good for divination and psychic work: cinnamon, lemon, cherry, lettuce, grapes, orange (orange peel), mint, pumpkin, celery, lemon balm, catnip, thyme, rose, seaweed, star anise, mullein, mugwort and rosemary can all help you. Bake with them, eat them, use them in teas or keep them near you in a sachet or jar

Stretch and take little walks. Sitting for a long time can be killer and make you sore. Stretch your legs and take little five or ten minute walks during long readings and psychic work. Muscle and joint stiffness is never fun

Rather than trying to tackle large readings every day, do small ones. Like a few questions to your pendulum, pull a single card, draw a crystal from a bag, etc. Small daily practices can help you in the long run without exhausting you. 

Open a window and let some fresh air in while you work, it will do wonders, especially since air is the element associated with divination work.

Keep a small bowl or cup of salt near you, it will absorb the negative energy about you especially if you are feeling frustrated

Moon water is great for divination: drink it, make tea with it, spray the room with it, anoint yourself with it, keep it near you, etc

Cleanse your space before divination work, again it will keep negativity away from you 

Cleanse and charge your divination tools regularly, it really helps in the long run. Put them in the moonlight at night (especially during full moons), keep salt near them, smoke cleanse them if you can, burn white candles, use crystals/gems, etc

Its okay if you get confused and don’t know how to interpret something. Take notes on it and with time it may become more clear to you. Don’t force yourself to try to understand

Mistakes happen, you won’t always be 100% right on things. No one is, divination is not a certain thing. Things change all the time, its okay. Don’t let it get you down.

If you are tired, sick, stressed, or anything else and don’t feel like doing divination work that is fine. Its okay, you don’t have to do it all the time. Especially not if you are feeling unwell and tired. Rest and take care of yourself, you can continue practice another time

If you use tools in your work like mirrors, tea cups/mugs, cards, crystals, etc try to bond with them. Creating a bond with your tools can improve your divination quite a bit

You don’t have to practice on other people, you can do it for yourself and your own questions. Its an old wive’s tale that you can’t use tarot or divination on yourself, you definitely can

Try to get a good nights sleep before and after divination

Once you finish, treat yourself. Get something to eat, watch a movie or show you like, curl up with a book, snuggle into a blanket, play with your pets, take a nap; do whatever makes you happy. You did a good job and deserve some time to rest and recharge afterwards

Solar Cross

The Solar Cross is a solar symbol made up of a circle with an equal armed cross in the middle. It is one of the oldest spiritual symbols in existence, dating back to the Bronze Age (some sources say Stone Age, limited information available). There have been carvings of this ancient symbol found in Bronze Age burial urns from circa 1400 BC.

The solar cross represents a variety of things including:

the sun

the earth

the four seasons

the four elements

The most common representation being the sun. Symbolising the movement of the sun and its light, the solar cross was very important to prehistoric humans, both for its life-giving energy and its predictable cycle of days and seasons; particularly during the Neolithic to Bronze Age periods of European prehistory.

As a symbol of protection, the solar cross invokes the power of the sun god or all-father, as well as the guardians of four directions. It is a symbol of eternity that embodies themes of birth, death, and rebirth. If you meditate on the intersection of the cross, it serves as a very powerful centering exercise. 

Because of this symbol’s association with the sun, it is typically connected to the fire element.

How it can be used:

rituals honouring the sun, heat, or energy of the flame

in purifying spells/rituals (fire purifies)

casting away the old

rebirthing the new

celebrations of the solstices

banishing negativity

casting out shadows

Sources:

https://www.groveandgrotto.com/blogs/articles/magickal-symbols-of-protection-1

https://theancientsymbol.com/collections/solar-cross

https://pandagossips.com/posts/2174

https://thoughtcatalog.com/christine-stockton/2018/05/witchcraft-symbols-and-meanings/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sun_crossa

🔮50 Simple Charms🔮

🔮 Source: @wiccanartistry

🔮

Basil at the door, windows, or scattered in the home will increase money.

Lay thorny branches on your doorstep to keep evil from your dwelling.

Eat a pinch of Thyme before bed, and you will have sweet dreams.

Place chips of Cedar wood in a box with some coins to draw money to you.

Carry an Anemone Flower with you to ward against illness.

Hang a bit of Seaweed in the kitchen to ward evil spirits.

Keep a jar of Alfalfa in your cupboards to ensure the prosperity of your house.

Burn Allspice as an incense to draw money or luck to you, as well as speed healing.

Cut an Apple in half, and give one half to your love to ensure a prosperous relationship.

Carry an Avocado pit with you to let your inner beauty shine outwardly. Avocado is also an aphrodisiac.

Strawberries are an aphrodisiac.

Place a piece of cotton in your sugar bowl to draw good luck to your house.

Celery is an aphrodisiac.

Place Almonds in your pocket when you need to find something.

Scatter Chili Peppers around your house to break a curse.

Carrying a packet of strawberry leaves will help ease the pains of pregnancy.

Scatter some sugar to purify a room.

Throw rice into the air to make rain.

Carry a potato in your pocket or purse all winter to ward against colds.

Eat five almonds before consuming alcohol, to lighten the effects of intoxication.

Place a pine branch above your bed to keep illness away.

Chew celery seeds to help you concentrate.

Carry of chunk of dry pineapple in a bag to draw luck to you.

Ask an orange a yes or no question before you eat it, then count the seeds: if the seeds are an even number, the answer is no. If an odd number, yes.

Eat olives to ensure fertility.

Toss Oats out your back door to ensure that your garden or crop will be bountiful.

Eat mustard seed to ensure fertility.

Place Lilacs around your house to rid yourself of unwanted spirits.

Eat Lettuce to drive lustful thoughts from your mind.

Rub a Lettuce leaf over your forehead to help you sleep.

Add Lemon juice to your bathwater for purification.

Eat grapes to increase psychic powers.

Carry a blade of grass to increase your psychic powers.

Smell Dill to get rid of hiccups.

If you place a Dill sachet over your door, those who wish you ill can not enter your home.

Place cotton on an aching tooth, and the pain will ease.

Burn cotton to cause rain.

Place pepper inside a piece of cotton and sew it shut to make a charm to bring back a lost love.

Carry a small onion to protect against venomous animals.

Eat grapes to increase fertility.

Place a sliced onion in the room of an ill person do draw out the sickness.

Place an onion underneath your pillow to have prophetic dreams.

Place morning glory seeds under your bed to cure nightmares.

Walk through the branches of a maple tree to ensure that you will have a long life.

Mix salt and pepper together and scatter it around your house to dispel evil.

Smell Lavender to help you sleep.  (Lavender makes me fall asleep so fast).

Hang a pea pod containing nine peas above the door to draw your future mate to you.

Eat a peach to assist in making a tough decision.

Carry peach wood to lengthen your lifespan.

Carry a walnut to strengthen your heart muscle.

The Most Important Magical Care Tool In A Witches Arsenal: Grounding

As a witch who’s always on the go it can sometimes be hard to focus on magical self care. I’m traveling and moving and working with lots of people and life is kind of a whirlwind and I love it but sometimes it all gets to be a little… much. In all of the hustle and bustle my ability to take care of myself and my ability to take care of my magical practice can start to go south. I forget to practice good magical hygiene (such as cleansing and banishing) and I start to feel a little disconnected from the whole thing.

When this happens I like to turn to magical self care! Now, there are two types of magical self care: there’s magic that is used as self care and there’s self care for your magic. The methods I’m about to discuss happen to be useful for both! 

  The Most Important Magical Self Care Tool In A Witches Arsenal: Grounding

Grounding is a vital part of learning to practice magic in a safe and healthy way. The term comes from the process of grounding an electrical circuit. Essentially if an object is negatively charged, grounding allows excess electrons to flow from the object into the earth, and if an object is positively charged, electrons flow from the earth into the object. It’s a method of balancing and equalizing the flow of energy.

Similarly, in witchcraft grounding is the practice of balancing personal energies. Many things can pull us out of balance, emotional turmoil (for empaths it doesn’t even have to be our own emotional turmoil, often we pick up other people’s emotions far too readily!), illness, performing rituals or spells, astral travel, even simple things from our day to day lives can create a state of too much personal energy or too little personal energy.

This can be an incredibly uncomfortable experience.

Symptoms of unbalanced energy:

Dizziness, feeling spaced out, light headed or a floaty feeling

Headaches

Forgetfulness

Misplacing or losing things

Feeling generally unwell or exhausted

Daydreaming and an inability to focus

Sensitivity to light and noise

Feeling over stimulated and nervy

Bumping into things or other general feelings of clumsiness

An uncomfortable sensation of buzzing under the skin

Nausea and vomiting

Pain

Irritability

Insomnia

These symptoms typically become more severe the further out of alignment you are.

It is essential that you learn to ground properly before beginning to practice magic. Often I see newer witches who have yet to learn this skill experiencing unnecessarily strong backlash from their spell work.

Magic is energy! When you move and manipulate energy in such powerful ways it can and will pull your own energy out of balance. Grounding allows you to avoid the unpleasant side effects of spell casting which means a you’ll be a happier witch and have more time and space to practice your craft!

How To Ground Yourself

There are many ways of grounding yourself, I suggest you try a variety of methods and find the one that is most effective for you.

Rooting Yourself

This method works best if you are barefoot and standing on grass or dirt. Imagine your energy extending down through your legs and sinking into the earth, becoming roots and burrowing into the soil to trade energy with the earth. Feel the earth’s energy flow up into your body, filling you all the way to your head and then back down and out through your roots. This energy will cycle through you and clear away any excess energy as well as solving any energy deficiencies you might have. Continue this until you feel calm and comfortable.

Laugh

Laughter is an amazing way to release pent up energy as well as building our personal energy from within! Give yourself time and space to have a good laugh, put on your favorite comedian and enjoy yourself.

Food

Nourishing your body can help to reconnect you to your physical self and refuel depleted energy. Sit down for a hearty meal and give it your full attention, this helps to pull you back into your body fully after astral work or other intense spiritual experiences and gives you a moment to rest and relax.

Water

Water is a wonderful conductor of energy, sitting with your feet in a stream, your hands under a running faucet, or drawing yourself a bath can equalize your energy very quickly. Playing in the rain can also equalize your energy but if it’s sunny out visualizing rain washing your energy clean will work just as well.

Go for a walk

Getting out in nature, especially if you can walk barefoot, will allow your body to trade energy with the earth and equalize your energy levels. Walking in nature also helps to build mindfulness and create a sense of ease in your life!

Wind Visualization

Sit comfortably and begin to visualize your energy body. When you have a solid image of it in your mind imagine a strong gust of wind blowing your energy around you, removing blockages, carrying away excesses and refueling any energetic deficiencies.

Exercise

Gentle exercise can help to release any excess energies. Do not ground this way if you feel lethargic, exhausted or in any kind of pain. This method is ONLY to be used when you have an energy excess!

Body Awareness

Simply giving your body attention can encourage your energy to equalize on its own. Take a few minutes to consciously take stock of every inch of your body. Begin at your head, feel your scalp, then move to focusing on each part of your face. Move downward and feel your neck, your chest, then your arms, your elbows, your wrists, your fingertips. Focus on your torso again, now placing your energy on your stomach, feel it move with your breath. Continue this all the way down to your toes. Try to remain relaxed throughout this process.

Let Yourself Cry

Crying or screaming will release excess emotional energy very quickly. If you’re the sort of person who loves a good cleansing cry then this one is for you.

Stones and Crystals

Certain stones and crystals can be grounding. Hematite is particularly good for this purpose.

Play in the dirt

Getting in contact with the earth through gardening or rolling around in the dirt like you did when you were a kid allows your body to exchange energy with the earth. So let go of your adulthood for a few minutes and get in the dirt!

When To Use Grounding

Grounding is a wonderful tool to use but it isn’t a cure all. It’s also not always desirable to be completely grounded! There are certain types of magic that can be hindered by grounding and other types of magic that are simply not energy based and won’t require grounding to be effective.

When working with spirits being too grounded can make it more difficult to connect to the entity

If you’re fueling magic with emotions or excitement grounding beforehand will not help. You want your emotions and energy high in order to perform that sort of magic.

Sigils generally do not require grounding

Any kind of astral or out of body practice will be made much more difficult if you’re grounded beforehand. Ground after this sort of practice, not before

Dream work will be hindered by grounding

Grounding is most often used for post-spell backlash but it can also be utilized in your day to day life to enhance focus and happiness, lessen anxiety and protect you from emotional runoff.

If you struggle with any of the symptoms of being ungrounded regularly you might benefit from adding a few minutes of grounding into your daily practice!

New to witchcraft? Not sure where to start?

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Travel Altar/ Altar in a Box

I have a cat and my cat is an asshole. I’d love to have a big beautiful altar set up on my dresser, but Pip is the kind of cat that likes to knock things off of high places, take things that don’t belong to her and run, and hide things. To get around this, I decided to make an altar in a box. I used the small box that I already had, but you can use any size or shape box that you want! 

I started with a box. Obviously. I got mine from Hobby Lobby ages ago and had stained it with a dark stain and put box corners on it so that it looked nice. I had been using it as a catch-all for oddities and found objects, but decided that I would have to use it for my altar, as it’s the only box that I have. 

Step one was already done, as I had done it last year. Decorate the box. Like I said, I stained mine and added some dark box corners. I also used black ink to darken up the gold clasp so that it wasn’t so bright in comparison to the rest of the box. I wanted it to look a bit more vintage and worn.

Next, I cut a rectangular piece of fabric to line the box with. I forgot to take a picture of the fabric before gluing it in, so I quickly cut out this smaller piece to show you what I did. In order to make sure that the cloth lay flat around the edges and not bunch up, I cut off the corners. Like so.

And then I used hot glue to attach it to the box. I folded the raw edges of the fabric under so that they were hidden and the finished product looked a bit cleaner. This step was an absolute pain and I burned my fingers on the glue a few times.

After that, I cut a piece of thick board to fit inside the box. You could use cardboard or chipboard, too. I used what I had on hand. This piece of board will be used a shelf. You’ll see what I mean later. Here, I’m just making sure that the board fits. I actually ended up cutting it down a bit, because with the fabric lining in, and taking into account the fabric that will be covering the board itself, it was a bit too wide to fit inside the box.

Once I was confident that I’d cut it down to a size that would fit, I covered it with the same fabric I used to line the box. This picture shows the underside of the board where the fabric was glued down.

Next was probably the easiest step - gluing that board into the box to make our shelf. The board is glued onto the lid of the box so that when it’s closed, it sits flat against the back wall of the box, and when it’s open, it makes a little shelf! If you make this box, be sure to make the shelf narrow enough that you can still close your box. You don’t want it hitting the bottom and preventing the lid from closing all the way.

Next, we add the ribbon to the sides so that the lid stays upright when the box is open instead of falling back. Without the ribbon, your shelf is useless. I didn’t measure very well, just made sure that the ribbon wasn’t too short so that the box wouldn’t open all the way. If you’re using two ribbons like I did, it’s also important to make sure that both pieces of ribbon are the same length. 

If you use something other than hot glue, you may want to do this step before you put your lining in. Because I used hot glue, I was able to peel back the front corners of the lining so that I could glue the ribbon down, and then replace the fabric over top so that the end of the ribbon was hidden underneath. 

I ran out of hot glue for the second ribbon, so I was forced to switch to E600, which works very very well, but takes some time to dry. I glued down the ribbon and let it dry enough that it wouldn’t move around, then glued the lining back in place. I used binder clips to hold the fabric in place while it dried.

I left the project while it dried and went to eat dinner. When I came back, I was able to take the clips off, and the box was done!

At this point, you can decorate the inside of your box how you see fit! If you make one of these for yourself, be sure to tag me! I’d love to see what you come up with. Happy crafting and blessed be.

Some notes: 

When gluing in the lining, put the glue on the box, not the fabric. This allows you to fold under the edge of the fabric and stick it down without burning yourself.

Before you cut your shelf, take into account that there is going to be fabric covering the board and the box, making the fit a bit snugger. Don’t do what I did and cut your board, then have to go back and shave some more material off so that it fits.

MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ENOUGH OF YOUR CHOSEN ADHESIVE TO FINISH THE PROJECT. 

If you have fat hands like I do, you may want to use only one ribbon, on the opposite side of your dominant hand. I’m right-handed, so I may end up going back and cutting off the ribbon on the right side of the box.

-Vyrian

Witchcraft is a Skill: Reminders

🔮That means it requires work and effort to get good at it.

🔮Just like you wouldn’t expect yourself to become a master violin player or a master chef in a short period of time, don’t expect to be immediately amazing at witchcraft.

🔮Some people have innate abilities that help them learn skills faster, but that doesn’t make them any better than someone who takes longer to learn. And even those with innate abilities have their weak spots and struggles.

🔮The more you practice and study, the better you will get at it. Just go at your own pace, be proud of your progress, and focus on improving your weak spots.

🔮Don’t beat yourself up if you can’t practice as frequently as you’d like. Do what you can and do your best.

🔮Sometimes witchcraft is difficult. That’s normal. Overcoming these challenges instead of quitting will improve your craft. Embrace challenges.

🔮If something in your craft isn’t working, try something new.

🔮There is always, always something new to learn. Never lose that initial spark or excitement that made you practice witchcraft in the first place. If you find yourself getting bored, try to specialize in a certain area. Research lore. Develop your own UPG.

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.”

Gentle witch little things

Simple things you can do to bring more love and positivity into the world:

enchant the bus or train you’re on, so that everybody has a pleasant day or a safe travel home

paint protective sigils in the misty windows of buses or shops when it rains, and leave words of encouragement and praise on public bathrooms’ mirrors

bless passing ambulances and firefighter trucks with speed and safety for their patients/destination

wear an enchanted lipstick/gloss for your smile to brighten the day of everybody you meet

enchant your spare change so that it gives luck to the beggars you donate it to; they need it, don’t they?

actually, just enchant your money, so that retail and low-wage workers can have a better day when they serve you

leave blessed acorns and harmless trinkets in various places like buses or waiting rooms; give other people something to wonder about and make their day, and kids an item to roll in their hands mindlessly

bless food and leave it for stray animals; let birds be messangers of hope and miraclous event for everybody that sees them

whisper encouragement to trees and grass you pass by; let them know someone cares, someone sees their beauty, and awaits their bloom

smile at children and pets; provide them with the positive energy that the world is trying to kill in them

leave motivational notes, praise and silly drawings charged with love and hope on post-it notes as you go; they can brighten the day of those that find them

Hand Blended Herbal Teas are back!

London Fog - Amethyst the perfect blend of Bergamot infused Lavender and real Vanilla Bean leaves the tastiest cup of tea Perfect on a cold day with a little honey and creamer~ Morning Blend - Fluorite the best balance of Yerba Matte and Holy Basil leaves you feeling awake, refreshed, and calm Let hints of Lemongrass, Hibiscus, Ginger and Orange Peel waft over your perfect morning~ Rose Chai - Rose Quartz my absolute favorite cup of chai! Rose Petals, Vanilla, and a special blend of spices~ A gentle warmth fills you with love and light. (the closest thing to drinking a cup of rose quartz) Custom Tea - Send me a message and let’s talk about blending your perfect cup of tea! Can give free consultation and help you build or help you if there are ingredients you don’t have access to! We can base it off a crystal, an intention, a favorite flavor, color, anything! Let me know and we’ll make it happen :) Each tea comes with it’s corresponding crystal~  International shipping available Free US shipping on orders over $30 Always made to order✨ IG | FB | Etsy 

Witch Tip:

Get a copy of the map of your area. Not a country map, a state map, or even a county map. Your area. You can print off a Google map if a commercial version isn't available.

Take the map with you everywhere you go. Make notes on it of things you notice - does one area feel different to you? Does a tree live among many dead ones? Do you see the same cat sitting on the same fence post at the same time every morning? Where do bees live? What crossroads catch your eye? Is there a cemetary?

Once you've filled the map with your observations, keep it in your grimoire for reference.