꒰ 🍓 ┊ 𝒃𝒆𝒓𝒓𝒚 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒊𝒇𝒖𝒍 ꒱

a spell to make a home cozier

here is a little ritual you can do to bring warmth, joy and harmony to a home to make it feel cozier and more welcoming. best done during a full moon, but you can do it any time. you will need:

☾ a small bowl of ceramic, wood or glass

☾ a clove of garlic (bringing warmth + togetherness to a home)

☾ a sprinkle of lavender flowers (tranquility and calm)

☾ a sprig of pine (home blessing, cleansing, grounding)

☾ a brown candle (home and hearth magick)

sit in the main area of your home. light your brown candle; sit comfortably on the floor or couch and meditate on the candle for a while. warm your hands with its flame.

set the offering bowl in front of the candle. take the garlic clove in your hands and visualize the way you want your home to feel: warm, lived-in and welcoming. warm the clove over the candle-flame briefly and set it in the bowl.

take your lavender flowers in your hands. close your eyes, take a deep breath and inhale the scent of them. let it calm you, as it will calm the energy of your home. place the flowers atop the garlic.

lastly, take the sprig of pine. use it like a wand; point it toward all four corners of the room you’re in. place it against your heart, and set it in the bowl.

whisper to the bowl: “may your magick bless this home with kindness and warmth.” blow out the candle; place the bowl on a windowsill, mantle, or coffee table for three nights. on the third night, sprinkle its contents outside your front door.

Navigating Tarot

One of the more popular forms of divination, tarot cards, can be both incredibly useful and complicated. There are special rules used by practitioners, some of which I’d like to talk about. In other words, this is a good general guide to getting started with tarot. 

Connection

Connecting with your deck is incredibly important, and vital to your relationship with your cards. Keep in mind, your cards are their own entity. Having a weak relationship with them isn’t beneficial for either of you. Some great ways to connect with your deck are through meditation, spending time with them, asking questions, and just generally speaking not abusing them. 

Cleanse 

Not cleansing your deck can have serious consequences. Not only will it hurt your relationship with your deck, but your readings will be out of whack. Some of the most popular forms of cleansing are moonlight, smudging, and crystals. Any and all of these methods are great. 

Simplicity

As a beginner, don’t do any sort of complicated spreads. I know it’s tempting; you just want to jump right in! Start with just one week in the very least of pulling a card from your deck each day and interpreting it; it increases your familiarity with the cards and their meanings. Personally, whenever I want information about the cards, I love to go to Biddy Tarot. See them here: https://www.biddytarot.com/tarot-card-meanings/ 

Respect 

I’ve said it before, but again, your deck is its own entity. Treat it with the respect it deserves.

Journal, Journal, Journal 

Every time you do a spread, I recommend jotting it down. It helps your growth significantly. Just include the date, deck used, spread, results, interpretation and your reflection. 

Alternatives 

I understand that this can be complicated if you’re in the broom closet; perhaps you can’t get a deck, or maybe you just feel uncomfortable practicing around others. If that’s the case, you can use playing cards! Here’s what I use in such a situation to help me: https://exemplore.com/fortune-divination/How-to-Read-Tarot-with-Playing-Cards 

~witchy asks~

🌿 do you collect herbs? if so what’s your favorite one?

⭐️ what’s your star sign?

💎 do you collect crystals? what’s you favorite one?

🧼 how do you cleanse your space?

🌝 do you make moonwater?

🏺 do you work with any deities? if so which one(s)?

🔮 do you do divination? what is/are your favorite form(s) of divination?

🥮 what’s your chinese zodiac?

🧬 do you work with your ancestors?

🗳 what’s you unpopular witchcraft opinion?

📖 do you have a book of shadows?

🌜 what’s your moon sign?

👼 do you work with angels?

🌈 what path(s)/tradition(s) are you following?

🩸 do you do blood magick?

🖤 do you do shadow work?

🧚‍♀️ do you work with the fae?

♾ what’s you lucky/favorite number?

🕳 do you preform hexes/jinxes/curses?

🍓 do you give offerings?

👿 do you work with demons?

🍵 do you make oils/potions/salves?

⬆️ what’s your rising sign?

Successful Job Interview Spell

I just completed this spell for a friend who has a job interview tomorrow, to help give them confidence and make a good first impression. Here's what I used.

Materials:

Tealight candle

Rosemary

Bay leaf

A penny

Tarot deck

Process:

I took the tealight candle out of the metal holder and placed the penny in the bottom.

I took five cards from the tarot deck;

The Emperor, for authority

The Ace of Pentacles, for financial success

The Fool, for new beginnings

The Magician, for the skills to succeed

The Star, for confidence

And placed them around the tealight candle one at a time, stating their purpose.

I lit the candle and placed a few rosemary leaves in the melting wax for protection against negative energy.

I wrote my intention on the bay leaf: "[Friend's Name] will get a job offer soon." Then I burned the bay leaf using the flame from the tealight candle. (Have a bowl nearby to drop the leaf in in case it catches fire quickly, don't burn your fingers!)

I visualized my friend at their interview tomorrow, then getting the job offer, then starting their new job. I did this until I could see the penny underneath the melted wax.

If you try this spell, let me know how it goes!

What are some of the top mistakes you see new witches make (aside from not warding)?

Another wonderful question like the last one! I love that you know about my not-warding complaints. This is not meant to mock or shame new witches in any way, you guys are welcome here and I hope you know that. It's just for education and a bit of fun.

Common New Witch Mistakes

Let's start with a lightning round, here are all things that are false:

You need to be born into a witch family

You need to be a woman

Certain beliefs are required or you can't believe in God

You have to work with spirits and deities

You must pick a witch type

You need a metaphysical or witchy store to get supplies

Specific kinds of tools or supplies must be used

You need to be Pagan/Wiccan

Witchcraft is the only magical practice there is

Tools must be gifted

You need an altar & fancy supplies

Here are some further mistakes:

Not following mundane safety tips Practice fire safety! Wear gloves when you forage! Don't ingest essential oils! Don't take medical advice from strangers online! I see a long list of things spread around that are just really physically or mentally unhealthy for people.

Believing something just because you heard it in passing Just because you heard somewhere witches have to use crystals doesn't mean it's true. Take things with a grain of salt. Consider them. Cross reference. Knowing how to research and find solid information will serve you as a witch FOREVER.

Missing out on core practices Warding is one of them but also goes for cleansing, charging, grounding. You can decide to not do these things and I can't stop you but you need to know what they are first.

Jumping into spell work Doing a simple low risk spell after some research is fine but I see people trying really risky spells without any research! Backfire is a thing people.

Posting information someone could use against you  Do not show exactly how you do a spell. Do not show exactly how you ward. Do not post your whole birth chart. I see witches and non witches alike do the last one and it sends me off on a tangent every time.  

Lack of attention to themselves Know yourself. Find your intuition and follow it. What do you think about that? What do you believe? What do you want your path to be like? Knowing yourself and following your intuition is something that will serve you forever, just like knowing how to research.

Lack of experimentation You're a witch, not a pretentious ceremonial magician. Experiment! As you advance you can write your own spells. You can do tarot without a guide book. You can find your own ingredients. I could go on.

“to be a witch” falsehoods

there are a lot of misconceptions going around lately on what someone needs to be a witch, i just want to clear some up. 

you do not need:

fancy tools - or any tools at all, really. all you need is yourself and your intent. sure, tools that fit your aesthetic are nice, but you don’t need them. if you have the ability to buy and you want to, there’s no stopping you, but please don’t feel like you have to go out and buy yourself an etsy broom or a cauldron. and don’t stress yourself out over making one either! they are but trappings.

appearance - in witchy aesthetic photos, it’s usually a slim, white girl with long hair. and that lack of a more diverse representation can give the impression that you need to look and be a certain way, but please know it is untrue. it does not matter what your race, weight, hair, or anything looks like. 

aesthetic - you don’t need to dress “like a witch”. a witch can look like anything. if you want to indulge in the black cat, black clothes look, fine, but you don’t need to confine yourself to it if it’s not your thing, you can look like whatever you want to. 

gender - there are some in the community that will fight tooth and nail to make it seem you have to be a cis female to call yourself a witch. don’t listen to those terfs. anyone can be a witch, regardless of gender. male, non-binary, agender, trans, demi, etc. 

black cat - you don’t need a black cat. you don’t need to have a familiar either. those are unique relations that should not be forced to happen

dark, mystical attitude - you don’t need to suddenly start talking like chaucer or put effort into having an air of mystery. you don’t need to be holier than thou, or act like you know it all. witchcraft is a journey that takes time to learn. 

cursing - no, you don’t need to curse. but you don’t need to shame someone for cursing either.

on a spiritual path - witchcraft does not have to be spiritual! you can practice magic without having to worry about being “spiritual enough”, because each craft is unique and deeply personal, you don’t need to force it to be something that you’re not invested in.

religious -  there are many witches that wonder where the power comes from if they don’t call upon a god. the power can come from you. you do not need to devote yourself to a god 

wiccan - wicca is not the only way to do witchcraft, it is only one way of practicing magic. there are many people who think the only way to do witchcraft is to be wiccan, but they are misinformed. if you do not want to work with wiccan influences or traditions, you do not have to. 

initiated - some practices, some traditions, initiation is needed. however, to be a witch in general, you don’t need to go through any ritual to prove yourself one. be wary of those who insist you do, they are often trying to take advantage of new witches. 

straight/cis - some traditions you’ll encounter have homophobic roots/influences. while it is discouraging, you dont have to listen to those, or you can work with others to rework phobic traditions

a “natural” witch -  some people will claim to have “witch’s blood” or “the flame”, meaning witchcraft has been in their families for generations. this does not make them superior or more of a witch than you. anyone who wants to be a witch can, no matter their birth circumstances. 

labelled - a lot of witches label their craft, “herb witch”, “space witch”, “storm witch” etc. you can be as many as you want, or none if it pleases you. you do not need to label your craft however. some people can’t put their craft in a box.

td;lr, you do need:

to want to be a witch

your intent

that’s it! happy casting!

What to Know Before Training in Witchcraft (part 1)

Throughout history, humans all over the world have practiced magick; yet much information on how to perform these abilities were kept in secret from eyes of the unworthy. Due to this, the rise of monotheistic religions were easily able to wipe out much of the knowledge, making it difficult for new generations to discover how to perform this ancient spiritual art. As someone who has trained and devoted themselves to witchcraft for the past 15 years and has been initiated into the Hermetic Path, here are the main things you should know if you seek to become a witch as well:

The basics of performing magick: Every spell requires a foundation of things in order to work, these are Will-power, Intense Focus, Passion/Need for the Outcome, Visualization of Desire, and Understanding of the skills you are utilizing. Without these, the spell will not be kindled and will fall flat. Additionally, the stronger your focus, the stronger your spell will be; yet developing very strong focus requires long training in meditation. When using your focus, it is like having beams of light projected into what you are doing- if the focus is not strong enough, the light becomes scattered. Meditation also assists in visualization, as you will need to be able to hold a mental image in your mind for as long as you require and be able to manipulate its appearance or rotate it with ease. 

Most magick requires astral ability, spirit work, and etheric connection. The sooner you learn to astral travel, the better (it can be done through both full-projection and mental projection, which is easier). Yet, you do not need to astral project in order to manipulate the astral, you only need to understand how to use your astral limbs on command (this is done for many areas of magick such as cursing people through summoning malevolent energies, or healing by removing toxic energies from inside one’s body). If you do not learn how to operate your astral body, you will not be able to perform most of magick since magick mostly takes place on the astral plane. Remember that witchcraft is not simple in the slightest and most books on it are either false in order to gain money or too basic to be strong enough spells. Witchcraft is for those who are willing to devote their lives to seeking and perfecting it, as well as those who are wise enough to use it properly. It is not about spell jars or emoji spells (both of which are ineffective), magick is weather summoning, dream manipulation, exorcisms, energetic healing, and the ability to see your enemy’s location through astral sight so you can directly curse them. The possibilities are nearly endless. 

Witchcraft is not meant for everyone. I know that most people are wanting to be kind to eachother and be all-inclusive, but not only is this unrealistic for this advanced craft, but also a very dangerous mentality. If someone goes into magick without being prepared, it can cause severe damage or even death in some severe cases. There is a reason why ancient cultures have all had magick reserved for the shamans and priests; it is not meant to be handed out to just anyone, one must be worthy and actually capable of such power. Should you go into witchcraft or spirit work when you have a mental disability such as psychosis, major depression, etc, you are allowing your conditions to become far worse. This is due to many reasons since magick will shift your view of reality and you will also be tested by higher powers to prove your worth (neither of these are easy, but if you have a mental disability, it will hit you even harder and cause severe damage). So either get medicated and stable, or do not go into witchcraft or spirit work. As for physical health problems, do not go into spirit work if you have a condition such as heart disease, as some experiences can cause heart attacks. 

The more advanced you become, the more enemies you gain. This goes for both spiritual enemies and humans, since your power will attract malevolent entities of all kinds as well as other advancing witches. While witches can curse (or even kill) you out of envy for your power or if you angered them, malevolent spirits can do just the same usually with more ease and with greater consequences. There are a vast many types of malignant spirits but most of them are tar spirits (entities made of pure malice and look like tar). These can truly ruin someone’s life and cause severe trauma, so you need to make sure you actually know what you’re doing when going into witchcraft or you will be unprepared for such attacks. 

As a beginner (Novice-Intermediate Witch), you need to connect with a certain spiritual path (such as Kemeticism, Hermeticism, etc). This is because as beginners, we are still needing to train our minds to believe in otherworldly possibilities and begin thinking in ritually symbolic ways. Once you become more advanced, this connection is no longer necessary. It is best to study as many paths as possible in order to have a wide-range of knowledge, and especially make sure to learn about Animism, as it holds truth. Remember that there are spirits all around us- in plants, water, the winds, the planets. They also wander about and watch us; not all of them are human and in fact, most of them aren’t. There are a vast many different species of spirits, even ones that are unknown in myth or folklore. 

Imposter Spirits. If you go into spirit work without proper skills in sensing, hearing, and seeing, you are putting yourself at great risk to be manipulated by imposters. These are usually tar spirits who come and pretend to be deities, demons, and many other things just to get you to trust them. Their two main reasons for doing this are to trick a person into breeding with them in the astral (which creates many more tar spirits, which is horrible) or to simply destroy someone’s life by worsening any present mental health problems. To avoid this, you either need an experienced mentor assisting you, or you need to learn to be extremely cautious, educated in spirits, and take things very slow in this path until your senses fully develop. Remember, just because you called upon a spirit and they seemed to arrive, it does not always mean it is actually them; you need to test it.

You need to be able to cleanse yourself properly. Each day, we gather up toxic energy from people around us due to envy, hate, and many other things. Most people can feel this but pass it off as random bodily pains. In order to heal yourself and others, you need to use your astral sight to see where the toxic energy is (if it’s in your body, just feel for it) then use your astral hand to reach in and pull it out (it helps if you move your physical hand along with it). Once out, burn it in the astral by summoning fire in your hand. Then move your hand across your body where the energy was and heal it with golden light, covering any injuries if you were attacked. However, if you are just beginning magick, it is likely that you will not be able to do at least one of the things mentioned, so you will need to improvise until you are skilled enough through constant practice. 

Alternate methods of removing toxic energy are wearing jewelry of alexandrite or by placing black tourmaline on your stomach and slowly rotating it until you feel your energy become lighter. Although these crystals don’t heal everything, so it is best to learn how to use your astral abilities. For healers, you must cleanse yourself whenever possible, even by just summoning fire to move up and through your body in the astral. If you do not, you have a high chance of getting leukemia from the blocked toxins over time. As an advanced healer, you will be able to simply see inside a person’s body with your astral sight and be able to see what physical and spiritual conditions they have so you can heal them. 

The Spirit Death: One of the most important things a witch will undergo is the Spirit Death- the shedding of your Ego and current self in order to allow your rebirth. In order to properly perform magick, one needs to destroy their current limited mentality and become “less human” so that they can better absorb higher knowledge and surpass the ordinary person. This will not make you like the gods in complexity, as they are far beyond us. But it will make you vastly different as a person and far stronger. However, this Death requires you to undergo great suffering, as pain is the only way we can change and develop true wisdom. This is not something ordinary people are capable of going through, but magick requires great sacrifice. 

Even afterwards, you will have to live your life in loneliness when you realize in your higher awareness that you can no longer fit in among others. In order to undergo the Spirit Death, you only need to open yourself up to it and confess it to your gods, the Source, or your higher self. Throughout the path as a witch, especially during the beginning, you will fail. You have to learn to fail so you can see what works and what does not, then keep trying until you finally figure things out through trial and error. There is no easy way through the path of a witch. 

Part 2 | Part 3

All of my spiritual books:

They’re all great starter guides!

- Astrology by Carole Taylor

- The Spirit Almanac by Emma Loewe and Lindsay Kellner

- Crystals Rock! by Juliette Thornbury

- Astrology for Dummies by Rae Orion

- The Modern Guide to Witchcraft by Skye Alexander

- Moonology by Jasmin Boland

- How to read tarot

- The Stars Within You: A Modern Guide to Astrology by Juliana McCarthy

- Moon Spells by Diana Ahlquist

- Crystals by Julia van Doren

Instagram @thatbrunettenl

Almost halfway done with the Phoenician alphabet oracle. There are 22 letters/cards in total and I’ve worked 16 deities into it (the Phoenician, Canaanite and Mesopotamian gods are so heavily syncretized through both geography and time that it was a challenge to choose among all the figures and portrayals, but the full list is below the cut:

Czytaj dalej

Idk what messy witch needs to see this but, you've got annoying wax all over your alter cloth?

1. Wax paper

2. Lay it on the wax and melt the candle wax onto the paper using a clothes iron

3. It's better now.

Boom

You're welcome.