Purity In Witchcraft Is Overrated In My Opinion.

Plant bonding quick tip

I like to use my hair as a way to bond with my plants.

That’s right, my hair.

As something that grows slowly and (In my practice) holds my essence, my hair and my plant have a few things in common (disregarding the obvious differences of course).

As a way to leave a part of me behind with my plant, I like to take a couple strands of my hair and tie it gently (don’t be rude to your buddy now) around a stem. As I do this I like to chant

“With this hair, I invite you To create a bond, between us two”

This is just one thing I say, I like to change it up on the spot for different plants. To me, the important part is slipping in the part that it is the plants OPTION to bond with me. I INVITE it to bond with me, it can refuse, sometimes over something as simple as indifference towards me.

The purpose of this practice (for me) is to leave a token of myself behind, something I feel holds a good amount of my personal energy. For me that means my hair (you’d agree if you saw how I care for my hair like it’s a sprit of it’s own).

This allows for a few things to happen (upg) -if the plant is uncertain about me: it can sit with my energy for a while in a way that does not disrupt the plant in any way

- If the plant finds my presence comforting: it leaves behind a nice energy while I’m gone for my plants to feel. You can leave hair behind for plants you’ve already bonded with as a way to leave them something with your energy (great for when you leave for a long trip!)

🌿Ivy🌿

Candle Color Correspondence 🕯🔮

🕯RED: Binding, Courage, Strength, Lust, Magnetism, Competitiveness, Fertility, Health, Attraction, Protection Magick, Conflict, Dispelling Anger & Hate.

🕯PINK: Emotional Healing, Spiritual Healing, Love, Friendship, Compassion, Protection if Children, Affection.

🕯ORANGE: Luck, Strength, Power, Attracting Luck, Creativity, Success, Professional Growth, Justice, Energy, Happiness, Ambition.

🕯YELLOW: Clairvoyance, Communication, Action, Inspiration, Psychic Power, Memory, Divination, Confidence, Imagination, Wisdom, The Sun.

🕯GREEN: Mother Earth, Balance, Growth, Wealth, Money, Health, Dispelling Envy & Jealously, Dispelling Greed, Beauty, Abundance, Luck, Harmony, Fertility.

🕯BLUE: Communication, Inspiration, Harmony, Occult Wisdom, Forgiveness, Fidelity, Focus, Protection, Truth, Loyalty, Banishing Anger.

🕯PURPLE: 3rd Eye, Psychic Power, Spirituality, Confidence, Success, Divination, Contacting Spirits, Increase of Willpower & Inner Strength, Independence, Spiritual Guidance, Protection.

🕯WHITE: Peace, Truth, Purification, Protection, Spirituality, Positive Outcome, Happiness, Moon Magick, Cleansing, Balance.

WHITE CAN BE USED IN PLACE OF ALL COLORS DURING SPELLS AND RITUALS

🕯BLACK: Binding, Dispelling, Reversing of Spells Hexes and Curses, Destruction of Evil & Negative, Habit Breaking, Grounding & Protecting, Repelling Spells.

🕯BROWN: Friendship & Balance, Intuition, Concentration, Animal & Earth Magick, Healing, Locating lost objects, Blessing of a Home.

🕯INDIGO: Balance restoring, Spell Blocking, Creating Balance, Karma.

🕯GOLD: Divination, Luck, Money, Success, Wealth, Sun Worship

10 Magic Herbs You Can Find at the Grocery Store

When you’re first getting started with witchcraft or another magical practice, it can be easy to get caught up in all of the material stuff involved. Witchy hashtags on social media are filled with pictures of huge sparkly crystals, gorgeous handmade ritual tools, and beautifully elaborate altars. Many spells in books or online call for a long list of herbs, some of which are expensive or hard to come by. For baby witches, it’s easy to feel like you can never be a “real” witch unless you have money for these expensive tools and toys.

This is not true. As we’ve talked about in previous chapters of this series, you don’t need any tools or material components to cast a spell — however, harnessing the energy of plants, crystals, and imagery can be a helpful way to add energy to your work. This doesn’t mean you need to spend a lot of money. In fact, many of the most powerful and useful magical tools can be found on the spice aisle in your local supermarket, or even at the dollar store.

For example:

Salt. Salt is a witch’s best friend. It can be used for cleansing, banishing, protection, grounding, or to neutralize energy. Surrounding something with a circle of salt will protect it [Note: do NOT make salt circles outside, as salt will kill plant life!], and washing something with salt water will cleanse its energy. I often include salt in any spell that I feel needs an extra layer of protection.

Sugar. Just as salt banishes unwanted energy, sugar attracts the things you want into your life. Sugar can be used for any and all attraction spells, whether you’re looking to attract love, money, success, or something else. It can also be used to “sweeten” a situation, or make it more favorable.

Cinnamon. There’s pretty much no positive spell that doesn’t benefit from cinnamon. Cinnamon has associations with healing, love, success, and material wealth, but is also strongly associated with protection. I love burning cinnamon as incense — it fills the whole room with warm, cozy energy.

Cayenne. Cayenne is often used for banishing or binding spells, but a lesser known use is for getting things moving. Cayenne is a very fiery plant, so any spell dealing with passion, motivation, or drive can benefit from its inclusion. Cayenne can be used to “light a fire” under someone to motivate them to action. However, cayenne is a more harsh energy, so I often pair it with lavender or another soothing herb.

Coffee. I most often use coffee for grounding or to anchor things to the physical world. For example, I might include it in a prosperity spell to make sure the results manifest in my everyday life. Coffee is also energizing and brings mental clarity, and can enhance psychic abilities. Brewed coffee is also used in some traditions as an offering for spirits.

Bay leaves (Bay Laurel). Bay leaves are one of the most popular spell components because of their association with granting wishes. You’ve probably heard of the practice of writing a wish on a bay leaf and burning it to manifest your desire. I often include bay leaves in manifestation magic for this reason. Bay leaves can also be used for purification, cleansing, and exorcism.

Ginger. Ginger adds power to any spell it is included in. Ginger tea or gingery food can also give you a personal energy boost. I add ginger to any spell that needs some extra “oomph.” It is also associated with success.

Basil. Basil is very commonly used in money spells. Carrying a basil leaf on your person is believed to attract wealth. It also has associations with protection.

Peppermint. Peppermint is another herb that can add power to virtually any spell. It can bring healing and purification, can remove obstacles and free up stuck energy, and can enhance psychic abilities. Peppermint is a common ingredient in dream pillows. You can find peppermint tea at virtually any grocery store, and many stores also carry the essential oil.

Lavender. Lavender is my favorite herb for bringing peace to a situation. It’s very good for healing magic and for soothing difficult emotions. Lavender is also associated with love, and I especially like to use it in spells for self love. Most stores carry lavender essential oil, and you can also find herbal teas that include it as an ingredient.

With the above herbs at your side, you’ll have everything you need to cast virtually any type of spell. Honestly, even if you just have salt, sugar, and maybe some white candles, you can create powerful spells for dozens of different intentions, from protection to self love to getting a job. Remember, what matters isn’t so much what you have — it’s your intention.

These are also edible, so they can be incorporated into magical recipes for different intentions. In fact, most of the ingredients you cook with every day have magical associations and can do double duty as powerful additions to your spells. For more information about the magical uses of common household herbs and spices, I highly recommend the book A Green Witch’s Cupboard by Deborah J. Martin, which is where most of the info for this post came from.

Other useful magical items that you can pick up at the grocery store include:

Olive oil. Olive oil can be used as an all-purpose anointing oil for candles, ritual tools, or your body. It can also be used to dilute essential oil, or as a base for custom magical oils.

Tealight candles. These small candles are perfect for candle spells. White tealights can be used for any intention.

House plants. Many common houseplants have magical associations. For example, aloe brings protection and healing. You can also grow some witchy herbs, like peppermint or rosemary, indoors.

Epsom salt. Epsom salt is a great base for bath spells. You can add essential oils and herbs to make custom bath salts — just be sure to research oils and herbs ahead of time, as some can cause skin irritation. [Note: Epsom salt is not actually salt, and cannot be substituted for salt in spells.]

Notebooks. Writing things down is an important part of witchcraft. Keeping a record of your spells, divination, and magical experiences makes it easier to keep track of everything.

Again, I want to stress that you don’t need a specific set of tools to be a witch. In fact, you can do highly effective magic without ever working with herbs at all. But if you want to gather some items to add power to your spells or help you feel more witchy (after all, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to set the mood!), you can get everything you need for a few bucks at the local supermarket or dollar store. Remember, our ancestors worked magic with what they had — not with expensive crystal collections or exotic herbs.

Uncrossing Masterpost

Uncrossing is when a person removes a curse, hex, jinx, or other spell that was casted against them which brings them negative energy, bad luck, or catastrophic events. Remember to take care of yourself after performing an uncrossing spell by cleansing and protecting yourself and your home.

Hoodoo Floor Wash by @divinemoon “Backfire” Curse-Repelling Enchantment by @mothmaam Uncrossing Powder by @thecandlebearer Cursing 101: How to Break a Curse by @the-traveling-witch Mild & Spicy Cursebreaker Powders by @lazywitchling Curse Removing Wash by @lunaesteria Spider Oil by @witchinthenight Break A Spell Cast Against You by @belladonnaswitchblog Blackthorn Reversing Spell by @thiscrookedcrown Lemon Test (to determine if you are cursed) by @i-am-the-nature-witch A Spell to Counter Another’s Magick by @christowitch An orange, lemon, and lime spell to break a hex or curse by @the-darkest-of-lights Hex and Curse Breaking by @thiscrookedcrown Counter-curses by @breelandwalker Protection from Curses by @cindernook Simple curse-breaking spell by @agnosticanimist The Healing Pool: A Cursebreaker by @hedge-witch-wannabe Curse Removals by @urbanspellcraft Return to Sender by @spiritscraft Counter-curses and Curse Removals by @thesigilwitch Anti-Curse Powder by @urbanwitchery Major Arcana Spells - Lady Justice - Return to Sender by @the-weatherwitch Lemon Uncrossing by @belladonnaswitchblog To Break a Spell You’ve Cast by @natural-magics remove magick done unto another by @the-ram-witch Black salt & white candle curse removals by @visardistofelphame Sigil nullifier (sigil tw) by @allura Engraved Hourglass Nebula Curse Return Spell by @themanicnami Removing Hexes and Curses by @urbanwitchery Charm Bags - to Reverse Bad Luck by @lodgewitch Disenchanting Bath by @kitchenwitchn Break the Curse (sigil tw) by @sigils-r-us A simple “Reverse The Curse” spell by @mothyseawitchery Reversal spells by @sylvaetria To Nullify a Spell by @orriculum Protection and curse removal spells by @belladonnaswitchblog Wards and removals (abuse tw) by @urbanspellcraft Something to Consider before you Curse: Reversals by @wildernesswitchery Hex Breaker Potion by @thewitchystuff Reversal, removal, & breaker by @spellboundwitchcraft Lemon Uncrossing Spell by @witchypun Breaking a curse by @cunningcelt Witchy tip - bay leaves by @whoanellee Huckleberry by @aspelladay Uncrossing powder by @rad-magick

🍃friendship spells by orriculum

seeds for new friends - spell to attract new friends

bring us closer spell - to give you opportunities to make friends w/someone

cold shoulder spell - to break a friendship

empathy spell - a spell to let emotions/empathy flow between two people

long distance spell - to preserve a bond even as the people are separated by distance

nostalgia spell - to resurface old, fond memories in someone else

stay with me spell - to strengthen a bond and ensure communication

friendship fastening - hand fasting spell for close friends

stevonnie fushion - to meld with a friend for a short while

death stranding bonds potion -  a potion be for strengthening bonds

fries friendship ritual -  simple spell of binding friendships.

contagious laughter - to bring happiness to your loved ones and friends

last updated 10/4/2017

Some topics + prompts for your grimoire or book of shadows

books you want to read

local folklore / mythology / legends

the wheel of the year

plants you have in your house or garden (their care, properties, uses, draw them etc)

theban alphabet

days of the week and their correspondences

write about a deity you worship / are drawn to

draw art for / of a deity you worship or are drawn to

colour magic

the elements

write about the crystals you own (draw them, write their properties, correspondences, uses, how it makes you feel etc)

how to make your own crystals

your birth chart

your sun, moon and rising sign

natural medicine (as a chronically ill witch I love natural medicine NOT AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR PRESCRIPTIONS! for example I take all my prescription meds and then if I'm having period pain I might drink some raspberry leaf tea)

positive affirmations / mantras that you connect with

how to manifest

history of witches

deities in a certain pantheon you're interested in or drawn to

write about a spell you've done (how you did it, why you did it, how you felt, the results of it, what you would change if you did the spell again etc)

chakras

write about a dream you've had

tarot reading tricks and tips

moon phases

sabbats

zodiac signs

family tree

poetry / songs / quotes you connect to (i like to find ones that make me feel powerful or witchy, or remind me of certain aspects of my practice. a song i like for this is rhiannon by fleetwood mac and i'm going to post more things like this regularly on my page)

feathers and their meanings

simple everyday magic

recipes

some ideas for the next sabbat you plan to celebrate

tarot spreads you like

write about a tarot reading you've done (any prep you did, the deck you used, the cards you pulled, your personal interpretation of the cards based on the art and how you feel, the meaning of the cards, how the cards relate to the questions you asked, final reflection on how you feel the reading went)

interesting mythology

tree of life

glamour magic

money bowls

crystal shapes and their meanings

grounding techniques

cleansing

protection

banishing

cord cutting spells

essential oils

types of divination

planets and their correspondences

angel numbers

witchy wishlist

go to supplies and ingredients (herbs and things that you use regularly)

favourite crystals

working with your inner child

if you've had a really good or particularly insightful meditation session it can be nice to either draw or write what happened and how you felt during it

witchy arts and crafts and diys you want to do

altar ideas

read a witchy book / watch a witchy video and take notes

write about your ancestors

witchy things to incorporate into your daily routine

what is a tower moment

witchy reset / self care days

the history of the area you live in

veiling

how to make your own incense sticks

shadow work

shadow work prompts

ok, that's all the ideas I have for now and I hope that helps someone! I'll be posting some pages from my grimoire and some more prompt / topic ideas in the near future which I'm really excited for.

P.S. please remember that everyone's practice is their own and you should do what feels right to you while respecting that other people have their own beliefs (as long as they're not hateful).

Spirit Work 101:

I wanted to do a quick safety guide to spirit work (been wanting to do this for a long time, tb). 

Around Halloween, it becomes a favorite hobby of everyone, and while I think spirit work is an awesome way to enhance your craft, I also think you need to take it incredibly slow. Here’s some tips that I use, and I would advise for those of you who’re delving into spirit work to use as well:

-Protection: This applies to yourself and your space. Often I wear protective jewelry and meditate before I begin spirit work. I put myself in a mindset where I’m in control of what’s going on, so that I know who I’m talking to or who I want to talk to.

-Be specific: Don’t just call out to random spirits. If you don’t have a name in mind—that’s find. But specify that you want good spirits entering your space—and only good spirits. If you’re not used to spirit work, asking for any spirit to come through the veil can attract negative spirits.

-Say goodbye: You must say goodbye to the spirits. This is something I practice daily, because they do and will linger around if you don’t! even if they are good, maybe it’s not something you want. Good can also be scary.  And thank them for their time as well.

-Banishment: This is essentially telling a clingy spirit to leave if they haven’t already.  There is a variety of different ways to tell a spirit

-Cleanse: Cleanse your space afterwards just to ward off any remaining energy. This isn’t quite the same concept as banishment, as with banishment you’re dealing with an entire entity. But, with every ritual you do and every entity you invite into your space, left over energy can stay and build up. So, you’ll want to cleanse it. this too can be done a variety of ways (I have cleansing crystals with me, so I usually skip this step).

-Choose a safe means of communication: Basically, if you are a beginner DO NOT use the Ouija board. I might be biased against it, but I also know that the tool can be used correctly and yield amazing results. However, because many beginners using it don’t do so correctly (and there’s a terrible culture attached to it), I advise you to try safer methods. Consider a pendulum, dice, and automatic writing. Or even the safest form (imo), mediation.

any means of communication can turn out badly if you don’t know what you’re doing though. 

-Ask for the intercession of other spirits: In general, before you begin spirit work, look for a spirit that might help you. this can be your guide, your ancestors, or a religious deity. Now if you’re all trying to do spirit work on Halloween, you probably going to skip this part because it can take a very long time. but perhaps instead of reaching out to random spirits on Halloween, use it as a time to find a spirit companion.

-Use things to safely enhance your experience: My go to is selenite! Others have different things, just stay safe and healthy!

Also just do your research! Feel free to ask around. Tumblr is one of the largest collections of witches I’ve ever seen on the internet so please, please take advantage of that!

If I have anything else to add, I’ll do so later on! These—again—are all based on personal experience, but if you have any questions about anything ask me. I also invite others to add their own opinions and suggestions! Being rude won’t be tolerated!

Chronically ill witchcraft: For your symptoms

Since it’s super hard to find them when you need them! Anyone is welcome to use these, but I don’t want to see “this is great for people who DON’T have chronic illnesses too” (trust us, we know).

These are to be used as a supplement in addition to professional medical care, treatment and medication, not as a sole alternative!

Back + neck issues:

“Ease my neck pain” sigil

“Ease my lower back and hip pain” sigil

“My back is relaxed and free of pain” sigil

“I am free of back pain” sigil

Brainfog:

Brainfog lifting

Brainfog relief spell

Memory masterpost Memory and concentration spell

“Brainfog begone” sigil

Fatigue:

Spell for energy

Energy gain spell

Energy jar

Energy bath

Crystals for fatigue

“No fatigue” sigil

“Energy” sigil

“I am energetic” sigil

“I have the energy to take a shower” sigil

Headaches: 

Headache soothing tea spell

Headache healing

To banish a headache

Tea for cluster headaches

Curing a headache

“Ease my morning headaches” sigil

“Headache” sigil

“Against headaches” sigil

“My headache goes away” sigil

Immune system:

Masterpost of sigils to boost your immune system

Joint pain:

Joint pain spell

“Ease my joint pain” sigil

“My arthritis is manageable” sigil

“My joints are stable” sigil

Migraine:

Anti-migraine spell

A spell for migraines

Anti-migraine spell bottle

Migraine relief bath

Migraine magic (herbs and crystals)

Witch tip for migraines

“Ease my migraine” sigil

Muscle pain + spasms:

Crystals for rheumatic and muscular pain

Muscle pain sachet

“Ease my jaw tension” sigil/s

“My muscles are relaxed” sigil

Pain (general):

Chant to ease the pain

Chant for bad pain days

Simple ease the pain spell

Chronic pain relief spell

Release my pain to the wind spell

Bath spell to ease chronic pain

Change the pain spell jar

“I find moments of peace from my pain” sigil

“The pain is gone” sigil

“Relieve chronic pain” sigil

Sleep problems:

Sleep crystal spell

Spell to help you sleep when you’re in pain

Sleep easy spell sachet

Sleepy witch tip

Sleep aid art

“My chronic pain doesn’t affect my sleep” sigil 

Stomach issues:

Soothing tummy tea

Anti-nausea bath

“Anti-nausea” sigil

“Find your way out” (constipation) sigil

“My digestive issues are eased” sigil

“I overcome stomach pains” sigil

If anyone knows of additional witchy content for any of these that I missed, or content on a category I wasn’t able to include, feel free to send it my way and I’ll get a part two started for this post!

Witch Tip Wednesday 3.7.18

Salt Your Sigils, Walk With Chalk

There are few things we consistently have with us when we leave the house: keys, wallet/phone and clothes. Of those clothes you wear, they change daily, but your shoes may not.

There’s tons of folklore about shoes and steps and turns of phrase, so why not use them as a tool?

There’s the helm of awe on the heels, moons and star on the inside heel, and an all seeing eye.

Why not draw the sigils you need on the soles of your shoes? Use some chalk and hop to it! Protection, travel, speed, discretion, do some hex work by writing the name of someone on the soles and spend the day trampling them.

Alternatively, you can draw on brick, walls, the ground and possibly shoes (haven’t tried) with salt.

You can get salt rocks online for a few bucks and they’ll last a loooong time. Treat them like chalk, when scraped against rough surfaces they leave a white trail and it’s an easy and less mess way of carrying salt with you for Witching on the go.

Draw a circle wherever you feel the need to do a working, sigils, staves, symbols, gliphs, anything you would trace or draw can have extra oomph behind it by physically drawing it with something of the earth.

🦇Cheers, Barberwitch

Shoe photo source unknown

I think the first step towards the life you want is often to just say yes to more things. Accept that coffee invitation from your coworker even if it seems awkward. Sign up for that free class at the library that you're not sure you'll like. Join that club. Book that tour. Say yes to as many things as you can and kill the part of your brain that gut-reacts with a no.