To Feed Offering Candles

hi! im always trying to learn more about tarot, but i keep coming across the same entry level tips and lessons. do you have any advice for more advanced or intermediate tarot readers?

Advanced Tarot Techniques

You come across tips for beginners because tips are generally for beginners. External sources, such as books and websites, are mostly meant for readers who are in the early stages of their journey. They are training wheels.

The moment you consider yourself intermediate, your growth should mainly be internal. That is, as you read for yourself, you discover new ways of how the cards manifest. And as others approach you with questions you have never been asked before, you develop new ways of seeking answers. That is how you mature as a reader.

Here are methods and findings I uncovered for myself back when I was intermediate and further enhanced once I was advanced:

How to Predict Your Sex Life

How to Predict Timing

How to Foretell the Whole Year Ahead

How to Predict Sports Matches

Extreme Card Meanings

How to Use Oracle Cards with Tarot

How to Use the Cards for Vengeance

Tried and Tested Reversal Meanings

How to Read the Cards as Advice

How to Speak to the Dead

The Major and Minor Arcana Twins

How to Uncover Your Past Life

How to Really Answer Yes or No Questions

Literal Card Meanings

Polar Opposite Cards

What It Means to Keep Seeing the Same Suit

How to Make a Difficult Choice

How to Uncover Hidden Health Issues

Meanings for Sex

How to Determine Physical Appearance

How to See Someone’s True Intentions

How to Use the Cards for Mind Control

How to Discover Your Life Purpose

Knowing If Someone Will Ever Get Married

Ideal Spread for Fortunetelling

How to Predict How Long You Will Live

Why Self Readings May Fail

How to Read the Cards as Someone’s Feelings

How to Use Lenormand with Tarot

The Greco-Roman Gods in Tarot

How to Identify Your Soulmate

🍝 Cooking Magick 🍝

Since I often don't have the energy to do full spells and rituals, I've been trying to incorporate magick into the mundane things in my life, and something I tried tonight was adding a little magick to my cooking

Since I've been having a lot of negative energy within myself, I decided to make my dinner into a little protective spell

It was a little last second so its not very intricate, but it was just enough for me and made me feel super witchy (my boyfriend even called me a little kitchen witch!)

We deemed this little "spell" Magick Spaghetti

Disclaimer: this isn't an actual spell!! Its just a fun way to include your craft in something simple and essential and I really enjoyed doing it so I thought it would be nice to share! Its not to be taken extremely seriously, not all witchcraft has to be totally serious, just have fun! ❤ and remember that even the smallest things can be made magical and meaningful

🍝 Wolf's Magick Spaghetti 🍝

To start, if you add salt to your water when you boil it, something I do, you can tie a correspondence or intention to that

Stirring the spaghetti counterclockwise to banish, repeat something like "I am banishing this negativity and the things that have been hurting me inside"

Stirring the spaghetti clockwise for intention, repeat something like "I am protected from negativity" and/or "I am protected from these negative energies inside me"

Add some sauce! Sauces are full of herbs and veggies that have correspondences, use this to your advantage! My sauce of choice had onion, garlic, and tomato, all of which have protective properties

While eating your Magick Spaghetti, think something like "this is clearing the negativity inside me"

☽ Enjoy! ⛤ Blessed Be ☾

It’s a cold, rainy day here and I’m feeling a bit under the weather, so I thought I would share my “get well draught”. It’s warming and comforting and the most reliable thing I have found to make me feel better when I have a cold (except for sudafed).

I use; - A small handful of fresh mint - A teaspoon of fresh ginger or half a teaspoon powdered - Quarter of a teaspoon of chilli powder - Quarter of a teaspoon of cinnamon - The juice of half a lemon Stir clockwise and strain before drinking.

The best thing about this “tea” is that you can make it to your own tastes. Today I’ve added lemongrass and if I have it and feel like it I add honey. This tea is great if you have a sore throat or blocked sinuses. You can double or tripple the ingredients and brew in a pot on the stove and put your face in the steam for added benefits.

Extra points for drinking it from a cool mug that makes you feel badass!

So earlier I made a post about doing a video tutorial on creating your own sculpture of your diety well.... I'm going to being doing it and making it friendly to those in our community who aren't out in the open about their practice. It's going to take a little bit for some of the supplies to come in but it's happening.

Really excited about this.

I'm going to be doing a goddess for the video.

Reblog and let me know who your most interested in seeing created. I'll do sketches of the top 3 and then vote again on which one of those will be the final choice.

Bridgit

Danu

Morrighan

Artemis

Persephone

Athena

Hestia

Hekate

Ishtar

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. 

Chicken Pot Pie with Scallion Pastry

A comfort-food classic with magical properties of healing, protection, prosperity, and love.

Special equipment: immersion blender

Ingredients

1 double crust pie dough

½ cup chopped scallions (measure green parts only; any white parts may be added to pie filling)

4 cups water

1 large onion, roughly chopped

4 whole garlic cloves

2 celery stalks, roughly chopped

2 large carrots, roughly chopped

2 chicken thighs

1 bay leaf

1 tsp dried thyme

salt & pepper to taste

¼ cup butter

½ cup all-purpose flour

1 cup dried wild mushrooms (can substitute fresh; just sautee the fresh mushrooms ahead of time to remove excess liquid)

1 cup frozen peas (do not thaw)

1 egg, beaten

Maldon flake salt (optional)

Methods

Boil chicken thighs with water, onion, garlic, carrots, celery, bay leaf, thyme, and salt & pepper. Once chicken is cooked through, remove from broth. Discard bay leaf. Use an immersion blender to puree the vegetables with the broth until smooth. Set aside.

Make pastry according to recipe of your choice, but before adding the water, stir in the scallions. Chill pastry.

Rehydrate mushrooms according to package directions. Reserve the water. Roughly chop the mushrooms if necessary. Shred the chicken (or cut into bite-size chunks).

Make a roux: melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture becomes foamy and turns a light golden color. Add 4 cups of the vegetable broth puree and whisk constantly. If necessary, use the mushroom broth to thin out the gravy. Bring to a boil. Boil one minute while whisking; remove from heat. Allow the gravy to cool.

Heat oven to 400°. Roll out pastry and line a pie plate. Mix together chicken, mushrooms, white parts of scallions, and frozen peas. Add enough gravy to reach desired consistency (3-4 cups). Pour mixture into pie shell. Apply top crust. Brush top pastry with beaten egg, and if desired, finish with a light sprinkling of flaky salt such as Maldon.

Bake at 400° for twenty minutes, then cover the edges of the pie with aluminum foil or a pie collar to prevent excessive browning. Bake an additional 25 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown and the gravy bubbles (total bake time about 45 minutes). Allow the pie to rest at least twenty minutes before serving.

Serves 6-8.

Bay: healing, banishing, success, wishes

Thyme: courage, protection, prosperity

Garlic: love, purification, warding

Scallions: fertility, healing, exorcism

1. Two girls don traditional wreaths near a bonfire during Ivan Kupala Night celebrations, outside the small town of Turov, Belarus, on July 6, 2016 # Sergei Gapon / AFP / Getty.

2. People celebrate the Slavic pagan holiday of Ivan Kupala outside Novokuznetsk, Russia, on July 6, 2011 # Yaroslav Belyaev / AP.

Comforting Tea Spell

If a friend shows up at your doorstep in tears or distraught and is looking for comfort, brew her a witchy cup of tea by imbuing it with your intentions: visualize your friend being warmed and soothed by your cup of tea as she drinks it. As a witch, your intent carries great power through your actions. You perform everyday actions with intent and become more attuned to yourself and the way things work in the world around you. By learning to channel your desires through the spellwork you do, you will manifest happiness, joy, and abundance in your life. 🍵

For the tea blend, you will need:

Lemon Balm

Mint

Chamomile flowers

Lavender

Rosemary

Any additional add-ins you wish to brew into your tea based on your intentions, such as cinnamon for luck, ginger for strength, or sugar for sweetness

For the Spell:

Steep the tea blend in a tea pot or in a loved mug. As it’s steeping, stir the contents with a spoon clockwise and imbue your intent into the tea. Visualize your friend being warmed and soothed by the tea, or imagine her delight when she tastes the tea.

Add any additional spices, herbs, or sugar you’d like to add to the tea now. Consider their magical associations. Add a pinch of cinnamon for luck, or a pinch of ginger for strength, a pinch of thyme for courage, or a pinch of rosemary or salt for protection. Add sugar for sweetness if desired, for both taste and sweetness in mood.

Stir the tea, three times clockwise, one final time and recite: “With tea and spell, and help from above, all is well, light and love.” Then tap your spoon on the mug or teapot three times to seal the spell.

Serve the tea lovingly to your friend or loved one.