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Astrology of March and April

I see a lot of stuff online saying the current energy and tension is as a result of Mercury in Pisces (trop), or the fact that Jupiter must be uncomfortable in Pisces (trop) etc.

From a Vedic perspective there is a stellium in Capricorn right now (Venus & Mars in Shravana and Saturn in Dhanista). Saturn and Mars are ENEMIES. While Venus doesn’t consider Saturn or Mars enemies this current configuration is not comforting for Venus. Venus likes diplomacy and would prefer to peacefully talk about matters before waging war.

Right now Mars is travelling to meet Saturn very close to its exact exaltation point in Dhanista, the end of March and early April is when the conjunction will be very tight and this can cause a lot of turbulence. Right now Mars and Venus both being in Shravana is one of the main reasons why people are slow to react and take action regarding many critical matters, Shravana is not a fast paced nakshatra. This lunar mansion is about taking things slow, listening before speaking, contemplating deeply before acting etc. However when both Venus and Mars leave Shravana (March 26th onwards) those things can really start moving quickly. Tip for anyone that finds themselves in a difficult situation towards the end of the month: Either you step you up and take responsibility regarding important issues if not be willing to let it go for good.

Venus leaves Capricorn to move into Aquarius at the beginning of April (1st of April) which could mean Saturn and Mars will really battle it out (because Venus won’t be there to mediate between the two). I predict this entire week is going to very INTENSE FOR EVERYONE.

Around 8th of April Mars will finally leave Capricorn which will break the planetary war with Saturn. Soon after, around the 12th of April Rahu will enter Aries ruled by Mars- the relationship between Mars and Rahu is complicated. They are not fully comfortable with each other.

Rahu’s current position in Taurus is actually considered his exaltation, this move to Aries is going to be very radical for the world. This truly represents a brand new cycle - some of it good and some of it bad. Personally I feel this is going to mark the end of the covid chapter that we have long been facing - it nots going to be a primary concern anymore.

Hopefully Jupiter’s transit to Pisces (around 14-15th April) will bring some much needed healing, wisdom and guidance to us all🤞🏽!

City Magic: Painted Rock Wards

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We’ve all seen those pretty painted rocks over on Pinterest, right? These bad boys? Or perhaps you’ve even seen them around your neighborhood/public parks.

Traditionally, these are meant to be painted (sometimes with words of encouragement) and left in public spaces for people to take home, as an act of kindness. Some others paint them for their garden, either to deter pests with vibrant colors, or they’re used to label whatever’s in their garden.

Now, if you live in a big city, you probably have felt a disconnect from your craft or your practice. It’s difficult to connect with a nature-oriented spirituality, such as witchcraft, when you live in a concrete jungle! But there are many, many ways to feel connected to your craft, even if you don’t live in the middle of the woods or have a lot of nature around you. One of these ways is to connect with your neighborhood.

Your neighborhood has mass significance to your life, whether you realize it or not: this is where you live, where you work, where you breathe, where you practice your craft – you must make yourself known, and make the neighborhood known to yourself as well. One of the best ways to do this is to take walks!

Whenever you’re ready, take a walk through your neighborhood and bring a map, notebook, and a pen. As you walk, observe the behaviors of the residents around you. Do they seem to be struggling with anything? What kind of people are they like? Write these characteristics down. If you notice any parts of your neighborhood that evoke any specific emotions (such as unease, happiness, peace, or anxiety), mark them on your map. You might also notice some “problem areas” – perhaps some patches of the road or sidewalk are horribly paved and need to be repaired, or there’s a lot of loud dogs constantly barking at the end of your block. Mark these areas on your map as well, and report back to your home when you are ready.

Picking Your Purpose

Now that we’ve identified a few “problems” and made observations within your neighborhood, we can decide what we want to do. Do you want to protect against thieves? Ward against illness for one of your elderly neighbors? This is the time to select the primary purpose for your ward.

Picking The Area

Take the map that you marked up during your walk. Connect any common points you see (for example, connect up the "peaceful" areas you marked on your map, or connect any points that have a common theme). What kind of shape does it have? Does it remind you of any popular symbols? Can you use the general shape of the area to generate a sigil or symbol that represents the area? What area(s) would most benefit from your rock wards?

Here is an example of how I created a sigil from a fictional city map I found! Obviously, play around with this idea until it makes sense to you. You can connect up different routes, or perhaps create a border around the areas that feel safest to you.

Now is the time you also want to pick where you want to place your wards - you can use your neighborhood sigil to influence where you place them, or, place them based on intuition or based on need. For example, placing a rock ward at the end of the noisiest block, or in the middle of the block that has the most number of children in the area.

Creating and Using Your Sigils/Symbols

Now, you want to develop symbols or sigils for your purpose. You can use any method you’d like! You may wish to incorporate your neighborhood sigil into each one you create, but ultimately the design is up to you. This is also the point where you would “charge” your sigil, with whatever method you see fit - as long as the design, intention, and charging method makes sense to you, that’s all that matters!

Painting Your Rocks

Finally, onto the fun part!

Now, you could simply paint your sigils on your rock and call it a day. Or, you could paint your sigil, and layer a more “mundane” piece of artwork on top of the sigil, leaving the sigil hidden underneath. This technique works best if the “mundane” artwork connects with the ward’s purpose in some way (for example, if your ward is for protection against nosy neighbors, you could paint eyes; or if your ward is for health, you could paint green colors, or even a red cross). I definitely recommend this “layering” method of painting your rocks so no one in your neighborhood ends up reporting any “suspicious looking rocks” with “satanic symbols” on them to your local Facebook groups!

Materials

acrylic paint

rocks

paint brushes

toothpicks (optional)

paint markers

outdoor/water-proof sealant such as Mod Podge: Outdoor

Instructions

Lay out your rocks and other materials

Seal your rocks with a coat or two of your sealant before you begin painting. This is an important step, since rocks are porous and will suck up any paint you try to apply!

Paint your rocks to your heart's content! If you are layering paint on your rocks, please make sure each layer is dry before painting the next.

Once your rocks are completely dry, seal them up with your outdoor/water-proof sealant so they don't get damaged in the elements.

Lastly, take another trip through your neighborhood to place your rocks. Converse with the neighbors if you feel inclined, and make double-sure of the locations you chose for your wards. I recommend taking regular walks throughout your neighborhood to check on these wards, and make sure they’re doing their job. You may wish to refresh the wards with a new coat of paint, or replace them with something new if the situations within the neighborhood change.

Ultimately, magic is what you make it, especially when you live in a big city. Warding your neighborhood and showing care for the people that live there is one of the many ways you can connect to your neighborhood on a deeper level and feel more connected to your practice locally.

Recommended further reading: Urban Magick by Diana Rajchel

Super aura protection

Rose petals (strengthen the aura, self love)

Lavender buds (restore energy)

Sage (protection)

Pink Himalayan salt (detoxify and restore)

Clear quartz (to amplify)

Rose quartz (repair damage)

Citrine (expand and strengthen the aura)

Amethyst (protection against psychic attack)

Fluorite (free aura from peoples energies)

Red agate (remove negativity)

Bamboo coral (prevents negative energy build up)

Brecciated Jasper (cleans and stabilizes)

Onyx (protection against evil)

Smoky quartz (clean aura and purify energy)

Seal with black wax for extra oomf

All crystals used are crystal chips and literally one of each, please change it up to fit your needs and/or supplies available. I’m an empath so I felt like I needed the extra (super extra 😂) protection, feel free to make the jar as big as you want I made mine so I can wear it out and about to protect myself from energy vampires. Keep your bubble safe my friends ☺️

Creating and Enchanting Wards

I wrote a post all about secret witches and how they could potentially form wards from everyday objects, and/or keep them under wraps. This post is for those that don’t have to hide anything, and also for those of you who just want to know how to enchant a ward. There are many ways to do so, I have only mentioned a few. Happy warding!

Creating Your Ward

Now, in terms of creating a ward, there are two main options: intangible, and tangible. You can make them a combo of the two as well (ex: a tripwire made of energy connected to a tangible mirror that will lead the intruder straight into the mirror, thus being reflected). Whatever you choose, there are a few steps you can follow if you want to. These are my suggestions:

Decide what it will do. Is it going to keep away spirits? Only certain ones? Curses sent by others? Negative energy? Spells cast on you without consent (though not necessarily considered a curse? You can choose all of the above, a few, or just one. The more things you have one ward do, the less energy it can put into each individual task (in my experience). Write down your intent for this ward, and work it out until you are happy with it. On that note, I recommend working on one ward at a time if you fear being distracted and confused, but if you find it is difficult to do so, use it to your advantage: string them together as if they are part of a circuit. It may help you connect each one to each other, thus ensuring no conflicting energies.

Design the ward. Will it be a ball of energy? How about a basket? A box of mirrors? Pick something that resonates with you and makes you feel protected. Personally, I would probably choose a labyrinth style ward if I wanted a new one, which may confuse and diffuse an energy before it reaches me or another ward. I would fill it with things that might slow it down, such as nightmare-based energy, or illusions. Keep in mind the physical properties of an item if you want it to be tangible; what makes this a good option for a ward? Ex: a dog’s tag may be great, not only for protecting them, but also for acting as a constant ward within whichever room they travel to.

Enchant the ward, and put it in its designated place. I will explain a few different processes that one may use to enchant a ward in the next section of this post. However, placement is important and I do want to discuss that. I find that placing things throughout the home instead of in just one area is more affective. In this way, there aren’t as many neglected barriers, and it is easier to switch them out in a staggered period of time and location. Place a few in each main part of your home to prevent any barrages in one spot. Another thing I feel I should mention is that windows, doorways, and even faucets/outlets can be methods of entry for spirits. I rarely have any problem with the latter, but it has come up once, maybe twice. Place your wards according to what you think is best for your home.

Enchanting Your Ward

Everyone seems to do this a bit differently, so take my methods with a grain of salt. Keep in mind that I honestly will not share all of my methods, simply because it’s safer that way. The best protection from other witches, in my opinion, is not giving them a key to your energetic home.

Method One: Self-Charging

Cleanse the ward beforehand.

Gather your ward, and whatever else you use for a basic ritual. If you do any circle casting with salt, or prefer to use a wand while enchanting​ things, grab those, too.

Situate yourself with the ward, holding it in some way. Place your hands/wand/etc. over it, or just focus your energy onto fueling this ward without moving.

Think of the intent of this ward. If you are making an intangible ward, figure out exactly what you want it to look like from the planning steps in the last section. Visualize it working in action, deflecting and repelling any unwanted forces that may be around you. Strengthen it each second with your energy, growing more and more. I tend to like swirling my hands around the object to build the energy and draw in any of it that may be escaping.

Visualize the energy bonding to the ward, and the intent being instilled into its very core. Connect this ward to another energy source that will fuel its intent when you stop doing so. The Earth, the sky, energetic leylines, and even the moon or sun are good options, ad they all let off immense amounts of energy.

Place the ward in its proper location.

Method Two: Crystal and/or Herb Charging (or anything else you feel will charge it with the right intent)

Cleanse and charge the crystals beforehand. Do the same with the ward.

Gather your ward, crystals, herbs, or whatever it is you are charging the ward with. If you find yourself easily drained, I recommend adding three candles to this ritual to aid in the energy you may be using

Place the objects you will charge your ward with in some sort of circle, line, or pyramid. If it is a circle, place your ward in the center. If it is a line, have one end pointing at you, and the other pointing at the ward. Similarly, if it is a pyramid, have the large portion facing you, and the point facing the ward. If you are also using the candles I suggested, place those between you and the crystals/herbs/etc. Light them and wait for one minute or so until the energy from the flame begins to seep into the air around you.

Push the energy of the objects into ward by expending a little of your own. In short bursts, like a pulse of electricity, shoot out energy from your being. Try to have as neutral as possible, or have some warding properties instilled in it. If you are using the candles, try to take in that energy to use as often ad you need to.

Wait one minute after you feel the ward has been charged, and then put it in its place.

Charge as often as you feel the need, which, for me, would be about once every 1 ½ weeks.

Method Three: Chant Charging

Cleanse your ward beforehand.

All you need for this method is the chants you wish to use (verbally or otherwise) and your ward. I find tangible wards to be the best option, otherwise, I have noticed my ward dissipates quickly.

Chant over the ward using my chant listed below, or your own personal one. Depending on the ward, you may want to switch it up or change the wording.

This is the method I have tried that needs the most upkeep and charging, so it’s great for temporary issues such as passing storms.

This ward will protect all who I welcome within this home.

With these words, I form a shell,

An opaque, strong dome.

Let nothing in I do not permit,

And let no one learn my ways.

I give you the power to (insert instructions)

Now I leave and trust in you and the energy I provide,

May we all be well and shaped with love, with nothing left to hide.

Hey so I’ve collected snow water, but I don’t know what to use it for - do you have any suggestions?

hey there!

well that partially depends on your personal correspondences for snow! for me, it represents new beginnings, innocence, transformation etc, but it could mean something entirely different to you, so I’d start by figuring that out! I’d also recommend making sure the snow is as clean as possible, and maybe boil it before use, but I wouldn’t drink it, if I were you. 

uses for snow water:

❄️make a ‘spritz’ for refreshing spaces. this is what I’m thinking of doing with mine! the air in my room is feeling pretty stagnant, partially because it’s too cold to open any windows so I’m going to make a spritz of snow water and other vitalising ingredients to freshen up my room. (I might make a post detailing my recipe?)

❄️on a similar theme, perhaps clean any ritual items or your altar etc with a lil’ snow water to reinvigorate and charge ready for the arrival of the spring

❄️add a little to a ritual bath, especially with the intention of starting new habits, making changes in your life, purifying etc

❄️it’d be good to use in any spells that involve its correspondences, for example, I wrote a spell for washing away bad habits and snow water would be perfect for it!

❄️give it to any houseplants for a little boost!

❄️some deities or spirits might appreciate it as an offering

❄️if you’re into art magick,, you might like to paint with it, or make inks etc, it would be especially great to use in your grimoire!

hope this helps!

nymphie🌸

five simmering pot recipes that will make your home smell like fall!

Instructions: Fill a small saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add the ingredients from your favorite recipe, continue to boil for a few minutes, then turn the heat down to simmer. Add water as needed, usually every 30 minutes or so.

Recipe #1 Cinnamon sticks Apple peels Orange rinds Whole cloves

Recipe #2 Peel from 1 lemon Peel from 1 orange 2 bay leaves 3 cinnamon sticks 2 Tablespoons whole cloves

Recipe #3 A few drops vanilla Orange peels

Recipe #4 1 cup dried lavender 1 tsp anise 1 Tablespoon nutmeg 1 Tablespoon whole cloves 1 Cinnamon stick

Recipe #5 5 bay leaves 1 Tablespoon whole cloves 2 sticks cinnamon

It’s hard sometimes to stay balanced while on the road — 

you cast sigils, perform simple rites on the roof of your homestay in another strange city, pull morning tarot card and walk the streets carrying moon in your heart — still, that can be overwhelming, especially in these days of full moon.

It’s great time to sit with your pack of tarot cards and let yourself to dive deep. 

This full moon spread for:

***someone meeting this full moon with a feeling - I wish to understand the life circle I’m moving through

***someone struggling these days with a lot of emerging stuff - insecurity, doubts, old emotional clutter

***overwhelmed wanderers, moving to fast witches, tired travelers

Tips:

*best to perform on the days when full moon energy is high - September, 13-15

*sit in moonlight if you have such an opportunity, be with the moon for a while, honor her, speak to her, feel her

*draw a simple picture of waning - full - waxing moons (like in the image below) to visualize the circles of changes

*sip your green tea

And here is the spread…

1 - what to let go

2 - what to keep

3 - things yet to come

4 - how the world affects you

5 - what to give

6 - what to receive

7 - what to learn

Enjoy! 

And all the moon blessings!

you can check this spread as well on Little Red Tarot blog 

The Use of Hornets and Wasps in Witchcraft

Image Credit: Alclear Pest Control

I’m sorry for my absence my lovelies! It’s been a difficult few weeks for me recently, because I’ve been trying to cope with exams, then the end of classes, and then constant exposure to an abusive family member, all whilst struggling with significant depression. However, I’m pushing on through, and one of the things that’s getting me through is thinking about new things to post on!

A note about the ethics of animal part usage

Insects parts are a very traditional element of witchcraft, and they are much more ethical than any other animal parts because (like bivalve and gastropod molluscs), arthropods do not have a brain capable of supporting consciousness. Killing hornets for your craft, then, is an ethically safe thing to do. However, killing animals that are capable of consciousness exclusively for the reasons of Craft is disputed by many witches from different traditions and is usually considered to be unacceptable. Please don’t take this post to be in support of killing conscious animals for usage in Craft activities – I am personally strongly against pointless slaughter, including sport-hunting and sport-fishing.

Witchy Uses for Hornets and Wasps

Curses that involve pain and fear – Any curse that has pain or fear as a major component of its magick (either because it’s what you want to cause, or it’s what you want to get justice for) would be greatly enhanced by the addition of dried and crushed wasps or hornets.

Curses that involve falling afoul of spies, infiltrators, or deceivers – Wasps and hornets are most infamous in apiculture (beekeeping) for their tendency to enter into a beehive and kill every single bee inside, completely destroying a colony in a matter of hours or days. They do this by camouflaging their scent, and then sneaking into the hive round a back entrance. Once inside, they will kill everything in their path to achieve their goals. Any spell that involves either retribution for those that have done this, or hope to invite these kinds of people into someone’s life, would do well to have crushed or whole hornet or wasp nest in them.

Curses that involve projects or structures going wrong – Wasps and hornets are also well known for causing colony collapses. Using dried and crushed hornets and wasps in your spellwork can be very effective in causing organisations, projects, or communities to break apart, or again to get retribution against those who performed these actions. Most effective against organisations with power that’s highly consolidated in one person, like in a beehive.

Any spell focused around matriarchal or feminine-specific social structures – Using wasp or hornet nest in your spell can (if you properly cleanse it with salt and smoke to remove negative inclinations) help boost spells that are focused around matriarchal social orders. This is also true with ant nest and honeycomb pieces, though honeycomb is the best of the options.

Any spell focused on people who leech things off of others – Hornets and wasps don’t work for their food like bees or ants do, but prefer to target those who work hard and steal or leech off of them. Any spell that’s aimed at human leeches, mooches and other human parasites can be increase with the addition of crushed wasps and hornets. Parasitic creatures like actual leeches, mosquitoes and ticks are better, but less readily obtainable in some areas.

Spells that involve wasps! – You’d be surprised how non-obvious this is to some people, but yes, if you want your spell to literally involve wasps or hornets, it would be a good idea to include one or two in your spell!

I hope this is of use to all you lovely witches out there!

– Juniper Wildwalk

Some things never change even across the multiverse