"I Can't Connect To Nature Because I Live In A City" Incorrect.

NICNEVIN: SCOTTISH GODDESS OF SAMNHAIN

“In modern practice Nicnevin is believed to ride out on The Wild Hunt at Samhuinn Eve as The Queen of Elphame with her spirits and mysterious creatures, whereas others say her sacred days are 9th and 11th November. Yule or Midwinter is also said to be sacred to her. Nicnevin can be called upon for aid in otherworldly travel, communicating with spirits, protection at night, and pretty much everything within the domain of witchcraft. “

ENTIRE ARTICLE SOURCE: https://hagothehills.wordpress.com/2016/10/31/nicnevin/

Cleansing Morning Simmering Potpourri

This morning I opened all the windows and made a cleansing simmer potpourri to clean and refresh my home with new energy!

Here is what I did -

Open the windows and sliding doors to let the breeze in.

Get a small pot ready on the stove

Add 1 - 2 cups base liquid - usually purified or distilled water

Add bruised/crushed herbs - I used 1 TBSP lavender for cleansing and peace

Add essential oils and/or larger items - I used the peel of ½ pink grapefruit, for cleansing, self love and energy, and I added ½ tsp of pure vanilla extract for peace and happiness

Bring to a simmer then lower the heat then as low as it goes while still being on

Enjoy the simmering potpourri while cleaning, dusting, or helping your house in some way.

Keep an eye on the pot. When almost all the liquid has evaporated turn off the stove and remove from heat.

Discard remants in a compost bin or trash. If any liquid remains you can use in a bath, or a hand or foot soak to keep the spell with you all day!

I hope you have a relaxing, cleansing morning as well! Happy (witch) crafting!

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.

Rain or storm spell for drought, dry spells, and/or excessive heat.

items:

- storm (or rain) water

- freshwater shell (I used an apple snail shell, but a something like a mussel or other shell would work. if you don't have one sub with a saltwater/estuarine shell and see how it goes!)

- Any charm that you can hang, preferably one that invokes imagery/symbolism of water or rain

- 2 more shells (salt or fresh. I used ones with open faces)

- silver bell

- sea glass (blues and greens)

- salt (epsom or sea salt preferred)

- large/medium feather of a water fowl (grey or white preferred)

- clear quartz (optional)

- offering dish (optional, really for presentation and clean up)

prep:

1. Set up the freshwater shell on the offering dish (or table) and keep it stable with a ring of sea glass (optional: single clear quartz or clear sea glass at front).

2. Place the charm in the shell with rope/thread/ribbon draping towards you.

3. Place the silver bell at the "north" of the dish (imagine the dish as a compass) and place your other two shells on either side of it.

4. Put the feather in front of you with the quill end nearest to your dominant hand.

5. Have the salt in a small container you can pinch into.

ritual:

1. Breathe deeply 3 times with eyes closed to center yourself. You can also create a circle or do any other grounding exercises at this time.

2. Make a circle around the inner rim of the offering dish (or table) with the salt and get this meaning across with words: "salt, mineral of the oceans, protector and cleanser"

3. Pick up the feather and stir the energies to the metaphorical north (treat the offering dish like a compass). I did this with my eyes closed as it lessens distractions. You will repeat this action for each cardinal direction and get this meaning across in order:

"I beckon rain from the North, to soak the rich earth"

"I beckon rain from the East, aided by its winds for a swift arrival"

"I beckon rain from the South, as the heat of is your creator, and it is the heat you will abate"

"I beckon rain from the West, as all waters merge and must complete their cycle"

I find it important to use "will" rather than might/should as to bolster the confidence behind your intentions. Feel free to alter and add to this wording as much as you like for it is already loose and use this time to invoke any specific deities or spirits as I did not.

4. Place the feather down gently, breathe, and say "after I have rung this bell 3 times, whenever I hang this charm where the sky can see, it will intice rain for as long as it hangs" (be thoughtful of wording and your intentions here, loopholes are very easy to accidentally create, so set clear parameters that aren't too outrageous)

5. Ring the bell with steady motions. It's important that you get 3 clear rings, so if you try to ring it once but the sound isn't great, try until you have 3 satisfactory chimes.

6. Once you have placed the bell back down, close your circle or breathe to realign any energies.

And that's about it! I tried this today and we got a good spell of rain (with thunder and everything!) even though there was no predictions for it this whole week. I'm hesitant to do a spell for storms as I live in a hurricane-prone region and it's that time of year, but feel free to replace "rain" with "storm" or whatever wording feels specific to what you desire. I kept the wordings here intentionally vague/loose because it's important to use words that you mean something to you.

Let me know if you try this and get anything out of it, or how you changed it! It's the first spell I've posted here so I'm interested to know.

A Year and a Day UPDATED - 206 prompts - A Quest to discover my individual Witchcraft

*UPDATED - original post was 196 prompts

After a lifetime of subtle magic and a year of failing to step into my power, I wrote this personalized curriculum to learn my own individual Witchcraft over 366 days. There are 206 points on the list. Some will take a bit of time and work. Others require more simple answers.

I used the words "personalized" and "individual" for a reason. Witchcraft is very personal. We are all individuals and nothing we do looks exactly the same. Some of the points may not suit you. Adjust or omit them.

I will be kicking this off with a devotional river bath on June 1st.

Follow me on Instagram if you'd to tag along. Inspired by https://sammmango.tumblr.com/post/175974393404/a-whopping-list-of-grimoire-prompts-and-ideas

Cleansing Commencement Ritual

1. List everything you’re grateful for. Be very specific – from the people you love to the water you drink

2. Write down what you want to change about your life. What is holding you back?

3. List everything you need to release, unlearn, and cleanse

4. Write affirmations to support your unlearning and growth with everyday

5. Take a cleansing shower or bath. Use whatever candles, herbs, crystals, etc. you feel like.

Wheel of the Year

6. Create your own calendar/”wheel” as you go

a. Keep a running list of signs you notice of the changing seasons

7. Research each of the Sabbats and decide how they work into your craft.

a. Summer Solstice/Litha – June 20

b. Lammas/Lughnasadh – August 1

c. Fall Equinox/Mabon – September 22

d. Samhain/Halloween – October 31

e. Yule/Winter Solstice – December 21

f. Imbolc/Candlemas – February 2

g. Spring Equinox/Ostara – March 20

h. May Day/Beltane – May 1

8. How do you wish to celebrate the popular holidays or combine them with related Sabbats? Valentine’s Day? Easter and Ostara? Yule and Christmas?

Witchcraft 101

9. Definitions – Determine what these terms mean to you by researching various descriptions

a. Grounding

b. Centering

c. Cleansing

d. Charging

e. Blessing

f. Charming

g. Enchanting

h. Warding

i. Binding

j. Banishing

k. Consecrating

10. How do you ground and center?

11. How do you cast a circle? Do you bother?

12. What are the corners? How do you call them?

13. How do you set up an altar? Do you bother?

14. Research various workings and their origins;

a. Candle magic

b. Knot/braid magic

c. Sigils

d. Self protection

e. Home protection

f. Egg workings

g. Foot track work

h. Hair/Tag-lock magic

i. Money magic

i. Money bowl/plate

ii. Money candle

iii. Money dust

iv. Lode stone money spell

v. Look up 5 good money spells that you would use

j. Sex magic

k. True jar spells

Correspondences

15. Directions

16. (5) Elements

17. 7 Days of the week

18. Colours

Astrology

19. Read your own birth chart in depth while working through this section

20. Triplicities – Elements in Astrology

21. Quadruplicities – Cardinal/Mutable/Fixed

22. The 12 zodiac signs

23. The 12 houses

24. Aspects

25. Rising sign

26. Sun sign

27. Moon sign

28. Mercury

29. Venus

30. Mars

31. Saturn

32. Jupiter

33. Uranus

34. Neptune

35. Pluto

Lunar Magic

36. Moon Phases

a. Correspondences

b. Add to your calendar/”wheel”

37. New Moon rituals

38. Full moon rituals

Divination

39. Read cards every day

40. Pull a tarot card for each week. Read it for yourself. Research traditional meanings and symbolism as well.

41. Draw some tarot spreads to refer to.

42. Write a list of other divining methods that you’re interested in

43. Make runes or charms…a bone set?

Crystals

44. How do crystals work?

45. How do you cleanse crystals?

46. How do you charge crystals?

47. How do you program crystals?

a. Create a charm to carry with you as reminder and amplifier of your magic

48. What are the uses of crystal grids? Look up some examples for more ideas.

49. How can you use crystals?

a. Physically

b. Metaphysically

c. Around the home

50. Write an information page for every crystal you have. (See Crystal List)

Green Witchery

51. Research all the herbs you are growing;

a. Basil

b. Calendula

c. Chives

d. Catnip

e. Chamomile

f. Dill

g. Lavender

h. Lemon Balm

i. Oregano

j. Peppermint

k. Rosemary

l. Sage

m. Thyme

52. Identify and research 15 plants or trees in your yard. How can you use these in your craft?

53. Identify and research 15 wild plants or trees in nature. How can you use these in your craft?

54. How can you garden by the moon?

55. Note any foraging times on the calendar/”wheel”

Potions

56. Research the essential oils you have on hand

a. Bergamot

b. Cedarwood

c. Cinnamon leaf

d. Chamomile

e. Eucalyptus

f. Frankincense

g. Geranium

h. Lavender

i. Lemon

j. Lemongrass

k. Lime

l. Peppermint

m. Rose

n. Rosemary

o. Tea tree

57. Make body butter

58. Make “Personal Growth” scalp and nail massage oil

59. Make face/gua sha oil

60. Make toothpaste

61. Make toner with oil (like micellar water)

62. Make ‘Thieves’ body spray

63. Create your own signature scent in a body spray

64. Learn to make herbal infusions

65. Learn to make infused oils

66. Learn to make herbal decoctions

67. Learn to make tinctures

68. Learn to make mouthwashes

Spirit Work

69. List the Spirits you can think to work with

a. Ancestors

i. Do you have an item that belonged to them?

b. Flora, Fauna & the Land

c. Planets

i. Where are they in your chart?

70. How can one connect with the spirit of a/an;

a. Ancestor

b. Plant or tree

c. Natural body of water

d. Fairies

e. Planet

71. What type of offerings would you provide different spirits?

a. Ancestors

b. Plants or trees

c. A natural body of water

d. Fairies

e. A planet

72. Take what you’ve learned above and try connecting with spirits;

a. An Ancestor

b. A plant or tree

c. A natural body of water

d. Fairies

e. A Planet

Shadow work

73. Look at your chart;

a. Moon, house

b. 12th house, ruler

c. Saturn

d. Chiron

e. Hard aspects

74. Research Jungian Archetypes and determine which ones fit you.

a. What are your shadows? How can you work on them?

75. Research Myers-Briggs personality types and determine which one fits you.

Personal Maintenance & Glamour

76. Hydrate – your body, brain, Earth and the Moon are mainly water

77. Eat of the Earth

78. Create a soothing bedtime ritual

79. Create a morning ritual that you look forward to

a. ‘Bubble up’ ideas

b. Make a list of Affirmations

c. Gratitude candles

d. Print a checklist

80. Exercise – hike, bike, lift

a. Make a list of your favourite dog walking spots

b. Make a list of your favourite hiking spots

c. Make a list of your favourite biking spots

81. Meditate daily – even if it’s just a few minutes

82. List best hair care practices

83. List best skin care practices

CULMINATING PROJECTS

84. Make a detailed Calendar or “Wheel” with your individualized plans for the next year. (June 1, 2022-June 1, 2023)

85. Write your Grimoire – Create a tidy book of the information that you will use in your craft.

a. Your personalized Holiday/Sabbat celebrations, dates, symbols, etc

b. The basics that make up the foundation of your craft

c. The various workings you do/intend to use

d. Spells

e. Correspondences

f. The tools of your craft

g. Your completed birth chart interpretation

h. Moon Rituals

i. Personal Tarot card meanings, spreads

j. A guide to your Runes, Bones, or whatever divination set you may have made or acquired (#39)

k. Crystal practices, information pages

l. Plant information

m. Essential Oil information

n. Recipes

o. Spirit information, communication records

p. Shadow work and a plan to work on your shadows

q. Your ideal day

r. Your ideal week

A Ward against Hubris

All Knowledge

All Knowledge that has been written down

All Knowledge that has been written down and is accessible via internet

All Knowledge that has been written down in a language that you can read and is accessible via internet

All Knowledge that you have gained via the internet

Imbolc is very near!

February 1, 2022 to February 2, 2022

What is Imbolc?

It is the start of Spring, which is a season of magical energy associated with the goddess’s feminine side, new beginnings, and fire. It’s a fantastic time to concentrate on divination and honing your own magical skills. Use these ideas to your advantage and arrange your work accordingly.

How do I celebrate Imbolc in a simple way?

1. Visit a stream, river, or water 

Imbolc was traditionally a time for pilgrimages to holy water, such as a spring or a well, to purify ourselves and bring fertility to our dreams. Why not go on a family excursion to find some water near your home, such as a river, stream, or well? Splash some water on yourself if the water is pure, and establish your goal to cleanse and purify. To deliver messages of hope and healing, Glennie Kindred suggests dipping a piece of ribbon in water and then hanging it from a nearby tree (trees near water are especially sacred). She also urges us to express gratitude to the spirits of the places we visit by picking up any trash we notice nearby. (greekparent.co.uk)

2. Drink milk or spiced cider

Milk or spiced cider are good options. Set a beautiful supper table with candles, evergreen boughs, spring flowers, dragons, sun symbols, or anything else that speaks to you about Imbolc. Make use of the fine china. Allow your children to make their beds in a unique fashion to resemble Brigid’s.

3. Decorate your altar

Because Imbolc’s energy is about creating plans but not yet acting on them, letting go of old energy that no longer serves you is a crucial step to take. You can begin by emotionally clearing your altar (and your entire home if you feel the need!) as well as physically cleaning it. Wipe it down with Florida Water before replacing the towel and sweeping the sluggish energy away with a besom.

Adding a bunch of candles to your altar for Imbolc is a simple way to change it up! These are meant to welcome the light and pay homage to the goddess. Red candles can be used to further portray the fire element. Fire and the hearth are also represented by cauldrons.

Web Water: Magical Home Alert

I channeled this from my spider spirit Ester when I moved into a new home and had some... hexing concerns. I needed a way for me to KNOW if I need to refresh wards, etc. Well, luckily my house is old so there were PLENTY of cobwebs to use and what better to use as a trip wire than unbreakable spider silk!

Use: warding, protection

Channeled from: Lamiya, Ester

Components:

Cobwebs

Dead Spiders (optional, adds strength)

Saltwater

Bottle

Sigil Powder (optional)

Collect cobwebs and dead spiders from around the house. If they are super dusty, put them in a ziploc bag or tupperware with some water and soap. Shake and then pour the water out.

Put webs in bottle with salt water for 3 days in the sun, shaking every few hours. 

Take out big web chunks, water should have traces of web in them. Spider bits can be added now or put around the property. 

Pray over the water and ask the spiders to use their webs to alert you to any trespasses via agreed upon alert such as spiders coming from the ceiling. Ask the spider spirits to trap and eat the bad energy they find.

Pour around the edge of the property and anoint the members of the household you want to be included in the ward.  Should see pink/purple webs outside the house* *This is UPG. After I did this the first time I noticed lots of webs around the yard that turned pink in the sunlight.

As a Tarot reader….

1. What expectations do I hold for my self?

2. What special qualities do I possess that are unique to me?

3. Where do my strengths lie?

4. What holds me back from reaching my true potential?

5. What aspect of myself do I need to develop more fully?

6. How I can best connect to others through Tarot

7. How I can strengthen the bond I have with my Tarot cards.

8. A message from my Tarot cards/ A word of advice