Drying herbs is a simple practice, and there are several methods to choose from depending on the type of herb and your desire use. Here's how I dry my herbs:
1. Drying on Newspaper
This method works well for larger leaves and herbs that don’t need to be hung.
Lay the herbs flat on a clean sheet of newspaper in a single layer.
Place the newspaper in a dry, well-ventilated area away from direct sunlight.
Turn the herbs occasionally to ensure even drying.
Once the herbs are dry and crisp to the touch, they’re ready for storage.
2. Hanging Herbs Upside Down
Perfect for longer herbs, like rosemary, lavender or thyme, that can be tied together.
Gather small bunches of herbs and secure them with a cord or string.
Wrap the herbs loosely in a breathable cloth, like cheesecloth or muslin. This helps them air freely while catching any small leaves or flowers that may shed during the drying process.
Hang the bunches upside down in a cool, dry place with good airflow. Avoid direct sunlight, as it can degrade the color and potency.
Once the herbs are completely dry (they should crumble easily), remove the leaves or store them as they are.
I do this with fresh lavender that I put in my closet as shown in the picture.
3. Pressing Herbs
This method is ideal for preserving delicate leaves or flowers for decorative purposes or rituals.
Place the herbs between sheets of paper (such as parchment or regular printer paper).
Insert the paper into a thick book, ensuring the herbs are spread flat and evenly.
Place additional books or a weight on top to press them.
Leave them for 1–2 weeks, checking occasionally for dryness.
4. Drying Small Petals
For small, delicate petals or flowers, a rule bag works wonders.
Place the petals or flowers in a breathable rule bag (such as a mesh or cotton drawstring bag).
Hang the bag in a dry, ventilated area.
Shake the bag gently every few days to prevent clumping and to ensure even drying.
General Tips for Best Results
Use Breathable Cloths: Wrapping your herbs or laying them on a breathable cloth allows air to circulate freely, preventing mold while catching any small leaves or flowers that shed during the drying process.
Timing: Dry herbs as soon as possible after harvesting to retain their potency and fragrance.
Environment: Choose a dry, cool, and ventilated area to prevent mold or mildew.
Labeling: If drying multiple herbs, label them to avoid confusion.
Storage: Once dried, store your herbs in airtight containers away from sunlight and moisture.
Using Dried Herbs
Always check if the plant is safe for use before collecting it. Do not make tea or touch anything with unknown properties. Always clean your plants before drying.
Once your herbs are dried, you can use them for teas, rituals, incense, or other magical and practical purposes. Always remember to respect and honor the plants you've harvested by using them mindfully.
A local specific myth, cryptid, or legend
An obscure historical witch or an old historical spell
A map of your neighborhood with locations that appear ghostly or have interesting energy
Your personal associations to colors, plants to supplement traditional correspondence charts
A chart detailing information of spirits you have communed with
A guide to sailor knots for knot magick
Sustainable and eco friendly lifestyle tips
Magickal practices around the world
Obscure magickal tools or tools you invented
Varying viewpoints in magickal philosophy and technique
once a year I renew the protection warding to my front door using vinegar that's had citrus soaking in it for a year at least, if anything it makes it so people don't linger at my door and also works great for cleaning dirt and grime 😅
Some herbs and their magical properties from Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs 🌿
This was very impromptu but I tried it out and I like it!
Ingredients:
Snow Water
Vinegar
Witch Hazel
Egg Shell
Ice Cube
Bay leaf
Black Salt
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Collect snow water! I left a cup outside while it was snowing for about ten minutes just to let it collect at the bottom.
Bring the cup inside and add a little vinegar. Snow water is great for purification and the vinegar adds a cleansing value to it.
Add Witch Hazel to your mixture. Witch Hazel is great for your skin IF it is alcohol-free. It has many purification values.
For the egg shells, I saved some over from when I had breakfast. I boil mine but how you clean yours is up to you. I actually think Less is More when it comes to egg shells because they’re hard to clean up sometimes.
While you fill up your bath, I would add the ice cube. The act of melting ice represents cleansing and purification.
Add your mixture in a circular motion.
Add the black salt in a circular motion.
Add the egg shells.
Add your bay leave(s). I like to bless my Bay Leaves with a kiss before adding them to anything.
Extras:
I light white candles and use clear quarts and smokey quartz to line the bath. I also use aromatherapy but it didn’t correspond to the meaning so I didn’t add it in the ingredients list.
I also lit a pink candle for Venus and gave her a seashell offering so she can enjoy the bath as well.
Leslie Vigil on IG
Disclaimer: This is all based on my research, path, opinion & experiences! Intro: I really was holding out on doing this post because it’s such a big, important topic to cover and I really don’t want to mess it up or get anything wrong. This post needs to be done though, people have asked if I have such a post and an anon suggested it. So finally, here it is. - What Is Warding? Warding is a type of magick, it is the act of creating an energetic barrier around you, your home, an object, ect. They can be temporary or permanent, although typically they are cast with the long term in mind. They can banish or turn away whatever you choose. Warding is an excellent skill to have because it can keep you, and even others safe and with practice you can do it anytime with just about whatever you have on hand. When Should I Ward? Whenever you want an energetic barrier around you, most people consistently ward their home, themselves or their place of practice. Some people even ward their space every time they prepare for a spell. It should be done consistently in any area you want protected, but exactly where and how often is entirely up to the practitioner. What Should I Do Before? Cleanse, a ward is a barrier of energy and in the same way that it keeps things out it also keeps things in. You don’t want to trap anything inside of it. Cleanse yourself before you ward yourself. Cleanse your space before you ward your space! Tips Before You Ward- Phrasing Keep the phrasing in mind! You don’t want to keep anything out that you want in, or let something in that you want out. If you’re chanting or using sigils ect keep in mind exactly what you want to keep out both in your methods and in your mind. Covering everything Make sure to cover everything, a ward is useless if there’s a weakness in it or if the ceiling & floor aren’t probably covered. Be super thorough! Layering Your Wards One small little wimpy barrier? Ha, the spirits say as they scramble into your home to wreak havoc! You need to layer your wards, don’t just use one method one time, there’s no such thing as too much warding. What Are Some Ways That I Can Ward? Now we’ll get right down to the methods you can use to ward yourself and your space! Remember that warding is important and needs to be effective, don’t try anything that you don’t have experience with for warding. At first, focus on the stuff you know. If you like sigils, use sigils at first and slowly work your way into using other more complex methods or methods that solely rely on your abilities. Circle Casting You cast a circle by summoning the four elements to protect & energize what is in the circle. - Here’s my post about circles & how to cast them Chanting/Speaking Come up with a protective chant you can use to ward your space. This chant could be someone else’s or your own as long as you feel it’s effective. Speak it aloud and visualize a layer of energy protecting your space. Incense Burn a protective incense in the space you’d like to ward and visualize a barrier protecting your space. Athame Draw out the line of your ward with your athame, visualize the wall appearing, covering everything with a thick layer of energy. Spraying Spray a mix of blessed/magickal waters and or herbs with protective properties in the space you want to ward. Sigils Create a sigil using your favorite method with the intent to “ward” or “protect/protection.” Then charge and activate it as a layer of protection! Here’s my post on sigils if you’re interested in that: - Sigil Post Jar Spells You could mix up a jar spell for warding, set it in your house and forget it as a layer of warding. - My protective jar spell post Anointment Anoint the doorways of your space, you could also anoint the ceiling, floor, walls, corners, honestly go for it. Salt Sprinkle salt all around the edge of your home or space. Make sure to sprinkle salt on the INSIDE of your harm as salt can harm plants & wildlife if used outside. If you’d like to make a barrier on the outside of your home, you can use dried & crushed eggshells in place of salt. - Post on how to make eggshell powder here - Hag stones Hag stones are stones with holes in them that have been corroded into the stone because of rushing water. It is believed rushing water is protective & cleansing so if you wear a stone that sat in it long enough to have parts corroded away, that the stone will maintain and keep those properties with it. It’s a great way to personally ward yourself, and an excuse to go out in nature. They look like this!
Energy Manipulation If you’ve got a knack for manipulating energy, you can create a barrier through work and visualization that surrounds yourself or your space. This isn’t recommended for beginners though! Links: - Horse Warding Charm By @anothersusurrus - House Warding Spritz Mixture By @seleneblackwell Both of these are great if you’re looking for specific spells, types of magick, correspondences, sigils, ect! - Protection Magic Masterpost Part 1 By @auricwitch - Protection Magic Masterpost Part 2 By @auricwitch Personal Wards Also remember not just to ward your space but yourself, if you layer your home with wards, what happens when you leave? Exactly. Keep yourself safe too! Circle casting & hag stones are great methods I mentioned above that are good for personal warding. Can I Ward Specific Things And Not Others? Absolutely! I mentioned this in the phrasing section of this post, keep in mind exactly what you want to keep out when you’re warding. I like words like “negative” or “harmful” or “with ill intent” because they don’t necessarily keep out the Fae or positive/neutral spirits but it does keep out anything that wants to harm you in general. Just think about it ahead of time, find wording or a phrase you like and keep that in mind as you ward. What If I Live With People? If you’re out of the broom closet, explain to your family/roommates what you’re doing and why you’re doing it and make sure they’re cool with it and are aware of what’s going on. If you’re not out of the broom closet, you may have to resort to only warding yourself/your room, & that’s okay! I hope this helps someone or teaches them something new! Enjoy! Have a lovely day 💖
“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/
Circling the Sun
Warding is a form of magick intended to protect a person, place, or thing from negative/parasitic energies/entities. Wards are like energy and will fade over time.
There are 3 types of wards-
Trapping- Trapping negative entities.
Circumventing- Diverting negative entities.
Filtering- Allowing positive energy in while keeping negative energy out.
It is important to note to cleanse before warding, otherwise you will be keeping anything negative within your space.
Some examples of wards-
Sigils
Energy
Spirits
Poppets
Satchels
Enchanted items
Crystals/Crystal grids
Botanicals
Types of water
Types of dirt
Types of salt
(Had to make a new version because tumblr messed with the gif on the original and won’t let me edit my own posts…)
As a spoonie witch, using magic to help regain my mental and physical energy has been extremely helpful. I decided to compile some resources to make life easier!
Mental reboost tea spell
Easy energy tea spell
Energy boost tea
Energy spell
Rejuvenating tea
Morning coffee spell
Lemon cayenne wakefulness potion
*resources for herbal interactions*
Spoonie spell for energy + Spoons spell
Rain energy spell
Electric charge spell (storms)
Solar charged spell
Energy boost spell
Pick me up energy spell
Full bloom spell
Energy bath
Energy shower scrub
Recharge yourself (with crystals)
Sun meditations
Motivation charm bag
Spell jar/sachet for energy
“I Shouldn’t Be Awake But I Have to Be” Jar Spell
Sigils for energy: [X] [X] [X] [X] [X] [X] [X]
What to do when witchcraft drains you
Spells and sigils for energy
Witchy things to do when you’re low on spoons
Simple spell work for low energy days
Rejuvenating witchcraft
Spoonie witch masterpost
Bedridden witchcraft series
Sick witchery
How to return to the craft
Links updated February, 2020 (please inform me of broken links via askbox)
The Wild Called Me Back.
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