Crescent Moon And Venus

Simple Binding Spell (knot magic)

Posting this separately from my tutorial on knot magic for easier access <3

Purpose: The function of this spell is to take someone who is generally a shitty person and bind their negative energy and actions to themselves. It will encourage them to learn from their poor behavior by getting a little taste of their own medicine.

Materials: black twine

Process:

Step 1: Cleanse your space, cast a circle, whatever you normally do at the beginning of a spell to get all situated and protect yourself

Step 2: Take your twine and cut about a 6 inch length.

Step 3: Put knots of your choosing into the twine and repeat the following as you do (feel free to add more knots and rules or whatever as you see fit):

Knot One: “If X is as wicked as I have seen, then let this spell bind them to these rules three” 

Knot Two:“May your wicked words burn only your own tongue” 

Knot Three: “May your hateful works find no traction”

Knot Four: “May you feel the pain of your own misdeeds in proportion to the degree that you aimed to harm others”

Knot Five: “On the day, if such a day comes, that X finds themselves looking toward the light I release this spell and these rules three so that they may continue to learn to do right”

Step 4: Bury the twine far from your home and forget about it. The spell should take care of itself.

Happy binding!

Witch Tip

the-eye.eu is a huge public database that has countless free PDFs of all sorts of occultist books and grimoires. Go forth and read.

Jewish Angel Work

I don't see a bunch of writing about angel work in general, and what I do find is often heavily Christianized! I wanted to talk about what angel work can look like from a Jewish perspective.

(Gentiles may interact and enjoy, but understand that this is for educational purposes and not an invitation to appropriate! 🤍)

A Jewish-Specific Perspective

Judaism views angels in ways other traditions may not share! Some examples:

Angels aren't former humans. They are their own distinct beings just like demons, cows, land spirits and butterflies. People who pass away, even children, are not considered "angels returning home." These angels have specific forms and looks depending on the type, some more humanoid than others.

Angels don't have free will. This does not mean they are held hostage or can't have their own personalities, but their will is an extension of HaShem's Will, serving a specific role in making that Will manifest. Kind of like employees in a corporation doing their tasks!

They don't have names. Or at least, they don't have names we're supposed to know or ask for. They may be incomprehensible to humans, or maintaining a level of anonymity as to not distract from HaShem. Either way, asking for a name is often discouraged in traditional texts.

They AREN'T all here to help you. While it all serves a Divine Will and is therefore Good in the grand scheme of things, many angels serve completely neutral functions from a human perspective. Some could even be considered harmful to humans, the most prominent example being HaSatan. (Even still, HaSatan isn't seen as a true villain. He's just doing his job.)

Some of them are ONLY here to help you! Historical Rabbis were big on the concept of guardian angels. The Talmud says "Every blade of grass has its Angel that bends over it and whispers, 'Grow, grow.'" (Midrash Rabba, Bereshit 10:6.) Every living creature, including you, has a guardian angel to help you along your path. Some translations say the angels hit the grass, and that's not the only story of angels smacking things, so that guidance isn't always gentle, but it's always in the right direction.

Types of Angel Work

Spirit guides. Like mentioned above, guardian angels can help encourage you to "Grow! Grow!" and keep you on a path in line with spiritual health and lovingkindness.

Communing with HaShem. Gd is extremely esoteric. Angels help us send and recieve messages in an easier-to-conceptualize way! Meditation and prayer can also play into this. Beyond every-day applications, angels can also appear unexpectedly with important messages.

Communicating with other spirits. As angels are often messengers, I also think it's helpful to call upon their aid when working with other spirits!

Working with angels of various functions. Modern day Rabbis often marry angelic theology with scientific phenomena, with angels overseeing the process. By that extent, we could ask those angels for help/guidance when relevant!

Protection. Psalm 91, often recited for protection, depicts HaShem commanding angels on your behalf to guard you in all ways. One bedtime prayer names the four archangels to surround us.

Shalom Aleichem is traditionally sung on Friday nights before Shabbat dinner. It invites angels of peace to basically come and hang out with us during shabbat, then to leave in peace once shabbat is over. Many arrangements also make a good lullaby.

Other Notes

Metatron (מֶטָטְרוֹן) is a specifically-Jewish angel who gets appropriated a lot in spiritual circles. He does not appear in the Tanakh, but is mentioned in the Talmud and largely fleshed out in kabbalistic literature! (Islamic literature does mention him by different name, ميططرون, Mitatrun/Mitatrush. Solidarity.)Lots of people recognize Lilith as closed, but the same attention hasn't been given to Metatron. He's a very complex and ambiguous figure worth a whole post of his own so I won't get into it here!

This post is by no means comprehensive! This is just a very "quick" overview of a very rich field of study.

Further Study

On My Right Michael, On My Left Gabriel: Angels in Ancient Jewish Culture-- Mika Ahuvia

A Gathering of Angels: Angels in Jewish Life and Literature-- Morris B. Margolies

Ascending Jacob's Ladder: Jewish Views of Angels, Demons, and Evil Spirits-- Ronald H. Isaacs

Historical Witchcraft 101: The Compilation

My historical witchcraft series is (for now) finally over! Thanks everyone to all the support I got, I’m really glad you seemed to enjoy those posts as much as I enjoyed making them. Feel free to message me about things you’d like to see from me in the future!

For ease of reference, I thought I’d compile all the posts here:

Witch Bottles

Witch Ladders

The Toad Bone

Poppets

Hag Riding

Familiar Spirits

The Witches’ Sabbat

Flying Ointment

Shapeshifting

Types of Herbal Remedies

I’ve compiled a list of types of herbal remedies, with brief instructions on how to make them. Choose your herbs carefully, as some are poisonous, some will interfere with health problems and medications, and some can cause allergic reactions.

If you are concerned about any health issue you have, or worried about herbs reacting with your medications, go talk to your doctor. This post is not intended as medical advice.

Compress

This is usually cloth that has been soaked in a herbal infusion so that it can be applied topically. Useful for skin issues, muscle pain, joint pain, and general aches.

You can make one by soaking cotton wool in a warm infusion of your choice, wrapping the balls in a piece of clean cloth, and applying to the affected area. Once the cloth cools down you can soak it again in the warm tea and reapply.

Infusion

This is basically the herbalist term for tea. The herbs are usually dried and ground before being steeped in very hot water and then strained out. If you use a bag then you can skip the straining.

Tincture

This is similar to an infusion but much stronger, and with alcohol instead of water, which helps to preserve it.

Put your herbs in a jar. Cover them with alcohol (most people I know use vodka). Put the lid on the jar and shake it daily for a month or so, then strain the herbs out. I tend to keep mine in the little dropper bottles, as you normally don’t need to take much at once.

Decoction

I like to think of these as a stronger infusion. You need four times as much boiling water as dried herb, and you want to simmer the mixture for about half an hour before straining.

Syrup

These are herbs mixed with a sugary substance, which makes them easier to consume and helps to preserve them a little. They’re a good way to get your herbs in if you have a sore throat, as they are often quite soothing.

You’ll need a couple ounces of fresh herb per pint of water. Put them on the stove and heat until about half of the water has evaporated. Then you need to add about five tablespoons of sugar/honey/maple syrup per pint of water you used originally (so if you put two pints in the pan, you need ten tablespoons). Keep stirring for about twenty minutes, then take it off the heat and bottle it up. You need to keep syrups in the fridge, preferably in a dark coloured jar or bottle.

Balm

Essential oils and beeswax, basically. Add about twenty drops of essential oil to a cup of melted beeswax, stick it in a jar, let it cool, and there you go! You can mix in juiced herbs if you like, but that’s optional.

Salve

A salve is basically essential oils mixed with beeswax, oils and herbs. I have seen them made with coconut oil, though if you live in a warmer environment then coconut oil won’t work for you as it melts. You need about fifty/fifty dried herbs and beeswax (if you live somewhere warm) or use a mixture of beeswax and an oil like olive or safflower if you live somewhere colder, just so it’s soft enough to use. Use about twenty drops of oil per cup of beeswax. You’ll need to melt the wax in a double boiler, and let the herbs infuse in the molten wax for about half an hour. Then you add your essential oils, and pour the molten salve into the containers and let it cool.

Ointment

This is basically a liquid balm or salve. Follow the methods above, but use oil instead of beeswax.

Bath

When taking a herbal bath, you are basically making a giant cup of tea! Fill an organza bag with your chosen herbs, and put it in the bath while you run the water, then remove it before you get in. You can reuse the bag of herbs, but they lose potency with each use, so I try to avoid doing this.

Poultice

This is a paste of herbs and sometimes other things that is applied to the skin. Used for infections, splinters, burns, boils etc. They’re pretty simple to make, you just mix some dried herbs with a tiny bit of boiling water to form a paste, put it on the area, and use a piece of cloth or gauze to keep it there. If you want to use fresh herbs you just mash them up.

I made some lavender milk for my spirit companion L <3  I used this recipe if anyone was interested in making their own! It tastes wonderfully sweet and floral

Hey witchy friends and divination enthusiasts! Since I recently made a post on some tips for choosing a Tarot deck, I thought I’d include a post about deck interviews too. If you’re unfamiliar with deck interviews or maybe you’ve just never done one yourself, these are some tips that explain a little bit about the process. You can find plenty of deck interview spreads online or on Instagram, but please feel free to make up your own!

For me, my set up is usually as follows:

Card 1: Who are you? or What is your personality?

Card 2: What do I need to know about you?

Card 3: What are your strengths? (You can draw multiple cards for this).

Card 4: What are your weaknesses? (You can also do multiples for this one).

Card 5: Who am I to you? or What is my personality to you?

Card 6: What are you here to teach me/help me with/etc.?

Card 7: How can I best work with you?

You’re welcome to use this if you’d like but it’s only one example! As always, do whatever feels best to you. You can make your deck interview as long or as short as you like or ask whatever questions you feel necessary.

I’m always available to chat if you have questions and you can find me here or on Instagram @readingsbylily. ✨

hi! ive been getting back into the craft recently and i was wondering if you have any book reccomendations that i could learn more from! (i know youve published your own, which i will be checking out soon!!)

I have a book recs tag that contains most of the titles that I regularly recommend for witchcraft studies, but there are a few I could mention by name:

History:

Drawing Down The Moon (Margot Adler)

Triumph of the Moon (Ronald Hutton)

The Witch: A History of Fear, from Ancient Times to the Present (Ronald Hutton)

The Oxford Illustrated History of Witchcraft and Magic (Owen Davies)

Witchcraft, magic and culture 1736–1951 (Owen Davies)

Witchcraft:

The Dabbler's Guide to Witchcraft: Seeking an Intentional Magical Path Seeking an Intentional Magical Path (Fire Lyte aka Don Martin)

New World Witchery: A Trove of North American Folk Magic (Cory Thomas Hutcheson)

By Rust of Nail & Prick of Thorn: The Theory & Practice of Effective Home Warding (Althaea Sebastiani)

Sacred Actions: Living the Wheel of the Year through Earth-Centered Sustainable Practices (Dana O'Driscoll)

Honoring Your Ancestors: A Guide to Ancestral Veneration (Mallorie Vaudoise)

Spellcrafting: Strengthen the Power of Your Craft by Creating and Casting Your Own Unique Spells (Arin Murphy-Hiscock)

The Magical Writing Grimoire: Use the Word as Your Wand for Magic, Manifestation & Ritual (Lisa Marie Basile)

Light Magic for Dark Times: More than 100 Spells, Rituals, and Practices for Coping in a Crisis (Lisa Marie Basile)

Sigil Witchery: A Witch's Guide to Crafting Magick Symbols (Laura Tempest Zakroff)

The Hearth Witch's Year: Rituals, Recipes & Remedies Through the Seasons (Anna Franklin)

Previous Posts:

Here are the Top Ten foundational texts that I started out with.

Here are the books I recommend if you want to work with plants.

Here are the three titles I have on the market.

Here is the Dropbox I made with free (legal) historical texts on witchcraft and magic.

And here is my personal library (slightly out of date) which might give you some more ideas!

Basic Tools of the Craft

There are tools that are essential to every religion. And they are usually ceremonial tools that aid in a practitioner’s spiritual journey. Buddhists have their bells, while Christians have their cross. While not a requirement to each one practicing a religion, having the tools strengthen your dedication.

Witchcraft has a wide range of tools, and most are usually those that are placed on an altar, and each almost always represents an element.

What you decide to procure will really depend on your beliefs and what you are comfortable with. It is also important to know that your tools should be treated with respect and reverence since each represents a divine element.

Here are just some of the tools a witch could have at his or her person or altar:

THE ATHAME An Athame is a dagger traditionally with a black handle that is used to cast a circle. It should never be used for cutting or to cause physical harm. The athame represents masculine energy and the element of fire.

THE CHALICE The chalice witches use can come in a goblet styles, or simply any mug and cup, and is used to hold water or wine, which is to be drank after a ritual. The chalice on your altar also represents the element of water.

THE WAND The wand that you use can come in any material that you feel a connection to: wood, bone, or metal. A witch’s wand is very personal, so much so that many Wiccans prefer to fashion themselves their own wand that suits their taste and represents their personality or character. Another option is to buy a Magic Wand. The wand is used to direct energies during a ritual, and represents the element of air.

THE PENTACLE The pentacle is a very powerful and protective symbol in Wicca. On an altar, it can come in the form of either a pendant or a platen. The pentacle represents earth, and is used to cleanse yourself, your surroundings, and all other items on your altar.

You can also use a Pentacle necklace on your altar.

THE CAULDRON Like the chalice, the cauldron represents the element of water. A cauldron can hold many things like water, herbs, incense, and candles, and is very useful when it comes to rituals involving burning and creating small fires. The preferred material for the pot-bellied cauldrons is cast iron. This is mainly due to the fact that cast iron cauldrons can take the heat and don’t crack under high temperatures.

THE BELLS Bells are used to mark passages in a ritual. Try taking a look at spells, you’ll notice most require you to ring a bell once or twice, and also ask you to ring your bell to mark the beginning and the end of a ritual.

THE CANDLES Candles represent the element of fire. A pair of candles also symbolizes the God and the Goddess.

THE BOWLS Having a bowl on your altar represents the element of earth. A bowl can hold water, sea salt, and oils. It is important to have a bowl that can hold sea salt, since a small bowl of sea salt on your altar can cleanse your other tools for magick, and also any possession you have that you feel is holding negative energy.

Smudging bowls are essential for magickal working.

INCENSE

Incense symbolizes the element of air. It is used to clear energy, cleanse, and call in energies.

THE CRYSTALS Each crystal holds a different energy. Crystals enhance the power of your spells, and keeping a variety of crystals on your altar will help you in various rituals.

THE BROOM A broom is very symbolic of sweeping energy and keeping negative and unwanted energies out of your space.

There are so many more tools in Witchcraft that you can use to enhance your spiritual journey and your magickal workings. What I mentioned are just the essentials, and you can add to them as you progress in your journey.

Before you begin using each tool, it is important that you clear and cleanse it. And make sure that you treat each with respect and care, as it represents a divine element. Some witches, including myself, don’t allow others to touch their tools and crystals and supplies to prevent any unwanted energy from absorbing into these things. You can make the choice yourself for your items obviously, but keep in mind that you should keep your tools and supplies full of light energies!

~10 Kinds Of Magical Books~

1. Book Of Shadows- A witch’s book of spells, rituals, personal feelings, etc. It is a general book for any metaphysical or religious information that you wish to put into it, among other things.

2.Bestiary- A sometimes hand-written encyclopedia or manual of mythological and magical creatures and beings, used for reference when you want to work with a non-human energy, or for general research. 

3.Grimoire- Usually filled with tables and charts, lists relating to astrological, numerical, and color correspondences; properties of crystals, herbs, trees, etc. Contains moon phase meanings and medicinal properties of plants- This one has an old-timey textbook feel to it, usually.

4.Book Of Mirrors- a special journal, where you ‘reflect’ on things going on in your day to day life, providing deep insights which are invaluable when you’re doing work regarding personal growth. Very helpful with developing personal spiritual philosophies.

5.Book Of Moons- A book entirely relating to the moon and it’s cycles, names of the moons of each month, their attributes and energies, dates of lunar eclipses as well as full moon dates of upcoming moons. Filled with vast knowledge of lunar attributes and special dates of red moons, blue moons, etc.

6.Dream Journal- Here you record the dreams you have in as much detail as you can remember, and some people draw images from their dream adventures in this book as well, since dreams use the language of symbolism and imagery. You interpret the meanings of your dreams in here too, if you wish. Dreams can help us get a glimpse into our subconscious and the more dreams you write the easier it becomes for you to remember them.

7. Book of Visions- A vision book is used with the law of attraction, it is a ‘vision board’ in book form. Put different images of things you want in life, be they experiences, physical items, money, health, etc, in the pages of the book. Open the book up to pictures of what you want to visualize having. Think of this as an on-the-go vision board, except with much more space as there are so many pages!

8.Book Of Positive Aspects- At the top of each page you write the name of a topic that you are unhappy with, like ‘the workplace’  for example. Below the topic title you begin listing all the positive aspects of the subject, and by the end of your list your emotions will be in a much better place regarding the topic. You can do a list a day or many in one sitting, it is a valuable tool for cultivating positive energy or for switching viewpoints on things that normally would upset you.

9.Gratitude Journal- A book where you write about EVERYTHING you are thankful and appreciative for in your life right now. You feel overwhelmed with love and positivity when writing in this book, which aids you in raising your vibration and frequency.

10. Book Of Intuitions- a psychic journal, it’s a book where all divination and psychic exercises are recorded, ranging from full tarot spreads, to tea leaf readings, even psychic impressions you pick up off people. It’s handy for tracking progress as well as for record keeping.