🏹 Artemis 🏹

Saw this, thought of us 😂

Types of meditation

1. Mindfulness meditation: Focus on your breath or a specific sensation, bringing your attention to the present moment.

2. Loving-kindness meditation: Cultivate feelings of love and compassion towards yourself and others.

3. Transcendental Meditation: Repeat a mantra to achieve a state of relaxed awareness.

4. Body scan meditation: Direct attention to different parts of your body, releasing tension and promoting relaxation.

5. Zen meditation (Zazen): Sit in a specific posture, focus on your breath, and observe thoughts without attachment.

6. Guided meditation: Follow a recorded or live guide's instructions for visualization and relaxation.

7. Vipassana meditation: Develop insight by observing bodily sensations and thoughts with non-reactive awareness.

8. Yoga nidra: A state of conscious relaxation achieved through guided meditation while lying down.

9. Chakra meditation: Focus on energy centers in the body, visualizing and balancing them.

10. Mantra meditation: Repeat a word, phrase, or sound to quiet the mind and enhance concentration.

Made this a while back and never posted it, but I figured I should now that I actually started T!!!

(Not a self portrait, this is just some guy)

Why are so many of the "aesthetic" photos of witchcraft and goddesses just skinny white girls? Specific searches for plus-size witches and goddesses produce mainly pictures of people showing off their dresses, which is cool and all, but not what I'm looking for.

Witchcraft and Self-Care: Nurturing Your Mind, Body, and Spirit

Witchcraft is not just a craft; it's a path that intertwines with our daily lives. Amid the spells and rituals, it's vital to remember that self-care is a cornerstone of our practice. By nurturing our minds, bodies, and spirits, we empower ourselves to be more effective witches and resilient individuals.

In this blog post, we'll delve into "Witchcraft and Self-Care: Nurturing Your Mind, Body, and Spirit," exploring the importance of self-care and suggesting rituals and practices to help you flourish on your magical journey.

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1. Grounding and Centering 🌳🌌

Start your self-care journey with grounding and centering. Take a moment each day to connect with the Earth. Stand barefoot on the ground, feeling the energy of the Earth rise through you. Meditate, visualize roots extending from your body into the soil, anchoring you to the Earth's nurturing energy.

2. Daily Affirmations 🧘‍♀️🌟

Affirmations are powerful tools for nurturing a positive mindset. Each morning, recite affirmations that align with your intentions. These affirmations reinforce your sense of self-worth, strength, and resilience. For example, "I am powerful," "I am loved," or "I am in control of my destiny."

3. Bath Rituals 🛁🌸

A soothing bath can work wonders for your well-being. Infuse your bathwater with Epsom salt, lavender, or rose petals. As you soak, visualize any stress or negativity melting away, leaving you refreshed and renewed. This simple practice can be profoundly healing.

4. Moon Meditation 🌕🧘‍♂️

Harness the energy of the moon to nurture your spirit. During the Full Moon, find a quiet space outdoors, and meditate beneath its radiant glow. Visualize the moon's energy filling you with light, cleansing away any emotional burdens, and empowering you for the month ahead.

5. Herbal Tea Ritual ☕🌿

Create a mindful tea ritual using your favorite herbs. As you brew and sip your tea, focus on the sensations and flavors. Allow the warmth of the tea to envelop you, bringing comfort and serenity. This practice can also enhance your connection with herbal magic.

6. Journaling 📓🖋️

Keep a magical journal to record your thoughts, experiences, and spellwork. Journaling is not only cathartic but also a powerful way to track your progress, uncover patterns, and celebrate your successes. Use it as a tool for self-reflection and growth.

7. Self-Compassion 💖🌈

Practice self-compassion in your daily life. Be gentle with yourself, just as you would with a close friend. Understand that setbacks are part of growth, and mistakes are opportunities to learn. By nurturing self-compassion, you'll foster resilience and inner strength.

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As witches, our practice is a reflection of our inner and outer worlds. By prioritizing self-care, we infuse our craft with authenticity and power. Remember that you are the most important tool in your magical toolkit, and by nurturing your mind, body, and spirit, you become a beacon of light in the world.

So, let's embrace self-care as an essential aspect of witchcraft. By nurturing ourselves, we empower our magic and cultivate a deeper connection with the universe.

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For new witches:

You don’t have to accept everything you’re told, your journey is yours to create. Don’t feel pressured to label yourself or fit into someone else’s idea of what a witch should be. Trust your instincts, explore what resonates with you and remember that your craft is deeply personal and will evolve over time.

Something I feel like people getting into folk magic need to understand, for many people of many backgrounds, is folk magic started as a means of survival. It was struggle magic, and it is still struggle magic.

Where I'm living now and where I'm from, people planted by the signs to ensure their crops wouldn't go bad before harvesting. People used ocean water to soothe joint and muscle pains when they got old. People studied the native plants for medicine and were mindful to only take what was needed. People did little rituals and minded their grannies' words to keep their good luck. If they didn't know how to do something (or couldn't), they went to people who did.

Learning folk magic to reconnect with ancestral traditions from before your time is valid. Learning folk magic to connect with and work with the land is valid. There are many valid reasons to take up folk magic. Still, understand that folk magic is survival, and folk magic is community.

I think that 2023 is a good time for many of us, and allies in particular, to practice again the dying art of minding our own fucking business when it comes to the identities and lives of other people.

You see someone from one of your classes in a public place with a different gender presentation/expression than they typically have? Mind your own business.

You discover that one of your coworkers is in a same gender relationship, but they aren't out at work? Not your place to share that information in the workplace.

You notice that your neighbor in a red state takes a road trip across state lines with their transgender child every 3-6 months? No you fucking didn't.

You overhear students in your classroom using a different name and different pronouns for one student than you are used to using? If you live in a state hostile to trans rights, pretend that you don't know anything about this and report nothing.

You suspect that an acquaintance of yours might be gay, but they deny it when asked directly? Leave them the fuck alone.

One of your friends refuses to publicly label their sexuality? Good for them, you aren't entitled to that information anyway.

Your sibling comes out to you as questioning, but isn't comfortable sharing that with your parents yet? Keep your fucking mouth shut.

Don't out people; coming out is a personal choice not a moral obligation. Don't demand personal information about other people's sexuality or sex lives. You aren't entitled to information about anyone's gender identity, assigned gender at birth, or transition.

Bring back privacy, allow people to have control over the information that is shared about them publicly; it might save their job, their housing, their parental rights and their child's safety, or even save lives.

How to Dehydrate Herbs

This is my first post on my newly-minted digital grimoire, so I thought I'd start out with info I already know. Here's a short little guide on how to dehydrate herbs and other materials at home in your oven (if you have one). I usually dehydrate fresh materials instead of hanging them as firstly: I have a cat who will find a way to reach anything I hang up to dry, and secondly: there are some materials I don't feel comfortable leaving out in open air as they will likely rot. Also, it just saves on drying time.

Steps:

1. Grab whatever you want to dehydrate whether it be fruits, peels, herbs, veg, or (my favourite) eggshells.

Important Note: DO NOT EVER put plants which are known to be toxic or whose origins are unclear in your oven. It's never worth it.

2. Place your items on a sheet pan with parchment paper underneath (there may be lingering oils on the pan, but if you are okay with that feel free to skip the parchment).

3. If your oven is fancy and you have a dehydration setting, great! Use the recommended temperature. If not, set your oven between 160-190*. I usually set it lower, but if you're short on time it will work higher.

4. This is the most crucial step: keep your oven door slightly ajar in order to let moisture escape. However, very importantly DO NOT EVER LEAVE YOUR OPEN OVEN UNATTENDED (or your closed one, for that matter), especially if you have an older oven. Basic fire safety applies here.

5. The process usually takes around 2 hours if you are dehydrating thinner plants, but may take up to 3-4 if you are dehydrating something thicker like citrus peels or fruit slices. Either way, be prepared to wait a bit. You will know they are done when you can easily crush them if plants or they are breakably-solid if peels. With eggshells they will be brittle anyways, but it's nice to dehydrate them to more easily grind into a powder and also to kill any lingering bacteria.

6. Store herbs as you usually would in a container away from sunlight. Enjoy!

Sources:

Printer's Ornament (Chiswick Press, 192)

Love how this turned out!