lil’ pagan tip/idea- dedicate a journal to your deity!
a journal can be useful for a lot of reasons. not only it is an easy way to feel closer to your deity or deities, but it can be super convenient if you’re a person who travels a lot or need to worship in secret.
things to write or put in your journal could include:
prayers
pressed flowers/leaves/herbs
sketches or doodles of things that remind you of them
devotional poems or art pieces
song lyrics
experiences you’ve had with them
dreams they’ve sent you
recipes
stickers
spells / rituals (especially ones you have done or would want to do with them)
photos
notes on offerings and devotional acts
list of crystals, herbs, colors, etc. you associate with them
and these are only a few ideas :)
the journal can also work as a mini-altar that you can put offerings on! since taking care of myself is one of the ways i honor my deity, sometimes i’ll place a glass of water or juice on the journal i have and i can keep it next to me to sip from while i’m doing something. again this can be really helpful if you travel a lot, worship discreetly, or if you don’t have a lot of space for a full altar.
additionally, you can dedicate a few pens or markers to your deity too (because everything is better with fun colors!)
If you are a witch that likes to journal or keep a book of shadows, you can use this to help plan out your crafts. You can write down what you want to make, your goals, the colors, and what hooks you are using. This allows you to focus your intentions, your goals, and even color magic into the craft! Crocheting and knitting can also be calming and possibly meditative! It can help you get ready for a different spell as well, if you are not using the yarn for the spell itself!
This can also be a form of knot magic, and you can focus protection or any other outcome as you work and make your stitches/knots in the yarn/string! You are most likely zoning out anyway while working, so thinking about your intentions should be easy to do in the moment. If knot (:3) then you can write your intentions in a journal to help you!
You can also burn incense or a candle while you work to help calm yourself, breathe life into the craft, and help set your intentions.
Did you know that you can make a familiar out of yarn? They obviously behave differently from a living familiar but they are still used for protection and companionship!
Yarn can also be used for jinxing and hexing. You can weave your intentions into the yarn and then burn it at the end of the project. Please make sure you are being careful and practicing proper fire safety!
You can also make offerings with the objects you’ve made. Remember, deities often prefer handmade offerings than store bought offerings!
Here's a list of ingredients with various protective and cleansing properties that I've found useful in my closet witch practice! Note that I'm not an expert and these are just my own experiences and interpretations.
Eggshells! Great protection qualities and can also be used for renewal spells as well. A good easy spell would be sprinkling bits of it around the front of your home with the intent of providing protection
Salt, a classic cleansing ingredient that you'll find in your mom's kitchen. Various kinds have slightly different properties. Tip: if you add ashes to it, then it becomes black salt, which in my experience is very a strong cleanser especially if you add a bit of moon water. It becomes a paste and can be used for various things such as sigils
Iron nails. Not only protective, but can deflect back. Like a "back the fuck off" kind of protection. Bonus if it's rusty
Thorny vines, barbs, etc can function like nails
Pinecones. Similar to eggshells, but a bit more spicy (mess with me and I'll nip you back) but not as intense as nails. Also has great renewal properties since it's a seed
Obsidian, a great protective crystal to have on hand
Custom protection sigil, all you need is a pen, paper, and intuition. Or just write it with charged water on yourself
Moon water, especially full moon water. Very strong cleansing
Incense and smoke cleansing, I like using rose. DO NOT USE WHITE SAGE
Enchant jewelry or something you have on you on a regular basis with protective and positive energy properties. It can be as easy as making a sigil for it and activating said sigil by burning or tearing it up or dipping it in charged water. Very secretive!
Pepper! Again, similar to the nails, but with an added kick and slightly different way of carrying out things. Instead of deflecting immediately, it deflects over a slower period of time, like how burns do
Ask a deity or spirit you're working with to bless a charm. Very effective! Can be literally anything!
So! I have been seeing a ton of grimoire ideas and thought I’d stuff them all together. A lot of ideas are from @manifestationsofasort, @banebite, and @pigeonflavouredcake. Check them out! They have a ton of cool stuff there.
You can use anything for a grimoire! For a physical one, journals, binders, and notebooks are good. For digital ones, Notion, Tumblr, Docs, and even just your file folder are great.
A Book Blessing
Table of Contents
Your Current Path
Your Personal Beliefs
Your Spiritual Journey
Superstitions
Past lives
Favorite Herbs/Crystals/Animals/Etc.
Natal Chart
Craft Name
How You Entered The Craft
Astrology Signs
Birthday Correspondences (birth tarot card, birth stone, etc.)
Goals
Fire Safety
What Not to Burn
Toxic Plants & Oils (to humans, plants, animals)
Crystals That Shouldn’t Be Put… (in sun, in water, etc.)
Things That Shouldn’t Be In Nature (glass, salt, etc.)
Potion Safety
How to Incorporate Blood in Spells
Smoke Safety
Wound Care
Biohazards
Intention & How It Works
Directing Energy
Protection
Banishing
Cleansing
Binding
Charging
Shielding
Grounding
Centering
Visualization
Consecration/Blessing
Warding
Enchanting
Manifestation
Meditation
What Makes A Spell Work
Basic Spell Structure
What Not To Do In Spells
Disposing Spell Ingredients
Revitalizing Long Term Spells
How To Cast Spells
What To Put In Spells
Spell Mediums (jars, spoken, candle, sigils)
Spell Timing
Potion Bases
Differentiating Between Magick and Mundane
Common Terms
Common Symbols
Intuition
Elements
Basic Alchemy and Symbols
Ways To Break Spells
Laws and Philosophies
Herbs & Spices
Crystals & Rocks
Colors
Liquids & Drinks
Metals
Numbers
Tarot Cards
Elements
Trees & Woods
Flowers
Days
Months
Seasons
Moon Phases
Zodiacs
Planets
Incense
Teas
Essential Oils
Directions
Animals
Symbology
Bone Correspondences
Different Types of Water
Common Plants
Deities You Worship
Pantheons
Pantheons & Deities Closed to You
Common Offerings
Epithets
Mythos
Family
Worship vs Work
Prayers & Prayer Template
Altars
Deity Comms
Devotional Acts
Angels
Demons
Ancestors
Spirit Guides
Fae
Familiars
House, Animal, Plant, Etc. Spirits
Folklore Entities
Spirit Etiquette
Graveyard Etiquette
Boundaries
Communication Guide & Etiquette
Spirit Work Safety Guide
How Entities Appear To You
Circle Casting
Common Offerings
Altars
Servitors
Mythological Creatures (dragons, gorgons, etc.)
Gazing Pages
Sigil Charging Station
Altar Pages
Intent Pages
Getaway Pages
Vision Boards
Dream Pages
Binding Page
Pendulum Board
Crystal Grid
Throwing Bones Page
Divination Pages
Mirror Gazing Page
Invocation Pages
Affirmation/Manifestation Pages
Spirit Board Page
Practices That Are Closed to You (Voodoo, Hoodoo, Santeria, Brujeria, Shamanism, Native Practices)
Wicca and Wiccan Paths
Satanism, Both Theistic and Non-Theistic
Deity Work
Religious Paths (Hellenism, Christianity, Kemeticism, etc.)
Animism
Pop Culture Paganism/Magic
Tech Magic
Chaos Magic
Green Magic
Lunar Magic
Solar Magic
Sea Magic
Kitchen Magic
Ceremonial Magic
Hedge Magic
Death Magic
Gray Magic
Eclectic Magic
Elemental Magic
Fae Magic
Spirit Magic
Candle Magic
Crystal Magic
Herbalism
Glamours
Hexes
Jinxes
Curses
Weather Magic
Astral Magic
Shadow Work
Energy Work
Sigils
Art Magic
Knot Magic
Music Magic
Blood Magic
Bath Magic
Affirmations
Tarot Cards
Oracle Cards
Playing Cards
Card Spreads
Pendulum
Numerology
Scrying
Palmistry
Tasseography
Runes
Shufflemancy
Dice
Bibliomancy
Carromancy
Pyromancy
Psychic Abilities
Astrology
Auras
Lenormand
Sacred Geometry
Angel Numbers
Ornithomancy
Aeromancy
Aleuromancy
Axinomancy
Belomancy
Hydromancy
Lecanomancy
Necromancy
Oneiromancy
Onomancy
Oomancy
Phyllomancy
Psephomancy
Rhabdomancy
Xylomancy
Crystal grid
Candle grid
Charms
Talismans
Amulets
Taglocks
Wand
Broom
Athame
Boline
Cingulum
Stang
Bells
Drums
Staffs
Chalices
Cauldrons
Witches Ladder
Poppets
Yule
Imbolc
Ostara
Beltane
Litha
Lammas
Mabon
Samhain
Esbats
Deity Specific Holidays
Religious Holidays (Christmas, Easter, Dionysia, etc.)
Celestial Events
Basics of Altars
Travel Altars
Deity Altars
Spirit Altars
Familiar Altars
Ancestor Altars
Self Altars
Working Altars
Burnout Prevention
Aromatherapy
Stress Management
Coping Mechanisms
Witchcraft history
Paganism
New Age Spirituality
Cultural Appropriation
Thelema
Conspiracy Theories
Cults
Satanic Panic
KJV
Witches in History
Cats in History
Transphobia in Witchcraft Circles
Queerness in Witchcraft Circles
Recipes
How to Get Herbs
Foraging
Drying Herbs and Flowers
Chakras
Reiki
Witches Alphabet
Runic Alphabet
Guide to Gardening
Your Witch Tips
Resources
Other Tips
List of Spells
Cryptids and Their Lore
What is a Liminal Space?
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.
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)
Queer beginner witch ☆ Experimenting with tarot, folk magic, and herbs ☆ Tree lover ☆ They/Them ☆ Minor ☆ TERFs/bigots/etc DNI ☆ Main is @i-am-an-omniscient-snail.
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