Oh my god, guys.
Are we just going to ignore the fact that bay trees and laurel trees—the laurel trees, used for Roman victory wreaths—are the same?? Why is witchblr sitting on this??
And why are bay leaved associated with prosperity? It makes sense, but they should symbolise victory and glory! Success! Fame, winning, being lauded and recognised! Prosperity comes along with this but it's not central.
I only found this out yesterday, I'm shocked.
You don’t have to have fancy crystals and herbs for spell jars btw. You can use sugar, coffee grounds, leaves, acorns, etc. Don’t fall victim to witchcraft consumerism.
I love tearma.ie
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!
walk barefoot on stones in shallow streams.
talk to the wind and let it carry away your regrets.
forage for wildflowers to place on your altar, press in thrifted books, or give to loved ones —be careful when identifying
watch sunrises and sunsets. wake up before the sun. bare witness to the painted sky.
spend hours in the woods among the wild. take long long walks or sit still and watch the world.
talk to plants and listen to them. make friends.
get field guides to trees, plants, birds, etc. that are native to your area. learn which are which. bookmark pages that you recognize or want to find.
sing back to the robins. caw back to the crows.
journal by firelight and feel the flame burn your worries away.
gather snow and bring a bowl inside. talk to it and tell it your worries. your fears. let it melt, transmuting your stress and worries into healing nourishment. bring it outside and water the soil. see how things can be changed.
dance. run. move your body to sweat, if this is something you can do
collect stones from the river and try to find the best ones. keep them in your pocket. hold onto them to remember that you’re an animal.
go to a lake and float. feel the water carry you. lifting you from your stress. bring a vial and collect some for spellwork.
make a necklace out of an acorn and thread.
stand in the rain. dance in it. lay down in the grass and let it pour. let it wash fears away, transform doubt to hope. start anew.
𖤣.𖥧.𖡼.⚘
(wild winter witchcraft here)
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!)
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!
For centuries, people of all walks of life have turned to tarot to divine what may lay ahead and reach a higher level of self-understanding.
The cards’ enigmatic symbols have become culturally ingrained in music, art and film, but the woman who inked and painted the illustrations of the most widely used set of cards today – the Rider-Waite deck from 1909, originally published by Rider & Co. – fell into obscurity, overshadowed by the man who commissioned her, Arthur Edward Waite.
Now, over 70 years after her death, the creator Pamela Colman Smith has been included in a new exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York highlighting many underappreciated artists of early 20th-century American modernism in addition to famous names like Georgia O’Keeffe and Louise Nevelson.
CNN
For those in the broom closet, or for those who are open, for baby witches and for the experienced, here are some back to school witch tips to help your school year be magical and spectacular <3
Draw sigils on assignments for good grades/to have your teacher appreciate your work, scratch them out really hard/fast or erase them to charge.
Charm your lip balm to be persuasive, or to be heard!
Draw a tarot card in the morning to see what you should be aware of for the day, or what you need to work on for the day.
Stir your morning tea or coffee counter-clockwise to rid bad energy, and stir clockwise to bring in good energy, luck, and any other sort of positive intention.
If you have a binder that acts as a book of shadows, place sigils on them to keep wandering eyes away.
Glamours, glamOURS, GLAMOURS!!!!! They work so well if you’re running late. I like to mumble them to myself and mediate on Rose Quartz when I’m in a rush.
Eat small snacks to keep yourself grounded, and don’t forget to breathe after each class. Trust me, I know it can get frustrating with obnoxious people.
Charm talismans/amulets/bracelets to help you be on time/remember your homework.
Put satchets in your lockers/decorate your locker to make it a little safe space or school-friendly altar.
Keep the list going! I started school Monday and I’m eager to see what else witches can do for school!
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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