You Are Not, In Fact, The Granddaughter Of The Witches They Couldn’t Burn – Going Medieval

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)

Whoa there, pardner! What have you done to make sure that belief or practice actually originates in ancient times and didn't come from the imagination of a repressed Victorian romantic?

as a reminder, since a TERF tried to follow me, you aren't allowed here 😄👍

my blog is a safe place for all of my LGBTQIA+ brothers, sisters, and siblings.

i do NOT tolerate homophobia, transphobia, ableism, sexism, racism, anti-semitism, xenophobia, etc. and if i see it on your blog when you like my posts, reblog, or try to follow me - you WILL be blocked.

Would ye be interested in a digital grimoire about trees? Irish folklore, actual properties, how I use them in magic?

This is your friendly reminder that herbs aren't inherently safe.

Natural doesn't mean Safe.

Lightning is natural. Opium, therefore heroin and opiate drugs are derived from poppies. Cinnamon oil will burn your skin. Lilies are toxic to cats and will cause organ failure. Activated charcoal will neutralize your prescription medications and literally anything else in your system. St. John's Wort will destroy your serotonin production and mess with your happiness threshold if it DOESNT KILL YOU FIRST.

So anyway.

Do some damn good research every time you go to eat, breathe, bring around your pets, bathe in, or smoke something. Be safe please.

An important lesson we can learn from plants, especially those considered "weeds", is that if a system does not work for you, grow around it.

Dandelions cannot thrive trapped under a concrete roof, so they twist and spread and sprout between the cracks.

Tree roots will find their way through foundations and bricks to feed the tree.

Brambles will climb up and over fences designed to keep them out, if what's beyond let's them grow.

A sunflower in a pot will face the sun, not the room it's owner so desperately wants it to decorate.

Do what you need to do to thrive, irregardless of what others think you should do.

The True Value of Tools in Magic (It’s Not What You See Online)

When you’ve spent enough time looking at the occult and witchcraft communities online, you begin to notice patterns that repeat themselves. The type of tools people use, the way people set up their altars, how much money people put towards their craft… I feel like it is important to talk about the true value of these things, because ultimately the tools aren’t what matter the most.

Before I go any deeper into this post, I want to put out a little disclaimer. There is no shame in spending a lot of money to buy fancy tools and such. This is all a matter of personal preference. This is not a post meant to shame people with expensive tools. This post is meant to reassure those who don’t have the luxury of buying expensive tools for their craft.

There seems to be a growing number of people online who talk about why you absolutely need this or that in order to do a little spellwork or honor some sort of entity. You need to buy this expensive candle to honor a deity. You need to use a cauldron of some sort to burn things. You need to be using this herb because it is the best thing you’ll ever use. I’m here to tell you: you don’t need anything that you cannot afford or do not want. Although I do believe they are the minority, I have seen some individuals who will drag others through the mud because they aren’t seeing a reflection of their personal craft in other people’s personal crafts. I feel like some people in the occult and witchcraft communities need to humble themselves and accept that some people simply cannot afford to buy expensive tools, or they just simply do not want to buy them.

I grew up asking my parents “can we afford this” instead of “can you buy this for me”. I was always aware that my family wasn’t as financially well-off as others. I often saved my begging for Christmas because at least that was the time of year when people would go out of their way to please their families. Even today, now that I am an adult, I still pay extra attention to my finances. I don’t buy myself expensive things for my craft often. When I do, it is because something was on sale. I prefer to grow my own herbs, make my own tools and create things by myself. That’s just my preference and it is also more affordable to me. I wasn’t like this when I first started practicing witchcraft, though. No, I was pretty set on buying all kinds of things when I first started. I saw all the pretty things other people were using and thought that I was going to need it. It took me over two years to figure out that all I needed was what I wanted. Two years is how long it took for me to realize that my passions beyond witchcraft could also be applied to my craft.

So, what is truly valuable in magick if not tools? If intention is what you are expecting me to say, sorry. That ain’t it. I’m not a believer in “intention is everything”. I feel like intention is similar to tools, in a way. You can have them, but that doesn’t mean they will make the magick on their own. What I find to be most valuable, beyond intention and tools, is the ability of the individual.

I’m sure many of us have failed when doing spells and rituals, especially when we first started to actively perform spells and rituals. We didn’t get the results we were seeking. Some of us may have gotten the exact opposite. I know that was the case for me. I believe that is because our abilities were only just beginning to grow. You see, I like to think of the individual’s ability to perform magic like a tree. It starts off as a seed. It has potential, but that potential needs a few things in order to grow. In the case of an individual’s ability to use magick, what they need is energy, practice and patience. The individual may not see any results for a while, and if they do see results it may not be anything impressive. After some time, though, the individual will see their abilities grow. They will find what works for them. They will find their path. The individual’s ability grows from that one, little seed into a sprout, then into a sapling and eventually, it grows into a magnificent tree.

Tools and intentions are only two parts of the formula to success in magic. The final, and most important thing, is the individual’s abilities.

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!

"Larch, showing natural engrafting."

Science-gossip. 1888. Processed image.

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