Beginner-witch-blog

Witchtember 29. Bones

“I Observe Witchy Holidays. Observe them as they pass by me because I forgot. Again.”

— Stormwaterwitch (via stormwaterwitch)

When I say "connect with nature" I don't just mean the aesthetic forests with deer and beautiful flowers.

I mean the weeds growing through concrete, the fungus that grows on the rotten shed, the nettles that always seem to return and the scary, spindly cellar spider in the corner of the bathroom.

Nature is not always pretty or magical - the pigeons and seagulls you swat at are nature too, the wasps and flies that hover by your meals are animals too, store-bought strawberries and the leaves that fall from your neighbour's tree are not all that different from the Giant Sequoias and it's seeds.

If you want to connect and understand nature, I mean *really* connect to it, in it's entirety, you have to seek out and learn about the ugly, scary and mundane things as well. You don't have to like it, just don't forget that it's there.

STRENGTH

8 trans women of color have been killed in 2017. This card pays homage to their strength, and to that of others that continue to strive to live their lives as their authentic selves.

Alphonza Watson Jaquarrius Holland Chyna Gibson Ciara McElveen Mesha Caldwell Jamie Lee Wounded Arrow Keke Collier Jojo Striker

#DeltaEnduringTarot

The Mundane Beside the Magical:

You want to learn magic and witchcraft, awesome! Go you! You wanna know what's important though? Learning the mundane at the same time as the magical.

I'm a firm believer in learning as much as you can about the things you're working with. To know a paintbrush, you have to paint. To learn an instrument, you have to play it. Anything you work with is a tool that, in an ideal scenario, will become an extension of yourself. You want to be in tune with your tools, you want to understand them as much as possible. It's learning how the tools respond to your interference. When you know these things inside and out, that, to me, is when you become an expert. Don't just learn the meanings of things, learn the reasons behind the meanings. Look up the etymology of that magic word you saw before you do the spell. Learn the historical uses of that herb and connect that to whatever its correspondence is. Learn why things are the way they are.

You want to learn ocean magic? Learn about the tides while you're at it. Learn how the ocean behaves, understand the sheer power behind the waves, the creatures of the ocean and all of the treasures you can find on the seashore.

Thinking about getting into green craft? Don't just learn about the magical uses of plants, learn about botany, and how to identify plants, understand how plants grow and thrive, and how different plants exist in nature.

Considering animal magic? Learn the Latin name of the species, maybe check out their anatomy while you're at it. Where does this animal find its niche? What does it eat, where does it sleep?

Getting into forest witchcraft? Learn about your local forests and trees. What kinds of forests there are, what preserving a forest can look like. Can you identify any trees of your own? How do different trees propagate?

How about weather magic? Learn meteorology, how to identify storm clouds, what atmospheric pressure does. Start to observe changes in the weather daily, how weather affects the wildlife around you.

Cosmic witchcraft more your vibe? Learn a little about space, study a map of the stars, learn the constellations in your night sky. Branch off into learning astronomy and cosmology, learn about planetary systems other than our own. If you want to keep it basic, learn the time it takes each planet to complete a rotation and revolution.

Crystals seem to be up your alley? Don't stop at the metaphysical properties, learn their scientific properties as well. Where can these crystals be mined? How rare are they? Can you tell the difference between imitations and the real deal? What's their number on the Mohs hardness scale?

Whatever you want to learn, branch out further than the magical. The mundane is just as, if not more important.

~Wander

Internet witches please learn your stuff before you recommend consuming or putting onto skin things that can potentially kill somebody, difficulty level very much impossible, apparently.

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)

“What do I do if I want to—“

Go into the woods.

“How do I—“

Go into the woods.

“I am going through—“

Go into the woods.

Or if you live next to the sea, to the sea.

Or a desert, into the desert.

Or a grassland, into the grassland.

Or a park with as much treecover as you can scrounge- better yet, make a day of it, leave the city, and go into the woods/the sea/the desert/the grassland then.

Any answer to your question won’t come from another person, but from going into the wilderness. So stop talking, stop asking and babbling, and go.

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)