Basic Tools Of The Craft

Candle Magick Omens

If you are doing candle magick, watch for omens that may predict the success of your spell:

Tall, strong flame- your spell is empowered and getting through, it will work very well.

Flickering, unsteady flame- your spell is having trouble manifesting your results.

Dancing, wild flame- get ready for the roller coaster ride

Normal flame- things are working as expected

Small, blue flame- Your spell is not getting through, prepare a backup plan.

Crackling, popping flame- your spell may manifest in unexpected ways.

maybe you call it infodumping or too much information but i call it being interested in concepts that take more than 5 minutes to transmit

Practical Magic: Circle Casting

If you’re brand new to witchcraft, you’re probably seeing this phrase left and right: casting the circle, or circle casting. For some, it seems fairly obvious, because casting circles is often represented in pop culture, from the Devil’s Traps in Supernatural to the circle of brooms in Practical Magic. 

However, what purpose does casting a circle serve? How do you cast a circle? Why does it have to be a circle and not, say, a square? And do I always need to cast a circle when working magick?

Well, we’ll take this in small bits!

Why should I cast a circle?

A circle serves several different purposes in witchcraft. For some, it’s a means of protection. To others, it’s a means of magnifying ritual energy. For still others, it encourages slipping into meditative consciousness. Whatever the reasons for the tradition, it remains a rather good way of getting the spell started.

In terms of protection, the circle acts sort of like a bubble. After all, it’s not just a cylindrical wall. When a witch casts the circle, he or she is envisioning the energy rising up from where it had been cast on the floor and forming a dome over the ritual space, and below the floor to encase the space in a bubble of intent. For many witches, this forms a sort of shield from outside spiritual influences, and to enter the circle after it’s been cast would require cutting a doorway into it.

As you cast your spell or work your rite, the energy you send out interacts with your altar, your tools, yourself, and your ritual space. The circle acts sort of like a can of soda that’s been shaken up. It holds in all of that energy, allowing it to increase in concentration and potency, allowing it to continuously interact with all ritual components, including the witch casting it. When the rite is done and the circle is opened, it sends all of that energy out into the world with extra force and intent, allowing it to more effectively do as the witch desires. This is particularly useful for rites and spells intended for someone else, or for spells intended to cause large changes.

Furthermore, casting a circle is usually the first or second act done in a spell - often a witch will cleanse a ritual space by asperging or smoke cleansing before casting the circle. As a result, casting the circle is an ideal start to a rite because it begins to set you into the state of mind you need for spellwork. By channeling intent and starting up the circle, you get your magical energy moving so that by the time the ritual starts, you’re already warmed up (like an athlete taking a couple of laps around the track so she can be warmed up and ready to go for practice or for the game). 

Why does it need to be a circle instead of another shape?

This largely is rooted in tradition. If you really feel that a different shape is more sacred than a circle, you’re welcome to use that instead in your practice - some cultures believed in triangles being the shape of perfection. However, in most cultures and beliefs, the circle is a rather sacred shape. We see it everywhere, the only shape that can truly be called perfect - no corners, no sharp edges, no beginnings, no endings. It is a symbol of eternity, and reflects the shape of Mother Moon and Father Sun.

The circle also has another impact in witchcraft in that it can be seen as a fertility symbol - representing the full womb. 

When casting a spell and beginning with a circle, you’re creating a sphere of energy - a magical manifestation of the principle of “as above, so below.” In a sense, you’re not casting a circle, but instead casting a sphere. It allows you to encompass your ritual space in a way where the energy can flow smoothly and freely like water. In general, other shapes don’t allow this kind of movement. Just like in Feng Shui, corners collect energy, prohibiting it from moving freely and causing it to grow stale and potentially sour into negative energy. Without the corners, you don’t have to worry about stale energy.

Do I always need to cast a circle in order to work magick?

The simple answer is no. The more accurate answer is that it largely depends upon the tradition you follow and what brand of magick you work. There are witches out there who will absolutely refuse to cast any kind of magic without the protection of the circle. Meanwhile, there are witches out there who only cast the circle for esbats and Sabbats. What feels best for you should be what dictates how frequently you cast your circles.

In my case, I always cast a circle when I am doing a full rite. Since many of my spells are done on the fly (intuition is key for me, so I don’t always write out elaborate spells), I don’t cast a circle for every working I do. Instead, with some spells I make use of circle imagery in order to provide the same effect - the pentacle is basically a mini circle. If you’ve seen the picture I showed of the protection altar I made for a friend of mine, you would notice that I have the pentacle there, but on either side of the pentacle are crystals pointing outward - through the use of imagery, and by using the crystals to project the energy, I’ve managed to cast my circle in the process of casting the spell.

When I’m working in my kitchen, I never cast full ritual circles - the pots and pans provide the shape, and I can cast the circles in the bottoms of those utensils if I need to empower the food.

I do, however, recommend casting circles any time you wish to work with spirits or any time you perform divination or healing spells. This is as much for empowerment as it is for protection.

How do I cast a circle?

Casting a circle can be as elaborate or as easy as you feel it needs to be. It can make use of actually drawing a circle on the floor, or it can be entirely energetic and felt. Ultimately, like any aspect of magick, the circle should be cast in the way that you feel it should be. The guidelines I give here are exactly that: guidelines. Work with them however you feel works best for you!

Step One: Cleanse your space

Cleansing your ritual space is necessary for any magick, depending  upon your craft. When doing a ritual spell, I always cleanse with sage smoke or asperge with holy water. When you feel your ritual space is cleansed of all negativity, you’re ready to begin the casting of the circle.

In my practice, I go around the circle a total of three times. The first time is when cleansing the space. In addition to cleansing the room, I cleanse the circle in a clockwise direction, stopping briefly at each cardinal point to allow the smoke to linger in the space. For me, this helps begin the process of casting, and enhances the visualization.

Step Two: Physical Representation (If Any)

I don’t often draw a circle on the floor. This is largely because most of my magic is intuitive. However, when working with the coven, we sometimes do lay out a circle depending upon the rite we’re working. Especially for new witches who struggle with visualization, laying out a circle can be very nifty and helpful. As such, if you’re new to witchcraft, I do recommend laying out a circle if you feel it helps. If you’re still in the broom closet and want to cast a circle discreetly, you may have to rely upon visualization alone.

Regardless, there are a couple of ways you can lay out your physical circle. The first is to only provide representations at the Corners, or Cardinal Points - North, East, South, and West. If laying out the circle is ritualized for you, it is often recommended to start in the East and move clockwise around the circle. When providing only representations at the Corners, you can either place candles in each direction, or you can provide something that represents the element associated with it (a feather for air at the east, a candle for fire at the south, a glass of water at the west, and a jar of salt for earth at the north, for instance). My coven has considered casting spells at the beach, and we all loved the idea of taking tiki torches and setting one up in each corner, lighting them as we greet each guardian.

The other way of laying a physical circle is to actually draw out the whole circle in some way. If you’re at the beach or in an area where you can draw a circle in the earth, you’re set. But other times, you may be in an area where there’s a bit of foliage, or you’re indoors and don’t have the luxury of scratching a circle into your apartment’s carpet. Depending on what kind of surface you’re using, you can pour salt around the ritual space as a circle, or you can use a protection powder (such as ground eggshells, or ground cinnamon). If laying down something that’s granulated or powdered is a bad idea, because carpets, some witches will use ribbon instead.

One of my favorite moments with my coven was when we had cast a circle on a hill for a Sabbat rite. The hill was rather overgrown, and we were working in a small, grassy clearing. Since the rite was for Imbolc, we had decided that spring flowers would be beautiful. So we took flowers and laid them out in a circle around our ritual space.

Whatever method you use, it is often easier to lay out the physical circle before casting it spiritually.

Step Three: Greeting the Quarters

The second pass around the circle is done as a means of welcoming the Quarters. If your tradition does not have guardians at the cardinal points, you may substitute as needed (welcoming the Faeries, or welcoming deity, for example) or you may omit this step entirely.

Starting at whatever direction is traditional for you (I always start in the north, but many witches prefer to start in the east), greet the guardian, welcoming it to the circle. I do this with an invocation and with the ringing of a bell. Something to the effect of:

I welcome the element of Earth to the North, that it strengthen the circle.

Or

I welcome the Guardian of the North, that it may bear witness to my work. Come in peace and love, so mote it be!

You would move in a clockwise direction around the circle, stopping at each cardinal point and welcoming its guardian or spirit in turn.

Once done, return to the altar.

Step Four: Casting the Circle

My third pass around the circle is the actual casting of it on a spiritual level. Depending upon your tradition, you would do this with a staff, sword, athame, or wand. My personal tradition is flexible - cast it with your hand if you feel that is more effective. I do, however, often cast the circle with a wand - the quartz in my wand helps to empower the circle, and I love encouraging that as much as possible.

With whatever implement you prefer in your casting hand (some traditions emphasize casting hands, others don’t; in general, your casting hand is your dominant hand or whatever hand you use to write with most often; if you’re ambidextrous, this could be either hand), start with the point you began at. Point the implement toward the floor at that point (physical circles help with this - point at the border you’ve created) and begin moving clockwise about the circle, envisioning your energy flowing outward from you, through your implement/fingertips, to the floor and creating a barrier.

Personally, I always tend to see energy as being like slow, fire-like mist that glows blue. I see it coming outward from my heart, traveling down my arm, through the wand (glowing brighter as it passes through each crystal) and then passing onto the ground where it ignites like a little wall of fire. Every witch sees it differently. That’s just how I visualize it.

Some witches will see the circle forming a sphere on its own. Great! If you feel you need to shape the sphere yourself, you can do so. Once you’ve cast the circle, go back to the altar and lift the energy upward from the floor until it closes above your head, creating a dome, and then push it downward in the same manner so that the sphere encloses the space below ground.

Visualization is key.

Congratulations! You’ve cast your circle. Some traditions will mark this in the ritual format: “Here is the border where the circle is cast none but love may enter, none but love may leave” or “The circle is cast in the presence of Goddess and God, so mote it be!”

When doing a simple spell and casting a circle for it, I acknowledge the casting quietly before setting to my work.

In Conclusion…

As you can see, casting a circle is something that can be very elaborate or very simple. It can be required for all workings or it can only be required for some. I feel that the way you cast your circle is often deeply personal. For that reason, in the steps I gave as an example above are only some of the key parts of how I cast the circle without revealing any personal details of what I do for it when not working with the coven.

Every tradition, every path, every witch casts circles differently. If you are starting out as a witch, I greatly encourage you to create your own, personalized method of casting the circle. If you keep a Book of Shadows (as most witches do), the way you cast your circle should be one of the first things that you write down in it.

All that said, may all your circles be unbroken!

Blessed Be! )O(

Fuck self-sufficiency. It's time for Interdependence. Always offer help and always accept it. Cook meals for the people you love. Grow fruits and vegetables and give them to your neighbors. The "independent" person is merely the perfect version of a Consumer, eating directly from the palms of Corporation. Fuck self-sufficiency. Need one another.

Signs you might be a witch

Have you ever thought you could be a witch but you weren’t sure? For some it’s hard to know when or if they should get started in magick and witchcraft, so here are a few signs that it might be time and that you might be a witch!

* please note anyone can be a witch! These are just some common things some witches experienced in their life before discovering they were a witch, but if you haven’t experienced any of these you could still definitely be one!

• anytime in your life, particularly your childhood you were always drawn to magick shops or crystal shops

• as a child you were always making potions, you would always go out and try to mix water with plants and all sorts of things

• you always looked for another way to heal people, whether it was a physical sickness or mental illness you always believed there was another way to help

• You never stopped believing in magick even when all your friends did

• you always felt a connection to the earth and the elements of it

• you are able to predict things or make things happen with your mind

• you have always been a spiritual person and liked or liked the concept of horoscopes, meditation, tarot cards etc.

Thanks happy enchanting 🖤🌙✨

Mabon Altar Ideas & Correspondences

Mabon, also known as the Autumn Equinox, marks the midpoint between the summer and winter solstices. It's a time to celebrate the abundance of the harvest season and express gratitude for the blessings of the year. One way to honor this occasion is by setting up a Mabon altar, adorned with items and symbols that resonate with the energy of the season. Here are a few ideas for when you’re putting your altar together.

The Altar Cloth: Choose an altar cloth in rich autumnal colors such as deep red, orange, or brown. These colors represent the changing leaves and the bountiful harvest.

Seasonal Fruits and Vegetables: Incorporate apples, pumpkins, squash, and corn, or any local harvests you have in your area. These are traditional symbols of the harvest and abundance during Mabon.

Candles: Use candles in colors associated with Mabon, such as gold, yellow, orange, or deep red. These represent the changing colors of the land. Alternatively, you could use black and white candles to represent the balance of dark and light on the equinox.

Crystals: Consider placing crystals like citrine, amethyst, or jasper on your altar. These stones resonate with the energies of balance, gratitude, and abundance.

Symbols of Balance: Include items that represent the balance of day and night, such as a yin-yang symbol or two candles, one for the sun and one for the moon.

Leaves and Acorns: Collect fallen leaves and acorns to symbolize the changing season and the promise of new growth in the future.

Chalice and Bread: A chalice filled with wine or cider and a loaf of bread represent the traditional elements of water and earth, symbolizing the harvest's bounty.

Deity Representations: If you work with specific deities in your practice, add representations of them to your altar. Some gods and goddesses associated with Mabon include Demeter, Persephone, and the Green Man.

Mabon Correspondences

Colors: Deep red, orange, yellow, brown, and gold.

Herbs: Sage, marigold, hops, and thistle.

Foods: Apples, grapes, nuts, grains, and root vegetables.

Symbols: Scales, cornucopias, and the autumn wreath.

Activities: Apple picking, making wreaths, offering prayers of gratitude, and sharing a feast with loved ones.

Intentions: Reflect on balance in your life, give thanks for your blessings, and set intentions for the darker months ahead.

May you be blessed with abundance and gratitude.

Bisan's recent post. I think it's important for you to read it. Tonight 03.12.23, journalists in gaza share their last messages. There are no words to describe the horrors unfolding in gaza right now.

I no longer have any hope of survival like I had at the beginning of this genocide, and I am certain that I will die in the next few weeks or maybe days. I have been sick with severe viral infection for days and cannot move from the mattress!

I suffer from nightmares that are so closely resemble reality that I no longer differentiate between reality and dream.

I live in a world other than the one I claimed to be building! I am a community activist who lived on the fantasy that the world was free and just, and I sought to bring rights not only to my people, but to many men and women in third world countries!

I was shocked that I was not from the third world! Indeed, we are the most humane and moral! Yes, because the world approves, supports, and finances the genocide we are being subjected to, legislates it, and gives reasons for for 58 days! While we are a people who have been living on occupied land for 75 years and are still searching for our rights and communicating our voice to the world!

My message to the world: You are not innocent of what is happening to us, you as governments or peoples that support Israel’s annihilation of my people. We will not forgive you, we will not forgive you, humanity will not forgive you, we will not forget, even if we die, the history will never forget .

A Message to friends: Thank you and the supporters around the world. You have been compassionate and very strong. We ask you not to lose hope, even if the world seems completely unfair and your efforts have not yet resulted in a ceasefire.

Ostara ～ Wheel of the Year Potion ✧

°˖✧ Here spring, make me grow make me soar ✧˖°

Blessed and blooming Ostara for everyone!!

This little ritual can be performed solo or with your coven and you can use different elements depending on your specific desires.

This Ostara also comes with a beautiful Full Moon (Worm Moon) and is the perfect moment to start your witchy gardens.

Also if you would like to dispose of the eggs after a while, you can just crush them and put them back in the earth where they can keep on bringing you good vibes <3

Hekate: Patreon Comic Stories I

This was the first of the Patreon stories

All our Patrons have access to them but if you want us to illustrate your witchy story , remember its an exclusive benefit from the $20 USD patrons.

Patreon:https://www.patreon.com/witchystuff

•THINGS EVERY NEW WITCH SHOULD KNOW ABOUT WITCHCRAFT•

-PART ONE-

If you’re a new witch, you probably aren’t too sure where to start.

“Which path should I follow?” “Do I have to be wiccan to be a witch?” “When can I join a coven?” “What should I learn first?” “Can I be a witch if I’m a guy?”

First of all, we’ve all been there, so don’t worry. This is a journey we all take. Witchcraft is what you make it.

•RELIGION•

You absolutely DON’T have to be religious to be a witch. I personally am an athiest, so I don’t involve any deities in my craft, however many people do. Witchcraft as it is, is entirely separate to religion, however lots of people choose to practice the two together.

•GENDER•

You DON’T have to be female to be a witch. Anyone who says that is a liar, or misinformed. Your gender doesn’t impact your craft unless you want it too, and if you wish you can even omit all gendered associations from your craft, as I myself do.

There are also arguments surrounding the word “witch”, so to clear it up, the word “witch” itself is gender neutral, so you have the right to identify with that word, regardless of your gender.

•PATHS•

There are many paths a witch can follow, however lots of modern witches are eclectic (take parts from different paths) and wish to have their own tailored path. As an eclectic witch myself, I can’t tell you too much about paths, however there are many pages on the internet that can help you. None of these paths are wrong to follow, and we all have different interpretations.

•COVENS•

Once again, you don’t need to be part of a coven to be a witch. Many people choose to be part of them, however many people choose to be solitary. Being a solitary witch does not exclude you from talking to other witches, or working with other witches from time to time. There are many places for witches to socialise, both on the internet and in person. If you are concerned about learning without a coven, then I would advise you to look into discord. Although most are not covens, there are several witchy servers there, and many are happy to help new witches.

I hope that this has helped answer some of the questions new witches have. This is just the first post in a series, so there are definetely more to lookout for. I wish you the best luck with your craft, and feel free to ask any questions in the comments.

- spindriiffftttttt