GRIMOIRE TIPS&IDEAS

Lunar Phases - Explained 🌙

Because I kind of have my own correspondences for the phases of the moon, I thought I’d explain them here! 

New Moon - the moon is just beginning to become illuminated, so it can correspond with new beginnings, a fresh start, cleansing, exploring new opportunities, newfound health or relationships, finding peace with yourself and moving on - “out with the old and in with the new.”

Waxing Moon - the moon is continuing to grow, becoming more and more visible, so it can correspond with attraction magick, reaching goals, manifestation magick, positive energy, success, wishes, good luck, gaining wealth, and dreams come true. 

First Quarter - this moon is halfway illuminated, on its way to becoming fully illuminated, so it can correspond to balance, and the need to make decisions. 

Full Moon - the moon is fully illuminated, so it can correspond with extra energy, a magickal boost, cleansing, charging, enchanting, performing divination, and honoring lunar deities. 

Third Quarter - this moon is also halfway illuminated, but on its way to becoming invisible in the sky, therefore while it can still correspond with balance, it can also correspond to focusing on the task at hand, banishing, and breaking old habits. 

Waning Moon - the moon is becoming less illuminated, and seems as though it’s disappearing, so it can correspond to generalized negative energy, reflection, introspection, transformation of the self, banishing things, binding others actions or undoing bindings, letting go, moving on, cleansing, breaking bad habits, and finding peace. 

Dark Moon - the moon is completely hidden in the sky, with no illumination at all, so it can correspond to cursing, banishing, binding, seeking justice, reflection of the self, and generalized destruction. 

Blue Moon - this moon is either the third of four full moons in a season, or a second full moon in a month, so it’s appearance can correspond to wishes, dreams, divination, achievement, and focus. 

Black Moon - this moon is an additional new moon that appears in a month or in a season, or the absence of a full moon or of a new moon in a month, therefore it can correspond to extra power and manifestation. 

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.

Basic Tools of the Craft

There are tools that are essential to every religion. And they are usually ceremonial tools that aid in a practitioner’s spiritual journey. Buddhists have their bells, while Christians have their cross. While not a requirement to each one practicing a religion, having the tools strengthen your dedication.

Witchcraft has a wide range of tools, and most are usually those that are placed on an altar, and each almost always represents an element.

What you decide to procure will really depend on your beliefs and what you are comfortable with. It is also important to know that your tools should be treated with respect and reverence since each represents a divine element.

Here are just some of the tools a witch could have at his or her person or altar:

THE ATHAME An Athame is a dagger traditionally with a black handle that is used to cast a circle. It should never be used for cutting or to cause physical harm. The athame represents masculine energy and the element of fire.

THE CHALICE The chalice witches use can come in a goblet styles, or simply any mug and cup, and is used to hold water or wine, which is to be drank after a ritual. The chalice on your altar also represents the element of water.

THE WAND The wand that you use can come in any material that you feel a connection to: wood, bone, or metal. A witch’s wand is very personal, so much so that many Wiccans prefer to fashion themselves their own wand that suits their taste and represents their personality or character. Another option is to buy a Magic Wand. The wand is used to direct energies during a ritual, and represents the element of air.

THE PENTACLE The pentacle is a very powerful and protective symbol in Wicca. On an altar, it can come in the form of either a pendant or a platen. The pentacle represents earth, and is used to cleanse yourself, your surroundings, and all other items on your altar.

You can also use a Pentacle necklace on your altar.

THE CAULDRON Like the chalice, the cauldron represents the element of water. A cauldron can hold many things like water, herbs, incense, and candles, and is very useful when it comes to rituals involving burning and creating small fires. The preferred material for the pot-bellied cauldrons is cast iron. This is mainly due to the fact that cast iron cauldrons can take the heat and don’t crack under high temperatures.

THE BELLS Bells are used to mark passages in a ritual. Try taking a look at spells, you’ll notice most require you to ring a bell once or twice, and also ask you to ring your bell to mark the beginning and the end of a ritual.

THE CANDLES Candles represent the element of fire. A pair of candles also symbolizes the God and the Goddess.

THE BOWLS Having a bowl on your altar represents the element of earth. A bowl can hold water, sea salt, and oils. It is important to have a bowl that can hold sea salt, since a small bowl of sea salt on your altar can cleanse your other tools for magick, and also any possession you have that you feel is holding negative energy.

Smudging bowls are essential for magickal working.

INCENSE

Incense symbolizes the element of air. It is used to clear energy, cleanse, and call in energies.

THE CRYSTALS Each crystal holds a different energy. Crystals enhance the power of your spells, and keeping a variety of crystals on your altar will help you in various rituals.

THE BROOM A broom is very symbolic of sweeping energy and keeping negative and unwanted energies out of your space.

There are so many more tools in Witchcraft that you can use to enhance your spiritual journey and your magickal workings. What I mentioned are just the essentials, and you can add to them as you progress in your journey.

Before you begin using each tool, it is important that you clear and cleanse it. And make sure that you treat each with respect and care, as it represents a divine element. Some witches, including myself, don’t allow others to touch their tools and crystals and supplies to prevent any unwanted energy from absorbing into these things. You can make the choice yourself for your items obviously, but keep in mind that you should keep your tools and supplies full of light energies!

Mini Interview (or good luck) Spell Bottle

Made this jar bottle for my dad to take to his interview for a different position at his work. He got the call today and he starts in a few weeks! He said he felt a lot less nervous going in and that he’s never felt so comfortable and confident at an interview before.

Ingredients

- sweet orange essential oil: for confidence - frankincense essential oil: for good luck and to reduce stress - cinnamon: for prosperity, wealth and a spell booster - bay leaf: for success, good fortune, achieving a goal and wishes - sage: fulfills wishes - black pepper: for courage - nutmeg: for luck and prosperity - green candle: for money, prosperity, growth and luck - Fe rune: represents prosperity, promotion, and aids in finding a job - green paint

Directions

1. Add black pepper to the jar and light your green candle 2. write your wish on bay leaf, burn it and add the ashes to the jar or crumble it up or roll it and put it in the jar 3. Add pieces of cinnamon sticks or cinnamon powder, sage and nutmeg 4. add a few drops of frankincense and sweet orange essential oil 5. cap your bottle and seal the jar with the green candle wax. 6. sprinkle ground nutmeg onto wax before it dries 7. paint or draw on Fe Rune. I used acrylic paint and a dotting tool for nail art to paint it on.

                  𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘭𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘮𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘺, 𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘩𝘶𝘯𝘨𝘳𝘺. 𝘍𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 any 𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯/𝘷𝘦𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘯.

𝟷 (½) 𝚌𝚞𝚙𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝙲𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚝𝚜 𝟷 (½) 𝚌𝚞𝚙𝚜 𝙿𝚘𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚘𝚎𝚜 𝟷 (½) 𝚝𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚙𝚘𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝙲𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚗 𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚗 𝚙𝚘𝚠𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝟻 𝚙𝚒𝚎𝚌𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚗 𝚕𝚎𝚐𝚜 𝚘𝚛 𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚂𝚊𝚕𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙿𝚎𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎 (½) 𝚊 𝚌𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚐𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚒𝚌 (½) 𝚘𝚏 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝙾𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝟷 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚔 𝚘𝚏 𝚁𝚘𝚜𝚎𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚢 𝟷 𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚔 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚢𝚖𝚎 𝟷 𝚌𝚞𝚙 𝚘𝚏 𝙼𝚒𝚕𝚔 𝟸 𝚌𝚞𝚙𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚆𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝙾𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚘𝚒𝚕

𝟷. 𝙿𝚛𝚎𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚝 𝚊 𝚙𝚘𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚎𝚗𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚕𝚊𝚛𝚐𝚎 𝚎𝚗𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚟𝚘𝚕𝚞𝚖𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚙 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚒𝚜𝚑 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚎. 𝙼𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚘𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚑𝚘𝚝 𝚎𝚗𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚊𝚞𝚝é 𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚐𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚒𝚌.

𝟸. 𝙾𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚘𝚝 𝚒𝚜 𝚑𝚘𝚝 𝚎𝚗𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑, 𝚍𝚛𝚒𝚣𝚣𝚕𝚎 𝚊 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚛𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚎 𝚊𝚖𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚘𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚘𝚒𝚕. 𝙼𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚊 𝚙𝚞𝚍𝚍𝚕𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚘𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚘𝚒𝚕. 𝙲𝚛𝚞𝚜𝚑 𝚑𝚊𝚕𝚏 𝚊 𝚌𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚐𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚒𝚌 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚙𝚊𝚕𝚖 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚛𝚘𝚠 𝚒𝚝 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚙𝚘𝚝. 𝚂𝚕𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚑𝚊𝚕𝚏 𝚊 𝚠𝚑𝚒𝚝𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚐𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚒𝚌 𝚊𝚜 𝚠𝚎𝚕𝚕. 𝚂𝚝𝚒𝚛 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚕𝚢 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚛𝚊𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚙𝚎𝚛𝚖𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚘𝚘𝚖.

𝟹. 𝙾𝚗𝚌𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚜𝚙𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚝, 𝚜𝚊𝚞𝚝é 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚗 𝚕𝚎𝚐𝚜/𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚐𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚒𝚌 (𝚘𝚛 𝚊𝚗𝚢 𝚟𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚗/𝚟𝚎𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚊𝚗 𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚠𝚒𝚜𝚑 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚞𝚋𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚝𝚞𝚝𝚎). 𝙼𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚜 𝚜𝚕𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚕𝚢 𝚋𝚛𝚘𝚠𝚗, 𝚊𝚍𝚍 𝚊 𝚋𝚒𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚛 𝚒𝚏 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚛𝚎𝚍(𝚋𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎𝚏𝚞𝚕 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚋𝚞𝚛𝚗)--𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚜𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚘𝚗 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚜𝚊𝚕𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚙𝚎𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚛.

𝟹.𝟻) 𝚆𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚗 𝚒𝚜 𝚌𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚐𝚊𝚛𝚕𝚒𝚌, 𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚙 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚝𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚙𝚘𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚘𝚎𝚜. (𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚢 𝚢𝚘𝚞 𝚌𝚞𝚝 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚝𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚘𝚗𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜 𝚒𝚜 𝚞𝚙 𝚝𝚘 𝚢𝚘𝚞. 𝙸 𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚙 𝚖𝚢 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚝𝚜 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚌𝚒𝚛𝚌𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚔𝚎𝚎𝚙 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚔𝚒𝚗 𝚘𝚗 𝚖𝚢 𝚙𝚘𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚘𝚎𝚜).

𝟺. 𝚂𝚊𝚞𝚝é 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚝𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚙𝚘𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚘𝚎𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚜𝚑.

𝟻. 𝙽𝚘𝚠 𝚊𝚍𝚍 𝚎𝚗𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚠𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚞𝚋𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚐𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜. 𝚂𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚌𝚊𝚗 𝚙𝚎𝚊𝚔 𝚘𝚞𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚎 𝚊 𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚕𝚎 𝚋𝚒𝚝, 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚒𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚍𝚘𝚎𝚜 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚜𝚞𝚋𝚓𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚌𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝟾𝟶% 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚛𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚜, 𝚒𝚝 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚋𝚎𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚠-𝚕𝚒𝚔𝚎 𝚛𝚊𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚗 𝚊 𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚙.

𝟼. 𝙽𝚘𝚠 𝚊𝚍𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚌𝚔𝚎𝚗 𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚗 𝚙𝚘𝚠𝚍𝚎𝚛, 𝚛𝚘𝚜𝚎𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚢, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚢𝚖𝚎. 𝙻𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚎𝚍𝚒𝚞𝚖 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚝, 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚒𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚌𝚞𝚖 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚏𝚊𝚌𝚎𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚊 𝚌𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚙. 𝚂𝚝𝚒𝚛 𝚘𝚌𝚌𝚊𝚜𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚒𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚒𝚐𝚒𝚕 𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚠𝚗 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚠. 𝚆𝚑𝚒𝚕𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚛𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐, 𝚛𝚎𝚙𝚎𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠𝚒𝚗𝚐 "𝚃𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚙 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚜 𝚠𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚢 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚜."

𝟽. 𝚁𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚘𝚏 𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚙 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛 𝚠𝚎𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚜 𝚘𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚑𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚝. 𝙿𝚞𝚝 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚎𝚏𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚝 𝚒𝚗𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚙 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚍 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚊𝚒𝚕𝚜 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚕.

𝟾. 𝚀𝚞𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚕𝚢 𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚌𝚔 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚜𝚘𝚏𝚝 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚝𝚜 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚙𝚘𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚘𝚎𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚎. 𝙸𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚝𝚜 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚊 𝚋𝚒𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚏𝚒𝚛𝚖𝚗𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚋𝚞𝚝 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚏𝚝 𝚎𝚗𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚝𝚘 𝚙𝚘𝚔𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚊 𝚏𝚘𝚛𝚔, 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚙 𝚑𝚊𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚌𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐 𝚎𝚗𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑. 𝙸𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚛𝚘𝚝𝚜 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚖𝚞𝚜𝚑𝚢--𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚒𝚝'𝚜 𝚋𝚎𝚎𝚗 𝚌𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚎𝚍 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚝𝚘𝚘 𝚕𝚘𝚗𝚐--𝚒𝚏 𝚑𝚊𝚛𝚍, 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚞𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚘𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐.

𝟿. 𝙶𝚒𝚟𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚘𝚞𝚙 𝚊 𝚋𝚒𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚊 𝚝𝚊𝚜𝚝𝚎 𝚝𝚎𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚊𝚍𝚍 𝚖𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚋𝚘𝚞𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚗 𝚙𝚘𝚠𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚛 𝚜𝚊𝚕𝚝/𝚙𝚎𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚛 𝚋𝚊𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚗 𝚢𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚏𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚗𝚌𝚎.

𝟷𝟶. 𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚊𝚕 𝚜𝚝𝚎𝚙 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚊𝚍𝚍 𝚊 𝚋𝚒𝚝 𝚘𝚏 𝚖𝚒𝚕𝚔, 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚎𝚗𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑 𝚠𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚕𝚘𝚛 𝚒𝚜 𝚊 𝚠𝚊𝚛𝚖 𝚢𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚘𝚠.

Enjoy!

Treat!

Treat!

In honor of the full moon tonight- here are some witchy things to do!

Full Moon Witchy Activities:

Put out water, juice, or liquor to be charged (in sealed containers ideally). Moon charged juice and liquor is excellent for holiday cocktails!

Divination: Tarot, runes, scrying, shufflemancy, whatever you feel! It’s especially a good time to test out a new divination style you’ve been thinking about.

Bake full moon cookies! You can either focus on mixing and baking during the full moon (mix your dough near a window or outside) or bake before the sun goes down and leave the cookies to cool and charge near a window!

Collect autumn leaves and seedlings under the full moon. Use for Samhain wishes.

Set crystals or tools out to charge on a windowsill or porch.

Bring your spirit working tools outside (skulls, bones, memento moris, powders/oils, pendulums, spirit boards, cards, etc.) and work on your spirit communication during the height of the full moon.

Tend to your garden area during the full moon (depending on the season; weeding, planting, harvesting, fertilizing, etc.)

Craft a new tool like a wand, broom, witch’s ladder, scrying mirror, etc.

Reinforce/renew your wards and property protections.

Channel full moon energy for writing, drawing, sculpting, sewing, knitting, composing, etc.

Make a cup of tea or hot chocolate and step outside or near a window with it while it cools. Offer it to the moon for charging with prosperity and health. Drink it slowly.

Enjoy the moon. Treasure the moon. Thank the moon. Love the moon. The moon knows you are a fantastic witch regardless of what others (even youself) think. The moon loves you.

Spells To Do For Each Phase of the Moon

New Moon: Spells related to personal growth, manifestation, abundance, fertility, new relationships, grounding, and stability.

Waxing Crescent: Spells related to success, growth, attraction, communication, and intellect.

First Quarter: Spells related to courage, motivation, breaking bad habits, passion, and creativity.

Waxing Gibbous: Spells related to balance, organization, completion, emotional healing, and intuition.

Full Moon: Spells related to love, intuition, psychic abilities, abundance, protection, releasing negative energy, and grounding.

Waning Gibbous: Spells related to banishing, breaking bad habits, releasing negative energy, and communication.

Last Quarter: Spells related to endings, closure, forgiveness, passion, and creativity.

Waning Crescent: Spells related to rest, renewal, dream work, divination, emotional healing, and intuition.

My Ko-Fi

✨ cleansing spray ✨

yesterday i was feeling way too icky and after tidying my room, a nice cleansing shower i decided to cleanse my room as well.

✨ what you’ll need ✨

— water (i personally used sun water)

- two pinches of rosemary for healing and purification.

- two pinches of basil for love and protection.

- two pinches of sage for cleansing and healing.

- two pinches of salt for cleansing and protection.

- empty spray bottle

- 10 drops of lavender essential oil to combat anxiety and depression

- 10 drops of ylang-ylang essential oil to combat anxiety, depression and to ease the mind.

✨ what to do ✨

- put two pinches of rosemary, basil, salt, and sage into a mortar and grind with with pestle into a course powder.

- will spray bottle with water.

- pour herbs into bottle.

- add 10 drops of lavender and ylang ylang essential oil.

- shake bottle and spray in four corners of your room and door way.

blessed be!

when the whole house got the autism

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(