Intheserviceofthegods-blog - Something Witchy This Way Comes

Fluorite magical uses:  Purple Fluorite is used to activate the Third Eye Chakra. Use Purple Fluorite to connect with spirit. Wonderful when used to focus meditation, and to protect from evil spirits, and bad dreams. Also helps to relieve stress.

Fluorite, Zeunerite

Locality:

Montoso Quarries, Ortieul, Bagnolo Piemonte, Cuneo Province, Piedmont, Italy

Collection and photo Giuseppe Finello

Merry Meet,

Welcome to my blog. I am going to be posting information that I have collected along the way, as well as reblogging relevant posts, nature photography, and anything else I think fits. I hope some of it helps you along your path.

How to Enchant Items

To enchant an item is to infuse it with magickal energy. This energy can come from a variety of sources, including planets, crystals, herbs, or even yourself. 

Some individuals use the words “enchant” and “charm” synonymously as a way to describe the process of infusing something with energy, but for the sake of this post and due to my own beliefs, you enchant something and it then becomes a charm. Alternately, a charm can be something with its own innate energy, like a crystal or herbal amulet. 

The process of enchanting is extremely versatile and there are many ways to do it successfully, so long as you keep your intent clear in your mind. My personal preference when it comes to enchanting items is to allow 12-24 hours (overnight or a full day) for the item to be infused with energy and become a charm - although, this is completely left up to the individual spell-caster. 

Here are a few ideas on how to enchant items, in no particular order:

Surround the item with crystals of corresponding intent

Surround the item with herbs of corresponding intent 

Place the item in a jar filled with herbs that represent your intent

Place the item in front of a candle and meditate on your intent 

Anoint the item with an oil, charged water, or crystal elixir of corresponding intent 

Hold the item in your hand(s) and visualize it filling with the appropriate energy 

Hold the item in your hand(s) and speak your intent aloud

Craft a sigil or symbol to keep near the item in an envelope or sachet

Write your intention on paper and keep in an envelope with the item 

Pair the item with a corresponding runestone or tarot / oracle card in an envelope 

Take the item and put it in a box with other items that represent your intent such as crystals, herbs, talismans, amulets, etc. 

Bury the item in soil with herbs and/or crystals that match your intent (please don’t put salt on your lawn though, unless you want dead grass)

Pass the item through incense smoke that matches your intent 

Where earth meets sea...

by Kyle Bonallo (instagram)

by Kyle Bonallo (instagram)

Blessed the garden at Beltane, was able to gift my coven with a basket full of zucchini and summer squash. The next day I found these. I can’t wait for my tomatoes to turn.

A Beginner's Guide to Astrology Charts

Here is a guide that might be helpful when you are interpreting an astrology chart. My favorite place to get a free chart online is Astro.com: http://www.astro.com/cgi/atxgen.cgi?btyp=apx& . The link I provided will have both a drawing of your chart and a list of all your planets and houses. When you are first learning how to read a chart, you might want to look at the list first. As you learn more, you can start figuring out how to interpret the chart drawing. All you have to do is input your birthdate, time (if you know it) and place of birth and it will provide you with a list of which sign is in each planet, and which sign/planet is in which house.

Here are a list of each planetary alignment and what it means for your personality:

Sun Sign - Your sun sign is the most commonly known astrology sign. When people tell you their sign, or when you read horoscopes in magazines or the newspaper, this is the sign they will probably use. The sun sign changes once a month. Right now the sun is in Cancer but is going into Leo soon. Your sun sign is your Egoic personality. It is how you most want to seem to others, and the image you portray in the world. It is kind of an umbrella to the rest of your personality, meaning it is an overall look at yourself. People who identify strongly with their sun sign often have the same sign in other parts of their chart. If you don’t feel like your sun sign fits you, that sign might not show up at all in your chart.

Moon Sign - Your moon sign is your inner self. It’s how you process emotions, and how you are when you are not concerned with outer appearances. Most children act more like their moon sign than their sun sign, and eventually pick up more qualities of their sun sign as they mature. People’s moon signs are a good way to look into their hidden selves. Unless you know someone really well, or if they are comfortable revealing emotions, you might not see any evidence of their moon sign in their personality. If someone’s sun sign is the same as their moon sign, their inner and outer self will be in harmony. The sign the moon is in changes every 3 or so days, so people born the same month who have the same sun sign might have a different moon sign.

Ascendant/Rising Sign - Rising signs are the sign that is coming up on the horizon at your time of birth. This changes every few hours, so you will need to know your exact birth time to find out your rising sign/ascendant (Rising sign, ascending sign, and ascendant all mean the same thing). The rising sign is how you come off to others. While the sun sign might be the image you wish to show to the world, the rising sign is the image you actually show to the world, particularly upon first appearance. In my studies, your rising sign depicts how the world first sees you, and in turn how you view the world. In esoteric astrology, your rising sign shows you where in a cycle of lifetimes you are - if your rising sign is Aries, you are on the first of a 12-lifetime cycle, and if your rising sign is Pisces you are on the last of this cycle. Some esoteric astrologers believe each lifetime you live cycles through rising signs in order. Your rising sign is also the sign that is in your first house.

Mercury sign - Your Mercury sign describes how you communicate with others. It also describes your learning style, and how you talk and write.

Venus sign - Your Venus sign describes how you pay attention to beauty, and how you are in relationships. I find that Venus signs also to some extent show what kind of people you are attracted to, and what your home and possessions tend to be like.

Mars sign - Your Mars sign depicts your amount of physical activity. Those with their Mars in fire signs and earth signs tend to be more active and athletic. Mars also relates to how you deal with anger and if you have a temper.

Jupiter sign - Jupiter is the planet of luck and outer success. Jupiter is an expansive planet, and so the sign is this part of your chart will show you how outward your success will be and how your luck will manifest in life. For instance, someone with Jupiter in Virgo would likely not be globally famous but would achieve luck and success through working on their own (Virgo is represented by the Hermit). On the opposite end, someone whose Jupiter is in Gemini would probably experience more outward fame or at least find luck when dealing with other people, because Gemini is a more social sign.

Uranus sign - Uranus is the mad scientist of the zodiac. It represents ingenuity, novelty and change. Whatever sign Uranus is in in your birth chart will show you what sort of changes will come up in your life.

Neptune sign - Your Neptune sign will show you what area of your life will be shrouded in illusion. Neptune is a psychic planet, but it also represents a fog of confusion wherever it shows up in your chart. For instance, someone with Neptune in Capricorn would have a difficult time saving money or being practical. Neptune doesn’t change signs very often, and so is considered a generational sign. Everyone born in a 10-15 year span will have the same Neptune sign, and so it represents issues within that generation.

Pluto sign - Pluto is another generational sign. Pluto, as the ruler of the underworld, represents the darker part of our subconscious. It is what we are here to work on, our karmic path. For example, the Pluto in Scorpio generation (1984-1995) showed an increase in Scorpion ideology - passion, resourcefulness and new age and occultism on the rise. We are currently in the age of Pluto in Capricorn, which shows a focus on the economy and money related issues in general.

Midheaven - Your Midheaven, also shown as M.C. on many charts will show what path your life will take in terms of career. It is often quite accurate! To a degree it is a little similar to Jupiter’s role, but tends to have more to do with our place in society and less with luck.

North node - North node relates to karma. It is what you are here to learn karmically, the traits you need to acquire in this lifetime. Unlike Pluto which is more generational karma, your North Node is quite personal.

South node - On the converse, your south node is what you have already mastered karmically.

There are countless other things to learn in astrology but we will get to those in time. Here is a list of each zodiac sign and what key words best represent it to help you interpret the above info. Note: if you have a planet in a sign that the particular sign is ruled in, that planet will be more amplified in your chart. For instance, having your Mars in Aries, when Aries is ruled by Mars, will make that more of a facet of your personality.

Signs and key words

Aries (ruled by Mars) - action, impulses, independence, fire, physical activity, ambition

Taurus (ruled by Venus) - home life, beauty, love, loyalty, stubbornness, sensuality

Gemini (ruled by Mercury) - learning, communication, social, writer, inquisitive, curiousness

Cancer (ruled by the Moon) - family, belonging, compassion, domesticity, mother, intuition

Leo (ruled by the Sun) - pride, happiness, giving, creativity, children, optimism

Virgo (ruled by Mercury) - mystery, perfectionism, intelligence, helpfulness, hard work, shyness

Libra (ruled by Venus) - partnership, fairness, aesthetic beauty, indecisiveness, open-mindedness, likability

Scorpio (ruled by Pluto) - intensity, passion, resourcefulness, occultism, regeneration, choosiness

Sagittarius (ruled by Jupiter) - adventure, restlessness, philosophy, outspokenness, cheerfulness, irresponsibility

Capricorn (ruled by Saturn) - tenacity, conservativeness, discipline, wisdom, realism, money-conscious

Aquarius (ruled by Uranus) - innovation, individualism, eccentricism, idealism, humanitarianism, coolness

Pisces (ruled by Neptune) - psychic ability, sensitivity, empathy, impressionability, tenderness, dreaminess

Elements

Fire - Aries, Leo, Sagittarius

Earth - Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn

Air - Gemini, Libra, Aquarius

Water - Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces

Useful info for herbs. Thanks

Many Witches and Herbalist love to grow their own herbs/flowers, it will help your home look more lively and you can control the environment for the plant to grow. While growing plants can seems easy, many plants cannot grow indoors, or need special requirements to grow full and healthy.  While herbs such as chives and sage can grow indoors, plants like roses and honeysuckle will grow best during the warm seasons outside. When planning on gardening a new herb, research where would be best to grow them. If you are buying seeds, look on the back of the seed package and it will tell you the best conditions for growing the herb/plant.

Some herbs to grow indoors:

Chives - Plant them in well-drained potting soil that’s rich with organic matter. They can tolerate light shade but do best in full sun 

Mint - Mint can grow in many soil types and degrees of sunlight, but it produces the best leaves in rich soil. It’s a perennial, but its hardiness varies by variety, so check which type you are growing.

Rosemary -  Quick-draining soil is the key to good growth. It’s drought-tolerant. Keep the soil moist but never wet when grown indoors 

Sage - Best grown in full sun and moist, well-drained potting mix

Some plants to grow indoors:

Cactus - adapted to extremely arid and hot climates and have water conserving features

Orchid - most grow best when temperatures drop at night to between 50 and 65 degrees and rise during the day to 65 to 75 degrees

Hibiscus - For best results, keep hibiscus in bright light and warm temperatures near a south or west window. (( also is a bee saver if grown outside!))

African Violet - do better in lower light and will bloom year-round with a minimum of care.

These are just some of the herbs and plants grown indoors, but there are so many more online sources for growing herbs and plants indoors.

Websites that help a beginner with growing and starting: 

Here

here

Lists of magical herbs and plants:

Personal Fav

Another good one

Lists of poisonous herbs and plants:

Poisonous Plants

Common toxic house plants poisonous to pets

Toxic herbs to cats

Poison control for Dogs

Herbs and vitamins dangerous during pregnancy

IF AT ALL YOU FEEL UNSAFE USING A HERB OR PLANT, RESEARCH TO SEE IF THE PLANT IS TOXIC, AND EVEN THEN IF YOU FEEL UNSAFE, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO USE THE HERB OR PLANT!

Here are the direct links to my Google drive for my PDF books.  Keep checking on it as I will be adding to it as time goes on.

Book of Shadows/Grimoires

Classic References

Crowley/Thelema

Deities

Herb/Nature Magick

Hoodoo/Voodoo/Root Work

Magick

Shamanism

Sigils, Signs, and Symbols

Spellwork

Spirit/Other Being Work

Wicca

Witchcraft

World Pagan Practices

PS- Please remember to always consider when a tradition is closed and do not borrow from it.  Now…Reblog, my dears!