Just Ask Them! No One Knows The Fae’s Reasons Better Than The Fae!

And also Pyrite, aka Fool’s Gold! It creates hydrochloric acid when placed in water!

Crystals To NEVER Cleanse In Water:

Selenite

Jade

Calcite

Pearl

Hematite

Malachite

Tangerine quartz

Charoite

Angelite

Rhodocrosite

Lodestone

Gypsum

Fluorite

Azurite

Celestite

Lepidolite

Himalayan salt rock

These crystals will start to dissolve, get cracked, or release toxins if you place them in water.

Hello! I’m Mai!

I’m restarting my blog from scratch, after a too-long hiatus, and I figured an introduction was in order.

I go by Mai on this blog, and I recently came out of the broom closet in a family of (very accepting) Christians. I’m a faerie witch, and I love plants and excel at divination. This blog will focus on those and basics, and the grimoire. That being said, this is a safe place, so no terfs, no racists, etc. Fight me.

My hobbies are drawing, writing, and making jewelry. I live in that one awkward part of the US where we aren’t really the South, but aren’t really Midwest either. I’m currently trying to balance 97 different things during this pandemic (including the pandemic 🥲).

I am here for any witches who need me, or are in a situation similar to mine- broom closeted, or trying to transition out of it. Feel free to drop an ask!

Edit: I have created a Silmarilion sideblog, so if you enjoy my Silmarilion content, go there. @mai-youdumbass

Intuition

Intuition is your greatest tool, folks. If you have a bad feeling about something, you probably shouldn’t do it. If your intuition tells you that you have a malignant faerie harassing you at night and that it’s about to do more, you should probably get rid of it! If your intuition says you have more than one faerie in your house, investigate! You might make a new friend. Long story short, go with your gut.

Let’s talk about Altars ✨

Altars are the space where a witch practices their craft. It can hold a good deal of things, divided in any way that a witch sees fit. Some divide by directions, some by deities. Some divide by a way known only to them it’s up to you!

Let’s take my altar for instance:

All my witchy ingredients tucked safely underneath

My cauldron; a square clay pot I made in junior year

Lots of offerings on the right side of my altar

Things to represent the faeries I work with on the right

My wand

Decorations for Beltane

A couple specialty items

My altar will look completely different from yours, or even someone who works different from you!

Set your altar up in a way that makes you feel the most comfortable!

It’s a beautiful chunk of quartz.. smokey white quartz.. it looks like a dragon egg, though.. just a little bit.

The first 5 cards in my oracle deck, taken at 11pm- behold! The Silmarilion! I’ve already lore dropped on another post, so I won’t dump my nerdiness on y’all.

@raointean the people shall decide

A Practical Guide to Herbology

Lesson One: Medicinal Teas

When I was first starting out with herbology, I was living in a small village in Croatia with a total population of less than 100 people. We depended on homemade teas, salves and medicines to heal us since the nearest hospital was two hours away. We treated ourselves with the power of herbs, gifted to us by the Earth.

These days, we can purchase all the tools we need to grow both common and exotic plants. Dried herbs are also another good option, especially for those that cannot grow their own. And with these tools, we can craft our own medicines. 

For the first lesson, I’m going to focus on something simple: the art of crafting medicinal tea. 

Creating Tea Blends

When starting out with creating medicinal teas, it’s important to understand how each ingredient interacts with our bodies. Be sure that you’re not allergic to any of your herbs and that they won’t interact poorly with any prescribed medications that you’re on. For example, those who are diabetic should not take angelica root; folks who are allergic to ragweed should avoid chamomile. 

Here’s a list of common herbs and their functions for the purposes of crafting medicinal teas:

Angelica Root: Soothes colds and flu, reduces phlegm and fever. (Do not use if you are diabetic)

Basil: Eases headaches, indigestion, muscle spasms, insomnia; reduces stress and tension

Blackberry Leaves or Roots: Reduces diarrhea

Catnip: Soothes teething pain, colic, diarrhea, indigestion, anxiety, insomnia. (May cause drowsiness. Avoid if on Lithium or sedatives)

Calendula (marigold): Reduces fevers, soothes indigestion, gastrointestinal cramps, flu; antiseptic. (May cause drowsiness. Avoid if on sedatives)

Cayenne Pepper: Soothes coughs, colds, arthritis (topical), nerve pain, fever, flu; expectorant. (Avoid taking with medications that contain Theophylline).

Chamomile: Reduces insomnia, anxiety, stress, fever, indigestion; aids with sleep and pain relief. (May decrease effectiveness of birth control pills and some cancer medications, may increase the effects of warfarin; avoid if you are taking medications for your liver)

Cinnamon Bark: Soothes sore throats and coughs; anti-inflammatory (Avoid taking with diabetes medications)

Dandelion Root: Detoxifying, aids digestion, relieves constipation, laxative. (Avoid if on antibiotics, lithium or water pills)

Dandelion Leaf: Mild diuretic, potassium-rich (Avoid if on medication for liver)

Elderberries: Wards off colds and flu

Ginger: Eases morning sickness, nausea, colic, indigestion, diarrhea, fever, sore throats. (Avoid taking with medications that slow blood clotting)

Ginkgo: Relieves anxiety, vertigo, tinnitus; improves circulation, helps concentration; helps PMS. (Avoid taking with ibuprofen or with medications that slow blood clotting; numerous medications have interactions with ginkgo so speak to your specialist before use)

Ginseng: Aphrodisiac, mild stimulant, boosts immune system. (Do not take with medications that slow blood clotting, and avoid taking with diabetes medications or with MAO inhibitors)

Goldenrod: Relieves gout and cramps

Lavender: Reduces anxiety, headaches, tension, stress, indigestion, IBS; antibacterial; antiseptic; disinfectant (May cause drowsiness; avoid if on sedatives)

Lemon balm: Relieves anxiety, cold sores, colic, insomnia, restlessness, indigestion; boosts memory (May cause drowsiness, avoid taking with sedatives)

Nettle: Reduces hay fever and arthritis; diuretic. (Avoid taking with diabetes medications, medications for high BP, sedatives, medications that slow blood clotting, and lithium)

Peppermint: Relieves nausea, anxiety, indigestion, IBS, colic, diarrhea, fever, coughs, colds; anesthetic (Avoid if you have acid-reflux disease; avoid taking with cyclosporine; avoid if on liver medications)

Pine Needles: Expectorant; antiseptic; relieves coughs, colds, fever and congestion

Rosemary: Improves focus, memory, concentration, BP, circulation; antiseptic; antidepressant; eases indigestion

Thyme: Antibacterial, antiseptic, eases coughs and colds, expectorant (Do not take with medications that slow blood clotting)

Recipes

For those starting out, here are a few recipes for common ailments. As you start making your own teas, you’ll learn which blends of herbs work best for your body. Keep track of which ingredients and combinations are successful - with each steep, you get closer and closer to crafting your perfect personalized medicine cabinet.

Anxiety Relief - ½ tsp chamomile - ½ tsp lemon balm Cold Relief - ½ tsp elderberry flower - ½ tsp thyme Mood Booster - ½ tsp lavender - ½ tsp catnip - ½ tsp rosemary Cramp Relief - ½ tsp basil - ½ tsp calendula (marigold) - ½ tsp goldenrod Indigestion Relief - ½ tsp ginger - ½ tsp lemon balm - ½ tsp peppermint Expectorant - ½ tsp pine needles - ½ tsp nettle leaf - ½ tsp angelica root Insomnia - ½ tsp chamomile - ½ tsp catnip - ½ tsp lavender Sore Throat Relief - ½ tsp cinnamon (or half a stick) - ½ tsp ginger - 1 tbsp honey Fever Break - ¼ tsp cayenne pepper - ½ tsp angelica root Flu Relief - ½ tsp calendula (marigold) - ½ tsp lemon balm

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Photographs are under the Creative Commons License. Content is from my grimoire and is embedded with information from a variety of sources over the years. 

Updated 7 March 2018 with relevant warnings and to be consistent with other posts in this series.

Warnings:  All plant material should be sourced appropriately and responsibly for your own safety and well-being. Be certain that you are purchasing food-grade ingredients from a reliable retailer or supplier. Along these lines, not all dried herbs are meant for consumption so please be on the lookout for “external use only” labels - you do not want those products for this.

Do your own research regarding medicinal plants and usage, especially if you are sensitive or have allergies of any kind. If you are on medication(s), consult a doctor before use.

Finally, medicinal teas are a health supplement and not a substitution for professional medical and psychiatric aid. If you are experiencing any prolonged health and/or mental health issues, SEE A DOCTOR.

Look guys I'm not dead! Tumblr just screwed up with my account, an my life went nuts for a while , but I'm back!

Spell for a Snow Day(s)

So the weatherman kept telling my area to expect 1-3 inches of snow, and that we probably wouldn’t have school tomorrow. Well, the day comes.. and no snow. The next week, he says to expect MORE snow. The day comes.. powder. Like, powdered sugar. A light dusting. So, I decided, if the weatherman is going to tell me it’s gonna snow, I’ll have a little magic on my side to encourage it to snow! So I made a spell. It brings about FAVORABLE CONDITIONS for a snow day or two.

It’s good for us closet witches, because a it’s a subtle spell, and no one will know, unless people are routinely riffling through your pillows.

You need:

a sigil for snow day,

your bed,

and that’s it.

First, write down your sigil. Charge it with your hopes and prayers for a snow day and all the rest and relaxation that comes with it. The stronger your intent, the more snow days you are likely to have (I ended up with two).

Second, put it under your pillow when you’re getting ready for bed.

Thirdly, go to sleep. We all know snow doesn’t fall in generous amounts when we’re awake. Sleep on it for one week, and you will end up with a lovely snow day! Or two!

Don’t recast this spell after casting initially for a few weeks. Mother Nature may saddle you with a blizzard, and us folks here in the Midwest region don’t need any more blizzards, thank you.