Cosmic Friends Earrings By AbovearthAU

Spell Energetics: How to Apply the concept of Herbal Energetics to your spell work

Note: I'm drawing here from my knowledge of herbal energetics as they are recognized in multiple herbalism systems, my knowledge of astrology, and the concepts of sympathetic magic - if this isn't your thing, please just move along.

The four elements and the concepts of Energetics run consistently through the framework of much of the Western magic systems but it's something that is often overlooked. Suppose rather than relegating the elements to something that we call upon ritualistically to join us in our magic works (or, that must be represented on an altar), we instead stop and consider what they are, and what they do. In that case, we can gain a deeper understanding of how magic works on a human being.

The idea of the four elements and their associated qualities (dry, warm, cool, and moist - now known as herbal energetics) comes from the Athenian philosopher Aristotle. The fire element is warm, the earth element is cool, the air element is dry, and the water element is wet. This shows a remarkable difference from the modern astrological association of earth being opposed to water, and air to fire as it is shown on the astrological wheel; here, hot is opposed to cold (fire to earth) and dry to wet (air to water). It is worth noting that this can be somewhat proven through action - earth puts out fire, for instance. Today, we understand that there is more to healthfulness than balancing energetics (thank you antibiotics, vaccines, and insert your favorite modern medical miracle here) but there are still a number of views on wellness that encourage considering them. Maybe someday I will write more of this and how it relates to synastry, but let's focus on how this can be used in magic.

From here, we need to take a dive into modern herbalism. Why are we doing this? Because most people use all sorts of herbal components as ingredients in our spells and many of our correspondences have their roots in how that plant matter interacts with the human body. One of the major considerations when choosing an herb is what its Action is on the human body. These actions include Heating (Warm/Fire), Cooling (Cool/Water), Drying (Dry/Air), and Wetting (Moist/Water).

We use these actions all of the time without even knowing that we are doing them. Most cocktail people know that you want to drink a Mint Julip in the summer to cool you down (mint is a Cooling herb). On the other hand, if you need a pick me up, Chai tea which is full of warming herbs - even noncaffeinated versions like Bengal Spice - does the trick. The marshmallow (a Moist herb) does the coating of the throat in "Throat Coat" tea. The conditions of warm/cool/dry/moist are so normal to use as human beings that we tend to overlook them and adjust for them automatically.

With this in mind, I want to bring up a few ways in which this can be applied in witchcraft.

Warm is nice and pleasant. A lot of the warming herbs are used in money and sex magic - they make us feel good. But, like any good thing, they might need to be consumed in moderation. Candles carry the innate action of warmth and just think about how important fire safety is. Some herbs that warm cannot always be handled with bare hands (spicy peppers cause capsaicin burns) and these have long-documented uses in baneful magics of all kinds.

Cool magic can be used to calm and control. It can be used to put a particular situation on ice so that you don't have to deal with it. It can bring down fevers. It can soothe bad tempers and hot-headedness. It can preserve. It can also protect and insulate.

Dry magic can also be used to preserve. It can dry up emotions and stifle passion. It can draw out something or draw something away from a situation. It can create space.

Moist magic can be overflowing and generous. It can also be stagnant and suffocating. Moisture can revive life. It can also drown it.

It is worth noting that all aspects of these factors are always present in our lives. And they don't exist in a vacuum - everything is a combination of the two Aristotlean categories: you have Warm Moist or Warm Dry, and Cool Moist or Cool Dry.

We use these principles in magic all of the time. Anytime that you are using a liquid in a jar spell, you are applying the concept of Moist. If you are applying salt or rice to drain an object, you are using the concept of Dry. A freezer spell is an obvious example of Cool and any time that you are burning something you are using the concept of Warm.

But let's go a step further. If you are trying to do a warming spell, wouldn't it make sense to use specifically only warming herbs - or, at least - herbs that don't counteract Warmth (aka abstain from using cooling herbs?). Remember, these herbs have a natural and calculable effect on the human body so one would assume that, when used as part of a spell directed at a human body, they will have a similar effect. Even if you're a total candle head (I get it - I LOVE candle magic), consider not adding a candle to a spell meant to freeze somebody out.

When casting a hex, it is worth considering whether you want to burn them out with fire or take the slower more calculated path of ice. (Stop me from quoting Robert Frost here...) If you need to separate a couple who thrives on relationship conflict, drying them out could be a good option - more specifically, I'd probably use cool/dry.

Really we are getting into the basics of all sympathetic magic: using a thing that has an obvious effect to transfer that effect, through our spell, to the spell's intended target. This is why I have been very specific in saying that this applies to magic cast on a human being - here we are using the principles of Energetics and how they affect humans. For a spell on an animal or your house, entirely different sympathetic principles would apply.

The next time that you are choosing between two herbs that are said to have the same associations, consider whether one might be better than the other based on the Energetic nature of that plant. You might find a whole new level of casting open up to you.

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RETURN TO SENDER SPELLS

Return to Sender (RTS) spells are a great way to send back any negativity sent towards you, whether this be a hex, a curse, the evil eye, or just someone sending general bad vibes your way. You don't have to put up with that. Send it right back to them. I do not follow any wiccan redes, nor do I believe in the rule of three because it does not apply to me or my practice. If you are justified in your actions, hex them. If they sent you nasty shit, send that shit right back where it came from. It's like Mike Wazowski from Monsters Inc.

Send that shit right back!

I'm going to give you a couple RTS spells to try out, They all send shit back but it's your preference.

Return To Sender #1

1 black candle 1 white candle protection sigil cinnamon garlic juniper black salt cayenne pepper

carve "return to sender" into the black candle and dress with juniper, black salt, cayenne pepper

carve protection sigil into white candle (or put candle on top of sigil on paper) and dress with cinnamon and garlic.

light both and say "as this flame burns bright, so does my protection grow stronger. as this candle burns down, this energy will return to it's sender ten fold.

(any substitutes that may be needed for juniper or black salt or whatnot, just use herbs or spices that correspond to banishing.

Reflect a Hex

(Return to sender #2)

1 Protection candle 1 black candle paper and pen black salt small mirror

write target's name/birthday on paper and fold away from you.

Place black salt on mirror, covering it completely

scrape some away in the middle so the paper can stand up in a '/' shape

Light black candle (off to side) and say: "I reflect this spell back to you, enemy estranged. All harm and ill intent is yours to obtain. so mote it be"

How do I prevent this shit in the first place?

Make baneful wards. Create wards and protections that send back all negativity that is "not of your highest good" so that maybe anything you view as troublesome can get in BUT it will be for character development and growth. Any negativity sent for no damn reason except to be shitty will be sent back.

Hell, make your ward catch their bullshit, charge it up for a while, and send it back 10 times stronger. Make them regret it.

Baneful Wards that Bite Back

(please, for the love of fuck, do this outside)

. personal item or taglock of the person bothering you . florida water (to ignite, literally, this spell will literally go up in flames. Also for protection and warding) . dragons blood (banishing negativity) . defensive sigil (or protection sigil) . 3 juniper berries (for returning negativity back to sender) . rosemary (protection) . vervain (protection from harm)

Crush taglock and mix with florida water, rosemary, vervain, and dragons blood.

form mixture into your defensive sigil

pop the juniper berries in the middle

set it on fire and let it burn itself out.

bury remains.

2013

When it comes to kitchen magic (or really witchcraft in general), people get too hung up in correspondences, esp when first starting out. And I think focusing too heavily on correspondences is what ends up making people feel like they cant advance their craft.

In my opinion part of it is "you need to make your own correspondences". Sure some rosemary in a stew might work for healing or purification, but do you also associate the herb that way? I think of my beautiful rosemary bushes over the years, tying and drying their branches, the beautiful scent, previous spells I have done. It feels me with a certain feeling of safety that I can then channel into my work.

When it comes to cooking, I feel like it's a lot of energy work. All spell work incorporates our energies in some way, I especially feel it with cooking. Your hands and cooking tools are vessels to transfer your energy. You transfer your energy when you knead bread, cut veggies, wash the rice, stir the soup, you get the idea. Yes you can focus on a specific mantra, but the point is you don't always have to do that. You using your energy to change ingredients into something new, something nourishing for the body, is magic in and of itself.

I also use my energy to charm my tools instead of individual meals/drinks. A special tea cup charmed with a spell to bring me relaxation doesn't need me to do a small spell or mantra every time I make a cup of tea (because I would forget to do that anyways). Instead it holds the calming energies I have already given it until I feel it needs to be charged again. A favorite soup stirring spoon is going to spread my love to every meal I make using it just because it has picked up my own energy throughout its use.

I think just accepting the magic of the everyday and of your energy is esp important for those of us who feel like we have less spoons. Me cooking uses enough of my precious energy, but it's something I do out of love and because I enjoy it. That's where the real magic is.

Enchanting a Pendant

Protection edition

Don’t get me wrong, I love a good crystal necklace but you don’t get much say in what intentions it manifests and the energy it releases. Enchanting a pendant can open a whole new realm of possibilities using herbs, stones and candles to bring in all the energies that you wish to carry with you in a single necklace.

For this beautiful cicada pendant I wanted it to bring me protection, luck and power.

What you’ll need

A black candle - I used two

Protection herbs and incense: I used a bay leaf, black salt, dragons blood and lavender

For power I used snake skin and for good luck I used cinnamon - these intentions were secondary so I only used a single herb for each

Protective crystals: I used black tourmaline and clear quartz

Steps:

Cleanse your space in your preferred method

Get in the right headspace: you can do this by meditating on your intentions

Set up your alter with the surrounding the pendant with crystals and your black candle. Light them up

Call on any spirit guides to aid you, and begin focusing on your intention

Touch the pendant, ask it for aid and begin envisioning your energy seep into it as you focus

Sprinkle each herb onto your pendant - setting your intention with each one. Tell your pendant what the herb will do

Do the same thing with your crystals, touch them and then your pendant. Infusing those vibes

Talk to your pendant - reiterate what you want, thank it, etc

Let it sit on your alter. Allow the herbs and crystals to stay with it until your candle finishes burning

Protection is so important! And having a pendant that you personally enchant is so powerful! Why not give your favourite necklace a little magic?

Bonus extra step:

Every morning before I put any necklace on I always give the pendant a little kiss and ask it for aid in my day. It just feels right haha

Do you have any advice for how to strengthen ones spirit hearing, or is it just something you're born with/given?

I was not born with it. I did not have magical experiences until I was in my 20s.

I hope this doesn't sound pedantic, but the best way to improve is to practice and learn about it.

Learning about all different types of spiritual communication from many faiths is important because it provides a more stable and well-rounded foundation. Knowing what others believe can give us insight into what we're doing and how to strengthen our own practices.

And you just gotta practice. I've put in hundreds of hours of active practice (at least). I don't just mean like, trying psychic techniques. I mean just talking to spirits.

I'm having trouble understanding correspondences- what makes a plant associated with Jupiter, for example? Is there any reading you'd suggest for a better understanding of these things? Thank you

Oh, I am like the literal worst witch to ask on something like this -- because I'm not a materialist when it comes to correspondences. I'm not of the opinion that particular materials have inherent associations.

Now, a lot of people don't agree with me on this though -- so you might want to ask other people.

I personally believe that materials have correspondences because the witch using them in their magic give them that meaning... well, I'm more of an animist so I think we convince the materials they have that meaning, but close enough.

Now things like herbs often get correspondences because they're literal chemicals acting with physical properties, but in my experience a lot of correspondence lists (like, say, candle colors) are unsourced, unexplained things likely pulled out of someones ass thirty to forty years ago and repeated without questioning by the witches who came after.

So yeah. "Things only mean things because we tell them to mean things" is where I come down in the debate. But believe me, it is very much a debate in the community.

Longtime lurker coming back to witchblr for like...the third or fourth time.

This blog will be mostly a personal resource and notebook while I try to redefine the witchcraft practice I had going on many years ago, when I was a lot more active. I'm doing a lot of reexamining of beliefs to try and quantify what I actually want out of this and why it keeps calling me back. My focus is heavily nature-based, very local, some beginner herbalism, with a big side of home/hearth/kitchen workings. Animism and spirit work are also big interests, though I'm tentatively dipping my toes into learning about that and maybe bringing it into my practice. Angels as well, though from a secular standpoint.

I ask myself this a lot lately: is everything exactly what it seems?

The mind and the senses kind of naturally rail against those spirits we engage with that can't be categorized or rationalized easily - not the unknown, but rather the can't-be-known.

Some things have no name, others have no form. On a very surface level, we work to let go of expectations so we can see what's really there. In a deeper sense, I believe we have to continue to cast aside these constraints we put on the spirits we engage with, and our way of perceiving them.

Spirit work involves a lot of fighting against our own apophenia - a need to distort by forcing into form and creating connections that aren't there. It's really easy to want to assign name and nature to something that can't fit neatly into a box.

It's a fact that we will make mistakes, be mistaken about the nature of, or identity of, a spirit at some point in the journey. The trick is to keep peeling away the layers, until pretty wrappings and trappings fall away and we can see what's really in front of us.

Don't blink. Don't be afraid to take yourself apart. Let yourself, and the spirits around you, become complicated.

Kitchen Witchery: Elminx's Anti-anxietea

In honor of eclipse season, I wanted to share a recipe to bring your buzz down a notch (or two). I've been drinking this nervine tea for nearly five years now; it features all of my favorite herbal flavors! I'm not going to go into detailed herbal profiles for each of these botanicals, but I suggest looking into them more if you are curious. I think learning the basics of herbalism can greatly benefit the kitchen witch.

Each of these ingredients can be found in any decent grocery store, bought online, or grown yourself. The combination is designed with flavor and herbal actions in mind; it's not a measure of exact ingredients - mix with your heart. All of these botanicals are well tolerated and can be drunk regularly by most people. Please be careful when trying new herbs; allergic or other adverse reactions can occur.

Hibiscus, Hibiscus sabdariffa Hibiscus is the primary flavoring agent in this blend. It gives our tea its Cool, Moist, and Sour properties. Please keep in mind that hibiscus will stain anything it comes into contact with, including clothing, wooden spoons, and even countertops. If you don't think you're familiar with hibiscus, it is the primary flavor in all "Zinger" teas. It tastes tart and inexplicably red.

Peppermint, Mentha piperito

Peppermint is the first of our gentle nervines to be added to our tea. Nervines do exactly what you expect them to: they calm your nerves. In addition to being a nervine (primary benefit), Peppermint adds its properties of Pungent, Sweet, Cool, Warm, and Dry to our tea. I'm sure you're all familiar with peppermint; you could probably substitute a different mint here with similar effect.

Lemon Balm, Melissa officinalis

Lemon balm is a nervine and a mild sedative. It brings the properties of Sour, Cool, and Dry to our tea. Some people don't like the taste of lemon balm, saying that it tastes like Pledge. If that's you, just omit it from this drink. The taste of hibiscus strongly overpowers the lemon balm, though, so maybe try it first.

Tulsi (Holy Basil), Ocimun santum

Tulsi is a nervine and adaptogenic herb, which means that it helps the body manage stress better. Its properties are Pungent, Sweet, Bitter, and Warm. With its heady, peppery notes, Tulsi is certainly an acquired flavor. If you get along with this herb, you will know almost immediately upon drinking it for the first time. A little goes a long way; you don't need to overdo it.

Dried Apple, Malus sp.

Although apple is primarily a flavoring agent (and sometimes a sweetening agent) in this blend, it does have mild sedative effects that lend themselves to the overall feel of this tea. I suggest using the apples you would eat in this recipe; you can dry slices of apples by putting them in your oven at 225F for 1.5 to 2 hours. Use a sweeter apple if you want a sweeter tea.

Minx's Anti-Anxietea

2 parts hibiscus

1 part peppermint

1 part lemon balm

1-2 parts dried apple

.5 part tulsi

Start by adding 1 tsp tea to hot water and steeping for 8 minutes. Adjust to your tastes from there.

This drink tastes great, hot or cold.

I've never sweetened this tea because I like my drinks bitter like my soul, but I bet a dollop of honey would be lovely in this—especially a nice summery wildflower honey. I've added sweetened cranberries in the past (1-2 parts) for more sweetness. And honestly, I don't measure. I know when it smells right.

I apply this drink liberally, but some people may find it too strong a diuretic to consume more than once daily. I drink it any time that I feel especially anxious or when I know I am going to be under a lot of stress. My partner likes to drink it before bedtime and claims it's one of the only things that will calm them down when they feel like they have too many thoughts.

You can witch this up (it's a verb now!) as little or as much as you like. I like to work calming energy into the drink step by step as I create the mixture by working with each botanical individually. You could charge this with a candle or sigil, dedicate it to one of your favorite gods or spirits, or store it on your altar. I create bindrunes for my favorite tea blends and use them as magical labels.

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