One Word Spells

Blessed Ostara

So what is Ostara? 

Ostara is a celebration of the Spring Equinox (March 21) celebrated by many practicing Wiccans, Pagans, and Witches. It marks the day when night and day are equal and balanced. The Sun God’s strength increases and the Goddess celebrates her fertility. Together they bring us Spring.

Ostara is a time for the celebration of fertility and balance, But fertility can be many things. It can be a new beginning hope, Or a fresh start. A goodbye to the harsh cold Winter, And a hello to the change Spring brings us. 

Eggs are commonly used for symbolism on this day as they have always been a symbol for fertility and life.

Ostara is very similar to the Christian holiday, Easter where followers celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. Both are celebrating life. 

Eggs are commonly used for symbolism on this day as they have always been a symbol for fertility and life. 

 So what can you do to invite this change and fertility into your life?

Take some egg shells, And hollow them out The idea is to make little “Pots”. Once that is done, Hold them, And think of what you need in your life. A new love? Peace? Healing? What ever it may be write your wishes for the Year on your shells and use them as planters for seeds. Water them, Take care of them and know that as your seedlings grow, They are pulling nourishment from the shells. They are being infused with your own intention. They’re bringing your spell to life.

Once they outgrow there little homes, Plant them outdoors so that they can be a reminder of what Spring brings to you.

I believe this spell is called “Fuck You I Am a Goddamn Witch and Don’t Have to Tolerate This Bullshit”. 

Let’s see how well this plays out for the offenders.

Why Your Spells Don’t Work

You set your intention. You had all the correct correspondences. You even timed your spell with the appropriate moon phase. And yet – no results. What gives? 

Failed spells happen to the best of us, and for a variety of reasons. But a spell gone wrong doesn’t necessarily mean that magic isn’t real or that you’re bad at witchcraft. Magic is complicated, and there are a lot of reasons it might not behave the way you want it to. Here are some of the most common causes of ineffective spells: 

1. Lack of real-world follow through

Magic is meant to be used as a tool to supplement your mundane efforts – not as a substitute for them. How can you expect your job hunting spell to bring in results if you aren’t applying for jobs? 

Magic does not exist in a vacuum, and it can’t make something out of nothing. If a spell doesn’t bring you the desired result, make sure that your non-magical actions are aligned with what you are trying to manifest. 

2. What you’re trying to manifest isn’t a realistic possibility

Wait, what? Isn’t magic supposed to be, well… magic? Shouldn’t you be able to ask for whatever you want and get it? Yes and no.

Magic is simply a way of directing energy. Magic can’t defy the natural laws of the universe. It can’t make something happen unless it was already a potential possibility.

If your intention is unrealistic for where you are right now, try splitting it up into a multi-step process. No spell is going to make you a billionaire overnight, but magic could help you get hired at a better paying job… and then get promoted… and then get offered a profitable side gig… etc. Starting small and working your way up is always going to produce stronger results, because you laid the foundation first.

3. Your intention was either too vague or too specific 

Whether you use written petitions or spoken incantations, clearly stating your intention is an important part (maybe THE most important part) of any spell or ritual. A good intention is specific enough to get you the results you want, but open enough to let those results manifest naturally.

Let’s say you do a money spell, and your intention for the spell is simply, “I have more money.” If you find a penny on the ground the next day and pick it up, technically that is more money than you had before. A better alternative would be to use an intention like, “I have enough money to buy ___,” or “I have enough money for everything I need and want.”

Using an intention that is too specific creates the opposite problem. Let’s say you want to manifest a scholarship to a specific school. You do a candle spell with the intention, “I have been chosen for the John Smith Scholarship at Jane Doe University.” But maybe the John Smith scholarship had already been awarded by the time you did your spell. Maybe there’s another scholarship at the same school that would be a better fit for you, or maybe you’re eligible for a grant that would make tuition more affordable. A better intention for your spell would be “I have enough financial aid to easily and affordably attend Jane Doe University.”

Magic always follows the path of least resistance, so you want to make sure that your intention is specific enough to give your magic a clear direction, but open enough to allow it some flexibility. 

4. Lack of focus/concentration

We all know the struggle. You’ve been planning this ritual forever, and it’s finally the full moon, but you’ve got a really full schedule today. If you hurry, you can probably squeeze it into the thirty minute window between school and work, right? 

If you say a few quick words and burn some incense before you head out the door in the morning, that totally counts as a spell, right? 

Not so much. Rushed, lazy, and/or half-assed spells rarely, if ever, work. Spells revolve around the raising and direction of energy, and that requires two things: a clear intention (see above) and intense focus on that intention. If you don’t have the time/energy/mental capacity to focus, it’s best to take a break, have a self care day, and come back to your spell some other time. 

5. You’re subconsciously blocking your own results OR you did a spell for someone else who isn’t open to it

I decided to lump these two together, because they’re different variations of the same issue. 

Whenever you are doing magic on yourself, it’s important that your mindset is aligned with your intentions. You can do love spells all day long, but if deep down you don’t believe that you’re worthy of love, that belief is going to block your spells from working. This is why mindfulness, psychology, and self care are all such important parts of a successful witchcraft practice. It’s also why I recommend doing the mental work before you sit down to ritual. 

If you did a spell on yourself, or are trying to manifest something for yourself, and it just isn’t working, I highly recommend setting some time aside for journaling and meditation and asking yourself 1.) if this is really what you want, and 2.) if you truly believe that you can have it.

The whole mindset thing gets even more tricky when you’re doing magic on behalf of another person, because their energy is also at work in the situation and could be at odds with yours. For example, if you do a spell to help a friend land a job, but that friend believes that they’re totally underqualified and could never get it, they probably won’t get the job even if you did everything “right” in your spell. 

This should go without saying, but it is extremely unethical to use magic to mess around in someone else’s head. Even if you think you know what’s best for them, they need to be open to it. If someone is blocking the spells you do on their behalf, all you can do is try to be supportive and find other ways to help them out.

Other (Rare) Reasons for Failed Spells

If a spell goes wrong, it will almost always be for one of the above reasons. But maybe you did everything “right” – you did the mental work first, had a strong, realistic intention, put lots of focus into your spell, and followed through in real life – and you still aren’t seeing results. There are a couple of other things that could be blocking your spells, but they’re very uncommon so I’m not going to talk about them in as much detail. These may be things you want to look into if you really, genuinely can’t think of any other cause. 

It’s possible that another witch has done magic that cancels out or blocks yours. This is not common, and it does NOT mean that someone has cursed you. It could be as simple as two witches unknowingly casting spells with opposite intentions, which end up cancelling each other out. (For example, maybe two different people both cast a spell to get the same job. Obviously, they can’t both get that job.) This is why it’s never a bad idea to incorporate a protective element into your spells to block outside interference.

There is a very, very remote possibility that someone has placed a curse on you specifically to block your magic. However – and I cannot stress this enough – this is VERY uncommon. If you were cursed you would know it, or at least know that something was very wrong in your life. If you feel like you have been cursed or hexed, I recommend looking into uncrossing spells, which are specifically designed to undo negative magic.

It’s also possible that a higher power is intervening. This doesn’t necessarily have to be a deity, although it certainly could be. Most witches believe in some form of fate or destiny, and it’s possible that your spell didn’t work because what you asked for is not in alignment with your destiny. In these situations, really the only thing you can do is surrender to the bigger picture. 

GUYS

MARIE KONDO HAS HER OWN MANGA BOOK

AND IT IS LIKE SO ADORABLE

JUST LIKE MARIE HERSELF

When You’re Stuck In A Situation With Triggers

(For situations you cannot excuse yourself from, like being in a vehicle or an elevator.)

-Do not focus on being trapped, how badly you feel, or how disgusting you think the person is for making that sound. Try focusing on something else. Anything else. If you have intrusive thoughts, do not engage with them. Notice them but do not dwell on them.

-Relax your muscles. I never feel it happening, but my shoulders tense when I’m triggered. Forcing them to relax every time, has given me the ability to withstand my triggers longer with less of an intense reaction (Ex: I can stay in class now when someone makes those sounds. When before, tears would come to my eyes and I could no longer hear what my teacher was saying. I’m still extremely uncomfortable but I do not have to leave, I can still take notes, and it doesn’t make me cry. It took me about a month of practice before I noticed a difference.) 

-Continue forcing any tension to leave. Do not dig your nails into anything and do not clench your fists, or you’re only increasing the intensity of your nervous system’s response. If you tense up, immediately release it.

-Take deep and steady breaths. You want to avoid hyperventilating if you feel panic rising. This will also help to keep your heart from racing. Count your breaths, as an added distraction from the trigger sound.

Afterwards:

-Find a quiet place where you can recover, like a bathroom. 

-It’s okay to lie if you need to excuse yourself for a moment and feel that you cannot explain what happened.

-If you feel the need to cry, allow yourself to. Give yourself a set amount of time, like 2 minutes, to dwell on how difficult and painful that was.

-After that time, do not focus on the negative emotions. Simply feel them, accept them, and let them pass, while breathing deeply and steadily.

-When you feel calm again, celebrate. You just survived a horrible experience. Text or call someone that knows about your Misophonia and tell them how well you handled it. Knowing someone is proud of you will help you feel better about the entire situation and encourage you to feel proud of yourself.

-Consider developing a reward system. I like to keep candy in my pocket or backpack so I can reward myself for withstanding my triggers.

-Forgive yourself if you didn’t handle it as well as you think you should have. Sometimes life forces you to go over the limit of what you can handle in a day. This is a chronic disorder that is not your fault.

Key Herbs for your Craft

Here are some really basic herbs for your magic workings :

Sage - Cleansing (properties : purification, wisdom, immortality)

Lavender - Calming (properties : love, healing, sleep, dreams, divination)

Rose - Opening (properties : psychic awareness, opening the heart, love)

Eucalyptus - Inspiration (properties : healing, protection, purification, invigorating)

Bay Leaves - Divination (properties : psychic powers, success, money)

Cardamom - Arousal (properties : lust, sexuality, reigniting intimacy)

Rosemary - Focus (properties : mental powers, banishing, purification, protection)

Bergamot - Increasing (properties : manifestation, wealth, success, prosperity, adds power to magic)

Oats - Grounding (properties : wealth, abundance, prosperity)

Dandelion - Releasing (properties : divination, wishes, summoning spirits, releasing)

Yarrow - Banishing  (properties : banishing, death, courage, psychic powers)

Cloves - Luck (properties : driving away negativity, cleansing, prosperity)

Historically Accurate Offerings to the Theoi

Zeus

Oak

Carnations

Olive branches

Styrax incense

Eagle, bull, swan images

Hera

Lilies

Peacock feathers or images

Pomegranate

Incenses

Cuckoo images

Athena

Olive branch/oil/fruit

Weavings

Myrrh incense

Perfume

Owl images

Apollon

Laurel

Red roses, sunflowers

Frankincense (manna) incense

Palm tree

Raven, swan, wolf, mouse, dolphin images

Artemis

Cedar, palm and cypress trees

Tokens of deer

Jasmine

Myrtle, white flowers

Frankincense (manna) incense

Amaranthus

Peanut

Wormwood

Deer, dog, bear, partidge, quail images

Hestia

Incenses

Chaste-tree

Pig images

Poseidon

Sea anemone

Myrrh incense

Pine

Bull, dolphin, horse images

Dionysos

Ivy

Grape vine

Pine

Styrax incense

Leopard, panther, donkey, bull images

Hermes

Tongue-shaped tokens

Rosemary, saffron

Almond tree and pine tree

Frankincense and styrax incense

Mint (for Kthonios epithet)

Cow, ram, hawk, turtle, hare images

Wild strawberry (purslane)

Ares

Bronze weapons

Frankincense (manna) incense

Swan, vulture, dragon/poisonous snake, owl images

Aphrodite

Roses, myrtle, anemone (poppy)

Quince

Apple, pomegranate

Perfumes and fragrances as incense

Dove, goose, sparrow, turtle images

Hephaistos

Daisies

Frankincense (manna) incense

Donkey, dog, crane images

Asklepios

Frankincense (manna) incense

Bread

Serpent, dog, goose, rooster images

Pan

Pine, beech trees

Fern

Wild flowers

Herbs burnt as incense and the smell of perfumes

Reeds

Goat, turtle images

Demeter

Poppy

Tokens of pigs

Styrax incense

Mint (for Kthonia epithet)

Wheat

Dove, bee, pig images

Persephone

Asphodel

Wheat

Hades

Pitchfork

Pomegranate

Daffodil

Styrax incense

Dried laurel leaves

Poplar, cypress trees

Mint

Daffodil

Hekate

Saffron

Rosemary

Garlic

Red Mullet

Amphiphon (candy)

Styrax incense

Dry laurel leaves

Oak

Ferret, dog, bull, lioness images

Source: LABRYS’ Hellenic Polytheism: Household Worship and Theoi.com

Witchy Tips and Tricks I’ve Learned Throughout The Years...

Meditating during long car journeys helps clear your mind, pass the time and totally counts as practicing.

If you like plants, collect plants. If you like crystals, collect crystals. Collect things that makes your soul sing!

Charity shops are brilliant. You can always find something you need in there.

Salt, salt, salt. I love it and you should at least consider having it in your witchy cabinet as it is brilliant for protection.

You don’t need all the tools the books say you need unless you feel they’ll help.

Stock up on as many black candles as you can during the Halloween season or wait until they’re on the discount aisle.

Love is a powerful tool, don’t abuse it. The love you have for someone or something can help make any spell stronger.

Wicca is the religion, Witchcraft is the practice. You don’t have to be Wiccan to practice Witchcraft, You don’t have to practice Witchcraft if you’re Wiccan.

If you’re having difficulty with magic and witchcraft, Labradorite can help significantly.

Be careful around incense and smoke if your an asthmatic witch! Goodness knows how many time my lungs have almost quit on me during cleansing. You don’t have to use it.

Stir a bit of cinnamon into your morning tea to help bring good fortune throughout the day.

Respect all living things, including plants and insects.

If you’re having trouble visualising your magic and will, try taking inspiration from fantasy media, such as Skyrim or Harry Potter, and visualise the magic from those.

If you relate a song to a spell or ritual, put it on and sing along to it!

A small rose quartz under your pillow will help ease nightmares.

Sometimes a digital grimoire is better and easier to write than a physical one.

If your life is getting difficult to manage, take a break from witchcraft if it helps.

Craft stores are a great place for mini bottles and jars.

You don’t need to be part of a coven to be a valid witch.

Anyone of any gender can be a witch.

Don’t rely solely on a healing spell or potion to help with an illness, visit your doctor too.

Share your knowledge to people who are willing to learn.

Tips for writing spells:

If you want to keep something close, bury it in your back yard. If you want to attract something, bury it under the front door step If you want to destroy its influence, burn it. If you want it to move away and sink, throw it in running water If you want to disperse it to a distance, throw it into a crossroads If you want to fix its influence, inter it in a five-spot pattern If you want it to work by means of spirits, bury it in a graveyard If you want to hide its point of origin, conceal it in a tree If you want it to work in secret, give it in food or drink If you want it to work by stealth, hide it in clothing or on objects If you want its influence to begin or strengthen, throw it East If you want its influence to end or weaken, throw it West If you want its influence to rise and fall cyclicly, float it in a tidal estuary

hey Jim you didnt really do anything other than shoplift from a convenience store once and im behind on my quota this month. anyway if you look down youll see a bear trap on your scrotum