Spellbound-savvie - Witch Mom

another rainy day at the farm…

“only that: we are here. this is what it means to swim in the tide, to walk the earth and feel it touch your feet. this is what it means to be alive.”

circe - madeline miller

Keiichi T

The Mushroom Friends are Listed!  

Get yourself a whimsical stagnant-energy eater and joy-bringer or three!

Crocheted Mushroom Ornament - Surprise Grab Bag by TheRestlessWitch

15% off when you get 3 or more!

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Constant Motion

© gif by riverwindphotography, July 2021

Planetary Rulerships- Astrology Notes #3

When you read a chart, you want to first look at the condition of the planets. Are they domicile, exalted, in fall? Each condition means something different.

Domiciles (rulership) and exaltations are benefic in astrology, which means the planet is in good condition. Detriments and falls are malefic in astrology, which means the planet is in less than ideal condition. Aspects and houses do matter as well, but I’ll write about that another time. 

A domicile is akin to a King in his castle. He’s most comfortable here, he rules the castle. An exaltation is slightly less benefic than a domicile, you can think of this as not being the ruler of the castle, but being in a five star hotel. The placement is comfortable and in good condition. 

A detriment is akin to a King being exiled from his kingdom. He can’t get back in, so he has to go somewhere else. Learning and adapting is the only way to evolve placements in detriment. A fall is similar to being in a motel instead of a five star hotel, you can work your way up to going to the five star hotel. Fall placements are easier than detriment placements as they’re the lesser of the two malefic conditions. 

Looking at the rulerships in a chart is a great way to figure out if there’s strong energy in one planet, weak energy in another, energy that could be a little “too much” or very influential in a chart, or energy that needs to be worked on. For instance, a Saturn in Detriment may have issues with responsibility and need to work on it to have more control over their lives. 

Sun (luminary)- Domicile Leo, Exaltation Aries, Detriment Aquarius, Fall Libra. Ruled by Apollo. 

Moon (luminary)- Domicile Cancer, Exaltation Taurus, Detriment Capricorn, Fall Scorpio. Ruled by Artemis. 

Mercury- Domicile Virgo & Gemini, Exaltation Virgo, Detriment Sagittarius & Pisces, Fall Pisces. Ruled by Hermes. 

Venus- Domicile Taurus & Libra, Exaltation Pisces, Detriment Scorpio & Aries, Fall Virgo. Ruled by Aphrodite. 

Mars- Domicile Aries & Scorpio, Exaltation Capricorn, Detriment Libra & Taurus, Fall Cancer. Rules by Ares. 

Jupiter- Domicile Sagittarius & Pisces, Exaltation Cancer, Detriment Gemini & Virgo, Fall Capricorn. Ruled by Zeus. 

Saturn- Domicile Capricorn & Aquarius, Exaltation Libra, Detriment Cancer & Leo, Fall Aries. Ruled by Cronus. 

*Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto are not as influential in a chart (and were not used in traditional astrology) unless heavily or harshly aspected, but I’ll talk about that in another post

Uranus- Domicile Aquarius, Exaltation Scorpio, Detriment Leo, Fall Taurus. Ruled by Uranus. 

Neptune- Domicile Pisces, Exaltation Cancer, Detriment Virgo, Fall Capricorn. Ruled by Posideon. 

Pluto- Domicile Scorpio, Exaltation Aries, Detriment Taurus, Fall Libra. Ruled by Hades. 

North Node- Exalted Gemini, Fall Sagittarius

South Node- Exalted Sagittarius, Fall Gemini

Readings are open.

🛡 Warding 🛡

Disclaimer: This is all based on my research, path, opinion & experiences! Intro: I really was holding out on doing this post because it’s such a big, important topic to cover and I really don’t want to mess it up or get anything wrong. This post needs to be done though, people have asked if I have such a post and an anon suggested it. So finally, here it is.  - What Is Warding? Warding is a type of magick, it is the act of creating an energetic barrier around you, your home, an object, ect. They can be temporary or permanent, although typically they are cast with the long term in mind. They can banish or turn away whatever you choose. Warding is an excellent skill to have because it can keep you, and even others safe and with practice you can do it anytime with just about whatever you have on hand.  When Should I Ward? Whenever you want an energetic barrier around you, most people consistently ward their home, themselves or their place of practice. Some people even ward their space every time they prepare for a spell. It should be done consistently in any area you want protected, but exactly where and how often is entirely up to the practitioner.  What Should I Do Before? Cleanse, a ward is a barrier of energy and in the same way that it keeps things out it also keeps things in. You don’t want to trap anything inside of it. Cleanse yourself before you ward yourself. Cleanse your space before you ward your space!  Tips Before You Ward- Phrasing Keep the phrasing in mind! You don’t want to keep anything out that you want in, or let something in that you want out. If you’re chanting or using sigils ect keep in mind exactly what you want to keep out both in your methods and in your mind. Covering everything Make sure to cover everything, a ward is useless if there’s a weakness in it or if the ceiling & floor aren’t probably covered. Be super thorough!  Layering Your Wards One small little wimpy barrier? Ha, the spirits say as they scramble into your home to wreak havoc! You need to layer your wards, don’t just use one method one time, there’s no such thing as too much warding.  What Are Some Ways That I Can Ward? Now we’ll get right down to the methods you can use to ward yourself and your space! Remember that warding is important and needs to be effective, don’t try anything that you don’t have experience with for warding. At first, focus on the stuff you know. If you like sigils, use sigils at first and slowly work your way into using other more complex methods or methods that solely rely on your abilities. Circle Casting You cast a circle by summoning the four elements to protect & energize what is in the circle.  - Here’s my post about circles & how to cast them  Chanting/Speaking Come up with a protective chant you can use to ward your space. This chant could be someone else’s or your own as long as you feel it’s effective. Speak it aloud and visualize a layer of energy protecting your space.  Incense Burn a protective incense in the space you’d like to ward and visualize a barrier protecting your space. Athame Draw out the line of your ward with your athame, visualize the wall appearing, covering everything with a thick layer of energy.  Spraying Spray a mix of blessed/magickal waters and or herbs with protective properties in the space you want to ward.  Sigils Create a sigil using your favorite method with the intent to “ward” or “protect/protection.” Then charge and activate it as a layer of protection! Here’s my post on sigils if you’re interested in that: - Sigil Post Jar Spells You could mix up a jar spell for warding, set it in your house and forget it as a layer of warding.  - My protective jar spell post Anointment Anoint the doorways of your space, you could also anoint the ceiling, floor, walls, corners, honestly go for it.  Salt Sprinkle salt all around the edge of your home or space. Make sure to sprinkle salt on the INSIDE of your harm as salt can harm plants & wildlife if used outside. If you’d like to make a barrier on the outside of your home, you can use dried & crushed eggshells in place of salt. - Post on how to make eggshell powder here -  Hag stones Hag stones are stones with holes in them that have been corroded into the stone because of rushing water. It is believed rushing water is protective & cleansing so if you wear a stone that sat in it long enough to have parts corroded away, that the stone will maintain and keep those properties with it. It’s a great way to personally ward yourself, and an excuse to go out in nature.  They look like this! 

Energy Manipulation If you’ve got a knack for manipulating energy, you can create a barrier through work and visualization that surrounds yourself or your space. This isn’t recommended for beginners though! Links: - Horse Warding Charm By @anothersusurrus - House Warding Spritz Mixture By @seleneblackwell Both of these are great if you’re looking for specific spells, types of magick, correspondences, sigils, ect! - Protection Magic Masterpost Part 1 By @auricwitch - Protection Magic Masterpost Part 2 By @auricwitch Personal Wards Also remember not just to ward your space but yourself, if you layer your home with wards, what happens when you leave? Exactly. Keep yourself safe too! Circle casting & hag stones are great methods I mentioned above that are good for personal warding.  Can I Ward Specific Things And Not Others? Absolutely! I mentioned this in the phrasing section of this post, keep in mind exactly what you want to keep out when you’re warding. I like words like “negative” or “harmful” or “with ill intent” because they don’t necessarily keep out the Fae or positive/neutral spirits but it does keep out anything that wants to harm you in general. Just think about it ahead of time, find wording or a phrase you like and keep that in mind as you ward.  What If I Live With People? If you’re out of the broom closet, explain to your family/roommates what you’re doing and why you’re doing it and make sure they’re cool with it and are aware of what’s going on. If you’re not out of the broom closet, you may have to resort to only warding yourself/your room, & that’s okay!  I hope this helps someone or teaches them something new! Enjoy! Have a lovely day 💖

✨Crystal magic over at verbenalune.com✨

the magick of coffee

enjoying your coffee, latte or mocha in the morning can be a small ritual of its own. coffee as a fruit, as well as what flavors and milks you choose to enjoy with it, all have magickal properties that can work well together.

coffee magick

the magickal properties of coffee include: grounding, peace of mind, overcoming negativity, and breaking curses. it is also commonly used as an offering to ancestors, spirits and deities. 

coffee can also be used for divination; it’s said that bubbles in your cup of black coffee are a sign of good luck (and extra luck if you can catch the bubbles with a spoon and eat them!). 

coffee and espresso are also a great way to fertilize your garden and charge your herbs with higher energy!

flavor magick

sugar: used to “sweeten” both literally and magically! brings positivity.

vanilla: promotes happiness, calmness and love

hazelnut: brings you spiritual

chocolate: emotional release, prosperity

cinnamon: attracting wealth, passion

milk magick

cow milk (comfort, protection), almond milk (good luck), soy milk (psychic awareness), rice milk (blessings, prosperity), coconut milk (purification, protection), cashew milk (money), oat milk (prosperity, wealth)