Warding Meditation

Character profiles of the two equally reckless and lunatic halves of a complete whole

New moon affirmations

🌑 I embrace new expansive energies

🌑 I am open to receiving infinite abundance

🌑 I am filled with passion and creativity towards life

🌑 I welcome opportunities for new beginnings

🌑 I am aligned with my soul purpose

Lowering Wards: Steps for new and established spells

"Lowering" a ward means to temporarily pause some or all of its protective effects, usually to make way for other magical actions or divination; "lowering the draw-bridge." Here, a ward is any protective spell.

Although these steps will work for just about any spell. An alternate title for this post is, basic spell administration: managing your spells after they've been cast.

The whole caboodle is deceptively easy. No need to over think it.

Lowering any wards, even for spells not established with convenient lowering in mind

SELECT WHICH EFFECTS SHOULD BE PAUSED. Hypothetically, a ward with multiple effects can have some effects paused, while others are ongoing (*this is highly variable and really depends on how the spell was built).

But technically, if you have a ward that's A) no magic can come into my house, and B) no energies of ill-will can come into my house, you may be able to allow magic to come into your house while a friend sends a positive spell your way, while still filtering out ill-will.

In my experience, protection loopholes are a bit of a beast, and if your magic starts behaving weirdly, or won't work, or friends can't magic on you like they can for others, check out to see if you've sealed yourself in a labyrinth of protective measures.

Sometimes you'll want to pause all effects - that's fine too. Just have in mind what you want to have happen.

IMO, an excellent way to deal with this step is to just state what it is you want the ward to allow for.

"Let this Discord friend do a reading for me."

"Make way for this spirit to leave the house."

Etc.

TAKE ANY BASIC STEP TO MANAGE YOUR MAGIC.

Enter, or at least brush up against, magical mindspace.

Find the spell - this is easier if its attached to a physical object, which just means finding the object.

While in magical mindspace and interacting with the reality that your spell exists, do any of the following:

Just tell it what you'd like it to temporarily do

Put a black cloth over the spell vessel with intent that it be paused

Hide it away in a drawer, or turn it so that it's "facing" a corner

Draw some sort of stopping symbol on top of it (pentagram or an X work well)

Put the ward close to an energy battery and have it take a break and go out for lunch

Any action that, for you, makes sense to represent a "pause, time-out" instruction

WHEN READY, PUT THE WARD BACK UP. Take away the black cloth, put the ward back in its proper position, "wipe away" the blocking symbol. Especially communicate through magical speech, thought, writing, signing, etc., that the ward is to resume its normal mode of behavior.

For those curious about sorcerous theory, reading on a ward before and after you raise and lower it can offer helpful feedback

Of course, that stuff might not work well, so making a ward with an eye for pausing it is a good idea

Spellcrafting can get complex and there could be any number of reasons why a ward created to be a permanent wall doesn't have convenient, easily-workable drawbridges.

Building a ward with drawbridges is easy. First, decide how you want the drawbridge to work.

You can design a ward where one effect ("no ill-energy") is always active, while another is meant to be raised and lowered ("no outside magic.")

You can design a ward with a skeleton key, where all of the doorways are unlocked at once

You can design wards in such a way that outsiders may be able to obtain the key and unlock them (like, a passcode and energy signature you share with others), or you can design them in such a way that only you can unlock them (like, requiring you yourself to draw a symbol over them in the physical realm)

Etc.

One example of an unlocking action is tapping on the spell vessel three times and saying, "stand down until sunset* so [specific thing the ward is blocking] can occur."

*For the forgetful, giving the spell a timeframe is useful.

When casting the spell, whenever the time feels right, go into a portion where you 'teach' the spell how to listen for your instructions to lower defenses, and how it should operate when this occurs. ("Never stay unlocked beyond the next twilight; the guards named No Bane are eternal, but the guards named No Spying sometimes lie down to rest.")

You can always go back and "open up" old spells to modify loopholes and improve unlocking mechanisms

My paradigm allows for certain things:

Most spells are not so much mindless machines but rather are more like garden plots, or animals. They may be bad at performing a certain thing the first time you ask them to, but over multiple lessons, even a very stubborn spell might learn a new trick.

Therefore, it can take time to teach a spell how to do something new that it wasn't designed to do.

Learning can be improved by holding a formal class. This is the equivalent of taking the spell back into spellcasting space and partially re-casting new magic on top of the old base.

The gist of re-forging an old spell is to carefully outline what you want to change, remove, and add. Using your preferred spellcasting or ritual format, connect with the spell and provide new parameters.

I find this process to be different than casting an entirely new spell, so I think it's normal if it all seems a bit different.

Provide the spell with more energy, tie off the ritual as normal, and deploy the spell immediately or give it a little time to firm up, as you prefer.

Magical Uses for Cemetery Water and Snow

Connecting to the Dead with Cemetery Water

The first use for cemetery water is to connect with the dead. Because this water is infused with death energy, its function is similar to graveyard dirt.

Put cemetery water into death witch or necromancy-related spells. I used some in my spirit work oil and necromancy ink. You can also add it to salves and oils (not on the body). Dipping a candle in it (not the wick!) and letting it dry might enhance a candle spell. Add a tiny bit to dampen your herbal smoking blend should you want to go hedgecrossing or divine.

To simplify, view cemetery water as a spirit work booster. Anything you add it to should help you connect with the dead.

Another use for cemetery water is lecanomancy, otherwise known as water scrying. Since ancient Rome, necromancers have peered into water to receive messages from the dead.

To practice water scrying, grab a clear bowl (glass is ideal) and pour cemetery water into it. Make sure that the bowl is not too dark; you want to see the water. Light a candle and keep it nearby to illuminate the space. Some people put a bit of olive oil into the water, but that is not necessary. Breathe evenly, clear your mind, and peer into the water. See what the dead wish to show you.

Protection with Cemetery Water

Another potential use for cemetery water is protection. Depending on the folklore, even imitating water can protect you from spirits.

Rub cemetery water onto your windows and doors to ward your home. While leaving a cemetery, toss some water behind you so that spirits don’t follow you home. Painting certain objects in the color of water might dissuade spirits from touching them. Include it in washes to cleanse your divination tools.

To read more folklore about ghosts and water, read the full blog post.

Once again I was inspired by the coziness of Ghibli films to make a hearty soup!

I’m calling this one Forest Porridge 🍂💕

(Vegetarian and vegan substitution at the end!)

Melt a tablespoon of butter in a skillet. To the skillet add one diced sweet onion, Cook on medium heat until onions begin to become translucent. Then add 1 pound of mushrooms to the skillet (stems removed) and continue cooking until the mushrooms release their moisture.

In a soup pot melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Add three carrots and two ribs of celery, sliced, three or four diced red potatoes (more or less to your preference) and cook over medium heat until tender (about eight minutes).

Add three cloves of minced garlic and 1.5 teaspoons of dried thyme and 1 teaspoon of dried basil to the skillet with the onions and cook for about a minute, stirring.

Add onion mushroom mixture to the soup pot along with 6 cups of chicken broth and one cup of rice (I used jasmine). Cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.

In the skillet you used for the onions cook two diced chicken thighs until golden brown.

Add the chicken and any drippings to the soup pot to simmer with the rest for the remainder of the 30 minutes.

Finally, mix in 1 cup half-and-half, 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, and 1 to 2 cups chopped fresh spinach.

Salt and pepper the absolute hell out of it, to taste but anything with potatoes and needs boatloads of salt.

Enjoy!

For a vegetarian variation swap chicken broth for vegetable broth and omit the chicken, omit the parmesan cheese or use a vegetarian/vegan substitute.

For a vegan variation swap butter for preferred oil or vegan butter, chicken broth for vegetable broth, omit the chicken, use one can of full fat coconut milk in place of the half-and-half and omit the parmesan cheese or use a vegetarian/vegan substitute.

A Year and a Day UPDATED - 206 prompts - A Quest to discover my individual Witchcraft

*UPDATED - original post was 196 prompts

After a lifetime of subtle magic and a year of failing to step into my power, I wrote this personalized curriculum to learn my own individual Witchcraft over 366 days. There are 206 points on the list. Some will take a bit of time and work. Others require more simple answers.

I used the words "personalized" and "individual" for a reason. Witchcraft is very personal. We are all individuals and nothing we do looks exactly the same. Some of the points may not suit you. Adjust or omit them.

I will be kicking this off with a devotional river bath on June 1st.

Follow me on Instagram if you'd to tag along. Inspired by https://sammmango.tumblr.com/post/175974393404/a-whopping-list-of-grimoire-prompts-and-ideas

Cleansing Commencement Ritual

1. List everything you’re grateful for. Be very specific – from the people you love to the water you drink

2. Write down what you want to change about your life. What is holding you back?

3. List everything you need to release, unlearn, and cleanse

4. Write affirmations to support your unlearning and growth with everyday

5. Take a cleansing shower or bath. Use whatever candles, herbs, crystals, etc. you feel like.

Wheel of the Year

6. Create your own calendar/”wheel” as you go

a. Keep a running list of signs you notice of the changing seasons

7. Research each of the Sabbats and decide how they work into your craft.

a. Summer Solstice/Litha – June 20

b. Lammas/Lughnasadh – August 1

c. Fall Equinox/Mabon – September 22

d. Samhain/Halloween – October 31

e. Yule/Winter Solstice – December 21

f. Imbolc/Candlemas – February 2

g. Spring Equinox/Ostara – March 20

h. May Day/Beltane – May 1

8. How do you wish to celebrate the popular holidays or combine them with related Sabbats? Valentine’s Day? Easter and Ostara? Yule and Christmas?

Witchcraft 101

9. Definitions – Determine what these terms mean to you by researching various descriptions

a. Grounding

b. Centering

c. Cleansing

d. Charging

e. Blessing

f. Charming

g. Enchanting

h. Warding

i. Binding

j. Banishing

k. Consecrating

10. How do you ground and center?

11. How do you cast a circle? Do you bother?

12. What are the corners? How do you call them?

13. How do you set up an altar? Do you bother?

14. Research various workings and their origins;

a. Candle magic

b. Knot/braid magic

c. Sigils

d. Self protection

e. Home protection

f. Egg workings

g. Foot track work

h. Hair/Tag-lock magic

i. Money magic

i. Money bowl/plate

ii. Money candle

iii. Money dust

iv. Lode stone money spell

v. Look up 5 good money spells that you would use

j. Sex magic

k. True jar spells

Correspondences

15. Directions

16. (5) Elements

17. 7 Days of the week

18. Colours

Astrology

19. Read your own birth chart in depth while working through this section

20. Triplicities – Elements in Astrology

21. Quadruplicities – Cardinal/Mutable/Fixed

22. The 12 zodiac signs

23. The 12 houses

24. Aspects

25. Rising sign

26. Sun sign

27. Moon sign

28. Mercury

29. Venus

30. Mars

31. Saturn

32. Jupiter

33. Uranus

34. Neptune

35. Pluto

Lunar Magic

36. Moon Phases

a. Correspondences

b. Add to your calendar/”wheel”

37. New Moon rituals

38. Full moon rituals

Divination

39. Read cards every day

40. Pull a tarot card for each week. Read it for yourself. Research traditional meanings and symbolism as well.

41. Draw some tarot spreads to refer to.

42. Write a list of other divining methods that you’re interested in

43. Make runes or charms…a bone set?

Crystals

44. How do crystals work?

45. How do you cleanse crystals?

46. How do you charge crystals?

47. How do you program crystals?

a. Create a charm to carry with you as reminder and amplifier of your magic

48. What are the uses of crystal grids? Look up some examples for more ideas.

49. How can you use crystals?

a. Physically

b. Metaphysically

c. Around the home

50. Write an information page for every crystal you have. (See Crystal List)

Green Witchery

51. Research all the herbs you are growing;

a. Basil

b. Calendula

c. Chives

d. Catnip

e. Chamomile

f. Dill

g. Lavender

h. Lemon Balm

i. Oregano

j. Peppermint

k. Rosemary

l. Sage

m. Thyme

52. Identify and research 15 plants or trees in your yard. How can you use these in your craft?

53. Identify and research 15 wild plants or trees in nature. How can you use these in your craft?

54. How can you garden by the moon?

55. Note any foraging times on the calendar/”wheel”

Potions

56. Research the essential oils you have on hand

a. Bergamot

b. Cedarwood

c. Cinnamon leaf

d. Chamomile

e. Eucalyptus

f. Frankincense

g. Geranium

h. Lavender

i. Lemon

j. Lemongrass

k. Lime

l. Peppermint

m. Rose

n. Rosemary

o. Tea tree

57. Make body butter

58. Make “Personal Growth” scalp and nail massage oil

59. Make face/gua sha oil

60. Make toothpaste

61. Make toner with oil (like micellar water)

62. Make ‘Thieves’ body spray

63. Create your own signature scent in a body spray

64. Learn to make herbal infusions

65. Learn to make infused oils

66. Learn to make herbal decoctions

67. Learn to make tinctures

68. Learn to make mouthwashes

Spirit Work

69. List the Spirits you can think to work with

a. Ancestors

i. Do you have an item that belonged to them?

b. Flora, Fauna & the Land

c. Planets

i. Where are they in your chart?

70. How can one connect with the spirit of a/an;

a. Ancestor

b. Plant or tree

c. Natural body of water

d. Fairies

e. Planet

71. What type of offerings would you provide different spirits?

a. Ancestors

b. Plants or trees

c. A natural body of water

d. Fairies

e. A planet

72. Take what you’ve learned above and try connecting with spirits;

a. An Ancestor

b. A plant or tree

c. A natural body of water

d. Fairies

e. A Planet

Shadow work

73. Look at your chart;

a. Moon, house

b. 12th house, ruler

c. Saturn

d. Chiron

e. Hard aspects

74. Research Jungian Archetypes and determine which ones fit you.

a. What are your shadows? How can you work on them?

75. Research Myers-Briggs personality types and determine which one fits you.

Personal Maintenance & Glamour

76. Hydrate – your body, brain, Earth and the Moon are mainly water

77. Eat of the Earth

78. Create a soothing bedtime ritual

79. Create a morning ritual that you look forward to

a. ‘Bubble up’ ideas

b. Make a list of Affirmations

c. Gratitude candles

d. Print a checklist

80. Exercise – hike, bike, lift

a. Make a list of your favourite dog walking spots

b. Make a list of your favourite hiking spots

c. Make a list of your favourite biking spots

81. Meditate daily – even if it’s just a few minutes

82. List best hair care practices

83. List best skin care practices

CULMINATING PROJECTS

84. Make a detailed Calendar or “Wheel” with your individualized plans for the next year. (June 1, 2022-June 1, 2023)

85. Write your Grimoire – Create a tidy book of the information that you will use in your craft.

a. Your personalized Holiday/Sabbat celebrations, dates, symbols, etc

b. The basics that make up the foundation of your craft

c. The various workings you do/intend to use

d. Spells

e. Correspondences

f. The tools of your craft

g. Your completed birth chart interpretation

h. Moon Rituals

i. Personal Tarot card meanings, spreads

j. A guide to your Runes, Bones, or whatever divination set you may have made or acquired (#39)

k. Crystal practices, information pages

l. Plant information

m. Essential Oil information

n. Recipes

o. Spirit information, communication records

p. Shadow work and a plan to work on your shadows

q. Your ideal day

r. Your ideal week

Past Life Tarot Spread

Just in case you have a few hours free, here's a spread that will take all of them up. Have fun with your afternoon.

1: Birth

2: Parents

3: Life

4: Childhood

5: Passion

6: Friends

7: Responsibility

8: Partner

9: Work

10: Success

11: Shortcoming/Failure

12: Death

13: Children

14: Legacy

15: What I Brought To This Life

🍎 small batch apple butter recipe 🍎

2 lbs of your apple of choice (about 5/6 medium apples; i used gala and they were perfectly soft for this and not too sweet!) 1/3 c. of water juice of one medium lemon (abt 2 tbsp) ½ c. granulated white sugar

2 tbsp (un)salted butter (i dont think salted vs unsalted matters much but i like my sweets a lil less sweet, so i used salted!) 3 cinnamon sticks (or ¼ tsp of ground cinnamon) 1/8 tsp of cardamom (optional; can sub for ground clove at ¼ tsp) 1/3 c. packed brown sugar ¼ c. maple syrup (optional!) a pinch of salt (1/8-¼ tsp) to taste

Keep reading

Transition

2020 was the awakening of a new side of me.

 2021 was me shoving down all individuality, shrinking for the comfort of others and then fleeing and beginning my recovery journey.

 2022 I spent almost entirely alone. I gained new boundaries, I began allowing my true self to shine through and got new friends as a result. I learned So Much about the galaxy within this vessel, I was hard on myself and patient.

My suspicion is that 2022 was the year of seeing the first budding plants after I’ve laid the seeds down. 2023 is going to be the full harvest, the abundance that baffles in its enormity. And I’m ready. I’ll never be ready and I’ll never be as ready as I am.

🛡 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 💖