🛡 Warding 🛡

Shoutout to the breakers of generational curses.

UPDATE: Patches are up for grabs now! Limited run!

https://tagtaylorsit.bigcartel.com/product/the-cycle-ends-here-patch-preorder

__________________

Update: 11/23 WOW. Firstly, I’m totally overwhelmed and honored by the response this piece has gotten. Seeing it resonate with so many people has sincerely moved me. I’m so incredibly happy that it means different things to different people.

A couple people have sent me messages asking if they could have my blessing to get the Ouroboros tattoo’d on them.

The short answer to that is- absolutely. I would be honored. If you do so please tag me! I would love to see the final product=^} this is a very personal piece to me and I hope to get it on myself soon.

However; I am apprenticing to become a tattoo artist myself and while there is absolutely no pressure, I would greatly appreciate anyone using the design as a tattoo to consider donating to my donate links any small tip they could spare to help support my art as I pursue this career. It’s really tough now doing unpaid work during the pandemic and It would really help me since I can’t afford to currently reproduce any designs. (Donate: www.paypal.com/paypalme/Tagtaylorsit) again, absolutely no pressure. I know times are tough.

If you feel inspired by the Ouroboros and would like to do your own artwork that is totally fine, who am I to stop another artist from expressing themselves? If you would like to draw this particular design on something (someone talked about painting it on their jacket, which I thought was really cool) I am cool with that as well. However; I would like to produce a small run of patches or pins of this design so I do ask that you refrain from selling products using my art.

If everyone who got this tattoo’d on them gave me 10 bucks, I’d be able for afford a proper tattoo machine, which would greatly help me during this apprenticeship.

=^) I love reading everyone’s stories about how they are ending toxic cycles in different forms in their lives and support all of you in your battles. Thank you all so much.

New Moon Rituals 🤍

@losillewitch on instagram

Got called a “phone hoarder” meaning I save so much stuff on my phone it can’t handle it. I was raised by a hoarder and I hold that part of myself back, but I am actively posting on about 7 places and that accumulates. Sorry not sorry 

A Witch’s Ingredients: Sand

Sand is an abundant resource that can be found across the world including along the coasts, through deserts and even in many people’s yards and gardens. Sand is rather easy to obtain and natural making it ideal for witchcraft. Though some types of sand may be harder to obtain, and more costly, than others, let this post be a guide on how to utilize it for its magical properties.

Types of Sand & Their Correspondences

Beach/Coastal Sand: calming, grounding, cleansing, connecting to the sea, self-love, protection and warding, motivation, memory, spiritual clarity, purification of the heart, easing pain, physical and spiritual strength, can represent both the elements of earth and water

Ocean Sand (from the ocean floor/deep sea): primordial energy, banishing negative emotions and energy, grounding, mental clarity, psychic clarity and strengthening, divination, guidance, ancient wisdom and power, connections to the sea and primordial waters, birth, creation, can represent both the elements of earth and water

Desert Sand: curses and removing energy from others, weakening, draining, banishing, grounding, mental clarity, physical health, enduring hardships, “drying up” love and past emotions, healing heartbreak, burying the past, often related to burial ceremonies

Volcanic Sand: destruction, intense energy, strength, death, rebirth, banishing, secrets or hidden messages, warding, baneful magic, offensive magic, often represents both earth and fire at once

River Sand/Silt: fertility, procreation, movement, flowing energy, travels, change

Lake/Pond Sand: the present, calmness, serenity, inner focus, self-reflection and meditation

Swamp/Wetland Sand: mystery, secret keeping, silencing lies and rumors, binding, curses related to becoming lost or emotional heaviness, often represents both water and earth at once, often related to animal magic specifically those that live in swamp land

Unearthed/Buried Sand: grounding, hidden power, addressing past issues and mistakes, overcoming controversy, self-discovery, introspection, emotional healing, moving on from past scars

Biogenic Sand/Bone Sand/Shell Sand: healing, moving on emotionally, remembrance but letting go of the pain and loss, honoring those lost (often at or to the sea), close connections to necromancy

Black Sand: protection, warding, banishing, relates to necromancy and spirit work

Pink Sand: love, beauty, youth, harmony, adjusting to change, remembering the past and lost loved ones, rebirth, emotional and mental healing, forgiveness of self and others

Red Sand: strength, courage, valor, relates to fire rather than earth

Yellow Sand: divination, focus, improving memory and skills, mental health, grounding and centering, represents both earth and air elements sometimes both at once

White Sand: purity, cleansing, protection, wisdom, preparing for change, physical and emotional balance, harmonizes all aspects of oneself

Combinations of Sand and Other Ingredients

Sand and Soil: grounding, balance, cleansing, protection of loved ones and family

Sand and Salt: change, growing power, dreams, purification, warding, protection, longevity

Sand and Ash: remembrance, the past, divination

Sand and Clay: change, mental fortitude

Sand and Kelp/Seaweed: beauty, youth, birth, fertility, the ocean

The History

Not much history on the use of sand in magic from what I can find that is a reliable source, but I was able to find some bits about its use.

Sand has been used in connections to rituals for the dead and in burial practices in many different cultures to a varying degree. In some sand was used for burying the deceased such as very early Ancient Egypt for its mummification properties before better mummification methods were invented and utilized. Placing sand into graves or coffins of the deceased somethings as a means to connect them to their homelands if that person was traveling into foreign lands or countries. Some stories speak about mixing the ashes of the dead with sand to be kept in the home. Other stories tell of people mixes ashes from fires or the hearth with sand and casting it out into the sea for lost sailors who could not be brought home. 

Sand was also used historical in some types of spell jars and vessels. In some places sand was put into jars and bottles and given to sailors to keep them connected to home even when sailing. Others said carrying sand could protect one from being lost at sea or from disaster, likely where the history of sand being used for protection properties came from. It has also been used in witch’s bottles and for burying spells for varying purposes. Some cultures would bury offerings to deities into the sand of beaches or deserts.

Modern Use

Sand is still a common ingredient for many sea witches and worshipers of ocean related deities to utilize in their craft and in their altars. Deities commonly related to sand are Poseidon, Aphrodite, Psamathe, Thalassa, Aegir, Neptune and Veles. Sand is also often used in altars to represent either earth or water when representing the cardinal directions or the 4 elements. Some will use sand to represent both in cases of smaller altars.

Modernly, sand is often used in spell jars and bottles when used in spellwork or as a vessel to charge, cleanse and bury objects or tools such as crystals, poppets, amulets and trinkets. Sea witches or witches with accesses to large amount of sand will often use it for grounding and circle casting. Some will use it for runes and sigils as well.

Storing Sand

For those wishing to store and use collected sand ensure that there is nothing undesirable in it - garbage, sharp bits of glass, decomposing fish or animals, insects etc. Shift it thoroughly to ensure anything that could be potentially dangerous is removed and if needed properly disposed of. Once the sand has been shifted ensure it is dry before you seal it into anything.

Wet sand can house bacteria and mold - which can also smell quite foul when the container is opened again. You can use the sun to dry it or indoor heaters at a safe distance. Spread it out thin and flat to help ensure it is thoroughly dried if it is damp or wet.

Once dried the best way to store sand is inside of glass or ceramic vessels. Jars and bottles are the most ideal. Ensure that they are sealed tightly to ensure no spillage or condensation can get inside.

**this post was personally researched, compiled and directly from my personal grimoire. Please do not repost**

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Daily Spell: June 13th

Shoe Protection Spell

You’ll need:

Your favorite pair of walking or running shoes

A black permanent marker

This season, before it gets too hot, is a great time of the year to go outdoors and getting some exercise, and that could mean you’ll spend a lot of time on your feet. If you’re a hiker, backpacker, jogger, or if you just try to get in a few laps around the neighborhood, do the spell on your shoes to protect you as you travel.

Flip over the shoes, and on the bottom of the left one, write the word SAFE. On the right, write SOUND. Put the shoes on, and sit on the floor, knees bent and to the side, so the souls are touching each other. Say “I may walk around the world, but I’ll always come home safe and sound. I walk for miles both far and near, hale and hearty when I returned here.”

Wear your shoes when you go walking or running, and be sure to check the souls periodically to see if you need to refresh the words.

-

“Daily Spellbook for the Good Witch: Quick, Simple, and Practical Magic for Every Day of the Year,” by Patti Wigington

Medium

Brevi: an Italian folk magic charm against the evil eye and how to make your own

Learn how to protect yourself and others from the evil eye with this Italian folk remedy.

I’m back with more European folk magic! This time we’re diving into Italian folk magic practices. This isn’t a comprehensive look at Italian magic (though if you’re interested in an overview I’d be happy to write one) rather it’s a close look at a particular protective charm from southern Italy. It’s a simple, yet effective charm with a long history. Everything is thoroughly researched through academic sources in anthropology, folklore, and first hand accounts. You can either click the link or read this post, either way I hope this is meaningful and educational for you🌛🌝🌜

Brevi: an Italian folk magic charm against the evil eye and how to make your own

Like many Mediterraneans, Italians are greatly concerned with the potential to be afflicted with the evil eye. Many of the folk magic practices performed by jana and benedettihealers are intended to divine the cause of the malocchio and rid it from those who come to them. Their craft has been passed down for generations and their services are highly respected. Like with other folk magic healers, most jana and benedetti do not consider themselves witches, instead they see themselves as “having the sign”, people chosen by god to help others. Clients come to them for a variety of needs both physical and spiritual. These healers perform divination rituals, locate lost objects, make love charms, and more — though mostly, they remedy the malocchio.

Remedies range from complex, lengthy multi-step rituals, to simple prayers and gestures. Whatever means a cunning person uses varies from region to region, though in Basilicata/ Lucania where my family comes from, the evil eye is typically cured and prevented with brevi. These are small black cloth pouches filled with various sacred herbs, protective amulets and stones, objects made of iron, images of saints, and Palm Sunday ashes. These bags are worn close to the skin, either around the neck, tucked into a bra, or in a wallet. Contact with the skin is considered to be an important part of this protective charm, depending on the region and advice of the healer. Though brevi are typically prepared and empowered by the prayers of the healer, it is not uncommon for mothers to make them for their children.

What goes into the brevi bag is highly subjective and personal, though there are commonalities in their contents from state to state. Medals of the Madonna, a small cross or charm, and rosemary are common in most places. There are more specific additions such as the cimaruta, the cornicello, the mano cornuta and mano fica, or pieces of coral. The cimaruta is a popular Neopolitan talisman typically worn around the neck or hung above an infant’s bed. Made of silver, the cimaruta is meant to resemble a sprig of rue, one of the most sacred herbs. Each of the 3 rue branches blossom into protective magical symbols. These include, but are not limited to: a crescent moon, the sun, a heart shaped key, a sacred heart, a fish, or a rooster.

Charm available: on Etsy White Peach Cottage.

[Image description: A typical silver cimaruta charm. Made to resemble a sprig of rue, the branches end in protective symbols. This particular pendant features a cross, a crescent moon, a sacred heart, and a rooster.]

Along with medals of saints, the cornicello, mano cornuta and mano fica can be added to brevi bags. The corno is a popular Southern Italian amulet, symbolic of a ram or bull’s horn. It signifies virility and strength, projecting a masculine energy. These charms are typically made of silver, gold, or coral, all are considered significant sacred materials. The red coral is reminiscent of blood and vitality, bringing luck to the wearer and silver has long been used as a protective measure against evil spirits. The cornicello is typically worn by men. Mano charms have ancient origins — dating back to the Etruscans. Mano fica, the fig hand, is associated with femininity and is thought to have the power to oppose the evil eye. The mano cornuta, the horned hand, has similar roots and meanings to the cornicello, and if done as a physical gesture, it can reflect the malocchio back to whoever cast it. 

In addition to the medals, several sacred herbs are utilized. Many of the herbs are associated with Saint John or the Virgin Mary, though if you are a secular witch like me or worship pagan pantheons, you can forgo the Catholic aspects of this charm. Many of the herbs have ancient associations dating back to the classical Roman period, making their meanings highly adaptable. The Romans associated various herbs with Diana (Artemis), Juno (Hera), and Phoebus (Apollo). So it is not difficult to transcribe the correspondences.

The primary herb used in brevi bags is rue. Rue is sometimes referred to as “the herb of grace” and has long been used in blessing water and exorcisms. Rosemary protects against negativity and is used in cleansing rituals. Roses symbolize the divine love of the Madonna and evoke healing energies. Lavender has a long history in Italy of being a prophylactic against evil, with evidence dating back to ancient Rome. Mugwort is associated with witchcraft and magic, mostly in connection with Artemis/ Diana and the moon. Some brevi contain chili pepper seeds — the fruit itself resembles the cornicello, carrying a similar meaning. The seeds are associated with protecting and warding.

Once the charms and herbs are chosen and brevi are assembled, cunning folk recite prayers and bless the charm. They recite common Catholic prayers 3 times and typically perform these blessings on holy days and Saint feasts such as notte di san Giovanni — St. John’s eve, and Christmas eve. St. John’s eve takes place around the same time as the summer solstice and the celebrations across Europe still have elements that resemble pagan celebrations such as the Roman Vestalia festival. Some healers do not pray over the bag, rather they recite poetry that evokes their intent. The process of making brevi is highly personalized to each healer and region.

[Image description: author’s personal brevi elements. They include a black sachet, rosemary, mugwort, rose petals, lavender, red clover, obsidian and a white gold cornicello.]

I have adopted and adapted making and carrying a brevi bag into my own practice. It gives me a sense of deeper connection with my ancestors, especially since brevi are a popular folk remedy in the region we come from. In my own brevi rituals I include herbs that are personally meaningful to me with magical correspondences that resonate with my intent. I typically use rosemary, mugwort, rose petals, lavender, and local red clover. Harvesting and foraging some of the herbs brings me closer to nature and makes the bag that much more meaningful. I also include a shard of obsidian which is a powerful warding stone. I like to think its reflective nature is aiming the evil eye back to whoever or whatever is aiming negative intent towards me. I put a family heirloom in my bag as well —  my great grandfather’s cornicello, passed down from my father to me. It gives me a sense that my ancestors are protecting me. I write my own personal incantations for my brevi, typically poems or prayers to nature spirits. Finally, I charge it every full moon, imbuing it with magical energy and replace the herbs every so often to keep its power.

Crafting charms and spells can be highly personal and meaningful. Creating your own brevi bag can invite in positive energies, bolster spiritual defenses, and connect you to a long history of spiritual healing. Brevi bags are a low effort, simple way of practicing magic, making them highly accessible. I hope you found this interesting and perhaps you’ll choose to incorporate brevi bags into your magical workings.

(sources available at the end of linked article)

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.

Love attracting charm bag . . .

This is a charm bag I created to attract love & keep love near you.

Ingredient list:

• Rose petals • Red cloth / string

• Rose bud • Cinnamon stick (or ground)

• Jasmine • perfume sprits

• Mint leaf • Rosemary

• Lavender • Pink salt

Wrap thread towards you when wrapping . .

To fold , grab each four sides and bring to the center . .

Places to keep it

• Pockets are the most common / ideal

• Purses only when you’re out of the house

Wrap the thread towards you when wrapping

• Under your pillow to bring more sensuality

• In your bra or undershirt to bring true love

• In your home to bring familiar love

🌊Blue Seas

patience & anti- anxiety sachet spell🌊

💙 a sachet spell to encourage communication, increase patience, increase wisdom, and soothe anxiety using sea energy🏝

What you need:

🌊 a blue sachet

🐟 blue sea glass or a blue crystal

🌀 blue salt (white works as well)

☁️ a seashell

💧 sea water

🐳 a pinch of rosemary and lavender

How to make it:

🌊 put all the ingredients in your sachet, one by one *except the sea water*, focusing on the intent and imagining a calm ocean

**try listening to ocean sounds or light a blue candle to help you focus on intent if you need to

🌊 once the sachet is together, sprinkle some sea water on it to cleanse and charge it

🌊 carry the sachet with you as needed for soothing anxiety, communication, wisdom, memory, patience, calm, meditation, and understanding

An introduction.

Hi, world. I haven't been active on tumblr for a while so I'm a bit rough. I'm making a new account, where I'll actually post rather than only ever sharing others things.

A bit about me. I'm a bisexual married witch living a vanlife. I intend to be many more things, we'll see where life leads me. I do tarot readings and will talk more on that another time.

Feel free to dm me if you feel like it.