What Surprised Me In Peru

five simmering pot recipes that will make your home smell like fall!

Instructions: Fill a small saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add the ingredients from your favorite recipe, continue to boil for a few minutes, then turn the heat down to simmer. Add water as needed, usually every 30 minutes or so.

Recipe #1 Cinnamon sticks Apple peels Orange rinds Whole cloves

Recipe #2 Peel from 1 lemon Peel from 1 orange 2 bay leaves 3 cinnamon sticks 2 Tablespoons whole cloves

Recipe #3 A few drops vanilla Orange peels

Recipe #4 1 cup dried lavender 1 tsp anise 1 Tablespoon nutmeg 1 Tablespoon whole cloves 1 Cinnamon stick

Recipe #5 5 bay leaves 1 Tablespoon whole cloves 2 sticks cinnamon

Super aura protection

Rose petals (strengthen the aura, self love)

Lavender buds (restore energy)

Sage (protection)

Pink Himalayan salt (detoxify and restore)

Clear quartz (to amplify)

Rose quartz (repair damage)

Citrine (expand and strengthen the aura)

Amethyst (protection against psychic attack)

Fluorite (free aura from peoples energies)

Red agate (remove negativity)

Bamboo coral (prevents negative energy build up)

Brecciated Jasper (cleans and stabilizes)

Onyx (protection against evil)

Smoky quartz (clean aura and purify energy)

Seal with black wax for extra oomf

All crystals used are crystal chips and literally one of each, please change it up to fit your needs and/or supplies available. I’m an empath so I felt like I needed the extra (super extra 😂) protection, feel free to make the jar as big as you want I made mine so I can wear it out and about to protect myself from energy vampires. Keep your bubble safe my friends ☺️

“Witches tend to be animists. The word animist refers to one who embraces the concept of animism. Animism is derived from the words “anima” and “animus,” the Latin words relating to the soul, intelligence, and having a living nature. In the eyes of the witch, everything is alive, and anything with physical matter contains life-force and intelligence. For the witch, nature is alive. The rocks, the water, the wind, the animals, the plants, the stars, the planets, and all things that we can perceive as existing within the material universe.”

Psychic Witch, by Mat Auryn

Warding

Warding is a form of magick intended to protect a person, place, or thing from negative/parasitic energies/entities. Wards are like energy and will fade over time.

There are 3 types of wards-

Trapping- Trapping negative entities.

Circumventing- Diverting negative entities.

Filtering- Allowing positive energy in while keeping negative energy out.

It is important to note to cleanse before warding, otherwise you will be keeping anything negative within your space.

Some examples of wards-

Sigils

Energy

Spirits

Poppets

Satchels

Enchanted items

Crystals/Crystal grids

Botanicals

Types of water

Types of dirt

Types of salt

🛡 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 💖

ward checkup checklist

if you have an astral or physical space that is warded, you’ll probably have many layers of wards or at least a few strong wards, but regardless of the number of wards you have it’s always prudent to do regular checkups. 

do note that each of your wards will have a different composition and function so these checkups probably won’t apply to every ward, so based on the type of ward you will have to learn to adjust your checkup accordingly. 

leaks and weak spots. this is quite universal for a lot of wards out there, especially for large wards or wards that involve more complicated shapes or that cover spaces that are filled with corners and objects. certain parts of the ward may be less concentrated than others or may receive less attention when being made, which makes them tend to become more vulnerable faster. make sure that the energy distribution is consistent when making or repairing wards.

stiffness or rigidity. sometimes wards can harden or become rigid in certain areas, which makes them more vulnerable to impact from attacks as they are more likely to break or shatter. there is a difference between rigid wards and sturdy wards, wards don’t necessarily have to be completely unmovable and inflexible to be sturdy and durable. keep energy flowing through wards until it breaks down the rigidity and keeps the wards more malleable.

decrease in concentration. sometimes wards can lose their energy when not in use, especially wards that are made to only activate when provoked. these can lose essentially the body and what powers the ward and make the ward less effective when in use. check up on these wards frequently and make sure that they are still functioning optimally.

clumps and clogs. the energy in wards can gather and clump up or cause a clog sometimes, especially in wards that involve moving energy. this can pose a problem as clumping often leads to well, blockages and decreased flow which can just slow the flow of the ward and stop it from doing what it was meant to do, you know? find clumps or clogs and work energy through it until it spreads out and the energy is flowing like it’s supposed to.

energy reactivity and selectivity. for wards that are meant to filter stuff (e.g. anti-glamour ward) or wards that only react when a certain set of conditions are met (e.g. offence ward that sucks intruders’ energy), they can get less reactive or less selective over time without use. check these wards frequently and test them to ensure that they still work optimally.

energy contamination. for wards that are used a lot and involves a lot of passing through, or wards that are for cleansing or absorption, these can get contaminated very easily. cleanse these regularly or reset them to ensure maximum function.

Beltane

may 1st

(bealtaine, cétamain, boaldyn, beltany, calan mai, may day, walpurgis nacht, floralia)

from gaelic “bael” (bright fire)

festival of sunlight, fertility, fire

honors Irish god of fire, Bel

the first day of summer in celtic tradition

the day cows are put out into the pastures

in norse myth, this is the time Othan hung himself from Yggdrasil and learned the runes

foods

sweets/honey

leafy greens

shellfish (aphrodisiac)

oats

strawberries

honey mead, ale, herbal wines

ice tea, lemonade

activities

dancing around the maypole

morris dancing

balefires (use oak, apple, hawthorn, birch, elder, ash, blackthorn, grape vine, mountain ash (rowan), holly, willow, cedar, yew, and hemlock)

decorating with hawthorn branches

divination

fertility rituals

visit a well

make and wear leaf masks

wash your face with dew for beauty

purify with ashes

corrospondences

herbs: all-heal, blessed thistle, broom, curry, daffodil, dogwood, coriander, dragon's blood reed, fern, fireweed, nettle, flaxseed, hawthorn, marjoram, paprika, radish, rue, snapdragon, mushroom, almond, meadowsweet, rose, woodruff, tansy, elder leaves

incence: jasmine, musk, ylang ylang, rose, vanilla

colors: pink, crimson, violet, yellow, rainbow

stones: carnelian, emerald, rose quartz, bloodstone, citrine

animals: rabbit, goat, bee, cat, satyr

Calan Mai (Wales)

known as an ysbrydnos (spirit night)

starts on may eve

singing may carols

couples go into the woods to spend time alone and picnic

Walpurgis Nacht (Germans)

days to celebrate St. Walpurga

begins april 30 and ends on may day

St. Walpurga healed, and protected

they say her tomb produces healing oil

bonfires were lit to drive off spirits

Floralia (Italy)

roman holiday of flowers

honors goddess Flora

april 28 to may 3

included nude dances, gladiator shows, release of hares and goats, scattering seeds

Cleansing Morning Simmering Potpourri

This morning I opened all the windows and made a cleansing simmer potpourri to clean and refresh my home with new energy!

Here is what I did -

Open the windows and sliding doors to let the breeze in.

Get a small pot ready on the stove

Add 1 - 2 cups base liquid - usually purified or distilled water

Add bruised/crushed herbs - I used 1 TBSP lavender for cleansing and peace

Add essential oils and/or larger items - I used the peel of ½ pink grapefruit, for cleansing, self love and energy, and I added ½ tsp of pure vanilla extract for peace and happiness

Bring to a simmer then lower the heat then as low as it goes while still being on

Enjoy the simmering potpourri while cleaning, dusting, or helping your house in some way.

Keep an eye on the pot. When almost all the liquid has evaporated turn off the stove and remove from heat.

Discard remants in a compost bin or trash. If any liquid remains you can use in a bath, or a hand or foot soak to keep the spell with you all day!

I hope you have a relaxing, cleansing morning as well! Happy (witch) crafting!

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Al Khazneh, Petra, Jordan