Bone Witch

I will never get tired of writing regards self care and how important it is for our general wellbeing, we tend to go on through stress and people who demand a lot of energy from us, so we need to restore ourselves a lot. Here are some things I want to share with you:

🔮Being in balance does not mean that you are always in control!

Yes sometimes we lose it, we get angry, and we burst out! We are not perfect, we are human! When this happens it is ok to step out and rest, taking Alone time. Do not feel ashamed of this, it happens to everyone trust me!

🔮Try to find a self care routine.

How many times we end up taking care of everything and everyone and we forget ourselves! Way too much if you ask me! So develop a routine, for your own love of self. This can range from meditating to crystal healing, to taking a bath at the end of the day

🔮Do a mojo bag.

It doesn't need to be big and full of stuff to be honest, in mine I just placed some herbs and crystals and carry it with me throughout the day. It personally soothes me.

🔮Avoid un-necessary arguments.

Some people just want to pick on you no matter what. Some might even be annoyed by the fact that they have to share oxygen with you! Its ok to walk away from un necessary arguments, remember we have to choose out battles, some are worth all of our energy, but some are simply energy wasters. There is no need to feel a 'loser' for walking away, somethings are more worth it then the others!

🔮Energy attracts energy.

How many times we are going through a bad day and everything just goes from bad to worse? When this happens I just call it a day and rest, avoiding to do any magical working (unless I am lighting a candle to restore myself). Even though emotions can be catalysts for spells, sometimes if you have accumulated too much negative energy, the workings might backfire.

🔮Burn an incense or essential oil to prepare yourself for a reading, I use lavender a lot but you can use anything you fancy.

🔮Feel the cards before you shuffle, absorb their energy, focus your mind... I like to let the cards to tell me things openly but if you have a specific question think about it while shuffling.

🔮Notice the patterns. If you often do your cards, you should notice a pattern... which  cards come out often? Are they major or minor arcana? In the case of the minor, which suit comes out mostly? Take your time to study the meanings and follow your intuition, things should be clearer by time.

🔮If things should feel unclear at first, take a step back and meditate on it... you might be confused for now but by time things will get clearer.

These are some simple things which I personally do when reading the cards for me, do you follow a certain pattern when you read the cards? Or do you do it freely? Any questions and comments feel free to comment below 👇😊

As we all know, the veil is thinning so for many of us, this is a perfect night to do some divination. If you've ever thought about giving scrying a shot, take advantage of Samhain's mystery and magic to see what sorts of things are in store for you. Scrying is one of the best known forms of divination, and can be done in a number of ways, but essentially, it's the practice of looking into some sort of reflective surface to see what sort of metaphysical messages appear. You can make a scrying mirror to keep handy for divination any time of the year, or use fire, or even a bowl of water under a moonlit night.

Below I am sharing a scrying brew which I used back in 2013 by Karyln Rayne

🔮1 cup water

Scrying Brew:

our inner wisdom, but also very relaxing)

🔮3 tablespoons or more dried mugwort (not only good for helping us to contact

🔮1/4 cup dried oatstraw (good for the nerves; if the Halloween partying and

trick-or-treating have left you feeling frazzled, oatstraw will be a

comfort)

🔮1 cinnamon stick, 2 to 3 inches long (for its delicious flavor)

🔮Maple syrup, honey, or brown sugar (optional)

Boil the water, then add to a teapot into which the mugwort, oatstraw, and

cinnamon stick have been placed.

Steep for at least 15 minutes. Strain and pour into a dark-colored mug,

preferably black. Sweeten with maple syrup, honey, or brown sugar, if desired.

Now, sit comfortably in your Power Place with your mug. Sniff your Scrying

Brew, feeling the steam, warm as breath, on your face. Take a sip and savor the earthy taste. As you sip, become aware of your breathing. Is it shallow or deep, quick or slow?

As you drink, be with your breath without

attempting to change it. When the tea is nearly gone, gradually turn your

attention to the surface of the liquid remaining in your mug. Gaze at it

without effort, simply letting yourself be with the mug and the tea. The disk where tea meets air may look silvery if it catches a light's reflection

As you look, pay some dreamy attention to the thoughts that flash through your mind like fish. What are they? All over the world, people are scrying and dreaming tonight. What images do you see? take as much time as you can..

You may want to leave the remainder of the tea in its mug on your kitchen

altar as an offering for your long-forgotten kindred who knew how to perform

this ancient ritual.

Source: http://cronecronicles.blogspot.com/2012/11/samhain-scrying-brew-and-scrying.html?m=1

The lore of Halloween (Samhain) goes back centuries, coming from the beautiful country of Ireland. A feast that commemorates our ancestors which is no different than what was already done in my country for years (a predominantly Roman Catholic country) by offering mass to our death, visiting their memory at the cemetery, lighting candles in front of photographs... this is usually done throughout the whole month of November.

Why this tradition of wearing costumes in Halloween? Our ancestors used to believe that on October 31st the veil between the world of the living and that of the dead is thinned and on that night spirits trespass our earth (Like in Coco, in a nutshell), So villagers used to dress up as ghosts and spirits as a disguise. This would confuse the evil spirits and convience them to leave the living alone.

How are you getting ready for Halloween/Samhain?

Some of you asked me back on insta what I'm going to do for Samhain! Well here are some tips:

🔮Altar for my ancestors

I set up a simple altar for my ancestors, to honour throughout this month and the next. A photo of my ancestors on my altar helps into focusing my intent.

🔮lighting a candle on Samhain night

I love the tradition of lighting a candle on Samhain night for safe passage of my ancestors. Its a sweet simple tradition that I like doing with my son.

🔮Eating traditional food

In my country during the months of October and November, we get tradtional foods like hot cross buns. I love placing some of these foods on my altar as well

🔮Doing spooking things!

These are times for spooky more then ever and even though I am spooky all year long I get overdose of this during these times!! 🦇🦇

While the day to day demands of life may not enable us to take a day at the spa, a vacation, or even a walk in nature, there are still ways to bring peace and calm into your life and home.

1. Create A Sacred Space Or Altar

An altar doesn't need to be very fancy, all you need is even a small space where you can place your items and some incense preferably 😊. This will act as your own safe space to unwind and relax!

2. Harness The Power Of Crystals & Gemstones

Crystals and gemstones are a fantastic way to generate positive, stress free energy in your life. Some of my favorites for stress and anxiety are Black Obsidian, Labradorite, Moonstone, and Fluorite. Place them on your altar, wear jewelry containing them or carry one in your pocket, purse or even your car, for those times when stuck in traffic or commuting to work. I carry gemstones in my bra too! I like the energy close to my heart center. When I’m stressed or have anxiety, a nice Charoite gemstone in the bra really does the trick.

3. Candle Magick

Sitting in a room with only candlelight evokes a quiet, calming atmosphere. Their flames are beautiful and meditative. A perfect candle to burn is my Anxiety Cleanse Spell Candle that has been hand poured and blessed with the intentions of relieving stress and anxiety. Sit a spell with your candles aflame while putting out positive, stress free thoughts and energy.

4. Use Oils

Our sense of smell is powerful. It can induce emotions that are both positive and negative. To cleanse your thoughts of negativity use oils on your pulse points or during rituals to rid oneself of unwanted and unhealthy energy. I use a blend of oils to help me deal with stress management and to banish negativity and harmful influence. Its aromatic blend will soothe away all negative thoughts and bring about peace and calm. You will love the aroma of this oil. Its amazing and can often soothe away the stress of my day in an instant. Remember….. breathe –

In todays day and age, stress is something we almost all experience. I urge you to invest time to take care of yourself and incorporate one, or two, or all of these magickal stress relieving aides. Feel the stresses of the world begin to slip away and be sure to always follow with a cup of hot herbal tea. 

So, here I am going to share a list of books which I feel are good for witches who are just beginning and even for those who like to enrich thier library or refresh!

1) The Green Witch by Arin Murphy-Hiscock

Beautiful book full of green witchery and useful recipes, I adore this book a must have!

2) The Real Witches' Year by Kate West

There is something for every single day of the year, Kate West's work cannot be missed!

3) The Real Witches' Craft by Kate West

Kate West tackles more advanced techniques in this book, taking your understanding to a deeper level.

4) Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs

Cunningham's works cannot be missed by aspiring witches, and this one is a book that you will always go back to! Full of Magical herbs usage, this is a must have.

5) The Illustrated Herbiary by Maia Toll

Amazingly fun book to have with illustrated cards inside, this book is very refreshing to have!

6) Practical Elementary Magick by Sorita D'Este and David Rankine

Sorita D'Este is one of the leading authors in witchcraft and together with David Rankine, she made a wonderful guide on how to use elemental magick within our practice. A must have in your library.

7) WTF is Tarot?...& How do I do it? By Bakara Wintner

Wish I had this book when I started out in tarot! Amazing guide on how to read the tarot with intuition!

8) -Bonus Book- Spirit Conjuring for Witches by Fater Barrabbas

For those who want to start their practice in Spirit Conjuring, this book is a very good start!

Jack O'Lantern legend goes back hundreds of years in Irish History. Many of the stories, center round Stingy Jack. Here's the most popular story:

Stingy Jack was a miserable, old drunk who took pleasure in playing tricks on just about everyone: family, friends, his mother and even the Devil himself. One day, he tricked the Devil into climbing up an apple tree. After the Devil climbed up the tree, Stingy Jack hurriedly placed crosses around the trunk of the tree. Unable to touch a cross, the Devil was stuck in the tree. Stingy Jack made the Devil promise him not to take his soul when he died. Once the devil promised not to take his soul, Stingy Jack removed the crosses, and the Devil climbed down out of the apple tree.

When, Jack died, he went to the pearly gates of Heaven and was told by Saint Peter that he was mean and cruel, and had led a miserable, worthless life on earth. Stingy Jack was not allowed to enter heaven. He then went down to Hell and the Devil. The Devil kept his promise and would not allow him to enter Hell. Now Jack was scared . He had nowhere to go, but to wander about forever in the dark Netherworld between heaven and hell. He asked the Devil how he could leave, as there was no light. The Devil tossed him an ember from the flames of Hell, to help Stingy Jack light his way. Jack had a Turnip with him. Jack hollowed out the Turnip, and placed the ember the Devil had given him, inside the turnip. From that day onward, Stingy Jack roamed the earth without a resting place, lighting his way as he went with his "Jack O'Lantern".

In the 1800's a couple of waves of Irish immigrants went to America. The Irish immigrants quickly discovered that Pumpkins were bigger and easier to carve out. So they used pumpkins for Jack O'Lanterns.