Brew & Bramble

Welcome back to Weed Magic 101. In this series we've discussed some safety precautions and the basics of weed magic. Today we're covering bongs, how they relate to elemental magic, and how other ways of using weed can also relate. Before we begin we need to briefly cover what elemental magic is. Elemental magic is the practice of using the elements in witchcraft. Each element is represented by a tool— for example chalices and cauldrons often represent water, candles can represent fire, incense can represent incense, and herbs often represent earth. In elemental magic witches often use certain elements for certain types of spell. Think of burning something for something you want to be rid of or burying something you want to nurture and grow into something bigger.

Bongs are a very common tool stoners use to smoke weed. I've been using bongs since I first started smoking 6 years ago. My mom always told me the reason she used bongs was because the water removed a lot of the nastiness that would accumulate in the lungs and was less harsh on her throat then joints. I was and still am with her all the way on that sentiment. About a year back I saw someone talk about bongs and how they relate to the elements.

They said "The weed is your earth that you pack in the bowl, you put fire to it and the smoke passes through water." and they bring up a really good point. Bongs are a great representation of elements as a whole. I also, alongside many others, also consider spirit to be a core element. So how do bongs represent spirit? Well I can't speak for everyone but I personally get higher smoking from a bong then any other method I've tried in the 6 years I've been smoking. The high is what I consider the spiritual element that comes from a bong and all forms of weed.

Bongs is what started me down the path of using weed in elemental magic but isn't the only tool I utilize while doing so. I try to organize the 4 main ways i've smoked over the years into an elemental system. In the system I use joints represent fire as you light the joint and it continues to burn there is no snuffing it out or at least not that easily. I use bongs as mainly a representation of water as the smoke passes through the water to clean it. I use edibles as a representation of earth as it's the weed being turned into food and lasts a very long time. Finally I use carts as a representation of air because you're vaporizing the oils into smoke.

I highly encourage you to experiment, to figure out what works for you as my system doesn't work for everybody. Figure out what each method of smoking represents for you. Stay safe, smoke weed, and stay blessed.

Hi, and welcome to Weed Magic 101! This series is aimed at beginners who want to utilize weed in their practice. I will again remind y'all this series is for those over the age of 18. For the children who have ignored the multiple warnings and continue to read this series anyways I cannot stop you. All I ask is that you proceed with caution and do your research to do it safely. Today we'll be discussing the basics—cleansing, charging, grounding, and protection, how cannabis can be utilized in each, alongside some safety precautions. With that being said let's get into the post.

Safety Precautions:

Smoking weed is a lot of fun but is best done in moderation. I know it sounds obvious in hindsight but you'd be surprised how often it's overlooked in the moment.

When I first started smoking weed I was 19, pushing 20. My mom was crying, hoping I would've waited a few months until I was 20. My dad was assuring her that it was ok, at least I was doing it somewhere safe and after I became an adult. I was nervous, very very nervous, because it was the first time I've ever done something like that. I took a few hits from a joint before I was too nervous and stopped.

My mom came out to console me and said "well, maybe joints just aren't your thing. Do you wanna try using a bong instead?" to which I nodded and headed out with her. At the time I didn't know how much weed was enough to get high so I just tried to match how much she used. Eventually she noticed me rocking back and forth and told me "you don't have to keep smoking because I'm still smoking. If you feel good you can go." and boy was I feeling it. I had overused it without intending to and I had sat in my room afterwards freaking out thinking I was going to die rocking back and forth so hyper aware of every little thing.

My point with this story is to show how easily one can forget to do it in moderation or don't know how to in the first place. Situations like that can lead to panic attacks, hypochondriacs, myself included, fearing they're going to die, and can really fuck someone up mentally. Due to this I've made a chart to help beginners not overuse it. Follow the chart based on your experience level and your method of smoking and if you feel you need more then take it slowly until you achieve your desired high.

‼️If you are using edibles please wait a good 3 hours before you take more as it takes a good while to kick in. Eating too many edibles is the easiest way to go overboard.‼️

Cleansing & Charging:

We've been over cleansing in our witchy basics series, if you haven't read the post on it I highly recommend checking it out here. To recap, cleansing is the act of clearing an object, area, or person from old intentions, evil spirits, and negative or stagnant energies alongside cleaning it physically of dirt and debris. This is usually done via smoke cleansing, sound cleansing, and various other methods.

We've also covered charging in our witchy basics series, if you haven't read the post on it I highly recommend checking it out here. To recap, that as well, charging is the act of imbuing an item with your intention. This is done using a variety of ways from charging it with smoke, the sun, the moon, and various other methods.

Whenever I'm doing a cleansing ritual with weed, I tend to use either a vape pen or bong. I'll take a hit and focus on the heat of it and then I either blow the smoke out over the object with the intent to cleanse the object, blow the smoke around me with me or blow the smoke over somebody with the intent to cleanse them, or blow out smoke while walking clockwise around my space. It works the same way for charging just with a change of intent.

Grounding:

We've discussed grounding before in two posts actually. One in my witchy basics series and the other being my first post on this blog, which you can find here and here respectively. To recap, grounding is the act of rebalancing our energies and the act of refocusing on the present moment. This is usually done through meditation, mindful walks, and various other methods.

Grounding is the basic I use with weed the most. Whenever I'm doing a grounding ritual with weed i begin by getting a nice buzz so that I can become hyper-aware of my surroundings but not too hyper-aware that I panic. For beginners I suggest a mild high until they have a firm grasp over their tolerance. After I'm sufficiently high I go about grounding as usual.

Protection:

We've discussed protection very recently in this witchy basics post. To recap, protection is any act that protects the user from a variety of things from negative energy to curses or even negative spirits. This is done through a variety of methods including black salt, warding, protective amulets, and various other methods.

Protection is the basic I use with weed the least. When I go about protection spells I use a black salt that has been mixed with cannabis ash. Most of the cannabis usage in my protection spells comes from the other basics that are also utilized in the spell.

What are spell tags and how do they differ from taglocks?

Something I haven't seen across all my research is what I have dubbed a spell tag. A spell tag is a small strip of paper that holds a representation of your spell. This can contain your intention, sigils, and anything that relates to your spell. A taglock on the other hand is an object used to represent the intended target of a spell. This can include stuff like a hair or piece of clothing from the target of the spell alongside a wide range of other items.

How to make a spell tag

Before I can work on my spell tags I first need to prepare my paper slips. I do this by taking a piece of printer paper and cut 1 inch strips from the paper leaving me with 11 strips in total. In countries other than America people use legal paper as the default and thus get 14 strips. This can also be done with construction paper which, at least in the US, gives me 12 strips. After I've prepared my paper strips it's now time to turn them into spelltags.

There are many ways of going about making spell tags. The method we will go over was my original method. I start all spell tags the same way by defining my intention for the spell. Once I have determined what the spell tag will represent I cleanse the paper by passing it through the mist of my diffuser. I try to use essential oils in my diffuser that match the intent going on my spelltag but by all means use whatever you have available. Once the paper is cleansed I like to focus on my energy flowing through the pen or pencil as I write down my intent onto the paper. I like using pens for long term spells and pencil for short term spells. The reason for this is because pencil can easily smudge away over time while pens last quite a lot longer. Once I've written down my intention I will optionally add any sigils I think fit the intent and a drop of essential oil that matches. After that is done I roll it up like a scroll and charge it via the elements. If i'm doing a spell that I want to last a long time I bury it. If it's for something I want to rid from my life I burn it. If it's for cleansing or any spell that is meant to sever ties with something I use water. Finally if it's for a spell dedicated to spirits, gods & goddesses, or involves any form of divination I charge it with smoke.

You’ll Need:

At least 2 white candles – Used to represent yourself and the person you’re cutting ties with

Some twine – Used to represent the bond between the people and to create the Spanish Bayonet bundle

Black Peppercorns – Used to anoint the cord due to it being associated with cutting ties

1 whole leaf from Spanish Bayonet – Used in a bundle under the cord to burn away the tie when lit

A sharp object like a toothpick or carving tool – to carve or engrave the names of the people into the candles

Scissors – to cut your Spanish bayonet when turning it into a bundle.

Shallow Fireproof Tray – for anointing the cord and used to collect the ash during the spell

Lighter – to light the candles and Spanish bayonet bundle

Instructions:

Begin by cleansing your working space, preferably using the magic circle method.

Using the sharp object cut a doorway in the magic circle.

Cleanse your candles in whatever way you see fit.

Take a candle and carve your name into it using the sharp object.

On the other candle(s) carve the name(s) of the person/people you want to cut ties with.

Cleanse your Spanish bayonet

Take your Spanish bayonet leaf and turn it into a bundle using the guide that I made in mspaint:

8. Grind your peppercorns into a shallow tray. 9. Wet your twine and squeeze out the excess water. 10. Roll your twine in the black peppercorns to anoint it. 11. Take all your ingredients with you back into the magic circle and close the doorway. 12. Tie together the 2 candles with the anointed string making sure the twine passes through the loops on your Spanish bayonet bundle while focusing on the following intent: “When the bundle is lit and the cord burns away any ties connecting me to (insert person(s) name(s) here) will be broken.” 13. Place the fireproof tray underneath the Spanish bayonet bundle handing from the cord between the candles. 14. Light the 2 candles and ground yourself. 15. Light the bundle and visualize it burning through a black rope that ties you to that person. If you have aphantasia simply watch the bundle burn through the twine and focus on the feeling of freedom as the cord is cut. 16. Blow out the candles and cleanse the space once again in whatever way you see fit to remove any residual energy. 17. Close the magic circle and ground yourself after.

You’ll Need:

A piece of paper – Used as a spell tag

A pen – To write on the spell tag

A small jar (corked preferred) – To hold all the ingredients

Light Blue Wax – To seal the top and represent creativity

Twine (Optional) – To wrap around the top before sealing to turn into an amulet

Anise seeds or anise oil – Used to draw in inspiration

Small doodles – Used to represent that we want to draw in inspiration for creativity

Water – To fill the jar the rest of the way and to cleanse the small jar

Instructions:

Start by washing your small jar well to clean it of dirt, debris, and negative energies.

On your piece of paper write down the following intent: "This jar is a magnet for inspiration and brings bursts of inspiration my way so I may (Insert your creative goal here)."

Cleanse your anise seeds or oil in whatever way you see fit.

Focus on the inspiration behind your doodles and focus on that while you add your doodles to the jar.

If using anise seeds instead of anise oil add the seeds to the jar focusing on the following intent: "These anise seeds grow into bouts of inspiration so I may (Insert your creative goal here)."

Add water to fill the rest of the small jar.

If using anise oil instead of anise seeds add 3-5 drops focusing on the following intent: "The anise oil is bursting with inspiration and allows me to (Insert your creative goal here)."

Cap the jar.

Shake the jar to really mix everything together.

If turning it into an amulet:

10. Cut the twine long enough to wrap around the bottle neck several times plus the amount needed to make your amulet to the desired length.

11. Wrap the twine around the neck of the jar leaving some wiggle room in the middlemost strand.

12. Taking both ends of the twine thread them through the middlemost strand in an x pattern.

13. Tie the twine in a knot to complete the amulet’s cord.

14. Finalize the spell jar by melting down some light blue wax and pouring it over the top to seal it.

What is protection and why is it important?

Protection is mainly used to protect the practitioner from a variety of things. These can range from a spell backfiring, negative energy, hexes, curses, jinx, and unwanted or negative spirits. It can often be broken down into what I consider subclasses of protection. These can include things like shielding, banishing, and warding. A few colors best represent protection. These include black and white. Black represents the removal of negative things. White represents the removal of jinxes, general protection, reversing hexes, and all things positive.In protection spells salt is going to be your best friend. Salt is used to absorb negativity, create boundaries, and keep bad spirits out. Black salt is a more potent variety of salt made by mixing regular salt with ash, charcoal, or iron scrapings from a cooking pot. Black salt has roots in Southern Rootwork and Hoodoo so if you use it make sure to acknowledge its history. Eggshells is another popular choice for protection spells. The shells are usually crushed up and represent shields to protect what is inside. They’re often used in place of salt as a nature friendly alternative.

How do I protect myself?

There are many ways to protect— from magic circles, protecting or warding thresholds, energy shielding, protective amulets, and the list goes on and on. Today I will be sharing 2 methods I've used in the past to protect myself. If you want to see another easy protection spell click the link above to go to my magic circles post.

Warding Thresholds

You'll Need:

Salt, Black Salt, and/or Powdered Eggshell - All 3 of these as stated above are known for their protective properties. If using multiple blend them together into one mix.

Besom/Cleaning supplies - Used to cleanse the threshold beforehand.

Instructions:

Begin by taking a few moments to ground yourself and balance your energies. This is best done standing barefoot or sitting on the ground if you prefer to keep your shoes on.

Focus on the following intent : "This besom/broom cleanses all the nastiness and negativity it comes into contact with."

While focusing on your intent see or, if you have aphantasia, feel energy flowing from the earth, through your hands, into your besom/broom charging it.

Using your newly charged besom/broom cleanse any dirt and debris from outside the threshold.

Starting from the farthest away point from the threshold begin sweeping any negative or stagnant energy out through and away from your threshold. A threshold ward is nothing if there's still nasty stuff inside.

Take your protective mixture and sprinkle it along the bottom edge of the threshold and if possible the top edge of the threshold focusing on the following intent: "This Salt/Black Salt/Powdered Eggshell wards this threshold protecting me and anyone inside from negative energy, and all the nastiness sent my way."

Ground yourself once again to rebalance your energies.

Witch's Bells

You'll need:

A ring frame big enough to fit over your doorknob - Used as the base of the bells.

Black & White Ribbons - To tie to the ring frame and hold protective charms and bells. You can decide how long you want this based on how many charms or bells you want to add. I usually add 5-7 ribbon strands.

Protective charms (Optional) - Charms that you correlate with protection these can include evil eyes, pentacles, even protective crystal pieces.

Bells - To ward off negative spirits and energy via sound cleansing as they try to pass by.

Cleansing Incense - A incense made of a cleansing herb to cleanse your materials before you begin.

Instructions:

Start by lighting your incense and wafting the smoke over your materials to cleanse them.

Cut your ribbons to size. You want to make sure they're longer then the length you want as you'll be tying things into it like bells or optionally charms.

In an alternating pattern of black and white ribbons tie them an equal distance apart on your ring frame.

From those ribbons tie in any optional protective charms focusing on what each charm means to you and it's purpose in the bells.

To the ends of each ribbon add 1-3 bells focusing on it's cleansing properties to charge it with your intent as you add it. You want to make sure these bells will jingle and be noisy when disturbed. I usually used 1 or 2 per ribbon.

Hang your witches bell from the doorknob.