Pixelated Potions

Shadow work can feel very…vague to talk about. There’s a bad habit of just kind of handwaving things and hoping people figure it out on their own. Part of that is that it’s so intensely personal. It’s so hard to come up with things that will work for everyone. The other part is that I want people to experiment and add to what we know about shadow work so I don’t want to be too prescriptive in how I teach others to do it.

So, for this post I wanted to dig into some of the most basic skills I use in shadow work in the hopes it’ll help people no matter which methods or paths they take.

Describing Events Neutrally

I put this one first because I think it’s the most important and the more difficult. Our emotions cloud how describe events to ourselves and others. For us to look critically at actions or words, we really need to be able to describe them without intent or emotion. Now, I’m not saying to leave that out entirely, I’ll get to that next. But you have to be able to get a clear view of what was done. This is so important when working with anything that might be triggering. We are too used to describing events with the goal of justifying thoughts, feelings, and actions and in shadow work it helps to break that instinct where you can.

When you can describe events neutrally to start with, it’s easier to see whether the feelings where in line or out of line with what happened. Were you way over reactive? Maybe under reactive? It’s easier to judge that when you have a neutral account to work with.

To practice, try listing out some events as they happen neutrally. An example might be after a tense interaction with someone, listing out what was said and done. If you can, get someone who was there to look at it and someone who wasn’t there to look at it and see what they say as far as how factual and neutral the account is.

Naming Feelings

Many many people cannot tell you what they’re feeling. There’s a myriad of reasons for this but no matter where it comes from it hurts shadow work. Your mood is like an internal weather system, you need to be able to do shadow work that’s appropriate for the weather. How you dig into things if gonna be different if your reaction to feeling trapped is to give up and binge movies or to lash out in anger. Gotta know what you’re working with.

It’s absolutely vital that you practice naming your emotions in day to day life. I did a week where I had an alarm go off five times a day and I wrote down what I was feeling in a note on my phone. A lot of my entries were “I’m not sure”. The practice showed me how often I have no connection to my feelings at all and prompted me to get to know them better.

Try using a feelings wheel or a feelings chart at least once a day to get used to checking in with yourself and putting a name on it.

Defining What You Want

We live in a society that has a very complicated relationship with wants. People often say we live in a consumerist society but we don’t often talk about what that’s done to us psychologically, to be so consumptive. There’s a lot of morality around them too that we internalize. We identify strongly with what we want. We define ourselves through our ambitions and our goals. But it means what we really want gets lost in the pursuit of shaping our desires to be acceptable or admirable. We ignore our desires that don’t fit with our narratives which is such a block to shadow work. How can you work on what you won’t let yourself be conscious of?

You have to understand that you and your desires are not one in the same. Just because you really want to enact violence on someone for what they’ve done doesn’t make you a bad person or a mean person or what have you. It’s a natural human desire. That doesn’t mean that’s it’s justified just that you are not bad for having those thought or desires. This extends to other things people don’t like admitting they want – finding other people more appealing than their partner, wanting someone who’s wronged them to suffer, wanting more for yourself even if it means someone else goes without – they’re all desires we have from time to time.

Practice writing what you want out on paper. Remind yourself you don’t have to act on it and that it’s better to be aware of it so doesn’t sneak into the driver’s seat. It’s important to break the idea that we’re owed what we want or that we have to act on what we want. Desires, much like feelings, come and go. But they’re important to be aware of while they’re here.

Taking Responsibility

I still am unsure of how to describe how to do this. It’s really distress tolerance at it’s core; learning to be okay with not being okay. Because where I see people going wrong with responsibility in shadow work is that they either explain everything away with context or they go it’s all my fault and it’s so terrible I can’t do anything about it.

Part of taking responsibility is being able to answer the question “What do I owe in this situation?” If your answer is always nothing, you’re wrong. We are social creatures, we’re only here because we evolved the intelligence to work closely and creatively with other members of our species. We do owe each other things in any interaction. It’s important to practice thinking about what those things are. Equally important is thinking through what you don’t owe as well.

Practice sitting with your mistakes when they happen and trying to think what’s owed in this situation. Shadow work depends on our ability to take responsibility for the roles we play in what keeps us stuck.

Pattern Recognition

I don’t know that I have much explicit advice for this category other than it’s incredibly helpful. Seeing your patterns is really key to zeroing in on automatic behaviors or thoughts. Pattern recognition is kind of like playing Minesweeper. It gets you a little closer to what you’re trying to uncover without having to step right in it and maintain yourself to be reflective.

Journaling can be really great for this. If you see yourself writing about the same actions or feelings or thoughts again and again and again. Going back through old conversations where you’re venting might give you some clues.

Whenever you find yourself frustrated you keep doing something, take note. When are you doing these things? What does it offer you? What does it protect you from?

We don’t do things repeatedly if they don’t serve us in some way which can be hard for us to admit.

Compassionate Problem Solving

So you’ve dug up these unpleasant truths about yourself, what’s a shadow worker to do? The only way forward is compassionate problem solving. Which is best summed of for me as working with yourself, not against yourself. I’m reminded of permaculture – the problem is the solution.

An example of this in my own life was ADHD. Once I finally realized what I was dealing with was ADHD, I spent several months ignoring it completely and being shocked when I couldn’t will myself to be “normal”. I felt a lot of shame. It was only when I started accepting where I was at and then going okay what can I do that things started to shift. “Okay, if I know I’m gonna forget my keys what can I do?” I put spare house keys and car keys in my car so when I inevitably forgot them somewhere I could call AAA and I’d be able to drive home. “Okay if I’m gonna forget my papers what can I do?” I made digital backup galore so I could access them and print them off at the last minute on campus. My life got so much better with the approach.

Wherever you’re at there are things you can do to make it better going forward and it’s important to get creative and stay reasonable. Getting triggered frequently? Make sure you have a cool down list of some kind on your phone. Too scared to grab groceries by yourself? Grab a buddy or order them and pick them up. Spending too much time in bed because you’re depressed as shit? Set a 5 minute timer and do one thing to make your life better. Literally all of these are personal examples.

There’s always something you can do. Small wins are still wins. Count them. There’s no need to be cruel to yourself while doing shadow work. Practice coming up with at least three different ways to respond to issues that you face. Even if you know a solution isn’t the one you’re gonna take, get used to putting out more than one “right” answer. In shadow work, there’s always more than one path.

Conclusion

I hope this is helpful. A bit rambling, but I think I could have used a post like this when I was starting out. Shadow work gets very individualized, very quickly, but I’ve yet to talk to anyone who wasn’t using at least a few of these in their personal shadow work journey. Hope these skills and how to practice them help!

What is shadow work?

If I had to describe shadow work in one word, it would be introspection. Introspection is the examination of your own mental state and is necessary in order to learn more about your fundamental nature. Although it may sound off-putting and even scary at first, shadow work is a necessary component in the process of healing. We all have aspects of ourselves that we’ve rejected and hidden away out of fear. Through shadow work, we’re able to reflect on our thoughts, emotions, and habits so that we can find the root cause of our suffering and heal ourselves. By reincorporating those aspects of ourselves that we’ve denied, we feel more fulfilled and can begin to love ourselves fully. 

Where does shadow work come from? 

The concept of the shadow self comes from Carl Jung who believed that our shadow self is the subconscious aspect, or “dark side”, of our personality that our conscious ego doesn’t identify with. However, I would like to clarify that “dark” does not imply or equate with bad. That which resides outside of our consciousness can be either good or bad, but aren’t inherently reflective of our value or “goodness” as a person. 

Although these repressed aspects of ourselves can manifest negatively, it isn’t because those parts of us are “bad”, but that the process of repression is inherently painful and toxic. This is reflected by Jung when he states, “Everyone carries a shadow, and the less it is embodied in the individual’s conscious life, the blacker and denser it is.” He believed that until we’ve merged our conscious and subconscious selves, that our conscious would be “the slave of the autonomous shadow”. This is due to the shadow self overwhelming our conscious selves by falling victim to our own self-imposed traps. 

Through assimilating this shadow self, not over-identifying with it, Jung believed we go through the process of enantiodromia, thereby integrating the subconscious by reincorporating our shadow selves into our personality and allowing us to solidify ourselves through wholeness. He best described this by stating "assimilation of the shadow gives a man body, so to speak.” However, don’t fall into the misconception that shadow work is a short-term practice. Shadow work is a continuous practice and integration of the shadow self is a will take place throughout your life.

How do I do shadow work?

In the last question, I identified that practicing self-reflection is a key component of shadow work, but what does that mean? What am I supposed to be reflecting on? Well, the first thing that you should focus on is being present throughout the day. Identify feelings that come up throughout the day and observe them objectively. What situation or interaction triggered these emotions? How did I react to those emotions? Were my emotions controlling me or was I in control of my emotions? Why did this situation or interaction cause me to feel this way? How did I cope with those feelings (self-harming, lashing out at others, communicating my feelings, journalling, etc.)? Did I punish myself for getting upset? If so, why? 

There are numerous ways to reflect on your feelings and experiences in order to get a better understanding of yourself. Through evaluating how you react to situations, which situations upset you, and how you managed those feelings, you’re able to build the foundation to understanding your emotions and bridge the gap between your subconscious and conscious mind.

Once you’ve done this, you’ll find that the emotions you feel in the present are reflective of unhealed emotions from your past. Perhaps the reason you feel that you’re unable to set boundaries as an adult is because as a child, your parents never respected your boundaries by going through your phone or diary, yelling at you when you said no to a request, forcing you into situations that made you feel you had no choice. 

By identifying the root cause of your emotional pain, you’re able to address it in the present and heal from the trauma. The simplest way that I’ve found to address them is through journalling. You can purchase a physical journal or even use your notes app, either way, you’re writing out your feelings and reflections to gain deeper insight. It’s important to remember that this looks different for anyone and that the best way to approach shadow work is by doing what feels most natural! You can choose to stick to self-reflective journal prompts, vent about whatever is upsetting you, write letters to whoever has hurt you, etc. Ultimately, you can guide yourself based off of what you feel you need and where you are in your journey.

What parts of yourself do you find yourself rejecting the most? Many of us have experienced the pain of rejection in some aspects of our lives and sometimes, it’s incredibly painful and leaves us with long-lasting wounds. We end up going through our lives carrying baggage that we don’t even know we have! Many times, I’ve found myself wondering why I felt so repulsed by aspects of myself and why I felt so strongly that they needed to be locked away forever. I couldn’t allow myself or others to see my truest self, my whole self, out of fear. I was scared of being rejected, shamed, humiliated by the people around me. I was scared of hurting other people by being myself and of being hurt by others. That’s no way to live, is it? When we tell ourselves that aspects of ourselves aren’t good enough, we end up going through life devaluing ourself. We’ve broken our own trust by rejecting ourselves, we’ve told ourselves that we aren’t good enough or worthy of love. In shadow work, you’re called to go inward and unpack everything that we’ve kept hidden for years and sometimes even decades. 

Bring the parts of yourself that you’ve repressed to the surface and nourish them with love, allow yourself to see that ALL OF YOU is deserving of love and support. For you, that could mean unlearning your unhealthy beliefs about food or eating, allowing yourself to be emotional around the people you love (despite how much you were told that you were too emotional, a crybaby, too sensitive in the past), allowing yourself to relax without feeling guilty about not being productive because you recognize your needs (even though you feel your sense of worth is tied to being productive at the cost of your own health).

Common misconceptions about shadow work?

Shadow work is evil or bad, the shadow is evil or bad 

The purpose of shadow work is healing through working with your subconscious to release repressed aspects of yourself and heal from painful, traumatic experiences. Your shadow side is simply your unconscious and to believe that it’s bad is to believe that you are bad. It’s merely the part of yourself that you aren’t aware of consciously and shouldn’t be feared. 

Certain emotions are “bad”

When you let go of the idea that emotions are either good or bad, you’ll allow yourself to just be and stop putting so much pressure on yourself to feel “good” all of the time. Happiness isn’t a constant state of being so stop expecting to be all of the time, we have a range of emotions for a reason so stop being ashamed of them. Your feelings are natural and if you feel like they’re out of control and something to be ashamed of, there is nothing wrong with that! It’s okay to feel like your emotions are controlling you because that isn’t permanent. Your feelings aren’t permanent and are completely manageable with proper guidance! The reason you feel like your emotions are controlling you is because you probably don’t have the knowledge to cope with them in an effective and healthy way. It’s helpful to sit with your emotions alone and look at them objectively without placing any judgement on them, this will help you calm down and assess your feelings. From there, you can identify what you need to relax and recover as well as acknowledge to yourself that your feelings are natural. When you stop categorizing your emotions as bad, they’re no longer shameful to experience and therefore you can see with better clarity how to cope with them and move on.

I’ve already released it so…

Why am I still upset?

Why does it still keep popping up in my head?

Why haven’t I moved on?

Why am I not making progress?

With the rise of self development and spirituality, I find that more and more people are rushing to complete their healing. Healing is a continuous, life-long cycle and not a destination. Putting the pressure on yourself to reach the place of ultimate healing is not only toxic, but it impedes your ability to actually heal anything. Healing is about love, compassion, and patience and it’s not going to happen according to a timeline. Allow yourself the time to experience your emotions, see them objectively, forgive yourself and others and move on without the pressure of expectations. 

 Another reason that you could be experiencing this is that despite the work you think you’ve done, it hasn’t been sufficient. I’ve found that a lot of journal prompts provided online are surface level at best and can be more pacifying than revealing. If you’re not feeling anything while doing your inner work, you’re not doing it correctly. Ultimately, this is about uncovering what makes us UNCOMFORTABLE and moving through those feelings. When you allow yourself to experience the sadness, hurt, anger, and/or frustration than you’re telling yourself that these feelings are okay and don’t need to be suppressed. The reality is that no matter what you’re feeling, you are allowed to experience those emotions and it’s only human! Unfortunately, many people associate lower vibrational emotions as bad, but this is a huge misconception! Telling yourself that anger, sadness, etc. are “bad” implies that you shouldn’t experience these emotions and that you have to get rid of them which is not only wrong, but unhealthy. There is no right or wrong emotions so don’t buy into the belief that you should feel a certain way, simply allow yourself to be and you’ll find that it’s much easier to navigate your emotions and needs. The only way to make it to the other side is by wading through the water, be patient and know that you’re feeling exactly what you should be. When you stop censoring yourself, you’ll discover a newfound sense of freedom and wholeness. 

 If you find yourself circling back to certain topics, for example, your ex-boyfriend than perhaps there are triggers in your environment that remind you of the situation, you have more that needs to be addressed that you may not have been ready for or aware of previously (hence why shadow work is a practice that is ongoing), or they’re representative of a deeper issue that you’re repressing. Whatever the cause is, the same methods as earlier will apply and can be discerned through your own intuition. 

What are some basic journal prompts that I can do?

What feelings come up when you think of ____?

How did that experience make you feel emotionally? How did it make you feel about yourself? How did it make you feel about the other person or people?

Write a letter to yourself, your inner child, the people who’ve hurt you, and the people you’ve hurt. Express how you feel honestly, without holding back and then forgive yourself and the other person.

If you could say anything to yourself or another person for closure, what would it be?

How have these situations and experiences impacted your mental health? How have they affected your belief system about yourself, other people, and the world?

What about yourself are you ashamed of? What about yourself are you embarrassed of? What about yourself makes you angry? What do you regret? Why do you feel this way about yourself and where do these feelings stem from?

What makes you feel most alone? What makes you feel most loved? How can you incorporate that knowledge into your life to make it better?

What’s the most hurtful thing someone has said or done to you? Why did it hurt you so much? How does it still affect you now? How can you heal from it and allow yourself to move on?

What do you need to forgive yourself for? What do you need to forgive others for?

Where do you feel you lack security in your life? Why? How does this impact your life and your relationships?

The chakras are energy centres of spiritual power located within the body. Becoming aware of your chakras can help you to relax, improve your health and reach your fullest potential.

Each Chakra has its own powers that benefit you and you can do specific exercises to improve the flow of energy through that Chakra.

There are 7 main Chakras:

~ Base Chakra ~

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Name: Muladhara

Where: Base of spine

Colour: Red

Element: Earth

Mantra: ‘I exist’

Powers: Survival and Security

Exercise: Dancing, jogging and jumping.

~ Sacral Chakra ~

🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡

Name: Svadhistana

Where: Lower abdomen

Colour: Orange

Element: Water

Mantra: ‘I desire’

Powers: Sensuality, Sexuality and Pleasure

Exercise: Yoga, belly dancing and loving relationships.

~ Solar Plexus Chakra ~

💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛

Name: Manipura

Where: Solar plexus

Colour: Yellow

Element: Fire

Mantra: ‘I control’

Powers: Power and Control

Exercise: Meditation and deep breathing.

~ Heart Chakra ~

💚💚💚💚💚💚

Name: Anahata

Where: Heart

Colour: Green

Element: Air

Mantra: ‘I love’

Powers: Love and Compassion

Exercise: Healthy relationships with family and friends, being outside in nature and being open to reviving love.

~ Throat Chakra ~

💎💎💎💎💎💎

Name: Vishuddha

Where: Throat

Colour: Turquoise

Element: Ether

Mantra: ‘I express’

Powers: Communication and Truth

Exercise: Singing, Chanting and Breathing Exercises.

~ Brow Chakra ~

💙💙💙💙💙💙

Name: Anja

Where: Forehead

Colour: Blue

Element: Ether

Mantra: ‘I witness’

Powers: Insight, Intuition and Harmony

Exercise: Meditation and Visualisation Techniques.

~ Crown Chakra ~

💜💜💜💜💜💜

Name: Sahasrara

Where: Top of Head

Colour: Purple

Element: Spirit

Mantra: ‘I am’

Powers: Higher Power and Spirituality

modern goblin home🌞🏠🌿🌎🐞

I have had this saved on my phone forever and do not know of any specific source but it makes a great reference for crystals. I hope you all enjoy ~

ABDOMEN -gamet, agate, smoky quartz

ABSENT - MINDEDNESS - carnelian

ACHES - agate , charoite

ACNE - amethyst

ADDICTIONS - amethyst, fluorite, labradorite, lepidolite, quartz, ruby, tourmaline

ADD - ADHD - lepidolite, rutilated quartz

ALLERGIES - carnelian, lepidolite

ALTITUDE SICKNESS - jet

ALZHEIMER`S - chalcedony, rose quartz

AIR PURIFIER - quartz crystal

AIR TRAVEL STRESS - hematite

ANEMIA - bloodstone, gamet, ruby in zoisite, hematite, tiger eye

ANOREXIA - gamet, lepidolite, rhodochrosite, rose quartz

ANXIETY - howlite

ARTHRITIS - amber, agate, carnelian, charoite, fluorite, gamet, malachite, moonstone, pyrite, rhodonite, ruby, tourmaline

ASTHMA - agate, amber, carnelian, lapis lazuli, malachite, tiger eye

ASTRAL PROJECTION - hematite

AURA CLEANSER - lapis lazuli

AUTISM - moldavite, sugilite

BACK - carnelian, hematite, lapis lazuli

BIRTHING -lapis lazuli, malachite, moonstone, onyx, opal, peridot

BLADDER TROUBLE - amber, jade, jasper, rhodochrosite

BLEEDING - bloodstone, ruby

BLOOD CIRCULATION - bloodstone, citrine, gamet, moonstone, rhodochrosite, ruby

BLOOD CLEANSER - amethyst, bloodstone, gamet, ruby, sodalite

BLOOD PRESSURE - aventurine, charoite, tourmaline

BODY ACHES (general) - dolomite, quartz

BONES - apatite, dolomite, fluorite, howlite, lapis lazuli, zoisite

BONE MARROW - amber, onyx

BRAIN - amber, amethyst, aventurine, agate, labradorite, lapis lazuli, pyrite, ruby, sodalite, tourmaline

BRUISES - agate, hematite, rose quartz

BULIMIA - gamet, rose quartz

BURNS - agate, quartz crystal, rose quartz

CALMS BODY - agate

CALMS MIND - agate, amethyst

CANCER - amethyst, aventurine, bloodstone, jade, malachite, rhodonite, rhodochrosite, smoky quartz, sugilite, tourmaline

CERVIX - zoisite

CHAKRAS BALANCED - quartz crystal

CHAKRAS OPENED - fluorite, quartz crystal

CHEMOTHERAPY - smoky quartz

CIRCULATION - bloodstone, blue tiger eye, citrine, gamet, moonstone, rhodochrosite, ruby

CLEANSING - dolomite, malachite, sodalite, smoky quartz

COMMUNICATION - lapis, aquamarine

COLDS & FLU - amber, agate, carnelian, fluorite, jet

COLON - bloodstone, carnelian, gamet, rhodochrosite

COMA - lapis lazuli, moldavite

CONCENTRATION - fluorite, hematite, onyx, tourmaline

CONFIDENCE, SELF - aventurine, tiger eye

CONVULSIONS - amethyst, carnelian, lapis lazuli, quartz crystal

COUGH - amber, aquamarine

CREATIVITY - amethyst, aventurine, howlite, ruby

DEMENTIA - rose quartz, rutilated quartz

DENTAL PROBLEMS - agate, fluorite

DEPRESSION - carnelian, citrine, smoky quartz, garnet, howlite, jasper, lapis lazuli

DETOXIFICATION - amber, amethyst, bloodstone, carnelian, charoite, jade, lapis lazuli (etheric, spiritual), malachite, peridot

DIABETES - citrine, jade

DIGESTION - citrine, dolomite, howlite, sunstone

DIRECTION IN LIFE - citrine

DIZZINESS - quartz crystal

DNA REPAIR - pyrite

DREAM INDUCER - citrine, garnet

DREAMS, INTUITIVE - amethyst, jade

DRUNKENNESS - amethyst

EARACHE - amber

EDEMA - aqua aura, aquamarine, carnelian, jade, moonstone

ELOQUENCE - agate, turquoise

EMF POLLUTION - aventurine, lepidolite, tourmaline

EMOTIONS (calms) - rose quartz

EMPHYSEMA - amber, amethyst, aqua aura, aquamarine, rose quartz, tiger eye

ENDURANCE - sodalite

ENERGY - garnet, hematite, ruby

EPILEPSY - jasper, jet, lapis lazuli, onyx, tourmaline

EXHAUSTION - garnet

EYES - amethyst, aqua aura, aquamarine, fluorite, jade, jet, labradorite, lapis lazuli, nuummite, opal, rhodonite, turquoise

EYESIGHT - aventurine, bloodstone, citrine, peridot, tiger eye

FAINTING - lapis lazuli

FATIGUE - garnet, rose quartz, rutilated quartz, tiger iron

FEAR (banishes) - agate

FEET - onyx, smoky quartz

FERTILITY - carnelian, jade, moonstone, rose quartz, zoisite

FEVER - agate, jet, opal, ruby, quartz crystal

FRACTURES - fluorite, onyx

FRIENDSHIP - lapis lazuli, rose quartz, turquoise

FRUSTRATION - howlite

GALLBLADDER - carnelian, citrine, dolomite, fluorite, tiger eye

GLANDS - agate, aquamarine, sodalite

GOUT - charoite, tourmaline

GRIEF - amethyst

GROUNDING - carnelian, fluorite, hematite, obsidian snowflake, smoky quartz

HAPPINESS - citrine, howlite

HEADACHES - agate, amber, amethyst, charoite, citrine, fluorite, hematite, jet, lapis lazuli (prevention), moonstone, nuummite (relief), quartz crystal, rose quartz, sugilite, turquoise

HEALING (general) - agate, amethyst, aquamarine, fluorite, jade, moonstone, quartz crystal, turquoise

HEALING EARTH - amber, smoky quartz

HEARING - amethyst, onyx, rhodonite, tourmaline

HEART - amber (strengthens), aqua aura, aquamarine, aventurine, dolomite, garnet, hematite, lapis lazuli, rhodonite, tourmaline, zoisite

HEARTBURN - carnelian, dolomite, peridot, quartz crystal

HIP PAIN - petrified wood

HYPERACTIVITY - garnet

HYPOCHONDRIA - quartz crystal, tiger eye

IMAGINATION - rose quartz

IMMUNE SYSTEM - amethyst, jade, lapis lazuli, malachite, quartz crystal, rhodonite, tourmaline

IMPOTENCE - carnelian

INDIGESTION - agate, jasper, peridot, tourmaline

INFECTION - agate, carnelian, fluorite, opal, rhodochrosite

INFERTILITY - carnelian, jade, malachite, moonstone, rhodonite, rose quartz, rubelite tourmaline, smoky quartz, tiger eye, zoisite

INSIGHT INTO SELF - tiger eye

INSOMNIA - amethyst, aventurine, hematite, jade, lapis lazuli, lepidolite, moonstone, sodalite, zoisite

INTESTINES - amber, carnelian, fluorite, garnet, jasper, ruby

INTUITIVE AWARENESS - amethyst, ruby, turquoise

JOINTS (INFLAMMATION) - hematite, rhodonite

KIDNEYS - amber, carnelian, charoite, citrine, fluorite, garnet, jade, nuummite, quartz crystal, rose quartz, smoky quartz, ruby zoisite

KNOWLEDGE OF SELF - citrine

LARYNGITIS - agate, amber, lapis lazuli, sodalite, turquoise

LEGS - aquamarine, garnet, hematite, jasper, ruby, smoky quartz

LIVER - aquamarine, carnelian, charoite, garnet, jade, sodalite

LOGIC - sodalite

LOVE - garnet (passion), rose quartz

LUCK - smoky quartz, tiger eye

LUNGS - amber, dolomite, fluorite, pyrite, rhodochrosite, rhodonite, rose quartz, rutilated quartz, tiger eye

LYMPHATIC SYSTEM - amber, sodalite, tourmaline

MEDITATION - amethyst, quartz crystal, turquoise

MEMORY - carnelian, fluorite, howlite, pyrite, quartz crystal, rhodochrosite, rhodonite

MENOPAUSE - garnet, lapis lazuli, lepidolite, moonstone, ruby

MENSTRUATION - jet, carnelian, lapis lazuli, moonstone, rose quartz, ruby

MENTAL CLEANSER - lapis azuli

MENTAL DISORDERS - beryl

METABOLISM - labradorite, rhodonite

MIGRAINE- amber, amethyst, aventurine, fluorite, lapis lazuli, nuummite (relieves), rhodochrosite, rose quartz, smoky quartz, sugilite, turquoise

MIND (troubled) - jasper

MUSCLE ACHES - dolomite, jadeite, quartz

MUSCULAR/SKELETON - aventurine, dolomite, hematite (heal fractures), lepidolite, malachite (breaks/tears), moonstone, tiger iron (aligns spine, heals breaks), tourmaline

NAUSEA - jasper

NEGATIVE VIBRATIONS - amethyst, dolomite, fluorite,

obsidian (snowflake), quartz crystal, smoky quartz

NERVOUSNESS - turquoise

NERVOUS SYSTEM - amber, aquamarine, jasper

NEURALGIA - amethyst, aquamarine, carnelian

NIGHTMARES - amethyst, chalcedony, hematite, jasper, lepidolite, ruby, smoky quartz, turquoise

OSTEOPOROSIS - howlite, malachite

OVARIES - amber, carnelian, onyx, smoky quartz

PAIN - amber, amethyst, carnelian, jade, lapis lazuli, quartz crystal, ruby, rose quartz, sodalite, turquoise

PANCREAS - agate, amber, bloodstone, carnelian, charoite, citrine, garnet, jasper, moonstone, smoky quartz

PANIC ATTACKS - lapis lazuli, rhodonite

PAST-LIFE RECALL - garnet, quartz crystal

PEACE - rose quartz

PMS - moonstone

PNEUMONIA - fluorite

PREGNANCY - amber, lapis lazuli, moonstone

PROTECTION - obsidian, tourmaline, turquoise

PSORIASIS - agate, labradorite

PSYCHIC DEVELOPMENT - amethyst, howlite, lapis lazuli

PULSE (rapid) - hematite

PULSE (steady) - jasper

PURIFIER - smoky quartz

RADIATION - malachite, sodalite, tourmaline, turquoise

REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS - carnelian, ruby zoisite

RHEUMATISM - amber, carnelian, fluorite, ruby

RIGID MIND - sodalite

SCIATICA - malachite, tourmaline

SEASONAL AFFECTIVE DISORDER (SAD) - citrine

SEXUAL ABUSE - rhodochrosite, ruby zoisite

SELF-CONFIDENCE - ruby, carnelian

SELF-LOVE - rose quartz

SEX IMPROVED - garnet, smoky quartz

SHINGLES - agate, lapis lazuli, rose quartz

SINUS - agate, aquamarine

SKIN - aventurine, dolomite, garnet, jade, rose quartz, ruby zoisite

SLEEP - amethyst, lapis lazuli, lepidolite

SMOKING - labradorite

SOBRIETY - amethyst

SPASMS - labradorite, ruby

SPIRITUAL CLEANSER - amethyst, lapis lazuli, quartz crystal

SPIRITUAL GIFTS - amethyst, lapis lazuli, quartz crystal

SPLEEN - citrine, fluorite, sodalite

STOMACH - amethyst, aquamarine, citrine, fluorite, garnet, jet, labradorite, lepidolite, moonstone, sunstone

STRESS - amethyst

STROKE - lapis lazuli

TEETH - aquamarine, dolomite, fluorite, howlite, rutilated quartz

TENSION (emotional) - amethyst, tiger eye

TESTICLES - smoky quartz, zoisite

THINKING (improve) - tiger eye

THOUGHT (clear) - aquamarine, carnelian

THROAT - amber, aquamarine, fluorite, lapis lazuli, nuummite

THYROID - aquamarine, citrine, quartz crystal, garnet, hematite, rhodochrosite, sodalite

TOOTHACHE - amber, aquamarine, jet, lapis lazuli

TOXINS - amber, bloodstone

TRAVEL SICKNESS - aquamarine, jasper

TRAUMA - amber, aventurine, hematite, rose quartz

TUMORS - amethyst, bloodstone, smoky quartz

ULCERS - agate

URINARY - agate, amber, carnelian, jasper, ruby

VERTIGO - lapis lazuli, quartz crystal

WOUNDS - agate, carnelian, ruby

VIRAL INFECTIONS - fluorite

VITALITY (improving) - agate, aventurine, garnet, ruby

VOICE STRENGTHENED - aquamarine, carnelian, lapis lazuli

WARTS - agate, smoky quartz

WEAKNESS - carnelian, hematite

WILL POWER - citrine, tiger eye

WISDOM - jade, lapis lazuli, ruby, turquoise

📎 Paper clips - Paper clips are made of steel, which is mostly iron, so it can be used as a substitute for iron or iron shavings. Cut one up and put it in a protection powder. Or, you can bend it into a shape (like a sigil) for a simple window protection spell. Paper clips are known for their elasticity and tension, making them great for change spells, friendship spells, or even curses. They can also connect certain things, or make chains. On a practical note, paper clips can be bent into mini candle holders.

💌 Tape - Tape can obviously be used for bindings. It can also be used for invisibility spells or glamors, if you cover a certain word or object with tape. Using tape on a poppet may help protection or healing, but only for a little while.

✏️ Pencils/Pens - These uses change based on color. However, all of them can be used as wands, or to amplify a spell. You may bless or enhance a pen by washing it with a soap or tea, or cleansing it in incense smoke.

📑  Staples - Also made of steel, staples can be used for wards and bindings. Any spell involving pain can include staples. When you staple, you instill pain; when you remove a staple, you heal. They can also connect certain things, and are good for knowledge or love spells. 

📌  Thumbtacks - These are great for protection jars, banishing spirits and, of course, curses. To see through certain situations, you may use a thumbtack to poke through a paper or bag, representing clarity. However, be aware that clarity obtained this way may not come pleasantly.

📝 Sticky notes - Sticky notes have more flexibility than regular paper, in that you can attach them. Use sticky notes for sigils on the go, or stick several sheets of sticky notes together in order to represent layers. If you would like to expand your knowledge, reveal a secret, or even divine, you can write on the top sticky note with a colored pen that matches the intent. Then place a drop of essential oil or moon water on the top note, and see what shapes it forms in the bottom notes.

✒️ Highlighters - Highlighters can be used similarly to pens. They also add extra light and glow to a design, which amplifies a spell’s power.

🔗 Rubber bands - You’ve probably used rubber bands before to wrap up baggies and such. In magic, they can represent tension, flexibility, binding, or releasing emotions. Stretch a rubber band between two poppets (or other symbols of people, like apples) to represent tension between two persons. In the same way, you can also use rubber bands for love, passion and lust spells.

✉️  Envelopes - Envelopes represent anything that encompasses, compresses, or confuses a person. Open envelops or write inside of them for inner clarity. Seal the envelope for anything you want to forget, trap, or hide. You can also use envelopes to hold herbs as a discreet form of witchcraft.

❌ Erasers - Obviously, erasers can help banish or hide things. They also work for invisibility spells, and release a ton of energy through friction. You may want to consider writing a sigil on an eraser, and then erasing it until the sigil wears off. 

✂️ Scissors - Scissors can act as a magical knife for those who do not yet have one. Scissors can disconnect and cut off regrets, guilt, persons or memories. Scissors can also be used to carve into candles.

📏 Rulers - If you’re into number magic, a ruler is the tool for you. Imagine drawing a symbol in the exact dimensions of a number that corresponds to your intent! 

As a witch who involves nature a lot in my craft, I find it super important to give back to the Earth and practice as respectfully of the environment as I can. Here is a little list of ways I do that. Not all of these are inherently ‘witchy’ but I feel people should consider using them in their craft. They aren’t just good for the Earth but also save you some money too!

🌱 When taking from the Earth, try to give back. You can leave an offering of water to plants that you take leaves, flowers etc from, fill a bird feeder with seed to encourage wildlife or pick up litter to show your gratitude and appreciation.

🌱 Walk, jog or ride a bike when you can. This saves you fuel (and money!), reduces pollution from fuel and also gets you outside and active. As you walk or ride, you can also observe the changing weather and seasons as well as any plants and animals you see.

🌱 Pour leftover water on your garden. Leftover water from boiling the kettle, cooking on the stove or bathing, can be poured on your plants after it has cooled down. (Just make sure there are no chemicals that may harm your plants). You can also empty your water bottle on your plant babies instead of tipping it down the sink, and charge this water with intent to help your plants grow and be healthy too.

🌱 Turn off the lightswitch and open the curtains and let in natural light instead. Plus, you can invite the energies of the Sun into your space for cleansing, healing, joy, prosperity and positivity.

🌱 Buy seasonal and local produce where you can. Buying seasonal foods can be cheaper and reduces demand for out-of-season produce which can put strain on resources used for growing and transporting these items. Buying locally also supports businesses in your area and there is less pollution as the products don’t need to be transported as far.

🌱 Keep houseplants around. They can increase air quality and improve breathing, enhance focus and memory and reduce stress. You can also use them in spellwork!

🌱 Purée excess fruits and vegetables to use them up quickly in soups or smoothies to reduce waste. And if the food can’t be eaten, try to compost it.

🌱 Plant flowers for the bees. Bees are sooo important to the ecosystem and pollinate plants, fruits and vegetables that feed not only us, but animals as well. Bees especially love colourful and native plants so if you can plant a garden using some of these, as well as a garden that has different flowers in bloom all year round, they will thank you for it!

🌱 Don’t get discouraged; every bit counts!

Each crystal or gemstone can be found in many different shapes, but actually each one has specific properties. Here are some of them:

Tumbled Stones

This stones are the ones whose shape has been smoothed or polished from their raw form. Ideal for meditation, affirmations and altar work. This shape evens and gentle energy.

Abundance stones

This is basically an elongated crystal with clustered, smaller crystals around it. This is perfect for wealth and abundance, hence it’s name. Useful, for example, to use in business.

Natural point stones

Not necessary a wand-like crystal, they’re any part of a faceted crystal with a point that has formed naturally and not precisely perfected. This are useful to draw energy from a body or to the body. Perfect for cleansing and healing.

Generator stones

A Generator will have six facets (of equal or unequal proportions) that meet into one point. It gets its name for its ability to generate amplified energy, boosting the power of other stones, or the stone it is made of. This type of formation is also very powerful for charging other stones.

Geode

Geodes have the ability to hold energy within and soften it, allowing it to naturally flow out and disperse evenly. These formations are great for protection or for assisting with healing abusive habits such as alcoholism and abusive internal monologues.

Raw stones

Raw stones are in their natural form and have not been smoothed, polished or altered. Also they’re often considered as more fragile than it’s relatives. They are great for all spiritual work.

Pyramid stones

This refers to four equal triangle faces and a square base. This is pretty often used in healing, it’s useful for warding off negative energy and also removing blocks from the chakra system. Also good for affirmations and manifestation work.

Spheres

These powerful formations are great for scrying. As it’s form is smooth from every possible angle, is believed that light, energy and time pass through it with no rules or hindrances, hence their scrying abilities.

Cubes

Perfect for grounding energies and intentions, believed that energy is contained and enhanced in this stone shape. Transmutes negative to positive energy, perfect for mindfulness and concentration.

Art By IG: @tanyashatseva

Instagram: @artwoonz

fire dominant: candle magic, burning dried herbs and incense powders, pine bundles, full moon rituals, calendula, constantly changing witch aesthetics and wanting to get rid of old practices, vengeance magic, 7-day candles, working with potent essential oils like myrrh and frankincense, eclectic witchcraft

air dominant: wands and bundles of baby’s breath, stocking up on books about the occult, enhancing the throat center, speaking spells and incantations aloud many times, incorporating singing into spellwork, journals full of correspondences and notes, divination, getting really intrigued with niche spiritual practices

water dominant: selenite towers, sound bowls, womb magic, rose petals and bath magic, floral facial steams and tea infusions, curling up and practicing dream/astral magic, leaving offerings for ancestors on altar, asking guides for love advice/working with love deities, storm witches, practicing divination and crying about it after, glitter and whimsical aesthetic