the witch next door

i want pagans to stop overconsuming and be more sustainable for deities

i want paganism to not be expensive

• black sachet

• rosemary

• sage

• lavender

• marjoram

• blackberry leaf

• clove

• blessed thistle

• petrified wood

• black tourmaline

Begin by cleansing your hands, your workspace and the sachet in whatever way feels right to you. Incense, smoke, room spray, ring a bell, sprinkle a little moon water or simply meditate.

Add the dried herbs to the sachet, followed by the petrified wood and black tourmaline. As you fill it, focus on your intention: that the sachet will protect the room, keep the space calm and prevent unwanted energy from settling there.

Hold the filled sachet between your hands and say:

Nothing harmful may cross this boundary.

Nothing cruel may linger here.

This home is guarded,

this body is safe,

and only peace may enter.

Tie the sachet closed with three knots. With each knot, say:

By earth, I am grounded.

By spirit, I am guarded.

By my will, this protection is sealed.

Place it under your bed to guard your sleep, dreams and personal energy or hang it above the doorway to prevent unwanted energy from entering your home.

Epithets of the Greek God Apollo/Apollon:

Phoebus (Phoibos): Meaning "bright" or "shining," this is his most famous epithet, denoting his role as the god of light and the sun.

Pythius: Referring to his cult at Delphi and his victory over the monstrous Python.

Acesius: An epithet worshipped at Elis highlighting his capacity as a healer.

Alexikakos: Meaning "averter of evil" or "defender against plagues".

Loxias: "The one who speaks crookedly," referring to the often enigmatic and cryptic prophecies delivered through his oracle.

Ask for family recipes, or favourite recipes of your loved ones. You can make a dedicated section for those recipes.

Think of practicality. A binder with laminated pages or recipes in sleeves will be harder to get dirty and wet. An organised binder will be easier to keep up with and add on pages.

If you don't want a recipe book, you can make a recipe box. Make cards with recipes and decorate a little wooden chest or box with symbols and colours of Hestia.

Throughout the month, save recipes to later try and add to your recipe book.

Take pictures of meals you make, add them to show the recipe, or by the end of the month, make a collage of everything you've prepared.

the birthmarks i'm littered in

the stretchmarks that i refuse to hide.

the random scarred areas from the dumb things i did as a kid, Like climbing trees.

Not everyone will use components or methods or rituals in the same way. Not everyone subscribes to the same beliefs or traditions or even uses of common materials. Not everyone will do the same sorts of magic or consider the same things integral to their craft.

THIS IS NORMAL AND ACCEPTABLE.

No matter how long you've been studying or practicing or what your level of expertise is, you're going to have to accept that other practitioners will do things differently. It doesn't matter if it matches up with what you believe or what you've been taught. And rather than insisting on one's own infallibility or arguing over points of meaningless minutiae, a prudent witch will take the opportunity to learn something.

Money manifesting chocolate bars w/ pistachios

Fourth from my 2023 Pride line is the image of Kybele, the Great Mother, Mother of the Gods.

Cybele / Kybele is the Phrygian Mother of the Gods, syncretized and identified with the Greek Titan Rhea, and worshiped in Rome as Magna Mater. It is her cult into which Dionysos was initiated to cure him of the madness inflicted by Hera. She is famous for the frenzied dancing and drumming of her rites, and for her gender-deviant priesthood – who may have included transwomen and/or eunuchs.

On the front of the talisman the goddess is shown on her throne, flanked by lions. She holds a pomegranate in one hand and a frame drum in the other. On the back is an image of two pine trees, like that found at her shrine in a temple of Aesclepius.

This talisman was commissioned by author Ariana Serpentine as a part of her personal devotional work, made available to the public by her astounding generosity, and included in this year’s Pride line at her particular request. You can find Ariana’s book, Sacred Gender, wherever fine books are sold.

* Talisman is one inch in diameter with an image on each side.

* Available as a pendant with an upeye suitable for a 3mm chain or with three rings suitable for stringing as a rosary piece.

* Available in sterling silver or red bronze.

This piece is not consecrated. That is your responsibility to do in accordance with your tradition or gnosis.

free to download/print, just don't redistribute to other places/websites. this is a general summary (or masterlist?) of how i personally guide myself through the week.

includes deities, theme keywords, and a small list of suggested activities (it doesn't mean those are the only days you can do those activities in, it just means they best align with the themes of that day).

Some Advice for Getting Started:

*Start with things that interest you!* 

I know i get terribly bored very quickly (gemini curse lmao) so i find that if i dive into stuff i’m interested in learning about, that it will tend to hold my attention longer and help me get back into the swing of things! So in my example one of my first things i researched when i was starting out was about Crystals and their properties/uses in magic! From there i was able to use that as a sort of base jumping off point for my magical practice! And if you find something you were learning about doesn’t seem like it fits you/your style/ your practice then drop it and move on to the next thing! 

*Ask Questions!*

No Questions Are Stupid Questions No Questions Are Stupid Questions No Questions Are Stupid Questions!!!! Questions mean you care enough to try and learn more about something! I’m pretty much always here and will try my best to answer as best as i am able And if I can’t i will do my best to help direct you to someone more knowledgeable!

*TAKE YOUR TIME!*

This one is important because most of the time i feel like i see baby/beginner witches try really REALLY hard to “reach the same level” as other witches as quickly as possible when in reality that just hurts THEIR path in the long run. Your path is your own, take it at your own pace. Enjoy the little bumps along the way and find the “Roses of your Path” (the things that make you want to stop and appreciate them: the satisfaction of calling your first Storm, the chill of the night air when you set out your first Full Moon Water, the spark when you find that one crystal.) Enjoy it. Enjoy your path, Enjoy your Craft. 

*Use the Things you Already Own!*

Another thing i see beginners getting hung up on (myself included, i was/am extremely guilty of this lol) is wanting to go out and buy a ton of supplies. try looking around your house for things that can be re purposed. Old Spaghetti Sauce Jars can be cleaned and used as spell jars, deity altars/shrines, or ingredient storage! Take pictures from old magazines and make a collage Altar on paper! Use a composition notebook as your Book Of Shadows! Your old broken glasses case can be used as a case for your portable altar! Dig around and see if there are extra candles you haven’t used in a while! Wash out and save those eggshells from your cooking to use as spell ingredients! It takes some creative thinking but you can reclaim pretty much anything for your craft!

*Look for Bargains!*For one thing prices can be outrageous for actual craft materials: like Crystals and Gems? Truly truly truly outrageous. So keep your eyes peeled for bargains and deals! Some of the best places to look for things on the cheap would be Dollar Stores, Flea Markets, Thrift Shops, Garage/Estate Sales! Most of the time in those places you can try haggling to get things at a cheaper price (or get more for less.) It really just depends on the place but you can find the most interesting assortments of things! Keep your eyes peeled in your general day to day life as well see if there are sales at your local grocery store for seed packets, seasonal items/holiday items (look for the sales afterwords to really save haha) The internet is a great place to look, i know Ebay has sellers who sell raw crystals/ crystal chunks by the pound. There’s also places to buy spices in bulk too . *Don’t Compare Your Path to Others!*Your Path is Your Path, Their Path is Their Path. Being online and part of the witchy community in tumblr means that there are a lot of ideas being shared from people’s paths and their views on how they think magic should be practiced. What works for them might not work for you and vice versa. Only YOU can decide what is best for you and your path. and on that note:*Figure Out What YOU Want Out of Your Path!*When you get some time, sit down and write out all the things you want to get from your path and think critically about how you want magic to work in your daily life. Do you want it to be Super Formal or more casual? perhaps a mix of the two?  Test the waters! Try things once and if you don’t like it then you know and can move on to the things that work better for your lifestyle/craft/path!Some examples from my list that i can think of right now would be:-Better knowledge of Crystals/ Crystal remedies and their healing properties-Daily research -aka tumblr--Appreciating Nature more (Whenever i go on walks with my dog i try to pick up some litter if/when i see it)-Daily Deity appreciation  -aka deity aesthetic reblogs to @theemeraldgod & Pintrest-

Helpful Links for Beginners:Sww Master List of Tags- Here’s my main hub of things that i tag feel free to look and see if something interests you!Altars/ Altar set up Advice- My long winded post about what to put on your Altar.My Beginner Tag// My Beginner 101 Tag- There are two tags because they have similar information, the 101 tag is for more ‘Hey I just started today what do I need to know’

Anyways thanks for sending this in! I’ve been meaning to make one of these for a while and this finally gave me the excuse ^^

-not feeling the need to constantly correct others

-knowing when and how to offer a dissenting viewpoint

-being content to disagree without engaging in debate

-fact-checking information before passing it along or incorporating it into your practice

-questioning your assumptions and decolonizing your thinking

-understanding that no two practices are the same and that the experiences and opinions of others do not need to govern your path

-understanding that practices not your own or contrary to your own can still be valid

-being able to describe your current beliefs without putting down others or defaulting to discussions about religious trauma

-focusing on comprehension, learning, and exploration rather than consumption

-understanding that "witch" is a gender neutral term and that anyone can be a witch if they choose to

-understanding that safety is more important than visibility

-understanding that magical practice does not have to be constant

-Developing personal beliefs and practices that may align with existing traditions but may not match them precisely

-Developing a reliable bullshit detector and employing it regularly

-Diminished desire for constant validation from outside sources as to whether you're "doing it right"

-diminished desire to overshare or aestheticize your practices, instead focusing on what works for you rather than what looks pretty enough for social media

-diminished desire to Do All The Things At Once and instead focusing on the areas where you are comfortable / interested and taking things at a reasonable pace

-being aware of the problems in the community and doing your best to not contribute to them

-being aware of the New Age pipeline and staying out of it as much as possible

-embracing science and history and common sense alongside magical learning and spiritual beliefs (if you have them)

There are lots of others, but these are some of the ones I've noted in my own journey. Just some things to consider.

Some of my favorite spell jars

 Eyes on You, Blackout, Negativity absorption jar

Here’s my Eyes on You and my Blackout spell jars before I dedicated them.

I also affixed a cheap chime candle holder on the top for ease of use. I just toss things in here and fire it up at will. Something needs my attention, throw it in the jar! need other people to watch someone so they don’t get away with shit? Throw it in the jar! Someone has a rad project that needs more support? Toss it in the jar! Someone needs some love and attention? toss it in the jar!

The blackout spell jar pretty much works in the opposite way. Its just spray painted black. Want someone to leave you alone? Place a representation of you OR them in the jar. Got some negative thought? place them in the jar! Got a secret that is hard to keep? Put it in the jar!

This is my finished miniature oracle deck! It’s made purely from sigils, and that was a very purposeful decision. I wanted something small and easily referenced; just one card to pull every morning to see what the day will bring, or if pulled upside down, what it will be missing. It can tell me what sigil to wear that day or what to be on the lookout for. So it’s nothing fancy, just a fun idea I had and went for it.

Sigilwork is by far my favourite way to do magick other than kitchen witchcraft and it brings me a lot of joy. I didn’t use any of my personal sigils on these cards just because I wanted something I could throw together within the last two days, but in the future I plan to remake this deck or make a normal sized one complete with all personalised sigils.

I absolutely love art and I always have so that will be a joy to do. and if any of y’all have been considering making your own oracle decks or means of divination, I say go for it! I had a great time and I feel like I’ve made something that i’ll get some true use out of and something that i’m proud of.

But yeah! I just wanted to share it and since I didn’t use any of my personal sigils, i’m not afraid to share the full pictures of each card. the backs are nothing special, just some swirls to represent each card’s energy. Let me know what you think and I might be occasionally sharing what card I pull each day.

Blessed be!!