the witch next door

i've been singing since before i could talk apparently, and i think that is why musical magic has been my longest-held practice—i was doing it before i really identified as a witch, when i was a child. i'm going to describe some simple healing-song methods i've used throughout my life—all of these are solitary practices, require no knowledge of instruments, and you do not need to be a good singer at all to utilize these techniques for magical means.

divider by @suupersonic

when meditating on the breath, focus can be on the head (the nose & throat), heart (the chest), and/or stomach (the diaphragm).

i have been focusing on these zones, taking three breaths, as a simple mindfulness exercise recently.

i've also used this in a sustained form to enter trance.

excerpt from Anatomy of a Witch: A Map to the Magical Body by Laura Tempest Zakroff:

To seek mental clarity and connect with others, breathe into your head.

To gain emotional balance and focus on the task at hand, breathe into your heart.

To foster healing and promote physical well-being, breathe into your belly.

dividers by @strangergraphics

tiny money jars worked immediately that it scared me :')

ingredients

bay leaf (abundance)

white rice grains (prosperity)

salt (cleansing, protection)

thyme (purification, protection)

moonstone (manifestation)

white quartz (amplifier, cleansing, protection)

i sealed the top off with a green paper and used green ink to write my sigil (amplification), then tied it off. all the ingredients used are just things lying around the house. one of them is placed on my table where i work, and the other is something i can bring around.

i used a lot of protection symbols because i realized that there are so many ways to earn money if you trade off your peace, energy, and integrity. i could be hired into a good-paying job that takes advantage of me, come across opportunities to steal from others, or get a high-paying client that disrespects me – those are things i didn't want to happen.

cleansing motifs are to clear up the factors that prevent the spell from working as you'd like.

supporting spells. put a bayleaf with a fehu rune written on it in places where you typically put your money in (e.g., wallet, coin purse, coin bank).

Below is a list of herbs, trees and plants used in weather witching. I’m sure there are plants and herbs that are missing from this list. However the herbs on this list were corroborated by multiple sources which confirmed their use in weather magic. If you know of any other plants, trees or herbs used in weather magic please feel free to add them to this list.

Alder – Raises winds: Turned into whistles to ‘whistle up a wind’

Broom – Thrown into fire to calm winds or thrown into air to raise winds

Cotton – Thrown into fire to bring rain

Ferns – Thrown into fire to bring rain

Garlic – Worn on person to ward off bad weather

Heather – Thrown into fire to bring rain

Henbane – Thrown into water to bring rain

Oak/Acorn – Protects against lightning strikes and bad weather

Pansy – Brings rain and storms: If picked on a sunny day it will bring storms but if picked in early morning while covered in dew it will bring rain.

Rice/Grains/Wheat – Thrown into the air to bring rain

Saffron – Raises winds, Assists with control of the weather

Hi Witches!

Today I will show you how to do black salt or witches salt. Black salt is basic stuff, easy to do in home. It may be used, for example, to create salt circle (it’s better than normal white salt).

Black salt is used (in wicca, witchcraft, white magic etc.) to banishing, breaking bad spells (hexes), you need black salt for various rituals too.

What you need?

2 pieces of sea salt

1 piece of charcoal

1 piece of incense ash or herbs ash

1 piece of pepper triturated in a mortar

What’s next?

Shred charcoal

Add pepper

Add ash

Add sea salt and slowly mix

How to store black salt?

Salt should be stored in an airtight jar. Of course, if you want, you can decorate your jar.

Sun: acquaintances, friends, family; it’s you, your personality.

Moon: close friends, family; it’s your inner self and emotions, that you usually only reveal to people close to you.

Venus: romantic partners; it’s how you love, how you are in relationships.

Mars: enemies, sexual partners; it’s what you’re like in bed, and how you deal with anger and people you don’t like.

Midheaven: bosses, teachers, society in general; it’s your public face, your reputation.

Jupiter and Saturn: people a little older or younger than you; these planets stay in each sign longer than the personal planets, and they explain differences between different classes in school.

There are some parts of craftbuilding that are intentional and complex and require real effort. There's no denying that. But, generally speaking, it's not something that is done by sitting down with a pen and paper and making a blueprint. It's not something one accomplishes by going down a checklist to sort out a core practice and then a toolset and then an aesthetic and so on.

Physical cleaning is so underrated in witchcraft.

I feel like most of the time when witches talk about cleaning, they're primarily talking about energetic cleaning. Even when physical cleaning is involved it's "use the broomstick to sweep away the bad energy," "open your windows," and "recipe for a cleansing room spray," and so on, but nothing terribly thorough.

I just spent three and a half hours cleaning my room, no magick other than my spirit guides' candle lit to help keep me locked in with some video essays rolling in the background. Several surfaces and items have been dusted for the first time in months, I filled two garbage bags with trash and two more with donations, and rearranged all my drawers and shelves.

And no recent magickal cleansing method has made me feel so relaxed and at ease in so long.

I honestly wasn't expecting it! Usually deep cleaning makes me feel quite exhausted, but this is more of a satisfactory exhaustion. Like a physical weight I never knew was there has been lifted off my chest. Now I'm rewarding myself with a nice bath using the bath bomb that my boyfriend made for me!

You’re allowed to be casually religious, a “Yule Pagan” if you want to steal “Christmas Christian” from the Jesus club. You’re allowed to dedicate a day or two to worship and just stare at the sky or ground and mutter the rest of the week.

updated 1.18.26

new moon – new beginnings, health, cleansing, inner harmony, peace, love 

waxing crescent – growth, wealth, prosperity, luck, attraction 

first quarter – balance, decision-making, overcoming challenges 

waxing gibbous – motivation, positivity, success, attraction 

full moon – power, cleansing, charging, healing, manifestation, divination, emotions, psychic awareness, enlightenment, banishing 

waning gibbous – reassessment, letting go, clearing away, cleansing, releasing, undoing bindings, opening up, making amends, making space 

third quarter – letting go, banishing, breaking bad habits 

waning crescent – achievement, rest, peace, deep wisdom, completion, banishing  

dark moon – cursing, banishing, justice, binding, reflection, peace, introspection, contemplation, stillness

blue moon – achieving goals, focus, major wishes and dreams, divination, illumination

black moon - power, manifestation, banishing, cursing, binding, cleansing, release

updated 11.29.25

[☾] moon – emotions, moods, peace, dreams, imagination, the unconscious mind, memory, manifestation, safe travel, protection, psychic abilities, balance, sensitivity, nostalgia  

[⊙] sun – self-confidence, self-awareness, success, leadership, health, employment, pride, self-centeredness, ambition, money, optimism, potency, courage, generosity, nobility, expansion, creation

[☿] mercury – communication, learning, memory, comprehension, intellect, knowledge, wisdom, business dealings, agility, good fortune, gratitude, gain, exchanges, trade, reason, duality, education, travel 

[♀] venus – cooperation, unity, agreements, originality, fine arts, creativity, beauty, love, companionship, fertility, joy, romance, peace, sexuality 

[⊕] earth – stability, foundation, grounding 

[♂] mars – power, lust, force, passion, will, courage, physical strength, war, energy, action, independence, practicality, protection 

[♃] jupiter – expansion, abundance, gain, growth, riches, prosperity, wealth, success, luck, self-confidence, investment, gatherings, favors, ambition, mercy, religion, humility, philosophy, spirituality, humanity, publicity, legal matters, wisdom

[♄] saturn – safety, protection, intellect, life lessons, loss, death, past lives, law, justice, sincerity, restraint, discipline, responsibility, caution, time, order/chaos, manifestation, research, occult knowledge

[♅] uranus – changes, progression, revolution, independence, freedom, rebellion, radicalism, disruption, metaphysics, higher consciousness, intellect, advanced education, technology, astrophysics, electricity

[♆] neptune – mysticism, psychic abilities, imagination, illusion, distortion, chaos, divination, inner vision, perception, sacrifice, inspiration, emotions, dreams, transcendence, deception, confusion

[♇] pluto – power, destruction, death, the underworld, astral travel, realms, transformation, metamorphosis, regeneration, unveiling, mystery, change, crisis, manipulation, beginnings and endings, sexual energy, the occult

If you are feel called to work but are tired/drained, sit outside. Take in all the energies around you. Nature can help charge you

Every witch does a little bit of a bunch of types of magic but sticks mainly to one or two in general. You usually won't be eclectic forever. You'll find what magics work best with you.

Never be lazy or cut corners with spirits. Always be respectful and always tell them to leave when you're done

When you see a plant or ingredient with a long list of properties, there are different things at play. Season of collection, the part of the plant, the health of the plant, etc all play a role in impacting which properties it will carry.

Don't call on spirits unless you have confidence and control

Be careful with sea/water magic. Get into it gently and slowly until you have the energy figured out because it can get out of hand quickly.

Adding a little pinch of magic into your breakfast can make a major difference in your day.

Your personal emotions/feelings over something will impact a work

Planting some plants is good, not only to have a garden, but the dirt helps cleanse you too. Get all dirty and muddy. It's good for ya

Not all trees are nice

The more you listen to your intuition, the easier it will be to tell it apart from your anxieties and worries

Incense is very easy to make which is why it's usually cheap to buy. But you can find a million tutorials online on how to make your own personal incense which is great if you want a spell to take effect over a while but also want to infuse the fire energy in it.

The more you work with something the better feel you get for it. Cinnamon goes in almost everything i cook and most of my spells because me and cinnamon just get right along