the witch next door

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

A spell is a manifestation of intents, ingredients, and influences combined to bring about an intangible effect. However, there are a number of different of types of spells, intents, and methods. 

CURSE— A spell designed to cause a person or place harm or misfortune of a grand scale. Occasionally used to protect when it used against a concept, “cursing out” infections and medical problems.

HEX— Commonly thought as similar to a curse, though it comes from a German word for witch. Commonly interpreted as a weaker curse, or a midpoint between a jinx and a curse on a scale of annoying to devastating.

JINX— A spell to cause momentary bad luck or annoyance, but can occasionally come back to bite someone later. Usually paired with irony, or used to bring about the opposite effect of what someone says out loud or hopes for.

BANISHING— A type of spell, designed to get rid of something specific, whether it be a concept, a person, spirit, or otherwise, and to keep it away.

WARDING— A type of protective spell in which you create and put up magical walls, usually against a specific thing, such as spirits or negative people, but could be used for evangelicals and teenagers that theoretically loiter on your lawn.

BINDING— Similar to banishing. Instead of removing a person, object, or situation from your vicinity, you prevent a person or creature from performing a particular action.

GLAMOUR— Often used for beauty spells, are a type of spell used for creating an illusion over a person or object. They can be used for a number of purposes, to make someone more attract, or to make an object harder to find, or a person be more or less likely to be noticed.

CONSECRATION— The ritual blessing of an object or place by cleansing it and instilling with a specific energy. Cannot be done to living creatures.

POTION— Any drink made to have a magical effect.

JAR SPELL— A spell made and contained within a jar, often herb sealed with wax.

6 Cute Ways to Make a Sleep Circle

We love sleep circles. They are great for enhancing dreaming, allowing deeper sleep and warding away bad energy and bad dreams when you’re in a vulnerable state. What we don’t love is surrounding the bed with salt circles or incense ash and getting it in the carpet. Pass.

So here are some ways to make a protective and dream-enhancing sleep circle – without all the mess.

1. Enchant a cute string of lights. Nothing chases away darkness faster than light, so why not put these to use? Weave pieces of thread around the cords in colors that match your desired effect. This is a particularly great option for college witches in dorms.

2. Make your own canopy or buy one and charge it for your intent. This is potentially thicker magical barrier because you can have it completely cover you while you sleep. Stitch in sigils you’ve made into the fabric for your desired effect.

3. Make a chandelier to hang above your bed like ones here and here. Use colored fabric that corresponds with your intent, or hang crystals with your desired associations. Moonstone, amethyst, and clear quartz would be ideal for this kind of fixture.

4. Or make a mobile. Make a simple crystal mobile like the one in this video. Press and dry flowers and herbs of your intent to make the one here. Are you a sea witch with extra shells? Make a fixture like this for protection. The possibilities are endless.

5. Hang some plants associated with protection around your bedroom. A cute DIY for this can be found here. As desert witches, we are partial to hanging little cacti in our planters for their protective abilities. You could also dry your herbs around your bedroom for the same effect.

Burn as a general incense on the altar to purify the area.

Clearing Incense 3 parts Frankincense 3 parts Copal 2 parts Myrrh 1 part Sandalwood

Burn this incense to clear your home of negative vibrations, especially when household members are arguing or when the house seems heavy or think with anger, jealousy, depression, fear and other negative emotions. Leave the windows open while burning this mixture.

Full Moon Incense 3 parts Frankincense 1 part Sandalwood

Burn during full moon rituals or simply to attune with the moon.

Healing Incense 1 part Rosemary 1 part Juniper Berry

Burn to speed healing while visualizing.

Offertory Incense 2 parts Frankincense 1 part Myrrh 1 part Cinnamon ½ part Rose Petals ½ part Vervain

Burn while honoring a deity, and as an offering.

Hearth Incense 2 parts Dragon’s Blood 2 parts Myrrh 1 part Juniper ½ part Sassafras ½ part Orange flowers ½ part Rose Petals

Burn for a safe, warm, loving home. Also give as a gift to others.

House Purification Incense 3 parts Frankincense 2 parts Dragon’s Blood 1 part Myrrh 1 part Sandalwood 1 part Wood Betony ½ part Dill seed a few drops Rose Geranium Oil

Burn in your home to cleanse it at least once a month, also use it in any new home.

Curse-Breaker Incense 2 parts Sandalwood 1 part Bay 1 part Rosemary

Protection Incense 2 parts Frankincense 1 part Sandalwood ½ part Rosemary

Sun Incense 3 parts Frankincense 2 parts Sandalwood 1 part Bay 1 pinch Saffron a few drops of orange oil

Sun Incense #2 3 parts Frankincense 2 parts Galangal 2 parts Bay ¼ part Mistletoe (only burn outside) a few drops of red wine a few drops of honey

Wealth Incense 1 part Nutmeg 1 part Black Pepper 1 pinch Saffron

Yule Incense 2 parts Frankincense 2 parts Pine Needles 1 part Cedar 1 part Juniper Berries

Bottlecap offering tealights made with leftover wax from another candle. I ordered anchored wicks and then dumped the wax in.

Talked to my friend about Hellenism today and they gave me some really good pointers/advice/reassurance etc because i am always ALWAYS second guessing myself about it 😭

Taping all of this to my FOREHEAD.!!!

50 FUN AND UNIQUE THINGS TO MANIFEST

Always smelling incredible without trying.

Every photo of you looking stunning.

Strangers complimenting you unprompted.

Being naturally gifted at every sport you try.

Your hair always air drying perfectly.

Finding money in old coat pockets constantly.

Every playlist you make becoming everyone's favourite.

Animals being obsessed with you.

Always getting a window seat.

Being the person everyone wants at their party.

Waking up before your alarm feeling completely rested.

Every candle you own lasting twice as long.

Being ambidextrous.

Every plant you own thriving.

Always knowing exactly what to order at a restaurant.

Parallel parking perfectly every single time.

Being fluent in three languages.

Every book you read becoming your new favourite.

Always having the best handwriting in the room.

Attracting a loyal, chaotic, hilarious friend group.

Being scouted for something incredible out of nowhere.

Your own personal library with a sliding ladder.

Never getting a bad haircut again.

Manifesting a role in your favourite film franchise.

Hotel rooms always upgrading you for free.

Being the person whose skin never looks tired.

Every outfit you put together looking intentional and editorial.

Knowing exactly what someone needs to hear.

Your favourite artists always coming on tour near you.

Front row at every concert you attend.

A bedroom that always feels cosy regardless of the season.

Being the person who finds the best hidden restaurants.

Every iced coffee you make at home tasting better than a cafe.

Attracting a pen pal from your dream country.

Being naturally funny without trying to be.

Owning a vintage car in perfect condition.

Your bags never feeling heavy no matter what is in them.

Always waking up with clear skin.

Being the person whose recommendations everyone trusts.

A dog that is completely obsessed with you specifically.

Stumbling into a career that does not feel like work.

Always having the best seat in any cinema.

Every injury healing twice as fast as normal.

Being cast in a music video randomly.

Your own greenhouse full of things you actually grew.

Never running out of hot water in the shower.

Always finding your size in the sale.

Being the person strangers ask to take their photo because you clearly know what you are doing.

Every journal you start actually getting finished.

Living somewhere with a view that makes people gasp when they visit.

ᡣ𐭩 •｡ꪆৎ ˚⋅

A weighted stuffed animal that corresponds to your deity. [Artemis -deer, Hera - peacock, Hestia - pig]

Oversized sweater with embroidery. [Artemis - woodland, Iris - rainbow, Demeter - flowers]

Water bottle covered with stickers. [Persephone - flowers, Athena - book quotes]

Colourful pens for journaling [Hestia - sepia, Hera - rich greens, Iris - rainbow]

Rings with details to fidget with. [Demeter - flower, Athena - tree, Artemis - bow]

Meditation or Anxiety deck in corresponding colours/themes. [Hectace - purple, Nyx - night sky, Hestia - foods]

Meditation pillow in a pattern or colour representing your deity. [Athena - grey, Aphrodite - pink]

Books and magazines!!! [Artemis - National Geographic, Demeter - gardening, Hestia - interior design]

Candle, with a scent, colour or name appropriate to your deity. [Aphrodite - rose, Hera - chocolate]

Medication organiser in your deity's colour

Mini noise machine or background noise [Artemis - forest, Amphitrite - waterfall, Hestia - fireplace]

Cosy socks in your deity's colours or patterns [Amphitrite - dolphins, Hestia - Moomins, Iris - RAINBOW]

Animal cooling face masks. [Artemis - bear, Hestia - cow, Aphrodite - dove]

This challenge is super easy, so please just try it for yourself—you may just see a difference in your day.

Thank one animal you see, either in your head or aloud. For example: “Thank you for being here. I see you. I honor your existence.”

Look up at the sky, notice the clouds, feel the wind on your face, smell the fresh air and blooming flowers. Just observe—that’s all. In your heart, feel the gratitude you have for the sky above you.

Where safe, take off your shoes and feel the ground under your feet. If you can’t walk barefoot, touch the ground and thank it for the life it provides. The food it gives you.