Little Pagan, Big Dreams

Visualization. Practice it as much and as often as you can. You want to be able to create any type of storm in your mind, and work with it. It doesn’t have to be physically storming outside for you to be able to use the energy of a storm in your spell work.

Appeal to your senses. Sight. Do you see lightning creating different colors in the sky? Winds forming into a tornado? Snowflakes falling? Sound. Is it loud booming thunder? Icy quiet? Smell. Can you smell the rain on the road? The crispness of the falling snow? The ocean water rising? Taste. Can you taste fresh or salty water? Dirt or dust? Touch. Do you feel warm or cold? Strong winds and waves, or soft raindrops?

Symbolism. Decide what the elements of the storm mean to you. Maybe you’ve always loved snow, but are afraid of thunderstorms. You might have no fear, and feel the urge to be a storm chaser.

Collection. When it does storm, decide which elements you’re going to collect. If you don’t plan to use them right away, research the best method for storing them safely.

Hey everyone. I want to preface this with a few disclaimers. First, not everyone believes in this. Some people don’t find it necessary to take any protective measures, and I’m not saying they are right or wrong. Second, it is very rare for anything terrible to happen, but I have seen it before.

You’ve probably seen a post or two that warn you about protecting yourself against dark entities when you reach out to your deities. Personally, I would rather be safe than sorry. I find it generally easy to cast a circle, so I do that before I do any in-depth communication/divination with my deities.

So how do you KNOW when to question who you’re talking to?

1.) They are telling you to do something that is harmful. If they tell you to do something unhealthy, or harmful in any way, question who you are talking to.

2.) They are causing you to do something that is unhealthy. Are you finding that you are excessively distracted or obsessed with them? Are you having trouble focusing during important tasks? This is different than being happy or thinking about them often. I mean that if you are trying to do something important, can you feel them trying to pull you away from it? Are you feeling threatened by them?

3.) They are telling you something that is too good to be true. I have heard things such as: Being told you are a deity reincarnated, being told you are “the chosen one”, or that you are a demigod. Yes, there are people who are chosen to become priests/priestesses, but this comes with TIME and LEARNING. This will not happen until you build a strong relationship with your deity. It WILL NOT happen within the first couple days/weeks of practicing.

4.) They are outwardly sexual or seductive. (NOTE: I do not judge anyone’s relationships with their theoi. Including sex in your worship is A-ok (with the permission of your deities of course). ) If you find that they are being overly seductive, sexual, or pressuring in any way, question who you are talking to. If they seem to only be talking to you about sex, question who you are talking to.

5.) Mania. Do you feel unrealistically good with them? So good that everything feels out of control and you feel blinded by it? You might want to question it. Connecting with your theoi can create happiness in ways you may have never experienced before, but it should NEVER be so blinding that you are obsessed or unaware of everything else. If you find that your life is suffering due to this, question who you are talking to.

6.) They are being manipulative or possessive of you. If you try to focus on something else, do they try to pull you back to them? If you start to question who they are, do they try to convince you to stay? Pay attention to things like, “I can make you feel better.” “I can be everything you want.” “You will be nothing without me.” Manipulation is a big red flag.

7.) They are telling you everything you want to hear. Know what your insecurities are, and don’t be ready to run off into the sunset as soon as you hear someone validate you. Yes, your theoi are extremely loving, validating, and reassuring. This is not that. This is that sickeningly sweet, manipulative voice. It seems to know every word you want to hear, and is quick to say them.

8.) They are pushing you to give any part of yourself to them. Are they pressuring you to invite them in? Your theoi may say they want you to devote to them, but they will NEVER pressure you. They know these are big decisions, and you can take your time deciding upon them.

Again, this is EXTREMELY RARE. I don’t want this post to scare anyone, or make them question their relationships with their deities. I am only making you aware, so that you can keep an eye out for yourself and your loved ones.

The best way to assure that this doesn’t happen is to cast a circle. I have also made black salts, and drawn protective sigils. However, casting a circle can be done hundreds of ways with or without tools. Build up your skills at it, and trust that you are safe when you do so.

(IMPORTANT NOTE: I will not ignore the possibility that mental illness has a place in this. If you are experiencing dangerous or harmful voices, hallucinations, or urges, please speak to a licensed mental health professional. It is important that we do not blame everything on spirits, when there can be other very real, very dangerous illnesses involved.)

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Herbal medicine works great for inconveniences like rashes, sour stomachs, headaches, minor insomnia, body aches, even some cold and flu symptoms. It can even save you money on certain pharmacy products.

But if you’ve got a serious infection or a virus speedbagging your immune system, GET AN ANTIBIOTIC. Modern medicine is there for a reason.

Valerian can affect how medications are broken down in the liver. St. John’s Wort can decrease the effectiveness of birth control, and grapefruit (and other citrus I believe) has a lot of medication interactions.

aka, little things to distance your craft from capitalism

Let’s all just admit that buying stuff is fun. That said, there’s a big issue of consumerism within the witchy/pagan scene. As magic work and the pagan “aesthetic” becomes more of a commodity in the mainstream, there’s a mounting attitude of needing All The Items in the highest quality (even if we’re not certain we’ll use them,) and big corporations mass-producing cheap stuff to make a buck off of a growing trend. Here’s some things you can do to help detach your practice from that and support other people in the craft:

Go outside. Check your backyard or local park for local plant life, waters, roots, etc. If your work involves things from nature at all, you can probably find a lot of your supplies… in nature. It takes a little more time, but it’s free and then you’ve gathered stuff yourself! 

Make stuff. This one is pretty straightforward. There may be key items to your practice that you can make yourself instead of buying it! That said, I know sometimes spending money is inevitable so I won’t dwell too much on this… let’s talk more about shopping:

Shop mindfully. The price of a lot of items will skyrocket once it has a pentacle or other symbol engraved on it. For example, little mortars and pestles can be very pricey in witchy shops, but you could probably get a bigger one that’s actually food safe for less at a nice grocery store. Antique stores and international markets are now your new best friends.

Support small businesses! Things are cheaper on Amazon, but the extra money goes to support real people, likely other practitioners. If you can, supporting small, local, independent shopkeepers and crafters does a ton of good. It also helps build and sustain a local community. 

Shop based on need. Don’t get something “just in case” (unless it’s banishing or hex breaking stuff; those are decent to have on hand.) It’s tempting to impulse-buy a ton of niche items and ingredients, but unless you have a reasonable idea what you’re going to use them for in the near future, it’ll probably just create clutter for you to deal with later.

Prioritize effectiveness over aesthetic. Ultimately your practice has to work for you, not just look good. I think making your work aesthetically pleasing to yourself can be an important part of really connecting with what you’re doing, but don’t make that desire burn a hole in your wallet and distract you from what brought you to this path in the first place. Altar envy is a real thing. 

Recycle/Upcycle. Use old clothing fabric for an altar cloth. That old trinket dish makes a great offering dish. Enchant jewelry you already own. That jar of strawberry jelly you just finished off will work just fine for that spell. Things can be re-purposed and made into new things.

Analyze your offerings. Special occasion wine isn’t a special occasion if you do it every time. Not every offering needs to be a grand gesture, regular maintenance is more important generally.

Organize trades. Have any pals that also practice? See if you can help each other! You could trade different goods (that old mini cauldron you bought and never used for that abandoned tarot deck, maybe?) but also services. A protection spell for a luck charm. A reading for a reading. You help them with the laundry and they cook you a meal one day. 

All of my spoonie/disabled/low-energy witch posts!

These are meant to supplement medication, medical care, and professional treatment. You do not have my permission to use these as a sole alternative for those methods. Please be responsible with your health.

(Before sending me an ask, click here…)

~Updated June 1st, 2019~

Bedridden witch:

Bedridden witch - General edition

Bedridden witch  - Nature edition

Bedridden witch  - Worship edition

Bedridden witch - Divination edition

Bedridden witch - Stale energy edition

Bedridden witch - Elements edition

Bedridden witch - Pastel edition

Bedridden witch - Kitchen edition

Bedridden witch - Winter edition

Bedridden witch - Ocean edition

Bedridden witch - Love edition

Bedridden witch - Weather edition

Bedridden witch - Garden edition

Bedridden witch - Bath edition

Bedridden witch - Wheel of the Year edition

Bedridden witch - Discreet edition

Bedridden witch series (all linked in separate post)

Spells - range in level of energy required:

Simple spell: Ease the pain

Simple spell: To be humble

Simple spell: To be proud

Simple spell: Start the day ‘light’

Simple spell: To bring balance

Simple spell: To succeed in a career/job

Medium spell: Kiss that bitch goodbye

Medium spell: To attract kindness

Medium spell: To Gain Control

Anti-Migraine Spell + Altered versions of this spell

Tips and tricks:

Witchcraft in the Hospital

Witchcraft & Meds

Tips for taking meds

Low energy devotional tip

Bath magic made easy

Witchy things for spoonie students

Cleansing (via your phone)

Charging crystals: My version [X] Simple version [X]

For when you can’t sleep

My daily routine

A tip for using salves

Chronic migraine relief

Brainfog lifting

Other:

Chronically ill witchcraft: For your symptoms

Mentally ill witchcraft: For your symptoms

My spoonie sigils: (1) // (2) // (3)

Spoonie sigils: previous version

Small devotional acts (for the Greek + Roman pantheon)

Some gentle reminders [X] [X]

How I recovered from depression influenced by chronic illness

Low energy plants

Periods suck. Witchcraft helps.

For those of you who don’t know me, I suffer from a chronic illness and I spend a LOT of time bedridden. I also happen to be a witch! I don’t let being trapped in bed stop me from practicing my craft. Here are some resources I’ve compiled from my personal experiences and the help of others <3

Bedridden witch - General edition

Bedridden witch  - Nature edition

Bedridden witch  - Worship edition

Bedridden witch- Divination edition

Bedridden witch - Stale energy edition

Bedridden witch - Elements edition

Bedridden witch - Pastel edition

Bedridden witch - Kitchen edition

Bedridden witch - Winter edition

Bedridden witch - Ocean edition

Bedridden witch - Love edition

Bedridden witch - Weather edition

Bedridden witch - Garden edition

Bedridden witch - Bath edition

Bedridden witch - Wheel of the Year edition

Bedridden witch - Discreet edition

Bedridden witch - The Setup

She is proud of your successes, however big or small they seem to you. She’s proud that you kept pushing through, and that you keep pushing through. She’s proud of when you said yes to something, and when you said no. Saying no is a powerful boundary.

She’s proud when you fail too. Failures can be tough, but she’s there by your side and is proud you put yourself out there enough to fail. Failures lead to different successes.

She’s proud of how you handle things, and how you learn. She’s proud of the days where you get some unpleasant, but needed, things done and she’s proud when you choose to spend the day focusing on you.

She’s proud of you for everything you do, even if you feel like you don’t deserve it. All of those things contribute to who you are, whether you are simply surviving it, embracing it, or learning from it.

Maybe you’re wards are iron nails at your home’s corners, nails down. Maybe it’s a layer of specially made herbs and ash that you lay down around the openings of your home. Maybe it’s the onion you hang around your place. Or it’s your guest broom which you flip over to kick guests out.

Maybe it’s the pslamic chant you pray over your home in each room. Maybe it the censing of your home. Maybe it’s the oil marking in each home or over thresholds. Maybe it’s the feeding of your spirits in their respective spirit houses. Have you fed your kitchen old man lately slavic bros?

Listen. I miss baths too. But we have places to be and are in tiny apartments and we don’t have time to be soaking in a pool of herbs and then immediately scrubbing the leaves out of the tub.

You will need:

A pot

Your herbs (food/cosmetic grade)

Liquid Castille soap (unscented Dr. Bronner’s, okay?)

Empty squeeze bottle (I’ve even used one of those $2 condiment bottles from wegmans)

Quartz, if you’re one of those “I have to charge it!” witches

Boil them herbs. Boil ‘em ‘til they’re soft and colorless. Get all that power out of them. Strain the water clear of plant material and set aside.

Wait for it to cool to a temperature that won’t warp or melt your plastic bottle and then fill said bottle about two thirds way. Drop that quartz in there now if you’re going to do that.

Remove quartz before you pour in the Castille soap. But that’s what you’re doing; dumping in Castille soap the rest of the way. It’s meant to be diluted and we’re taking advantage of the high concentration of soap.

Gently mix.

In the shower, squeeze onto a wash cloth and lather as much as you want in your hair and all over your body.

Bam. Can be adapted to almost any bath spell and doesn’t result in a moldy sachet or leaves in the drain.

Herbal medicine works great for inconveniences like rashes, sour stomachs, headaches, minor insomnia, body aches, even some cold and flu symptoms. It can even save you money on certain pharmacy products.

But if you’ve got a serious infection or a virus speedbagging your immune system, GET AN ANTIBIOTIC. Modern medicine is there for a reason.

To anyone who needs this post, I am sending gentle and loving energy your way. Know that grief is meant to hurt, and with time it WILL get easier (but may not go away, and that’s okay). Please utilize this post only as a supplement, and talk to a therapist or loved ones if you need to.

Spells/Rituals:

Grief powder

Sage drops spell

Relieving grief

Jar of grief spell

Honoring the dead

Ritual of grief

A remembrance spell

A spell for passing and mourning

Sigils:

Grief over death is easier for me and effects me less

My grief does not control me

To bring aid in times of crisis and grief

Loss of pets:

Funerary spell

Animal Release Spell

Pet Farewell Ritual

Pet Funerary Spell

Other:

Emoji spell to bring comfort to those who are grieving

“I’ll be alright” spell jar (for grief)

Tarot spread to ease grief

Crystals in death magic (include some for grief)

Crystals for PTSD (include some for grief)

Similar posts:

Masterpost for grief 

Masterpost for overcoming heartbreak

This post by @thewitchofthenorse

Recommended tags to utilize when you’re ready:

Moving on spell + Moving forward spell + Letting go spell

Mental health sigils + Mental health spell

Self love magic + Self care magic

Short Prayer to Say Goodbye

You have crossed over now, into the spirit realm. May you walk with Bast, and I will see you again some day.

A Prayer to Return to the Earth

Mother Earth, we return to you the body of one of your children. Her spirit will return to her ancestors, and she will continue to live in our memories.

Prayer to Bast and Sekhmet

So i know a lot of people who don't know about Owl Pellets

Owls can't digest bones, fur, and nails from rodents and birds so they regurgitate a ball of it all and when disassembled correctly you're can get some really good bones and skulls.

When you search up Owl Pellets you can find a lot of labs that sell them usually for educational purposes. So for you little vultures, witches, and goblins, go buy owl pellets to get some small bones and skulls for you hoards and spells.

Different owls have different diets and you can get different animal skulls depending on what you want, just know which species of owl eats what.

They’re cheap as fuck!

(I’m literally talking about $1 or $2)

They’re both ethical and already sanitized!!!!

My partner got me four for Christmas I’ve essentially made a grave yard in a tin for it I’ll have to post it later. I’ve only had time to unwrap one out of the four.

This jar was from just two pellets!

See, the thing is that ‘clearing your mind’ doesn’t mean quite what you think it does.

Most people think ‘clear your mind’ means ‘don’t think about anything’, but that’s not accurate. What ‘clear your mind’ means is that you just let your thoughts be.

Let those little thought clouds drift up and away as they will. Don’t try to grab onto one and chase it; just let it drift up and drift away. Do the same with the next, and the next. Don’t fixate on them. Don’t chase them. Just let them come and go as they will. Listen to the beat of your heart and let your thoughts come and go as they will. Watch your thoughts with mild curiosity, acknowledge them, and let them go on their way.

That’s what it means.

Now, the longer you do this, the better you will get at it, and eventually the space between thoughts will become longer and longer, until your mind does nearly clear, and you slip into the place of no-mind. But that can take a long time, and I’m not there yet, and I’ve been doing this for a decade and more. Monks dedicate lifetimes to achieving this.

That is what clearing your mind means. To not fixate on anything and just let your thoughts exist and leave and drift as they will, without directing them.

That’s why Yoda says “I must meditate on this,” because unfocusing and letting your mind mull it over on its own can turn up answers that you’ve been looking for.

Not everything can be shadow worked through solo, sometimes our minds need to be sharpened or interrogated. Our brains are complicated and they are the tool through which we perceive, intuit, transform and manifest. They need to be charged, cleaned and checked up on as much as any blade, crystal or bone used in your witchy workings.

It doesn’t make you less of a Witch if you can’t do it alone. Shadow work is potent, but if you have a maladaptive mental illness, for example, you may not be wisely using your mental powers - and before you’ve even started, you’re at a disadvantage. 

One day, he showed up to the building and the city just painted over the murals without permission or notice.

First, the city told him he couldn’t have graffiti art on HIS building because it brought down property value. After he complained, then they said: ok you can do this, but you need a permit. After he got the permit, then the city said: ok, but you can only use these artists.  Of course, these artists were all White graphic design students from USC, and of course they charged 3x more.