w i t c h w o r k

Faunwand’s Wildcraft Tarot Deck 🌿 

First part: Suit of Pentacles. 

I made the whole deck with real plants; leaves, herbs, flowers, roots and reindeer moss. Backside: Real tree bark.

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

Ease the grief spell jar

Honoring the dead

Ritual of grief

A remembrance spell

Remembrance spell/ritual

A spell for grief and moving on

A spell for passing and mourning

“Grief seed” pop culture spell

Sigils:

Grief over death is easier for me and effects me less

My grief does not control me

I grieve in peace

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

Tarot spread to ease grief

Norse spells/prayers for grief and death

Crystals in death magic (includes some for grief)

Crystals for PTSD (includes some for grief)

Helpful posts:

Masterpost for overcoming heartbreak

Rejuvenating witchcraft

Magic to replenish energy

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

#Release spell

Witchcraft is to be used in addition to proper medical care, treatment and medication, not as a sole alternative.

YOUNG FREDERICK DOUGLASS & HIGH JOHN THE CONQUEROR ROOT

At the age of sixteen, Frederick Douglass, a devout Christian, worked as a slave in Maryland. He was treated abusively by a cruel white slave breaker named Covey. After a more difficult day than usual, Douglass retreated to the woods and contemplated running away to Baltimore. Suddenly a man appeared to him from the woods. They talked and the man, named “Sandy” is described as “a genuine African” who “was not only a religious man, but professed to believe in a system for which I have no name”. Douglass adds that Sandy “had inherited some of the so-called magical powers” that allowed him to identify an herb in the woods that held powers. This plant was described as one that could only be identified in the morning*. Sandy fixed this root for Douglass to help him with his situation with the dreaded Covey. Below is an excerpt from Douglass’s autobiography.

“Now all this talk about the root was to me very absurd and ridiculous if not positively sinful. I at first rejected the idea that the simple carrying of a root on my right side (a root by the way over which I walked every time I went in to the woods) could possess any such magic power as he ascribed to it, and I was, therefore, not disposed to cumber my pocket with it. I had a positive aversion to all pretenders to “divination”. It was beneath one of my intelligence to countenance such dealings with the devil as this power implied.

But with all my learning—it was really precious little—Sandy was more than a match for me. “My book learning”, he said, “had not kept Covey off me” (powerful argument just then) and he entreated me, with flashing eyes, to try this. If it did me no good it could do me no harm, and it will cost me nothing anyway. Sandy was so earnest and so confident of the good qualities of this weed that, to please him, I was induced to take it. He had been to me the good Samaritan and had almost providentially, found me and helped me when I could not help myself; how did I know but that the hand of the Lord was in it? With thoughts of this sort I took the roots from Sandy and put them in my right-hand pocket.“

The first time Douglass encountered Covey while in possession of Sandy’s root, he was taken aback by the slave driver’s kind demeanor towards him. Soon after, however, Covey went back to abusing Douglass but this time, got his ass whooped by the young slave, and with no negative repercussions to Douglass thereafter.

This is a simple spell. All you need is a glass jar and a spider who you have just found invading your house space.

Most people run to their shoe closet, but saving these critters isn’t just good for conscious and the environment.

It gives you a free question.

As with anything that gives you a free wish or question: choose yours with care.

This question HAS to involve one of these things. Magic, creativity or intuition. This is not a wish so you can’t ask for more magic powers, but you can ask how to get said powers. You can also ask what project to do next or how to make am intuitive decision that has been plaguing you recently.

Now mind you, this spider MUST be an invader in your home. You can’t just snag a spider from outside, toss it in your house and expect a question of them. That terribly rude and honestly hope there is bad juju for that kind of nonesense.

When you find said uninvited guest carefully slip her into a save container (Mason jars are perfect for this). While you get your shoes on think of the question.

Then, as you are taking the spider outside to a safe place (foliage is best) mentally or audibly explain to the spider that she was an invader of your personal space and you had all rights to kill her (she would understand because that’s how she lives her life). But instead you are doing her a favor by rescuing her from your space.

While you’re in the act of releasing her ask your question, mentally or audibly.

Your answer will appear within 1 to 6 days so keep your eyes open.

quick tarot spread for the winter solstice based on the concept of the longest night of the year and the return of the sun!

1. dark night- the hardest lesson you learned in the previous year

2. bright candle- what helped you through the dark, what guides you on your way to better times

My years reading with this spread! ✌🏽

a harry potter inspired potion for peaceful sleep without dreams

“The Draught of Living Death is a very powerful sleeping potion that can be made by adding powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood.”

💀 wormwood is a hallucinogen so we’re not doing that

🌿 create lavender infused milk/soymilk (may need to be overnight)

💀 steep/infuse one cup/bag earl grey (non-caffeinated)

🌿 lay an asphodel flower over the rim of the cup (not in it) during this

💀 stir the tea twice clockwise, add a raspberry

🌿 add 13 drops of lavender milk

💀 stir seven times anticlockwise, and clockwise once. 

The active ingredient which contributes to hallucinogenic affects of wormwood is called Thujone. It is most present in alcohol infused / distilled products of Wormwood; in its dried leaf form, only insignificant amounts are present.

But the plant itself is known to have strong effects on the stomach, bowels, and intenstine (as a strong antiparisitic / antimicrobial / antifungal / etc). Injest under professional care and advice! Even then (cause we all know how many quacks they’re are out there), understand that the strength of certain compounds in certain wormwood products matter and can have severe side affects if not paced and taken with certain respect. If you are prescribed wormwood or buy a product of wormwood, look at the labeled ingredients and their mass content!

Thujone side affects over time include seizures, muscle breakdown, dizziness, insomnia, death, etc.

✨🌑🍂🌑✨

face:

wash your face at least once a day, with a cleanser and a moisturizer that works for your skin (you can add a toner and serum to the routine too)

keep a lip balm on you at all times

please try to remember to brush your teeth. i know, you’re very sleepy and your bed is very comfortable, but still

try out some face masks every once in awhile!

hair:

find a shampoo and conditioner that really works for you and makes your hair smell nice

try to skip using the heat tools and embrace the natural look, your hair will thank you for it

deep conditioner? hair masks? argan oil? go for it

for those of you with long hair: keep a hair tie on you at all times

hands:

keep a small hand cream in your purse to keep your hands from getting dry after washing them

maybe keep a cuticle cream in your purse too? (it really helps me stop picking at my cuticles because this motion is actually a good kind of fidgeting instead of harmful, and it keeps them from drying out in the process)

paint your nails a light beige/pink neutral color. it’s subtle but looks so elegant and goes with everything

body:

moisturize!!!!! after every shower!!!! whether it be lotion or coconut oil or what, it’s important!! dry skin is uncomfortable and does not make you feel better

find a perfume you like and spray it on whenever you need a lil pick-me-up. smelling nice = feeling nice

take a multivitamin every! day!

and take your medications! don’t forget!

Spell creation is one of the most personal and individualized part of a magician’s craft.  Between each kind of magician, there are different methods of magic and spell-work. Then, between those kinds, there are sections and lineages who draw their inspirations from different places. Within those lineages, there are individuals who pull from their own life and sense of the world to craft their spells. There can be a lot said about a witch when looking at their spells. The different cultures, the subtle differences in elements or components, the incantation, the ritual action, etc. It’s all very telling of who they are as a practitioner. 

Solely relying on others’ spells can take away the identity of the practitioner. Don’t get me wrong; taking spells from books, blogs, websites, etc is not a bad thing. It helps a great deal, especially when you need something specific and they have it when you’re not sure how to get there. I think that’s why I get spell requests so often. I’ll tell you a secret though; not even half of those spells are in the Black Book. They were created there and then for the person who requested them.

But how? How do you connect the ends? I think it’s important that you reread that last line, but in a different light. There is no definite way of creating spells. There are common factors in spells to make them successful, but they do not limit individuality. It’s all individualized and up to the practitioner. The way they make spells, the way they cast spells, and the way they approach spells can help them understand who they are as a practitioner. So I’ll pose the question again. “How do you connect the ends?”

Factors

I mentioned before that in most spells, there are common factors. Many witches and magicians use these as guidelines for crafting spells. There are three factors that are the most often encountered in age old spells. 

1. Intention/Willpower/Want

2. Incantation (whether spoken aloud or internally)

3. Ritual action 

While the last two components may be interchanged in order, the first must be spread out through the entire operation. To cease the intent is to deprive the fire of oxygen, and thus end the spell before it starts. 

These three things are fairly self explanatory.

Before you do a spell, you have to want it. You have to want it badly enough that you’d bend the world to get it. That desire fuels your will, your intent, and seeps into the words you say and the actions you perform. When focused and harnessed, it sets your work ablaze and makes it come true. This want can also be replaced with need, which can quicken a spell faster than almost any other power. 

The spoken part of a spell is often what many people mistake for the spell itself. Incantations are only words. When power is put behind them, then they have the chance to make magic. Rhyming has been a popular method of incantation for a very long time, but incantations simply speaking the caster’s intention have been just as popular. Many people like to create their incantations before creating the rest of their spell, some after. Some also speak theirs intuitively in the midst of casting the spell. 

The ritual action is often what drags the spell into fruition. The act of ritual mimicry has been used for millennia across every culture in nearly every magical tradition as a way to create change in the world. That which is mimicked is created. Skins and pelts are worn for shapeshifting, stabbing and smashing have been used for curses, wrapping and tying have been used for binding, etc. The ritual action mimics what the creator wishes to bring into the world. For the practitioner, their ritual action should speak to whatever the goal is to them symbolically.  I know of another traditional witch who’s spoken on the subject with the same ideas, here, if anyone else wanted to take a look.

Components and Ingredients

I like to use cooking as a metaphor for spell-work. Why? Because everything has to be cohesive and harmonious. Otherwise, the spell will be haywire or shite.  When you create a spell, you have to take everything into account. Remember, specifics are important. I’m not just talking about incantations. I’m talking about knowing what you want, down to the nitty gritty.  Let’s say that we’re cooking up a love spell. Except, this isn’t your run of the mill love spell. Let’s say that this love spell isn’t looking to inspire lust, or at least not to a large degree, rather strong affections.  One of the first things I think of is what elements or ingredients speak to my goal, based on previously earned knowledge and old folklore. If we’re talking about gentle love, I’ve got a few go-to elements; a small amount of vanilla bean, dried apple flesh, and a pinch of coriander. These components will be bound together and put into a doll or a pouch. The name of the one who is to be charmed is whispered over it and kissed.  What do these components have in common? Sweet things. Vanilla is sweet and warm, and so are apples. They make me think of home and a warm oven, a hearth (or in this case a heart). Coriander is that touch of spice needed to move things along, but it doesn’t overpower the other two. Whispers to a lover’s ear and a soft kiss I also see as sweet things. This is a charm of romance. It’s a delicate thing, though with a simple spell.  It’s incredibly easy to upset it. Adding more things like cinnamon, clove, or allspice, though used in making sweet things and baking, could have turned that lover into a lust addled fool. Using saliva instead of a kiss could’ve also done the same.  What could’ve also harmed the spell is if wildly different ingredients are mixed together. Bleeding hearts, vanilla bean, and orris root would make for a rather unruly, or confused, spell. They are all associated heavily with love and love magic, but each constitutes different subtleties about what love is or what love means, thus each warrants a different use in a different situation. Is there a time when one of those two are married, or maybe even all three? Perhaps. This will be a very specific case, though.  The goal of the spell must be spoken in the actual components of the spell just as much as in the words and the actions. The ingredients are not to be thrown together with general (and sometimes sloppy) associations found in Barnes and Noble witch books. They are to be carefully chosen, handled, and married to produce the most fluent, successful spell. What is done with those components is just as important as the components itself.  Actions and Deeds Cursing for one person might be pricking a wax image with hot needles, but for another it might be lighting that wax image on fire and watching it burn. Different circumstances, styles, and magicians will make for different approaches. A bone that is crushed and blown on the wind will conjure spirits, but the crushing of the bone itself could also remove influence from spirits in the area. It is the intention, as well as the other factors of the spell, that will decide this.  The physical nature of spells if often written off in New Age methods and modern ways. Traditional spell-casting is tethered to some sort of action that serves as a symbol and a doorway through which the spell enters the world. Are these actions incredibly complex? Absolutely not.  Witches have been calling up winds and storms with nothing but whistling for a long time. Witches also have been reputed to cast spells simply by staring or touching things. This lore is as old as anything and exists alongside witches in many cultures.  An action, no matter how minute, is an intention put forth and succeeded. It breaks the barrier of the mental and causes something to become real. Actions are results.  As with all of the other part of a spell, this needs to be unified with everything else. Harsh, quick motions won’t do for a spell that is to inspire gentle love. It needs a soft hand. What that looks like depends on the magician. It’s important to remember that when choosing actions for spellwork they must resonate with the practitioner. A protection spell might involve waving a rod of oak over the boundaries of one’s home. It might also be slapping the stick off of the ground around the boundaries of the home. Whatever the intention and style of the practitioner will influence how a spell is cast. It tells a story about who they are, what they’ve done, where they’ve learned, and the nature of their magic. Though the differences might be slight, it shows the individuality of the practitioner.  Bonus: Sacrifices

Most modern practitioners have no idea what this word truly means, let alone how to use it in magic. The word conjures up images of animals being cut open, bloody knives, and killing. Though this is a form of sacrifice, it is not all sacrifice. Simply put, sacrifice is the giving up of something in exchange for something else. That thing you give up, though, has to be something of value to you. It’s not sacrifice unless it stings.  The use of sacrifice in spellwork causes the magic to burn hotter and brighter. It works faster and it becomes stronger. It also tends to make magic a bit more permanent.  It can look like a pin prick on the finger, but it can also be someone destroying gifts from someone to set a spell on them. It can be offerings, taken from yourself, and given to spirits or deities in exchange for favors. It can be burning a treasured photograph of a lover to make them love you back.  This aspect of spellwork has become increasingly less popular over time, with people not wanting to pay for what they ask. It is not always a necessary part of magic, but the strongest spells have some form of sacrifice behind them. As artists bleed for their passions, so must the magicians for their magic. It makes it real, especially in the practitioner’s eyes. You wouldn’t give something you cherished unless you truly believed in the goal looking to be accomplished.  Individualizing 

Bells might just be the earliest form of superstitious practise that I remember. My baba attached three sakura-patterned suzu bells on my schoolbag as a kid, purportedly for good luck and protection from evil spirits – and Japan is far from the only place to have associated bells and bellringing with mystic practise. They’ve been used worldwide to ward off evil and carry messages – and in a more metaphysical sense, sound is the movement of energy through substance. Sounds have the potential to work powerful magic.

Here are some of the ways I’ve found utilising bells to be helpful to my craft. While I’m more likely to use traditional suzu type bells, your own background, path and culture will likely have its own types of bells – and as ever, bells can be ornate antiques or they can be a bottle cap in a tin can, as long as they’re used with intent.

GETTING STARTED

🔔 As with so much of the craft, if you’re new to the witching bell, it’s a matter of exploration and experimentation. Get a “feel” for what works for you and the specific bell you’re using.

🔔 It’s good practise to ensure that the bell itself is cleansed, warded and protected – you don’t want anything nasty tapping into that power. All witching tools can do as much harm as good, intentional or accidental.

🔔 A good way to begin incorporating bells into your craft is infuse them into any typical ritual that you’re comfortable with, or even just a prayer or moment of contemplation at your altar if you have one.

🔔 Give the bell a soft ring while focusing on the energy it’ll ripple and move, try to track the movements it creates and what it touches. The tone it’s sending out.  The most primal and versatile use of the bell – and what many of the below come down to – is simply another manner of physically channelling energy, giving it shape and direction.

PROTECTION

🔔 “Passive” bells such as windchimes or small bells attached to belongings you don’t want disturbed are a starting point. They will scare off some forms of spirit all by themselves, especially if appropriately blessed, charmed or enchanted. Or cursed.

🔔 Gently tolling can draw energy into a ward or circle you are forming and enforce its protective properties, or for a simple cleanse, letting the sound travel to every corner of the area you are protecting. It’s a little more “cutting” than a smoke or incense cleansing, which I view as more “gentle” forms of cleansing. Both have their uses.

🔔 Harder tolling is, in my opinion, one of the most powerful ways in which to enforce a banishing – however, it’s best to you know what you’re doing with the bell before you go bashing it about.

DISCERNMENT

🔔 Bells can have quite the effect on your perception and awareness. Ringing and then stopping, listening to the silence left in its wake, can bring you new perceptions or make things you’d previously missed obvious. Let it attune your mind and senses to something new, whether that’s in your thoughts or something with a little more presence. Visualise travelling with the sound, taking heed of the energies it touches and disturbs. Take note of the echoes – you’ll learn what they mean with experience.

🔔 A set of windchimes can let you know if something is passing through or if there’s some unusual energy afoot – and, yes, it may also just be letting you know that it’s a particularly breezy day, but that’s witchcraft for you.

CONJURING

🔔 This can be as simple as calling good energies to witching tools, spell jars, tarot decks, crystals, altars and shrines, your favourite teddy bar, anything at all.

🔔 With spirit work, it can truly help to magnify your “calling”. This can range from gently bringing your latest offering to the attention of your friendly neighbourhood house spirit – all the way to trying to catch the attention of something more. Be mindful, however. As I said, I consider bells pretty powerful tools and a call that’s too loud is not good spirit work practise for the spirit worker’s own sake. It can really help coax something out of hiding if you’re gentle with it, though.

COMMUNING

🔔 Some use bells to mark the beginning and end of a ritual, and I’ve read that in Wiccan practise an altar bell can be used to invoke the Goddess, although as a non-Wiccan, I’ll welcome corrections on that if I’m wrong.

🔔 In my experience, very simple forms of communication via bell work a lot better than anything too complex – “come here” and “stay away” have already been covered, and other than that they can serve as greetings or signals of a start or end of some practise or ritual, the opening or closing of a door, etc.

🔔 They can also serve as a warning or a litmus test regarding spirits, a signalling of your presence and awareness, lack of fear, or willingness to defend – but be prepared to deal with whatever responses these garner.

BINDING

🔔 Bindings are where you most often see that famous (clockwise) circular motion of the bell, embodying the meaning of the spell. This can be a simple binding to seal a spell or charm or enchantment, or a spirit-binding.

🔔 Personally, spirit-binding is something I do as little as possible simply due to my beliefs holding the autonomy of spirits in very high regard. However, sometimes situations arise that call for it, and I’m aware that not all bindings are unwilling. Far from it – and some spirits are dangerous when unbound.

🔔 As an animist (believing that all things, including inanimate objects, contain a spirit of their own), I consider gently nudging a spirit back into its physical form a sort of semi-binding, and that can be useful.

I’ll leave you all with a note that I am an urban apartment-dwelling witch through and through, so I understand that we can’t all be jangling away at all hours. I myself have a glass windchime in my front window that makes a distinct but muted sound when disturbed by passers-through, and highly recommend wooden ones also. I also only use my small and relatively quiet suzu bell for my crafting – one given to me by my baba herself.