The Life Of An Eclectic Witch

This is a long post, the correspondences are under the cut.

Carrier Oils: Carrier oils, known also as base oils, are used to dilute essential oils before they are applied topically. They serve as the base for oil blends. 

Essential Oils: Essential oils are concentrated liquids that contain the volatile (”the tendency of a substance to vaporize") aromatic compounds of plants. They are obtained via distillation and the oil alone should never be applied to the skin directly as some a reactive to heat, and light, and some will give you chemical burns. You are likely to have a reaction to essential oils.

Carrier Oils:

ALMOND OIL, SWEET (Prunus Dulcis) Ruled by Mercury and the Element of Air. Sweet Almond Oil makes a great carrier oil for blends that deal with prosperity, money and wisdom.

APRICOT KERNEL OIL (Prunus Armeniaca) Ruled by Venus and the Element of Water. This makes a great carrier oil for blends that deal with love or emotions.

AVOCADO OIL (Persea Americana) Ruled by Venus and the Element of Water. This makes a great carrier oil for blends that deal with love, lust or beauty.

CASTOR OIL (Ricinus communis) Ruled by Mars and the Element of Fire. Castor oil makes a great carrier oil for blends that deal with protection and absorbing negativity.

COCONUT OIL (Cocos Nucifera) Ruled by the Moon and the Element of Water. Fractionated Coconut Oil makes a great carrier oil for blends that deal with purification and protection.

GRAPESEED OIL (Vinis Vinifera) Ruled by the Moon and the Element of Water. Grapeseed Oil makes a great carrier oil for blends that deal with fertility money and strengthening mental abilities.

HEMP SEED OIL (Cannabis Sativa) Ruled by the Moon and Saturn and the Element of Water. Hemp Seed Oil makes a great carrier oil for blends that deal with healing, love, psychic ability and meditation.

JOJOBA OIL (Simmondsia Chinensis) Ruled by the Moon and the element of Water. Jojoba Oil makes a great carrier oil for blends that deal with healing and love.

OLIVE OIL (Olea Europaea) Ruled by the Sun and the Element of Fire. Olive Oil makes a great carrier oil for blends that deal with healing, peace, fertility and protection. In many traditions Olive Oil is an all purpose oil.

SUNFLOWER OIL (Helianthus Annus) Ruled by the Sun and the Element of Fire. Sunflower Oil makes a great carrier oil for blends that deal with protection, fertility, health and wisdom.

Essential Oils:

AMYRIS (Amyris balsamifera) Anointing, astral projection, attraction, blessing, consecration, exorcism, healing, love, meditation, protection, purification, sacral chakra, spirituality.

ANGELICA ROOT (Angelica archangelica) Exorcism, protection, healing, visions.

BASIL (Ocimum basilicum) Business success, conscious mind (stimulates), happiness, lust, money, peace, prosperity, protection.

BAY LAUREL (Laurus nobilis) Banishing, exorcism, luck, psychic ability.

BENZOIN (Styrax benzoin) Purification, prosperity, attracts customers.

BERGAMONT (Citrus bergamia) Business success, happiness, money, peace, physical energy, prosperity, protection, sleep.

BIRCH SWEET (Betula lenta) Protection, purification, exorcism.

BLACK PEPPER (Piper nigrum) Courage, physical energy, and protection.

BLUE TANSY (Tanacetum annuum) Water, Venus, immortality, youth, longevity.

CAJEPUT (Melaleuca cajeputi) Purification, protection, dispel negative thoughts and energies, break habits.

CAMPHOR (Cinnamomum camphora) Celibacy, crown chakra, physical energy, psychic energy, purification.

CARDAMOM (Elettaria cardamomum) Love, lust.

CARROT SEED (Daucus carota) Grounding, fertility.

CATNIP (Nepeta cataria) Cat magic, love, beauty, happiness.

CEDARWOOD (Cedrus atlantica) Blessing, health (maintain), heart chakra, meditation, money, protection, psychic energy, purification, self-control, spirituality, unhexing.

CHAMOMILE (Matricaria recutita & Anthemis nobilis) Meditation, peace, sleep.

CHILLI SEED (Capsicum annum) Protection, exorcism, fidelity, hex-breaking, love.

CINNAMON (Cinnamomum burmanii /cassia /zeylancium) Astral projection, base chakra, business success, health (maintain), luck, lust, magical energy, meditation, money, physical energy, prosperity, protection, psychic awareness, purification, spirituality.

CITRONELLA (Cymbopogon nardus / winterianus) Exorcism (exterior use), health (maintain), purification, unhexing.

CLARY SAGE (Salvia sclarea) Vivid dreams.

CLOVE BUD (Eugenia or syzgium aromaticum) Balances chakras, business success, courage, divination, exorcism, healing, heart chakra, love, money, prosperity, protection, psychic awareness.

COFFEE BEAN (Coffea arabica) Grounding, Earth magic, Mars, ritual stimulant.

CYPRESS (Cupressus sempervirens) Longevity, healing, comfort, protection.

ELEMI (Canarium luzonicum) Mental and psychic ability, spiritual balance, solar plexus chakra.

EUCALYPTUS (Eucalyptus globulus) Healing, health (maintain), protection, psychic energy, purification.

FIR NEEDLE (Abies sibirica) Mind clearing, memory, communication, purification before ritual, , protection, hex removal.

FRANKINCENSE (Boswellia serrata / carterii) Blessing, consecration, courage, exorcism, meditation, protection, purification, solar plexus chakra, spirituality.

GERANIUN (Pelargonium graveolens /x asperum) Happiness, protection.

GINGER ROOT (Zingiber officinale) Attraction, business success, courage, love, lust, magical energy, money, peace, physical energy, prosperity, purification, sex.

GRAPEFRUIT (Citrus paradisi) Purification.

HELICHRYSUM (Helichrysum italicum) Creativity, intuition, invoke spirits, scrying, channeling, awareness, calm, patience.

HO WOOD (Cinnamomum camphora) Cleaning, banishing, subdue sexual desire, celibacy, chastity, psychic power, dream work.

HYSSOP (Hyssopus officinalis) Purification, protection.

JUNIPER BERRY (Juniperus communis) Protection, anti-theft, love, exorcism, health.

LAVENDER (Lavandula stoechas/angustifolia/latifolia /hybrida) Balances chakras, business success, celibacy, conscious mind (stimulates), happiness, health (maintain), love, peace, protection, purification, sleep, third-eye chakra.

LEMON (Citrus limonum / limon) Balances chakras, health (maintain), love, physical energy, purification.

LEMONGRASS (Cymbopogon citratus /flexuosus /schoenanthus) Psychic awareness, psychic energy, purification, spirituality.

LIME (Citrus aurantifolia) Physical energy, protection, purification.

LITSEA (Litsea cubeba) Energy, rejuvenation, letting go.

MARJORAM (Origanum majorana) Celibacy, happiness, peace, sleep.

MUGWORT (Artemesia vulgaris) Moon, divination, lucid dreaming, prophetic dreams, protection.

MYRRH (Commiphora myrrha) Astral projection, attraction, balances chakras, blessing, consecration, crown chakra, exorcism, healing, meditation, protection, psychic energy, spirituality, unhexing.

MYRTLE (Myrtus communis) Love, good luck, fertility, and Venus, feminine and water aspects.

NIAOULI (Melaleuca quinquenervia) Purification, healing, protection, clearing negative energies, aura cleansing.

NUTMEG (Myristica fragrans) Luck, magical energy, meditation, money, physical energy, psychic awareness.

OPOPANAX (Commiphora guidotti) Death/resurrection, divination, Pluto, Scorpio, change.

OREGANO (Origanum vulgare) Happiness, tranquility.

PALMAROSA (Cymbopogon martini) Healing, love.

PALO SANTO (Bursera graveolens)

Luck, cleansing, air element.

PATCHOULI (Pogostemon cablin) Attraction, banishes negativity, growth, love, luck, mastery, money, peace, physical energy, prosperity, sex.

PEPPERMINT (Mentha arvensis / piperita) Conscious mind (stimulates), exorcism, health (maintain), protection, purification.

PETITGRAIN (Citrus aurantium) Conscious mind (stimulates), protection.

PINE (Pinus sylvestris) Exorcism, grounding, healing, health (maintain), magical energy, money, physical energy, protection, purification.

ROSEMARY (Rosmarinus officinalis) Conscious mind (stimulates), exorcism, health (maintain), heart chakra, longevity, love, protective, remembrance, third-eye chakra, vitality.

ROSEWOOD (Aniba rosaeodora) Mars, Moon, Venus, spirit element, fire element, intuitive health, beauty, divination, scrying, healing rituals, maturity, wisdom, femininity.

SAGE, DALMATION (Salvia officinalis) Conscious mind (stimulates), exorcism, money, purification, wisdom.

SAGE, WHITE (Salvia apiana) Cleansing spaces and magical objects, banish negative energy.

SANDALWOOD (Santalum album) Anointing, astral projection, attraction, blessing, consecration, exorcism, healing, love, meditation, protection, purification, sacral chakra, spirituality.

SPEARMINT (Mentha spicata) Comfort, healing, sleep (for protection).

SPIKENARD “JATAMANSI” (Nardostachys jatamansi) Good luck, fidelity, and health.

STAR ANISE (Illicium verum) Psychic power, luck.

SWEET ORANGE (Citrus sinensis) Balances chakras, divination, happiness, joy, love, luck, magical energy, money, physical energy, psychic energy, purification, sacral chakra.

TANGERINE (Citrus reticulata) Magical energy, purification.

TEA TREE (Melaleuca alternifolia) Purification.

THYME (Thymus vulgaris) Conscious mind (stimulates), courage, health (maintain), purification.

TURMERIC (Curcuma longa) Purification, protection.

VALERIAN ROOT (Valeriana officinalis) Love, sleep, purification, protection.

VANILLA (Vanilla planifolia) Love, lust, mental power.

VETIVER (Vetiveria zizanoides) Divination, exorcism, love, money, peace, protection, unhexing.

WINTERGREEN (Gaultheria procumbens) Protection, healing, hex-breaking.

YLANG YLANG (Cananga odorata) Love, lust, peace, sex, throat chakra.

[Sources: [X] [X]

You don't have to memorize the tarot cards. I've been reading tarot near 14 years and I still look up the meanings, all the time.

You don't have to memorize lists of stones and herbs.

You don't have to memorize color meanings.

You don't have to memorize the Wheel of the Year.

You don't have to memorize constellations, planets, houses, and signs.

You don't have to memorize spell rituals.

You don't have to memorize charms or incantations.

You don't have to memorize prayers or hymns.

For all my witches out there, here's a handy list of the 2022 dates for the major holidays, full and new moons, and special events. I've listed my sources at the bottom. Dates and times for all events are calculated for Eastern Standard Time, USA, Northern Hemisphere. Adjust for your location as needed. Enjoy!

WOTY Holidays and Solstices

February 1-2 - Imbolc

March 20 - Spring Equinox / Ostara

May 1 - Beltane

June 21 - Summer Solstice / Midsummer

August 1 - Lughnasadh

September 22 - Autumn Equinox / Mabon

October 31 - Samhain

December 21 - Winter Solstice / Yule

Full Moons

January 17 - Wolf Moon ♋️

February 16 - Snow Moon ♌️

March 18 - Worm Moon ♍️

April 16 - Pink Moon ♎️

May 16 - Flower Moon ♏️

June 14 - Strawberry Moon ♐️

July 13 - Thunder Moon (aka Buck Moon) ♑️

August 11 - Sturgeon Moon ♒️

September 10 - Harvest Moon ♓️

October 9 - Hunter's Moon (aka Blood Moon) ♈️

November 8 - Frost Moon ♉️

December 7 - Cold Moon ♊️

Fun Fact: The title of Harvest Moon is given to either the September or October full moon, whichever falls closest to the autumn equinox. In 2022, that month will be September.

New Moons

January 2 ♑️

February 1 ♒️

March 2 ♓️

April 1 ♈️

April 30 ♉️

May 30 ♊️

June 29 ♋️

July 28 ♌️

August 27 ♍️

September 25 ♎️

October 25 ♏️

November 23 ♐️

December 23 ♑️

Special Events

April 30 - Black Moon & Partial Solar Eclipse (10:42pm EST)

May 16 - Total Lunar Eclipe (12:11am EST, coinciding with zenith)

June 14 - Supermoon

July 13 - Supermoon

October 25 - Partial Solar Eclipe (11:01am EST)

November 8 - Total Lunar Eclipse (5:59am EST, coinciding with zenith)

SOURCES:

Inverse - Full Moon 2022 calendar: Dates, times, schedule, and names for the brightest nights all year

Astroseek - Full Moons 2022 & New Moons

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.

🦷Turkey🦷

generosity, blessings, ancestry work, harmony, motivations, traditions

🦷Mashed Potatoes🦷

grounding, protection, stability, can also be used in place of a poppet

🦷Green Bean Casserole🦷

longevity, health, prosperity

🦷Yams🦷

friendship, harmony, grounding, nurturing, sensuality

🦷Rolls🦷

grounding, familial love

🦷Stuffing🦷

grounding, healing, mental powers

This is just from my research and experience, if you have other correspondence with these foods that's totally valid!

have a great thanksgiving! I know it can be stressful, especially for queer folk who may or may not have a family to celebrate with, so please take it easy today! and if you don't celebrate thanksgiving that's totally ok! take the day off to relax, and recharge!

Tarot is one of the most well known and used types of divination that you can find. Millions every year buy tarot decks and ask for guidance to maneuver this world and often it does not fail to reveal the truth these individuals have been looking for. Today, I’m going to start a series of posts on tarot where I can share the information that I have learned with you. I’m going to begin with the Major Arcana, the trump cards of the tarot deck.  The Major Arcana are the first 22 cards numbered 0-21 in a tarot deck, ranging from the Fool to the World. Many decks may have different artwork, but the symbolism remains the same. The numbers on each card including the Minor Arcana, the remaining 56 cards, have meanings as well. The Major Arcana generally is an indicator of important life events, lessons or milestones. The following are each of the meanings for the Major Arcana cards upright and reversed and their meaning for yes or no questions.

0 ~ The Fool

Upright: Innocence, enthusiasm, start of a new journey, inexperience, beginners luck, improvisation, opportunity, potential, freedom.

Yes or No: Yes

Reversed: Appears when we are lost, confused, overwhelmed, reckless, naive. It is the ending of a journey or others may be taking advantage of you.

Yes or No: No

1 ~ The Magician

Upright: Control over one’s destiny, strong willpower, desire, manifestation, perseverance.

Yes or No: Yes

Reversed: Illusion, indecision, lack of self-confidence.

Yes or No: No

2 ~ The High Priestess

Upright: Strong intuition, spiritual knowledge, mystery, follow your intuition, self-exploration, seeking knowledge.

Yes or No: Yes

Reversed: Blockage in intuition, focus on yourself, confusion, reconnect with yourself.

Yes or No: No

3 ~ The Empress

Upright: Inspiration, competence, a project nears completion, femininity, beauty, creativity and a nurturing energy, positive growth, abundance, potential success, business ventures, creative ideas.

Yes or No: Yes

Reversed: Lack of growth, narrow-minded vision, too many outside influences, neglect of your creative side.

Yes or No: No

4 ~ The Emperor

Upright: Assertive, structure, focus, reason dominates, encouragement to proceed on your path, confidence, perseverance.

Yes or No: Yes

Reversed: stubbornness, feelings of superiority, lacking responsibility, take a look at your drive and motivation, imbalance.

Yes or No: No

5 ~ The High Priest/Hieropohant

Upright: Spiritual truths and energy, spiritual lessons, commitment, tradition, seek advice, move forward, spiritual guidance.

Yes or No: Yes/ Maybe

Reversed: Rebellion, encouragement to question your own beliefs, breaking away from rules and restrictions.

Yes or No: No

6 ~ The Lovers

Upright: The greater perspective of unity results in trust and partnership, relationships, choices, a decision concerning a current relationship, love.

Yes or No: Yes

Reversed: Relationships are strained, communication is hard, feelings in a relationship are not mutual.

Yes or No: No

7 ~ The Chariot

Upright: Success, determination, discipline, you're on the right path to making your dreams a reality, strong Willpower, strong Confidence.

Yes or No: Yes

Reversed: Out of control, no willpower, hurdles must be crossed, lack of focus, powerless, insecure, develop self-confidence.

Yes or No: No

8 ~ Strength

Upright: Self-confidence, power, courage, willpower, mindfulness, you are someone others look up to.

Yes or No: Yes

Reversed: Loss of inner strength, moments of weakness, insecurity.

Yes or No: No

9 ~ The Hermit

Upright: Search for wisdom and enlightenment, turn inwards, do not make drastic decisions, connect with yourself, spend time alone.

Yes or No: No

Reversed: The time of solitude is in the past and you are ready to get yourself out there again, inspired, aware, motivated, balanced.

Yes or No: Yes

10 ~ The Wheel

Upright: Positive energy, excitement, changes coming soon for the better, luck, fortune, encouragement, follow your intuition, destiny, seeking purpose.

Yes or No: Yes

Reversed: Trying to maintain control of a certain outcome, mistrust, misbelief, stagnation, moving on to the next goal in life.

Yes or No: No

11 ~ Justice

Upright: Fairness, virtue, righteousness, making a wrong right, the fairest decision will be made, comes up whe n there is a choice being made with long-term repercussions.

Yes or No: Yes

Reversed: You may have done something morally wrong, unfairness, lack of accountability, dishonesty.

Yes or No: No

12 ~ The Hanged Man

Upright: Pause, surrender, letting go, new perspectives, inner peace, suspended activity, wisdom not applied, ultimate surrender.

Yes or No: Maybe

Reversed: You need to press pause but won’t, distraction from the actually important things, your spirit and mind are asking you to slow down, blocked, stuck, resisted, you are content in waiting, stalling a decision.

Yes or No: No

13 ~ Death

Upright: Transformation, the end of something, relationships coming to an end, change, transition.

Yes or No: Yes

Reversed: You're on the brink of change, you still carry baggage from the past that may affect your future, massive personal transformation, self evaluation, teaching others.

Yes or No:  Yes

14 ~ Temperance

Upright: There are risks around you and you must depend on your intuition to make the right choice, don’t make hasty decisions, balance, no reckless choices, confidence, patience, moderation.

Yes or No: Yes, but don’t be hasty.

Reversed: Imbalance, recklessness, take time to reflect, focus on you, it’s important to have clear vision and focus, no sense of purpose or passion, emotion ruling reason, disharmony will end when unity is regained.

Yes or No: No

15 ~ The Devil

Upright: Shadow self, attachment, addiction, restriction, sexuality, trapped between short term pleasure and long term pain, comes up when you feel like you can not break free of your shadow self, unhealthy relationships.

Yes or No: No

Reversed: You’re on the verge of a breakthrough, confront your inner fears and anxieties, eliminate those that are harmful to you, release limiting beliefs, you are keeping a secret.

Yes or No: Yes

16 ~ The Tower

Upright: Sudden change, old beliefs vanish with enlightenment, upheaval, chaos, awakening, expect the unexpected, you’ve been building your life on unstable foundations, self-destruct to begin anew, spiritual awakening.

Yes or No: Yes if you ask if change is coming.

Reversed: Resisting change, avoiding self-destruction, clinging to an old belief or way of life.

Yes or No: Maybe

17 ~ The Star

Upright: Opportunity, good prospects, hope, creativity, inspiration, new beginnings, peace, optimism, changing your perspective, growing spiritually.

Yes or No: Yes

Reversed: Insecure, afraid that you won’t reach your goals, start believing in yourself, attract positivity, build confidence, seeking creativity and success.

Yes or No: Yes, but have more faith in yourself.

18 ~ The Moon

Upright: Take a step back and listen to your intuition, don’t make hasty decisions, be honest with yourself, cut cords if you have to, represents emotions or suppressed emotions, encouragement to face your fears.

Yes or No: No

Reversed: You’re on the right track to releasing what is holding you back, moving forwards, growing, awareness of facades.

Yes or No: Yes

19 ~ The Sun

Upright: Success, contentment, mental and spiritual growth, manifestation, productivity, potential, personal development, encouragement, reassurance, opportunities, abundance.

Yes or No: Yes

Reversed: Believe in yourself, have faith that things will work out, practice gratitude, empowerment, success delayed, answer to problems discovered.

Yes or No: Yes

20 ~ Judgement

Upright: Judgement, rebirth, inner calling, embrace your higher self, life-changing decision, spiritual awakening, decision requires intellect and intuition.

Yes or No: No

Reversed: Period of reflection, meditate, contemplate, focus on self-love/acceptance, acknowledge your fear, break free from self-criticism.

Yes or No: Yes

21 ~ The World

Upright: Achievement, fulfillment, unity, success, completion of a personal journey, everything's coming together, you feel confident, inspiration.

Yes or No: Yes

Reversed: Lingering feelings are causing a blockage, find closure.

Yes or No: No

I’ve been finding a lot of witchy/pagan books on

gutenberg.org

pdfdrive.com

I highly recommend checking out these two websites if you’re needing to do some research, or just want to have digital copies of books!

I shared pics of my grandma’s blessing bread last year during the Autumn Equinox and meant to publish the recipe too…just procrastinated awhile. So. 

Here it is! It’s a super simple no-hand knead bread! In my family Pagan tradition growing up, the term “blessing” was interchangeable with “cleansing” and that’s the purpose of this bread- it’s meant to bless/cleanse yourself before a ritual or when you think you’re hanging onto too much negative energy! Think a deeper purification than a bath- since you’re gonna eat it! Important magical aspects of this recipe: -The cast iron skillet itself: iron is good for warding off negative energy and entities. You could make this bread in the oven instead, but keep in mind it’ll be a little less potent (but I understand not everyone has a cast iron skillet large/deep enough for a round of bread!) -rosemary: a classic herb in witchcraft for purification and cleansing. -garlic: for protection (and flavor- my grandma fucking loved garlic in pretty much everything) -sea salt: also for purification and cleansing

The bread itself is meant to be pretty basic because my grandmother thought that would promote the cleansing ability of the three correspondences, but do feel free to slather it in butter or toast some cheese on slices if you like that!

Ingredients: -1 package dry yeast (I used those easy quick-rise packets because I don’t make bread constantly enough to have a bunch of yeast on hand) -2 cups warm water (test with the inside of your wrist- if it’s too hot or cold for you, it’s too hot for your yeast! Yeast is a precious baby and must be treated gently!) -1 tsp sugar (also known as “yeast-food”!) -½ tbsp kosher salt -4⅓ cups flour -¼-½ tsp garlic salt -dried rosemary (topping) -sea salt (topping) Directions: 1.) In a standup mixer (or in a large bowl), combine the packet of yeast, warm water, and bit o’ sugar. Let that yeast hang out in that bath for a bit and eat that yummy sugar until it starts foaming. This is happy yeast. Happy yeast makes happy bread. 2.) In a large bowl, sift together the salt and flour. Now add it to the yeasty water little bits at a time. You can use a dough hook attachment on your mixer or just a tough spoon (wooden is my fav). Be careful to add that flour slowly!

3.) After it’s all combined, cover the dough with a cloth and let it rise for about an hour. You can slip it into a larger bowl of warm water to help it rise if your kitchen is a bit chilly! 4.) Grease the skillet and gently put that delicate dough into it, shaping it to fit (you can use two or three skillets/batches if needed). Cover and let rise for another 30-ish minutes. 5.) Spread some olive oil over the top of the dough and sprinkle with the garlic salt, dried rosemary, and some sea salt if desired (you can skip this if you’re trying to go lower sodium, there’s plenty of salt in the bread and garlic salt to get the benefits!).

6.) Bake at 400 degree oven, in the skillet, for 16-18 minutes or until the top is a golden brown color. I let mine cool in the oven as well (i.e. turn the oven off and leave the skillet in until it’s cool enough to remove without an oven mitt). 7.) Enjoy! Visualize that cleansing energy as you eat it! It’s great for pre or post rituals and offerings!

So I got really upset with my art skills and concentration so I decided to boost it.

You’ll need : - basil : dispel confusion, stress and weaknesses - chamomile : reduce stress - nutmeg : luck - cinnamon : extra boost - lavender : peace of mind - ginger : draws adventures and new experiences - mint : promotes energy and vitality - sage : mental ability - thyme : attracts the good opinion of others - Rosemary : memory - yellow painted jar : creativity, imagination and confidence - creativity and/or luck sigil

Fill the jar with all the listed herbs you have. Cast your circle, place in four corner the representations of the elements (bowl of water, salt, incense, candle). Take the jar and sprinkle it or pass it through each of the elements while asking them to assist you in your creativity and luck quest. Visualise your life with the wanted qualities. Thank the elements. Close your circle. Tidy and cleanse your space.

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. 

Beginner witch, baby witch, noob witch, whatever you call it, the name doesn't even scratch the surface of how scary it can be to start a new spiritual journey. Especially if you have no experience in the area or, like me, you have to unlearn a religion while learning a new spiritual path.

So here are some things that I wish someone had told me when I was starting to look into witchcraft.

Wicca is NOT witch craft. Witchcraft is a practice, Wicca is a religion. You can be a witch and not believe in the wiccan ways.

Research herbs before you use them, you want to make sure they're safe to use in whatever way you're intending on using them. Also make sure that they don't interact with your medications or illnesses.

Deity work is not a necessary part of being a witch. If you connect with one, wonderful; if you never do, that's just fine too.

Keep a skeptic mind when it comes to people claiming to be speaking for a deity/spirit/religion/branch of witchcraft. People can certainly have opinions, but to claim to be speaking on behalf of a deity or a whole group of people is not only pretentious, but potentially dangerous.

You don't have to practice magick every day. I have gone whole weeks at a time not doing any magick or tarot or spells etc. Sometimes you're not in the right headspace, that's fine, you can come back whenever you need to.

Magick isn't always this huge ritual that you need to do. Sometimes it's as simple as pulling a card to focus on, meditating on your craft, stirring cinnamon in your coffee, or drawing a sigil in crayon! The list goes on and on, so don't stress out if you aren't dancing naked in the woods every full moon. Magick comes in all shapes and forms.

Spells should be personal. It's okay to copy a spell exactly if you want, but substituting various words, herbs, and such is a totally normal thing to do. In fact, making a spell more personal by switching things up to meet your needs may make it even stronger!

It's ok to be a solitary witch. You don't have to be apart of a group or coven to be a witch. That being said, of course it's okay if you'd like to join one! More friends!

Take your time. There's no need to be in a rush to learn every single thing. Let's be honest, no one can know every thing.

Wicca is NOT the status quo. While it has gained a lot of popularity since it's creation by Gerald Gardner in the 1900s, witchcraft and other pagan practices have been around for ages. Just like every other part of human society, the practice grows and changes, incorporating the every changing culture of the people into it. So if your practice doesn't look like Wiccan practices, that's totally ok!

Don't practice anything that you don't want to do. Don't want to do spirit work? Ok! Don't want to work with gods? That's fine! Don't do anything that will make you uncomfortable if there is no benefit in doing so. (Side note: Stepping out of your comfort zone is encouraged but make sure you're in a good position to do so!)

and last but not least:

Stay away from silly controversy. Some things need to be talked about, like the problems with using white sage and other closed practices. Other things are just...not important... If someone on the internet is trying to gatekeep a basic part of witchcraft and they're not spreading anything helpful, useful, or educational: block them and move on. Put that energy elsewhere baby!

A couple pages from my book of shadows :)