Ms. Wick

☕️ brew a cup of tea in between, after, and/or before classes. use herbs according to certain correspondences(I personally use lavender & chamomile after class, rosemary & mugwort before or in between if I have enough time). stir in sugar with intention. pour in a thermos if you’re on the go.

☀️ wake up 20 minutes early and meditate. set intentions or goals for the day, say your prayers, give thanks to the universe or to your deity, focus on your chakras. whatever feels right and simple, make it a part of your morning. [alternative: if you have 20 minutes in between classes this can really help you unwind before your next class]

🎧 instead of listening to your regular music, find something spiritually enriching to listen to when you have a moment. there’s plenty of wonderful spirits on youtube, instagram, etc. that speak to me on a daily. listen to an astrology forecast, a tarot reading, info on certain gods or deities, other witches and their practice, anything that resonates with you. [alternative: find witchy playlists on spotify, tumblr, or 8tracks* ]

📔 combine your practice with your planner. jot down the astrological influences of each week/day. track your tea intake. record pre-planned workings/spellwork/rituals/etc. dedicate a spread to your intentions each Moon cycle, at the end of the cycle cross off everything that manifested, migrate the remaining intentions to the next spread. this is a great pastime when you’re bored in class

♥️ shuffle your tarot/Oracle/etc. cards in class. take them with you throughout the day, let them experience what you do. at the end of the day ask them for their thoughts, or any other thing you feel. make sure to cleanse your deck however you prefer after a long day, your cards will absorb all the energy around you and it may lead to them acting wonky

🖊 draw sigils to help you study and prepare for tests. if you’re struggling with lateness, come up with a sigil to help you be more time efficient. if you suck at homework, write a symbol for wisdom or focus on yourself before you start doing it. sigils are an urban witches best friend

💸 to save money, diy items for your altar. if you live on a college campus, there’s plenty of places where people give away unwanted items either or free or really cheap. get them, if they resonate. paint them, sculpt around them, whatever. then put it on your altar

Scrying is a method of divination, done by gazing into a reflective surface such as wax, clouds, mirrors, water, oil, fire, or smoke. Here, I’m going to explain the basics of water scrying.

You will need a bowl, water, a candle, and a lighter or matches.

Begin by filling your bowl with water, and lighting your candles.

Next, get into a meditative state. Breath in, and out. Concentrate on your breathing, relax, and let go of any fears, worries, or misconceptions. This should last about 5-10 minutes. Now stare into the water, and don’t focus too hard, you should be relaxed. See if any objects appear to you. If not, also pay attention to where your mind wanders. The key is to not be thinking “I need to focus on the water. I don’t see anything. Come on, there has to be something!” You should allow your mind to wander, as this is often what gives the most accurate readings. If you have a specific question or issue in mind, keep that at the forefront as you gaze. Eventually a word, image or even entire scene may play out before you. This is normal. Once you “feel” that your scrying session is over, you may like to ruminate on the words, images or scenes that were presented to you. What were they trying to reveal? Sometimes you’ll be able to immediately understand the nature of the visions presented to you, but not always. Look out for symbolism, analogy and metaphor. 

Good luck!

Ace/Aro Protection Sigil 

I am safe and protected from A-Phobes 

Ingredients to make the corresponding sigil powder:

fennel

bay laurel 

mugwort

rosemary 

black pepper

cinnamon

nettle

A little Sachet Spell specially made for our patreon Bea!

You just need to put the above ingredients in a cloth pocket with a little note with your intention, and a little sigil too if you want.

Bring it with you or leave or it in your altar near something that you always use or under your pillow the day before doing something that you are specially nervous about.

On Samhain, also known as Halloween, the veil between worlds is at its thinnest. This allows for easier communication with spirits and improved divination. Samhain also celebrates the last harvest of the year and the beginning of the “darker half” of the calendar. Some people call it the witch’s new year.

Activities:

Eat an apple or drink apple cider.

Light incense or a candle.

Honor your ancestors and deceased love ones.

Take a bath.

Decorate your altar.

Carve a pumpkin.

Divination.

Spells for protection, honoring the dead, abundance, and clairvoyance.

Go trick-or-treating.

Make a besom.

Take a walk outside.

Collect fallen leaves and acorns.

Stones:

All black stones (obsidian, onyx, jet, etc.), clear quartz, amber, turquoise, smoky quartz, amethyst, beryl, fluorite, moonstone, lapis lazuli, bloodstone, peridot, and tiger’s eye.

Colors:

Orange, yellow, black, purple, silver, gold, and white. 

Symbols:

Fire, besoms, pumpkins, gourds, jack-o-lanterns, nuts (especially acorns), and apples.

Herbs: 

Mugwort, mandrake, cinnamon, sage, black pepper, hazel, rosemary, allspice, and catnip. 

Flowers: 

African violet, cactus, carnation, and dandelion.

Incense: 

Ok, TBH I did this on the fly when I got sudden inspiration. This was aimed at an undesirable suitor.

Items:

Black/banishing candle candle (for wax)

Black/banishing ribbon/thread

Paper

Black pen

Name of person 

Spit

Waning moon (optional)**

Somewhere dark to place it

Method

Light candle. On a small piece of paper write the person’s name you want to go away.

Underneath draw an eye, to represent their sight, so to speak (doesn’t have to be pretty or detailed)

Using the pen, black out the eye completely, while saying things like, “ I blacken your vision, you cannot and do not see me, you do not think of me at all. I blind you of my presence, etc.” I made it up as I went.

Spit on the black eye ( if you do it before blacking it out, it will be difficult… I made that mistake)

Fold it up as much you can or want, to seal and trap.

Tie the black ribbon over the folded paper and pour the black candle wax onto it to seal.

Living in Ireland I heard many stories about the fae.About they’re kind nature, the peaceful woodland spirits, playful tricksters, or even malicious beings.

Here I will give some ways to appease them, and ward them. I will also tell about dangerous fae and how to ward them.

AVOIDING FAIRIES

In Ireland children were told to keep away from fairy mounds, fairy circles, certain places in the woods, certain trees, and some strange places. Fairy mounds can be identified as strange lone hills, often found in odd place. Fairy circles are mushroom circles. They are a naturally occurring pattern, however they are believed to be portals the their realm. And stepping in one may be dangerous. Steer clear of certain trees. It is believed that fae live in them, and if disturbed they would not be happy. Notable trees to stay away from include hazel, thorn, alder, and oak. An example of a strange place would be strange rock formations in a field, and that if disturbed or moved would upset the fae who made them.

Farmers didn’t go to their mill or barns at night. It was believed that the fae used the cover of darkness to grind their grain. Disturbing them while they worked could result in you having a failed crop or other curses.

Certain bodies of water were said to be the homes of kelpies, Corrigans, and other water fae. If you came to these waters alone, you could be pulled in, or lured to your deaths (corrigans are said to beautiful creatures that lure you to your death, were they drown you.) They would drown their victims, forcing their spirits to live in the fae realm forever.

WARDING FAE

Certain flowers such as primroses, were layed on the windowsills and hung over doors. This ensured that he house was kept safe from the fae.

Garlands were made from marsh marigolds. These were placed over the barn doors. This protected the horses from being ridden to death by the fae.

However, the most notable flower to protect yourself against the fae is St. John’s Wort. Wearing this flower provided the wearer protection from fairy magic and tricks. Sometimes my grandmother would scatter petals around the outside of the house, to try to provide protection.

Some said holly berries would repel them. (Unknown why. Unlike the others I was never told this. Maybe someone could clarify.)

A four-leafed clover would allow you to see the fae, even through their glamours, or invisibility. However, this would only work once. An old tradition was to sew them into clothing, or even a little bag (this is to be worn round the neck, though some say it just has to be held) this allowed the user to see them for every clover they had sewn.

Though these are quite nice forms of protection, iron is always the best form of protection. Many believe that iron burns the fairy. Some legends say that the crafted their weapons out of silver and gold because they couldn’t use the iron. If you kept an iron nail in your pocket the fae would be unable to take you to their realm. Often iron knives, sheers, and other sharp object were hung over or near the crib of a baby. This was to prevent the baby from being stolen and swapped with a changling child. ( I don’t recommend doing this as it could be dangerous to the baby.) Sometimes horseshoes, nails, or arrowheads would be placed over doors to stop fae from entering the house or room. An iron ring was worn to protect people, it was told that the fae could not go near the person who wears it.

APPEASING FAE

To be protected from them, and to even form a relationship with the fae; one must respect them, trust them, and leave offerings for them.

Leaving bread and milk out for them was said to protect the household that did it. It was also believed that one may gain their favour by doing this. This is also a notable way of appeasing the cat síth. Not only do they like bread and milk, they also like butter, cream, sugar, ale, honey, whiskey, and I find that they like dark chocolate.

If you’re crossing a body of water, or passing by a well you may drop a piece of silver in, or a coin in for the fae that lives in it.

Ever here the saying that if you spill salt you should throw some over your right shoulder? Well that applies to the fae. If salt is spilled one may throw some over their right shoulder so that the fae can have their share.

Many of the nicer variety were insulted when they saw human mortals lacking in hospitality to one another and treating each other badly. It’s was said that they would punish people like this very harshly. However, if you were kind and honest to people they were said to treat you nicely, or leave you be.

DANGEROUS FAE

So y’all keep blowing up my notes with the various Family Lore stories I’ve been telling, so I guess I should tell one on my parents now.

My Mother’s Father was part of the United Auto Worker’s Union, and during the 50′s and 60′s, was on strike a lot. My point is, grandpa got himself an entirely deserved reputation for being a sucker who loved animals, so people would dump thier pets on him. Hence, my mother grew up in a house with pets such as Picket the one-eyed tomcat, Tweety the Bald canary, Dummy the cat, Stupid Son of Dummy, Spooky Garbage Dog and Chiquita the Tarantula.  Eventually Grandma put her foot down when Grandpa brought home Gerta the Saint Bernard.

I say all this because it provides some context for how the following occured.

Mom and Dad had just moved in together (my parents dated for six years and were engaged for 13 days, driving everyone on both sides insane), and unfortunately, My mother’s German Shepherd, Cops, has just passed away due to bone cancer.  After mourning for a bit, Mom and Dad decided to get a dog together, as a couple.  

For context, my father had never owned a dog in his life.  His mother had ‘Pretty Bird” the budgie as a child but parrots are alien life forms, not pets.

So they go to the Palo Alto Animal shelter to adopt.  The year was 1987, and at the time, Palo Alto was… not a great place.  Lots of drugs, gangs and poor civic managment.  Mom told me that she learned to identify different types of gunfire while living there. They get there, and mom explains that she’s always had a preference for Big Dogs, and the guy’s face lights up.  Oh Yes, he says, We have a Big Dog.  For expirienced owners, yep, adoptable today, here we’ll give you a discount even-

Somehow my parents were not suspicious about this.

They were shown to the Animal in question, a Gorgeous blue-sable beastie with pretty golden eyes who immediately pressed herself against the fence and gave them the best PUH-LEEEEEEASE TAKE ME HOME puppy eyes 100lbs of canine can do.  Mom and Dad fall in love instantly.  They sign all the paperwork and take her home for $10, and name her “Mazel” as in “Mazel Tov.”

Within the hour, it becomes clear that something is amiss.

Cops had lived with his kibble stored in a plastic garbage can in the garage for six years without incident.  Mazel figured out how to open doors and got the locking lid off the can in six minutes, horking down about four pounds of the stuff before my mother notices that it’s been weirdly quiet.  Most dogs bark at or chase squirrels.  Mazel stalked and caught one the second day, presenting it to my mother like an offering.  Mazel knew all her commands but would clearly stop to consider before obeying, and trained my dad to give her good treats within a week.  The locks on the side-yard gate were undone, and she took a stroll around the neighborhood, but always retuned home for dinner.

After a week of gradually realizing that Mazel was smarter than most of the professors my mom worked with, they took her to the Vet for a routine checkup.

Dr. Hamada walked into the exam room, dropped the clip-board and said “Where the HELL did you get a Wolf?”

After a bit of prodding and a very-angry-dr.hamada-calling-the-pound, they determined Mazel was a high-content hybrid, probably with a husky, but was going to be a lil shit her entire life.  OK, said Hamada, I don’t like destroying animals and you’ve got a lot of expirience with dogs, so I’m okay with letting you keep her, but you should keep her away from small children because her Prey Drive could kick in.

Two years later, mom got pregnant with me.

Mazel noticed instantly, and reacted by digging a large hole in the yard and catching even more squirrels for mom, because she needed the protein or something.  That what you do when the Alpha Bitch is preggers, right?  Dig a den and ply her with food?  On the advice of my grandmother, my mom stayed overnight at the hospital once I was delivered, and dad went home with a shirt that had moms and my scent on it.  Mazel spent the whole night puzzling over it.

The next morning, when mom came home with me, there was the sudden and instantaneous recognition of PUPPY!!!!!! :D:D:D!!!!! PUUUUUUUPPY!!!!!!  and Mazel turned into the most aggressively maternal being I’ve ever met.  Playing with me on the blanket, sitting under my chair at meals (I was a messy eater), sleeping under my crib, teaching me to walk by letting me hang onto her fur and shuffle around.

Dr. Hamada thought mom was a madwoman, until he saw me holding Mazel’s mouth open and sticking my face in so i could look at her teeth.  He gave up when my mom announced she was pregnant with my sister.

I’m making living with a Wolfdog sound awesome, but it did come with some drawbacks:

Mazel did have to be muzzled at the vets, because she had Opinions about having things stuck up her butt.

HAIR.  One of my chores growing up was to brush her out every week and I’d frequently end up with more hair than animal.

the only way we could reliably get her to stay in the yard was with an overhead tether with a STEEL cable, which she chewed through anyway.

Do you like waking up by being hit in the face with half a dead animal? No? Wolfdogs may not be for you.

More than capable of opening the fridge and eating everything if you’re not watching

Will get into everything if not otherwise occupied.  Including eating your tax forms.

Howls along with sirens at 4 AM.

PROS of growing up with a wolfdog, as a small child in the 90′s

I was afforded a degree of freedom normally associated with a pokemon trianer. It was no big deal for me and my sister to walk three miles through my not-really-good neighborhood to the Froyo if I took Mazel with us. People tended to leave us alone when we had 100lbs of overprotective Apex Predator following us around.

WINNING at Pet Day at school.  There wasn’t actually a compettion but Billy’s hamster sucks in comparison to an animal that is perfectly willing to demonstrate how she can snap an oak branch in half on command.

PTA moms losing their shit because Mazel would walk down the block by herself to come pick ups up from school.

Grew up associating the word “Bitch” with teeth and the willingness to rip an asshole’s face off for being rude.  Never changed the definition.

Learned the I-Own-This Strut and Murder-Stare from the absolute best.

When she was 17, Mom and Dad decided to add another room on to the house.  They rigged up the overhead tether so she could be outside but not underfoot for the contruction guys.  One morning, mom came out to notice them all milling in the side yard entrance, muttering worriedly.  When mom asked what was wrong, one of them explained that Carlos forgot to bring the Hamburger.  What do you need a hamburger for?  Asked mom, and they pointed down the side yard to where Mazel was sitting, doing her best Viscious Alpha Bitch Stare.

Apparently they’d never realized that she was on the VERY end of her tether there and couldn’t actually get to them, and had been scamming them for a big mac a day for a month.  Mom had my six-year-old sister pull her away to show she wasn’t dangerous and tired her best not to laugh but kind of failed.

I can talk about tea literally all day (and I have because I’ve worked in a spice and tea shop for years), and there is SO much to talk about with both health and magical benefits. Teas are made from tea leaves called camellia sinensis, with the exception of herbal teas/infusions. For this, I’m going to list magical and health benefits by type of tea.

Black Tea

Feminine * Earth * Winter * Strength * Stability * Death * Expelling Negativity * Alertness * Energy

Black tea is the most fermented and oxidized of all teas. Its tea leaves look shriveled and black. It combats heart ailments, digestive problems, high cholesterol, asthma, and breast/menstrual problems. Black tea also has a lot of caffeine (47 mg, still less than coffee) and too much of it can cause acidity issues in the stomach.  

Examples: English/Irish Breakfast Tea, Assam, Darjeeling, Lapsung Souchang, Ceylon, Earl Grey

**There is a subset of black tea called Pu-erh, a post-fermented black tea. Some consider this to be the “purest” of all teas and connect it to the aether, as it is rare and valuable.

Green Tea

Masculine * Fire * Summer * Passion * Healing * Conscious Mind * Sexual Health * Love * Energy * Progress * Magic

Green tea is slightly steamed but not fermented, which maintains its green color. It has many health benefits, such as detoxifying, reducing cholesterol and weight, boosting immunity and stamina, and reducing blood glucose. It has less caffeine than black, but still some. 

Examples: Jasmine, Sencha, Matcha, Gyokurocha, Genmaicha, Hojicha, Gunpowder, Dragonwell

Oolong Tea

Feminine * Water * Autumn * Reflection * Meditation * Wisdom * Serenity * Concentration * Romance * Friendship

I always describe Oolong as being between Green and Blacks, since it is half fermented. It can help manage weight and stress, balance blog sugar levels, remove free radicals, and promote healthy skin and bones. HOWEVER, too much can actually speed up bone degradation because it sweeps away excess calcium. And beware of its high caffeine content (I used to drink Raspberry Wulong to pull all-nighters).

Examples: Milk Oolong, Formosa, Wulongs

White Tea

Masculine * Air * Spring * Happiness * Wisdom * Moon * Purification * Protection * Clarity * Cleansing * Beginnings

White tea is a little harder to find. Either the tea leaves are plucked as immature leaves and steamed, or the leaves have not been processed (there seems to be little consensus across cultures). Some have a small amount of caffeine. It’s a great antibacterial and antioxidant, and it improves the heart, oral health, and skin. Drinking a couple cups works better than one, and you can reuse the tea leaves, granted that the second cup will brew longer.

Examples: White teas come in many flavors and are usually labeled as white tea. You may need to seek out a tea shop to find some.

Herbal Tea

Magical properties depend on which herbs are used

This tea seems to be the most popular for witches on tumblr, because it is composed of dry, unprocessed herbs, seeds, fruits, or roots, and has no caffeine (as long as the herb doesn’t!). There are many recipes online as herbals are easy to make. In general, herbal tea promotes calm, reduces cholesterol and risk of heart conditions, cancers, and diabetes. Due to its lack of actual tea leaves it has less antioxidants than other teas. Some don’t even call it a tea, but dub it Herbal Infusion.

Examples: Rooibos, most Chais, Ginseng, Chamomile, Peppermint, Spearmint, Hibiscus

**Yerba Mate is an herbal tea that is notorious for its high caffeine levels (you’ve probably seen the energy drink). It also zaps one’s appetite and can become addictive, so be careful around this tea!

Water Stones

Beryl

Aquamarine

Amethyst

Chrysocolla

Coral

Rose Quartz

Blue Tourmaline

Opal

Pearl

Transparent or translucent stones

Water Signs

Cancer

Scorpio

Pisces

Water Colors

Deep blue (Spiritual level)

White flecked with purple, like mother of pearl

Deep olive green

Sea green

Blue (Physical level)

Turquoise

Indigo 

Aqua (Mental level)

Gray

Water Deities

Atl

Danu

Hsuan-T'ien-Shang-Ti

Kul

Llyr

Nina

Nu

Oceanus

Oshun

Poseidon

Salacia

Tiamat

Isis

Soma

Mother goddesses

Water Planets

Full Moon

Water Metal

Silver

Mercury

Copper

Water Plants

Belladonna (seed,herb )

Coltsfoot

Lobelia

Lotus

Periwinkle

Reed

Spearmint 

Turtlehead

All water plants

Water Angles

Gabriel

Water animals

Snake

Scorpion

Cherub of Water

Dolphin

Bear

Fish

Seals

Sea Serpents

Water Snakes

Sea Birds

Water Qualities

Plants that soothe

Receptive

Flowing

Purifying

Healing

Soothing

Loving

Virtues: Compassion, tranquility, tenderness, forgiveness, modesty, fluidity in creativity, receptivity, influence

Negatives: self-indulgence, negligence, cowardice, indifference, instability, moodiness, infatuation, easily put upon, delusional

Insufficiency: Deep dryness, hotness, mind and body feel separated, no empathy

Excess: body puffiness, sinus flows, mood swings, touchiness,

apathetic

Persistence

Artistry

Psychic ability

Love

Emotion

Courage

Charity

Water Beings

Nymphs

Undines

Nereids

Personal Aspects of Water

Emotions

feelings

intuition

subconscious

mystery

Fertility

love

Sorrow

courage

Astral planes

clarivoyance

Helpful little notes……..

Water magic is helpful for increasing one’s skills at divination and for dreamwork generally.

Like all the Elements, it is double-edged: it can wash away but also flood and drown, invigorate like a cold shower and cause the passivity of a warm bath.

If you regularly use a cauldron in you magic, you are already incorporating Elemental Water in your rituals, since the cauldron is seen as symbolic of this Element.

In some practices, a goblet of water is set on the altar or working table as a representation of this Element.

Water plants are, as you would expect, watery–they like to grow in or around water, or they are juicy (watery).

There aren’t many Water scents, but a good one is violet leaf.

The Great Work, making talismans, crystal gazing; weapons are the cup and cross of suffering

To bathe oneself in something

To wash away something

Cup, Cauldron, Chalice are tools

Symbols: Caves, shells, cups of water, rushes

Purification, love, psychic awareness, dreams, sleep, peace, marriage, friendship