Spudzi

Witchcraft 101:

Cleansing vs Uncrossing vs Banishing

Alright witches. Lets dive into some witchy basics and discuss the differences between cleansing, uncrossing and banishing. This will hopefully help you differentiate between them. But.. lets be honestly if you do something like call a spell an uncrossing when "technically" doing a banishing, who cares its all in good spirit. The reason i think its good to have a difference in mind between these falls into how you handle a spell. If I'm doing an uncrossing vs a banishing i would choose different spell ingredients, maybe work with different gods, or choose a different element to work with.

Cleansing: I consider cleansings as the foundation and most basic of these. Its almost an umbrella term the other two fall under. All banishings are cleansings, but not all cleansings are a banishing. Cleansings are when you're trying clear something away. Most often people will use this term in day to day workings and general upkeep to make sure nothing has stuck to them. This would include more casual things like smoke cleansing, showering and asking the water to cleanse you, sound cleansing, etc. Its not a full spellworking or ritual, but still done with energy and intention. Sometimes you may do a cleansing and realize whatever is there, is stuck deeper then you expected. So you take the next steps and do a more "intense" cleansing like an uncrossing or banishing.

Uncrossing Spells: Uncrossing specifically refers to removing unwanted energy. Usually when discussing what is an uncrossing, I sperate it from just a cleansing by describing it as a very intense cleansing where you're trying to strip away intense and specific energy. These are more work and a step up from an everyday cleansing for more intense scenarios. This is very spirit focused; think of it as taking out the bad and putting in the good. Some types of spells I would consider an uncrossing are: removing hexes/jinx/curses, removing the evil eye, spiritual detoxes, road openers, removing any stubborn energy, removing feelings, etc. I associate uncrossings with water: it's soaking in and getting that energy out. I would choose herbs/spell ingredients that are uplifting and purifying. Think salt, rosemary, rue, and lemons.

Banishing Spells: Banishing spells remove unwanted entities, spirits or people. You can use it to get rid of very deep rooted things like habits or insecurities. Banishings are quite a strong forms of spellwork. You're really kicking something out and away from you when you do a banishing. Its connected to more deep rooted things that you're trying to remove from your life. Some types of spells I could consider a banishing: cord cutting, exorcisms, banishing a spirit attached to you, getting rid of insecurities, freezers, etc. I associate banishings with fire. Burn and gtfo. I would choose herbs that have more of a kick to them and are defensive. Think nettle, blackberry leaves, cloves, even pepper in some cases.

Please note this doesn't have to be something strict. Like i said at the beginning this is just a guide that will help you differentiate so you can tackle the spellwork as effectively as possible.

Antlers :

Strength, endurance, masculine energy, (it can symbolise the horned god), protection, strong connection nature and the earth element, deflecting hexes/baneful energy, hope

Horns :

Wealth, the home, determination, aggressive protection, connection to that which is man made, cursing/hexing

Wings :

Adventure, deviating from the norm, sending/receiving messages, travel, starting a new adventure/path, hope, luck, wishes, comfort, (the type of bird would also affect the correspondences)

Chicken feet :

Wisdom, work, loyalty, connection to one’s property/land, safe keeping of the home, the fire element, (other bird feet can be used as well but may have slightly different correspondences)

Fur/feathers :

Creativity, warmth, connection to the air element, shielding from negative energy, protection, invisibility/hiding, warding (again, the type of animal affects the correspondences)

Home office space in Arlington, Virgina by @harrisondesign

It's been a while, witches...

If you're like me and feel a bit burned out in this end of year, here's my idea to revive your spirit and get some much-needed energy back before 2024 starts.

🌛🌝🌜 Let's harvest the power of the triple goddess in the last 3 weeks of 2023.

🌛 Morning

Harvesting the power of the Maiden, which represents enchantment, inception, expansion, the promise of new beginnings, birth, youth and child-like enthusiasm.

Activity: 15 minutes morning meditation to reflect on the year, where you are today, the day's goals and challenges, and where you want to be next year.

🌝 Day

Harvesting the power of the Mother, which represents ripeness, fertility, sexuality, energy, fulfilment, stability, power and life.

Activities: daily act of creation, which can mean anything to you and your life - spell-casting, exercising, dancing, knitting, baking or cooking, crafting, decorating... The only requirement is that it is something you do just for you.

🌜 Evening

Harvesting the power of the Crone, which represents wisdom, repose, rest, death and endings.

I haven't written a theory post in a while but here we go:

We can identify three types of divination within a ritual, the preliminary, the postliminary and the passive.

We are most accustomed with the idea of the Preliminary but we rarely do it, we like to overthink the passive and we drive ourselves insane with the postliminary to find out if we were successful in throwing the spell.

So, let us get into it:

Preliminary:

This is the divination done prior to the spell. It can also cover the electional astrology and studies of the stars, the dates and appropriate times for one spell or another. Preliminary divination reveals the circumstances of the spell and how it will manifest if the circumstances are maintained. It can help us in establishing not only a path of manifestation but also finding out the forces which are for and against our ritual and we can work with them. We can either do ether a ritual based on lessening or negating the contradictory forces or working to empower the supporting forces to overcome the negative. We can also discern any specific obstacles and plan out how to work with them.

This is a nice place to put those lovely double-action candles.

We can also choose the best course of action. Sometimes a glamour will suit a spell better than attraction, sometimes an unblocking will suit our work better than a straight up money spell.

Sometimes, we also receive omens and signs prior to a ritual that can point towards bad luck or good fortune at those points.

Passive

Passive is when the ritual is done and the signs begin to appear. This is the flickering of the candle, the wax, the incense. This can also be the candle suddenly falling down or refusing to light. Often, the more obstructive elements can be solved with preliminary divination. We might also find some other means to divine the spell such as in candle-reading, sudden visions or sensations. When we say that this spell has "good energy" that is a form of passive divination because it is felt without any immediate influence.

Generally, obstructive ideas can be solved with preliminary divination but it is most often interpreted as a spiritual stop-sign. There are, however, natural causes for most things and that is what makes Passive Divination a nifty devil. You can always fall into the trap of thinking that you're being sent a sign when your candle is really just in the middle of a tornado. I have also heard of some stores moving their wicks to the side so that the flame causes the candle to break and then you fall into scrupulosity and get sold more products. It also depends on how the product was made. Also be aware of the amount of oils and herbs used. Source your products and know how to discern.

Postliminary

Let us say that we finished our spell and now we want to see how things are working. You pull the cards and then you find out that it will need a repetition, or that the spell's force is hindered, or that it will manifest in an unexpected way. This is what postliminary divination is all about, it is basically the feedback of the spirit world and a review. You can use the notes from these to better the spell in future because you can take info a) needs more energy, and use it to improve it.

If you genuinely need to use a period tracker, especially if you feel that outweighs the potential risks, I think it's okay to keep using the tracker. You might also try Spot On, it's run by Planned Parenthood (and gender neutral!) and might be a safer option than one run by a for-profit organization.

The Planned Parenthood app is probably safe, but I think using a physical calender is the best option. It can't be hacked, no corporation has the info in their hands ready to sell, and if worst come to worst you can burn it.

deleting the app off of your phone does not delete the data that these companies have on you. given the overturning of roe v wade, it is very possible for bastard cops to demand that data on you if hospital staff suspect you’re considering an abortion, or some other such claim.

FLO: email [email protected] to request that your account be deactivated and your data permanently erased. flo will hold your data for THREE YEARS unless you make this specific request. 

CLUE: your data will be erased when you delete your account. the official steps for deleting your clue account are outlined as follows:

1. Open your Clue app. 2. Go to the More Menu in the top-right corner of the Cycle View. 3. Tap ‘Support’. 4. Tap ‘Account and Data’. 5. Scroll down and tap on “How can I delete my account?” 6. Tap the text “delete your Clue account”. 7. If you wish to back-up your data (I would not, it would defeat the point of deleting this data in the first place), you can tap ‘Back up my data’. 8. Tap ‘Continue’ back on the ‘Delete Account’ screen. 9. Enter your password and tap ‘Delete account permanently’.

OVIA: your information is deleted when you delete your account. unfortunately, there’s a really shady clause about denying deletion requests under certain circumstances, so delete that shit as fast as you can. steps for account deletion:

1. Go to the “Settings” page of your Ovia app. 2. Select the option “Reset or delete my account” 3. Then select the option “Delete my account and data”