Riley🌈

not all witches have the same budget or spell ingredients readily available to them, so when one witch writes a spell with ingredients they consider easy to procure, it may not be the same for the next witch that wants to try that spell. 

🌿 homemade replacements:

sometimes you can make a substitute for the ingredients, the way land locked witches can make sea water from sea salt and tap water. it’s not entirely the same but it’ll do well enough. however, not everything can be almost-manufactured.

🌿 common “replaces anything” alternatives:

rosemary - replaces any herb

rose - replaces any flower

quartz - replaces any crystal

white or black candle - replaces any candle. 

however, these are just stand in- the hold the spot, boost the spell, but only in generic, neutral energy. these ingredients can even water down the intent of the spell because they don’t support the correspondences of the spell. without components that have the intent of the spell, what do you have to direct that energy?

🌿 so how to replace a spell component?

the core of any spell is the intent, the results it wants to achieve. however, that intent is the sum of the intents of the ingredients in the spell. you need to break down the spell into its ingredients and understand what is needed and why, and even if anything is expendable. 

example:  a spell to speak clearly may have one herb for communication and another for clarity, and one for luck. 

the one for luck may be less necessary than the other ingredients, just there for a little boost to the spell. 

however, using only the component for communication, the spell might only bring opportunities to communicate, and they may go badly or well, there’s nothing in the spell to balance that. so the other component is needed, the one for clarity. 

however the herb for clarity on its own may end up only providing insight and understanding on your part, and not communicating well with others.

figure out the correspondences of the herbs and their part in the spell, and look up herb/stone/etc correspondences for that intent, and replace with what you find that is available to you. 

🌿 however, there are other times you may need to replace something in a spell, like personal association. 

say you hate lavender, yet it’s in every calming or sleep spell. if lavender makes you gag when you need a sleep spell, it’s plain not going to help the spell for you, even if you have plenty of lavender on hand. 

again you research what lavender or whatever herb generally stands for, and find an equivalent, like chamomile tea. if you like chamomile and have it on hand, it can be your new go-to replacement. 

BEKKATHYST 8 YEAR ANNIVERSARY GIVEAWAY ~ 2021

~This giveaway is in no way affiliated with Tumblr.~

Please read thoroughly before entering!

Hello lovely Tumblr folk! It’s that time again- I have a giveaway for you all. This time we're celebrating the 8th birthday of my little shop! 💜

We have both an online store and a physical location that could use your support!

My business is just a small, family run establishment that I started here on tumblr in 2013. I’ve been lucky enough to grow to the point where my husband and I opened a brick and mortar store and I’ve been able to employ my mother and several of my siblings! I’ve been supporting my mom and younger siblings since 2016 💜 I’ve always put compassion and ethics above all else in my business!

This giveaway will have one winner.

What the winner receives:

The large assortment of crystals pictured above! There are 25 crystals in total. Their full retail value is about $450

Rules:

You must be 16 or older. (If under 18 you MUST have parent’s permission)

You don’t have to live in the US to join!

Shipping is entirely free, I will cover it. But if you live outside the US and for whatever reasons your country wants to charge you import tax, you are responsible for it. If it gets sent back to me, you will need to pay shipping to have it sent again.

You must be following me, so you can get updates if anything about the giveaway changes.

Please check out our online shop!

DO NOT tag this post as giveaway. That will risk the notes getting messed up, and this will be ruined for everyone.

Reblog this post to enter. Likes count, too. No giveaway or spam blogs. If you reblog on a side blog, let me know in the tags what the name of your blog is that you’re following me with.

Please don’t spam people with reblogs- limit 2 reblogs per blog per day.  

At the end, each entry will be assigned a number and the winner will be chosen by a random number generator.

The giveaway ends Monday, May 17th, 2021 at 6 pm Pacific time.

The winner will be messaged and must respond with their full name and address within 24 hours, or a new winner will be chosen.

and then, two months later....

Since Imbolc was just around the corner I thought I would write up a post about what Imbolc is and how we can celebrate it!

What is Imbolc?

Imbolc is celebrated roughly when winter begins to turn into spring. Imbolc falls on February 1st and the 2nd in the Northern Hemisphere. One thing that I enjoy about Imbolc is that it is the celebration of hope; a reminder that spring is just around the corner. As a whole this Sabbat represents idea like growth, renewal, and purity.

Imbolc is also known as St. Brigid’s Day or candlemas. Brigid is a Celtic fire goddess and is considered a guardian of the home and hearth. When early Christians were unable to stop pagans from worshiping Brigid they decided to make her a saint.

The Christian holiday of candlemas also comes from the reinterpretation of the older pagan traditions celebrated at this time of year. During candlemas all the candles in the home are to be lit. This ties into one of the many ways of celebrating Brigid.

In America, we have the unusual holiday of Groundhog’s Day which usually falls on the same day of Imbloc. The unusual superstition of a groundhog predicting the remaining weeks of winter is certainly in alignment with Imbolc divination traditions that used this day to look for signs that spring is in its way!

☀️ Traditional Lore / Activities ☀️

light a candle in each room to honor the sun’s return

If there is snow on the ground, draw an image of the sun in it

set up / decorate your altar to honor Brigid or Spring in general

🌼 Other Ways to Celebrate Imbolc 🌼

light candles to symbolize the return of the sun

play in the snow (if there is any)

leave offerings for the Norse goddess by window (or on an altar, if you have one) in the form of eggs, candles, lavender, milk, honey, bread, edible flowers, and so on.

cast spells for new beginnings and prosperity

think about gardening for the summer, buy the plants you’d like to have in your garden.

go for walks in nature

write / draw sigils for new beginnings, good luck, and prosperity

🌸 Symbols of Imbolc 🌸

purity

growth

renewal

fertility

dispensing of the old and making way for the new

🌿 Herbs of Imbolc 🌿

angelica

basil

blackberry

iris

myrrh

violets

🥐 Food for Imbolc 🥐

pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds

poppyseed cake

muffins, scones, and breads

spicy foods

raisins

spiced wine and herbal teas

🌈 Colors of Imbolc 🌈

white

pink

red

yellow

green

brown

Blessed Be my loves💜