#foragers

An essential lesson of forest life 🌲🦊🦊🌿

Foraging is an ancient and magickal practice, allowing witches to deepen their bond with nature while gathering powerful herbs, plants, fungi and even bones for spells, potions, and rituals. This guide will help you safely and ethically harvest nature’s gifts while honoring the spirits of the land.

𖥞The Ethics of Foraging

Before you set out, follow these principles:

• Harvest Respectfully - Take only what you need, and never overharvest.

• Know Your Land - Learn the local laws and indigenous practices of the area.

• Ask Permission - Some witches seek permission from the plants or land spirits before harvesting.

• Leave No Trace - Avoid damaging the ecosystem and thank nature for its sacrifice.

𖥞Essential Foraging Tools

• A foraging basket or cloth bag

• A sharp knife or scissors for cutting herbs

• Gloves (for thorny or toxic plants)

• A field guide (or app) to identify plants and fungi

• A journal for noting magickal correspondences or general notes

𖥞Sacred Rituals & Offerings

• Thank the Spirits - Leave a small offering (water, crystals, trinkets, a song, or a prayer).

• Moon-Charged Foraging - Gather herbs under a full moon for extra potency.

• Wild Altar - Arrange collected items as an outdoor altar to honor nature.

𖥞Crafting with Your Foraged Finds

• Herbal Magick: Use dried herbs to dress candles or as offerings.

• Herbal Bundles: Dry herbs for smoke cleansing.

• Infused Oils: Steep plants in oil for anointing and spellwork.

• Herbal Incense: Crush dried herbs for loose incense burning on charcoal or craft your own cones/sticks.

• Tinctures & Teas: Brew magickal potions for healing and intention-setting.

• Spell Jars & Mojo Bags: Combine dried herbs with crystals and charms for long-lasting magic.

𖥞Harvesting Herbs for Drying

• Timing Matters - Gather herbs in the morning after the dew has dried but before the sun is too hot.

• Lunar Harvesting - For extra magical potency, harvest under a full or waxing moon.

• Use Sharp Tools - Cut herbs with scissors or a boline to avoid damaging the plant.

𖥞Methods of Drying Herbs

Hanging Method (Best for Sturdy Herbs)

• Gather small bundles of herbs and tie them with twine.

• Hang upside down in a dry, dark, well-ventilated space.

• Avoid direct sunlight, which can weaken magical properties.

Drying time: 1-3 weeks.

Flat Drying (For Delicate Leaves & Flowers)

• Spread herbs in a single layer on a mesh screen, paper towel, or cloth.

• Keep in a dark, dry place with good airflow.

Drying time: 5-10 days.

Oven Drying (For Quick Drying)

• Set the oven to the lowest temperature (around 100-150°F or 38-65°C).

• Place herbs on a baking sheet and leave the oven door slightly open.

• Check every 10-15 minutes to prevent burning.

Drying time: 1-2 hours.

Dehydrator Method (Efficient & Even Drying)

• Place herbs in a dehydrator at a low setting (95-115°F or 35-46°C).

• Dry until leaves crumble easily.

Drying time: 4-12 hours, depending on the herb.

𖥞Storing Dried Herbs

• Glass Jars: Store herbs in airtight glass jars, preferably tinted to block light.

• Labeling: Always label with the herb name and date of drying.

• Cool, Dark Storage: Keep herbs away from sunlight and moisture.

• Energetic Cleansing: Charge dried herbs with moonlight or crystals before use.

𖥞Herb Foraging Schedule (Midwest)

🌷Spring:

• Dandelion

• Stinging nettle

• Hemlock

• Violet

• Chickweed

• Foxglove

• Wild onion/garlic

• Wild lupine

• Milkweed

• Lilac

• Black raspberry

• Tulip

• Wild plum

• Spiderwort

• Basil

• Trillium

• Yarrow

• Knot weed

• Plantain

• Lemon balm

• Mint

• Chervil

• Chives

• Dill

• Burdock

• Oregano

• Locust

🌻Summer:

• Wild raspberry and blackberry

• Elderberry

• Mullien

• Nightshade

• Lavender

• Rosemary

• Sage

• Purple cornflower (echinacea)

• Goldenrod

• Wild bergamot

• Datura (Jimson weed)

• Gooseberry

• Monarda

• Chicory

• Wild carrot

• Lily

• Queen Anne's lace

• Cutleaf toothwort

• Mugwort

• Wormwood

• Rosehips

• Purslane

• Mulberry

• Pokeweed

• Bittersweet

• American mandrake

🍄Autumn:

• Acorns

• Buckeyes

• Burdock root

• Hawthorn berries

• Pine needles

• Poison sumac

• White snake root

• Garlic mustard

• Black walnut

• Pawpaw

• Shagbark hickory

• Persimmon

• Witch hazel

• Juniper berries

• Cat tails

• Mushrooms

❄️Winter:

• Beech nuts

• Pine nuts

• Chestnuts

• Pinecones

𖥞Foraging Bones

Foraging for animal bones is a sacred practice that connects witches to nature, death cycles, and spirit work. Whether for divination, spellwork, or ancestral veneration, ethically collecting bones requires respect and knowledge.

Where to Find Bones:

• Forests & Woodlands - Look near animal trails, under trees, or in dry areas.

• Riverbanks & Lakeshores - Water can wash up bones over time.

• Fields & Deserts - Open areas may have sun-bleached remains.

• Roadsides & Farmland - Unfortunately, roadkill can be a source, but always ensure it is safe and legal to collect.

Ethical & Legal Considerations:

• Respect the Dead - Offer gratitude or a small offering when taking bones.

• Check Local Laws - Some areas prohibit collecting certain animal remains.

• Leave No Trace - Do not disturb entire ecosystems while searching.

Cleaning & Preparing Bones:

• Dry Cleaning - Brush off dirt and debris.

• Water Soaking - Soak in warm water to loosen soft tissue (never use bleach!).

• Hydrogen Peroxide Bath - Use 3% peroxide to whiten and disinfect bones.

• Sun Drying - Leave in the sun for a few days for natural purification.

Magickal Uses for Bones:

• Divination - Use small bones in casting (Osteomancy).

• Altars & Ancestral Work - Honor spirits with bone offerings.

• Talismans & Charms - Carry bones for protection and strength.

• Crafting Tools - Use bones for wands, runes, or ritual tools.

Foraging is an essential skill for a witch, as it deepens their connection with nature and provides access to fresh, potent ingredients for spells, potions, and rituals. Wild herbs, roots, and flowers carry strong natural energies that enhance magickal workings in ways store-bought materials cannot. Understanding the land and its seasonal growth also fosters self-sufficiency and sustainability, aligning a witch’s practice with the cycles of the Earth. Additionally, foraging strengthens intuition and knowledge of plant properties, ensuring safe and ethical use of nature’s offerings.

By embracing foraging as part of your craft, you not only strengthen your magickal practice but also develop a deep, sacred relationship with the land. You will discover that it to be its own spiritual practice, a communion with nature, and a fantastic way to spend your day. Happy foraging, witches!

TOP FIRST-TIME WATCHES OF 2025 tagged by @albertserra @ourlittlesister2015 @hayaomiyazaki @anthonysperkins @slayerbuffy thank you!

Rules: Post 9 of your favorite films you saw for the first time this year that are not new (2024/2025) but are new to you, and tag 9 others to do the same.

So I did 12 13 and this is my top 2025 so far, and a separate top 2024 list 😆

Bulaklak sa City Jail (1984), dir. Mario O’Hara Cecil B. Demented (2000) & Serial Mom (1994), dir. John Waters The Day I Became a Woman (2000), dir. Marziyeh Meshkiny The Eloquent Peasant (1970), dir. Shadi Abdel Salam Fight for Us/Orapronobis (1989), dir. Lino Brocka Foragers (2022), documentary by Jumana Manna Red Rooms (2023), dir. Pascal Plante Secrets & Lies (1996), dir. Mike Leigh Son of the White Mare (1981) dir. Marcell Jankovics Sugar Cane Alley (1983) dir. Euzhan Palcy Suk suk /Twilight’s Kiss (2019), dir. Ray Yeung Time Still Turns the Pages (2023), dir. Nick Cheuk

I am all for creative sushi, but not when the creator doesn't fully understand the ingredients. A sushi restaurant in Montana served people sushi with raw and very undercooked morel (Morchella spp.) mushrooms on it. Over fifty people ended up sick with gastrointestinal upset, and two people actually died. Other restaurants that served the same batch of morels, fully cooked, had no such issues, and there was no evidence that there was any mishandling of the morels that could have caused a bacterial or other contamination. So it's pretty clear that the raw morels themselves were to blame.

Yes, there are a few wild mushroom species you can eat raw, and only in small amounts). No, Morchella are not among them. Morels have a toxin in them that's neutralized by cooking; Paul Stamets theorized that it's hydrazine, but no one has been able to isolate hydrazine in a morel yet so that's not a done deal. Whatever it is, there's enough of it that it tends to give people nasty gastrointestinal upset when they eat raw morels, even in small quantities. This is the first I've heard of people dying from it.

It's not the only time I've heard of people dying from consuming a commonly-considered-edible mushroom, though. There were two separate incidents--2004 and 2009--in which several people who ate angel wing mushrooms (Pleurocybella porrigens) died of encephalopathy. Now, it did turn out that most of the people sickened had pre-existing liver and/or kidney issues. And a 2011 study identified an unstable amino acid, now named Pleurocybellaziridine, as the possible fatal factor that was found in large quantities in angel wings. It could be that the culprits were flushes of these mushrooms with abnormally high amounts of Pleurocybellaziridine. But you can't tell how much of a given metabolite a given mushroom has just by looking at it, and so that raises enough of an alarm for me personally that as a forager I just put angel wings on the "do not eat" list.

Will I continue to eat morels? Yes. The toxicity associated with raw morels has been known for a long time, and there have been no recorded issues with thoroughly cooked morels (the angel wings were also cooked, meaning the toxin is not thermolabile.) And as mentioned before, almost any edible wild mushroom is going to give you gastrointestinal issues if you eat it raw. The mushrooms you get at the store are a weird outlier that can be safely eaten raw. And by the way, button mushrooms, criminis, and portobellos are all the same species--Agaricus bisporus--at different stages of development.

♡

i have really bad POTS and depression but i got out of the house a little and made some bouquets with apple tree blossoms & crepe myrtle blossoms !!