#witchcraft tips

Before the Work:

I know, I know. You're here to learn about spirit work, so why is there even a section prior to it? Well, it's because spirit work begins with the energy forces (spirits of energies), the spirits of herbs and our own spirits, before it begins with deities, fae and ghosts.

Before performing any kind of spirit work as you may know it, it's important to begin with these basics:

Thorough, layered protections that cover each of your bodies (physical, spiritual, etc), any of your items (especially once you may use in spirit work, such as divination tools), and your place of residence as a whole (the space you reside in most, that has most of your energy accessible inside of it, that you will likely perform a large portion of your spirit work as well). If you're worried, please also look into protections for other members of your household / residence, such as furry friends / "pet" family members, just keep in mind that while some protections automatically cover anyone else in the residence (including any spirits btw, be mindful), some protections can actually do harm to animals.

Ethics, morals, and values. This is going to encompass things like being respectful to other spirits, how to imagine them in your brain to ensure you aren't treating them as a commodity, recognizing their autonomy and self-determination, etc. This is meant to be general as each spirit type (learn more below) and individual spirit is different. This is also great to help you determine what path of spirit work you want to take - psychopomp work, bonding with nature spirits and growing plants / herbs, casual hanging out with spirit friends, etc etc etc

Cleansings and banishings. These are talked about a lot, but let me tell you, wards and sigils are not always the way to go. In fact, wards and sigils - even if done correctly - can lead to accidental spirit bindings / trapping spirits in your residence rather than keeping them out. These are not effective protections to lean on without any additional protections / support, and not bullet-proof whatsoever. If your protections are strong enough, they are the safety net. However, when inviting spirits into your space, you are sometimes giving them permission to bypass your permissions - so try looking into protections that can, without harm, force a spirit out of your space once they are unwanted there. This is known as a "banishing" as well, but really it's just a protective method. Cleansings are important when encountering any kind of spirit, and great for non-spiritual health too!

Vetting

Vetting is the process of verifying who a spirit is, whether you're sure you know who they are or not. It's a sign of respect to many spirits, such as deities, but also really important to your safety and well-being. Whether a spirit is harmful, a trickster, or just someone you misunderstand, learning who they are, why they're there, and how to properly communicate / interact with them based on those things is incredibly important to forming any kind of bond with a spirit and / or keeping yourself safe throughout your work.

Vetting is not just asking questions. In fact, it is meant to be a very thorough process. Spirits are just like us - they can lie, tell the truth, or be misunderstood. It's important you understand how to vett properly when learning spirit work.

The steps to vetting include:

Research / Familiarity

Divination

Research: This step is all about learning. What are you learning about? Depends on the spirit you're trying to contact, but obviously, that spirit haha. However, you gotta learn more than just the spirit you're working with, to be able to identify spirits that may show up that may not be them, spirits they introduce you to, other spirits you encounter in your daily life or practice that you may need to handle, etc. So, more specifically, what are you learning about?

-> Spirit classifications: different spirits (or "spirit types"), their traits, etc. Of course, every spirit is an individual, but their "type" still affects or shapes them, just like how being human affects or shapes us. This will help you to understand what's safe for them and what's not, if they're friendly to you or not, what they can help with and what they can't, what they like and don't like, etc. From there...

-> Spirit communication basics is the next step of research for if you wish to speak with them. Certain spirits have specific customs, preferences or conveniences. Which are safe to say xyz to, which are not? Etc. Learning about their spirit "type" can help because it will also help you with this kind of communication, as different spirits have different "ground rules" in terms of communication (what they find respectful / disrespectful, what is safe / not safe to say in their presence, etc).

You want to become familiar with these materials. Take notes, be thorough. You do not need to memorize what you've learned as long as you're in a protective space, but you shouldn't have any notes exposed at the time of vetting (more on this below).

How to research:

Do heavy and thorough research (personal stories, ancient beliefs, historical artifacts, studies, religious information, scholarly academia, non-scholarly "UPG" experiences, etc)

Verify the credibility and context of all sources and cross-compare / cross-reference

Some things to keep in mind when researching:

Memorize lore, stories, facts, associations, practices, etc, that relate to the god / spirit you’re planning on reaching out to. (Please keep in mind that during the vetting, you should not think the answers to the questions you're going to ask in your head, as for many spirits you're basically giving them the answer that way. Additionally, do not have your notes exposed or accessible in any way while you're vetting - it's based to avoid taking notes at all, or deleting them later. Saving the resources in a tab folder on your computer is a great idea to refer to when assessing the answers the spirit gave you)

Save the tabs of the resources you find in a dedicated folder on your computer. (If you're writing traditionally, make sure you take extra precautions to keep your notebook safe so that spirits can peek into it and find the answers during vetting.)

Divination

Most people tend to bust out a deck of tarot cards for this - I do not recommend this! As a tarot reader of about 9 years now, this is a one-way ticket to Frustration Town. Not only is it incredibly easy to misunderstand what the spirit is actually trying to say if you aren't advanced enough in tarot (or if the spirit themselves aren't as familiar with tarot as they are with other divination methods), but the spirit can get frustrated too! Do you know how painful it is saying the same thing 5 times but instead it's invisible charades? Lol

Instead, I recommend utilizing a pendulum. This is much clearer and more convenient for both parties. There's some things to keep in mind when utilizing a pendulum:

-> Yes / no is the easiest method, but you can also do a true / false or a more elaborate spread. (I do not recommend doing oujia-board style for a variety of safety and efficiency reasons.)

-> As mentioned, don't have your notes out and don't think the answers to questions in your head. Simply ask the questions, ask the spirit to leave your space (banish them if they don't; in which case, you likely shouldn't work with them anyways haha), and then deliberate over the answers.

-> Call on the spirit without loopholes. Do not call in "peaceful spirits." Know who you're contacting, even if you don't know their name, otherwise you're opening yourself up to a whole swarm of risks. There are other ways to meet random spirits without needlessly endangering yourself. When calling on the spirit, be respectful, kind, and I recommend verbal if possible.

-> When asking questions, don't ask the basic "are you so-so" or "is hades the god of the underworld" questions. If this information is commonly known and widely accessible to you, then it is also commonly known in the spirit world (especially since they're a spirit / deity you're even reaching out to) and accessible to them as well. You'll want to look into conventional things, uncommon information, stuff that isn't typical or well-known - if they are who they say they are, they will be able to answer correctly, even if the information is incredibly specific or niche.

-> Consider waiting until you're in a good space of mind to establish a relationship. This way, you're less likely to make mistakes that lead to a spirit taking advantage of you. If this is an unrealistic standard for you, make sure you've accommodated yourself in your practices and that you're still respectful to the spirit (some spirits appreciate being told if you're unwell, some this is dangerous to do when communicating with them).

-> Many people are worried about involuntary movements when it comes to using a pendulum. This worries are incredibly valid. That's why you should look into (yes, these exist) specific positions you can sit in and position your arms / etc in that limit the risk of involuntary movements when divining with a pendulum.

There's also some general things to keep in mind when divining throughout the vetting process in general:

-> Trust your intuition. If you have any spirit-sensing abilities, you're allowed to trust yourself there too, as long as you've ensured your healthy and well.

-> Be aware of how you feel emotionally / energetically / internally, how your nervous system feels, any changes in temperature, how your thoughts may be (as some spirits can influence thinking), any physical bodily sensations you may begin experiencing, etc.

Fear-Mongering

There is an incredibly ill-thought-out idea circling these days that spiritual protections are "fear-mongering" or speaking on harmful spirits is "fear-mongering" derivative of Christians being against witchcraft. I'm just gonna say it: this is fucking stupid and an incredibly uneducated, discriminatory take.

The idea of harmful spirits existed long before Christianity was even developed, despite efforts to destroy our cultures, and still exist outside the lens of Christianity today. (Stop taking my culture and spiritual practices, shaming me for it, and then calling me a Christian for practicing it. What kind of backwards logic is that from a witch / practitioner / pagan?)

If you're protected, then you have nothing to worry about. You do not have to feel afraid in order to do your due diligence. We don't ever hop in a car expecting a car crash, but we still put our seatbelts on just in case. We still take driver's tests just in case. We still look both ways before making a turn just in case. It's really not that big of a deal.

Fear-mongering would be "all spirits are out to get you specifically because you don't do what other witches do." But saying things like, "hey, keeping yourself safe is a good idea because bad things can happen" is not fear-mongering. Saying things like "just as spirits can be our friends, they can be our enemies or purposefully / unintentionally harm us too; just like people can" is not fear-mongering. Saying things like "making sure you feel safe and comfortable is important and should not be taken as disrespectful by any spirit / deity" is not fear-mongering. Saying things like "there are consequences to your actions, even spiritually" is not fear-mongering. The idea that really basic practices based in centuries of tradition and developed in modern times are "fear-mongering christian beliefs" is a slippery slope to spiritual psychosis and getting yourself hurt / your spells or spirit work not working or going well / etc. It's also a great fucking slope to continuously erasing practices that Christianity and other oppressors have already been attempting to take, twist and erase for centuries.

Just because Christians took an idea from a traditional practice (multiple, really) without learning the intricacies about it and use it to hurt others, does not invalidate that actual practice they stole from. If it did, all of witchcraft, paganism and other cultural customs would be "fear-mongering." Y'all are just allowing the colonization of our practices and then shaming us for not following your ideals. Besides -- Christians do not speak on the subject more often than traditional practitioners in general, so maybe you guys need to do some more genuine listening and learning / finding actual traditional practitioners if you think Christian ideologies run our practices lol (yeah... people like y'all who preach this sound a bit indoctrinated ngl, and most of us would prefer if you didn't bring that into our teachings and try colonizing us instead of doing some really basic research and self-healing, thanks)

If you're going to talk about fear-mongering, then be knowledgeable about fear-mongering. It doesn't have to be as complicated of a mess as it is, truthfully.

Spirit Work Paths

There's a variety of ways you can lean on relationships with spirits, depending on the relationship and those specifically involved. Here's just a handful of ideas!

Psychopomp work

Spell work

Energy work (especially energy forces / spirits of the energies)

Divination practices

Additional protections

Baneful workings

Healing, health boosts and overall well-being

Attraction, confidence, abundance, etc

Learning about the spiritual world (or even the living world!)

Learning ancestral / cultural practices

Learning lessons and teachings from spirits

Bonding with nature and your environment or spiritual community

Deity work / worship

Animal bonding / work, and / or plant bonding / work

Inner peace, intuition enhancement, etc

Spiritual gift(s) unlocking, locking, development / enhancement, training, etc

Ancestral veneration

and more!

Thank You

Thank you for taking the time to read my post / learn from my personal knowledge, experiences, and beliefs!

layered wards are nested within each other; from innermost to outermost, i've organized them as: the body, the bed(room), the home, the property, and spiritual allies.

the body

if your hair is long enough, braiding the hair can be utilized as a potent protective method, to tie up spirits and negative energies within it.

if you regularly wear makeup, it can be incanted over to protect from the evil eye, and/or from negative energy intrusions.

bracelets may be enchanted for protective purposes; traditional protective bracelets include those with blue and red braids, or charms of cross, cornicello, hamsa, nazar, serpent, or phallus.

the lords prayer was traditionally written and stored within the shoe for protection throughout the day.

a stronger protective charm may be created that is not worn every day, such as a SATOR square charm bag, or a jar of iron nails.

the bed(room)

a spell pouch underneath the pillow is a common contemporary spell for aiding sleep, hedgewitchery, and/or psychic dreams.

an open pair of scissors under the bed is a traditional(?) method of deterring nightmares.

witch balls or witch's ladder may be hung in windows to trap spirits attempting to enter.

the home

traditional wards over the home include the horseshoe, bulbs of garlic, witch bottles & balls, prayers & psalms over the house (such as within Carmenica Gadelica), to cross upon the hearth the iron fire-tools, the stuck heart, carving sigils into door frames, floor washes, incense, & crosses.

traditional delineators of home boundaries include go-away powder, salt, cascarilla, graveyard or church dirt. in hoodoo traditions goofer powder may be employed.

the property

a traditional property ward is the hedge or "witch's lump" figure, described by Gemma Gary:

To protect farm land, and all that lies within its boundaries, take small amounts of earth from the north, south, east and west of each piece of land that is to fall under the protection of the charm, remembering to collect also dirt or dust in the same way from each of the farm’s buildings. Mix these small samples together, and work them well into a lump of rough clay (even better if the clay used can be dug from the land to be protected), crafting this into a human but sexless form. As the body is worked, so the Pellar breathes life into it. The figure’s garments must then be set with small panels of broken glass. Once fired, set the figure somewhere within one of the farm’s hedges, so that it may keep a protective watch over the land and all that lies within.

farm-building specific charms can be found in Gemma Gary's texts ("To Protect Farm Buildings and their Contents"), as well as in Carmenica Gadelica.

traditional delineators of property boundaries include buried witch bottles, & protective blackthorn or hawthorn hedges.

spiritual allies

a contemporary method of spiritual allyship for protection is befriending and asking local nature spirits around you for protection (or other petitions) – especially trees, creeks, and birds of prey.

traditionally, specific trees would be planted on the property for this purpose; here is an excerpt from The Black Toad by Gemma Gary:

The Bay is to be planted by thresholds to impart a protective influence upon the home...The climbing Ivy, grown up the walls of the cottage, creates a verdant shell of protection around the home...To impart protections upon the home, the Rowan may be planed near doorways.

other areas you may benefit from warding:

an office or place of work

your name or reputation

vehicles

pets & livestock

gardens

suggested reading:

Simple Methods of Magical Protection by Keziah @sheydmade

Witchcraft 101: Protection Explained by Windvexer @windvexer

Beginner Witch Protection Recommendations by Windvexer @windvexer

Home Protection in Folk Magic by Keziah @sheydmade

Protection Work in Folk Magic by Keziah @sheydmade

Protection & Reversal Magick: A Witch's Defense Manual by Jason Miller

referenced texts:

Traditional Witchcraft: A Cornish Book of Ways by Gemma Gary

The Black Toad: West Country Witchcraft and Magic by Gemma Gary

Carmina Gadelica (AKA Charms of the Gaels) by Alexander Carmichael (Accessible via Internet Archive or Internet Sacred Texts Archive)