I'm hibernating

Maps! Maps! MAPS! If you're a death witch, get one for the cemeteries you visit and mark gravestones/areas you've practiced in! Garden witches! Map out your gardens! Green witches! Map where you find specific herbs in your area! Lunar witches! Mark the best spots to go look at the sky! Make a key! Take notes!

Recipes for COMPONENTS! Write down how to make the mixtures you use in spells often- A special salt mixed with herbs and put under the moon, a mixture of oils for protection, the herb mixes sachets you keep making to add to sachets, whatever!

For green witches- press samples of stuff and glue them in! Go to an arboretum and ask for permission to take leaves to press, they'll usually let you take some- add them in with your notes about trees

Cool ways to make spells! I make spells in envelopes and on empty spools, what are some ways you do?

The local plants in your area and what they do. You're not going to be likely to find chrysanthemums to forage in Missouri, but you will find creeping charlie and prairie plants. What can you do with a thistle?

When you celebrate a sabbat, write down what you did and include samples! Ribbons from your Beltane altar, a pressed sample of your lemmas harvest, a scrap of your Yule decorations. Maybe do a spell and tape the remnants into your grimoire in a plastic baggie

Learn how to make an envelope out of paper just by folding it, how to string seeds, how to dry plants, how to macrame rocks and hang them from your window. Find those little witchy skills and write them down.

How to incorporate your hobby into your magic. Sigiling origami paper, weaving knot magick into your crochet, making blessed bookmarks, etc

Substitutes! Rosemary, rose and clear quartz are good for most things, but there are more substitutes to be used that are more powerful. Roanoke bells are good substitutes for bluebells, apparently.

Correspondences of odd things. Turns out different kinds of cats have different correspondences, huh.

Superstitions and such from where you're from.

For kitchen witches: easy to alter recipes. An egg noodle recipe that takes herbs really well, a simple bread recipe that can be dressed up for spells or rituals, how to make a good pie crust that you can sprinkle nutmeg in or whatever you desire.

Witchy Moon*:･ﾟ✧

A little guide on using the moon in your favor while practicing witchcraft!

Ash of Roses

I was recently asked how to create Ash of Roses for use in witchcraft. The reply I began to write wound up being rather lengthy, so I have decided to post it.

The first and most important component of Ash of Roses is…not roses. Or flame. It is FIRE SAFETY. For this method, you will work with open flame and plant material that is ON FIRE. Always make sure that you have a safe work area, away from flammable materials, and that you have water or an extinguisher at the ready in case of accidental flareups. Far better to lose your rose ash and make a mess than have a conflagration that might consume the room or your home.

For best results, this is best performed out-of-doors in a ventilated but sheltered area, so that breezes do not carry burning embers into the surrounding brush or dry grass.

To make Ash of Roses (the way I do it), you will need the following:

Whole dried rose petals, 1 - 2 cups (any color)

Several long bamboo or metal skewers

Small taper candle and candleholder

Heat-safe bowl at least 3″ deep

Lighter

Fork and spoon

Container for cooled ashes (screw-top recommended)

Bandanna or surgical mask (for allergy sufferers)

Step 1: Set up all your equipment on a fire-proof surface. Clear fire hazards from the area and make sure there are no stray breezes that will carry away the ash, or more importantly, burning embers. Light the candle and let it burn for a minute or so until the flame is good and strong. Place the bowl right beside it for easy collection.

Step 2: Thread several dried rose petals onto the sharp end of a skewer. (I usually do about half a dozen at a time.) Try to pierce close to the center of each petal, and scrunch them together so that they’re not too spread out on the skewer.

Step 3: CAREFULLY hold the skewered petals over the candle flame until they ignite. Quickly (and again, carefully) move the burning petals over to your heat-safe bowl. Gently tap the skewer on the lip of the bowl so that the blackened petals fall into the dish below. If the petals are not burnt, leave them on the skewer and re-ignite them. (The petals will self-extinguish pretty quickly.)

Step 4: Scrape the blackened petals off the skewer using the side of the bowl or a fork. Do this slowly so that the petals, which are now very delicate, don’t disintegrate or fly away. Take care also that the ash does not fly into your eyes, nose, or mouth. (If you have allergies or are sensitive to smoke, the use of a bandanna or surgical mask is recommended.) Let the blackened petals sit in the heat-safe bowl until they are completely cool.

Step 5: Repeat Steps 2 through 4 until you have blackened all the rose petals. Let the petals cool completely (about 3 min after last burning should do it), then carefully scoop the burnt material into your storage container. A screw-top jar is recommended for ease of use and airtight storage. You can add a marble to the container and shake to reduce the petals to powder, or store them whole, whichever works best for your purposes.

Step 6: Make sure you clean up your work area and extinguish any open flame or glowing embers before you go.

Some magical uses for Ash of Roses are:

Inversion (creating the opposite effect of any mix to which it is added)

Repulsion of unwanted love or romantic or sexual attentions

Ending relationships

Repelling love magic

Reducing or removing romantic feelings

Baneful magic (especially curses for unfaithful lovers)

Have fun, witchlings! And just once more - Safety First!

🌞 to borrow the essence of the Sun. Can be used according to the associations of the Sun (energy, luck, happiness, warmth, luck, etc.)

• ingredients:

-saffron (wealth, warmth)

-bay leaf (cleansing, wards negativity)

-lemon and/or orange zest (energy, cleansing)

-lemon and/or orange seed (attract the Sun's energy)

-red pepper flakes (energy, heat)

-citrine (sunshine, joy, luck)

-red carnelian (Sun energy, physicality)

-glitter (optional; sunshine)

-petals of any yellow, orange, or red flower (optional)

• sunflower oil is best for this but you can use any oil you like!

Kat’s Directional Spread

It’s still Tarot Tuesday for a few minutes for me, so I figured I’d post a new spread! Very similar to my last one but more for making a choice between paths or a decision rather than healing yourself.

Where am I now?

What is currently blocking my path?

What do I need to get around or over this obstacle?

What support is already around me?

I know a lot of *ahem* new-agey people who dislike pharmaceuticals so they try to medicate with more metaphysical things. Lemme tell you, as someone with a severe chronic disease, I fully believe that I need to take my doctor-prescribed meds. And other people with illnesses do too.

So do both!!!

Draw sigils, runes, and other symbols on your pill boxes for healing.

Draw them on your medical equipment—nebulizers, inhalers, you name it (as long as it’s safe).

Charge your medications with crystals (as long as the crystals don’t damage your meds!)

Craft homemade spells for enhancing lung capacity, reducing inflammation, to sooth stomach issues, or whatever else you can think of AND THEN PUT THE SPELLS ON YOUR EQUIPMENT OR MEDS!

Carry sachets for warding off illnesses if you get sick easily.

Make an altar for your meds and medical equipment. Make it a beautiful altar where you work your spells for healing and wellbeing. Put flowers and crystals around your pill boxes and bottles, write affirmations for your health, wash your pills down with blessed water charged with quartz.

Make sachets and spray bottles for when you go to the hospital for making it feel more homey. Also hospitals can have nasty energy so bringing a sage spray and some protective grounding crystals is really important.

Instead of “and so it is” or “so mote it be” feel free to say “and that’s how it be” and if ur feelin a lil spicy go ahead an add on “in this bitch of a life”

I went ahead and made a cleaner image for the new spread, I like how it turned out. I had to switch two of the positions with each other because it made more sense this way. Anyhow, on with the explanation:

- Place the Sun card in the center

- Position 1: Your self in the light or parts of yourself that you see often

- Position 2: Your self in the shadows or parts of yourself you don’t use much

- Position 3: What you seek at the moment

- Position 4: What you have left behind

- Position 5: What you need at the moment

- Position 6: What to let go of now

- Position 7: The path you will soon take

- Position 8: Your deepest heart brought to light