an eclectic's grimoire

Crystal Safety

"In general, working with crystals is relatively safe. However, some crystals contain substances (such as aluminum, copper, sulfur, fluorine, strontium, or asbestos) that are toxic to humans, so do not put them in the bathtub or make crystal elixir with them. It's also best to was your hands when you've finished holding them. These crystals include:

Aquamarine (contains aluminum)

Black tourmaline (contains aluminum)

Celestine (contains strontium)

Cinnabar (contains mercury)

Dioptase (contains copper)

Emerald (contains aluminum)

Fluorite (contains aluminum)

Garnet (contains aluminum)

Iolite (contains aluminum)

Jade (may contain asbestos)

Kansas pop rocks (contains aluminum)

Labradorite (contains aluminum)

Lapis lazuli (contains pyrite, which contains sulfur)

Malachite (contains aluminum)

Moldavite (contains aluminum)

Moonstone (contains aluminum)

Prehnite (contains aluminum)

Ruby (contains aluminum)

Sapphire (contains aluminum)

Sodalite (contains aluminum)

Spinel (contains aluminum)

Sulfur (poisonous)

Tanzanite (contains aluminum)

Tiger's eye, unpolished (contains asbestos)

Topaz (contains aluminum)

Turquoise (contains aluminum)

Zircon (contains zirconium)"

"Use this blend before bed to dream of love - especially the night before the spring equinox.

3 drops Roman chamomile essential oil (Chamaemelum nobile) (preferred) or Cape chamomile essential oil (Eriocephalus punctulatus) for luck, sleep, love

1 drop jasmine absolute (Jasminum officinale) for love, prophetic dreams

5 drops lavender essential oil (Lavandula angustifolia) for love, peace, protection

1 drop Turkish rose absolute (Rose damascena) or rose geranium essential oil (Pelargonium graveolens) for love, dreams

Springtime is when minds drift toward love. Spring flings, first romances, and vow renewals all have their place in the spring dreaming. Mix all oils, and diffuse 1 drop synergy per 100 ml water.

For massage, mix 15 drops synergy per ounce of carrier oil (a good all-purpose oil is sweet almond) plus a drop or two of vitamin E to preserve the mix."

How to Create a Money Bowl

You will need:

Bowl

Rice - for abundance

Money Oil

Coins, cash, etc. (This can even be paper with dollar signs/money signs written in green or gold.)

Cinnamon sticks - for money

A green candle - for money, prosperity, abundance, wealth

Bay leaves

Basil (or other money related herbs and spices)

Pyrite - to attract money and prosperity

Clear Quartz - to amplify the spellwork

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Fill your bowl with rice up to a height you're comfortable with.

On a separate plate or napkin, layout the basil. (You can add any other spices or herbs that will help with your money bowl.) Dress the candle with your money oil. (This can be purchased pre-made from your local magick shop or you can make your own. If you don't have any, you can use whatever oil you have on hand.) Roll the candle in the herbs and make sure it's coated well.

Place the candle at the center of the bowl and start placing your stuff inside! I used rolled up cash (whatever amount you'd like), cinnamon sticks, basil with my petitions written on them, etc. Feel free to add more money-drawing items or remove what you feel isn't serving you.

Decorate your box with crystals and other items. I used a pyrite elephant and pyrite cluster since pyrite is associated with money and wealth, but I also used a clear quartz to amplify the shellwork and boost the money-drawing power.

I placed my bowl on top of my clear box with tips from the place I bartend at, but you can put your bowl wherever makes sense to you. The key is to "work" the bowl and continue to add/remove items, light the candle, add drops of oil, replace an old candle with a new one, etc. Since I have my bowl sitting on top of my money box, inserting money into the box is like I'm "feeding" the box/bowl with that energy.

I think the most important part to remember is that this bowl is personal and entirely up to you. Everyone's bowl will look different and people will "work" their bowls differently, which I think is really cool. There is no right or wrong way to make a money bowl, but it is a lot of trial and error. I'd love to hear what other people would use in their money bowl, so feel free to comment below to let me know!

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We've all seen em'. Those beautiful shelves filled to the brim with pretty jars of herbs and essential oils galore. They're gorgeous and I'm sure those who have them are capable of fully utilizing them, but that isn't true for everyone. First of all if you're not growing or foraging a good portion of what you use, you will easily break the bank trying to upkeep such a large inventory. Secondly, if you aren't one who used a lot of herbs and oils in your practice, many things will simply sit and go to waste. As someone who is easily tempted by the idea of a large apothecary, I had to come up with a way of vetting the herbs I wanted to see if I could actually use them. Here's a little guide I put together to help you do the same.

This is a beginner's guide and over time your apothecary will grow and change as your craft changes, do not take this as a set of rules but rather a set of loose guidelines.

What Do You Want?

Avoid writing down specific plants unless they are an absolute must-have. Try writing down what sort of spells you're going to be doing and their intent. Find a few options for plants that match that intent and can fill that role. While you may end up with a bigger list, the goal here is to determine what is most prudent to source for each category and avoid redundancy your apothecary.

What Do You Use?

What plants have you already used and had good experiences with? This question will get you thinking about what it is you do and don't really do in your practice, thus helping narrow your list a little bit.

What Do You Have?

Your spice cabinet has more than you think when it come to helpful herbs and spices for magick. Cinnamon? Use it to speed up a spell, bring luck, or prosperity. Black Pepper? But in black salt or in protective workings. Salt? You get the point. These things are easy and comparatively cheap to purchase from the store. Sure the containers don't look #witchyaesthetic, but that isn't the point here. We are going for functionality first. Other things like fruit peels, cores, seeds, and any other organic matter your throw out should at least be considered for witchcraft.

What Can You Find?

Can you can forage safely, ethically, and legally where you live? Then get out into the great outdoors. Buy a foraging guide for your area and learn about the myriad of plants that grow all around you. Though I recommend not foraging for mushrooms unless you absolutely know what you're doing as that can be quite dangerous. And please learn how to clean and preserve what you forage for as it can easily rot if you're not careful. Do not consume anything you forage unless you are absolutely sure it is safe to do so.

What Can You Grow?

Not all of us have access to the garden of our dreams but there are at least some things one can grow and use. From simple potted herbs to flower beds, if you can grow, you can use it. It's also a plus if the plants being grown can double as culinary or medicinal herbs.

What Can You Substitute?

Most likely you're going to have either exotic or difficult to source herbs left over that you'd like to purchase. But if they are expensive and you aren't going to be using them often then this is a problem. Try to find a more affordable substitute. For example: if a recipe calls for galangal, ginger can be used in its place. Vanilla extract instead of vanilla pods. Things like that.

What Are You Buying?

Hopefully, you've narrowed down you're list enough to where you only have a few items on there that are relatively cheap and simple to source. If you use certain ingredients enough try purchasing them in bulk as it is less expensive in the long run.

Essential Oils

These are tricky as the good ones tend to be expensive, especially for small bottles. A great way I have found to circumvent this is by making my own oils from herbs and a carrier oil rather than resorting to the essential oil. It may not smell as nice but they do the job just as well. I mostly use any essential oils I have for giving my homemade oils fragrance (thankfully it doesn't take much) rather than applying them directly to things like tools or spell candles.

Storage

a guide to common outdoor items and their magickal uses.

acorns- luck, protection, wisdom, power

walnuts- healing, protection, self care

pinecones- fertility, masculinity, growth, nature

pine needles- cleansing, healing, strength, banishment

pecans- employment, protection, success, abundance, prosperity

grass- growth, learning, healing, new beginning, grief, recovery

maple leaves- feminine, travel, change, decisions, healing

oak leaves- truth, justice, knowledge, steadfastness, protection, guidance

birch leaves- protection, cleansing, fertility, purification

dandelions- calling spirits, divination, healing

dandelion seeds- divination, wishes, manifestation, dreams, luck

dandelion leaves- defeating negativity, steadfastness, growth, purification

2 leaf clovers- love, luck, courage, cleansing

3 leaf clovers- protection, luck, fidelity, divination

4 leaf clovers- spirit work, luck, psychic ability, attraction

5+ leaf clovers- wealth, luck, attracting money, sanity

wild clover flowers- animal magick, blessings, breaking curses, luck, love

apple seeds- love, secrets, knowledge, gateways, divination, prosperity

tree bark- protection, binding, banishment, cleansing, purification

rocks- many rocks have crystals hidden inside, the most common is quartz types. if unsure, rockcs can represent strength, stability, protection and banishing. if you suspect its a crystal, look it up and discover the correspondences that matter to you!

- when shuffling, pay attention to the cards that fall out of the deck. sometimes they have a special message for you.

- questions aren't always necessary when reading. letting the cards tell you what they need to helps to develop your intuition, and the relationship between you and your deck (or the spirit you are working with, depending on how you divine information).

- when reading with multiple cards (i.e. as a spread), try and string the cards together rather than interpreting them by their individual meanings:

recurring suits, themes, symbols, and numbers

proportions of suits and uprights vs. reversals

position of the cards (e.g. if people are present in the cards, where are they looking?)

colours of the cards (e.g. do any of the cards stand out more than the rest?)

- although each card has a core meaning, different decks with different art could emanate different "flavours" of the core meaning.

Use enchanted waters such as moon, elemental or holy waters to enchant your paint water

Create a thoughtform for/ensorcell a tool (paintbrush, pencil, needle, etc.) to assist your spell(s)

Recite chants/prayers/affirmations (intention) as you work

Experiment using herbs, resins, teas, etc. to make magical pigments

Make sigil stamps out of erasers, cork, hot glue, etc.

Create a portrait of your shadow self, or your witch/wizard/whatever-sona

Compile or record different playlists for different spell 'genres', meditation, and "vision board-ing"

Create your own recycled handmade enchanted paper for petitions

Protect your spells by documenting them in pictograms- use only images to portray the process

Some days I am filled with random spurts of energy. My day is filled with an intense amount of motivation and the worst feeling is having no outlet for that energy. It can be really unsatisfying to feel extremely motivated and not have done very much.

Here are some ideas to exert that motivation into good old witchiness

(Pictured is the Linestriders tarot and Supermarket Sabbats)

• Grimoire, to dos, and planning - This is a wonderful time to visit your book of shadows! Add a new page, write a to do list (or do things youve been putting off), and plan out some spells or ideas for the sabbats!

• Crafts - Create new items to use for practice. Make a wand, candles, use clay to make statues and incense holders. The possibilities are endless with creation. You can watch youtube videos of other peoples crafts.

• Stocking up - Need a new batch of something? Make it today while you feel motivated. Prepare things in advance and create items in bulk for later use, and stock back up on oils and other things. Make handy things you might need later on such as offering stones!

• Cast spells! - Seems like a no brainer, but sometimes its we dont know what kind of spells to do. Do a spell to create more motivation that lasts longer than just a day, or one for studying, just something simple to help aid you in what you are doing.

(Pictured is the Linestrider’s Tarot)

• Do research! - Read some witchy books, watch some youtube videos, and browse tumblr tags for some good research. Maybe spend the day studying one subject, like tarot. (When was the last time you wanted to study?)

• Clean up - Clear the stiff air, sweep away the negative and old energies and bring in more positive ones. Take the time to thoroughly clean, cleanse, and clear the slate. Take a bath, dust, wash the dishes and wash your face. Use today’s motivation to do chores you might have been putting off and cleanse the house to help adopt more motivating energies.

These are just a few ideas of what to do when you have a lot of energy but dont know what to do with it. I hope this sparks ideas for other witchy things to do. Please feel free to add on!

Absolutely perfect for those wishing to love themselves, but having a bit of trouble, and also perfect for my first post. Almost all of the ingredients can be found at Dollar Tree if you like to shop there, I know I do!

Things you will need: (everything but intention is optional!)

-warm/hot bath, whatever you like

-rose bath salts, rose water, rose quartz, and/or just rose petals for self love (use one or all)

-pink candle(s), also for self love. I really recommend picking a shade of pink you like

-blur candle(s) for inner peace and tranquility

-if you'd like to add masculine energy to the bath, I recommend a gold candle or bath bomb, but I recommend silver or pink for feminine energy

-anything else you want to add! I added in some lavender bubble bath too to help me relax, also because I love lavender

First, I recommend cleansing your body of bad energy before you bathe. My favorite is a quick shower cleansing ritual, but you can use a cleansing body spray or just visualization. If you have trouble taking baths for any reason, or if you can't, you could put all the ingredients (minus the candles of course!) in a sachet on the floor of your shower, or even make a spell jar with the ingredients. Really anything works!

what is it? a candle spell that helps you to love yourself

ingredients:

💕plain white candle

💕pink himalayan salt

💕rosemary

💕basil

💕small rose petals

💕rose quartz chips (optional)

💕red/pink tapestry candle

what to do:

💓put plain white candle on a space you wouldn’t mind wax getting on (paper, mat, fabric)

💓spring herbs and rose quartz onto the candle. picture them each as little bits of love and your heart ❤️

💓light the tapestry candle(s) and pour melted wax over the top of the candle and the herbs. if your candle is slanted switch steps 2 and 3.

💓light the candle and visualize love radiating off of it and into yourself

tips!

💗always but your intent (love) into the spell or else it won’t work

💗if you don’t have any of the herbs you can always substitute any other love herb

💗if you use this candle for a love spell make sure the target has consent cause then it’s just weird lmao

💗i usually use light the candle when i do my skin care routine, makeup, take a bath, chatting with aphrodite or whenever i feel really shitty about myself

Updated: July 29, 2017

[Acquiring Discreet Supplies]

[Altar Ideas for Secret Witches]

[Apps for Witches Masterpost Pt 1]

Big Broom Closet Post: [Part 1]; [Part 2] *

[Broom Closet Solutions] *

[Broom Closet Witchery] *

[Covert Witchcraft 101]

[Discreet Witch Craft]

[Enchantments for the Subtle Witch]

[How to Hide Your Witchy Ways]

[Jar Alternatives]

[Little Things For Witches Who Keep Quiet About Their Craft]

[Master List of Low-Key Spells]

[Master Post for Secret Witches]

[100 Tips for the Secret Witch]

[A Secret Witches Guide to Concealing Your Craft]

[Subtle Magical Practice]

[Thriving in the Broom Closet] *

[Tips and Tricks for Secret Witches]

[Tips for a Beginner Witch Who Needs to be Discreet]

[Tips for Discreet College Witches]

[Tips for Discreet Witchcraft]

[Tips for Life in the Broom Closet] *

[Tips for Witches Keeping Their Practice Secret]

[Witchy iOS Apps]

[Witchy Uses for Your Phone for the Frugal or Secret Witch]

You will need: 🖍️Either a green soy wax candle or a white one with a green thread wrapped around it.

🖍️One large spell jar and a few mini vials

🖍️Carrier Oil

🖍️At least two of the following for wealth and success: Alfalfa, almond, cashew, kelp, chamomile, elder, fern, ginger, Grains of paradise, horseshoe Chestnut, jasmine, mint, moss, nutmeg, oats, pecan, pine, bromeliad, cedar, cinnamon, clove, cowslip, flax, galangal, high john, honeysuckle, oak, onion, pea, periwinkle, pineapple, poppy

🖍️At least one of the following for creativity: horse hair (not herb), basil, vanilla, Caraway, celery, clove, horehound, clove, fern, sage, eyebright, lily of the valley, mace, mustard, periwinkle, rhodolia, rue, summer savory, walnut, zedoaria, spearmint

🖍️At least one of the following for attraction: arugula blossoms, Bee Pollen, lingonberry, benzoin, basil, agar agar, honey

🖍️At least one of the following for luck: acorn, allspice, bamboo, bluebell, Daffodil, hazel, Holly, nutmeg, poppy, rose, violet, soybeans, Maple, high john, daisy, red clover, camomile, aloe, cabbage, cotton, moss, oak, straw, dandelion, cinnamon, catnip

🖍️(Optional) any other Abundance ingredients

🖍️A green crystal or one associated with one or more of the above goals

🖍️A small piece of paper and a writing utensil

🖍️A candle-safe plate or tray (edited)

Instructions: On your piece of paper, write, "My work reaches and is seen by a wide audience of those it is intended for. My style is appealing and desirable to those with means to support it. My art instills a wish for personalized pieces and an urge to seek them out. My commissions are easily found and bought by those who will be respectful and kind in the process." Fold it twice towards yourself and place it flat in your jar. This will become the "base" for your oil.

Take your crystal(s) and place them on the paper to increase its energy. Pour the carrier oil slowly on top of the paper, willing the words and intent from it to be absorbed. Close, but do not seal the jar to allow your manifestation to steep.

Lay your herbs in a tight circle and place the candle on top, making sure to charge each ingredient with its correspondence. Light your candle and let it melt completely or until the herbs are all dressed in the wax. Take the wax-covered herbs and place them in your carrier oil. Re-close and swirl it around gently, letting all the ingredients begin to activate. Once your carrier oil has been mixed with the effects of all your ingredients, pour some of it into the small vials. Put these on or near your art supplies and things associated with your craft. Close and seal the "mother" jar and place it near where you sleep to give creativity in dreams and let your work become successful overnight.

(that last bit is a metaphor, btw, the spell will not *actually* work overnight, but if you are already doing what needs to be done and working toward your goal, then your spell will help you and meet you in the middle)

I'm rebuilding/reworking my own grimoire atm and, in poking around for inspiration here and there, I've seen a bit of a trend regarding indexes and tables of contents.

A lot of posts for Beginner Witches have looong lists of things you Absolutely Must(TM) include in your grimoire. These read almost like a super extensive syllabus that covers what seems like every topic under the sun, and are, quite frankly, completely unnecessary.

This is a friendly reminder that you don't have to include anything in your grimoire that you don't want to.

Not interested in astrology? No problem. Don't include it.

Don't work with herbs or crystals? Why spend time writing notes on them, then?

Don't celebrate Wiccan holidays? No need to include info on the Wheel of the Year.

etc etc.

Part of the reason why I never finished my last couple grimoires were the fact that I felt pressured to write extensive entries on things I wasn't interested in, or on things I already knew and thought redundant to include. I had dozens upon dozens of unfinished pages, and the knowledge that I was expected to write things on each of them filled me with such anxiety and dread that I just... stopped opening my notebook up altogether.

This time around, however, I'm taking a different approach to my grimoire. I have limited time and energy to commit to my craft, and I'd rather not spend it on shit I didn't really care about. In my new grimoire, I have not and never intend to include notes on the 'basics', or overviews of every pantheon and every deity, or summaries of the different types of witches or spells or what have you. I'm including only what I think is important to me.

Your grimoire is supposed to be your personal journal, documenting not only the things you've learned but the things you're actually interested in. That doesn't mean you shouldn't do research -- it's very important to expand your education, especially regarding different worldviews and outlooks to your own. But!!

Sulfur (from a match)

Himalayan salt

Mugwort

St. John's wort

Rosemary

Sage

Lemongrass

Forget-Me-Not flowers

3 white candles

Orange candle

3 drops of cinnamon oil

Cleanse your space and utensils, set your intentions (mine were to bind my heartache and stop overthinking, just some ideas!)

Add 3 drops of cinnamon oil to your jar, light candles, add your herbs

Recite, "take this pain from top my chest,

Let me breathe; put it to rest.

Take this worry from my heart,

Let me heal and press restart."

Seal with orange wax, blow out candles when finished and thank your deity/ies 🖤

Carry Rosemary and salt in your pocket, purse, or keep in a satchel.

A lit white candle in a circle of salt will protect a room.

A lit black candle repels and banishes unwanted energy quite well.

Hang Garlic in your kitchen to ward away mischief and evil.

Add Pine essential oil to cleaners for an added cleansing boost when washing tile/hardwood floors.

Grow Rosemary, Lilac, Lavender or Rose at your doorways to protect them.

Use knot magick when tying shoe laces, bows, headbands, etc for added protection.

Draw protective sigils or wards onto your skin with make up or lotion/moisturizer before blending.

Hang protective charms off your pet’s collar.