• WITCH •

MAY DAY | May 1

🕯️ Decorations:flowers, crowns, ribbons, fairies, fertility symbols

🌿 Incense: rose, lilac, mint, jasmin, floral scents, thyme

🥧 Food: seafood, red fruits, salads, iced tea, lemonade, bread, honey, edible flowers, cereals

Of all the festivals, Beltane is the most flagrantly joyful and sensuous as nature is bursting forth with beauty and excitement. On May Eve, the sexuality of life and the earth is at its peak. A good moment to bring ideas, hopes and dreams into action.

Rituals to celebrate:

🥳 With people, have a large picnic in a forest.

🍽️ In the kitchen, bake some fairy cakes.

🎨 Get crafty, by making mini Maypoles to decorate your garden, house, or altar.

💃 Dress up, and wear a flower crown or flowers in your hair.

📜 Write in your journal, a list of everything about yourself that gives you self-confidence.

🔮 Meditate, about your sexual energy and what pleasure means to you.

Other ideas to celebrate:

Throw wildflowers seeds in the forest.

Leave offerings around for the fairies.

Take a ritual bath during the next full moon.

Dance! By yourself, with loved ones, at home, outside, just dance!

Level-Up Your Witchcraft

Find ways to practice daily. Start small with more energy manageable spellwork, like daily tea/kitchen magic. Try out planetary magic to help plan spells and rituals ahead of time. Daily practice helps novice witches to grow their abilities to hand and manipulate energy in greater capacities.

Daily prayer. Remember, praying doesn’t always have to be directed towards spirits or deities. Praying for your own personal power is extremely empowering. Here’s a great video from one of my favorite magical mentors on the topic.

Wear a crystal or oil programed as a magical enhancer to help amplify your will while casting. This was a game changer for me.

Discover & follow your path. Many witches are encouraged to learn many casting methods and types of magic when they are beginning their journey. I considered myself an eclectic witch for eight years before realizing what speciality of witchcraft fit best with me. Once a practitioner focuses on their most suitable path, things feel like they unlock naturally and magic feels more intense.

Read witchcraft adjacent nonfiction. As you dive deeper into most practices, what’s useful won’t be a correspondence cheat sheet or a spell book, but actual history and science. Reading books on quantum physics has helped me develop my own magical theory. Historical & geological references can help witches connect with their ancestral magic. When witches open their view of magic to include everything around them, any topic can become magical exploration and information for the grimoire. Correspondences can be discovered the old fashioned way, through discernment and for yourself.

Routine spell management. Reinforce wards or cast spells routinely in whatever manner works best for you. That could be weekly, monthly, or seasonally. Are you routinely cleansing under the New Moon? Maybe your wards are cast seasonally.

Write your own spells. Everyone loves a good spell book, but if all your casting are other people’s spells, you may not be reaching your full potential.

Meditate. Fifteen minutes a day will unlock more than you ever dreamed possible. I read in a mindfulness book once that meditating eliminates resistance, allowing what you’ve been asking for to flow into your life uninhibited. It also enhances your intuition and recalibrates your mind and body.

Master a method of divination. Tarot, runes, anything! Divination allows the witch to answer their own questions regarding spellwork, better plan, and communicate with allied spirits. It’s the first thing I would tell a young witch to learn.

A Confidence Spell (Gentle & Grounded)

Confidence magic isn’t about becoming fearless, it’s about feeling steady in yourself.

You’ll need:

One yellow or gold candle (LED is fine)

A quiet moment

One word you want confidence to feel like (steady, brave, calm)

Steps:

Light the candle.

Place a hand on your chest and take a slow breath.

Say: “I stand in my worth. I trust myself to take up space.”

Speak your chosen word aloud.

Sit with the flame for a moment, then ground with a deep breath.

Confidence doesn’t arrive all at once, it grows through repetition.

Add a Little Extra (Optional)

Anoint the candle with a grounding oil (cedar, sandalwood, or vanilla).

Hold a stone like tiger’s eye or carnelian while focusing on self-trust.

Write a sentence you wish you believed about yourself and place it beneath the candle.

Because you shouldn't have to buy a single thing to practice magic.

No crystals. No candles. No herbs. No fancy tools.

Just you, your intention, and 60 seconds.

Here are 10 spells you can do right this second:

1. The Invisible Shield Breath Take three deep breaths. Visualize a protective bubble forming around you with each exhale. Say: "I am protected." Use before stressful situations.

2. The Threshold Protection Stand in a doorway. Place a hand on each side of the frame. Say: "This is the boundary. Only what serves me crosses this line." Step through with intention.

3. The Mirror Visualization Close your eyes. Imagine you're covered in tiny mirrors facing outward. Any negativity bounces off and returns to sender. Use when dealing with gossip or jealousy.

4. The Grounding Breath Count Breathe in for 4, hold for 4, breathe out for 4, hold for 4. Repeat 3 times. Imagine roots growing from your feet into the earth. Use for anxiety.

5. The Posture Spell Stand up straight. Roll shoulders back. Lift your chin. Say: "I am powerful. I take up space. I belong here." Hold for 30 seconds. Use before anything that scares you.

6. The Cord Cutting Visualization Imagine an energetic cord connecting you to someone draining. Visualize cutting it. Say: "I cut this connection. Your energy is yours, mine is mine." Use after toxic interactions.

7. The Open Hands Spell Hold hands out, palms up, like you're receiving something. Say: "I am open to receiving. Money flows to me easily. I have enough." Use for financial anxiety.

8. The Five Senses Grounding Name 5 things you see, 4 you can touch, 3 you hear, 2 you smell, 1 you taste. This pulls you out of your anxious brain and into your body.

9. The "No" Practice Spell Say "no" out loud 10 times. Say it different ways: firmly, kindly, loudly, quietly. Feel how it sits in your mouth. You're practicing the spell of refusal.

10. The Crisis Mantra Say: "I have survived 100% of my worst days. I will survive this too." Repeat until you believe it. Use during panic or bad news.

These are just 10 of the 50+ no-supply spells I wrote about. Want the full guide? Read it here: https://www.edgeandaltar.com/post/no-supply-spells-magic-without-buying-anything

What is a Hedge Witch?

While the term ‘Hedge Witch’ means different things to different witches, there are some key traits defining it. Hedge witches almost always practice solitary magic, and don’t often join covens or work with other witches, though this isn’t necessarily a requirement. It involves a deep study of the natural world and spirits. They make their hearth and home the center of their magical activity, and study and work with local flora and wildlife. A Hedge Witch’s most sacred space is typically their home. They practice most of their magic in their daily routine. Hedge Witches are also known to be healers, which feeds into their study of local plants and herbalism. They might also work with a plethora of spirits and deities. But truthfully, a Hedge Witch’s path is as eclectic and unique as the Witch themself!

Why the word “Hedge”?

It could have a few meanings. One interpretation is that, in older times, wise women typically lived outside the edges of the village or town or “just beyond the hedge”, hence the name. But a more popular and widely-known answer is that the “Hedge” refers to the boundary between the living and the dead, or the physical and the spiritual. Hedge Witches serve as emissaries between these worlds, helping both spirits and humans alike. In other words, they “walk” the hedge between two worlds! It can also refer to their practice of studying local plants and wildlife. Hedge Witch practices are similar to Green Witches, Death Witches, Dream Witches and Kitchen/Hearth Witches. 

Basic Hedge Witch Practices

Hedge Witchery is all about magic in mundane living, especially in the modern day. Focus on the sacredness of your own actions and incorporate personal magical practices into your everyday life. Here’s some simple ideas from my own practice:

Leave a small jar or dish of honey out for passing spirits, especially those who help you

Study healing magic and practice it when you or a loved one are sick

Keep the house clean and tidy, and focus on the sacredness of your actions while doing so

Name and Talk to your House. Mine’s name is Elizabeth. Greet your house when you walk inside and say Goodbye to it as you leave

Meditate!

Always ask for permission before picking a flower, leaf or plant

Thank your spirit guides, house spirits and local spirits for their help whenever you can or feel like it, especially when you know they've helped you!

Another important part of Hedge Witchery is getting to know the spirits around you, both your spirit guides and local land and house spirits. Work with them, but also make sure to use adequate protection. Spirits are, in many ways, like people - not all will want to hurt you, but you should still be careful until you know them better. Still, you can invite them into your life with songs, poems, offerings and simple invitations. The more kind you are to the good spirits, the more likely they are to offer you protection and help. This might involve:

Studying local plants and sacred areas

Taking care of a garden or houseplants

Doing divination to communicate with them

Taking care of the natural environment around you like protecting the local wildlife and plants

Spend a lot of time out in nature and you’re bound to meet a few helpful spirits!

How do I know if Hedge Witchery is for me?

If you are drawn to working with the natural world, spirits and practicing healing magic, Hedge Witchcraft might be just what you’re looking for! If you’re interested in researching local folklore and flora, prefer to work your magic alone, have a strong connection to plants and the environment, see your house as a sacred space, and want to work with spirits, perhaps consider looking further into becoming a Hedge Witch!

But the most important element is to develop your own practice - no two Hedge Witches, or Witches in general for that matter, will be alike. Find out what works best for you and do that. If that happens to fit a specific path, good for you! If not, don’t worry about it. 

Things to check out:

Hedge Witch: A Guide to Solitary Witchcraft by Rae Beth

The Way of the Hedge Witch: Rituals and Spells for Hearth and Home by Arin Murphy-Hiscock

Hedgewitch Book of Days: Spells, Rituals, and Recipes for the Magical Year by Mandy Mitchell

Sources

Lucky color of July 13, 2025

If you are feel called to work but are tired/drained, sit outside. Take in all the energies around you. Nature can help charge you

Every witch does a little bit of a bunch of types of magic but sticks mainly to one or two in general. You usually won't be eclectic forever. You'll find what magics work best with you.

Never be lazy or cut corners with spirits. Always be respectful and always tell them to leave when you're done

When you see a plant or ingredient with a long list of properties, there are different things at play. Season of collection, the part of the plant, the health of the plant, etc all play a role in impacting which properties it will carry.

Don't call on spirits unless you have confidence and control

Be careful with sea/water magic. Get into it gently and slowly until you have the energy figured out because it can get out of hand quickly.

Adding a little pinch of magic into your breakfast can make a major difference in your day.

Your personal emotions/feelings over something will impact a work

Planting some plants is good, not only to have a garden, but the dirt helps cleanse you too. Get all dirty and muddy. It's good for ya

Not all trees are nice

The more you listen to your intuition, the easier it will be to tell it apart from your anxieties and worries

Incense is very easy to make which is why it's usually cheap to buy. But you can find a million tutorials online on how to make your own personal incense which is great if you want a spell to take effect over a while but also want to infuse the fire energy in it.

The more you work with something the better feel you get for it. Cinnamon goes in almost everything i cook and most of my spells because me and cinnamon just get right along