wiccan practices

Aaaaaahh your kindness inspires me!!! And I’m so glad you’re so interested in astrology!I am going to assume that by “the basics” you mean the definitions of the planets, signs, and houses, and probably also what a planet in a house means and a planet in a sign and so on. So I’ll assume that by “more complex stuff” you mean aspects and/or major aspect patterns, interceptions, duplications, asteroid stuff, progressions, transits, draconic charts, etc etc. OK, so. I’ll be honest. I learned mostly from Google. In the early stages of my learning, I was looking to bloggers to answer my questions, but I couldn’t find anyone who knew a lot of the complex stuff and would give me the in-depth answers I wanted, to I just googled the cheese out of it. I’m talking clicking every article for 10+ pages on one topic. Now, I admit one can learn an awful lot that way, but it is not exactly efficient, and I certainly want to give you more direction than I got. So, here is a brief set of references that can help you learn astrology more efficiently than I did. 1. Astrology books. The internet has a lot of stuff on it, but I have never found more information than when I have paid for it. There are a lot of astrology books on amazon, but I honestly found the most books in a sort of hippie-shop in a city near me called the Dancing Moon. If you have a hippie-shop near you, definitely check it out. Also, used book stores sometimes have interesting collections of astro books. A few books that I have and enjoy:

Astrology of the Moon by Amy Herring–talks about moon signs and houses as well as progressed moon signs and houses, really helped me out concerning progressions

Astrology, Karma, and Transformation by Stephen Arroyo–really in-depth look at the outer planets, karma and reincarnation in the birth chart

The Book of Pluto by Steven Forrest–REALLY in-depth look at Pluto

I don’t have many astrology books because books are expensive and astrology books are not easy for me to find, but I adore the books I do have, and they make it a lot easier for me to learn (as I get distracted easily on the computer)2. Websites made for learning astrology. To be honest, I don’t use these much, so I don’t really know if they go as in-depth as I assume, but you may find them helpful.

http://www.bobmarksastrologer.com/TOClessons.htm –I do actually use this one. Lotta stuff here, a must see and use.

http://www.learnastrologyfree.com/

http://www.thedarkpixieastrology.com/free-astrology-courses.html–you have to subscribe to access these, I think, but the stuff they e-mail you is also, interesting, so

https://astrolibrary.org/ –this has a lot of really great (and free!) resources. The blog is interesting, there are free ebooks, and lessons! The lessons don’t get too complicated (I think) but the rest is fantastic.

http://theastrologydictionary.com/ –handy for learning a wide variety of terms.

3. Websites and articles. There are particular websites I return to frequently, because I find them so helpful. I bookmark a LOT of things, and I keep those bookmarks organized for easy reference.Here are a few sites that help me:

http://astrofix.net/ –this is GREAT for studying aspects because it uses short phrases to explain how a planets energy works with another planets energy. There is also a series of posts on Nodes and rulers of houses in houses which is really great. Hover over the “Explore” button to navigate to these.

http://surrealspotlight.blogspot.com/search/label/astrology –this blog no longer updates, but it has a lot of really interesting posts discussing things well beyond planet in house/sign.

http://wordsforthepeople.com/site-map/ –Scroll down to “Articles” and “Blog” and you will see a list of complex and often spiritual astro topics, many of which regard transits.

http://wordsforthepeople.com/site-map/ –I like this one less, but it does have some interesting articles. More transit stuff, among other things.

http://www.llewellyn.com/journal/article_topic.php?article_topic=Astrology –These articles are short, but so specific and interesting, I love them.

https://skywriter.wordpress.com/ –another that talks a lot about transits (there are a lot of sites about these) but if you dig into her blog you can find some other stuff, too, specifically about how to calculate your dominant planet (without using astro.com) and a discussion of stelliums and alpha planets.

http://www.healwithastrology.com/blog/ –so this is a little more basic but it is great because it offers advice. Like, legitimate advice that I have found very helpful, not just “You’re an Aries (sun), so try to keep your cool” but very spiritual and meaningful advice. the links on the side labelled 2nd house, 12th house, moon signs, and sun through the houses are most relevant.

http://www.beliefnet.com/columnists/ohmystars/astrology/ –more interesting articles on astrology, some of which regard current events and transits. I originally found this because I was looking for more info on yods, and it gave a different perspective than most other sites (most sites say “yods are great, they speak of untold power!” and one blogger on this site write something along the lines of “yeah, yods can be great, but they are so awkward to work with because in order to make those aspects the planets have to be in signs that don’t work well together”

http://feeds.ezinearticles.com/category/Arts-and-Entertainment:Astrology.xml –this has a bit of numerology riddled in, but a decent amount of neat astro articles

http://pegasusastrology.com/articles –a few articles from a tumblr blogger I follow. I really enjoyed the draconic astrology one and the “Discovering the themes in your chart” one.

https://www.scribd.com/doc/31151867/2204105-Pluto-Sign-House-Aspect –ok so I linked you to a very specific and possibly “basic” article about Pluto here, but I love it so much I had to include it.  I honestly have no idea how to navigate the main site, Scribd, and sometimes when I click on stuff it says I have to be a member to view the whole document and sometimes it doesn’t, but this article and many of the “suggested” articles to the side and at the bottom are unrestricted and quite fun to read.

http://teachmeastrology.com/midpoint-calculator/#47 – this is a midpoint calculator. Midpoints are something I am only just getting into, so I can’t say much, but it tells you all your midpoints and has short descriptions of them. A good place to begin, I guess.

http://astromatrix.org/ –has descriptions of all the transit and natal aspects. Handy reference.

http://astro-charts.com/--handy for spotting major aspect patterns in a chart, as the computer does it for you. However, astro.com makes more accurate charts, and astro-charts isn’t perfect when it comes to spotting aspect patterns–for example, I have a stellium, five planets in a house, and it didn’t catch it. So this is helpful, but make sure to do some work yourself as well to be certain.

4. Bloggers and forums. There are lots of places where you can talk to other people about astrology. I have never used any forums myself, but I do read some forum posts for reference. I do talk to plenty of tumblr bloggers, though.

http://www.linda-goodman.com/cgi-bin/ubb/Ultimate.cgi –this forum comes up a lot when I search really specific placements.

Here are a few blogs that usually go beyond planets in signs/houses–unfortunately I haven’t found many.

http://transcendicalprosperity.tumblr.com/

http://astrologyandlife.tumblr.com/

weirdastrologicalcoincidences.tumblr.com

http://astr-logy.tumblr.com/ (okay so this is still a lot of planets in signs/houses stuff but they post some really interesting stuff so I’m listing it anyways)

http://starseedastrology.tumblr.com/

I’ve gotten a TON of asks about this lately, so I’ll go ahead and do this post tonight. This is NOT an inclusive list of ways to charge sigils, it’s what I know of/can think of at the moment.

Firstly, there’s two different schools. Destroying the sigil to charge and release it, and keeping the sigil intact. I’m going to note which school each method falls into.

Destruction: Fire Writing a sigil on anything that’s safe to burn, and throwing it into fire to charge it, as it’s destroyed. This charges the sigil with the energy from the flame, and is a good method for adding passionate, strong, intense energy. (or any other things you associate with fire)

Preservation: Fire Writing a sigil, carving, or engraving it somewhere, and placing it close to a flame where it can absorb the heat and energy from the fire without burning up. Has the same benefits as the above method.

Destruction: Water Writing a sigil in something soluble, and then soaking it in a body of water. This charges the sigil, and more specifically the body of water that the sigil is charged and released into. It’s a good way to incorporate traits from the element of water, such as creativity, strengthened psychic abilities, and the like.

Preservation: Water Writing or carving a sigil in/on something that doesn’t dissolve in water, such as carving a sigil into a chunk of wood. The sigil absorbs energy from the water while it is soaking. Again, has the same added properties as mentioned for the destructive method with water.

Destruction: Earth Writing your sigil on something natural and biodegradable, then burying it. Such as writing a sigil on an acorn or leaf. It then absorbs energy from the earth as it slowly decomposes. A sigil charged this way may take on the additional energy and properties associated with the earth, such as strength, patience, and nurturing.

Preservation: Earth Charge a sigil with a crystal grid, or similar set up, and keep the sigil intact afterwards. It has the same added properties as the above mentioned method for earth.

Preservation: Light Charge your sigil in light, be it daylight or moonlight. The sigil is charged by the light.

Destruction: Light I refer to this as destruction and light, because it deals with visibility and invisibility. Basically, write your sigil in something that will become invisible afterwards. Such as the fog on a bathroom mirror, lemon juice on paper, ect… This is my favorite way for creating/charging sigils dealing with spirits, communication, or “unseen” traits. In this method the sigil charges every time the surface it was written on is exposed to light.

Preservation: Energy Work/Meditation You focus on your sigil, and charge it with energy. You are relying on your own energy for this, not energy from another source to charge the sigil.

Destruction: Energy Work/Meditation Same charging method as mentioned above, but you destroy the sigil in your preferred manner when you’re done, in order to release the spell to work.

More “touchy” methods below the break. TW for a lot of different reasons. Each of these methods can be preservative or destructive, just depending on if you keep the sigil in tact afterwards.

A question I am asked frequently is how to know if you are receiving guidance or advice from your intuition, your spirit guides, or just your own logic or ego. It can be difficult to discern the difference if you don’t know what signs to look for. Let’s go over the differences between them.

The Four Sublime States are considered, in Buhddism, to be the perfect way to exist when dealing with living beings. They are said to minimize tension, promote peace, heal people’s suffering-caused traumas, revive joy and hope, and trasncend social levels to bring humans together in mutual respect and appreciation.

The four sublime states are: Love or Loving-kindness (metta) Compassion (karuna) Sympathetic Joy (mudita) Equanimity (upekkha)

Druidry Tags

What is Druidry?

Where do I Begin? (a personal guide from me to you)

The Three Tiers of Druidry

Bard

Ovate

Druid

Teaching & Practices

Druids Wheel of the Year

Festivals 

Druid Prayer & Devotion

Ritual

Oracles & Divination 

Earth Mysteries

Stone Circles

Tree Lore

Tree Symbolism

The Ogham Trees

Trees & People

Trees Elemental Correspondaces

Plant Lore

The Curriculum of the 13 Moons: Exploring the Gifts of Plants

Animal Lore

Sacred Animals of The Druids

Star Lore

Rituals

Dedicating Your Grove

Druidic Triple Circle

Opening the Doorway - An Awen Ritual

Activities

Nature for Indoor Druids

Sun Water

Making Your Ogham Sticks

Opening The Crane Bag (blessing)

Charging & Invocation of Your Ogham Sticks

Ogham Spreads (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

Awen & The Sun

Working with Awen: Connecting with Light & Inspiration

Incense for Bards

Incense for Ovates

Incense for Druids

Seeking the Spirit of the Land

Druidry & Other Paths

Druidry & Wicca

Druidcraft

Christianity & Druidry

Helpful Websites

The Order of Bards, Ovates & Druids

The British Druid Order

Ancient Order of Druids in America

Books I Have Read

The Path of Druidry by Penny Billington

A Druid’s Herbal of Sacred Tree Medicine by Ellen Evert Hopman

Druid Mysteries by Phillp Carr-Gomm

Living Druidry by Emma Restall Orr

Ogham: The Celtic Tree Oracle by Paul Rhys Mountfort

Tree Wisdom by Jaqueline Memory Patterson

The Modern-Day Druidess by Cassandra Easton

Introductory Books

Other Books

Oracles Decks

The Druid Plant Oracle

The Druid Animal Oracle

The Celtic Tree Oracle

Wildwood Tarot

Druidcraft Tarot

Videos

Druidry: A Beginner’s Guide part 1

Druidry: A Beginner’s Guide part 2

Druidry: A Beginner’s Guide part 3

Phillp Carr-Gomm Druidry

The Seven Gifts of Druidry

A Druid Tree Meditation

Pendulums are a popular and easy form of divination, so to spread the word for anyone who might be new to them I thought I’d make this post. 

Any other replies to other posts will probably be forgotten/ignored. Please don’t reblog with your answer in the tags - if you reblog, be sure to put your answer in the MAIN text although I’d prefer you straight up replying to this post for convenience’s sake. 

This is no where near all the ways you can charge things so feel free to add to the list or send me other methods. I intend to go back and add to it occasionally.

Fire

Draw it on paper (or something safe to burn) and burn it

Draw it on a firework and set it off

Carve it into a candle, light it, and let the sigil melt away

Place it close to a flame to absorb the light and heat

Air

Draw it on wind chimes and hang them up

Draw it on a balloon, blow the balloon up, and pop it

Water

Draw it on something soluble and dissolve it in water

Draw it on a rock (or something non-soluble) and place it in running water

Draw it with something food safe on a tea bag and drink it (It’s more using a sigil to charge the tea, but whatever)

Draw it on yourself then take a shower and let it wash away

Earth

Draw it on something biodegradable and bury it

Transfer energy from previously charged crystals

Light

Place it in the sun or moonlight

Draw it with/in something that will disappear: lemon juice on paper, fog in a mirror, etc.

Paint it with glow in the dark paint, the light used to charge the paint and its own glow charges the sigil

Technology

Place it on/under a device that is plugged in and charging

Open the image on your computer and play a video game on top of it

Use the sigil as your background or screensaver or just leave it up for a while to be charged by the screen’s light and energy of the computer

Open the sigil in a paint or photo editing program, cut it to pieces, and delete them (like you would tear up a piece of paper)

Place the sigil on/near speakers and play music (match the music to the intent of the sigil)

Post the sigil on social media with the intent that it charge with every like/reblog/thumbs up/etc.

Personal Energy (Mental and Physical)

Direct your own personal energies into the sigil (How to)

Draw it on yourself or something you have on you as you exercise: dance, run, play sport, etc.

Draw it on the bottom of the shoe and walk around on it all day

Have the sigil on/near you and focus on it as you have sex/masturbate and orgasm

Have the sigil on/near you and focus on it while experiencing pain

Have the sigil on/near you and focus on it while experiencing extreme emotion

Add a drop of blood to the sigil

Other

Sing or play an instrument to it

Place it in a music box, wind it up and let the music charge it

Draw it on paper and tear the paper up

One thing that kinda ticks me off time after time is the exclusion of short-on-cash witches in the witchcraft community. I see a lot of posts of people’s fancy new $40 Etsy crystals, or handcrafted leather-bound Book of Shadows. Quite a few of my witch friends, including myself, have found ourselves without proper money and the access to the materials we need for our craft.  Here’s a few tips I’ve picked up since: 

Remember that your description of being a witch shouldn’t be defined by how many things you have. If you have a pack of 70¢ birthday candles, you’re no less of a witch as someone with a collection of $20 Yankee jar candles. 

The dollar store (and garage sales!) is your new best friend. Honestly, you can find just about anything there. Candles, glass containers, bottles, dried herbs, scarves, charms, lighters, matches, essential oils - anything. 

Steal things from the fridge and cupboards. Go shopping with your mum and gently mention that her cooking is in a dying need of fresh sage or sandalwood oil. Some fresh flowers would look nice on the kitchen table.

Make music a special part of your craft. Tie your favourite songs into your handiwork to help with inspiration. 

Any space can be made in to an altar or workspace. Whether the corner of your dresser or a drawer of your bed-side table - it doesn’t need to be big or flashy or anything like the displays you’d see on Tumblr. 

A lot of perfumes use real flowers/plant essential oils in their contents. 

Fancy journals can be found at the dollar store for dirt cheap. Use that and a pack of glittery pens for your Book of Shadows. If you’re not one for writing things down, just about all your witchy research can be done online - no one said that your BoS can’t be on your laptop. 

Not all spells require crystals, candles, herbs and/or chants. Make things as simple as you need. 

Look into Kitchen Witchcraft if you’re worried about your practice being found out/shunned upon by your parents or other people in your house. No one’s ever suspicious about cooking. 

Packets of flower seeds are 60¢ at most Walmarts. 

Hah, hah hah. I actually didn’t have ANY links at the ready. So I went and compiled all this for you. Hence why it took like 3-4 hours for me to answer this. Hope it helps!

Divination

[Divination: List of Symbols] *

[Divination: Symbolism]

[Fun Ways to Divine Masterpost]

[Master List of Ways to Tell Fortunes]

[Methods for Divination and Fortune Telling] *

[Types of Divination]

[Types of Divination, a Masterpost of Sorts]

[Youtube Divination Lessons Masterpost]

Astrology / Star Reading

[Astrology] *

[Astrology as Divination] *

[Divination: Astrology]

[Star Reading: a How To]

[Star Scrying]

[Star Scrying] *

[Star Scrying] *

Cartomancy / Lenormand

[Basic Guidelines for Reading with the Petit Lenormand] *

[Cartomancy Basics: Meaning, Spreads, and More] *

[Cartomancy: A Comprehensive Guide to a Deck of Cards] *

[Cartomancy Card Meanings] *

[Create Your Own Playing Card Oracle Deck]

[Divination: Cartomancy]

[Divination Using Playing Cards] *

[Divination with Playing Cards]

[How to Design and Create Your Own Cartomancy Deck/System]

[How to Read Lenormand Card Combinations] *

[Lenormand for Tarot Readers]

[Lenormand for Tarot Readers Master Post]

[Lenormand Lessons] * (a lot of links and videos)

[Lenormand Keyword Chart]

[The New World Witchery Guide to Cartomancy] *

[Petit Lenormand Card Meanings] *

[Playing Card Meanings] *

[Playing Cards Divination]

[So You Want to Learn to Read the Lenormand (Resources)] *

[Tips for a Beginner in Cartomancy] *

Ceromancy / Ceroscopy / Candle Wax Divination

[Candle Wax Divination]

[Candle Wax Scrying]

[Candle Wax Scrying] *

[Ceromancy] *

[Ceromancy - Predicting the Future from Observing a Burning Candle] *

[Ceromancy - Scrying With Candle Wax]

[Ceroscopy] *

[Divination: The Delicate Art of Ceroscopy] *

[How To Do a Candle Wax Reading] *

[How to Wax Scry]

Lithomancy

[Divination Using Crystals] *

[Lithomancy]

[Lithomancy: A Powerful Divination Technique Using Stones] *

[Lithomancy: The Psychic Art of Reading Stones]

[Lithomancy- The Psychic Art of Reading Stones] *

Misc

[Apple Divinations]

[Dice Divination]

[Divination Dice]

[Domino Divination]

[How Rook Does Aura Readings]

[I-Ching]

[Metoposcopy - The Divination Form No One Has Heard Of]

[Ran’s Runes (divination tool in honor of the sea goddess)]

[Sea Shell Divination and How I Do It]

Palmistry

[Divination: Palmistry (Part 1 of 2)] and [Divination: How-To Palmistry (Part 2 of 2)]

[An Easy Palmistry How-To Guide] *

[A Guide to Palm Reading] *

[Illustrations showing Basic Lines and Mount Areas of a Hand]

[Palmistry 101: A Guide To Palm Reading For Enchanted Babes] *

[Palmistry Room] *

[Top 10 Lines in Palmistry]

Pendulums

[DIY Pendulum]

[How to Use a Pendulum]

[How to Use a Pendulum] *

[Limited Pendulum Masterpost]

[Pendulum Dowsing: A Guide]

[Pendulum Guide] *

[Pendulums!]

[Pendulums (A Beginner’s Guide)]

[Pendulums: A How To]

[Teach Yourself How to Use a Pendulum] *

Runes

[All About Rune Reading] *

[Casting the Runes] *

[How-To Read Runes] *

[Pages from The Book of Runes]

[Reading Runes]

[Runecasting: Divination] *

[Rune Guide - An Introduction to Using the Runes] *

[Runes: The Basics]

Scrying

[The Art of Crystal Ball Gazing] *

[Beginner Tips for the New Scryer]

[Beginners Guide on How to Use a Crystal Ball] *

[Black Bowl Scrying]

[Crystal Ball Reading for Beginners]

[Crystal Gazing]

[DIY Scrying Mirror]

[Fire Scrying, Mirrors, Bowls, and Pendulums] *

[Guide to Water Scrying]

[How to do a Nephelomancy Reading {Cloud Scrying}]

[How to Scry]

[How to Smoke Scry]

[How to Water Scry] *

[Hydromancy] *

[Mama Odie’s Gumbo Scrying]

[Mirror Scrying] *

[Mirror Scrying and Wax Divination- Methods of Meditation] *

[Scrying] *

[Scrying] *

[Scrying and Divination Techniques] *

[Scrying, Crystal Gazing]

[Scrying- How To]

[Scrying Mirror]

[Scrying Using the Black Mirror]

[A Short Course in Scrying] *

[Using and Empowering a Black Mirror] *

[Water Gazing]

[Water Scrying]

[Water Scrying I] and [Water Scrying II]

Shufflemancy

[How to do a Shufflemancy Reading]

[How to: Shufflemancy]

[Intro to Shufflemancy] *

[Shufflemancy] *

[Shufflemancy: 101]

Stichomancy / Books

[Book Number Divination]

[How to Do a Stichomancy Reading]

[Intro to Stichomancy]

[Stichomancy] *

[Stichomancy Tricks and Tips]

[What is Stichomancy ? and How You Do It] *

Tarot

[The Basics of Tarot]

[Beginners Guide to Tarot Cards] *

[Divination: Tarot Reading]

[How to Read Tarot Cards: A Step by Step Guide] *

[Masterpost of Tarot Related Content]

[Tarot Masterpost] (a buttload of links on all things tarot)

[Tarot Starter Guide]

[What Every Newbie Tarot Reader Should Know] *

Tasseography

[The Art of Reading Tea Leaves] *

[A Dictionary of Symbols] *

[Getting Started with Tasseomancy] *

[How to Read Tea Leaves]

[How to Read Tea Leaves] *

[Reading Coffee Grounds] *

[Reading the Tea Leaves or Coffee Grounds] *

[Tasseography]

[Tasseography with a Marked Cup - Possible Pros and Cons]

[Tasseomancy]

[Tea/Coffee Readings]

Materials: White candle, a pot, glass jar with lid, stove, stone, salt.

Top 10 Herbs for the Lazy Witch

Maybe you’re maybe you’re a new witch unsure of what herbs are worth your time as a beginner, maybe money is tight, or maybe you’re just lazy (like us). If we could only choose 10 herbs to use in our craft, these would be our top picks. 

1. Basil – its the witch’s herb, need we say more? Not only do its magical uses span from protection to love to wealth to exorcism, but it is also delicious in mundane recipes as well. If you can only have one herb, basil is the way to go.

2. Rosemary – this herb is also blessed with a wide variety of uses. Excellent for purification, lust and love, good health, preventing nightmares, and all kinds of sea witchery. Bonus: its fragrance is to die for.

3. Lavender – so you might not be able to find this at the grocery store, but its magical uses outweigh the small inconvenience of tracking it down. Most often used for healing, love, protection, peace, purification, and sleep, lavender is a go-to for any mental health needs. 

4. Chamomile – lavender’s luckier, jovial cousin. Primarily used in love, healing, and stress reducing spells, but can also be used for luck and gambling. It is associated with the sun, and makes a great tea infusion for stress relief. 

5. Thyme – the best herb for social situations. It attracts loyalty, affection, and a good reputation, but we most often bathe in an infusion of thyme for constant flow of money. Also good for increasing courage. 

6. Cinnamon – while technically a spice, cinnamon has many magical uses and is also delicious in cooking. Ideal for prosperity and success, protection, love, and all spells related to the spiritual self. 

7.  Peppermint – a favorite in herbalism for treatment of digestive issues, this herb ideal for cleansing and protecting. Peppermint is also widely available, makes for lovely tea, and is a great addition to any luck spell.

8. Rose – is any love spell complete without rose petals? This flower is the symbol for beauty, marriage, sexuality, divine love, and all kinds of relationships. A larger list of uses for roses can be found here. 

9. Cayenne Pepper – every witch needs something with a bit of a bite. This spice does wonders as cursing or banishing agent, or even just as an addition to any spell to speed up results.