A Male Witch

I AM GOING TO LEARN//THE SECRETS OF THE UNIVERSE//AND THEN I WILL BECOME ONE– Big Jinx, 2020

“Newton was not the first of the age of reason. He was the last of the magicians, the last of the Babylonians and Sumerians, the last great mind that looked out on the visible and intellectual world with the same eyes as those who began to build our intellectual inheritance rather less than 10,000 years ago.”

Love attracting charm bag . . .

This is a charm bag I created to attract love & keep love near you.

Ingredient list:

• Rose petals • Red cloth / string

• Rose bud • Cinnamon stick (or ground)

• Jasmine • perfume sprits

• Mint leaf • Rosemary

• Lavender • Pink salt

Wrap thread towards you when wrapping . .

To fold , grab each four sides and bring to the center . .

Places to keep it

• Pockets are the most common / ideal

• Purses only when you’re out of the house

Wrap the thread towards you when wrapping

• Under your pillow to bring more sensuality

• In your bra or undershirt to bring true love

Bells might just be the earliest form of superstitious practise that I remember. My baba attached three sakura-patterned suzu bells on my schoolbag as a kid, purportedly for good luck and protection from evil spirits – and Japan is far from the only place to have associated bells and bellringing with mystic practise. They’ve been used worldwide to ward off evil and carry messages – and in a more metaphysical sense, sound is the movement of energy through substance. Sounds have the potential to work powerful magic.

Here are some of the ways I’ve found utilising bells to be helpful to my craft. While I’m more likely to use traditional suzu type bells, your own background, path and culture will likely have its own types of bells – and as ever, bells can be ornate antiques or they can be a bottle cap in a tin can, as long as they’re used with intent.

GETTING STARTED

🔔 As with so much of the craft, if you’re new to the witching bell, it’s a matter of exploration and experimentation. Get a “feel” for what works for you and the specific bell you’re using.

🔔 It’s good practise to ensure that the bell itself is cleansed, warded and protected – you don’t want anything nasty tapping into that power. All witching tools can do as much harm as good, intentional or accidental.

🔔 A good way to begin incorporating bells into your craft is infuse them into any typical ritual that you’re comfortable with, or even just a prayer or moment of contemplation at your altar if you have one.

🔔 Give the bell a soft ring while focusing on the energy it’ll ripple and move, try to track the movements it creates and what it touches. The tone it’s sending out.  The most primal and versatile use of the bell – and what many of the below come down to – is simply another manner of physically channelling energy, giving it shape and direction.

PROTECTION

🔔 “Passive” bells such as windchimes or small bells attached to belongings you don’t want disturbed are a starting point. They will scare off some forms of spirit all by themselves, especially if appropriately blessed, charmed or enchanted. Or cursed.

🔔 Gently tolling can draw energy into a ward or circle you are forming and enforce its protective properties, or for a simple cleanse, letting the sound travel to every corner of the area you are protecting. It’s a little more “cutting” than a smoke or incense cleansing, which I view as more “gentle” forms of cleansing. Both have their uses.

🔔 Harder tolling is, in my opinion, one of the most powerful ways in which to enforce a banishing – however, it’s best to you know what you’re doing with the bell before you go bashing it about.

DISCERNMENT

🔔 Bells can have quite the effect on your perception and awareness. Ringing and then stopping, listening to the silence left in its wake, can bring you new perceptions or make things you’d previously missed obvious. Let it attune your mind and senses to something new, whether that’s in your thoughts or something with a little more presence. Visualise travelling with the sound, taking heed of the energies it touches and disturbs. Take note of the echoes – you’ll learn what they mean with experience.

🔔 A set of windchimes can let you know if something is passing through or if there’s some unusual energy afoot – and, yes, it may also just be letting you know that it’s a particularly breezy day, but that’s witchcraft for you.

CONJURING

🔔 This can be as simple as calling good energies to witching tools, spell jars, tarot decks, crystals, altars and shrines, your favourite teddy bar, anything at all.

🔔 With spirit work, it can truly help to magnify your “calling”. This can range from gently bringing your latest offering to the attention of your friendly neighbourhood house spirit – all the way to trying to catch the attention of something more. Be mindful, however. As I said, I consider bells pretty powerful tools and a call that’s too loud is not good spirit work practise for the spirit worker’s own sake. It can really help coax something out of hiding if you’re gentle with it, though.

COMMUNING

🔔 Some use bells to mark the beginning and end of a ritual, and I’ve read that in Wiccan practise an altar bell can be used to invoke the Goddess, although as a non-Wiccan, I’ll welcome corrections on that if I’m wrong.

🔔 In my experience, very simple forms of communication via bell work a lot better than anything too complex – “come here” and “stay away” have already been covered, and other than that they can serve as greetings or signals of a start or end of some practise or ritual, the opening or closing of a door, etc.

🔔 They can also serve as a warning or a litmus test regarding spirits, a signalling of your presence and awareness, lack of fear, or willingness to defend – but be prepared to deal with whatever responses these garner.

BINDING

🔔 Bindings are where you most often see that famous (clockwise) circular motion of the bell, embodying the meaning of the spell. This can be a simple binding to seal a spell or charm or enchantment, or a spirit-binding.

🔔 Personally, spirit-binding is something I do as little as possible simply due to my beliefs holding the autonomy of spirits in very high regard. However, sometimes situations arise that call for it, and I’m aware that not all bindings are unwilling. Far from it – and some spirits are dangerous when unbound.

🔔 As an animist (believing that all things, including inanimate objects, contain a spirit of their own), I consider gently nudging a spirit back into its physical form a sort of semi-binding, and that can be useful.

I’ll leave you all with a note that I am an urban apartment-dwelling witch through and through, so I understand that we can’t all be jangling away at all hours. I myself have a glass windchime in my front window that makes a distinct but muted sound when disturbed by passers-through, and highly recommend wooden ones also. I also only use my small and relatively quiet suzu bell for my crafting – one given to me by my baba herself.

All of my spoonie, disabled, chronically ill, mentally ill, accessible and low-energy witch posts!

These are meant to supplement medication, medical care, and professional treatment. You do not have my permission to use these as a sole alternative for those methods. Please be responsible with your health.

”What’s a Spoonie Witch?”

Spoon theory

~Updated July, 2020~

Click the original post to check for updates!

Bedridden witch:

Bedridden witch - Original edition

Bedridden witch  - Nature edition

Bedridden witch  - Worship edition

Bedridden witch - Divination edition

Bedridden witch - Stale energy edition

Bedridden witch - Elements edition

Bedridden witch - Pastel edition

Bedridden witch - Kitchen edition

Bedridden witch - Winter edition

Bedridden witch - Ocean edition

Bedridden witch - Love edition

Bedridden witch - Weather edition

Bedridden witch - Garden edition

Bedridden witch - Bath edition

Bedridden witch - Wheel of the Year edition

Bedridden witch - Discreet edition

Bedridden witch - The setup

Bedridden witch series (all linked in separate post)

Tips and tricks:

Witchcraft in the Hospital

Witchcraft & Meds

Tips for taking meds

Low energy devotional tip

Bath magic made easy

Witchy things for spoonie students

Cleansing (via your phone)

Charging crystals: My version [X] Simple version [X]

For when you can’t sleep

My daily routine

A tip for using salves

Chronic migraine relief

Brainfog lifting

Limited hand mobility + witchcraft

Witchcraft + Aphantasia

Nonverbal witchcraft

Witchcraft for the Chronically Fatigued

Low energy cleaning + cleansing

Other:

Chronically ill witchcraft: For your symptoms

Mentally ill witchcraft: For your symptoms

Spoonie sigils: (Pain and Symptoms) / (Energy/Motivation and Mental Illness) / (Healing and Misc.)

Spoonie sigils: previous version

Small devotional acts (for the Greek + Roman pantheon)

Some gentle reminders [X] [X]

How I recovered from depression influenced by chronic illness

Dealing with the emotions that come with a diagnosis and some advice I wish I’d gotten

Low energy plants

Magic to replenish energy

Periods suck. Witchcraft helps.

Sick witchery

Warning - This is a long post.

For days, weeks, even months you might feel unmotivated to practice. Thats okay.

My witchcraft can feel off and on, and there are times where I haven’t casted a spell or read a witchy book in a week. I lose my witchy touch, my spark. The passion I have for witchcraft. Despite all of this, I am still a witch.

What is a witchy spark?

The fuel to practice, motivation, desire. Involving yourself into your practice consistently and whole heartedly. Feeling the magic run through you, but sometimes this motivation is lost.

How do we lose our spark?

Our ability to practice is affected by everything around us. Closeted witches, low spoon witches, witches with mental illness and witches going through life issues. All of these affect our craft.

We feel overwhelmed, lost, tired, and exhausted. We no longer feel our magic, or the desire to cast. This doesnt mean we do not want to be a witch, but that at the time we simply feel like we lost our touch.

Sometimes we get so caught up in life that we even forget about witchcraft.

We are still witches.

Beginners, don’t be afraid to put life first. Things can get hectic, and at times you might have to put aside your craft to take care of yourself and others. You are still a witch.

Pictured above is part of my altar that I just set up yesterday after having been moved in for months. I have been feeling overwhelmed by school, my mental illness, and my family to a degree that made practicing witchcraft difficult. I lost my spark and did not practice for months. Slowly, im gaining my motivation to practice again.

Here are some things that can help.

• Looking at tumblr - this might sound basic, but it can really help. Looking at low spoon spells and other witches doing their thing can really help

• Downloading other witchy apps - Amino offers many witchcraft groups such as “Pagans and Witches”, that feature lots of spells, chatrooms, and a good community. You can find other apps like tarot decks and runes to help spark some simple practice.

• Picking up an easy book - Skimming through easy to read books can help motivate one to slowly easing themselves back into their witchcraft. Pictured above are some books with spells in an easy bullet point format as well as information that’s easy to read. Supermaket Sabbats really helped me feel motivated to begin reading more witchy books again. (The other book is The Good Witch’s Guide).

• Doing a daily card pull - Or even just being near your deck. Sleeping with it, shuffling it and doing one card pulls help build confidence and desire to beginning spreads. (Deck pictured above is the Linestrider’s Tarot).

• Sit at your altar - Or somewhere you feel at peace and connected to with your magic. This is calming and can help you when you feel overwhelmed. Just taking a break and meditating at your altar is magic.

• Take a bath - Something simple, even if its just lighting a candle, using a bathbomb, or listening to music. Use it as a time to cleanse yourself, and wash the negativity off. Making a clean slate.

• Always take care of yourself - Even if its hard, even if you want to devote yourself entirely to magic or anything else, take care of yourself. Put your life first. You will still be a witch.

Whether you’re a baby witch, an old witch, a closeted witch, or an open witch, we all lose motivation at some point. We also always get it back. We are always witches.

I hope this post helps you into transitioning back into practice if you ever lose your spark.

(Had to make a new version because tumblr messed with the gif on the original and won’t let me edit my own posts…)

As a spoonie witch, using magic to help regain my mental and physical energy has been extremely helpful. I decided to compile some resources to make life easier!

Tea/Drinks:

Mental reboost tea spell

Easy energy tea spell

Energy boost tea

Energy spell

Rejuvenating tea

Morning coffee spell

Lemon cayenne wakefulness potion

*resources for herbal interactions*

Spells:

Spoonie spell for energy + Spoons spell

Rain energy spell

Electric charge spell (storms)

Solar charged spell

Energy boost spell

Pick me up energy spell

Odds and ends:

Energy bath

Energy shower scrub

Recharge yourself (with crystals)

Sun meditations

Motivation charm bag

Energy spell jar

Spell jar and sachet for energy

“I Shouldn’t Be Awake But I Have to Be” Jar Spell

Sigils for energy: [X] [X] [X] [X] [X] [X] [X]

Related resources:

What to do if witchcraft drains you

Spells and sigils for energy

Witchy things to do when you’re low on spoons

Simple spell work for low energy days

Witchcraft for the chronically fatigued

You may also like:

Rejuvenating witchcraft

Spoonie witch masterpost

Bedridden witchcraft series

Sick witchery

How to return to the craft

+ Take a walk in a forest. Find somewhere to sit, close your eyes and feel the life thrumming through all the living things around you. You are not the only living thing in the forest. Find the biggest tree you can and politely sit on one of its roots. 

+ Walk on the beach. Barefoot, preferably. Feel the sand between your toes and the water rushing over your feet. Breathe in the scents of salt and sea and wood. Close your eyes and feel the power of the sea, the gentleness of the sun.

+ Hike up a mountain. Sit on a solid piece of stone and reflect on its age and all the people it has seen, and all the people it will see after you are gone. Do not feel insignificant. Even though you are one of many, if any stone in the center of the mountain fell, the whole structure would be less stable.

+ Go to the seaside at night. Look up at the moon and feel its power over the tides and sea, feel it tame the wild waters that no human can control. Try to capture that powerful feeling inside you.

+ Sit on a riverside. Listen to the water rushing by. Think of all the places it has been and will be, how it has been along long before you, and will exist long after. Dip your feet in the water and feel the current rush around your toes. Imagine your negative thoughts and energy drifting away with the gurgling water.

+ Relax by a pond or lake. Look at the sun and sky and clouds reflected in its surface and imagine it a well of magickal energy. Draw from it, and bask in the scene’s serenity.

IN THE LINE OF TOTALITY by