witchy things ~

In her book Wicca for Beginners Thea Sabin says, “When you do a spell, you are telling the universe that you intend to bring about a certain change and you are putting the energy in motion to achieve that end.”

A spell is sort of an energetic shove to get things moving in the way you want them to, and we do this by creating a ritual to build and then release the energy to get things going.

Most spells are based on a principle called imitative magic.

In his book Backwoods Shamanism, Ray Hess says, “Imitative magic means that making a symbolic gesture, when combined with intent and will… can affect the intended change on a grander scale.” [Note: I don’t actually recommend this book, but I like Hess’s definition of imitative magic.]

So, for example, you may have heard of a “cord cutting” ritual, where you symbolically cut your spiritual ties to a person you no longer want to have a relationship with. You’re symbolically creating a separation between yourself and that person, which creates physical separation in real life.

There are four basic components to any spell: your will, your intention, focused energy, and a ritual action. Some magical traditions add extra steps, like casting a circle, but from what I’ve read and been taught, these four basic components are constant no matter which tradition you’re following.

Let’s start with the most important bit: your will. Your will isn’t just what you want: it’s the desire and drive that is in alignment with your highest good. But in this case we’re also talking about will in the sense of willpower — Basically, your will is your personal spiritual authority and the source of your magical power.

Any spell that is not in alignment with your will won’t work. This is why it’s important to be clear about what you want and why you want it before you attempt a spell.

There’s also an element of belief here. Because magic only works when your spells are in alignment with your will, if you don’t believe your spell can work, it won’t. This is because you, yourself are blocking it from working.

The second important component of a  spell is your intention. When you do a spell, it’s important to clearly state what you want to happen. Some traditions will write the intention down on a piece of paper, which is called a petition. Other traditions will use a spoken statement of intention in the form of an incantation. Some witches use both.

You need to be clear about your intention before you begin your spell. Magic will always follow the path of least resistance, so it’s important to be specific. However, I find that magic works better when your intention leaves a little bit of wiggle room. It’s about finding that happy medium.

You also want to keep your petitions and incantations simple. If it’s more than a couple of sentences, you probably need to trim it down a little.

The next important part of a spell is focused energy. Magic is a way of directing energy, and this means that your own energy needs to be focused for it to work.

Don’t get too stressed out about focus. Your spell isn’t going to fail if your mind wanders for a few seconds. But you should set aside some time where you’ll be able to fully dedicate yourself to your spell. Try to find a private place where you won’t be interrupted. Turn off the TV, put your phone away, and try to avoid distractions. You might find that playing meditation music or burning incense helps you focus.

While you cast your spell, keep focusing on what it is you want to manifest. Again, don’t overthink this and don’t worry if your thoughts wander a little, but try to stay in the moment. Repeating your incantation can help with maintaining focus.

The last important part of a spell is your ritual action. This just means doing a specific set of things, in a specific order, with a specific intent behind them. If we go back to our definition of imitative magic, your ritual actions are symbolic of the change you want to manifest.

Your ritual actions do not have to be complex. A very common ritual for spells is anointing and lighting a candle. Making a charm or poppet is also popular. But any action can be a magical ritual if it is done with intent and focus, in alignment with your will. Making a cup of tea or coffee can be a ritual. Running a bath can be a ritual. Cooking food can be a ritual. The only limit is your imagination.

Recently I am a huge - like really huge - fan of crystals. That’s why I thought that I will try to write a detailed list about crystals and what they are good for. I hope this little list  may be useful for others too.

Anxiety: amazonite, amber, agate, emerald, herkimer quartz, jasper, lepidolite, lodestone, obsidian, quartz, rose quartz, sodalite, turquoise

Balancing/Stability: amethyst, desert rose, jasper, pearl, quartz, red jasper, sodalite, turquoise

Banish fear: banded agate, bloodstone, sodalite

Banish negative energy: amethyst, black onyx, black tourmaline, danburite, lepidolite, malachite, onyx, quartz, smokey quartz, tourmaline

Calming: amatonite, herkimer quartz, howlite

Clarity: azurite, citrine, fluorite, hematite, magnetite, obsidian, pietersite, quartz sapphire, smoky quartz

Cleansing: amber, obsidian

Courage: carnelian, hermatite, turquoise

Creativity: amazonite, ametrine, apatite, aventurine, carnelian, celestite, chalcedony, citrine, flourite (blue), lolite, jasper, kunzite, opal, sunstone, tiger’s eye, lapiz lazuli

Divination: bloodstone, obsidian, turquoise

Empathy: aquamarine, blue aventurine, chrome diopside, rose quartz, malachite

Faith: emerald, imperial golden topaz, labradorite, onyx, sodalite, variscite

Friendship: ruby fuchsite, rhodonite, turquoise

Forgivness: rhodonite, rose quartz

Happiness: amazonite, amber, citrine, red goldstone

Harmony: moonstone, rose quartz, sodalite

Healing: amber, angelite, jasper, kyanite, malachite, quartz, rose quartz, turquoise

Help in focuse: banded agate, citrine, lodestone

Hope: blue aventurine

Indivituality: malachite

Inspiration: amazonite,amethyst, ametrine, blue chalgebony, blue goldstone, carnelian, citrine, garnet, orange calcite, quartz

Joy: amazonite, citrine, labradorite

Love: angelite, citrine, desert rose, dragon blood jasper, garnet, jade, opal, quartz, rose quartz, ruby, turquoise

Loyalty: dalmatian stone, turquoise

Luck: amazonite, amber, apache tears, aventurine, sapphire, turquoise

Meditation: emerald, herkimer quartz, quartz, sodalite, turquoise

Mind: pyrite, sodalite

Passion: carnelian, garnet, ruby

Peace: amazonite, amethyst, emerald, larimar, lepidolite, rose quartz, selenite, sodalite

Positive energy: amber, apache tears, calicite, citrine

Protection: amethyst, black tourmaline, hag stone, kunzite, obsidian, smoky quartz, tiger’s eye, tourmaline, turquoise

Prosperity: amazonite, aventurine, citrine, jade, moss gate, pyrite, ruby , tiger’s eye

Psyche: black tourmaline, calcite, emerald, labradorite, tuquoise

Psychic: chalcedony, unakite

Relieve stress: blue calcite, herkimer quartz, lepidolite, quartz, sodalite

Self-confidence/Self-esteem: amazonite, amber, ametrine, black tourmaline, chrysocolla, garnet, larimar, pearl, prehnite, rhodonie, rose quartz

Serenity: emerald, lepidolite

Sleep: amethyst, emerald, howlite, ledestone, sodalite

Strenght: amber, hermatite, red jasper

Success: amazonite, pyrite

Tranquility: emerald, lepidolite

Trust: onyx, ruby fuchsite, sodalite, turquoise, variscite

Vitality: carnelian, garnet, orange calcite, red agate, ruby, ruby zoisite, sunstone,

Wisdom: tiger’s eye, sodalite

Wealth: aventurine, citrine, green calcite, jade,malachite, pyrite, tiger’s eye, tree agate

In the future I’ll expand the list when I find enough new and useful information. I hope this little post will help someone. 😊

Crystal Herbalism- Witches Moon

The full moon is near (August 7th). Connect to it’s protective energy when the veil between the spirit world and ours is at its thinnest. When the bewitching hour comes, manifest a stronger intuition by honor lunar magick. This stone/herb combination with strengthen your spells, dreams, and visions.

Moonstone: (Moon)

Connect to the goddess, feminine energy, and the divine. 

Labradorite: (Stars)

The stone of Arianrhod (Welsh Goddess), a balance of light and darkness, stimulates lucid dreaming.

Celestite: (Sky)

Guidance for the journey into the spirit realm, soothes the mind, allows communication between you and spirits to ebb and flow.

Lodestone: (Ground)

Grounds your energy to a central point, creating a core for you to come back to. Used in Celtic magick for time travel. Protects your energy field from evil energy and black magick spells. 

Lavender: (Protector)

A spell to enchant one of your furry stuffed friends to protect you through the night from nightmares and unpleasant dreams.

You will Need:

A stuffed animal

Scissors

Needle and thread

Small piece of Amethyst (prevents and protects from nightmares)

Small piece of Rose Quartz (brings happy dreams)

Paper and Pen

A sigil that prevents nightmares

Steps:

Using your pen, on the small piece of paper draw your sigil. Place it to the side with your crystals. Make sure your crystals are very small so that they don’t make holding your stuffed animal uncomfortable.

Kiss your stuffed animal to let it know that you wish not to harm it and if needed speak to it a bit.

On a seam that could easily be repaired using your scissors gently snip some of the thread so there is a small opening.

“With these crystals and sigil, I ask you to protect me in the night from the dreams that cause me unrest.” place in crystals and sigil

Sew up the hole as neatly and tightly as you can, you wish it not to rip open again.

Kiss where you have sealed the seam. “I thank you deeply for you help.”

Place on your bed. When sleeping make sure stuffed animal is on the bed with you or in your arms.

You set your intention. You had all the correct correspondences. You even timed your spell with the appropriate moon phase. And yet – no results. What gives? 

Failed spells happen to the best of us, and for a variety of reasons. But a spell gone wrong doesn’t necessarily mean that magic isn’t real or that you’re bad at witchcraft. Magic is complicated, and there are a lot of reasons it might not behave the way you want it to. Here are some of the most common causes of ineffective spells: 

1. Lack of real-world follow through

Magic is meant to be used as a tool to supplement your mundane efforts – not as a substitute for them. How can you expect your job hunting spell to bring in results if you aren’t applying for jobs? 

Magic does not exist in a vacuum, and it can’t make something out of nothing. If a spell doesn’t bring you the desired result, make sure that your non-magical actions are aligned with what you are trying to manifest. 

2. What you’re trying to manifest isn’t a realistic possibility

Wait, what? Isn’t magic supposed to be, well… magic? Shouldn’t you be able to ask for whatever you want and get it? Yes and no.

Magic is simply a way of directing energy. Magic can’t defy the natural laws of the universe. It can’t make something happen unless it was already a potential possibility.

If your intention is unrealistic for where you are right now, try splitting it up into a multi-step process. No spell is going to make you a billionaire overnight, but magic could help you get hired at a better paying job… and then get promoted… and then get offered a profitable side gig… etc. Starting small and working your way up is always going to produce stronger results, because you laid the foundation first.

3. Your intention was either too vague or too specific 

Whether you use written petitions or spoken incantations, clearly stating your intention is an important part (maybe THE most important part) of any spell or ritual. A good intention is specific enough to get you the results you want, but open enough to let those results manifest naturally.

Let’s say you do a money spell, and your intention for the spell is simply, “I have more money.” If you find a penny on the ground the next day and pick it up, technically that is more money than you had before. A better alternative would be to use an intention like, “I have enough money to buy ___,” or “I have enough money for everything I need and want.”

Using an intention that is too specific creates the opposite problem. Let’s say you want to manifest a scholarship to a specific school. You do a candle spell with the intention, “I have been chosen for the John Smith Scholarship at Jane Doe University.” But maybe the John Smith scholarship had already been awarded by the time you did your spell. Maybe there’s another scholarship at the same school that would be a better fit for you, or maybe you’re eligible for a grant that would make tuition more affordable. A better intention for your spell would be “I have enough financial aid to easily and affordably attend Jane Doe University.”

Magic always follows the path of least resistance, so you want to make sure that your intention is specific enough to give your magic a clear direction, but open enough to allow it some flexibility. 

4. Lack of focus/concentration

We all know the struggle. You’ve been planning this ritual forever, and it’s finally the full moon, but you’ve got a really full schedule today. If you hurry, you can probably squeeze it into the thirty minute window between school and work, right? 

If you say a few quick words and burn some incense before you head out the door in the morning, that totally counts as a spell, right? 

Not so much. Rushed, lazy, and/or half-assed spells rarely, if ever, work. Spells revolve around the raising and direction of energy, and that requires two things: a clear intention (see above) and intense focus on that intention. If you don’t have the time/energy/mental capacity to focus, it’s best to take a break, have a self care day, and come back to your spell some other time. 

5. You’re subconsciously blocking your own results OR you did a spell for someone else who isn’t open to it

I decided to lump these two together, because they’re different variations of the same issue. 

Whenever you are doing magic on yourself, it’s important that your mindset is aligned with your intentions. You can do love spells all day long, but if deep down you don’t believe that you’re worthy of love, that belief is going to block your spells from working. This is why mindfulness, psychology, and self care are all such important parts of a successful witchcraft practice. It’s also why I recommend doing the mental work before you sit down to ritual. 

If you did a spell on yourself, or are trying to manifest something for yourself, and it just isn’t working, I highly recommend setting some time aside for journaling and meditation and asking yourself 1.) if this is really what you want, and 2.) if you truly believe that you can have it.

The whole mindset thing gets even more tricky when you’re doing magic on behalf of another person, because their energy is also at work in the situation and could be at odds with yours. For example, if you do a spell to help a friend land a job, but that friend believes that they’re totally underqualified and could never get it, they probably won’t get the job even if you did everything “right” in your spell. 

This should go without saying, but it is extremely unethical to use magic to mess around in someone else’s head. Even if you think you know what’s best for them, they need to be open to it. If someone is blocking the spells you do on their behalf, all you can do is try to be supportive and find other ways to help them out.

Other (Rare) Reasons for Failed Spells

If a spell goes wrong, it will almost always be for one of the above reasons. But maybe you did everything “right” – you did the mental work first, had a strong, realistic intention, put lots of focus into your spell, and followed through in real life – and you still aren’t seeing results. There are a couple of other things that could be blocking your spells, but they’re very uncommon so I’m not going to talk about them in as much detail. These may be things you want to look into if you really, genuinely can’t think of any other cause. 

It’s possible that another witch has done magic that cancels out or blocks yours. This is not common, and it does NOT mean that someone has cursed you. It could be as simple as two witches unknowingly casting spells with opposite intentions, which end up cancelling each other out. (For example, maybe two different people both cast a spell to get the same job. Obviously, they can’t both get that job.) This is why it’s never a bad idea to incorporate a protective element into your spells to block outside interference.

There is a very, very remote possibility that someone has placed a curse on you specifically to block your magic. However – and I cannot stress this enough – this is VERY uncommon. If you were cursed you would know it, or at least know that something was very wrong in your life. If you feel like you have been cursed or hexed, I recommend looking into uncrossing spells, which are specifically designed to undo negative magic.

This metaphysical property list shows different times, and the energies that are given at those specific times.

Times of the day:

Morning(6:00AM-11:59AM): Fire, Cleansing, Healing, Love, Friendship, Manifestation, Power, Success, Intelligence, Wisdom, growth, New beginnings, Fertility

Noon(12:00PM-5:00PM): Air, Protection, Manifestation, Power, Success, Luck, Wealth, Courage, Strength, Travel

Evening(5:01PM-8:00PM): Water, Cursing, Banishing, Peace, Binding, Protection, Creativity

Night(8:01PM-5:59AM): Earth, Cursing, Binding, Protection, Banishing, Enhanced Psychic Power, Peace,  Dreams, Endings, Death, Rebirth, Regeneration

Days of the week:

Monday: Cleansing, Healing, Enhanced Psychic Power, Manifestation, Power, Peace, Intelligence, Wisdom, New beginnings, Travel, Illusion, Fertility, Dreams, Mystery, Fantasy, Introspection, Intuition, Insightful, Imagination

Tuesday: Protection, Cursing, Binding, Manifestation, Power, Courage, Strength, Victory, Endurance, Passion, Aggression, Revenge, Bad luck, Lust, Rebellious

Wednesday: Luck, Wealth, Intelligence, Wisdom, Creativity, Cunning, Change, Mind, Study, Wisdom, Knowledge, Writing

Thursday: Protection, Success, Wealth, Good Health, Abundance, Leadership, Energetic Growth, Good Fortune, Prosperity, Career, Optimism, Loyalty, Optimism

Friday: Love, Fertility, Friendship, Communication, Romance, Beauty, Partnerships, Self-love, Bad luck, Pleasure, Enjoyment, Sexuality, Social Activities, Creativity, Relaxation, Fun, The Material World, High Ideals

Saturday: Protection, Cursing, Cleansing, Banishing, Binding, Wealth, Endings, Exorcism, Spirituality, Self-discipline, Life, Death, Freedom

Sunday: Healing, Success, New beginnings, Endings, Death, Rebirth, Regeneration, Prosperity, Fortune, Power, Individuality, Confidence, Ego

Time of the phases of the Moon:

New Moon: New Beginnings, Endings, Cursing, Banishing, Binding, Healing, Enhanced Psychic Power, Love, Friendship, Peace, Death, Rebirth, Regeneration, Meditation, Shadow Work, Introspection, Dream Work

Waxing Moon: Protection, Healing, Love, Friendship, Manifestation, Power, Luck, Wealth, Courage, Strength, Intelligence, Wisdom, Travelling, Growth, Blessings, Prosperity, Planning, Motivation, Courage, Patience

Full Moon: Protection, Binding, Healing, Enhanced Psychic Power, Manifestation, Power, Courage, Strength, Intelligence, Wisdom, Spirit Work, Divinity, Divination, Prosperity, Transform, Creativity, Knowledge, Fertility, Beauty, Night, Darkness, Passivity, Receptivity, Mysteries, Intuition, Emotion, Balance, Clarity, Reflection, Cycles

Waning Moon: Cleansing, Banishing, Binding, Peace, Release, Reverse, Binding, Break Bad Habits, End bad relationships

Seasons of the year:

Spring: Air, Communication, Intelligence, Wisdom, New Beginnings, Endings, Rebirth, Regeneration, Healing, Love, Friendship, Fertility

Summer: Fire, Action, Passion, Energy Work, Power, Strength, Protection, Banishing, Purification, Love, Success, Travelling, Growth, Blessings, Prosperity, Planning, Motivation, Courage

Autumn: Water, Astral Travel, Spirit Work, Ancestors Work, Cleansing, Banishing, Binding, Peace

🐚 Moon snail seashells belong to a species of predatory sea snails from the Naticidae family. 

🐚 Although Moon Snails vary in size and color, they are round, slightly coiled, and share a spiral shape design. 

🐚 Moon snails are also known as Necklace shells and can be used as a protective talisman or as wards for your home.

Associations: 

A Disclaimer: I am one person and my opinions (which I have in abundance) may not reflect the opinions of other witches, in general, or other people who call themselves hearth witches. In fact, they probably won’t, because I’m an asshole. I have a bizarre sense of humor that doesn’t convey well in text and I rant about shit I don’t like. A lot. If you don’t think you can handle that, maybe don’t read anything I write. Ever.

Protecting the Home, Protecting the Family 

Let me preface this post by saying, I am exhausted, so probably nothing I write here is going to make sense to anyone but me. Also, that has just been my luck lately, but we’ll see how it goes anyway. 

If you read my blog, you’ll know that I do a lot of stuff to protect my railroad cottage. Not just because I live here, but because I literally use my house as a symbol of my household and family. So, in a witchcraft sense, protecting my home is protecting my family. And, because that’s the witchcraft I write about most on my blog, that’s what I get a lot of questions about (spirit work aside, because that’s what I get the most questions about). 

So, this post is going to be about various ways to protect your home and (hopefully) prevent nasties from creeping inside. 

Rule Number One: Keep a Clean House

I know that sounds really boring. I know you’re like, “Emma, that is not witchcraft. Those are chores and I hate you. Did my mom put you up to this?” But, actually, there are two good reasons that’s Rule No. 1: 

It’s not easy to cleanse a house that isn’t clean. Part of protecting your home is being prepared to go into battle for it. Now, witchcraft is known to make a house a little cluttered. If you’ve got ribbons falling out of your sewing box and stockpiles of tea on your counter. Don’t worry. You’re normal. But it’s possible for a house to be both cluttered and clean.

Cleaning a house regularly is a fantastic way to magically take ownership of the property—which I’ve discussed here. 

Obviously, I’m not saying you’re house has to look like something from Good Housekeeping. My own cottage has four rooms and is home to more than four people. It’ll never be as neat as we want it to be. But’s it’s clean. And that’s what matters. 

Rule Number Two: Good Fences Make Good Neighbors 

I’m not talking about real fences—but those too. I’m talking more about magical boundaries. Like a witch fence. This can be set up in or outside of ritual, using a real fence, other objects, or using visualization. 

So, let’s talk about putting up this fence, huh? The method I use  is, of course, the “Gross Method”—and, by gross, I mean no one wants to do it or talk to me they’ve found out I’ve done it. It uses a pre-existing fence to create the boundary, which means that what you’re actually doing with this method is enchanting or reinforcing your standing fence. It’s supa supa easy. Like really, children could do if you let them. Only probably don’t let them because it’s probably a health hazard. 

For this method, you will need 1) a fence, 2) something to mark your stake-points with, 3) some bodily fluids—i.e. menstrual blood, piss, spit, sexual fluids, etc., 4) your bad ol’ self

Step One: Walk around your property and decide where you want your stake-points to be. I refer to them as stake-points because what you’re actually doing is kind of like putting up a magical tent rather than a fence. These are the strength points of your enchanted fence. You’ll want at least one in every corner of the existing fence. Mark these places. You can do this by scratching or painting on the fence, tying something to the fence, or sticking something in the ground there. In my case, I used the support posts for my pre-existing fence as my stake points, so I didn’t have to mark them because I knew where they were. 

Step Two: Collect fluids. (Unless you’re using spit, which you have.) You can water any of these fluids down if you need to—except probably spit. 

Step Three: Using a paintbrush, herbs, your hands, a spray bottle, or whatever, apply the fluid to the INSIDE of your fence where your neighbors won’t be touching. As you do, visualize the stake-points linking together as they’re placed. I tend to visualize something like a barbed-wire fence going up between my stake-points, but white light works too if you’re into that. **If you’re going to forget, mark where you started.

Step Four: When you’ve completed the fence and connected your last stake-point to your starting point, visualize the tent going up. In my visualization this is something like a deer-skin version of a Circus tent, but I am a legit freak of nature, so your probably wont be. 

Now, you can be done here, or you can write something to say to tweak the spell to your style. If you have Property Spirits that you work with, you may also want to ask them to guard the fence at this point. 

Rule Number Three: Gardening = Ammo 

While we’re still outdoors, let’s talk about ‘defensive gardening’. One of my favorite things to do with my garden is to reinforce my boundaries by planting protective herbs. Not only does it add punch to your enchanted fence, but it provides ammunition should you need to banish something later. 

This can be done directly in the ground, in hanging planters at/on your stake-points, in windowboxes, in planters by the door, etc. 

Some good protective herbs to start are:

Aloe

Rosemary 

Roses (thorny for offensive magic, rosehips for defensive magic)

Mint

Lavender

You may also want to include banishing plants

Garlic 

Sage 

Sweeatgrass

Thyme

As well as flowers, trees, and shrubs to the same effect (like holly, cedar, etc). 

Rule Number Four: Wards/Wardings Aren’t As Hard As They Sound

Come with me to the porch and let’s talk about wards! *runs to the porch, points at wards* Wards are awesome! There are so many different kinds and they can range anywhere from decorative to practical to invisible! 

When you’re warding your doorway, like a lot of witchcraft, intent is super important. Really, it doesn’t matter what kind of ward you use as long as you have the intent. And, with the bucket load of types of warding, you should be able to find one to fit your needs.

My favorite way to ward a door or window is with a decorative ward, which was something we did in my family for years and then I finally saw it outside of our house in an Ellen Dugan book (which I bought JUST for that reason). This one isn’t mine, but it’s a good example of one:

These hang above doors and windows to ward off evil, ill will, etc. and can be made out of dried flowers and herbs (like above), fabric (such as a warding banner), carved into the wood above a door, or any other way you prefer. 

I usually go with the pictured method. Typically I

Start with a base. For year-round wards I like to use wheat and dried grass (which you can find at a craft store—but not Hobby Lobby, because they areevil). 

I face half of my base one way and half the opposite way—so that the cut ends are together and you have the awesome wheat/grass/evergreen ends facing out. Over lap the two halves a few inches and tie them together. (I usually use twine for that, but you can use whatever you like.

Next, go you your second layer, which is the actual warding part. For this, my favorite things to use are lavender (which grows wild in the neighborhood I work in), and rosemary. But there are plenty of other possibilities, too—sunflowers, rose, baby’s breath, holly, pine, mint, etc. These can be tucked into the tie you’ve already made, glued on, or tied on separately. 

To finish mine off, I usually add a bell, to symbolize a signal, which sort of makes the ward into an alarm. Sometimes, when trouble is around, I’ll hear a bell even though it’s not ringing. Sometimes it actually rings. 

The ward can go above your door, window, fireplace, or anywhere else you feel you want to hang it. 

Of course, there are a lot of other ways to ward your doors and windows. 

With energy and visualization. 

With water or oil (drawing protective symbols on them with the water/oil) 

Warding Wreaths

Other hangings (like photographs of deities or saints, Brigid’s crosses, horseshoes, strings or bells)

Salt lines and brickdust (I tend to mix these together)

Hanging herbs by or above the door (I typically dry my herbs next to the door so I never have a shortage of door-based protection)

Whatever

The most important thing is that you make your intent clear. Whether you want to ward off evil spirits or unwelcome mortal visitors, make your intent clear. If you need to do this by putting your warding into a big ritual, do so. If you need to activate your wards out loud, go ahead. 

Rule Number Five: Everything You Need to Strengthen Your Protection is On/In You

Spit

Urine

Menstrual Blood

Sexual Fluids 

Sweat 

and so on

These are all totally useful supplies for witchcraft in general and for protection in specific. A touch of one of these on a window, door, doorknob, etc is fantastic for strengthening a boundary and clearly marking your territory to anyone who might wander inside. Surface cleaning with remove germs, but not the intent or the warning.

Rule Number Six: Never Let an Outsider Make Your Forget Whose House This Is

Little witchy ways to help with brain fog (UPG). Brain fog is basically when you struggle with mental clarity, memory, focus, low energy, grumpiness, and the like. It’s no fun!

Using Crystals:

Pick a clear crystal, like quartz. Hold it to your temples/forehead and let it draw out the fog. Picture the fog being pulled from your head and swirling into the crystal, and the coldness of the crystal bringing clarity to your mind. (You can also do this by touching a crystal in your pocket if you’re in public!)

Using Water:

Dip your fingers in snow/moon water (tap water will do if needed) and touch any points on your face that you feel like the fog is affecting it (if that makes sense?!) I like to do: a drop on my chin, a drop on each cheekbone, one on my forehead and on both temples, and on my eyelids as well. With each drop, say a word you would like to bring back (clarity, focus, understanding, comprehension, memory, retrieval, ~ability to see~).

Using Air:

Get fresh air (even through a cracked window) and breathe deeply for one minute. Envision it swirling in your mind and clearing away any muckiness. 

Using Sigils:

Find sigils for brain fog, clarity, memory, etc. and draw them in a place that you feel connects to your mind. For me, it’s my pulse points on my inner wrist (since drawing sigils on your face can be a hassle!

Non-witchy advice:

(Aka boring “have you thought about changing your entire lifestyle?” stuffs)

Evaluate your diet, and consider if there may be any foods influencing it. Have you been tested for food allergies? It’s worth considering!

Try to do light exercise at least once a day. For me this involves a little extra walking on campus, or some stretches in the morning.

Less sugary drinks, more water. 

Give yourself at least 10-30 minutes before bed to wind down/think about the day/de-stress - even if it means you go to bed a little bit later. It can help sleep if you’re really busy and stressed.

Get a planner/make a to-do list. 

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.