The Hearth

Hi there!

I’m so sorry this took so long to respond to. We’ve had a lot of stuff going on.  I really hope that you’re doing well, and that you’ve been able to work through missing your friend. Or that you have managed to work things out with your friend.

If someone needs to cut you out of their life, most of the time... that’s on them. And you can’t know the reason. It sucks, like, really sucks. But you gotta respect if she’s asked you to not to message her. You can leave the door open if she wants to walk back in.

If she’s cutting people out, she might be going through something. It’s hard to know, and I don’t want to speculate. As much as it suuuuucks, you can be there for her without putting pressure on her. Giving her the space she needs.

THAT SAID. It’s so hard not to be angry, truuuust I know. And if you need to just close that door... that’s okay too. Being cut out is hard, and you’re allowed to set your own boundaries.

I’m sorry I don’t have better advice. But we are here if you want to talk.

Hi there!

Neither of us work with Persephone, we’re Irish polytheists, so I’m gonna go ahead and post this to see if any of our followers has suggestions for you!

Good evening!

I’m so glad to hear that work has been going better for you. And I am sorry that this has taken so long for us to respond to. I hope that things are still good for you.

Honestly, with everything going on right now my best advice is be there for him. Don’t be trying to fix it, or manage it. Just show up for him. Sympathize when it sucks. That’s the very best you can do.

Hiya!

Consent in witchcraft is someone that is... a topic of Discourse™ At the end of the day, the person who has to decide if you’re okay with it ethically, is you.

Personally, I have cast spells on other people. Nice ones and nasty ones. 

It’s my personal opinion that there are no rules in witchcraft. No one can tell you what to do. We don’t have a sacred book. We don’t have divine laws. We have the witch themself and decide what they think is right.

I know it sounds a lot, it IS. We’re operating without the safety net of an organized religion or someone telling us what is right and wrong. Yes, there ARE a lot of people who are going to try and tell you “witchcraft is this...” or “witches do this...” but they can only talk about THEIR witchcraft.

Witchcraft is an individual journey for everyone. We can give advice, we can share our experience, but at the end of the day... it’s you and you alone.

Hey there!

I’m sorry, that is really vague... What kind of advice are you looking for?

Hey there! Sorry if this reply is late, we’ve had... shiz going on.

So... first things first. Being a hellenic doesn’t mean that you have to be a witch. If you only want to explore the religious side of it... that’s okay. But, if you ARE interested, we’ve got a post for that!

https://witchmums.tumblr.com/post/165704152554/newwitches

Leaving the mindset is... a journey. Hell I’ve been out of a christian cult for over two decades and I still occasionally confront things that I haven’t had to process. So, give yourself some grace. It’s not all going to leave you at once. Don’t judge yourself for stupid thoughts that pop up. Take your time to consider how you ACTUALLY feel about a thing. Read a lot. Own voices when you can.

If you have any more specific questions so send in another ask! I’m happy to help :D

Oh honey,

That is so hard. Watching someone you care about with someone else is fucking impossible.

So hear me, when I say this with all the love and compassion... you gotta let it go. 

You are worth SO much more than chasing down someone who has chosen to be with someone else. Know that you deserve so much better than a “super bad” relationship, with a guy who is interested in another person. 

Here is a super, SUPER basic severing spell that I have used when I was in a similar situation:

Take a piece of paper. Write your name on one side, and his on the other.

Rip the paper in half, crumple his side, then burn that shit girl. (I love fire, fire is so useful)

Now take yours, put it next to a candle you love, some stones you like, photos of things that make you happy. Some rose petals, or anything else that symbolizes love to you. Take some time every morning with those things, light the candle, and list 5 things you love about yourself.

Hey anon!

I’m so sorry we were so MIA. I truly hope that you have found your way to purchasing a tarot deck for yourself. But if you haven’t, do it!

I’m not entirely sure where the idea that you had to be gifted your first deck came from, but it’s horse shit. 

Go buy yourself a deck sweetie! And if you do, we’d love to know which one!

We have been away! Life hit us both really hard at the same time.

Honestly I pulled the medium to animals thing out of my ass, I don’t even know if that’s a thing -- but that’s kind of my point! That I can say whatever I want, whether it has any basis or not. It’s up to you to decide what’s legit! 

In any case, I’m glad it was helpful and I do wish you all the best. And I hope you stay in touch! :) 

Sorry,

This is an old ask, and I do apologize for not getting to it sooner. Both @madamehearthwitch and @estfortis have been going through Big Life Stuff and haven’t been able to keep up this blog very effectively! 

I have never been one to do money spells, myself. I have used some general prosperity and success spells, as I believe that it’s better to ask for wellbeing than to cure a specific symptom, if that makes sense? Or put another way, asking for money might bring you a limited amount, or even more than enough but that comes at the price of your wellbeing in other areas. Some people say that’s why you need to be very specific in your magic, but I actually believe it’s better to be less specific about details and more specific about circumstance. Rather than saying “I will get this job and get paid XYZ amount” say “I will be prosperous and secure.” 

Finally, I am a big fan of creating your own spells, as I believe they are more potent and connected to you than anything someone else might come up with. As we’ve mentioned before, neither of us are huge on formal magical workings, preferring to incorporate our practice into our lives through smaller, every-day actions. Thus, I don’t really have an incantation or anything for you, anyway. 

Please do go back and read the answer I just left for @mymysterium on giving away your power -- and then I encourage you to develop a spell or practice that will get you to your goal in a way that feels authentic and powerful to YOU. 

All our love, and best of luck. 

I’m glad it was helpful! And I love the idea that the bird was attracted to the safety of your hearth and its magic. <3

The idea of giving away my power is one that I’ve been considering a lot lately, and seeing how it pops up in many varied aspects of my life. I think it’s worth mentioning here, especially in the context of hearth magic and making a home a sanctuary. 

I talk a lot about my definition of hearth craft as “hospitality as a sacred calling,” and the actions that I take to fulfill that calling. But I have also begun to realize the extent to which I give of myself to the point that I am empty. Sure, I talk about self-care and taking breaks and all that, and I even do those things. But I also have a tendency to throw myself into relationships-- whether romantic, familial, or platonic -- to the extent that I sometimes (more often than I would like to admit, even to myself) lose sight of my own needs, priorities, and dreams. It’s easy to look at that tendency and think, “I am so caring, so loving, so supportive and unselfish!” But what I miss is that I am giving away what makes me who I am by supporting the dreams and priorities of others at the expense of my own driving force. 

To bring this back to your ask -- We also do this when we let others define things for us. When we rely on others to give meaning to our lives and what we believe and think -- because these are the things that we then act on, and our actions tell ourselves and tell others who we are. I could have told you that the bird was coming to you because you have a destiny to be a spirit medium for animals. Maybe you would have believed me, maybe not. But if you had decided to internalize that thought and act on it, you would have allowed me, a stranger on the internet, to determine a path for you based only on a very brief interaction. That’s a lot of power to hand over! 

So to you, dear, and to all the others reading this -- and not just new or young witches -- remember that YOUR experiences are valid and YOUR associations and correspondences and beliefs are the most important ones to rely on. That, more than anything, is what will make you an effective and powerful witch!