Witch Of Spoons

Getting Started:

Afraid of the Paranormal?

Does witchcraft work?

I was raised as a witch comic

Pros and Cons Of Living With A Witch

Types of Natural Powers in Relation to Empathy

Was I born with natural powers?

Where do I start?

Your natural power

Do I Have To Be ____ To Be A Witch?

Your Childhood Magic

Basics

5 Essential Materials For Beginner Witches

10 Terms Every Beginner Witch Should Know

Abilities List

Beginner Witchery Masterpost

Book Of Shadows

Easy Accidental Magic

Experienced Witches

Grimoire Ideas

Grounding

How to Learn Witchcraft

Hypothetical routines for baby witches

Living Magically

Ouija Boarding

PDFs

Podcasts

Science in relation to Witchery

Sources Of Power In Witchcraft

Tinychat For Beginner Witches

Types of Witchcraft

Wand Alternatives

Witch Types Masterpost

Witchy Apps

Astrology

Project D (Not Witchy But Still Cool)

The Signs As Witches

Animals

Birds

Don’t Say Totem Animal: Alternatives

Auras

Auras

Aura Readings Lauren Kelley

How To Practice Seeing Auras

Bathroom Magic

Bath Bag

Bath Witchcraft

Relaxing Lavender Bath Blend

Candles

Basic Tutorial

Candle Magic

How To Make Incense Candles

Incense and Its Uses

Making Candles Method #3

Crystals and Stones

A to Z Crystal Meanings

Beach Glass

Charging Board

Charging and Cleansing Crystals

Crystals and the Zodiac

Crystal Correspondance to Body (Parts)

Crystals for Headaches

Get Close With Your Crystals

Most Common Crystals

Individualized Zodiac Chakra Stones

Opalescent Glass

Planetary Gemstones

Shape Relativity To Energy Flow

Stone Misrepresentation Crash Course

Things You Wish You Were Told

Ways to use crystals

Nature

Connecting to the Elements

Don’t Make Salt Circles Outside and Here’s Why

Garden Shrines

Properties of water in magic

Tiny Runic Branch Paintings

Respecting the Earth

Faeries

Faery information

Faerie Sight

Fairy Herbal Pouches

Herbs, Gardening And More

20 Household Herbs

ABCs Of Kitchen Witchery

About Using Herbs

A Green Witch’s Guide to Edible Plants

Alternatives to Lavender

Baking Tips

Clover Magical Uses

Cute Necklaces

Egg Shells

Elements and Herbs

Green Witchcraft Resource List

Herbal Tea Remedies

Herb Meanings

Lavender Under Pillow

Mini Herb Packets

Moon Garden

Necromantic Herbs: Plants of the Dead

Protection Pasta Sauce

Study Tips For the Herbalists

Substitutes

Top Ten Herbs For Lazy Witches

Types of Herbs and Meanings

RELIGION/MYTHOLOGY INTRO

If You Aren’t Into Wicca

Most Complicated Mythical Creatures Diagram

Mythological Creatures Picture List

God(dess) Communication

Bonding With Deities

Dear Newbie Pagans

Deity Sigils and Runes

It’s Okay If You Don’t Always Feel The Gods

Limited Space Altars

Offerings

Orthodoxy etc comparisons

Small Everyday Rituals

Starting to Talk To Your Gods

Talking to Deities

Those Drawn To Neo-Paganism

You Are Good Enough For Your Gods

YOU DO NOT HAVE TO BE LIKE YOUR DEITIES TO WORSHIP THEM

Hellenic Polytheism

Apollo and Artemis

Athene

Devotional Jars

Greek Goddess Aesthetic

Hekate

Merope

Meyers Briggs Hellenic Gods Post

Remember Hellenic Polytheists

The Hyleoroi

Nordic Polytheism

Cute Norse Argument

Devotional Activities For Thor and Freyja

Freya of the Slain

Freyja

Freyja Digital Altar

Friendly Reminder About Sol

Getting In Touch With Loki

Hail Freyja

Idunn Digital Altar

It Bothers Me to See Freya Declawed

Lokean Welcoming Committee FAQ (recommended)

Loki And Devotee Comic

Non-Marvel Loki Crash Course

Norse Gods and Goddesses

Norse Goddesses

Norse Goddess Comic

Odin Vs. Loki

Signs of Loki

Sif Digital Altar

Sigyn Digital Altar

Thor: Maybe It’s Just Me

Quick Greek Reminders

WITCHERY

Anxious/Depressed Witchery

Anxious Witches

Anti-Anxiety Spell Charm

Anti-Anxiety Spell Jar

Box Up Negativity

Controlling Negative Thoughts

Four Mindsets

Fuck You I’m A Pirate Today Confidence Spell

Mental Health Spells

Mindset

Prayer for a Strong Heart

Remove Depressing Thoughts

Really Struggling With Your Witchery

Ritual for Self-Love

Self-Love Jar

Sending Positive Energy

Soothing Depression and Suicidal Urges (TW)

Soothe the Waters Spell

Spells/Sigils and Self Harm

Spells For Anxiety and Stress

Too Depressed to Practice

Transform Destructive Feelings

Treat-Yo-Self

Trouble Speaking Out Loud?

Divination

Beginners Guide to Low Budget Divination

Domestic Witch Tips/Ideas

A Poor Witch Guide

A Note to All Witches

Alternative Phrases to ‘In The Broom Closet’

Baking Tip

Casual Witchcraft

College Witch Tips

College Hedge Witch Tips

Convenient Witchery

Daily Witchery

Disguising Magic At Home

Fun Fact for Witches

Modern Witchcraft Aesthetics

Modern Witch AUs (Aka You)

Modern Witches

On-the-Go Witchcraft

Outfit Magic Tips

Passive Aggressive Witch

PSA

Secret Witches

Secret Witch Tip #4

Suburban Witchcraft

Teaching Children

Ten Things Every Witch Should Know

Urban Witch Tips

Urban Witchery 101

You Are Your Own Witch

Home Witchery

Adult Coloring Books

Cute Familiar Comic

Celebrating Fall

Dream Meaning: Animals

Holiday Witch Balls

Magical Homes

New Year

Northeastern Witchery

Personal Fireplaces

Pendulums

Cleansing your Pendulum

How to

Quick Pendulum Video

Protection

Bringing Up Your Walls

Casting A Circle

Do I Need To Cleanse?

Hula-Hoop Salt Circles

Nightmare Repellent

Patronus Ward

Protecting Your Energy

Protection Charm

Protection Jar

Shielding, Protecting and Warding

Warding Crash Course

Sea Witchery

Add Sand

Don’t Buy:

Guide For Seashells 

Healing Sea Spell Jar

Properties of Sands

Sea Witchery

Sea Witch Idea

Stones Connected to the Sea

Things to Think About

4 Sea Witch Tips

Storm Witchery

An Ask On Storm Magic

How To Know Your Weather Witchery Worked

Storm Craft Basics

Weather Witchery

Spells

SPELL MAKING APP OMG

50 Simple Charms

Banishing

Belladonna’s Spells Page

Bring This Person Back Into My Life

Cursing: Discussion

Glamour Spell

Simple Glamour Ideas

Simple Grounding Ritual

Spell Masterpost

Hair Color Change

Healing Spells

Help For Exams

Imbolc Blessings

Let Go An Unwanted Memory

Mechanics for a Spell

Minor Magic

Nightmare Repellent

REVERSING A SPELL

Safe Driving

Spell for Creativity

Spell That  Makes You Dream More Frequently

Spell to Enhance Natural Power

Truth Spell

Ways to Cast Binding Spell

Spell Bundles

Love

Protection

Anti-Anxiety

Purification

Sigils

Modern-Witchcraft’s Alphabet (It’s really great!)

Casting Runes

Charging Methods

Convenient Places

Confidence Sigils and Related

Cool Constellation Idea

Doormat Sigils

Electronically Charging Sigils

Elemental Wards

How to Use Sigils

Making Your Own Runes

Rune Alphabet

Sigil Maker Online

Soap Runes

The Elementarium

Tarot

Beginners

Let’s Correct Some Shit

Tarot For Beginners

Top Ten Tarot Exercises For Beginners

When I First Started Tarot

Spirituality

50 Meditation Tips

All the Spirits All the Places

Astral Guide Starter Pack

Building Mind Spaces

Enchanting with Touch

Energy Work Masterpost

Enhancing Dreams

Hedgecrossing With Stag

Living With Sensitive Abilities

Mindfulness and Spirituality

Sending Energy to Others

Simple Exercises to Increase Intuition

The Call

Trouble Trusting Your Intuition?

Spirits

I don’t want to be a nag, but definitely look into this more if you are truly seeking to contact spirits :)

A Starting Age For You

Common Spirit Scams

Fossiled Stones Vs. Spirit

How to Communicate With Spirits, Deities, and Gods

How To Find Your Familiar

New Companions

Playing With Demons

Relationships With Your Deity/God/Spirit/Etc

Safe Blogs Reblog

Speaking With Spirits Guide

Spirit Guides Vs. Spirit Companions

Spiritpedia

So Y’all Want To See Spirits

Supplies

Buying Stones Online

Five Things That Can Be Easily Attained

Heathen-Related Shops

Inexpensive Altar Supplies

SUPPLIES

Witchcraft On A Budget

Wands

Choosing a Wand

Other Masterposts and Resources

Basic Witchcraft Masterpost

Books Online Masterpost

Cursing 101

Limited Witchcraft Masterpost

Masterpost of Masterposts

Quick Online Resources

Shadow Work Mega-Masterpost

Tari’s Spellbook Masterpost

Reblog If You’re a Witch Posts

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Hello, witches! Since I’m always harping on about learning your history and checking your sources, I thought I’d help folks get a head start by compiling some source material.

To that end, I’ve started a Dropbox folder with a stash of historical texts on witchcraft, magic, and related topics. Nearly everything I’ve managed to find so far is public domain (thank you Project Gutenberg), with the exception of a very thorough herbal grimoire I found online some years ago and a book of witchcraft from the 1970s that appears to be out of print.

I will be continuing in this vein with future texts that I find. Everything will be public domain or cited to the source that it came from, in PDF format. I will NOT be including PDFs of any book currently in circulation with a copyright linked to a living author or estate. The point of this folder is that everything in it should be free for sharing and open use as research materials.

Below is the initial list of titles. I tried to include as many as I could find, with a focus on some oft-cited classics. I will be adding new texts as I find them.

A Collection of Rare and Curious Tracts on Witchcraft and the Second Sight, by David Webster (1820)

A History of Witchcraft in England from 1558 to 1718, by Wallace Notestein (1909)

British Goblins, Welsh Folk-lore, Fairy Mythology, Legends and Traditions, by Wirt Sikes (1880)

Curiosities of Superstition, by W. H. Davenport Adams (1882)

Daemonologie, by King James I/VI (1597)

Fairy and Folk Tales of the Irish Peasantry, Edited and Selected by W. B. Yeats (1888)

Irish Witchcraft and Demonology, by St. John Drelincourt Seymour (1913)

La Sorcière, or The Witch of the Middle Ages, by Jules Michelet (1863)

Lives of the Necromancers, by William Godwin (1834)

Magic and Fetishism, by Alfred C. Haddon (1906)

Magic and Witchcraft, by Anonymous (1852)

Modern Magic, by M. Schele de Vere (1873)

Plant Lore, Legends, and Lyrics, by Richard Folkard (1884)

Practical Psychomancy and Crystal Gazing, by William Walker Atkinson (1908)

The Devil in Britain and America, by John Ashton (1896)

The Discoverie of Witchcraft, by Reginald Scot (1594, 1886 reprint)

The Extremely Large Herbal Grimoire (date unknown, internet publication)

The Golden Bough : A Study of Magic and Religion, by Sir James George Frazer (1890)

The Illustrated Key to the Tarot, by L.W. de Laurence (1918)

The Magic of the Horse-shoe, by Robert Means Lawrence (1898)

The Mysteries of All Nations, by James Grant (1880)

The Mystery and Romance of Alchemy and Pharmacy, by Charles John Samuel Thompson (1897)

The Superstitions of Witchcraft, by Howard Williams (1865)

The Witchcraft Delusion in Colonial Connecticut by John M. Taylor (1908)

The Wonders of the Invisible World, by Cotton Mather and A Farther Account of the Tryals of the New-England Witches, by Increase Mather (1693, 1862 reprint)

Witch Stories, by E. Lynn (Elizabeth Lynn) Linton (1861)

Witch, Warlock, And Magician, by W. H. Davenport Adams (1889)

Witchcraft & Second Sight in the Highlands & Islands of Scotland, by John Gregorson Campbell (1902)

Witches’ Potions & Spells, ed. by Kathryn Paulsen (1971)

Disclaimer: Please keep in mind that these texts are (with few exceptions) more than a century old, and may contain depictions, references, or language that are outdated and inappropriate. The point of including these documents is to provide access to historical texts for research and reference. Inclusion in the collection does not equal unconditional agreement with or wholesale approval of the contents.

Take everything with a grain of salt and remember to do your due diligence!

Yesterday I learned my backyard is home to purple ground ivy and its place within herbal witchcraft and herbal medicine was fascinating so I want to continue this journey. Obviously I know a few herbs and plants that are good for certain things but I really want to educate myself deeply!

….Ahem. Yes, I think I can help.

I’m a huge proponent of pairing magical education with mundane learning, both for safety and for context. Thus, books on plants, for spells and medicine alike, make up a big part of my library.

For the sake of convenience, I’ll break down my recs into two categories:

GREEN WITCHCRAFT

Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs (Cunningham) 

Garden Witchery (Dugan)

The Garden Witch’s Herbal (Dugan)

The Sacred Herbs of Samhain (Hopman)

The Real Witches’ Garden (West)

The Hearth Witch’s Compendium (Franklin)

The Hearth Witch’s Kitchen Herbal (Franklin)

The Green Witch Herbal (Griggs)

PRACTICAL HERBOLOGY

The Complete Guide to Herbal Medicines (Fetrow & Avila)

Rodale’s Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs (Carr)

Western Medicinal Plants and Herbs (Peterson Field Guides)

Edible Wild Plants (Peterson Field Guides)

Herbal Remedies (Chevallier)

The New American Herbal (Orr)

The Herbal Medicine-Maker’s Handbook (Green)

I also have a few other books that deal with practical gardening techniques and plant-related folklore, which I’m happy to provide upon request.

Please keep in mind that everything should be read with common sense and a grain of salt in mind. I have a lot more books that I refer to, but these are the ones I find myself reaching for most often.

Well, the only books that I can 100% recommend are my own, because I can vouch for all the content, see? (For anyone interested, the rundown is here.) But the following are the books from my personal library that I’ve found most useful over the years. (These are in no particular order.)

Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs (Cunningham) - THE book on magical plant correspondences. Wicca-flavored and slightly antiquated (published in the 1980s), but still relevant and very well-researched. The Works Cited and Recommended Reading pages are worth a look all on their own.

The Complete Guide to Herbal Medicines (Fetrow & Avila) - If you’re going to work with plants in your craft, you NEED to have a practical reference book. This one is the best I’ve found so far. It’s well-organized, easy to use, and reads like a physician’s desk reference. Which, in a practical medical herb book, is what you want.

Encyclopedia of 5,000 Spells (Illes) - Affectionately dubbed “The Big Guns” in my personal lexicon. Some problematic material (largely pulling from vodou and hoodoo as if all their practices are universal), but an excellent resource for learning about various magical methods from a wider range of cultures and countries than most books contain. Helpfully alphabetized by subject, but I still recommend using index tabs for quick reference.

Grimoire for the Green Witch (Moura) - The “Other Guns.” An excellent reference for correspondences and basic spellwriting components. Not really organized, and there’s no table of contents or index, so DEFINITELY use index tabs for this one. It’s not as comprehensive as Llewellyn’s big book on correspondences, but the smaller size makes it a little less daunting to leaf through.

The Real Witches’ Garden (West) - One of my very first books on green witchcraft, and one I still refer to. Includes practical information as well as magical correspondences.

The Real Witches’ Book of Spells and Rituals (West) - Like Illes’ “Big Guns,” a good reference for various kinds of spells at a basic-to-intermediate level. This is the spellbook on which I cut my witchy teeth back in the day.

Spell Crafts (Cunningham & Harrington) - For any witch who wants to make charms or trinkets as part of their practice, or has a crafty artistic side. Lots of basic tutorials that can be adapted to future projects.

The Black Toad (Gary) - A fascinating look at the classical components of English witchcraft traditions. Details the hows and whys behind many charms that we find in frequent use today (i.e. witch bottles).

Cottage Witchery (Dugan) - A short, simple primer for magics that can be done around the home. Wicca-flavored and focused on traditional methods, with a charming conversational style that influenced my own writing later on.

Utterly Wicked (Morrison) - The first book I ever read that presented baneful magic in a practical fashion. Emphasizes personal responsibility and introduces some interesting modern techniques for using everyday items in curses.

I have a book recs tag that contains most of the titles that I regularly recommend for witchcraft studies, but there are a few I could mention by name:

History:

Drawing Down The Moon (Margot Adler)

Triumph of the Moon (Ronald Hutton)

The Witch: A History of Fear, from Ancient Times to the Present (Ronald Hutton)

The Oxford Illustrated History of Witchcraft and Magic (Owen Davies)

Witchcraft, magic and culture 1736–1951 (Owen Davies)

Witchcraft:

The Dabbler's Guide to Witchcraft: Seeking an Intentional Magical Path Seeking an Intentional Magical Path (Fire Lyte aka Don Martin)

New World Witchery: A Trove of North American Folk Magic (Cory Thomas Hutcheson)

By Rust of Nail & Prick of Thorn: The Theory & Practice of Effective Home Warding (Althaea Sebastiani)

Sacred Actions: Living the Wheel of the Year through Earth-Centered Sustainable Practices (Dana O'Driscoll)

Honoring Your Ancestors: A Guide to Ancestral Veneration (Mallorie Vaudoise)

Spellcrafting: Strengthen the Power of Your Craft by Creating and Casting Your Own Unique Spells (Arin Murphy-Hiscock)

The Magical Writing Grimoire: Use the Word as Your Wand for Magic, Manifestation & Ritual (Lisa Marie Basile)

Light Magic for Dark Times: More than 100 Spells, Rituals, and Practices for Coping in a Crisis (Lisa Marie Basile)

Sigil Witchery: A Witch's Guide to Crafting Magick Symbols (Laura Tempest Zakroff)

The Hearth Witch's Year: Rituals, Recipes & Remedies Through the Seasons (Anna Franklin)

Previous Posts:

Here are the Top Ten foundational texts that I started out with.

Here are the books I recommend if you want to work with plants.

Here are the three titles I have on the market.

Here is the Dropbox I made with free (legal) historical texts on witchcraft and magic.

If you’re wrangling with a large book with lots of sections or a broad Table of Contents, pick up a pack of index tabs. You can find these at pretty much any office supply store. Flip through the book and mark each section you want for quick reference with a clearly-labeled tab. I had to do this for a few of my books and it definitely made them easier to navigate. You can totally do it with smaller books as well.

If you’re trying to organize your own study materials, start by sorting the information into broad categories. I would suggest things like the following:

General Craft Theory (the overall ideas that govern your craft)

Instructions (how-to’s and tutorials, plus your personal rules)

Resources (lists of info sources, i.e. books, blogs, websites, etc.)

Calendar (important dates and any celebrations

Religious Matters (info on deities, offerings, and related lore)

Celestial Matters (astronomical and astrological components)

Correspondences (lists of magical associations for herbs, crystals, etc.)

Signs and Sigils (symbols and signs important to your craft)

Recipes (component lists for potions, incense, herb blends, meals, etc)

Spellcraft (records of spells you’ve archived or written yourself)

Magical Practices (any notes on the different types of magic and how to employ them, i.e. protection, divination, hexing, etc.)

Magical Theory (any notes on the ideas behind how magic works)

Personal Craft (your own views and experiences as a witch)

Rituals (detailed records of any rituals you perform, with illustrations where needed)

From there, you can break things down further in each section, either by subject or by article, depending on which ones is appropriate. Make sure you label each list or article with the source you got it from, in case you need to revisit the subject later. If it’s just from personal observation, you can mark that down too. If something is related to other entries in your notes, you may want to mark it with a little “See Also: X Correspondences, Y Calendar Page, Z Spell” for good measure.

These are just suggested categories. If you have additional topics that you focus on, make a section for them. It’s all down to what matters to you in your craft. And if you’re using a physical book or a 3-ring binder, you can use those index tabs again to help you find things more easily.

You can also examine existing grimoires and books on the craft to see how they’re organized. That might give you some additional ideas.

This is one of those questions that will give you a different answer depending on who you ask. So I'll just preface this by saying this is how I view the subject and I don't expect it to match up with what anyone else thinks or believe in regards to magical mechanics.

In my view, a spell or magical working is the conscious, ritualized application of deliberate intent and focused willpower for the purpose of creating change or achieving a particular goal or desired outcome through magical or metaphysical means. Which is a long-winded way of saying that you’re nudging the odds in your favor with magic to make things happen (or not happen) the way you want them to.

And this partially explains why magic doesn't work 100% of the time. If you're only changing the probability of a desired outcome, it still might be too low for things to happen. Like if you double the chances of something happening, but it was only a 5% chance to begin with, the possibility is still kind of remote. It's not impossible, but it is unlikely.

In other situations, where there's a higher probability of the desired outcome, a spell might be enough to tip the odds in your favor, or to shore up the odds of success.

So a spell succeeding or failing, in my view, isn't wholly down to the skill or power of the witch casting it, but also depends greatly on how likely the desired outcome was to begin with.

Also, whenever I think about magic, I have this view of the greater world and the universe as like a giant spiderweb or system of roots or one big mycelium. Sort of like how the patterns in leaves and human blood vessels and river systems mimic each other. Everything is connected and part of spellwork involves plucking at the right thread of that system or choosing the right path for magical energy to follow to get where you want it to go. (Hey universe, didja get that thing I sentcha?)

Not rude at all! This is something a LOT of us struggle with, especially if we grew up in an environment that actively discouraged belief in magic outside of fairy tales and Disney movies, or if one happens to be highly skeptical by nature. Nothing wrong with any of that, but it does sometimes create a hurdle.

It's also difficult to believe if you prefer to see direct, obvious results. Most magic works in quiet, subtle, or preventative ways and it is very rarely flashy or obvious when it works properly.

I'll let you in on a secret - it's normal to side-eye your magical workings sometimes. There are days when I sit back and go, "Am I really creating magic or is it just a comforting ritual that makes me feel like I have the illusion of control?" And then I remember that either way, I'm getting results.

I can't always feel energy when I try to and I don't always actively feel the presence of my deities or divine energy in group settings. What I DO feel is my own determination to make things happening and the heightened emotional energy of people around me during shared workings. These feelings aren't always reproducible for me either, since they're largely situational, but the fact that I've experienced them at all tells me that there's definitely Something Happening.

The best thing I can recommend is practice. Keep trying those different methods. It could be that you haven't found the right fit yet, or that you may need to do things just a little differently, i.e. meditating through movement or while working on something instead of just sitting quietly and trying to focus.

Also, working magical rituals into your daily routine instead of trying to get into the headspace of a formal ritual might help. Sometimes it's easier to believe in the blessing that you're stirring into your coffee cup than some big complex casting with lots of accoutrements and ceremony.

Remember that the most important component in any spell isn't the herbs or the crystals or the tools or even a divine patron - it's YOU. The most important part of any spell is the witch casting it, because without that, nothing happens. If you feel like you can't rely on a deity or a sacred space or cosmic energy to fuel your workings, rely on yourself and your own tenacity. Don't overthink it, just do it and see what happens.

This seems like a good teaching moment.

What is it that's making you feel like you're a witch? Are there events around you that you're finding strange? Are you feeling a sense of connection that's unfamiliar? Are you finding witchy things or witchy aesthetics interesting? Is anyone telling you (or strongly hinting) that you might be one because of your hobbies or interests? Is it a label someone else is trying to put on you?

And furthermore, what factors are making you think that you don't have a choice in the matter?

Because you do, poppet, you always have a choice.

If the idea of becoming a witch is something you feel drawn to but aren't sure about yet, that's fine. You can learn all about witches and witchcraft and magical traditions without ever being a witch, and then make the decision later. It's always good to be informed.

But if you're feeling that pull or some outside voice is saying, "You might be / are a witch because of [whatever]" and that doesn't feel right to you? You have every right to refuse, to say, "No, I'm not a witch and I don't want to be one."

I will say this, just to cover some of the factors that prospective practitioners find to be obstacles. If you do decide to be a witch, you don't have to change your faith. You don't have to join a coven. You don't have to worship or work with any deities you're not comfortable with. You don't have to cast spells all the time. You don't have to change what you wear. You don't have to tell anyone you're a witch if you don't want to. And perhaps most importantly, you won't go to hell for exploring the subject of other religions or even learning about witchcraft and magic.

In the end, it's your decision to make. Being a witch isn't some cosmic designation or a birthright we can't escape. It is a choice we make, a road we choose to take, one we can enter or leave at will, and only you can decide whether it's right for you.

A brief masterpost of some of my advice posts for beginner witches and the episodes of my podcast dealing with the same. (There is UPG here, particularly where marked, as I base a good deal of my advice on my own experience and observations of other witches.)

Hex Positive Podcast Episodes

Hex Positive, Ep. 04 - Advice for Beginner Witches (July 2020)

Hex Positive, Eps. 6-7 - Come In For A Spell 1 & 2 (Sept 2020)

Hex Positive, Ep. 12 - Witching From The Broom Closet (Jan 2021)

Hex Positive, Ep. 24 - Warding A Witchy Home (Dec 2021)

Hex Positive, Ep. 27 - When Inspo Takes A Holiday (March 2022)

General Tips & Advice

I Feel Like I Might Be A Witch...But I Don't Know

I Have Mental Health Issues - Can I Still Be A Witch?

Can I Still Be A Witch And Use Magic If I Take Medication?

How Do I Teach Myself To Believe In Magic?

How Does Magic Work? (upg ahoy)

Will I Be Possessed Or Haunted If I Try Witchcraft?

What Are Some Things I Can Do To Get Started?

How Can I Start My Practice If I Don't Have Tools Or Books?

How Do I Organize My Study Materials?

How Do I Contact A Deity?

How Do I Worship My Deity If I Can't Have An Altar?

Tips On Working With Deities And Spirits (here be upg)

My Intuitive Spark Feels Low - How Do I Get It Back?

I'm In A Slump - How Do I Get Out Of It?

I've Reached A Stopping Point - What Do I Do Next?

My Candle Is Flickering - Does It Mean Something Bad?

How Do I Make A Magic Circle For Spellcasting?

What Happens If I Get Interrupted While Casting A Spell?

Do I Need To Maintain Positive Vibes For My Spells To Work?

What Should I Do If I REALLY Want To Hex Someone?

How Do I Know / What Do I Do If I've Been Hexed?

How Do I Become More Skilled And More Powerful?

How Do I Know When I'm Ready For The Next Step In My Practice?

Additional Tips For Developing Your Practice

Witchcraft Exercise - Quantifying Your Craft

Witchcraft Exercise - Dig Through The Ditches

Witchcraft Exercise - The Book of Lessons

Witchcraft Exercise - Home Brews

Tips on How to Visualize and Construct Basic Wards

Practicing Your Warding Technique

Cleansing Before Warding / Warding A Shared Space

Refreshing / Patching Existing Wards

Non-Appropriative Herbs for Smoke-Cleansing

Smokeless Cleansing / Other Methods

Just a quick compilation of the posts I've made about exercises to help improve your craft. These can be used as journaling prompts, inspiration for activities, or as methods for pulling yourself out of a slump and recharging your witchy inspiration.

Witchcraft Exercise - Quantifying Your Craft

Witchcraft Exercise - Dig Through The Ditches

Witchcraft Exercise - The Book of Lessons

Witchcraft Exercise - Home Brews

Witchcraft Exercise - Witchy Inspo Journal

Witchcraft Exercise - Spring Cleaning

Witchcraft Exercise - Creating Correspondences

Witchcraft Exercise - Creating Your Own Runes

Witchcraft Exercise - How to Write Your Own Spells

Witchcraft Exercise - Shakespearean Witchcraft

Witchcraft Exercise - Music To Witch By

Related Prompt - Music to Witch By

Witchcraft Exercise - Annual Review

Most of these are also available in the May 2021 bonus episode of Hex Positive (check your favorite podcatcher).

Happy Witching!

For all my witches out there, here’s a handy list of the 2026 dates for the solstices, some commonly-referenced holidays, full and new moons, planetary retrogrades, and special celestial events. I’ve listed my sources at the bottom. This year's listings have also been updated to include full moon and seasonal observance dates for the Southern Hemisphere.

Dates and times for all events are calculated for Eastern Daylight Time (GMT -5). Adjust for your location as needed and check the DarkSky Placefinder to see what special events will be visible in your area.

Please Note: This is not meant to be a universal or infallible system of marking seasonal or lunar days of import for witches and pagans. Readers should take their own paths and beliefs into account, and are also encouraged to create their own seasonal calendars, holidays, and observances based on your local biome and personal preferences. Enjoy!

Northern Hemisphere Solstices, Equinoxes, & Cross Quarter Days

February 1-2 - Imbolc / Candlemas / High Winter

March 20 - Spring Equinox / Ostara

April 30-May 1 - Beltane / May Day / Walpurgisnacht

June 20-21 - Summer Solstice / Midsummer / Litha

August 1 - Lughnasadh / Lammas / Summer Harvest

September 22-23 - Autumn Equinox / Mabon / Fall Harvest

October 31 - Samhain / Halloween / Final Harvest

December 21 - Winter Solstice / Midwinter / Yule

Northern Hemisphere Full Moons

January 3 - Wolf Moon ♋ (Supermoon)

February 1 - Snow Moon ♌

March 3 - Worm Moon ♍ (Lunar Eclipse/Blood Moon/Micromoon)

April 1 - Pink Moon ♎

May 1 - Flower Moon ♏

May 31 - Blue Moon ♐

June 29 - Strawberry Moon ♑ (Micromoon)

July 29 - Thunder Moon (aka Buck Moon) ♒

August 28 - Sturgeon Moon ♓ (Lunar Eclipse)

September 26 - Harvest Moon ♈

October 26 - Hunter’s Moon ♉

November 24 - Frost Moon (aka Beaver Moon) ♊

December 23 - Cold Moon ♋ (Supermoon)

Southern Hemisphere Solstices, Equinoxes, & Cross Quarter Days

February 1-2 - Lughnasadh / Lammas / Summer Harvest

March 20 - Autumn Equinox / Mabon / Fall Harvest

April 30-May 1 - Samhain / Final Harvest

June 20-21 - Winter Solstice / Midwinter / Yule

August 1-2 - Imbolc / Candlemas / High Winter

September 22-23 - Spring Equinox / Ostara

October 31 - Beltane / Halloween

December 21 - Summer Solstice / Midsummer / Litha

Southern Hemisphere Full Moons

January 3 - Thunder Moon (aka Buck Moon) ♋

February 1 - Sturgeon Moon ♌

March 3 - Harvest Moon ♍

April 1 - Hunter's Moon ♎

May 1 - Frost Moon (aka Beaver Moon) ♏

May 31 - Blue Moon ♐

June 29 - Cold Moon ♑ (Micromoon)

July 29 - Wolf Moon ♒

August 28 - Snow Moon ♓ (Lunar Eclipse)

September 26 - Worm Moon ♈

October 26 - Pink Moon ♉

November 24 - Flower Moon ♊

December 23 - Strawberry Moon ♋ (Supermoon)

*The astrological signs should remain the same for the Southern Hemisphere, it's just the names that are flipped around due to the difference in seasonal cycles.

New Moons

January 18 ♑

February 17 ♒

March 18 ♓

April 17 ♈

May 16 ♉

June 14 ♊

July 14 ♋

August 12 ♌

September 10 ♍

October 10 ♎

November 9 ♏

December 8 ♐

Special Celestial Events

January 3 - Supermoon

March 3 - Lunar Eclipse, Micromoon

June 29 - Micromoon

August 12 - Total Solar Eclipse

August 12-13 - Perseid Meteor Show (coinciding with new moon)

August 28 - Partial Lunar Eclipse

October 21-22 - Orionid Meteor Shower

December 13-14 - Geminid Meteor Shower

December 23 - Supermoon

(Check the DarkSky Placefinder to see what will be visible in your area!)

Planetary Retrogrades

November 11 2025-March 10 2026 - Jupiter ♋

February 26-March 20 - Mercury ♓

May 6-October 15 - Pluto ♒

June 29-July 23 - Mercury ♋

July 7-December 12 - Neptune ♈

July 26-December 10 - Saturn ♈

October 3-25 - Venus ♏

October 25-November 13 - Venus ♎

October 24-November 13 - Mercury ♏

December 12 2026-April 12 2027 - Jupiter ♌

Happy Witching!

SOURCES & FURTHER READING:

Bree’s Lunar Calendar Series

Bree’s Secular Celebrations Series

Witchcraft Exercises for Building Your Craft

Full Moon Calendar 2026, Space.com.

Moon Phases Calendar 2026, MoonInfo.org.

Astronomy Calendar of Celestial Events 2026, SeaSky.org.

The Year in the Sky: 2026’s Most Noteworthy Celestial Events, Scientific American.

Dark Sky Placefinder for Stargazing, DarkSky International.

2026 Wheel of the Year, Patheos.

Astrology Calendar 2026, YourZodiacSign.com.

2026 Retrograde Planets Calendar and Astrology, Astrostyle.

Image Source - How Stuff Works

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O gracious Goddess, born beautifully of the sea, loving Aphrodite, hear my prayer.

As I walk my path of life I listen for your guidance.

I ask that you aid me in allowing my heart to navigate the waters, keeping Beauty as my sail and Love as my compass.

When the waters should churn and a storm should cross the seas,

Help love to remain with me, and I can overcome any adversity.

When my chest grows warm and the sunlight bounces off the water, sparkling like your watchful eyes, I will know that your Love has guided me.

I cherish your patient guidance as I learn to love myself, and walk with Love each day.

Thank you for giving me the tools to navigate my path, and empowering to me emulate the divine Love that you bear.

When I feel lost please help me remember what you have taught me, what you have graciously given me, and allow me to bask in your glory.

My heart is yours and I open it to you, for your Love will heal and guide.

Offerings |

🕊 roses

🕊 chocolate

🕊 coffee

🕊 apples

🕊 seashells (scallops)

🕊 mirrors

🕊 pearls

🕊 pomegranates

🕊 images of the dove, sparrow, dolphin, hare & swan

🕊 myrtle

🕊 lettuce

🕊 cinnamon rolls / bread

🕊 pink, red, white candles

🕊 gold & silver jewelry

🕊 wine / grape juice

🕊 strawberries & cherries

🕊 erotic & romantic poetry

🕊 anything vanilla related

🕊 rose incense

🕊 Rose Quartz, angel aura, opal, & clear quartz

Devotions |

🕊 practice self care

🕊 preform love, sex, & beauty magic

🕊 use rose water on your body to attract love & to appear beautiful

🕊 write love letters to Aphrodite, your lover, or friends

🕊 write poetry with romantic or sexual intentions

🕊 recite Sappho’s poetry since she was a worshipper of Aphrodite & Eros. She often mentions the two in her fragments

🕊 treat yourself to lingerie, sex toys, new clothes, makeup, desserts or whatever that’ll boost your confidence

🕊 create a devotional playlist mixed with songs that make you feel soft, lovely, beautiful, & fond of life & beauty

🕊 bake her some sweets like brownies, cookies, etc. (I’ve noticed she likes edibles hehe)

🕊 learn a Romance language! Like Spanish, French, Italian, Romanian, etc.

🕊 become an ally of the lgbt+ community

🕊 kiss the necklace, ring, braclet you offered to her as an act of love & honoring

🕊 Dab vanilla extract on the back of your ears, your wrist, & neck to smell sweet & alluring

🕊 work with nymphs or satyrs!

🕊 smoke a rose blunt or jay

How to get closer |

🕊 celebrate Valentine’s Day in her name; conduct a ritual & ceremony to show your love to her! Any holiday you associate with her or the ancient Greeks dedicated to her, you should celebrate 💞

🕊 meditate upon her; feel her energy, hear her voice, absorb her thoughts. Listen to her & let her guide you.

Αφροδίτη Αναδιομενη

Aphrodite, risen from the seas,

queen of the foam that softly kisses our tiptoes,

lady whose eyes shine as delicately as the glittering sun over the waves,

diaphanous spirit of lovely, celestial colors,