just a blog

Essential oil free!

sun·burst-

1. A sudden burst of sunlight, as through broken clouds

I just made my batch for this winter and I thought I'd share this recipe with you!

Good for: Physical Healing, Protection, Divination, Happiness, Love, Creativity, Prophesy, Truth, Solar Deities

Medically: cools and softens skin, helps heal small cuts, burns, irritations, SAD, breaking fever, purifying, anti bacterial, helps relieve anxiety and depression

Ingredients:

Grapeseed or sunflower oil

Dried hibiscus

Dried juniper berries

Dried Bay leaves

Dried citrus peel

Dried dandelion root

Rosemary

A cinnamon stick

If you want to add essential oils you can, I didnt for this batch but In the past I've used frankincense, lemon, orange, cinnamon, vetiver, black pepper, sandalwood, and juniper

Best to grind the ingredients before adding them to the oil (except the cinnamon stick)

Makes a great offering for any solar deity like apollo, sol, helios, sekhmet

Let infuse in the sunshine for a few weeks-months depending on how much oil you're making, or if you want it faster & stronger you can heat it up until it turns red from the hibiscus

It smells so good so it's an excellent natural perfume, and it's great for your skin!

I tend to go heavy on the hibiscus and juniper in this but the amounts used are up to you.

If you’re reading this, good luck will befall you and you will receive some good news within a week’s time.

Tarot Spread: Getting to Know a New Deck

This is my little twist on your typical deck interview spread - it’s how I like to conceptualize meeting a deck [spirit]. It can be used to get to know a new deck, or even to get reacquainted with one you’ve had but haven’t spent much time with.

you can’t stop me loving myself tarot spread

bts’ idol inspired tarot spread

how you see your current self

current problems with yourself

your lovable traits

For when you’ve moved into a new living situation or are ready for a new start <3

Cleansing:

Room cleansing

To clear negative energy from a room

Summer house cleansing

Herbal wall/floor wash + witchy cleaners

Home cleansing brew

Thoroughly clearing spaces

Crystals to cleanse the home

Home cleansing tips

Cleansing your space without smoke

Energy cleansing

Warding + Protection:

A crash course on warding

Warding (methods)

To ward the home

House claiming and warding

My home is protected spell

Home protection steam spell

Simple home protection jar spell

“Little lurkers” home protection spell

Room/home protection

Check out the sigils below!

Sigils:

“For a magical and happy home”

“Sospidonum”

“This space is full of life, light, and bright energy”

“I have a clean living space”

“No fighting in this home”

“My home is safe”

“This home is safe for all”

“This home is a safe and healthy environment”

“My house is protected from unwanted influences”

“My home is protected”

Witchin’ it up:

Happy home spell jar

Home sweet home spell jar

Cozy home open spell jar

Doing the dishes the witchy way

Homemade laundry detergent recipe

Laundry magic

Pleasing household spirits

When a bad guest leaves

Odds and ends:

Magic, and power, in homemaking

The history and creation of witch bottles

Cottage witch tips

Hearth witch tips

The basics of kitchen and cottage witchcraft

You may also like:

Bedridden witch: garden / stale energy / kitchen edition

Spells for job seekers

Today we will be looking at Snowflake Obsidian

Snowflake Obsidian Associations

Chakras - Base Chakra

Zodiac - Virgo

Typical colours - Black with white patches

Meanings - Balance during changes, purification, transformation, fulfillment, metamorphoses, manifestation, practicality, physic ability

In addition to the generic healing properties of Obsidian, Snowflake Obsidian is calming and soothing. It teaches you to value mistakes as well as successes. A stone of purity, Snowflake Obsidian provides balance for body, mind and spirit. It helps you recognize and release “wrong thinking” and stressful mental patterns. Promotes dispassion and inner centering. Snowflake Obsidian empowers isolation and loneliness, aiding surrender in meditation.

Snowflake Obsidian aids in disorders of the veins and the skeletal structure. It improves circulation and alleviates muscular aches and spasms. Treats joint pain (arthritis) and hardening of the arteries.

(Note: This being said, if you are suffering from a condition or are in pain please consult a doctor or mental health professional.)

For those of us who aren’t cut out for the frontlines:

1. Build a ritual around donating to a support fund. This might look like blessing the money you plan to send with petitions for safety and protection. You might do a money abundance spell so that the money you send begets more money sent by others. Maybe you petition any deities you work with to protect protesters and donate the money in your deity’s honor.

2. Research solutuons to get residue from tear gas and mace off of someone’s skin and use kitchen witchery to weave magic into making that solution. Then donate that shit to protesters near you. From what I’ve read, milk soothes the burn (only on skin) and regular soapy water will help remove the residue but please do your own research. You could bless the milk, saline, soap, water, whatever and make mixtures to give out to protesters and protest medics. Maybe using moon water in the solution to bring love and light into the lives of those the spray has to be used on.

3. Use knot magic to give an extra boost while sewing masks for protesters! With COVID-19 still very much impacting people around the world it’s important for us to do everything we can to minimize the spread during protests. Consider using a glamour on a mask you’re making to make someone’s words more persuasive. Maybe put knots in the stitching to help a protester hold onto their courage to speak out or which helps them come closer together with the commonity they are protesting with.

4. Support black witches! Buy tarot readings and spell ingredients. Promote their shops and work, listen to their voices, donate to their causes.

On the frontlines:

1. Put sigils into your protest signs or under your clothes to bring you courage, protection, and influence. You might also cleanse goggles or an umbrella you take to shield you from mace. Sigils on boxes of bandaging and petitions to deities for healing and guidance are also possibilities.

2. Ward your home and offer it as a safe escape for protesters who have been trapped outside (more and more we are seeing police preventing people from leaving before curfew then arresting and attacking protesters who are now suddenly violating curfew). Be aware that the police will almost definitely attempt to come to your home to arrest the protesters and read up on your rights.

3. Make showering off and wound care part of a ritual when returning home from the protest. This will allow you to care for your mental health and physical health and cleanse yourself of the intense energy that comes with protesting knowing you are in danger.

Take care of yourselves in these times. The world is trying to change and growth on this scale is necessarily painful. Taking care of yourself *is* a way to take care of others. You cannot pour from an empty cup nor get someone to the hospital in an ambulance with only two weels.

“Justice Is Served”

Have this sigil on your sign or on your body in some way during protests. or Draw this on a printed out news article about an injustice or hate crime

Charge it with a protest chant or with any other means you might be more comfortable with

If you wanna cast a spell to help the black lives matter movement,please DO NOT cast a hex. I am not against hexes in the slightest, but if you're a baby witch, please leave that to more experienced witches. You don't know if it will backfire you or not and you don't want to risk that. Also the whole system is much bigger than you. A simple hex will not stop police brutality.

You know what you can do though? Cast a protection spell. Instead of trying to hex the police, protect the protesters. It will be more affective AND safer.

Leave the hexes to the more experienced witches.

Being a green witch basically means you want to incorporate plants and nature into your craft! Other names include: nature witch, plant witch, garden witch, forest witch, etc.! I’ll talk about some of the basics being a green witch could entail, but this certainly isn’t an all-encompassing list!

On gardens and growing plants:

Whether you have a flourishing garden filled with everything one could possibly think of, a little windowsill herb garden with the bare essentials or one potted succulent; there’s no denying the joy that comes from helping green things grow!

A container around 2-3 feet deep and filled with soil is perfect for growing potatoes! Plop ‘em in, water them occasionally and harvest in the fall.

Plant things for the butterflies and bees!

Sage, rosemary, basil, mint, thyme, oregano and cilantro are all helpful herbs that you might consider planting.

Daffodils, marigolds, roses, sunflowers and primroses are my favorite witchy flowers.

Eggshells and banana peels are your friends.

These food plants can easily be regrown.

#garden witch / #garden magic / #garden tips

On bringing the green in (houseplants):

Let’s be real, not of all of us have access to areas for planting gardens, or infinite space for indoor plants! It can make being a green witch a bit tricky. 

Spider plants, lucky bamboo, air plants, aloe vera (succulents) and cacti are all pretty easy houseplants.

Terrariums are adorable and you can make them into mini gardens!

Grow one plant for each area of your life (happiness, mental health, etc) [source]

You can get bulbs for grow lights that fit into normal lamps, just be sure to put the plants directly under it!

Watering plants with rainwater will make them happy!

#houseplant magic / #houseplant tips

On incorporating nature:

Find a place outside you can safely visit. Try to spend at least five or more minutes a day sitting and watching. Quiet your mind and just be. (This could be your front porch or backyard, it doesn’t have to be in the forest)

Wander on some nature trails. Visit the local body of water. Walk outside.

Start taking pictures of beautiful wild places, or wildlife.

Learn about what birds and animals live in your area, and perhaps what their tracks look like.

Climb a tree, go swimming in wild waters, take your shoes off and feel the ground beneath your feet, remove invasive plants and plant native ones, pay attention to weather patterns, collect rainwater, etc.

#nature witch / #nature magic / #connecting to nature

On wild plants:

Get some basic plant field guides. I really like Audubon and Peterson, along with Botany in a Day. 

There are also plant apps and websites. 

Learn what plants have poisonous look-alikes and how to tell the difference.

Get a calendar. Go out at least once a week and document what stages the different plants are in. For example: March 4th. Oso berry leaves almost open. Nettles small but fully established. Bitter cherry has unopened flower buds. Salmonberry leaves almost open. Also worth adding where (elevation/location) which is SUPER helpful for harvesting reference later.

Pick a plant a week and research/journal it. Points include: What it looks like, what look-alikes there are, ecosystem + elevation it grows in, medicinal uses, edible uses, magical uses, etc.

Harvest plants and use them for medicine and food after safely doing research*.

#plant magic / #plant witch / #wild plants

Helpful links:

Green witch tips

Garden witch guide

Plant witchcraft: A beginner’s guide to growing

Tip: When your plant is dying

Keeping plants alive when you leave for a trip

Researching herb safety

Anatomy of plants

USDA plants database (external site)

Wildflower identification tool (external site)

Collection of helpful plant websites (external site)

Butterfly plants list (external site)

Bee friendly plants (external site)

Crystals and houseplants

Garden blessing

Plant growth spell

Spell to heal a wilting plant

Desert plant correspondences

Dealing with plant spirits

How to communicate with plant spirits

The etiquette of herb gathering 

7 tips for foraging

A guide to foraging wild edibles (external site)

Guidelines for sustainable foraging (external site)

Sustainable and safe herb gathering practices (external site)

*you can also burn a name sigil, a photo or a representative to aid the chant.*

Be gone from my mind

Be gone from my thoughts

The image of you has made me cross

Be gone from my dreams 

Be gone from my heart

With these words you must depart. 

Be gone, Be gone, Be gone

As i speak it, leave me alone.

- Aesa <3

No matter what path you follow as in witchcraft are, chances are you have some sort of sacred space. If you are a witch whose practice is part of your religious beliefs, this might be a place to communicate with your deities. If you work with spirits, this could be a place where honor your ancestors. Non-religious witches like myself often use altars as a space where they can connect with their magical and spiritual sides. Even though we all share this desire to have a place all our own dedicated to our craft. 

That doesn’t mean we all need the same type of space. Whether you are a new witch who can’t show off your craft publicly (we’ve all been there) or just a witch who isn’t really into the more standard altar table setup, there are plenty of options for customizing and creating an altar space that meets your needs.

Window Altars

One easy way to create an altar is to take up a windowsill. Depending on the arrangement of the room you’re using, your personal preference, and the space available, the size of this type of altar varies. 

This generally small altar space can be good for witches in the broom closet and green witches who like to keep their altars populated with plant friends. Because it is literally a window to the outside, these altars are also great places for charging things like crystals, spells, and water under the light of the moon. 

Benefits:

Good for altars that are heavily planted (hello, sunlight!)

Generally discreet

Keeps your altar space contained (for all us witches that do not know when to quit)

Garden Altars

While pretty much any altar can include plants, there is something else to say for an altar that is almost completely plants. If you have some space indoors, why not design a witch’s garden that doubles as an altar space?

A small tray planted with succulents with offering bowls and candle dishes set into the soil and crystals scattered around can be a unique, and even moveable altar! You could also use potted plants so that you can change the arrangement or plants out whenever you need a refresh.

Benefits:

Deeply connected to nature and the earth

Pluck herbs for spells right off your altar

Generally pretty moveable

Bath Altars

If you love bath magic as much as I do, you’re a water witch, or your bathroom is one of your most sacred places (self-care anyone?), a bath altar could be the perfect thing to give your craft a physical home.

We’ve all seen those pictures of wooden tray tables for baths surrounded by eucalyptus and candles. Add a statue of your deity (or a symbol of something important to your craft), some crystals (check how your crystals are affected by water and humidity first!), and some jars of your favorite things to mix into bath spells, and your bath altar is set.

Benefits:

The perfect place to combine witchcraft and self-care

Perfect for witches that incoroporate the water element in their craft a lot

Magic really does belong in every room in the house

Travel Altars

If you tend to practice on a whim rather than waiting to be in a specific place or if you need to be able to stash your altar quickly, a travel altar is perfect. These altars can be fit into matchboxes, Altoids tins, jewelry boxes, and even hollowed out books! If you can carry it with you and find supplies small enough to fit, anything goes. (I’ve even seen locket altars!)

Some witches will create multiple travel altars for different purposes or focuses, but don’t feel like you need to collect them if that’s not your thing.

Benefits:

Small and discreet, it’s hard to make a mess with these

Very customizable (and easy to have multiples of!)

Perfect for witches in the broom closet

Virtual Altars

Tech witches, I haven’t forgotten you. If you’ve been following me for a bit, then you might know that I threw out the idea a while ago about a altar lockscreen/wallpaper for your phone/tablet/etc. Now that I’ve talked to some tech witches, I know this is actually a pretty sound idea! 

Whether you commision an artist or design one yourself, a lock screen wallpaper for an electronic device (you could even go as big as a laptop with a touch screen!) could make the perfect altar for a tech witch. Even if you decide not to use it as a wallpaper, designing an image that serves as an altar and opening it in GIMP or Photoshop where you can create additional layers for placing other virtual elements could be useful.

Benefits:

Travel friendly

Can be synced across devices, so your altar is always with you

Easy to change and “redecorate” throughout the year

Paper Altars

(This incredible paper altar was created by Stella Witchcraft! Please click here to check out their full post and their blog!)

Similar to a virtual altar, a paper altar is a portable, customizable altar. Many witches choose to include paper altar setups in their grimoires, but there’s nothing stopping you from making larger paper altars with poster paper that can be rolled up and stored away.

If paper altars are attractive to you, don’t be deterred if you aren’t an artist! Minimalism in paper altars is perfectly fine. You can always outline your altar with symbols or even words alone. If you’re happy with it, it is perfect. You don’t have to meet any requirements for aesthetic or any other witch’s expectations.

There you have it! Of course, there are so many more types of altars, and even table altars can be created to fit your own personal needs. If you’re attracted to more than one of these, why not try combining the elements that call to you to make something entirely your own? The possibilities are endless.

DON’T YOU DARE PUT SALT IN THE GROUND.

DO NOT CAST SALT CIRCLE IN THE DIRT. DO NOT SALT THE GROUND TO CLEANSE IT. DO NOT BURY SACHETS THAT INCLUDE SALT.

STOP SALTING THE GROUND.

hollywood has massively misrepresented poppets and spell dolls as a form of evil/baneful magick (the Voodoo Doll), however, this is often far from the truth about poppet magick!

the use of poppets and spell dolls is a sympathetic form of magick which ties a magick focus or object with a soul, to an inanimate object. people use rag dolls, ceramics, photos, paper cut outs, and even animals as poppets for humans.

however i use ceramic figures! usually when i make a poppet it is used to protect or nurture a loved figure in my life. i place crystals near the poppet depending on what the person represented by the doll needs, carry the poppet in my company for lonelier friends, or i may even do spellwork involving the doll for bigger issues.

to bind a poppet to a person, use hair, belongings (scraps of clothing belonging to your subject can be stuffed inside of stitched dolls, as can topical herbs), or even just the initials or birthdate of the person will do. i paint these details on the back of the poppet.

remember if you use a poppet to do any sort of magick on a friend, it is best to ask the friend first! otherwise using a poppet may end up being controlling or an unwanted magickal intervention.

heres how i make my ceramic dolls:

I use a cheap air-drying clay called “DAS”. You can use as much or little as you like, just be aware the the bigger you make your poppet, the longer it will take to dry.

Roll your clay roughly into a potato shaped ball, and working quickly (air-drying clay dries and becomes difficult to work with fast!) snip along the dotted lines pictured above! when you pull the sniped sectors away from eachother, you should get a ugly looking body-ish shape with a bulbous head. but with some pinching and squeezing, the body will quickly become prettier.

Once you have squeezed the clay into shape, you should end up with some very simple silhouetted human shapes. I smooth the clay out using my fingers (not with any water) on the front and the back of the poppet. In 24-48 hours the poppets should be fully dry and ready for painting.

i paint the skin of the doll whatever colour i want and then give it a heart, sigils, a face, a belly button, and the name and birthdate of the person represented by the poppet on the back. i also make a few plain ones at a time so i always have some ready to use. (the paint i use is water-based acrylic paint).