it's the power of spica~!

Discernment is a crucial skill for any magic worker. It’s how we separate the magic from the mundane, reality from our imagination, and reduce the risk of being deluded or manipulated. Everbody already naturally does this a little bit, but actively strengthening the skill can be difficult for a beginner. Here are some tips, tricks, and techniques that have helped me. 

Write everything down. When doing a spell or working with a spirit, keep a written record of what you feel, say, witness, etc. This will help give you something objective to look back on later, which is a huge help for doing any post-research. You never know what details may give you a lead.

Pick a rule for “signs” and stick with it. What do you believe about coincidences? When do you believe something is a message from the Universe or your gods? Create a litmus test/threshhold for what you consider a sign; it doesn’t really matter what it is, so long as it’s consistently applied. That way, you’re saving your energy for the more important stuff instead of worrying/wondering about the small fry. On that note…

The “Rule of Three” (NOT to be confused with the Wiccan Rede.) This is a common discernment method for the concept above. One time seeing something is an instance, two is a coincidence, and three is a message.

When you ask for signs, be specific. Ask for something unique/specific enough that you wouldn’t reasonably expect it to happen anyway, but not so rare that it has no chance of manifesting. Color + Object (ex: let me see a purple feather) is a good method. That way you know exactly what your sign will be. 

The Gut Test. Sometimes when I’m communicating a spirit and I feel like something’s off, I’ll take a moment in my head and think, “this isn’t real. I’m making this conversation up.” Listen to how your gut responds. Does it agree right away? Does saying that feel incorrect, like it’s truly legitimate? Was the conversation legitimate up to a certain point? Listen to your gut and act accordingly. 

The Mimic Test. When working with spirits and “hearing” a voice in your head, try to recreate it with your own inner mind voice. Can you get it to be the same voice? Same volume? If you can, then you’re probably safe writing it off as your imagination.

PRACTICE. Practice. Practice. Practice feeling the energy of your plants. Practice feeling your own energy. Describe it in detail. Practice feeling the energy of any ritual objects. Practice communicating with a spirit you trust, like a guide or Ancestors. Just like a muscle, discernment becomes stronger with repeated use and withers when ignored. Practice on little things to keep you sharp for the big stuff.

🌸MERRY OSTARA🌸

🌺BLESSED EQUINOX🌺

🌕HAPPY FULL MOON🌕

👑WELCOME BACK PERSEPHONE👑

There is so much to celebrate today! But please remember that there is no right or wrong way to partake in these magical moments. Don’t put pressure on yourself to do things beyond your means whether it’s financial wise or energy wise. You celebrate however way that works for you which also means NOT celebrating if you just can’t today. You’re not any less of a Witch, Pagan, Hellenic Polytheist, or anything if you take the night off. Remember, my flower blossoms, always be kind to yourself! ✌🏻😘

Ostara or Eostre is a Germanic goddess of dawn and fertility. She was traditionally honoured in the month of April with festivals to celebrate fertility, renewal and re-birth. It was from Eostre that the Christian celebration of Easter evolved, and indeed the naming of the hormone Eostrogen, essential to women’s fertility. Her symbols are the hare and the eggs.

The date of the Christian Easter is determined by the phase of the moon.  The nocturnal hare, so closely associated with the moon which dies every morning and is resurrected every evening, also represents the rebirth of nature in Spring.  Both the moon and the hare were believed to die daily in order to be reborn - therefore the hare is a symbol of immortality.  It is also a major symbol for fertility and abundance as the hare can conceive while pregnant.

The egg (and all seeds) contains ‘all potential’, full of promise and new life.  It symbolises the rebirth of nature, the fertility of the Earth and all creation.

The state of my room is extremely important to me. It’s a direct reflection of my mental health, so when it’s messy, my energy levels are low and I just feel yucky. There’s no way I’m getting any kind of work done, magical or mundane. When it feels good and clean to be in, it’s a lot easier to deal with my symptoms and be productive. You don’t have to do every step every time of course, but each step has helped me so I figured a list like this might help someone. 

Change the lighting. Use natural sources of light (like pulling back the curtains and letting the sun in) over artificial ones. If you have salt lamps to turn on, those are still very nice. If you need artificial light to keep it from being too dark, try to prioritize light bulbs you like the color of, and ones that don’t whistle quietly when they’re on.

Change the airflow. Open a window, if you can. Often our rooms feel yucky because the air is stale. Get some fresh air moving. If it’s too cold, it’s okay to only keep it open for a few minutes or put on a coat while you work because you’re stubborn like me.

Change the sound. Put on your favorite cleansing music. Let it soak into the room. I tend to go or ambient spa stuff, or playlists that sound built for a rainy day. (Note: the music that helps you cleanse the best may not be the same as what you like the most. The playlist should keep you focused/uplifted while you work and reflect the vibes you want your room to have.)

Change the smell. Take out the trash, maybe refresh the sheets on your bed. Light a scented candle, some incense, heat up some oil, something to make your room smell distinctly different from the mucky-feeling room from before. (If your method of choice is something short like a room spray, I actually like doing it at the very end.)

Actually clean and organize. Nothing junks up the energy of a room more quicker than actual junk. Organize everything as much as you can (this might mean finally gutting your closet, even if you can close the door and hide it.) Wipe down any surfaces that need it, get everything fresh and functional again. Do some laundry while you work. If you have clothes or trinkets that are just collecting dust, extra points for purging them! 

 Cleanse any sacred spaces by themselves. A lot of us have altars or shrines in our rooms. A sacred space can also be just an extra important area of your room, like a reading nook.  Make sure to give them extra attention! You don’t need to wipe the board energetically (and probably shouldn’t), but taking a little extra time to clean surfaces, straighten up, and make sure everything feels okay on them goes a long way.

Cleanse in your regular way. Bust out the herb bundles, the bells, the ribbons, the broom, whatever you usually do to cleanse a space! The room is SUPER primed for it now, most of the negative energy probably already feels removed if not broken down. A good once-over with your favorite cleansing method should finish it off nicely. 

Refresh any wards or protections. Self explanatory. If you maintain energy borders in your room, now is a good time to check in on them and zhoosh them if needed. Keep the space clean for longer! 

I have a tarot deck that was gifted to me made entirely of leather and just the major arcana. It has an extremely powerful energy to it, and I knew right away this was a tarot deck to be used in spell work, not divination. So I started meditating and looking into the cards and really thinking about what they could be used for/associations. So here’s what I came up with!

(Note: I mention curses in here because some of the cards do lend themselves really well to that. If you don’t curse personally, feel free to disregard those parts. This is based on my personal relationship with the cards, so your personal associations and meanings for your deck may be very different. Be sure to understand the nuances of your cards before using them in a spell.)

🗝0 The Fool: Wiping the slate clean, a fresh start. Opening oneself to new experiences and knowledge.

🗝I The Magician: Manifestation and invocation. Energy work. Personal capability. Utilizing the power already within you and bringing it to the surface.

🗝II The High Priestess: Secrets. Hide and obscure knowledge to others. Increased intuition. Knowledge of the occult. Learn other people’s hidden knowledge while keeping yours under wraps.

🗝III The Empress: Fertility and abundance. Vibrancy, nurturing. Also to some degree, sensuality and sexiness.

🗝IV The Emperor: Strength and stability. Generic masculine power. Traditionalism.

🗝V The Hierophant: Jobs, mentorship and other positions that require some level of conformity. Traditional knowledge, coming more from a dogma or set path rather than a personal experience.

🗝VI The Lovers: Love (obviously,) union, harmony between two people. But mostly love.

🗝VII The Chariot: Success, motivation, overcoming any nasty obstacle. Personal power working with outside powers for your benefit.

🗝VIII Justice: Pretty self explanatory. Justice, getting what one deserves for better or worse. Could also be used as an aid to help guide you to the best decision when stuck at a crossroads.

🗝IX The Hermit: Knowledge latent within oneself that you want to bring to the surface. Cutting ties between yourself and people/groups that no longer benefit you. Any spell designed to get people to stay away from you (but warning here, the Hermit doesn’t discriminate between the people you still want to see and those you don’t!)

🗝X Wheel of Fortune: Luck, a change of fate. Finding one’s true calling/destiny. A request of a long-term type of success.

🗝XI Strength: Emotional strength, mastery of emotions, self-control. Resilience and courage.

🗝XII The Hanged Man: Release of unwanted emotions, new perspectives. In a curse or hex setting, it can also be used to represent someone who has been traitorous, especially in decks with a more traditional art style.

🗝XIII Death: Can be used to represent death during rituals such as a dumb supper. Important endings, rebirth, shedding the skin of the past. Hard cutoffs.

🗝XIV Temperance: Balance, cleansing, a restoration of energies as they should be. Healing.

🗝XV The Devil: Addictive negativity. All things bad in life that can be avoided, but are easy to slip into. Can be used to sic this on someone else in a powerful hex, or can be used as a representation of your own demons as you break free from them.

🗝XVI The Tower: Another card that’s particularly good for offense magic. Sudden, unexpected crisis. A destruction of what one has been working for. Upheaval. Could also be used to try and protect oneself as much as possible from this before it happens, if you sense trouble ahead.

🗝XVII The Star: Hope, guidance, generosity. Can be used when searching for a sign for something or for a pathway to be illuminated.

🗝XVIII The Moon: Mystery, emotional/spiritual fog, being stuck in a grey area. Illusion, hiding/obscuring yourself or something else. Could be used as a more gentle hex to weaken somebody without wrecking them like some of the other cards. Alternatively, it could be used to represent the literal moon, as either a replacement (if you can’t access the moon) or as a way to draw down the moon’s power.

🗝XIX The Sun: Recharging, success, vitality and enlightenment. Celebration. A powerful source of positive and productive energies, but without a lot of direction on its own. Similarly to The Moon, it could also be used as a representation of the literal Sun.

🗝XX Judgement: Guidance in making tough decisions. Luck or good fortune in the final stages of something important. Reaping the benefits (or punishments, so be careful) of our work up to this point.

The text reads,

“YOU WERE FRANTIC AND FOOLISH, YOU KEPT NO TRACK OF TIME, YOU RAN YOUR DELICATE BODY INTO ITS NATURAL END, YOU BURNED ALL YOUR CANDLES TO STUMPS, YOU ARE TIRED AND HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO LAY DOWN, YOU HAVE EARNED THIS REPERCUSSION, THIS REWARD, THIS RECKONING, YOU FINALLY  NEED TO KNOW

HOW TO DECAY GRACEFULLY

Happy March! Warmer weather doesn’t mean to stop drinking hot tea - light-bodied teas with floral and citrus notes are perfect for the season’s transition, and will carry you through the rainiest spring day.

Here are some of my favourites:

*Please be mindful of individual allergies and ensure all ingredients are food-grade and organic.

🌸 Hibiscus-Rose:

• green tea base (sweeter greens like Dragonwell will work best)

• dehydrated hibiscus flower

• dehydrated rosehip

• orange and lemon peel (substitute with dried raspberry every now and then to switch up the recipe)

• heat water to 160° and steep for 5 minutes

• stir in honey as a sweetener, to taste

See similar: Chinese Flower, Harney and Sons

🍑 Ginger-Peach:

• black tea base

• ginger, peeled and sliced

• dehydrated peaches (if making this into an iced tea in the summer, use frozen peaches and add them as ice cubes instead)

• a pinch of cinnamon

• vanilla

• boil water to 200° and steep for 6 minutes

See similar: Ginger Peach Chocolate Dessert Tea, Republic of Tea

🥥 Coconut Green:

• green tea base

• dried, shredded coconut OR stir coconut oil into heated tea

• vanilla

• heat water to 175° and steep for 5 minutes

See similar: Bangkok, Harney and Sons

🌹 Rose-Milk Tea:

• black tea base

• dried rose petals

• vanilla

• organic soy milk (my favourite, but you can substitute with any milk, sweetened or unsweetened)

• I prefer to steep the tea and flowers directly in the milk, in a pot on the stove, however you can also steep in boiling water and add the milk to taste after

🌿Spring Glamour Shower Spell🌻

A perfect spring glamour spell for my fellow i-don’t-have-a-bathtub witches.

 Recommended to cast during: Waxing Moon - Full Moon 

 Needed: 

🌸 Fresh or dried flowers. (PLEASE, for safety reasons, do not use poisonous flowers.)

Bonus: Pick flowers that are significant to you in a positive way. Magickal correspondence wouldn’t matter for this spell since this is something for yourself. 

🌼 Clear shower gel that has a pleasant scent for you (The flowers look hella beautiful in it)

🌸 Music that makes you feel sexy and beautiful. 

 To Cast….

🌸 Carefully place the petals inside your shower gel bottle and chant: 

 Beautiful spring blooms I see, 

 Beautiful flower I shall be. 

 🌼Play your beautifying music and prepare to take a shower. 

 🌸Clean whatever it is you need to clean and leave the shower gel last. 

 🌼 When you’re done cleaning yourself, apply the gel and be immersed. 

🔥 Room Healing Spell 🔥

A spell that can be cast at any moon phase or any time of the day to turn your room into a magick-inducive environment. The perfect spell for baby witches who want to start with spellwork. I created this when I was 12 (2006) and it has been 11 years since then and it’s still effective.

Recommended to Cast During: Any moon phase at any time of the day.

Colors: Black and White

Needed: 

🌿 2 Candles (either white or black)

🌙 An Athame (or any pointed object for engraving a candle)

🌿 A Wand (or any stick that is made from any natural material such as twigs, pencils, wooden chopsticks, selenite crystal, clear quartz wand)

To Cast:

🌿 Light one of the candles.

🌙 Start engraving a protection sigil or any symbolism that you dedicate with strength and protection on the unlit candle.

🌿 Twirl your wand around your engraved candle and say,

“Go away negativity and sway away. Positivity, if you wish to enter, you may.”

🌿 Light the engraved candle and carry it.

🌙 Bring the engraved candle with you and light the four corners of your room moving clockwise (start with north)

🌿 Meditate for 5 minutes after (chakra meditation is recommended or plain floor grounding is alright; that is to lie down completely on the floor)

What To Expect:

🌿 Your room will turn into a much more relaxing environment.

🌙 Negative energy that was collected through time will be diminished.

🌿 Better sleep, better naps, better magick.

I M B O L C // A PLAYLIST

Hello friends! It’s nearly Imbolc here in the Northern Hemisphere and it’s been a while since I’ve posted a playlist (too long, sorry!!) I’ve recently remade my Spotify account (I do this every few years, I like new starts!) so here’s the newest addition! I will be making and posting playlists for the other sabbats as well! 

Happy Imbolc everybody!

So, in honor of the holiday I’ve whipped up a simple spread celebrating self-introspection re: this annual transition.

Seed — This is what has been set into motion. It is as we speak putting down tiny brown roots in the soil. The Seed references the beginning of a new cycle. What exactly are you putting your energy into? Which forces move you on toward the flowering spring?

Frost — This is the obstacle. In growing, the frost first needs to be overcome. What needs to be detached from, trimmed back and cut away? The Frost is what is passing. It may melt away naturally with the coming Spring, but just as the butterfly, the flower still needs a little push in order to make it.

Bulb — Here we see the first vestiges of the seedling as it justs up toward the sky. The bulb may be awkward and undeveloped. Will the plant grow proud and tall or warp beneath the weight of its own ambition? Here, you can take inventory of what is needed post-frost in order to feel your full potential.

Bloom — Spring has sprung! These petals, whether fair or foul, are the consequence of both the work put in and the seed planted.

For all of the witches who struggle with Sabbats sneaking up on them, here is a guide to help whip up an easy celebration so you never have to miss out on Sabbats again!

A Sabbat is a seasonal festival mostly celebrated by Pagans and Witches. Sabbats are like any other holiday, except these are normally celebrations of the changing of the seasons, or the “turning of the wheel.” Each person will celebrate each Sabbat differently, as each season is completely personal to you.

⛤ The First Step

The first step I recommend to planning a Sabbat celebration is to figure out exactly what the Sabbat is to you. Figure out how you feel about the sabbat and what you naturally associate each one with. This can take some time to work through, especially if you are new to sabbats or if you tend to avoid nature at all costs.

⛤ What to ask yourself:

- What does this Sabbat mean to you? - What is the Earth doing right now? What does it look like outside your window? - What is in season (this includes foods, herbs, flowers and decor)? - How do you feel this time of year? How does this particular Sabbat make you feel? Is this normal? - What sort of things make you feel “witchy” or connected to this Sabbat? - Why is this day special to you?

⛤ Things to Do:

- Perform a ritual. Rituals can be as elaborate or as simple as you want them to be. Sometimes all you have to work with is a tealight candle and a week old pack of cookies.

- Cook. Some of us feel connected to the world around us when there is food involved. After all, it’s not a party unless there is food. Try out a new recipe with in-season foods, or make your favorite comfort food dish.

- Go outside. The easiest way to celebrate the changing of the seasons is to go outside and experience them. Even if it’s a short walk (because not many people want to go for long strolls in the dead of winter), take a moment to step outside and experience nature and observe what it’s currently doing. If you are able, plan a day trip to somewhere special or new to explore.

- Decorate. Nothing gets me in the holiday (or Sabbat) spirit like decorating. As a child decorating for Christmas was the best because that was the only time we put up decorations. Now, as an adult, I use whatever I have handy to decorate for every Sabbat I can to make me feel more festive.

- Offerings. If you work with spirits of deities, you may wish to put together some sort of offering for them when you celebrate. This can be food, special rocks or flowers from outside, or something you’ve made yourself.

- Spells. Sabbats are prime times to do spells for me. The spells I cast are reflections of the coming season and what I want from them.

- Crafts. There are a ton of different little projects for Sabbats floating around on the internet. Get creative and make something! If you are on a budget, make something with what you have, or modify a craft to include what you have. I like to make something new each year for the Sabbats (it’s an easy way to get “decorations” too!)

- Divination. Nothing says celebration like a good old fashion look into the future. Choose any form of divination that you’d like and do a reading for yourself. 

- Journaling. Sometimes the easiest way to celebrate and connect is to get into your own head. Let the Earth inspire you. Stare out a window (or sit outside if you can) and just watch what happens around you. Let it inspire you to create. Journal about your own feelings, write a freestyle poem or sketch and paint what you see.

⛤ Creating a Ritual

Not all rituals have to be long and elaborate. Some of my favorite rituals are just sitting around in sweatpants with a hot cup of cocoa and my journal, reflecting on the season and my life. Ask yourself these questions to help piece together how a ritual would be best done for you.

- What am I celebrating? How can I celebrate this? - Who am I worshiping? - How much space do I have? - How much time do I have? - Why am I celebrating this Sabbat? - What do I/can I buy for my celebrations?

The important thing for Sabbats isn’t how grand your ritual is, it’s all about gaining something from it, whether that be a nice warm fuzzy feeling or a great insight into your life. 

⛤ Reflection and Meditation

After each Sabbat day, I find it helpful if I reflect upon what I did that day and how my celebration went. This is when I do most of my journaling, but you don’t have to write anything. You can simply sit and rest and meditate on the day if you wish. Use this time to unwind.

- What did I do today? How do I feel about it? - What ideas do I have for next year? - What did this year’s Sabbat teach me? - What was my favorite part of today’s celebration? - What was my least favorite?

Imbolc:

Lemon, Thyme, Rosemary, Dill, Fennel, Liquorice, Snowdrop, Dandelion, Mint.

Ostara:

Primrose, Rosemary, Daisy, Orange Peel, Basil, Garlic, Lavender, Mint.

Beltane:

Yellow/Orange Roses, Buttercup, Onion Salt, Bay Leaf, Oregano, Black Pepper.

Litha:

Pink /White Roses, Red Clover, Chili Powder, Chamomile, Cumin.

Lughnasadh:

Sunflower, Anise Seed, Cloves, Ginger, Mustard Seed, Turmeric, Blackberries, Sage.

Mabon:

Lavender, Maple Leaves, Pine Cones, Chamomile, Black Pepper, Cinnamon, Cloves, Nutmeg, Paprika, Sage.

Samhain:

Pine Needles, Blackberry Leaves, Fennel, Allspice, Red Roses, Jasmine, Nutmeg, Cloves.

Yule:

Full Moon Dates.

🌕 Full moon : Jan 21

🌕 Full moon : Feb 19

🌕 Full moon : Mar 20

🌕 Full moon : Apr 19

🌕 Full moon : May 18

🌕 Full moon : Jun 17

🌕 Full moon : Jul 16

🌕 Full moon : Aug 15

🌕 Full moon : Sep 14

🌕 Full moon : Oct 13

🌕 Full moon : Nov 12

🌕 Full moon : Dec 12

Sabbat Festivals.

🕯 Imbolc - Candlemas : Feb 1

🌸 Ostara - Vernal Equinox : Mar 20

🔥 Beltane - Mid Spring : May 1

☀️ Litha - Summer Solstice : Jun 24

🌾 Lammas - Harvest Festival : Aug 1

🍁 Mabon - Autumnal Equinox : Sep 21

🎃 Samhain - All Hallows’ Eve : Oct 31

❄️ Yule - Winter Solstice : Dec 21

Celestial Signs.

♑️ Capricorn : Dec 22 - Jan 19

♒️ Aquarius : Jan 20 - Feb 18

♓️ Pisces : Feb 19 - Mar 20

♈️ Aries : Mar 21 - Apr 19

♉️ Taurus : Apr 20 - May 20

♊️ Gemini : May 21 - Jun 20

♋️ Cancer : Jun 21 - Jul 22

♌️ Leo : Jul 23 - Aug 22

♍️ Virgo : Aug 23 - Sep 22

♎️ Libra : Sep 23 - Oct 22

♏️ Scorpio : Oct 23 - Nov 21

inspired by the scene with lucy and the book of incantations in the voyage of the dawn treader, a spell to help bring snow and cold weather

❄️ gather: a pineocone, water, sugar, and a white ribbon. 

❄️ dip the pinecone in water, don’t let it soak

❄️ roll it in sugar until some sticks. 

❄️ tie the white ribbon around the pinecone

❄️ hang somewhere outside

❄️ as you hang it, chant:

With the holiday season coming up and hours getting increased at work + seasonal jobs opening up, as well as companies screaming at you constantly “BUY, BUY, BUY!”, this is the time of year I feel most inclined to spend. We may even feel inclined to buy the most extravagant presents for our loved ones when we know we can’t afford it. Or maybe you just have a chronic reckless spending problem, and you need to stop buying for now and save for the future. This spell will bind you from reckless spending so you won’t feel caught up in the materialism that is the Christmas season. ✨

Moon phase;

preferably a new moon, but you can perform this on any night of the waning cycle (I’m performing mine this upcoming new moon on November 7).

Materials;

1 blue candle for willpower, patience, and focus.

1 piece of green aventurine (or any crystal that represents money for you)

1 receipt from something you bought but didn’t need (I had a few in the bottom of my purse, but if you can’t find any, you could even print out your bank statement, cut out a transaction of something you didn’t need, & wrap it in that)

1 black ribbon

Incantation;

“My need to recklessly spend money is tightly bound

And I bury those urges deep into the ground.

I want and am able to save money.

I am financially responsible so my future can be comfy.

This is my will, so mote it be.”

Directions;

As you say the incantation, wrap the crystal in the receipt and then bind it together with the black ribbon. When finished, circle it around the flame of the candle counter clockwise before blowing it out. Then bury it outside so you will never see it again.