Grab your notes and close everything down. Dismiss any spirits or entities you are working with. Close down the circle. End the ritual. Diffuse the energy of the spell and close it down. If you were enchanting an item, announce over it that it is closed and nothing more may come in or out.
Spells and rituals are little portals of power; if you leave one open without closing it, all sorts of things could get screwy and come through.
2. End any spooky/witchy atmosphere immediately.
Blow out all the candles.
Put out all the incense.
Turn on all the lights.
Turn off spooky chanting music. Turn on some happy music or better yet, a non-supernatural television show or movie you love.
If you were enchanting an item, immediately put it in salt.
3. Don’t destroy the items/notes you will need later.
Trust me, do not throw away the spell you wrote or the objects you were working on. If things go wrong in the future you will needthese to fix the problem.
► Immediately write down exactly what happened. Write down every deviation from the spell that you did. Write down exactly what you said and saw during any visualizations. Write down exactly when things started to get freaky.
► If you were enchanting an item, keep it in a black bag filled with salt until you are ready to deal with it.
4. Cleanse.
Use an energy cannonball to purify the space you were working in. Burn rosemary and bay leaves to fumigate the area, or spritz a premade water solution if you can’t have smoke. Pay special attention to all ritual tools.
If you feel the need to, cleanse yourself by visualizing the power of the smoke enveloping you and driving away any bad vibes; or take a shower if you really feel something has gone wrong.
5. Get out of the area you were working in.
Go to another room. Leave the house if possible. Seek the company of others or turn on the television if you are alone.
6. Do mundane things for a while.
Eat a nice meal. Drink a big glass of water. Go for a jog. Do some chores. Put anything magical totally out of your head. Absolutely do not focus on how weird things just got.
7. When you are ready, return to the area you were working in.
Relax yourself and judge the energies within the room. Are things still ‘creepy’? A heavy-duty cleansing is in order. Do you feel as if someone else is there? Open a window and command it to leave – if it does not, more fumigation or a banishing is required.
Judge your ritual tools and determine if they will need additional cleansing. If you were working on an object, determine if it has been corrupted or if anything is wrong with it. If so, put it back in the salt and deal with it as soon as you can.
8. Take a break from witchcraft for a couple of days.
9. Figure out what went wrong.
Fear is never a good thing. There is a difference between embracing the darkness and being afraid.
► Fear can be caused if an entity showed up you were unprepared to deal with.
► Fear can be caused if your intuition (or perhaps a spirit ally) was warning you that what you were about to do was a really bad idea.
► Fear can be caused if you tap in to powers that overwhelm you.
You need to figure out what went wrong. It isn’t a situation where you can say “oh well” and try something else later – because you screwed up, and next time you may not get an adequate warning before things go to hell.
Visualisation is incredibly useful in witchcraft as it is the base of energy work. From this, you can do all kinds of practices.
You can use visualisation for meditation, astral travel, sending energy into objects and many other things. These will all be covered in the future.
So, how do I start?
Here’s a basic exercise for you to practice. It’s very simple and many of you will probably be able to pick it up easily if you’ve already done visualition techniques!
1. You’ll need a very quiet area where you’ll be comfortable. Even lying in bed and putting white noise in your headphones is useful. Get rid of all distractions, put your phone on silent etc.
2. Close your eyes and empty your mind. Your mind might feel like a blank sheet of paper, and you’re going to create something in there.
3. Picture an apple, any old apple. Zoom in and see its shape, it’s colour. Does it have leaves, more than one colour? Look at every tiny detail of the apple you’ve created.
4. Next, take a knife and cut this apple in half. Focus on the detail inside: the colour, how many seeds there are etc. The more detail, the better.
5. Now you use your senses. What the apple feels like, smells like. Bite into it and taste it. You’re using visualisation to not only see the apple but understand everything about it.
From this, you’re able to visualise and interact with objects in your mind. Practice often with anything you like!
Okay, so like most
people, I’ve got tons of herbs, fruit, veggies, etc. in my kitchen. Now,
turning your kitchen into a magickal one is as easy as learning the magickal
properties of what you have on hand.
So here’s a basic list of what you’re more than likely going to have in your
kitchen, and their immediate magickal uses. Enjoy!*
Apple – unless you’re allergic, you’re going to have an apple in
your kitchen at some point. plus, they’re easy to find (and cheap!) at the
market. they’re used for love, healing,
garden magic, and immortality. apples
are also used to promote friendship,
and is the fruit of the dead. as such,
it is burned at Samhain to honor the souls of the dead. it is associated with Water, the planet Venus, and several deities such as: Aphrodite, Athena, Hera, Apollo, and Iduna.
Basil – everyone has this. admit it. if you have ever tried to cook
anything, you’ve used this. and it’s a very versatile herb! according to Scott
Cunningham, it’s good for love,
exorcism, wealth, flying, and protection.
It’s used to soothe tempers between
lovers, or burned to make a marriage
more harmonious. It also dispels confusion and fears and is worn to attract
money or luck. it’s typically associated with Fire and the planet Mars.
Cinnamon – this is another one you’re probably going to have. according
to Cunningham, cinnamon is good for spirituality,
success, healing, power, psychic powers, lust, protection, and love. if you burn it as an incense, it
raises spiritual vibrations and stimulates psychic powers. It’s also used for prosperity and is a popular herb to use
in charms for that very reason. it’s associated with Fire and the Sun.
Coffee – yes. that’s right. coffee has magick. and not just the
magical ability to wake you up for work in the morning. while Cunningham doesn’t
mention coffee, a little bit of digging can tell you some of coffee’s magickal
properties. themagickalcat states that coffee “helps dispel nightmares and negative thoughts”, as well as “peace of mind and grounding”.
Marjoram – this is actually one of my favorites. marjoram,
according to S.C., is used for protection,
love, happiness, health, and money.
it’s particularly added to food to strengthen love, and is protective when
placed around the house. it can also help to dispel negativity and supposedly attracts a husband if you put a pinch in each corner of each room
of your dwelling every month. it’s associated with Air and the planet Mercury.
Olive – you probably have olives or olive oil in your kitchen, so
here’s a little bit about them: olives and their oil are good for healing, peace, fertility, potency,
protection, and lust. they can
also be used for fidelity, marriage, or money. it is associated with Fire,
the Sun, and a number of Greek
deities.
Oregano – if you’re Italian-American, you’re familiar with this
particular herb. but you won’t find this in many editions of Scott Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs for
some reason. that said, it’s a pretty useful herb. it’s good for happiness, tranquility, luck, health,
protection, and to deepen love. it
can be worn to promote psychic dreams or
used for spells to bring joy. themagickalcat
says it’s also good for vitality and added energy. it’s associated with Air and the planet Venus.
Parsley – this herb is used for lust, protection, and purification.
it can also be used to draw prosperity and luck. it’s associated with Air, the planet Mercury, and the goddess Persephone.
Rosemary – uggh. what can I say about rosemary? it’s great. it’s
amazing. it can actually be used as a substitute for the majority of herbs (especially frankincense). S.C. says its powers
are for protection, love, lust, mental
powers, exorcism, purification, healing, sleep, and youth. it’s particularly good for cleansing and purification when
burned, and can even aid the memory when worn. themagickalcat suggests using an
infusion of rosemary to wash hands before any healing magick, or to use it in
bath magick for purification. it’s associated with Fire, the Sun, and Faeries.
Ginger – ginger is used for love,
money, success, and power.
according to S.C., eating ginger before a spell will help make them more
powerful. it also draws adventure and new experiences. the ginger root can be
used as a magickal token or poppet (or you can make a gingerbread person!). its
associations are Fire and the planet Mars.
Thyme – this is actually one of my mother’s favorite herbs to cook
with (and for good reason!). it’s used for health,
healing, sleep, psychic powers, love, purification, and courage. according to S.C., when placed
underneath your pillow, it promotes a restful sleep and chases away nightmares.
it can also attract loyalty, affection, and good opinions about the wearer. themagickalcat suggests adding a “thyme
infusion to the bath regularly to ensure a constant flow of money.” its associations
are Water and is ruled by the planet Venus.
Tomato – yep. a tomato can be used for magick, too. it’s good for protection and prosperity, and when eaten, has the power to inspire love. it can also be eaten to inspire creativity.
witchipedia adds that the tomato “can be used in place of apples in many
magical spells”, or “in place of other members of the nightshade family”. go tomato!
it’s associations are Water and the
planet Venus.
Vanilla – let’s face it; if you like to bake, you probably have
vanilla extract in your cupboard. like nearly every baking recipe calls for it.
magick-wise, it’s good for love, lust,
and mental powers. it can also
increase energy if carried. it’s associated with Water and the planet Venus.
*this list is based on one of those twirling spice racks i got as a housewarming gift, and just some other foodstuffs i have lying around my kitchen. this is by no means an exhaustive list of the things i like to keep my kitchen stocked with, but it’s a good place to start.
also, the majority of the information was found in Scott Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs, themagickalcat.com, and witchipedia.com
* This is an original spell of my own design from my BOS.*
Self Altar: Honouring Yourself
Uses:
This is an altar you make to honour yourself. It can be made depending on what your needs are. Use it to enhance self-esteem, self-love, and raise positive self-awareness. You can also use it to promote strength, healing, and positivity.
Materials:
Things you can put on this altar can include (but not limited to);
– food & drink
– favorite teas/coffee
– recipes
– a special mug/cup
– flowers/plants (potted, fresh cut, dried, etc.)
– herbs (jarred, potted, fresh cut, dried, etc.)
– anything you like from nature (rocks, leaves, branches, petals, seeds, etc.)
– charged water, moon/rain water, gem elixirs
– books
– song lyrics (can be something you’ve written or by a musician you enjoy)
– poetry, quotes (again, something by you, by someone else whose work you enjoy)
– music (sheet music, CD’s, vinyl, tapes, concert tickets, anything to do with music you like)
– photos (from your life, of something you like, or a photo to represent something)
– candles, incense, perfume, lotion, etc.
– a favorite item of clothing
– jewelry
– any trinkets, odds & ends, objects
– crystals
– anything you use in your craft
– anything from your body (fingernails, eyelashes, blood, hair, etc.)
Basically anything that holds meaning to you or that you feel represents you or something you like.
Other Ideas:
– pictures of yourself that make you feel better about your appearance
– pictures of loved ones (or gifts from them, something that reminds you of them) to remind you that you aren’t alone and do have people that care about you
– a list of achievements or things you’re proud of
– a list of things you like about yourself
– a letter to yourself (must be positive and encouraging)
– mantras, positive and encouraging thoughts
– a written or typed & printed recount of an experience/memory that makes you feel good (should be a good, happy, or even funny memory, something that fills you up. Can be absolutely anything at all. Write it in as much detail you want and however you want; a guided meditation into the memory, a journal entry, just write down what you remember.)
How & When To Use It:
You can make this altar any time of year and change it as often as you wish. If it helps, construct it as you for anything/anyone else (deity, sabbat, a loved one). Consider what you would like to see if someone made an altar or left offerings for you. Whatever your reason is for making this altar, it will likely affect when it’s made and what is put on it.
Example: If you usually become depressed during the winter, you might make it right around the time it arrives. You might include crystals and herbs that help with depression, helpline numbers, photos of loved ones, positive thoughts or anything that comforts and cheers you up.
Another example could be: You make this altar with a focus on self-love and could include a list of things you like about yourself, rose quartz, a letter you write to you to read when you feel bad about yourself, positive affirmations, things you’ve done that you’re proud of, strengths you have, hobbies and talents, etc.
For more clarification or an example of my own, keep an eye out! (Once I have my list made up and make a post I will insert a link to it.)
Monotheism: belief in and worship of only one god.
Polytheism: belief in and worship of many gods.
Megatheism: belief that there are multiple gods, but that yours is superior to all others and only They are worthy of worship.
Henotheism: worship of only one god while acknowledging (the possibility of) the existence of others.
Kethenotheism: the worship of only one god at a time.
Monolatrism: the worship of only one god while believing in multiple gods.
Pantheism: belief that the divine is in everything.
Panentheism: belief that the divine is in everything, while also being beyond everything.
Apatheism: being neutral towards the possibility of the existence of god(s).
Atheism: neither believing in nor worshiping god(s).
Antitheism: being actively opposed to the belief in and/or worship of god(s).
Transtheism: a belief system that cannot be easily categorised as either theistic or atheistic. (Sadly, not the belief that god(s) is/are trans or that trans people are god(s)).
Autotheism: belief that divinity is inherently within oneself (may or may not exclude external divinity).
Agnosticism: belief/philosophical position that the divine (and/or whether or not it exists) is unknowable.
Ignosticism: belief/philosophical position that knowledge regarding whether or not god(s) exist is unprofitable.
Deism: belief/philosophical position that God does not interfere directly with the world.
Pandeism: belief that the creator deity became the universe and then ceased to exist as a separate and conscious entity.
Monism: a philosophical position that attributes oneness or singleness to existence.
Dualism: a philosophical doctrine that attributes co-eternal binary opposition to existence.
Omnism: the recognition and respect of all religions.
Panpsychism: belief/philosophical position that consciousness, mind or soul is an intrinsic universal attribute within all things.
Ietism: unspecified belief in an undetermined transcendent force.
Omnibenevolence/eutheism: belief that (a) god is wholly good.
Dystheism: belief that (a) god is not wholly good and may be evil.
Maltheism: belief that (a) god is wholly evil.
(Please correct any false definitions or add new ones to the list.)
A path is the journey that someone takes as they practice witchcraft. Some use it to describe their past, present and future on their magickal journey. Others use it to represent what they would consider a “label” to themselves and their craft. In general a path in witchcraft is a word to describe that specific witch’s journey, views, experiences, focuses and future goals that surround their own personal magickal practice.
Everyone, absolutely everyone, has a different path because each person is an unique individual with unique interests, hobbies, views, practices and choices. This is why your path may vary so greatly from others around you, your friends and even your mentors/teachers. There is nothing wrong with this because it is your path, not their path.
How do I know what my Witch Type/Path is? Is there a test I can take?
No, there isn’t a test you take to determine what your path is or what type of witch you are. There is only one thing that determines that: you. You are the one who chooses your path and what you wish you focus on.
You don’t have to be any specific type of witch at all. You don’t have to be a storm witch or a green witch. You can be whatever you want. If you want a label and to focus your path onto one thing, then do it. If you want to be labeled as more than one thing, go for it. Do you just want to do whatever you want and have no labels? That’s perfectly fine too!
You decide what kind of witchcraft interests you by:
Researching: research every single thing you can find! Save your sources, read through articles, take notes and compare them to other articles, posts, blogs and writings on the same topic. Look at the differences but also examine who is writing: a person who is an atheist witch will have different views on the spirituality and morals of something compared to a Wiccan witch or a Christian witch. Examine who is writing the post, and take their views with a grain of salt and not as solid fact because everyone differs. If you agree with their views that’s great! If not, take it as something to consider. Research the scientific and medical relations of things as well, what I mean by this is each herb is a medicine and like medicine and drugs it has side effects, research it before ingesting it or using it. Research your crystals and stones to ensure you don’t ruin them or harm yourself with them. Science and witchcraft come hand in hand, remember that. It’s not fun sending yourself to the hospital because you overdosed on a herb you didn’t research well enough.
Cater to Yourself: By this I mean look at what you as a person enjoy doing: your hobbies, your likes, your dislikes, your talents, your interests, etc. Use these in your craft, take these and put them into your craft. Are you interested in art? Use art supplies, drawing, painting and sigils in your craft. Interested in singing? Sing your spells and incantations, use song lyrics for spells, sing to cleanse a space or attract things. Enjoy collecting stickers? Use stickers to seal spell jars and sachets, use them like sigils and stick them to things, buy stickers that relate to correspondences via color, shape, or imagery. You can use anything you want in your path. If you are passionate about gardening, then your path can bring in gardening and plants into it. If you are passionate about cooking definitely bring kitchen magick into your path. If you just love reading, bring literature, writing and spell books into your path. Bring in your interests, make your path full of things you love. Don’t force yourself to be the “dark mysterious witch” if that is not what interests you. Why bring in tea magick into your craft if you hate tea? Your path is meant for you to enjoy it, it is to cater to you. If you like pink, glitter, candy and soda then use that! Use those things, because they are important to you. That means they hold magick in them, because they are special to you. You will find more success in doing things you love and working with tools you associate with.
Follow Your Own Beliefs: This is a big one, some people in our community will try to push that you have to worship a certain religion or deity. You do not have to worship anything or anyone to practice witchcraft. You do not have to be part of any religion, all who tell you otherwise are gatekeeping. If you wish to be Wiccan then be Wiccan, if you wish to be Pagan then be Pagan, if you wish to be Christian then be Christian, if you don’t want to bring religion into your craft at all that’s fine too. It is your choice what your beliefs are, and don’t let others tell you that you are wrong but give that same courtesy to others. Others will likely have different views and beliefs than you and so you should also give them the same respect for their beliefs as you expect them to give you. If you do wish to work with a deity or religion, research it and look into what it is like to be apart of it. Ask others who worship this deity how they do and their bond with them, this can help you figure out your own way to worship.
Why can’t others just tell me how to find my Path? I don’t want to research.
Well, that isn’t how it works I am afraid. Other people don’t know what is important to you in your core, they don’t know what holds your interest or what holds your passion. They can’t just tell you everything about your path. They can give you advice based off of their own experiences however, but this is not the same as them being able to instruct you as to what to do.
Research is apart of witchcraft, that’s just a simple fact. Yes you can ask around to people what things may be or for help but think of it like this: People don’t like feeling like google. Asking someone what the correspondence of a crystal is can get quite annoying if you or just several others keep doing it when you can easily search the phrase: “Correspondence of ____ in witchcraft” and find exactly what you need or to simply search that user’s blog for that specific crystal. Research for yourself, it is your responsibility to do if you wish to use witchcraft. You walk your own path and that means you are responsible for your own lessons. People have out there tons of amazing resources that you can use.
Common Falsehoods, Lies, Red Flags and “Dishonest Truths” about Witchcraft/Paths:
You have to be Wiccan/Pagan: As spoken about up above, this not true. You can follow whatever religious practice or belief you desire or none at all.
Cursing is Bad!/Three Fold Rule: This is another popular thing people will throw out at new witches to try to scare and shame them away from cursing, hexing and other acts of baneful magick. As a whole, this is a personal opinion. If you choose to curse that is your choice and others have no right to tell you that you’re a bad person for it. But, if you chose not to curse yourself, then that is your choice. Don’t drag others down or insult them for their choice.
You can only be one type/kind of Witch: No, you do not even have to label yourself as we talked about above. If you wish to label yourself as a “Sea Witch” or “Cosmic Witch” or “Green Witch” then do so. If you wish not to just focus on one thing then that’s perfectly fine! A lot of witches don’t label themselves as a ‘specific type’ of witch.
You have to use crystals/herbs/tea/etc: Nope, you are not required to use any specific ingredients, you don’t even have to use any ingredients at all if you don’t wish to. Use what you have hand and what you like. If you have a lot of candy, make candy spells; if you have a lot of crayons, make drawn and colored spells; if you have a surplus of toilet paper rolls, use those as poppets or for spell containers.
You have to have companions/familiars: Nope, you do not have to work with spirits or animals or anything like that if you don’t want to. Before you do get yourself a companion I recommend heavy research into spirit companions and make sure you have a way to communicate with them.
“Only women can be witches!”: Nope! Any gender, sexual orientation, race, etc can be a witch. If you practice magick and you want to be called a witch, guess what you’re a witch. If anyone tells you otherwise they are not worth your time.
You have to be trained/in a coven to be a witch: Nope! You can be self taught and you can work alone. Beware of toxic covens too, there are some out there who try to gender-shame and can be quite toxic in general. If you wish to be apart of a coven ensure that the rules of the group are ones you are okay with and that you aren’t pressured into behaving a certain way.
You have to have “witch blood” if you want to be a strong witch: huge lie right here; your bloodline and family history does not weaken or strengthen your magick. You don’t need to be from a long line of witches to be a witch, you don’t have to be “born a witch”.
Tech Magick/Emoji Magick/Pop Culture Magick/Modern Magick is terrible and is ruining true magick!: You will see this a lot on tumblr I am afraid. Lots of people trying to tell other witches that their paths/craft is not “true witchcraft” since it is not based on traditional witchcraft or religions. Don’t listen to them. If you want to practice modern magick and pop culture magick that is your choice and you are valid in every way!
If you’re mentally ill/disabled/sick you can’t be a witch: Spoonie witches exist and there are plenty of them! Just because you have found that you may not be as energized as other witches means absolutely nothing. You are valid, even if you use simple and basic magick due to low energy levels you are valid! You are still a witch.
You can only be friends with/date other witches: big red flag here! If anyone is telling you this, whether it is a mentor, teacher, friend or coven member/leader you need to find someone else fast. This is majorly toxic behavior used by some witches in this community to make you cut ties with others. It is an abusive manipulative tactic that you have to be aware of and avoid. You can be friends and date whoever you want (obviously within legal terms), whether they are a witch or not.
True witches practice magick everyday: Nope! You can take breaks! Especially when you have other things going on, you are tired or you just aren’t mentally/emotionally able to do witchcraft. That is perfectly fine. Take breaks, rest up, focus on other things – its okay. Take care of yourself. You aren’t being a ‘bad witch’ for taking breaks.
Everything is related to the supernatural!: No, the mundane is a thing. Not everything you see will be a mystical sign or message. Not everything that happens to you is because of spirits, curses, spells, etc. Rule out the mundane first such as medical problems or common sense/reasoning before you go leaping onto it being some great supernatural occurrence. Once the mundane is ruled out then you can consider other things.
Magick is better for you than medicine/doctors!: NO NO NO NO. Magick can aid in medical things if properly researched but never EVER substitute medical procedures, doctors or medicines for magick! Go and take care of yourself!
I was making a spell candle for the Imbolc ritual I’m hosting for the coven tomorrow and figured: why not turn it into a little tutorial? So here is my version of the spell candles!
What you need: (note: I made a candle for creativity and inspiration, so everything matches that goal. Change herbs, colours and stones to match any goal you want/need!)
🕯 a base candle, either white or a colour that works for your goal
🕯 through-and-though coloured candles for dripping in colours that match your goal. I usually use two or three, in this case yellow for happiness and inspiration and orange for creativity
🕯 herbs, I used basil (creativity), rose (passion/motivation), mistletoe (fertility for ideas) and mugwort (creativity)
🕯 small stone chips, I used aventurine, citrine and burnt amethyst (all for creativity)
🕯 oils, I used jasmine (creativity)
🕯 ribbon and charm (optional, but pretty!)
🕯 baking paper to protect your work surface
Start with carving some words or symbols into the candle. Today I used a bindrune for creativity, the runes kenaz (inner fire), wunjo (happiness) and gebo (gift).
Now drip the first colour. Make sure to first go around the edges for the pretty drips and then fill in the top.
Next are the herbs, stones and oil. Simply sprinkle them on top and arrange the bigger pieces so they are spread out a bit. Press the stones gently down into the still soft wax for sturdyness.
Drip the last colour, making sure to set but not drown the herbs, and tadaa! One pretty spellcandle! But wait, there’s more!
Tie the ribbon around the candle with one knot.
Slide on your charm and knot again, fitting it snuggly against the candle.
Make a pretty bow and trim the ends,and you’re done!
Burn it during your spell (note: remove the ribbon before it catches and reuse it!), place it on your altar or even make them to give away as gifts!
Also, feel free to tag me if you make one with the tutorial, I’d love to see them! 🌙
fair--y backup 