Affects: hoarding / accumulation of material things, obsession over being prepared, focus on values and possessions, reflecting on goals and ambitions, stubborn behaviors, grudges being revisited, slow and steady progress, indulging in comforts, materialism, heightened senses, drowsiness, fertility, need for stability and control, over-eating, staying home more often, need for familiarity, lust, need for physical comforts or affection
What It’s Good For: handling finances and possessions, preparing for work, home, or education related matters, personal growth and nourishment, creativity, visiting concerts, museums, or other scenic places, trying new recipes or crafts, lounging and resting at home, resting, reflecting on how you value yourself and others, taking control over your practical life, realizing your worth and importance, honoring loved ones, finding comfort in who you are, letting go of cluttered or hoarded possessions, feelings, and relationships, appreciating the things you have, finding balance between wants and needs, wishes and spells relating to prosperity, comfort, love, and abundance
Crystals: rose quartz, diamond, rhodonite, emerald, clear quartz, jade, red jasper, tiger’s eye, malachite
y’all know that not everybody can burn things to do cleansing in the house so…
in the past days i was looking for a cleansing spray easy to do but really, none was easy
sooo, i decided to do my own cleansing spray with the things i have here in my house and i though, why not post the thing in my tumblr? so here it is!!!!
materials:
spray bottle (glass is better!!!!!!!)
rosemary
lavander
lavander essential oil
basil salt and lavander salt (any salt works)
moon water (important)
alcohol (medical or white vodka works fine)
mint
how to do it:
first, put the moon water in the spray bottle
then, put the same amount of moon water but replace the moon water with alcohol
now, put all the herbs inside of the bottle (lavander, mint and rosemary)
we are almost ready, now put the salt in the bottle, the amount you find okay (lavander and basil salt)
now it’s time to put the lavander essential oil in the bottle
finally, mix it all and you’re ready to do cleansing!!!!
We get a lot of asks from brand new witches requesting resources or guidance on ‘where to start,’ and finally decided to write a single post that condenses our ideas and advice in one convenient place. This isn’t the be all/ end all of witchy resources, but it’s a place to start!
First off, the big question:
Who Can Be A Witch?
We run into this one a lot. And the absolute final answer from both Mme Hearth Witch and EstFortis is that as far as we are concerned…
EVERYONE
A witch is a witch regardless of gender, ethnicity, ability, sexual orientation or any other limit that people try and place on the craft. It is a practice, witchCRAFT, and not a religion. Therefore it should not be gatekept like many religions can be.
That said, many folks include spirituality and religion as a part of their path. It’s important to note that certain traditions and cultures within the umbrella of witchcraft will have guidelines and it is important to be respectful of that.
But it is not required, and many witches are firmly in the atheist or agnostic categories.
You are also 100% allowed to just decide you are a witch. As said, witchcraft is not a religion, so unlike initiatory traditions (Wicca and Druidism come to mind) you want to be a witch, be a witch!
There are no special powers, no birthright, no requirement of a family lineage.
Alright, so now that we have that sorted out… Our advice.
1. Read it all. The good, the bad, and the wtf?!
Reading only things you’re inclined to agree with means you often aren’t reading with a discerning mind. You trust the author/source and you take it all in like a sponge. Now, there’s a time and a place for that kind of teaching, but there is always space for discernment,
Which brings us to the bad and the wtf. Keeping your reading options open means you’re going to expose yourself to many different ways of thinking. I can think of no greater approach to a witchcraft practice than this. You’ll learn what sort of things don’t resonate with you, and how to pick gems out of otherwise second-rate material. And all the while, you’ll be defining exactly what it means to you to be a witch.
2. Learn to cleanse
We don’t just mean showers, although those are great, and you can totally do magic in the shower. We mean from a magical standpoint.
Ever walk into a room and just feel your mood/emotions take a nose dive? Like, the tension, stress and gloom is almost physically palpable? On the flip side, have you ever entered a space and immediately felt relaxed? These two situations demonstrate some of the most mundane magic we can imagine. While the latter is desirable, and the goal of hearth witches like MmeHW and EstFortis (and other kinds of witches too, but your witch mums are big fans of hearthcraft, lol), the first is a something we want to deal with.
Even if the energy levels haven’t reached peak doom and gloom we can still address it. And it’s preferable to deal with it early and often, instead of letting it build anyway!
There are a few different ways to go about this, but we’ll cover a few. This is by no means an exhaustive list, and part of being a witch is to figure out what works for you 🙂
Physical Cleaning
It’s basically impossible to magically clean a space that is physically dirty and cluttered. While magical cleaning can help clear some negative energy and give us a push to tidy up, a “proper” cleansing requires a space free from cobwebs and clutter.
Smoke Cleansing or Recaning
You may come across this practice under the term smudging however smudging is term from a closed practice belonging only to Native American people. When studying and practicing, be wary of cultural appropriation, and when it doubt, do your research.
Smoke cleansing is often done using sage, however there’s no need to limit yourself. Some alternatives are:
palo santo
cedar
basil
lavender
thyme
rosemary
Rattles
Rattles can be great when the energy of an area is making you feel antsy. Or if the energy feels very stuck. A lot can be used as a rattle: some popcorn seeds, beans, etc in a glass jar makes a simple one. Or you can get more elaborate and make something special. Bells also work in much the same way as rattles!
If you want one example of how exactly to cleanse an area, EstFortis’ method is outlined here.
3. Learn to shield/protect
Again, this is an area where there are so many different ways to go about it. But here is Mme Hearth’s favorite technique:
Starting at your core, visualize energy coming from the earth and wrapping around you.
Move your hand up your body, as if you were zipping yourself up. That energy still flowing around you, sealing yourself off from “outside”. Continue until the energy has moved over your head. I shake my hand a bit, to release the extra energy, and proceed with my day, wrapped in my little snug cocoon of energy.
4. Cultivate a daily practice
Witchcraft doesn’t exist solely in the big elaborate rituals, or a life which resembles a #witchaesthetic post on instragram. Indeed, it rarely looks like that. There’s a time and a place to bust out the big guns, but both of us here at Witch Mums have found that a daily, meaningful practice that incorporates witchcraft into our daily lives rather than being “other” has been the best way to establish a long term practice. A fancy grimoire and altar are all well and good, but not if they never get used because it takes too much effort.
Little things like the daily shower magic mentioned above, or decorating the house seasonally and making an effort to eat seasonal/local food can do a lot to help a person feel more “witchy”.
Take a moment in the morning to set an intention for the day. Reflect on the energy of the day before you sleep. Make note of the phases of the moon and align to do lists and tasks to match the energy of the lunar cycle.
5. Question everything
Even this post. Skepticism is the corner stone of any solid practice. Before you include something in your practice, give it a think. Spend time considering WHY you want to include it, and what it means to you. Don’t just add things because you read about it and they sound cool. While this is easy to do, especially in the early, excitable days, it’s not a great way to develop a meaningful practice in the long run.
And it’s worth mentioning here again, be wary of cultural appropriation. Just because you read about a practice somewhere, or see it… doesn’t mean it’s right for you to adapt that practice into your beliefs. There’s being an eclectic witch, and then there’s being part of the oppression of poc around the globe. Be the first, not the second.
We hope this helps. We’re always willing to answer specific questions of course, or go deeper into any aspect of this. But as a general “Where do I start learning to be a witch?” this covers most of it.
Grimoire of the Green Witch by Ann Moura(Only use this book for references and DO NOT READ HER OTHER BOOKS. They are not about Green Witchcraft, but Wicca with the word “Green” thrown into every sentence)
So if my last post didn’t make you want to go out and buy some crystals, then I’m so sad! But maybe this post will! Today I wanna chat a little about how to look after your crystals, the do’s and don’ts if you will. Now of course, every crystal is different, so it is important to make sure that you do your research on the individual crystal that you have!
Firstly, upon getting a new crystal you may want to cleanse it. That is, to banish away any previous energies that the previous owner may have given it, and to give it a clean slate, ready for you to work with. There are many methods of cleansing crystals so here are a few of my suggestions:
1. Use sage. Burning sage not only helps make your room smell great, but it is also great for removing any unwanted energies. To do this, set a sage smudge safely alight and allow the smoke to tumble over the crystal. Either out-loud or in your mind say ‘With the element of fire, I cleanse this crystal from all that was previously possessing it’. If the crystal is too large or heavy to pick up, then simply use your hands to waft the smoke over it.
2. Light. Using either sunlight or moonlight to cleanse your crystals can also be very effective. However, it is important to look at the properties of your crystal, as some of the colours can be damaged by sunlight, therefore moonlight may be a better option. Leave your crystals in the light with the intent of cleansing them, and when you feel they are ready, you can return to them.
3. Soil/Water. Many believe that returning crystals to the Earth restores them to their original self, and some may even bury their crystal for ~24 hours. It is also known to use stream water or moon water to cleanse the crystals by washing them, however some salt based crystals may dissolve when soaked, so again, DO YOUR RESEARCH!
4. Other crystals. Selenite and clear quartz have the ability to cleanse other crystals without damaging their own properties. Do to so either place your crystals on or around the cleaning crystals and when you feel their are cleansed, use them. I personally have a selenite wand, which I like to point at a crystal that I feel needs cleansing.
IMPORTANT: Once your crystal is cleansed, you must charge it with positive energies, or your own vibrations. Never leave a crystal blank as it is highly likely that another energy will be absorbed into it. Again, there are a few ways to charge your crystals, and here are some of the popular methods:
1. Moonlight. This seems relevant, considering we have just had influence from a full moon and a blood moon! Charging your crystals with the energy of the moon is extremely effective and helps with positive outlooks, and new beginnings.
2. Meditation. The easiest way to connect with a crystal. Simply hold the crystal in your hands whilst meditating, take a few deep breaths. Clear your mind of what is going on around you, and simply concentrate on yourself, who you are, your faith, your belief and transfer these vibrations into the stone. It is important to give your intent to the crystal, either in your minds eye or aloud say ‘I call upon the vibrations of the God and the Goddess, to fill this crystal with the intent of…’, give thanks, give three deep breaths and relax, coming back to terms with your surroundings.
So thats generally how you would prepare your crystals, just to finish, here are just some of the crystals you shouldn’t use water or sunlight on:
– Damaged by sunlight: Aventurine, Amethyst, Citrine, Calcite, Sapphire, Rose Quartz.
This directory has come about because I, the owner of a small witchcraft based business, want to share and support other witches doing the same thing.
If you know of or own an witch-centric/witch-owned e-shop, please send me a link via direct messages only to the store (and let me know what is sold there too so that I can correctly categorise it) so that I can add it to this post.
The Bewitching Shop Directory page on my blog: [X]
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