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Short personal notes on lemon balm in witchcraft

Interesting historical facts: lemon balm was used by the beekeepers of the ancient Temples of Artemis who grew it so that the sacred bees would stay satisfied and remain in their hives. According to folk polish beliefs, lemon balm is the remedy to numerous physical ailments as it is believed to relieve pain, as well as being a powerful man-attracting herb girls would carry around to find a lover. Thanks to its nerve-calming effect, it was a pretty popular medicinal herb before and during the middle ages, when it was mixed to wine in order to lift someone’s spirits. Herbalists would even refer to it as the “elixir of life”.

When it comes to gardening, lemon balm is one tough cookie. It’s extremely tenacious and WILL take over the garden if you don’t discipline it. That’s why I personally prefer to grow it in its own separate pot. It’s better kept in a spot that catches some shade and doesn’t stay exposed to the sun all day long. If you only recently started to grow it, you were probably startled by its intense fragrance. Lemon balm does have a strong scent! Very fresh, very citrus-y. Its taste is just as keen, which is why it’s a popular way to flavor tea. Since its spiritual associations are mainly tied to healing, I tend to drink lemon balm tea when I have a headache or stomachache. Its calming qualities also make it a great bedside drink. However, it’s been reported that excessive, long-term consumption of lemon balm can induce higher body temperature, dizziness and stomach pains. It’s generally agreed upon that it also soothes sorrow, anxiety and grief, but when targeting such ailments, I prefer to use it in spells instead of plain tea, especially if I’m seeking a long-term solution. Dried and ground, it mixes well in any happiness, grief or stress-relief spellcraft. 

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Metal Jewelry Magic

Did you know that different metals mean different things, and represent other things as well? It's true! Your favorite metal means something, and it may resonate with you for a particular reason. Here are a few common jewelry metals that you may have exposure to.

Gold: The sun, success, personal growth, opportunity, advancement, encouragement, power

Rose Gold: Love, divine feminine, femininity, motherhood/parenthood, gratitude, warmth

Silver: The moon, intuition, wisdom, instinct, psychic powers, peace

Copper: Creativity, inventions, personal production, shadow work.

Iron: Grounding, protection, astral travel, balance

If there's any other metal you'd like to know about, let me know and I'll do some research for you! Blessed be!

Support your local witch on Ko-Fi or at my store, Hallow Grove!

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Sending you a pumpkin 💗

Second entry for Drawtober - Midnight Delivery 🦝

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I'm just picturing someone with a stereotypical Midwestern accent going "no, Barb, not a pigeon a PAY-JIN" still butchering the word but making it so much funnier

Overheard in the witchy section of the bookstore: "You don't have to be a pigeon to do witchcraft."

"Did you say pigeon?"

"Yeah. P-A-G-A-N. Pigeon. When you worship Odin and Zeus and stuff. I mean you can be a pigeon witch but you don't have to worship Zeus."

My brain:

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Enough positivity! Tell me the last time you fucked up a magical working real bad! When you accidentally got candle wax in the carpet or left smoke marks on your wall or cursed your family for five years or put a fork in a microwave! Tell me a funny story of fuckups so people realize that failure is an important part of the casting process!

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need this shirt

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Every time I see someone on this website try to lie or just make stuff up to cover their ass for being wrong or bigoted, it reminds me of the people I encounter while working retail who flip out and threaten to call the police and get everyone fired because they aren't allowed to be assholes to store staff.

Like seriously, so many posts on here have big "if you don't change your return policy to give me a full refund on this used thong I bought weeks ago, I'll call the cops " energy, but instead it's like, "if you use the proper definition of 'platonic' or if you respect trans people, I'll report you."

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So you wanna make your own incense?

You've come to the right place sweetness. For clarity's sake I want to specify that I am not a professional. This is simply what I did to make the incense that I use. Always research your herbs and herbal mixtures, be aware of your allergies, and remember to use herbs from high quality sources to protect your health. And remember, the best witchcraft is safely practiced witchcraft.

What you'll need: Herb of choice (no correlations listed here, otherwise we will be here all night)

Coffee grinder (or a mortar and pestel, but baby we are in the 21st century work smarter not harder)

Tap water (charge it if you want for extra pizzazz)

Optional: oven, preheat to 190 degrees Fahrenheit

Step one: grind up your herbs in the coffee grinder, the finer the better. My herb was food grade lavender.

Step two: Divide the ground herb into two separate bowls, a wet bowl and a dry bowl. Into the wet bowl, mix into the herb with some water so the consistency is a modable clay. Sacred water is great for this.

Step three: Form the clay into a cone shape in any way that makes the most sense for your body. For me, that involves using my thumbs and middle fingers, but whatever way works best.

Roll the wet cone into the dry bowl, coating the cone in a layer of powdered lavender.

You can either leave the cone to dry over night, alternatively---

Place in oven for 40 minutes to an hour to dehydrate the cones!

Ta-da! I hope these directions inspire you to give this a shot yourself. I know I had a lot of fun making this lavendar incense, and I know I'm excited to make more in the future. Don't stop creating lovelies.

<3 Magnolia

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Low Energy Witchcraft

I'm neurodivergent and i experience really intense burnout. I get to a point where I struggle to even get out of bed, take my meds, remember to drink water, let alone practice. But, when I want to practice i have a list of things i can usually do. Everyone's experiences with burn out/low energy are different so this list may not apply to you, and that's okay. Take what resonates, leave what doesn't and i hope you enjoy my silly little list :)

create a playlist and infuse it with an intention. eg, a money spell playlist filled with songs about wealth.

draw sigils with soap when in the shower. (you can also use a wet wipe if you can't shower)

found some juice? give it a little shake and use the ingredients as a spell.

have food that has grains as ingredients? wow! an abundance spell!

the classic add intention to your tea and coffee.

bind your hair. for me with is as simple as putting my hair in a ponytail.

watch a witchy video. while not technically practising witchcraft, sometimes all you need is to sit back and relax to connect with your practice.

when I have a decent amount of energy I'll grab a large pillar candle and carve sigils into it. I use it as a long-term spell; all I have to do to activate it is light the candle. I like to light one of these spell candles when I'm having a bad day.

if you're religious, pray. Even if you're lying in bed. Even if you haven't showered in a week. If it makes you happy and you can, do it

burn some insence! it smells good, you don't have to really worry about forgetting about it, it's good for cleansing. it's great!

take a nap with some crystals. any restorative crystals or calming crystals work great! just make sure that they aren't geodes or roughs. i'd hate for you to hurt yourself while sleeping.

if you don't have any crystals for your nap, set an intention instead. please let yourself rest.

It's important to remember that you're allowed to take breaks from your craft. If you're forcing yourself to practice when you have no energy because "that's what a good witch would do!" then you're probably going to make your situation worse. it's a great way to fall out of love with witchcraft. give yourself some grace. rest is infinitely more important than 1 full moon, 1 new moon, or missing your daily/weekly/monthly cleanse. You aren't a bad person if you don't pull your morning tarot card or check the astrology forecast for today. and you aren't a bad person if you miss your daily prayer. take care of yourself. your health is WAY more important than your craft. Go get a drink of water and take care of yourself <3

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Witchcraft Basics: Glamours

What is a Glamour?

A glamour is a kind of spell you cast on yourself to change how people perceive you. Glamours aren’t like the kind of magic you see in the movies--the same goes for all the witchcraft we talk about here. It’s not flashy. You can’t use a glamour to change your eye or hair color. You can, however, use them to be perceived as more beautiful, more confident, tougher, smarter, more delicate, the list goes on. I’ve written a couple of glamour spells before--mostly beauty spells like my spritzer or beauty oil. But there are other kinds of glamours and other ways to achieve them.

Oftentimes, glamours are performed along with your getting ready ritual. It’s a kind of magic that lends itself well to the mundane things we do everyday, and to the science of our world as well. You’ve probably heard of the placebo effect. The simple version of it is: if you believe something is happening to you, you’ll begin to feel the effects--it becomes real. The intersection of witchcraft and science is fascinating to me, and glamours in particular are where I see it overlapping the most! You’ve got magic and science working on your side with these, and the end result is often that you feel more secure in yourself, which is something we should all strive for.

How to Cast a Glamour

So you’ve crawled out of bed, or off of the couch, and you’re about to get ready to go out. You want to look a certain way--be perceived a certain way, and you want some magical help with that. This is where casting a glamour comes in, and there are a ton of ways to do it. The simplest way, with no outside preparation or ingredients, is to manifest your intent while getting ready for the day, however it is you do that. Wash away the worries and debris of the day before when you shower and wash your hair. Focus on whatever quality you desire sinking into your skin as your wash your face, moisturize, shave, etc.

Choose your outfit according to what you’re trying to manifest--color associations work well for this, as does jewelry, especially if you’ve enchanted it. If you wear makeup, it’s tailor made for casting glamours. Use color associations on your eyeshadow and lipstick--pink for beauty, red for confidence, a nude if you’re trying to go unnoticed. Think of your foundation as well, the foundation of your spell. Whatever perception you’re going for, infuse the foundation with it and put it on. If you use concealer, use it to “conceal” any faults, or whatever it is about yourself you’d like to downplay today. Weave magic and intention into your hair as your pick, comb or brush it out for the day. Do you have a favorite perfume or cologne? Use it to cover yourself in your intention. And the best part is, after the day is over, you can end the spell by washing it all away!

Of course, you can do a glamour via more hands-on means as well. Potions, salves, baths, charms, enchanted meals, the list goes on. Tea, coffee and smoothies lend themselves well to glamours, as you can take them on the go and let the magic flow through you on your way to your destination. You can create a spray for your skin or hair, an oil to anoint yourself with, or even create a satchel to carry on your person in order to exude whatever quality you’re seeking. As you may have noticed, a lot of these glamours are reusable, as opposed to the cosmetic type glamours listed above. Both have their uses, and you can layer these methods as well to achieve what you desire!

Types of Glamours

What kind of glamour might you want to cast, though? Well, here are a few examples!

-beauty/attractiveness

Probably the most common type of glamour, these are used to make you appear more attractive to people you may interact with.

-confidence

To look more confident, even when you’re not particularly feeling that way. These are good for job interviews, meetings, presentations, etc.!

-toughness

If you’re trying to look stronger or more intimidating than you are, for safety or otherwise, this might be the kind of glamour you’re looking for.

-intelligence

Need to come off as more eloquent and intelligent? Well I’m sure you’re plenty smart, but if people have been doubting you, a magical boost might give them a nudge in the right direction.

There are plenty more, and these can overlap and combine to achieve what you’re looking for! Magic is malleable like that. Just be clear about what you need, or you might get mixed results. This goes for any spell, however. ;)

Tools/Ingredients for Glamours

Not sure what to gather beforehand? Here are a couple of ideas!

Makeup (especially eyeshadow and lipstick)

Perfume

Cologne

Lotions

Jewelry

Pins

Moisturizers/Skin care products

Roses (beauty)

Garlic

Hot Sauce/Hot Peppers

Dill

Banana (Success)

Avocado (Beauty, love)

Apple (Beauty, love)

Strawberries (Love, happiness)

Peaches (youth, happiness)

Cherries, pitted (beauty)

Vanilla

Bay leaf (love, passion, harmony)

Basil (wealth,love, faithfulness)

Oregano (ward against negative energy, happiness, peaceful energy)

Thyme (positivity, prosperity)

Parsley (happiness, passion, protection)

Sage (prosperity, mental clarity)

Rosemary (beauty, love, general magical boost)

Marjoram (happiness, love, money)

Sea Salt (purity, protection)

Pepper (passion)

Crushed red pepper (passion, a spell booster)

This is just a list to start with! You can use the edible ingredients to make teas, baths, smoothies, soups, etc., and infuse other ingredients with your intent. Glamours are versatile, and the way you cast them can be, too! The only real limit is your imagination!

(I'm cleaning up my blog and reposting some of my spells/etc that were once hosted on my website.💕)

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⛤SAMHAIN: History and Meaning⛤

Samhain is the holiest and most important Sabbat of the whole wheel of the year; it combines a number of elements: the agricultural crop, the wild crop, the transition of the autumn season into a winter temperature and the commemoration of the day of the dead. 

It is the time to remember our ancestors and our loved ones who greeted us, and as a solemn time it should tend towards contemplation of the mystery of life and death as taught by the ancients. 

Samhain is a time for introspection, to empty the false of our mind, heart and soul. It is time to heal the source of our deepest wounds and those we have inflicted on others, before time overtakes us. It is the time when we can learn to see clearly. 

The true victory of self is in the cauldron. Now we need to look at the nature of our motives and the outcome of our actions. 

Samhain is the time to communicate and listen to others, a time of death, of the thought of the ancestors and what we are thanks to them.

The leaves are falling, the apples are ripe, and the ice is on the ground. 

There is the scent of Autumn, an indescribable smell of October - pumpkins, apples, cinnamon, dry leaves and beer. 

Samhain approaches and the veil between the worlds gets thinner every night. 

You can feel it in the air that the Otherworld is approaching and the sunlight turns into sunset light. Our ancestors are celebrated in Samhain, it is the time of the dead and the dying. 

The spirits of the departed are closest to our hearts, at this time when even the earth is dying.

A melancholy and introspective mood descends upon us in this dark time of ends and completions; and therefore possible rebirths. 

In the growing shadows, darkness and fog prevail while the trees give off their colorful leaves, taking the appearance of skeletons.

This was also the time when cattle were killed for meat to be consumed in the winter months (the symbolic death of the wheat God). 

All the cereals still in the fields after Samhain were considered taboo, no one could collect them and became an offering for the spirits of nature.

⛤Samhain is the best known of all Wicca Wheel of the Year celebrations. And there is a reason for all of this. Obviously, first of all it is a festive Sabbat

and above all it is the only Sabbat that people recognize as a pagan festival  and they love to celebrate it anyway. 

In years past, the Christian Church decided, according to the tradition of the time, that people could hold this festival that they were so attached to, but that it needed a new name. He also decided that instead of being a feast to celebrate all the dead, it was to be transformed into a celebration of the dead saints. 

So the party turned into the best known Halloween.

⛤Our ancestors used to protect themselves this night, cutting out faces in vegetables and placing them near the windows. 

This gave birth to the so-called Jack o 'Lantern pumpkin. 

These carved pumpkin faces were placed next to the windows to keep the spirits of this night away. 

Being the veil of the subtle worlds, it was not only the ancestors who returned to earth, but all the people of the Underworld.

⛤Samhain is obviously the end of the "summer" mid-year(The Celts divided the year into two parts, summer and winter). 

It is also the last harvest before the snow. 

It is the opposite black of Beltane, announces the role of the Dark and celebrates the Crone. It is also considered the first of the witchcraft year. 

Since the Celts considered time to be circular rather than linear, the night is both the end and the beginning of the year. 

For this reason, Samhain is a feast of divination and a time for the dead. 

A night of contradiction where life and death, opposite but parts of the same cycle, were celebrated together.

⛤Sometimes most people think that this holiday is to venerate an evil god by the name of Samhain, but this deity does not exist in any Celtic or European pantheon. 

It is a literary creation of the twentieth century, without a foundation of reality. 

Fables of Druids who left pumpkins at the doors of families who had provided sacrifices for Samhain (Satan). 

This is not TRUE! Samhain today is famous as Halloween, and obviously still has much of the old Celtic tradition, despite the church's attempts to turn it into a day of prayer for the pantheon of saints.

⛤The best known aspect of Samhain is the Festival of the Dead. It is a night to honor ancestors, to celebrate their lives and to respect their memories. It is a time when families get together and listen to stories about the life of their great grandparents and legends about kings and their knights. It was believed that on this night, the dead could return to earth to find the living. It was common practice to prepare the table even for those who have recently died and to leave food for their wandering souls. Lights should have been placed on windows and along streets to guide the spirits of the night.

Witchfully Yours,

⛤Isidora & Bleiz⛤

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Bunny

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I was describing someone to my partner, and I described this person's aesthetic and appearance as "edgy, kinda hippie soft boy" and when my partner said he didn't understand, I further elaborated, "he's like a modern equivalent of the way that Renaissance painters used to paint young men, soft-featured and vaguely androgynous. Like how some people argue that the guy next to Jesus in the last supper is actually Mary Magdalene, even though it's probably like.... John the Baptist or like.... Peter pettigrew or something."

He tried to tell me that I got my book wrong, but honestly, both are side characters from a boring story that's loved by bigots. I don't see a big difference.

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Traditional Spell to Keep a Loved One Safe

If your loved one is in serious danger at a specific point in time, perform this simple spell. But if the harm that surrounds them is more subtle than obvious, and you are somewhere far away, this is how you can keep that darkness at bay.

Buy a flowering plant. The kind that represents your loved one. Daisies if Daisy is her name. Lilies if the person’s skin is fair. Roses if they too are a great beauty.

After acquiring the plant, place it in its new home. Your garden, your balcony, your window sill.

In your native language, say, “I am (your name), and you are now my link to (your loved one’s name)”.

Then while touching it gently, whisper to it thrice: “Reterrem, Salibat, Crateres, Hisater”. These powerful words restore health, refill strength, and grant wellness when fully meant.

Proceed to water the plant just the right amount every day. Make sure it gets sunlight and fresh air. Speak to it when you can. It is now your conduit to your loved one. A healthy plant means they are well. So keep it safe and give it care.

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Hi everyone, Lola still needs help.

Things have gotten a little better for them, but the cost of living in Nigeria is still too high for someone who keeps being discriminated against and has no stable job or housing.

Daily goal is $135 USD, but if you any amount you can donate will help!

P*yP*l: angelsaxis

There's also a GFM link in my pinned that you can donate to!