nycwitchytips

[nycwitchytips]

Eco-witchery

Being a witch involves more than just the use of herbs and pretty rocks and moon water, it also includes preserving and protecting the resources that are very important to our craft and our being. Nature is our only source and needs to be respected and all her gifts used wisely.

Recycling and conserving has become the norm nowadays considering the growing shortage of our natural resources and I am so here for it. Here is my list of ways us witches can do our part:

When you boil your veggies, save the water to feed your little plant babies. Considering we are going through an intense drought for us Capetonians, this is a must. 

Use eggshells and coffee grounds to add nutrients to your soil for your plant babies.

Use old cereal, cookies or bread to feed the local feathered friends. This is especially helpful in winter when food is scarce.

Refrain from planting foreign plants, it could have a negative effect on the native flora and fauna.

Gather as much rain water as you can during the rainy seasons for watering plants. Even make moon water or enchanted water to bring prosperity and give your plant babies a little boost.

Save all your seeds!

Keep all pesticides away from your plants, especially if you plan on consuming them or using them in magic.

If you stay close to the ocean, gather some seaweed, dry it and crush it to be used on plants. It has tons of nutrients to help your lil bebes grow big and strong.

Instead of using plastic tags to mark your herbs, make your own out of twigs and just shave a spot off for writing. Get creative and make your garden look extra magical.

Plant loads of succulents, they use very little water, are super low maintenance and are beautiful to look at.

MULCHING is a water saving essential !!!

Don’t toss the weeds, find out what their properties are and how you could use it. Even if it is just for fertilizing or making a tea for your plants.

If you have any fur babies, find some plants that they like. Find out what plants they like, e.g catnip for kittens.

The same way some witches make their own wands or magical tools, why not make your own magical gardening tools from recycled or recyclable materials?

Share your reapings from Gaia with your community.

Any other suggestions?

[nycwitchytips]

Minor Hex

So on insta I had a follower that was concerned about a person that had treated her badly. She didn’t want to perform a negative curse in them, just something to allow them to experience some Karma. So I decided to suggest a spell that causes some minor inconveniences.

Materials:

Black candle

White candle

Person’s stuff

Method:

Light the white candle and think of all the unjust actions that the person has done.

Then lay their item in front of the fire charging it with those actions.

Light the black candle to banish any negative emotions that could reach you.

Return the item back to the person, they should experience minor inconveniences that will teach them a lesson.

This spell is not meant to harm people but rather teach them a lesson about their actions.

[nycwitchytips]

cloud cookies are such a great way to explore new herbal combinations while on a budget~

this week’s batch is lavender & rosemary chocolate chip 🌿🍪

ig: mintelly

[nycwitchytips]

Starting a Grimoire📙

Ok so somebody asked for some tips on starting their grimoire so here’s this long ass post for anyone who needs it.

You do not need some big fancy notebook it can be a really cheap one or it can be online or in a scrapbook/binder

Ideas of what to put in your Grimoire

🌹~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~🌹

🌌Table of contents

🌌A page about you, your birthstone, fav herbs/crystals to make it more personal

🌌Types of magick

🌌Types of witches

🌌The history of magick/witches in your country or local area

🌌About the deities you worship if you worship any

🌌Local myths/legends of interest

🌌herbs and their magickal properties

🌌 Candles and their magickal properties

🌌Essential oils and their magickal properties

🌌Crystals and their magickal propererties

🌌Gemstones and their magickal properties

🌌Runes

🌌Sigils

🌌Casting a circle

🌌Spells and how to cast them

🌌What days/times are best for casting spells

🌌Zodiac signs

🌌Moon phases

🌌Familiars

🌌Altars, what they are and what you need to set one up

🌌Moon water

🌌Sun water

🌌Banishing

🌌Binding

🌌Cleansing

🌌Grounding

🌌Spirit work, how to do it and how to stay safe

🌌Put protection sigils over the Grimoire to keep it safe and hidden

🌌Planets and their relation to magick

🌌Sabbats

🌌Witch terminology 101

Organizing a Grimoire

🌹~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~🌹

🍁This isn’t needed, if you prefer the write as you go method that’s fine.

🍁For those of us who prefer to have it organized a table of contents is a must.

🍁Try and plan what your going to write down when. If it helps write down in a notebook or in your book of shadows every idea you can think of putting in your grimoire and number them.

🍁It’s ok if it’s not ‘perfect’ chances are this is your first grimoire so not only is ok its natural to make a few mistakes here and there

🍁Write in pencil if you don’t like crossing out mistakes or using tipex

🍁The key thing to remember is that it doesn’t need to look ‘Tumblr perfect’ as long as you understand it

[nycwitchytips]

🔮Witchy Tips🔮

✨Make runes by drawing on pennies in sharpie and sealing it with clear nailpolish, glaze, or hairspray

✨Make tarot cards by using playing cards

✨Make a palmistry hand by buy a cheap hand ring holder or a mannequin hand and paint it

✨When doing bath rituals, use coffee filters to place herbs in for an easy clean up

✨If you own a cat, look around and collect their whiskers! They can be used in spells and naturally shed off cats! *don’t clip or ‘trim’ your kitty’s whiskers plz!

✨Too low on energy to do kitchen witchcraft? That’s okay, before heating up a premade meal, take a look at the ingredients and see what corresponds with an intention you want to put in your meal

✨Thai takeouts usually have nice containers to store things!

✨Can’t have an open flame or maybe you’re afraid to catch things on fire? Buy fake candles and change the light bulb depending on the spell you’re doing! Or there are ones that coke with a remote where you can change the color automatically

✨When doing a spell, sit somewhere where the area will help give energy to the spell. Doing a sleep spell? Do the spell on your bed. A growth spell? Sit in the grass!

✨If you are constantly going through candles, take the opportunity to clean out the candle jar and use it for storing herbs and things

✨If you can’t burn sage to cleanse, you can make a simple cleansing spray with 4 oz of witch hazel, 6 drops of lavender essential oil and 6 drops of sweet orange essential oil. Add ingredients to a small spray bottle and shake shake shake before spraying

✨Make your own candles with crayons or light a crayon on fire

✨Instead of spending $$ on a crystal ball, use fire or water to scry

✨Spells may not always take affect right away, have patience!

✨Anything can be used in spells, its your personal correspondences and your intention

✨You don’t have to meditate, but if you’d like to, start small! Don’t try to meditate for an hour right away, start with 3 minutes and work your way up to 10 and so on

✨You don’t have to worship a god or goddess!

✨Familiars aren’t mandatory for spell work, don’t feel like you have to have one. Sometimes it takes time to develop a familiar

✨Sleep with your tarot under your bed so you get better readings with your deck

✨Talking or singing to your plants help them grow!

✨If you want your Grimoire/BoS to be artsy but you can’t draw, press plants in between the pages or use stickers that match the theme on each page

[nycwitchytips]

simple rose water spells 🌹

easy spells where only rose water is needed

🌹 a drop of rose water on each eyelid to enhance clarity

🌹 a touch of rose water on each cheek to appear lovely

🌹 immerse a charm in it to enchant it with positive feelings

🌹 pour some out in the dirt and step on it to break a heart

🌹 brush some over the corners of a door and knock to keep negativity away

🌹 a drop brushed over your lips to say only kind and soothing words

🌹 flick droplets over a page to divine from what words they land on

[nycwitchytips]

Happy New Year

- May your 2019 be filled with light and love and good energies.

[nycwitchytips]

🌨 Winter Correspondences ☃

❄ Icicles -  purification, harmony, cleansing

❄ Fallen Snow - healing, stillness, delicate magic

❄ Hail - protective magic, resilience

❄ Snowflakes -  transformations, balance, liminality

❄ Ice -  creativity, protection, growth

❄ Snowstorms - power, strength, survival

[nycwitchytips]

i’ve had this going through my head for a week and i had to physically get it out of myself to make it stop

[nycwitchytips]

How to enchant

What does enchanting an object means?

When you enchant an object, you put your energy and intent into something, giving it a purpose. It can be anything: protection, attract general love, relaxing or even cursing.

Cleanse the object before enchanting How to set an enchantment Echanting an item tips Enchanting an object  Enchanting + ideas More about enchanting How to enchant How to enchant with cosmic energies Useful links + tips  Enchating with touch Enchantments:

Pen enchantment Wind enchanting for divination Enchantment to ease your state of mind Cursing: Cursing an object - Basics

[nycwitchytips]

reading “Pitbull covers Toto’s Africa for Aquaman soundtrack” put me through the 5 stages of grief in 4 seconds

[nycwitchytips]

New Years Wish 🎉

So everyone has their New Years hopes, dreams and resolutions. So I think a proper way to end the year is with a wish. This simple spell requires you to find on thing that you believe will help succeed eg if you want to prosper get a coin or be lucky put a horseshoe.

🌟🌟🌟

Materials:

-Jar

-Moon water

-Clear quartz

-Object in order to suceed

✨✨✨

1. Pour the moon water into your jar in order to charge it with positive energy

2. Hold the quartz and say “I want to be______, so mote it be”

3. Put the quarts in the jar

4. Take your object and chant the same incantation in order to charge it with that energy

5. Place it into the jar and tightly cover the lid. Place the jar somewhere you know it will remind you of your wish

6. When then wish is fufilled pour the water into a plant allowing all the extra energy to still be prosperous. Take the quartz and recharge it. Thoroughly clean and cleanse the jar. Then take the object and carry it around in order to maintain your wish.

💫💫💫

I’m sorry for my recent absence but I hope to be more active ASAP

[nycwitchytips]

Basic All-purpose Justice Spell

This is not a hex, nor a curse, there’s no “edge” to this spell at all; it’s purely and plainly a magical plea for justice.

Hold a brown cnadle in your hands, clsoe your eyes and focus on your situation and circumstances: how justice has not been served and why it should. It’s not necessary for you to envision the path to proper justice; that’s for the powers of the universe to determine. When the candle feels charged and complete, burn it.

The Element Encyclopedia of 5000 Spells- Judika Illes

I flipped open the book and this was the first thing I saw. It may seem like nothing it can be used as a way of faith flowing through one in hopes that justice will be brought.

[nycwitchytips]

Powerful New Years Spell

New Years is so close!!! Do some majeek to guarantee your 2019 is the best year it can be! Bring foward positive change, transformation, good vibes, and healing energies ✨

Step 1: Get yourself a cute jar!!!

Step 2: Collect some snow ❄️ in your jar, and let it melt

Step 3: Add glitter to make your jar a snowglobe!!!!

Step 4: Shake your jar three times, repeating “make this year shine bright, fill me with delight”

Step 5: Open the jar, and wash your hair with the magical water 💦

Step 6: While still wet, go outside and yell “Y E E T” at the moon

[nycwitchytips]

🍋 Lemon Pancake Muffins🍋

⤐ love and happiness ⬷

Ingredients:

* 1½ cups all purpose flour

* 1 large egg

* 1 cup milk

* 1 teaspoon almond extract ⤐ love

* 1 teaspoon baking powder

* ½ teaspoon baking soda

* juice of 1 lemon ⤐ happiness + love

* zest of 1 lemons

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a muffin tin or use muffin wrappers and place them in a muffin tin.

2. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and stir with a whisk.

3. Pour into muffin tin and bake for 17-19 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

4. Allow to cool and enjoy

[nycwitchytips]

A Practical Guide to Herbology

Lesson One: Medicinal Teas

When I was first starting out with herbology, I was living in a small village in Croatia with a total population of less than 100 people. We depended on homemade teas, salves and medicines to heal us since the nearest hospital was two hours away. We treated ourselves with the power of herbs, gifted to us by the Earth.

These days, we can purchase all the tools we need to grow both common and exotic plants. Dried herbs are also another good option, especially for those that cannot grow their own. And with these tools, we can craft our own medicines. 

For the first lesson, I’m going to focus on something simple: the art of crafting medicinal tea. 

Creating Tea Blends

When starting out with creating medicinal teas, it’s important to understand how each ingredient interacts with our bodies. Be sure that you’re not allergic to any of your herbs and that they won’t interact poorly with any prescribed medications that you’re on. For example, those who are diabetic should not take angelica root; folks who are allergic to ragweed should avoid chamomile. 

Here’s a list of common herbs and their functions for the purposes of crafting medicinal teas:

Angelica Root: Soothes colds and flu, reduces phlegm and fever. (Do not use if you are diabetic)

Basil: Eases headaches, indigestion, muscle spasms, insomnia; reduces stress and tension

Blackberry Leaves or Roots: Reduces diarrhea

Catnip: Soothes teething pain, colic, diarrhea, indigestion, anxiety, insomnia. (May cause drowsiness. Avoid if on Lithium or sedatives)

Calendula (marigold): Reduces fevers, soothes indigestion, gastrointestinal cramps, flu; antiseptic. (May cause drowsiness. Avoid if on sedatives)

Cayenne Pepper: Soothes coughs, colds, arthritis (topical), nerve pain, fever, flu; expectorant. (Avoid taking with medications that contain Theophylline).

Chamomile: Reduces insomnia, anxiety, stress, fever, indigestion; aids with sleep and pain relief. (May decrease effectiveness of birth control pills and some cancer medications, may increase the effects of warfarin; avoid if you are taking medications for your liver)

Cinnamon Bark: Soothes sore throats and coughs; anti-inflammatory (Avoid taking with diabetes medications)

Dandelion Root: Detoxifying, aids digestion, relieves constipation, laxative. (Avoid if on antibiotics, lithium or water pills)

Dandelion Leaf: Mild diuretic, potassium-rich (Avoid if on medication for liver)

Elderberries: Wards off colds and flu

Ginger: Eases morning sickness, nausea, colic, indigestion, diarrhea, fever, sore throats. (Avoid taking with medications that slow blood clotting)

Ginkgo: Relieves anxiety, vertigo, tinnitus; improves circulation, helps concentration; helps PMS. (Avoid taking with ibuprofen or with medications that slow blood clotting; numerous medications have interactions with ginkgo so speak to your specialist before use)

Ginseng: Aphrodisiac, mild stimulant, boosts immune system. (Do not take with medications that slow blood clotting, and avoid taking with diabetes medications or with MAO inhibitors)

Goldenrod: Relieves gout and cramps

Lavender: Reduces anxiety, headaches, tension, stress, indigestion, IBS; antibacterial; antiseptic; disinfectant (May cause drowsiness; avoid if on sedatives)

Lemon balm: Relieves anxiety, cold sores, colic, insomnia, restlessness, indigestion; boosts memory (May cause drowsiness, avoid taking with sedatives)

Nettle: Reduces hay fever and arthritis; diuretic. (Avoid taking with diabetes medications, medications for high BP, sedatives, medications that slow blood clotting, and lithium)

Peppermint: Relieves nausea, anxiety, indigestion, IBS, colic, diarrhea, fever, coughs, colds; anesthetic (Avoid if you have acid-reflux disease; avoid taking with cyclosporine; avoid if on liver medications)

Pine Needles: Expectorant; antiseptic; relieves coughs, colds, fever and congestion

Rosemary: Improves focus, memory, concentration, BP, circulation; antiseptic; antidepressant; eases indigestion

Thyme: Antibacterial, antiseptic, eases coughs and colds, expectorant (Do not take with medications that slow blood clotting)

Recipes

For those starting out, here are a few recipes for common ailments. As you start making your own teas, you’ll learn which blends of herbs work best for your body. Keep track of which ingredients and combinations are successful - with each steep, you get closer and closer to crafting your perfect personalized medicine cabinet.

Anxiety Relief - ½ tsp chamomile - ½ tsp lemon balm Cold Relief - ½ tsp elderberry flower - ½ tsp thyme Mood Booster - ½ tsp lavender - ½ tsp catnip - ½ tsp rosemary Cramp Relief - ½ tsp basil - ½ tsp calendula (marigold) - ½ tsp goldenrod Indigestion Relief - ½ tsp ginger - ½ tsp lemon balm - ½ tsp peppermint Expectorant - ½ tsp pine needles - ½ tsp nettle leaf - ½ tsp angelica root Insomnia - ½ tsp chamomile - ½ tsp catnip - ½ tsp lavender Sore Throat Relief - ½ tsp cinnamon (or half a stick) - ½ tsp ginger - 1 tbsp honey Fever Break - ¼ tsp cayenne pepper - ½ tsp angelica root Flu Relief - ½ tsp calendula (marigold) - ½ tsp lemon balm

—————————————————————————–

Photographs are under the Creative Commons License. Content is from my grimoire and is embedded with information from a variety of sources over the years. 

Updated 7 March 2018 with relevant warnings and to be consistent with other posts in this series.

Warnings:  All plant material should be sourced appropriately and responsibly for your own safety and well-being. Be certain that you are purchasing food-grade ingredients from a reliable retailer or supplier. Along these lines, not all dried herbs are meant for consumption so please be on the lookout for “external use only” labels - you do not want those products for this.

Do your own research regarding medicinal plants and usage, especially if you are sensitive or have allergies of any kind. If you are on medication(s), consult a doctor before use.

Finally, medicinal teas are a health supplement and not a substitution for professional medical and psychiatric aid. If you are experiencing any prolonged health and/or mental health issues, SEE A DOCTOR.

[nycwitchytips]

Quick and easy honey spells 🐝

🌼spread some on your lips for sweet words all day or to resolve an argument

🌼put a small dab behind your ear to attract a lover

🌼rub some on your eyelid to give you a more optimistic view of the world

🌼take a spoonful before bed for sweet dreams

🌼add some to a spell to give it extra power

🌼mix some in with tea or water when you’re feeling down for a happiness boost

🌼add a teaspoon to your bath to make it a healing bath

🌼anoint a penny in honey and then wrap it in a mint leaf and put it in your wallet or by your door to bring in money and prosperity

*if you’re worried about stickyness dilute with water