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Witch Tips for City Witches

City Witch Tips for all of my fellow witches stuck in apartments, dorms or other city areas.

If you can’t burn incense you can make your own sprayable incense by mixing alcohol (usually vodka or rubbing) with essential oils and a bit of oil, spray in the air to act like incense

If you are unable to go outside for whatever reason to get rain water (in my case just no where to collect it safely), fill a jar or glass with regular water and keep it near a cracked window to charge it with the wind, sound and scent of the rain outside. Same goes for storm water

Trapped in city and unable to get ocean water? Sea salt mixed with rain/storm water can be an excellent substitute

To continue on with water substitutes, if you can’t collect snow crushed ice from your fridge will suffice

Low key warding/protection you can use: spray moon water, salt water or sprayable incense about your apartment or dorm, place sigils under doormats, furniture, inside cupboards, etc; place crystals about hidden or out in the open, sweep and dust out the door or towards windows

If you need melted wax to seal a jar or for any other magical purpose, but can’t burn candles, by a wax melter and melt that wax and imagine the light from the burner acting like a flame (plus they are rather cheap, I got mine for 25 bucks)

Need stars in your craft but too much light pollution? Glow in the dark stars on your ceiling or wall can work just as well for visualization. Print out pictures of your favorite constellations or planets and place them up on your walls or on your altar. Live video feed of the night sky can also be easily found on the internet

Bath magic is amazing for low-key ‘in the woods’ witches. Use teas, milk, oils, herbs, bath bombs, bubble baths, salts, etc that relate to your intent. It is also a good place to meditate if you have roommates or family around that would disturb you otherwise

If you do for whatever reason need to burn a candle, birthday candles are small, melt fast, and don’t create a lot of smoke or smokey scent

Sigils are another great low-key form of magic. To boost them up, use color magic related to the color you draw them in, write them using quills made of feathers related to your intent, use colored paper, rub a drop of essential oil on them, charge them with crystals or in your windowsill

You don’t have to burn sigils to activate them, which is hardly an option when you are in a dorm or apartment. Other options are: Shredding them, erasing them, soaking them in a bath or shower, using body heat or your own pulse, etc

Miss having the outdoors and plants around? Windowsill gardens can really help. Small plants you can consider keeping in your windowsill or counter-tops: succulents, cacti, bamboo, lemongrass, basic, rosemary, mint, rosemary, mosses, aloe, snake plant, pothos (and other vines), carrots, beets, shallots, lettuce, spinach, garlic, chives, parsley, oregano, thyme, and marigold

Open your window to let the wind and air from outside to help energize you and clear out negative energies inside

Fun places to put sigils: under furniture, carved into soap, onto shampoo/conditioner bottles, on your make up, inside phone cases, in shoes, under bandages, sewn into pillow cases and blankets, behind pictures in frames, underside of nail polish, carved into wax squares for your wax melter, keys and keychains, behind mirrors or in medicine cabinets, on bookmarks, on or in binders and pencil cases, on medicine bottles, and water bottles/travel mugs

Easy to make and dispose of poppets: carrot sticks (one of my personal favorites), apples or other fruit, clothe, paper, popsicle sticks, paper towels/napkins, toilet paper rolls, eggs, celery stocks, and cotton balls

The internet is an amazing thing. Need some sounds to help you focus or meditate? Easily look up the sounds of rain, storms, wind, ocean waves, jungles, forests, etc

Christmas lights are fun and great way to use discrete witchcraft. Select ones in the colors you wish for them to bring ie green for growth, yellow for inspiration, white for protection, purple for psychic abilities, etc. 

Some everyday things you can use for discrete witchcraft that don’t cost much at all or that you most likely already have: water, table salt, black pepper, paper, crayons/pencils/pens/markers, vinegar, milk, tea, highlighters, make up and beauty supplies, shampoo and conditioner, rubber bands, paperclips, thumbtacks, computer/phone/tablet, music/music player, playing cards, dice, air freshener, perfumes, toothpaste, rice, flour, sugar, honey, and all kitchen herbs and seasonings.

Can’t afford gemstones or crystals on college budget? Crackle and dyed quartz you can find super cheap at craftstores and online. I bought a whole bag for 4 bucks. Use them based on their colors and shapes. Can’t afford that but still want to use rocks in your craft? Find some rocks you like outside, again use their colors and shapes to determine their correspondences. Want to use them for a specific purpose? Paint sigils on them in the color that corresponds with what you want! Charge them in your windowsill or with your own energy and intent. There you go!

Pocket mirrors are cheap, easy to carry around and great for glamours and on the go magic. 

Seriously though, glamour spells are going to be a good option for you. use your make up, skin products, hair care products, brushes/combs, perfume, mirrors, toothbrush/toothepaste and intent. Good to do while you are getting ready for your day

Dream magic is another friend of the city witch! Use crystals, sigils, herbs, etc near your bed before you go to sleep, drink some chamomile, get yourself a dream journal (mine is literally a notebook with construction paper on it), keep it and a pen near you. In the morning write down your dreams, your thoughts, how you feel (tired, refreshed, groggy, etc), and interpret them. 

Can’t afford tarot cards? Print out some, you can usually find them online and they won’t last as long as a real deck but it is a good temporary solution. Want a Ouija board but can’t keep one or need it to be easily hidden? Print one out, draw on one on paper or cardboard, fold it up and store it once you are done. Want a pendulum but can’t afford one? Use your favorite necklace, bracelet or keychain!

Tea and coffee magic is great, make your own tea blends with the herbs you like. Or just buy simple green or black tea and add sugar, milk, etc depending on your intentions

As I said before, crock pot magic. The Modern Cauldron: brew and cook all day with it, fill your apartment with the scent of the herbs and food to fill it with the energies they correspond with and you get a delicious meal to come home to! Most dorms allow them. Rice cookers also work well.

Can’t afford fresh food? Have to survive on ramen, canned soup, and microwaved meals? That is okay! They even correspond with things! Tomato soup for love, beauty and passion. Beef ramen noodles for strength, courage and longevity. Microwave mac n cheese for beauty and feminity. Look at their ingredients and what they correspond with. Sure its not as glamorous as a making a huge made by scratch traditional meal but its kitchen magic none the less. Stir it with your intent while you cook. It isn’t fancy but it works just as well!

Use a notebook or binder for a nice grimoire, decorate it as much as you want on the inside. Print out pictures of nature, animals, planets, stars, places, crystals, etc that you cant’ access/afford and use them in your craft. Spell books and grimoires are powerful tools

Don’t have a wand? Use a wooden spoon. Tie a colored string or ribbon to it to correspond with what energy you want it to have and move and flick it as you would a wand. 

Knitting, crocheting, and knot magic is very apartment friendly. As well as sewing and embroidering plus it is super calming.

Glitter, sequins, and beads are great in witchcraft! Use their colors to determine their correspondences. Put them in spell jars, sachets, bottles, etc. Glitter tip: if you spill any don’t fret, get some packing tape, wrap it around your hand with the sticky part outwards and dab at that glitter spill. You will literally pick up all of the glitter in seconds!

Enchant and charge your pots, pans, skillets, and other cookware to make every meal magical

Make moonwater in your windowsills. Use it for cleansing, beauty, divination, clarity, protection and purification

Take walks. Even if it is a city there is still nature about. Pigeons flying about, potted flowers outside of stores, grass growing in front lawns, etc. Enjoy yourself, even if it is not some wild, vast forest you can still connect with your local nature.

Pick up litter or garbage you see outside, being in the city we all see it. The natural world around you will appreciate you helping out. Bring a bag with you when you take your walks or travel and fill it with wrappers you see on the ground.

I hope this was helpful to all of my fellow city and dorm witches!

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Here it is, my Imbolc Spread for 2017!

There are 5 spots open for readings that I’ll do on Imbolc (Feb 2). These Imbolc specific readings will be free but donations or trades are always appreciated!

After those first 5 people I’ll continue to do free readings (Imbolc specific or otherwise) until Feb 11. After that, refer to my Reading Request page if you’d like a reading.

Reply “me” to this post to reserve your spot!

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Plants that Attract Beneficial Insects

Annuals

Sweet Alyssum

Bishops Flower

Buckwheat

Candytuff (dwarf fairy variety)

Coreopsis Tinctoria

Coriander

Salvia (”Lady in Red” variety)

Cosmos (”Psyche” and “Bright Lights” varieties)

Dill

Dwarf Sunflower (”Pacino” variety)

Bee Balm (Bergamot)

Perennials

Black-Eyed Susan 

Coreopsis (”Double Sunburst” and “Moonbeam” varieties)

Caraway

Dianthus

English Lavender

Fennel

Gaillardia (”Arizona Red” variety)

Hyssop

Lamb’s Ears

Mallow

Pyrethrum

Rudbeckia Lacinata

Scabiosa

Shasta Daisy

Veronica

Yarrow

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Richard Shilling - Land Art

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Rainy forest by Markus

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Teas for Witches: the Basics

I can talk about tea literally all day (and I have because I’ve worked in a spice and tea shop for years), and there is SO much to talk about with both health and magical benefits. Teas are made from tea leaves called camellia sinensis, with the exception of herbal teas/infusions. For this, I’m going to list magical and health benefits by type of tea.

Black Tea

Feminine * Earth * Winter * Strength * Stability * Death * Expelling Negativity * Alertness * Energy

Black tea is the most fermented and oxidized of all teas. Its tea leaves look shriveled and black. It combats heart ailments, digestive problems, high cholesterol, asthma, and breast/menstrual problems. Black tea also has a lot of caffeine (47 mg, still less than coffee) and too much of it can cause acidity issues in the stomach.  

Examples: English/Irish Breakfast Tea, Assam, Darjeeling, Lapsung Souchang, Ceylon, Earl Grey

**There is a subset of black tea called Pu-erh, a post-fermented black tea. Some consider this to be the “purest” of all teas and connect it to the aether, as it is rare and valuable.

Green Tea

Masculine * Fire * Summer * Passion * Healing * Conscious Mind * Sexual Health * Love * Energy * Progress * Magic

Green tea is slightly steamed but not fermented, which maintains its green color. It has many health benefits, such as detoxifying, reducing cholesterol and weight, boosting immunity and stamina, and reducing blood glucose. It has less caffeine than black, but still some. 

Examples: Jasmine, Sencha, Matcha, Gyokurocha, Genmaicha, Hojicha, Gunpowder, Dragonwell

Oolong Tea

Feminine * Water * Autumn * Reflection * Meditation * Wisdom * Serenity * Concentration * Romance * Friendship

I always describe Oolong as being between Green and Blacks, since it is half fermented. It can help manage weight and stress, balance blog sugar levels, remove free radicals, and promote healthy skin and bones. HOWEVER, too much can actually speed up bone degradation because it sweeps away excess calcium. And beware of its high caffeine content (I used to drink Raspberry Wulong to pull all-nighters).

Examples: Milk Oolong, Formosa, Wulongs

White Tea

Masculine * Air * Spring * Happiness * Wisdom * Moon * Purification * Protection * Clarity * Cleansing * Beginnings

White tea is a little harder to find. Either the tea leaves are plucked as immature leaves and steamed, or the leaves have not been processed (there seems to be little consensus across cultures). Some have a small amount of caffeine. It’s a great antibacterial and antioxidant, and it improves the heart, oral health, and skin. Drinking a couple cups works better than one, and you can reuse the tea leaves, granted that the second cup will brew longer.

Examples: White teas come in many flavors and are usually labeled as white tea. You may need to seek out a tea shop to find some.

Herbal Tea

Magical properties depend on which herbs are used

This tea seems to be the most popular for witches on tumblr, because it is composed of dry, unprocessed herbs, seeds, fruits, or roots, and has no caffeine (as long as the herb doesn’t!). There are many recipes online as herbals are easy to make. In general, herbal tea promotes calm, reduces cholesterol and risk of heart conditions, cancers, and diabetes. Due to its lack of actual tea leaves it has less antioxidants than other teas. Some don’t even call it a tea, but dub it Herbal Infusion.

Examples: Rooibos, most Chais, Ginseng, Chamomile, Peppermint, Spearmint, Hibiscus

**Yerba Mate is an herbal tea that is notorious for its high caffeine levels (you’ve probably seen the energy drink). It also zaps one’s appetite and can become addictive, so be careful around this tea!

As always, feel free to add/message me of any corrections, and I hope you find your cup of tea!

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“Your sacred space is where you can find yourself again and again.” - Joseph Campbell // I’ve had a lot of inquiries about the shelf that sometimes sneaks into the background of my photos, so I wanted to share it with you all. This shelf is my favorite part of my studio, and houses some of my most prized possessions, including my quartz crystal ball, fully intact Carico Lake turquoise pseudomorph clam fossil, decorated skulls from @badmoonshop, ceramic Wise Hand from @franki_e, my first wand - which is covered in stones, of course - that I got in Salem as a child, banishing, protection, and binding spell candles, creativity (kenaz) and victory (tyr) Futhark rune candles, and herbs and crystals galore. These objects were collected throughout my life from many places, and continually replenish my inspiration. Feeling motivated and anticipating the arrival of my supply refills later today. Can’t wait to get to work again! 🌹🔮💎

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How To Write Spells & Improve Your Witchcraft

Many experienced witches find themselves constantly running up against the confines of other peoples spells. Perhaps you’re never able to find the spell that’s just right, that feels tailored to your purpose. Or maybe you’ve become very comfortable working with your personal set of tools and ingredients but spells regularly call for things that you don’t have (and don’t care to have!) while underutilizing those items that you’ve so carefully curated for your craft. For witches in this situation, writing your own spells might be the only plausible solution to reviving the fluidity and enjoyment of your craft.

For some newer witches the process of writing your own spells may seem a bit intimidating. When you haven’t got much experience under your belt sticking with spells written by other people just feels safer. And that’s OK! As with any art, you must first copy other peoples work until you simply cannot stand it anymore to really master the techniques and build a firm foundational knowledge. Only then do you start to compose and explore your own voice in your craft.

Even for those who are new to the craft however, playful experimentation can hold merit. If you feel confident and ready to explore a little more freely please do not hold yourself back regardless of whether you consider yourself a beginner or a more advanced witch.

A few Pros of writing your own spells:

You’re never missing materials

You can tailor every spell for the spirits and energies you work with

Spells can be as involved or simple as you like

Experimentation! (I count this as a pro because it’s fun)

You get complete creative license with your magic

You learn and develop a personal style in your craft

A few Cons:

You may not really get a good idea of what works until you’ve been writing for a while

Sometimes it’s too time consuming to write your own spell

Some people can’t write well (although if you’re not attached to your spells being beautifully worded don’t let this stop you!

FREE BONUS: GET THE SPELL WRITING WORKBOOK

ON TO THE ACTUAL PROCESS OF WRITING A SPELL.

The first thing you must do is clearly define the purpose of the spell or your intention. A good beginners rule is to start with the guidelines below when outlining the objective of your spell.

Phrase it as though what you want to happen is presently true

Make it absolute

Make sure it’s descriptive and phrased in such a way that doesn’t leave a lot of loopholes for mishaps (i.e. “I am ten pounds lighter” could lead to you getting food poisoning and dropping ten pounds, not so fun)

Though similar, these rules aren’t so hard and fast for spell writing as they are for creating sigils. Play around with these guidelines and find what works for you! I prefer working more abstractly, working with the natural flow of events instead of shaping them overly much. If you work with a deity or particular spirit then phrasing it as a request instead of an absolute may work a bit better for you.

As an example, lets say our objective is to attract more abundance. Now, we don’t have anything specific in mind, we simply want to open up the channels that can allow abundance in a variety of ways into our lives. The objective could be phrased a number of ways, “I am open to abundance and draw prosperity into my life” would work, as would “Abundance enters my life freely”.

Next it’s time to figure out what kind of spell you’d like to use. This is largely going to depend on what materials you have available to you and what kind of magic you’re comfortable working with. If you can’t cook you probably don’t want to be making food-based spells and if you don’t have jars then that curse jar isn’t going to get very far. This is a fun place to get creative though. Have you ever wondered if you could use something in a spell? Now is the time to try it! (In all likelihood the answer is yes)

Get the free Spell Writing Workbook and learn to create your own awesome spells!

Our abundance spell could be set up any number of ways, for example you could use:

An abundance attracting knotted bracelet

A candle spell

A charged object that you keep near your bed

A bowl of enchanted pennies that you throw your change into every day

Or even some combination of techniques

This is just a fraction of the ways you could do this one spell, this is the time to really let your individual preferences and strengths shine through. What sort of spells do you love doing? What have you always wanted to try? What feels truly powerful to you?

From this point on it’s all tweaking, you have your bases covered, you just need to assemble the pieces. This includes your “standards” like any kind of sacred space that you cast for working, calling deities and other entities, invoking elements, etc. This would also be a good time to figure out if you like working with words. Most of my spells are wordless but I know there are many witches who like to supplement their power with incantations, rhymes and sometimes songs or chants. Writing these yourself is an excellent way to just funnel that much more energy into your spell.

If we continue with our abundance spell, say we’ve decided to enchant an object. There are many objects that we could choose but I prefer one that I’ll come into contact with frequently, something like a wallet would serve perfectly in this context.

To assemble the pieces of the spell we would begin with cleansing and calling up a sacred space. After that we might write the intention on a slip of paper and tuck it under a green or gold candle that has been dressed with a basil infused oil. You might choose to say an incantation as you light the candle or you might prefer to quietly focus on your intention as the candle burns down. When the candle has burned itself out the slip of paper simply needs to be placed in the wallet and then we can end the spell by closing our sacred space.

There are an endless number of ways that you can combine types of spells and tools and ingredients, let your imagination run wild and see what you can come up with. What sounds ridiculous in theory may turn out to be the best spell you’ve ever tried. Be creative, have fun and don’t hold back!

If you try a new spell that you’ve written and it doesn’t work, tweak it and try it again. Writing spells is like any kind of creative process, you’re likely to find a dozen methods that don’t work for you before you find even one that does.

Hey everyone! I’ve moved all of my best witchcraft resources to my new blog, many of my old posts now have downloadable upgrades and new information added. I’ll be posting new witchy material over there weekly, if any of you have topics that you’re particularly interested in learning about let me know!

FREE BONUS: GET THE SPELL WRITING WORKBOOK

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Witchcraft is a powerful weapon against oppression. It’s intention is to give power to the powerless. Use it and wield it against evil. Hex your oppressors.

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A Secret Witches Guide to Concealing your craft

Make sure practicing witchcraft in your home does not put you in any imminent danger! 

Drink tea - A mundane thing, make it a daily thing in order to make people less suspicious. Say short incantations while stirring in your honey. 

Keep a small plain notebook to use as your grimoire - Use this to write all your witchy ideas in. 

Find a well concealed hiding place to put all of your witchy stuff - Put anything that you want to keep concealed in here. 

Create a portable altar - One easy enough to take down and hide quickly. Draw an altar in your grimoire for a simple portable altar.

Meditate - Sit somewhere you won’t be disturbed and meditate. You don’t need any special supplies to meditate therefore, it is easy to hide.

Paint your nails to match your intent  

Glamour your Clothes

Braid your hair while say an incantation

Trace sigils around your room - Use your fingers so they remain discreet and charge them with intent.

Glamour a piece of jewelry to wear daily

Keep plants and candles in your room - No one will draw conclusions if these are in your room.

Decorate a shoe box to dedicate to your practice - Put any witchy things you want if you are unable to find a place to hide your stuff. 

Use knot magick when tying your shoes

Cleanse your room and home using intentions

Water your plants with growth spells - Speak to them while doing this in order to help them grow.

Do your casting in a discreet location outside - this way no one can interrupt you when you are in the middle of a ritual.

Use color magick when picking out what you want to wear

Use scented candles - Although lots of candles may raise suspicion, if they are scented they won’t draw much attention.  

Write sigils in lotion - Cover your body in lotion sigils, in a couple minutes they will fade away and not be visible.

Stir counter clockwise - In your baking or your tea to banish negative energy.

Use playing cards instead of tarot cards

Go for hikes - A way to be with nature and not raise any suspicion.

Clean your room - This is the equivalence of cleansing your room.

May the moon light your path!

==Moonlight Academy==

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Witch on the Go

In my purse I keep a decent sized tin box where I keep some items that I may need on the go as a witch:

✨Tea bags ✨ Lighter/Matches ✨ Clear quartz ✨ Small candle ✨ Incense cone ✨ Salt ✨ Small glass vial ✨ Rosemary

Easily adaptable to your practice! Other ideas are herbs, sea shells, tarot cards, paper for sigils, crystals, etc.

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Garden Witch Tip

As we come into February now is the perfect time to start seedlings of cool weather plants! Keep them indoors until they sprout and then let them get as much sun as possible before they grow large enough to transplant. I recommend lettuce, kale, and broccoli. 

Get yourself some seed packets for $0.50 and buy one of these bad boys for about $3 from anywhere they sell seeds (like Walmart) and you’re done! (Also, seeds are covered by food stamps in America).

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Schwarzwald, Germany

photo via marcelot