witchofbeginnings - Tumblr blog

[witchofbeginnings]

Happy Pride!!

Pride Witch for Pride month!!!

Don’t just like please reblog! ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜🖤🤎

[witchofbeginnings]

PSA - Finding Good Resources

Friendly reminder that there is No Such Thing as a completely unproblematic source, creator, or author when it comes to witchcraft, magic, folklore, mythology, religion, or paganism. Even resources we regard as largely unproblematic in present times will not be viewed so in the future as time passes and viewpoints shift and progress marches on. Such is the way of things.

Followup reminder that your goal in amassing resources to inform your craft is not to find some mystical "perfect" resource with no mistakes or problems whatsoever, but to compile information from multiple sources, both mundane and magical, to create a broader and more complete picture of your chosen course of study. This, naturally, will need to be updated and revised on an ongoing basis in order to incorporate new information as it presents itself.

Additional reminder that it is never wise to base all your worldly beliefs about spirituality, morality, ethics, or practices on one single source; nor is it good practice to expect others to abide by your own interpretation of inherently subjective material.

This has been a Public Service Announcement.

[witchofbeginnings]

Secular Celebrations - Midsummer

After Beltane comes Midsummer, which some also call Litha, mid to late June. I call it “probably already too hot to go outside.” I’m not exactly a summertime person to begin with and I live in Virginia, in the middle of a swamp. So the rest of you can enjoy Midsummer. I’m going to be spending it indoors where the air conditioning is.

Midsummer is the summer solstice, the middle of the growing season, the highest point of high summer. It’s a time to celebrate the hard work we’ve done, take a bit of ease while the weather is pleasant, and have a good romp before we have to start bringing in the harvests in August. If you work with solar magic or the Fair Folk, this is your holiday. Both of these themes run deep and strong through Midsummer, along with the urge to get outside and revel in the beauty of nature at peak flourish.

So enjoy Midsummer first and foremost by getting outside...if you can. If it’s too damn hot, yanno, be realistic. But at least make an effort if you enjoy the hotter weather and it’s not dangerous to be out. Go to your favorite park, maybe go to the beach, go hiking, go to a pick-your-own fruit farm, have a picnic, attend a fair or a carnival, do some stargazing. All this assumes a lot about public safety since we’re still living in the COVID era, so use your good judgement. If it’s not safe to be around crowds, try to focus on solo activities or things you can do in the safety of your home or your backyard.

This is another good time for herb-picking. If you have a garden, your plants should be producing by this point, and you can start pruning your plants and drying those trimmings for use in your craft. This is actually my favorite part of the summer. I love putting up those bundles of plants and flowers to dry, I love the look of them in my home, and I love the satisfaction of putting the dried material into jars for storage. And hey, if you’re not growing anything, you can still enjoy this by picking up fresh herbs from the supermarket or the local garden store and drying them.

You can also go herb gathering like I mentioned for Beltane, since different plants will be in season. Again, always observe permission and best practices if you’re going to do this. And always make sure you label your bundles and your jars for easy identification.

On a practical note, if you’re going to be doing things outside for Midsummer, always make sure you wear sunscreen and adequate clothing to avoid too much UV exposure, including a face covering. Remember to hydrate properly throughout the day, be careful with your alcohol intake, and if you start to feel tired or woozy, or if you stop sweating, get out of the sun IMMEDIATELY. Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are no joke, witches. Take care of yourselves out there.

And speaking of herbs and ways of keeping cool, one of the things I really enjoy doing in the summertime is making magical iced teas. I know some of my overseas listeners might be blinking in confusion right about now, so if you’ve never heard of this, let me enlighten you. In the US, particularly in the South, we’re very fond of iced tea. Now, that doesn’t mean cold tea, it’s tea that’s been sweetened and chilled, and it’s usually served over ice with lemon or mint leaves, depending on the recipe. This is a fun and easy herbal potion that anyone can make. You just need a pitcher of hot water, some herbal tea bags, some sugar or honey, and whatever flavorings you want to add.

Using several teabags or a big pouch of looseleaf tea, mix up a batch of tea that’s a little stronger than you’d usually make for a hot cuppa. Stir in sugar or honey until it’s as sweet as you like it - we usually go a step or two sweeter than you’d think. Then add whatever flavorings you like. And you can use just about anything for this. I’m partial to a nice blend of chamomile and peppermint with a good dollop of honey, or white tea with jasmine, or spearmint and elderflower, or hibiscus and raspberry. Lavender and lemon is another popular recipe, if you can get your hands on culinary lavender. (And yes, there IS a difference between lavender grown for the kitchen and lavender grown for aromatherapy purposes, so shop carefully.) Feel free to make drinks that correspond to magical purposes, too. Health, wealth, happiness, whatever you like. Sweet iced potions? Yes please!

This can be stretched to alcoholic drinks too, if you’re partial. I mean, what are we even doing with our craft if we’re not stirring spells into sangria or joining the midnight margarita club, right? My husband makes a delightful little cocktail he calls a Gardener’s Tonic - basically a gin and tonic with muddled sweet basil and lime juice and a slice of cucumber. Just make sure that when you’re enjoying your alcoholic alchemy, you’re doing so responsibly.

So once you’ve got your drink of choice and you’ve had a chance to relax, look to your homestead. Tend that garden, like I mentioned before. Attend to any pest problems you might be having, or any home repairs that might need doing. Try not to put things off. Once autumn arrives, you may find that you’re too busy. Reorganize your witchy supplies. If you’ve got new material or new tools coming in, try to declutter and get rid of anything that’s gone stale or sour, or anything that’s used up. Check your jars for signs of mold and give your accoutrements a good cleaning.

If you feel that kitchen witch itch, there’s a cream for that….it’s in the fridge next to the milk. (I apologize for NOTHING.) You can check on the beverages you started back around Beltane, or start a batch if you didn’t do one in the spring. You can start a sourdough, since that seems to be all the rage right now, or make preserves and jams with those early fruits and berries. Make food or homemade sweet with local produce and local honey. Oh and bless the bees and the pollinators while you’re at it! Bless their little hearts, they bring so much sweetness to the world, they deserve thanks for their hard work.

Midsummer is a big holiday for picnics, so if you can have one, definitely do it, even if it’s just on your back porch. If you happen to have a fenced yard and a tent to work with, maybe try an overnight campout just for fun. My dad used to do this all the time when my brother and I were kids. We’d set up a tent in the backyard, he’d drag out a TV and VCR on extension cords, and we’d stay up half the night watching movies and eating junk food. Hey, we were suburban kids, my dad’s idea of “roughing it” was having no remote for the TV. It was super fun, and if you can manage something like this, I definitely recommend it to witches with little ones. Lot of good memories there, if they’re inclined to such things.

Of course, summer isn’t all clear skies and sunshine. Sometimes it rains. But heck, that can be just as much fun. Apart from the obvious option of gathering the rainwater for magical purposes, have you ever gone out in the rain on purpose? When it’s warm out and the rain is coming down in nice fat drops and you’re wearing stuff that can stand a little soaking, few things are more fun than running around and getting absolutely drenched. I’ve got a few fond memories of walking in the woods during rainstorms with my bestie from middle school. There’s a saying that goes, “Life isn’t about avoiding the storms, it’s about learning to dance in the rain.” If there’s not a danger of lightning, I definitely recommend giving it a try. It’s really kind of exhilarating.

Midsummer is the longest day of the year. It’s the day when we see the most light, the earliest sunrise, the latest sunset. Meditate on how you can bring more light and positivity into your life, and how you can have a positive impact on the lives of others, on your community, and the world in general. Think about your productivity, your projects, your path to personal growth. How are things going? Is there anything that feels stuck that needs to be addressed? Where can you modify your outlook to something more optimistic, and where do you maybe need to take off the rose-colored glasses and be more of a realist? All things to contemplate while you’re sipping that magical iced tea potion.

Other Posts In This Series:

Imbolc

Spring Equinox

Beltane

Midsummer

Lughnasadh

Autumn Equinox

Samhain

Yule

If you’re enjoying my content, please feel free to drop a little something in the tip jar or check out my published works on Amazon or in the Willow Wings Witch Shop.

The Hex Positive podcast is a proud member of the Nerd and Tie Podcast Network.😊

[witchofbeginnings]

we're gonna have to do like in medieval times and be like "okay so this concoction will make your period come quicker. in case you wanna do that."

[witchofbeginnings]

Recently, I’ve been struggling with questions of faith, religion, and prayer. In my family all of these things are very closely tied to Christianity. And while I know that this is not true, and that faith and prayer are a part of most - if not all - religions, I still find it hard to apply it in my life outside of and entirely free from the Christian beliefs that I was raised with. 

When I started my journey in witchcraft, I saw it only as a craft. A practice. My experiences and thoughts on religion didn’t really impact my practice in a very big way. In recent times however, I keep finding myself drawn to the question of my religious beliefs, and how my practice ties into that. 

I am still working on the answers to these questions, and I’m still working on accepting that just because something was a part of Christianity, it doesn’t mean that it can’t also apply to other religions. And to my surprise, I’m still working on fully accepting the fact that it is ok for me to not subscribe to the same religious beliefs as the rest of my family.

I’ll get there one day. But in the meanwhile, anyone who has any advise, resources, anything at all that you think would be helpful, please do share!

And if anyone else is going through the same thing, I hope you find the answers your looking for. At least we’re not alone in this eh? 

(^ - ^)

[witchofbeginnings]

Offerings: Why, and How?

There are some spirits and gods in the worlds that really must be approached with the correct offering, or will be very offended if you bring the wrong one. This post is not about them.

Thanks goes to @river-in-the-woods for help proofreading and providing additional perspectives

Spirit and deity work is a huge part of my deal, and therefore so are offerings. When I help people with various spirit issues or perform divination that suggests a spirit wants to contact them, I usually recommend giving offerings as a first step.

This usually creates a lot of questions, like:

I don’t want to worship them, so I’m not comfortable with offerings.

I only want to work with spirits I don’t need to pay.

What kind of offerings are OK? I can't afford to buy extra stuff right now.

I can’t have a shrine or leave food sitting out so it’s not possible for me to make offerings.

The reasons why offerings are given change from culture to culture, and situation to situation. I personally see offerings as being one of two things: good manners, or equivalent exchange.

How to do so comes after the saucy radio dialogue and the fairy tale.

Good Manners

Your grandma comes over. She was just on a 5 hour flight to come visit you. She comes in through the front door. You offer her some water and a snack.

Offering grandma water and a snack isn’t a form of worship or payment. It’s polite and respectful. It took her a lot of energy and effort to come and see you. Her well-being and comfort are important to you (in this hypothetical, of course).

When I drive 10 minutes to see my best friend, she always offers me tea. She’s not paying me for my friendship – she’s happy I came, she wants me to be comfortable, and it’s a sign of mutual respect. “I value your presence; I’ll offer you some tea.”

If my friend stopped offering me tea, I’d wonder if our relationship was doing OK – and if she explained to me she was out of money, or she’s doing a no-tea challenge, we’d be perfectly good.

But if you greet grandma empty-handed and say you don’t think it’s your job to provide her meals, the situation feels a little different. It feels to me as if grandma might not be as interested in making the trip to see you next time.

Equivalent Exchange

“Hey, what are you doing here?”

“I’m going to bury some stuff. I just did ritual and an important part is burying the remnants at the crossroad.”

“Right on, we’re the spirits of the crossroad, so you came to the right place.”

“Yeah, so you’ll be opening the gates of the four directions and delivering my spell to manifestation, right?”

“Sure, we can do that.”

“…”

“…”

“Are you going to, uh… pay us for that service?”

“I don’t see why I should.”

“But you need us to open the gates for you. We have to spend our own energy to do this work. I mean it’s not terribly difficult, but still.”

“Yeah, but I don’t see why that should be on me.”

“Not even a tip? Have you got some change in your pocket?”

“To be honest, I don’t think it’s fair to me to have to pay.”

“So you want us to work for free?”

“Yes.”

“You don’t care what it costs us to do this work for you, you just want to take the fruits of our services without regard for us?”

“Yes.”

“And we should do it because you feel it's unfair to have to pay us for our work?”

“You got it.”

“And if others told you that you must donate your labor to give them what they want because it's unfair to give you a wage, this would be…”

“A huge injustice. This is actually a major problem in my country right now. We are so underpaid for what is demanded of us that it really is hurting my mental health and wellbeing. You have no idea how hard it is to be exploited for someone else’s prosperity. I kind of feel like one day I might just go off grid and refuse to be a part of their system.”

The Quality of Offerings Are Relative

The fairy queen Medb was curious about the humans beyond the Greenwood, so she decided to meet them all, from the wealthiest noble to the poorest villager, and to give a gold coin to the kindest one. Before she left, she cloaked herself in a human disguise and dressed as if she were a hardworking seamstress.

First she went to the house of a rich farmer who owned herds of cattle. She knocked on the door and was greeted by the mistress of the house, Frau Hilda.

Medb said, “I am a traveler and the road has been long, may I have some water?”

Frau Hilda kindly invited Medb inside. She sat the queen down at her large, clean table in her warm and cozy kitchen. Frau Hilda went to the larder. Medb could see that her larder was overflowing enough with fine wine, cheeses, and sausages to serve an army. Frau and fetched two jugs of milk and two loaves of bread. One of the jugs of milk was thin, and the loaf of bread was dry. The second jug of milk was thick, as if it was pure cream, and the loaf of bread was hot and fresh.

“Here, have some milk and bread,” Frau Hilda said. “It is much better than water, and will restore you from your travels.” Frau Hilda poured a glass of each milk, and handed the queen the thin milk and old loaf. Frau Hilda herself drank the rich, delicious milk and ate the hot bread.

“This is much better than water, and I thank you for your kind generosity,” agreed Medb.

The two women spoke kindly and politely to each other. Medb learned about the wealth and prosperity of the farmer and his household. They spoke until Medb finished her thin milk and old bread. As she left, Medb thought to herself that the thin milk and old bread, although better than water, were the poorest things in the larder. She kept her gold coin to herself, and walked down the road.

The next day, Medb came upon the hovel of a poor woodcutter and his wife. She knocked on the door and was greeted by Frau Brunhild.

Medb said, “I am a traveler and the road has been long, may I have some water?”

Just like Frau Hilda, Frau Brunhild kindly invited Medb inside. Frau Brunhild’s kitchen was small and cramped. She went to her larder and Medb could see it was almost empty. It only held a bag of flour, a scrap of bread, and a jug of water.

Frau Brunhild brought out the water and bread. “I am sorry I don’t have any milk for you,” Frau Brunhild said. “But let us share in what little we have.”

Frau Brunhild poured Medb some water and gave her one-third of the bread. “We must save some for Mister Brunhild,” she explained.

“I thank you for your generosity,” said Medb. “You show kindness in sharing what you have.” The two women spoke kindly and politely to each other until they had eaten the bread and drank the water. As she left, Medb thought to herself that although it was only water and a little slice of bread, Frau Brunhild had truly offered the best in her larder.

Medb was so moved by this generosity that she returned to the hovel that night, and hid the gold coin in one of Frau Brunhild’s shoes, and after that the Brunhilds always had better prosperity and fortune.

No matter what you have, your best is your best. You do not need to over-spend, give away too much, or sacrifice your wellbeing to give respectful offerings to spirits. If the best you have is a glass of tap water, that is good enough.

What kinds of offerings can you give?

I’m copying this over from my neighborly protection post.

Food and Drink: Good offerings include things with strong tastes and smells, foods high in caloric value, milk, honey, all nuts, eggs, and seeds (things which contain the potential for life are very good offerings), all home cooked/baked foods, fresh water (an especially good offering), coffee, tea, alcohol, tobacco, and juices all make very fine offerings.

Perhaps tellingly, the finest or most necessary offering is simply a glass of fresh water (yes, it can be tap water).

Consumables: Incense and candles both make good offerings. Both should be burned. I am actually more wary of using real resins and herbal powders for spirit offerings, since the natural powers of these plants are released and may affect what I’m trying to do (or make it easier or harder for spirits to speak to me, or drive away spirits I’m trying to talk to, or draw in ones I don’t want to talk to). For these reasons I like to use stick or cone incense for offerings. It is the light and warmth from the candle which is enjoyed by spirits so it can be any type or color of candle.

Artwork, fake paper money, origami, and other burnable stuff can be dedicated (another way to think about this is to gift it to them) and then burned. The point is not destruction; the astral essence of these things is released so the spirits can possess them in their world.

Non-consumables: Coins are very common offerings. Small, delightful objects (especially shiny ones), like shells, little figurines, or toys often make good offerings. The act of devoting a ritual tool or vessel to a spirit can be an offering. Things which can be consumed (like cigars or paper art) don’t have to be burned and can be given as regular offerings also.

Energy: Your personal energy is a great offering. You don’t have to give a ton of it away. Try making an energy ball and sending it upwards and away, intending that it reach the spirit you want to give it to. I often like to pattern these gifts into an object, like an energy coin or energy apple.

How do you give physical stuff to a nonphysical being, though?

Lay out the offerings on a clean surface. It doesn’t have to be an altar or a shrine, although I suspect such consecrated places can make it easier for spirits to access and enjoy your offerings. It can be just like setting out a glass of water and half a sandwich for grandma.

Do something which indicates the offering is for the spirits or a specific being. My friend can make me a cup of tea, but if she just sets some tea down on the table and walks away, I’m not going to be sure it’s OK for me to drink it until she says, “this is your tea!”

What you do can be as simple as standing before the offering and saying or thinking, “This is for [names of spirits, or ‘the household spirits’, etc], please enjoy! I’ll come clean it up by noon, enjoy it before then.”

At a minimum I recommend leaving non-consumable offerings out for fifteen or thirty minutes. If it’s a candle or incense, they burn out when they burn out (you do not have to let large candles burn completely, but be careful of promising a candle as a gift to spirits, then going back on that promise and using it for something else). Energy offerings are given instantaneously and no waiting period is necessary.

Whenever you return to clean up the offering, it’s polite to say something like, “thank you for coming by, and I hope you enjoyed! It’s time for me to clean up now. Please return to your abodes; as you came in peace, leave as friends.” I personally like to affirm the purpose of giving an offering - that it’s because I want to be a good neighbor, I want to have solid relationships with the spirits around me, and that I hope we’re all going to be friends. I also like to affirm that although I invited them all to the offering, they should go home now - I wanted you for the BBQ but it’s like 9pm now and we’re going to bed, so you need to go home too.

I throw out food. I compost it if I can. Whether or not you can eat food already offered to spirits is a whole discussion and beliefs vary. My belief is that you shouldn’t eat it after it’s offered.

Other non-consumable objects can be buried if they’re nontoxic to the environment. They can be left on an altar or shrine, and cleared out on a regular basis (like once a full moon, or on holidays).

To Eat or Not to Eat?

I mentioned briefly above that I don’t believe you should eat offerings after they’ve been offered. This is a pretty complex topic that does merit discussion.

For example, I sometimes eat the offerings while they’re being offered. I have a close relationship with various spirits, and sometimes I invite them into my body to taste and experience the food and drink I eat.

The reason I don’t prefer to eat offerings after they’ve been offered is that my belief is that the metaphysical substance which supports us as living creatures has been removed and taken away from the spirits. I don’t believe the food would be harmful, but that it also wouldn’t be helpful. To me, throwing the food away isn't a waste because it already fulfilled its purpose.

However, tons of people believe that you should eat food and beverage offerings. This is in order to avoid waste (because after all, even if I say metaphysically the food served its purpose, I’m still throwing away totally edible food). I am advised that in Buddhism, offerings given to ancestors, buddhas, and bodhisattvas aren’t degraded at all, and you can safely eat and drink offerings afterwards (and not doing so would be wasteful). For buddhas and bodhisattvas offerings are just a sincere gesture; the ancestors do get nourishment from food offerings and they greatly benefit from it. Even so, food offered to ancestors is still perfectly wonderful to eat.

In other belief systems, some people think that eating offered food can actually make you sick, especially if it’s offered to the dead. This may be due to a metaphysical change in the food, or because the spirits don’t want to share.

Sometimes, whether or not food is eaten after being offered depends on the type of spirit or god it’s given to; chthonic entities often seem to frown upon their offerings being eaten or shared.

Some believe that food offerings shouldn’t be eaten but neither should they be trashed; they should be burned or buried.

Sometimes, dedicating a food or drink offering to a spirit is a way to bless it under their power. If I dedicate a glass of water to the Indweller of the Sun, it’s understood to be imbued with the virtues of the Sun. If I drink it, it becomes a form of equivalent exchange - I gave something to the Sun, it gave something to me, and this ritual action is completed when I consume the offering.

Given all these varieties of belief, it’s safe to say that you probably can’t go wrong. If you can’t or don’t want to waste food, or it isn’t counter-indicated by your path, eat food offerings.

If you’re especially nervous or worried about what might happen to you if you do eat them, then don’t. Or, avoid the problem altogether by just giving energy or incense offerings.

[witchofbeginnings]

Red Flags in Witchcraft & Magic

There is bad information regarding witchcraft and magic everywhere. I don't expect beginners to know how to spot bad information when they are just starting out, but that does not make learning red flags less important. Knowing how to spot bad information when researching can save you from a lot of trouble- spiritually and mundane.

Now, bad information does not necessarily make the person a bad practitioner. Sometimes people make mistakes. How they react when told of their mistakes is what you should pay attention to. That being said, here are some red flags to look out for when researching for your craft. [TW: mentions of racism, homophobia, misandry, mental illness, disabilities and more]

🚩 The person tries to claim their path is the only path, and that all other paths and methods are wrong. This is a big one. There are a lot of people like this out there. While they are entitled to their opinions, this mindset is simply wrong. There are thousands of religions, spiritualities and belief systems out there. One path being different from another does not make them wrong by default.

🚩 The person claims using things from closed practices is okay. This is another big one. Closed practices do exist, are valid and should be respected as such. There are just some things that should stay reserved for certain people. This does not make certain people more special than you- it just means their path is significantly different from yours. If it is something sacred to or rooted from a closed practice (such as certain plants, deities and magic) it is best to leave it alone.

🚩 The person claims that open practices are closed. I don't see this one quite as often as the previous, but it is happening more often now that the occult has become more mainstream. Things like tarot, paganism and many other practices are open. If you see somebody claim these are closed practices, be wary. This type of claim tends to stem from a place of racism, homophobia, transphobia, etc...

🚩 The person is racist, antisemitic, homophobic, ableist, classist, etc... Unfortunately, we do have these types of people to look out for. Some people are convinced only women can practice witchcraft and magic. Some people are blatantly racist towards bipoc and try to exclude them from witchcraft and magic. Some people try to exclude people with disabilities and mental illness because their craft is different. Be careful when coming across these types of people.

🚩 The person claims that a rule in their practice is a universal rule you must follow. This is a claim I most commonly see with Wiccans and the three-fold law but is a claim anybody can make. Understand that different religions, spiritualities and cultures have different rules. They all have different standards. Things like the three-fold law, karma, reincarnation and many other things aren't universal concepts. You can believe in whatever you wish, but don't expect other people of different backgrounds to have that same belief.

🚩 The source is purely based on UPG (unverified personal gnosis). This one is mostly regarding things like deities, entities and spirits. Everybody will have different experiences with these beings; but you have to consider the origins of the deities, entities and spirits if you are trying to worship or work with any. If you are going into a branch of paganism, you have to study the religion and its stories. If you want to worship or work with a deity, you have to study that deity and their stories. The stories and beliefs are what provide us with knowledge of their existences, how they present themselves, their relationships with other beings and their conflicts with other beings. To completely disregard them and go purely off UPG is a dangerous thing.

🚩 The person believes that religion, spirituality and witchcraft can cure mental illness and disabilities. I see things like this often. Religion, spirituality and witchcraft will not cure a mental illness or disability. These things require more than faith and crystals. Some are not curable. Although religion, spirituality and witchcraft can be helpful to some degree... these things aren't the cure.

🚩 The person DMs you without consent trying to make profit off of you. Listen, people who have respect for themselves and others will not DM you at random claiming that they can solve your problems. They won't DM you at random offering paid readings, spells and mentorships. If you want to pay for such things, you should be the one going out of your way to find a reputable person. Don't get scammed.

🚩 The person claims you are required to work with deities, entities or other spirits. You don't have to be religious or work with any beings to practice witchcraft and magic. If you want to work with different beings, by all means please do your research and go ahead! Don't feel pressured to work with deities, entities and other spirits just because somebody on the internet says you have to.

🚩 The person claims that paganism and new age spiritualities are superior to other religions. Listen, I understand some people have religious trauma. I have religious trauma due to my mum's mother. However, you cannot allow your trauma to cause hatred for the entire religion by default. Understand that religious text is up for interpretation and that there are shitty individuals in all religions- including paganism. There are good individuals, too.

🚩 The person claims that spellwork doesn't come with consequences. Sometimes spells backfire. Sometimes spells come with unexpected results. Sometimes we get results at the cost of something else. You shouldn't be afraid of these things, though. Just be careful and take precautions. Be specific in what results you're seeking. This is why beginners are pushed to learn how to protect and ward so early on. It's in your best interest to do so.

🚩 The person claims that you must do shadow work to be spiritual or a witch. Listen to me closely. Shadow work is not inherently a witch thing. It is a psychology concept. Although shadow work can be beneficial for some people, it can be harmful to others. If you are a person with severe trauma and are easily triggered by those subjects, please don't go trying to unpack it all because somebody on the internet says that you have to. If you can afford it, consult a therapist who can help you. Shadow work is not required to be a spiritual person or a witch.

🚩 The person claims that medication will cloud your psychic abilities or your ability to practice magic. This is another dangerous idea and I have no idea how it was thought of. Coming from a person with depression and adhd: do not listen to people who makes claims like this. If you are taking medication for something, don't stop taking it because somebody claims it is hindering your abilities. If you aren't taking medication for something but believe you should, don't avoid it because somebody claims it is hindering your abilities. Medication is important to many people in order to have a sense of stability and it is not going to harm your abilities.

🚩 The person claims your mental illness or disability is a karmic thing or spiritual gift. Don't. Fucking. Listen. To. These. People. I cannot even begin to explain how much this idea enrages me. My adhd isn't some new age "karmic" thing. My adhd is a chemical imbalance caused by a gene I inherited. I do not have adhd because of some spiritual debt or gift. Don't be fooled by people who make harmful claims like this.

🚩 The person encourages you to consume or burn poisonous plants. This is one of the reasons why I always encourage people to study the medicinal uses of plants to learn their magical correspondences. Always check to see if the plant is poisonous to you or your pets. Accidents happens but many can be prevented with a little time and research.

🚩 The person references authors or sources that aren't trustworthy. Always do research on authors before buying their books and check to see where people get their information from. There are many authors and bloggers who are racist, homophobic, transphobic and more. There are also many authors who write books with bad information targeting witches and spiritualists to make a quick profit.

These are all the red flags I could come up with, but I'm sure there are more. Always cross reference your information and check to see if the people you're sourcing from has a negative reputation.

[witchofbeginnings]

some things i wish i knew as a baby practitioner:

it’s perfectly okay to change your mind. sometimes the ritual doesn’t line up with how you feel anymore. sometimes you feel pulled in a new direction. it’s all normal.

there’s intense and powerful magic in research. in learning. that doesn’t always mean hours in the library, but it does often mean logging off and learning about your native environment.

let your grimoire be messy. let it contradict itself. add things that are interesting but don’t really have a place yet. it’s your book, and you can always keep going in another one once this book is full.

you will learn upsetting things about parts of your practice. this is mostly for white- and otherwise privileged- witches; it’s important to recognize that the modern witchcraft, occult, and new age movements have a long history of stealing from closed cultures, from marginalized practitioners, and creating synthetic histories to explain modern inventions. if a fellow practitioner presents information like this to you about one of your practices, i implore you to take it to heart. learning more about the origins of your ritual and altering them, removing them, and providing reparations where appropriate are important, vital parts of connecting with your practice.

you may work with deities, you may not. same with spirit, the fae, ancestors, and all other aspects of craft. other people may work with forces you aren’t familiar with or that you struggle to believe in, that’s normal. do more research, talk with other practitioners, accept “no” and “i don’t have the energy to educate you” for what they are: boundaries. trying to subvert them will only hurt you both.

discourse isn’t worth your time. it just isn’t.

not every practitioner is a witch, not every witch is a practitioner. the labels we use to describe our work are historically charged, as magic so often is. what feels good to you may hurt another person, and vice versa.

magic is often closer to jazz than to a well-rehearsed symphony. plan accordingly. learn to improv in each key. learn the core elements of your practice and build from there.

consent. consent. consent. all magic that may touch another being requires it, not just love or romantic magic. healing? get consent first. divination? consent. make sure your subject knows what they’re consenting to. check in often. (think of it like a tea party. you invite them, and they come or they don’t. you offer them tea, they may want it or not. if they aren’t able to respond when you ask, you don’t pour them tea. if they hurt you or something you love, you might throw tea in their face.)

self-care is more than baths and deep breathing. it can be therapy, medication, boundary-setting, any number of really hard things. you deserve that care, though. other people do, too.

[witchofbeginnings]

Misinformation and Critical Thinking as a Witch

I am pretty sure that many of us are quite familiar with the amount of misinformation that gets its way around witchy spaces. I know I've fallen for misinformation several times, notably those darn correspondence lists, and I'll probably fall for it again. And honestly, I think constantly yelling "use critical thinking skills!" is all well and good, but if you've been in the American public school system or in an evangelical sect of Christianity (or both), you know that isn't taught to us in any meaningful way. What the hell does critical thinking even look like?

So, I have something that might be able to help. This can also lead you to help research things for yourself in regards to paganism or witchcraft (or both), determine your own personal beliefs and more fully find what craft is meant for you, without just taking a bunch of books at their absolute face value. I find it really helps with my anxiety over not being able to really articulate what I'm saying about a thing - because I more fully understand WHY I believe the things I do, I have less trouble handling discussing it in a critical manner.

There's a few key things to keep in mind when reading a text, witchy, pagan or otherwise. Now, a lack of answer for one of these things doesn't inherently make them "invalid", but it does give you something you can dig into further to make that choice for yourself. As a witch, that is kind of your job - your power is your own, and you really should be making your own decisions on things. So, when you're reading a book, you can take a pause and consider:

What is the author discussing, and what is their conclusion? If a witchy author is talking about The Burning Times, what statement are they making about it? Do they believe this was an actual historical event? You'll usually know very quickly because in my personal experience, anyone who doesn't believe in the Burning Times (myself included), are very passionate about how we feel about this particular bit of misinformation.

What reasons do they have for making this conclusion? You can consider what the overall narrative is. For instance, if the author is vehemently against the story of the Burning Times as historical fact, their reasoning might be that they are a historian working against misinformation. The author may be arguing against the overarching issues of whitewashing within neopagan circles. If the author is making a statement in regards to the Burning Times being true, perhaps their reasoning is to invoke a narrative of continual, ancestral oppression against one singular unbroken group. You may need to real the whole of the book to really get an idea as to what the author is writing all of this "for".

What assumptions are they making in coming to this conclusion? Assumptions are things that we understand to be just kind of universally true, and there is kind of a problem with this in a lot of witchy circles. For instance, there is a problem within the pagan community of making the assumption that because their experience with organized religion was Christianity, the things that took place within their sect of Christianity are true for not only all sects, but other monotheistic religions as well. Conversely, there is the assumption that the "rule of three" is universal, when it is not the absolute law of the universe and is a specifically Wiccan thing. And even then that's debatable, but there are witches out there with a better understanding of that than I do and we're not here for that argument. The point is, it's important to know what is fact, and what is assumed.

Are there any informal logical fallacies present? Thiiiis is a big one, because there are a lot of ways of presenting an argument that tricks you into thinking the point being made is legit, but it really doesn't do anything to present concrete evidence towards the argument being actually true. This is your ad hominem attacks, your strawman arguments, your slippery slopes and false dichotomies. There's a lot to be on the lookout for here's a good link to a basic kind of rundown of several: https://thebestschools.org/magazine/15-logical-fallacies-know/

How true is the evidence presented, if at all? This is very important. There is such a thing as UPG, which stands for unverified personal gnosis - it is your own personal experience in regards to your own singular interaction with a spirit or deity of some variety. This happens in witchy spaces all the time, but it's important to understand that UPG is not evidence. It should not be presented as fact or evidence, and it should not be taken as absolute fact or evidence. You can subscribe to UPG all you like, just understand that it is UPG. Back to our Burning Times example, actual concrete evidence would be in the form of primary sources from the time, secondary sources, historical analysis by experts in that particular field of study, etc., and it must match the actual claim being made. Yeah, there were witch hunts, that's true. But the narrative of the Burning Times as a continuous thing that specifically targeted "real" pagans and witches is not backed up by evidence.

Every author is a human being. Human beings have biases, have their reasons for doing things a certain way, their own rituals and beliefs and faiths. You can't always trust that someone is writing something with your best interests at heart, or that they themselves aren't stuck in thought processes that they've been manipulated into. Some of the best recruiters are the True Believers, after all, but that doesn't mean what they say is infallible. Witchiness, pagan-ness, spirituality and enlightenment do not make a person any less human.

[witchofbeginnings]

Happy Pride Month

Remember: be gay, do crime

[witchofbeginnings]

My Basic Witch Tips & Advice

I shouldn’t even have to be saying some of these but here we go. I’m gonna try to keep this lighthearted & funny. Do what you will with the advice. It is completely based on my experiences & opinions. 

Do not believe everything someone tells you. I don’t care if they claim to be a high Wiccan priestess with 50 years of experience. I don’t care if they’re a friend. I don’t care who recommended the book. Some things aren’t true. You can’t agree with everyone. Form your own ideas. Take what you read with a grain of salt. 

Think critically & cross reference.  I find when researching that asking myself questions & having multiple sources is the simplest way to do this. Does what you’re reading make sense to you? Is it backed up by mundane facts, logic or even a personal experience of yours? Where did you find this information? How do other things the author of this information has said hold up? Have you seen this said in other places? Does it align with what you know for sure to be true? If something is based in science, history, logic or other things you know to be true & you’ve seen it said multiple times by various people it has a much better chance of being true.  

Take notes, don’t make a grimoire when you’re new. Everyone always encourages newbies to start their grimoire soon but I think the way people approach it is wrong. You don’t need set information about certain things like how magic works or correspondences. Those things will come with time and you need to be exposed to a lot of information and opinions before you’ll get to things you’d want to put in a grimoire. Instead, just take notes. It doesn’t need to be intimidating. Just take note of the information you find, its topic, the date and perhaps where you got it. 

If tumblr is your only source, you’re doing it wrong. This goes along with that first one as well. That might be a hard pill to swallow for some of you, but it’s true. The more time I spend learning about witchcraft the more true it seems to be. This goes for me too & what I say. I’ve been wrong before. I don’t agree with all the advice I’ve given out or the opinions I’ve had in the past. No one is the ultimate authority.  

You can find a lot of solid witchy information in books that aren’t marketed as witchy. On the topic of information and resources, this is an important one. Wanna know about herbs? Look at books about local flora and fauna, botany, cooking, ect. Interested in crystals? Try geology books. That Pagan deity & or spirit probably has a lot of history and mythology surrounding it that could be very useful to know. Seemingly mundane information often leads to having a solid understanding of something, and can often lead to finding its correspondences as well. That’s invaluable. 

You do not have to be a certain race, sexuality, gender, religion, ect. Just don’t appropriate!  This goes with the last one. If someone tells you that you need to be a woman to practice the craft, or that you have to be Wiccan, they’re full of shit. BUT it is very common in the “metaphysical” witchy, or Pagan communities to find people appropriating things from other cultures. THAT is not okay. If someone from a certain culture tells you that you are appropriating said culture, cut that out & really listen to them. 

Witchcraft is for you. Your path is for you. You need to know yourself and what you like. Please remember your path is for you. I get a lot of people asking me if _____ (Fill in that blank with anything honestly) is okay for them to do. Probably because someone insinuated it wasn’t. Be safe. Don’t appropriate. You can do what you like, in fact one of the most valuable skills I have found for a witch to have is being able to look inward and see what you think, what you like, and what your intuition is telling you. 

You don’t have to buy that thing. Your practice doesn’t have to be expensive or fancy. Be resourceful. You might see witches online with fancy leather grimoires and cabinets full of expensive exotic herbs or giant crystal geodes. That’s for aesthetic. You don’t need that shit. My grimoire is in a black binder I got at target. I only have a short list of ingredients I use. Researching how to make do, experimenting and getting creative & or resourceful will get you a long damn way in the world of witchery. 

Witchcraft is not a toy. Yes you need to learn to protect yourself. People whine a lot about my insistence on learning about things like shielding and warding. I get it. It’s not as cool as tarot or crystals. But sometimes to eat you’ve gotta do the dishes first. Protection is important, learn it. 

Essential oils need to be diluted!! Be careful with them!  Do not place them directly on skin or ingest them either. Karen doesn’t know what she’s talking about. 

Don’t put random stuff in your body. Research ingredients.  Essential oils got their own section because that problem is just way too common.  But don’t put random stuff in your body! Herbs commonly used in witchcraft can poison or kill you, be harmful to babies, pets, ect. Lots of crystals dissolve in water and can be ruined or worse, become toxic. Moon water that’s been left out at room temperature can grow bacteria so if you wanna ingest it, refrigerate it. As with many things in witchcraft this can be solved with research & lots of it. 

Witchcraft isn’t medicine. If someone tells you that symptoms of your physical or mental illness have a “metaphysical” explanation and are a result of a demon or your chakras being unaligned, bite them and draw blood. If they say only they can fix it and you have to pay them, stab them. This has been a PSA. 

On that note, ask your doctor about things!  Herbs & teas & all sorts of things can mess with medication. Ask a medical professional about such things before using them. Some herbs & or teas can mess with the effects of things like birth control, anti depressants, & other things very important medications. 

[witchofbeginnings]

Follow witchy blogs that make you feel good.

Seriously, like, when it comes to your witchcraft, follow blogs that you relate to and feel comfortable with.

Learn practices that you feel comfortable and safe with.

Put your comfort to the forefront with your witchcraft.

[witchofbeginnings]

Kitchen Witchcraft For The Closeted (Or Not) Witch

This is one kind of magick where you don’t need any special “witchy” tools. You also don’t really need any super obvious displays of spellcasting. This is why I think it makes a wonderful branch of magick for closeted witches to explore, should they choose to do so.

For example, maybe you need an anti-anxiety spell or calming spell of some kind, you could of course make a simple chamomile tea for yourself, or you could make a batch of cupcakes infused with chamomile tea. 

There are so many ways you could infuse your cooking with magick! 

Lavender shortbread cookies for peaceful sleep, cinnamon buns for prosperity and healing, every herb, and spice has magickal correspondences and depending on what you need, you could whip up a spell for pretty much any occasion. And the best part is, its probably gonna taste incredible.

And of course while your making these recipes, focusing on you intent - whatever it may be - is important. 

As you prepare your ingredients, take care to meditate on your intention, this is what will bring the spell to life. 

My introduction to kitchen witchcraft came through a certain set of youtube videos, and since then I have been able to explore, and expand my horizons on the same. So, for anyone wishing to test the waters, I will direct you to the same videos that helped me get started.

The Green Witch on Youtube, has several videos on the subject that are beginner friendly. Her channel is also a good place to start if you are interested in herbalism. [ This post is in no way linked to her, I just wanted to give people a good jumping off point on the subject should they need it.]

And as always, anyone wishing to add to the post is welcome to! Also, if anyone has recipes they would like to share, that would be amazing! I’d love to be able to try out a few new magickal recipes!!!

[witchofbeginnings]

Sigils

If you are a closeted witch, or even if you aren’t, sigils are a very interesting branch of magick to explore. They are ridiculously versatile, and they can be hidden quite easily should you ever need to. 

I have only recently started to explore sigil magick properly and therefore cannot offer a great deal of information on the subject. 

However, there is one particular  practice I’ve picked up from this that has helped me.

The practice being a small addition I have made to my shielding spell ( a simple form of visualization that I have already explained in a previous post ). Finishing off the visualization as usual, I add a simple protection sigil of my own making at the end (usually drawn on using some good eyeliner that isn’t likely to wash off easily). It really serves to bolster my shielding spell.

The only “tip” I can offer in regard to the usage of sigils is this; Keep in mind that simply drawing or etching a sigil is not enough. The sigil works with the energy and intention you put into it, without you it is nothing more than a doodle. So, when you make your sigil, think of what purpose it will serve, and create it with that purpose in mind. 

And when the time comes for you to use your sigil, keep that purpose in mind, and ensure that your intention matches the sigils purpose. 

I would also like to discuss the different methods of activating a sigil. However, I have a whole lot unfinished assignment waiting for me. 

Hopefully, I will be able to explore that in my next post.

Also, please feel free to correct me, add to what I’ve already said, discuss. I would love to hear your thoughts either here or if you’d rather a private discussion, that’s cool too :D

[witchofbeginnings]

Meditation

“Meditation.” That is a word that both intimidated and annoyed me for a very long time. It annoyed me because it simply seemed to be another way for people to tell me to shut up, sit still, and stop thinking. And it intimidated me because when I found out what it was really meant to be, I didn’t know if I would even be able to do it myself.

When you meditate, it isn’t about maintaining that picture perfect posture, or breathing in through your nose and exhaling slowly through your mouth, and it isn’t about trying very very hard to sit through all those guided meditations doing exactly what they tell you to do. It works for a lot of people I’m sure (cos otherwise it probably wouldn’t be such a huge thing), but it never did for me.

I would always be worrying at the back of my mind about if my body and mind were doing what they were supposed to and, “Oh no! I missed that one step from thirty seconds ago,” or “They didn’t mean it like that did they? (-_-).” 

I have sat through so many guided meditations without ever having actually meditated. And I’m sure that I’m not the only one who has. 

After a very long time of not actually ever meditating, I heard a wonderful description of centering by the Witch Of Wonderlust. She described how she would visualize herself sitting on a park bench and watch her thoughts and emotions walking past her. They were no more than passersby in a park. She didn’t need to stop and acknowledge each of them, she just saw them walk by. And in doing so she would be able to center herself. 

Here, it is important to remember that the way I have applied it isn’t necessarily the same way she did. And if anyone is interested in her application of this, you will be able to find it in her video about centering, grounding and shielding. (I would also like to clarify that this post is in no way linked to her or anything, I just wanted to properly accredit her for the idea).

This is the idea that allowed me to finally really meditate. I didn’t need to listen to all those complicated guided meditations, I just had to find a quiet spot, and visualize myself in a setting that relaxed me and allowed me to slowly tune out the outside world, while tuning in to myself. This visualization doesn’t need to be you sitting on a park bench, it could be anything! For example, my personal favorite happens to be visualizing myself sitting cross-legged on a large rock, feeling the warmth of the sun on my skin, and hearing the quiet sounds of the trees, the birds, the breeze. 

I have found that once I bring myself here, I can explore myself through an exploration of the forest (it might help to think of this as a kind of mind palace if you want?? Only, instead of going to this place to recall memories, or information, you’re going to this place to calm down, or center yourself, or put up a spiritual or mental shield, or to explore yourself, or connect with your subconscious, your deities, your ancestors, whatever you believe in). This is a very versatile method of visualization, and it can be applied to a lot of things. 

I have even found that when I’m travelling, or I have roommates, or I can’t access my alter space for whatever reason, I can visualize myself in this space and use it as my sacred space or alter space in a pinch! And since it is a visualization, you don’t really need any instruments or ingredients... So it works great if your in a tight spot or if your in the closet and can’t be too open about your practice(I usually only use this method for smaller workings that typically need a lot of power though...)

What do you guys think? Opinions, discussions, add-ons, constructive criticism, anything is welcome! 

[witchofbeginnings]

Exams have really got me down! I haven’t really been able to keep up with this... But come next week, things should clear up a little! Assuming the ‘Christmas Spirit’ doesn’t suddenly descend upon my household -_-

[witchofbeginnings]

It’s The Little Things That Count

When you start out, you see a lot of people and websites talking about intention, and being able to meditate successfully, and having at least one method of divination under your belt, and connecting more closely to nature, and a lot of other things.

And while all (or at least most) of these things are important foundational steps that will help you move up to more advanced theories and spellwork in the future, they are also deceptively hard to get right (or sometimes even to know for sure if you are getting it right when you don’t have someone to help you out) when you’re just starting out.

This can be frustrating, and discouraging. So, pick one easy thing that you can add to your daily routine. It can be something as simple as making your own tea or coffee at the start of your day, or putting on your makeup with a little extra care and effort (if you wear any), or being a bit more mindful when you’re washing your face or showering. 

All of these are pretty simple habits that you will fall into fairly easily. And soon enough, with a little extra effort everyday (and a bit of magickal reading or research. Honestly just read about anything you can get your hands on. You’d be surprised where inspiration can come from sometimes), you’ll find them evolving into distinctly magickal practices. 

For instance, the first witchy thing I ever added to my daily routine evolved from my tea drinking. Everytime I make a cup of tea now, I put in that little extra effort to make it with intent. In the mornings I decide my tea based on what kind of day I want to have or expect to have, and I take a little extra care while I’m making and drinking it, reminding myself of this intention. And while this may sound “not magickal enough” for someone who’s just starting out (I know it did for me ^-^”), it honestly does make a difference.

Now obviously, you can choose to do something other than this too. A regular shower, when you decide to visualise yourself being not just physically cleansed, but also energetically and/or spiritually cleansed (depending on what you believe in), turns into a cleansing ritual. Your makeup could be a glamour spell or a confidence spell. 

If there’s something similar that you do or know of that you think might help someone, feel free to leave it in the comments or to reblog and add your own ideas. I would love to learn from all of you!

It is important to realize that not every spell needs chanting, or long ritualistic elements. When you’re starting off, especially as a closeted witch who can’t be too open about your practice, it’s honestly the little things that count. And depending on who you are, and what you need, your magick will evolve to fit your needs.