Of Storms and Tides

Norse/Hellenic polytheist and eclectic witch. This is a side blog

[xo-kosmickisses-xo]

When Your Altar Becomes a Dust Collector: What That Means

Hello Beautiful Souls,

Let's talk about something most witches experience but rarely discuss: that altar you spent hours setting up, that used to be the center of your practice, that meant so much when you first created it...

...is now just gathering dust.

The candles haven't been lit in weeks. Maybe months. The crystals sit untouched. There's actual dust on the deity statue. You walk past it daily without really seeing it anymore. It's become furniture. Background. Just another surface in your home that occasionally needs cleaning.

And you feel guilty about it.

Maybe you tell yourself you'll get back to it "when things calm down" or "when Mercury isn't in retrograde" or "when I have more energy." Maybe you feel like a fake witch, like you're failing at your practice. Maybe you wonder if you should just take it all down.

Here's what nobody tells you: an altar gathering dust isn't a failure. It's information.

Your neglected altar is trying to tell you something. The question is whether you're ready to listen.

What a Dusty Altar Actually Means

A forgotten altar can mean several different things, and not all of them are bad:

1. Your Practice Has Outgrown That Form

Maybe when you first started practicing, a physical altar felt essential. It gave you structure, made your practice feel "real," helped you learn correspondences and build skills.

But now? Maybe you've internalized those lessons. Maybe you carry your practice with you rather than keeping it in one physical location. Maybe you do magic in the moment, in the kitchen, on walks, in the shower—not at a designated altar space.

This isn't abandoning your practice. This is evolution.

Some witches need altars throughout their entire practice. Others need them as training wheels and eventually move beyond them. Neither is better—they're just different paths.

Signs this is what's happening:

You still practice regularly, just not at the altar

Your magic happens spontaneously in daily life

You feel spiritually connected even without altar time

The idea of using the altar feels limiting rather than focusing

You've shifted to a more intuitive, less structured practice

What to do: Give yourself permission to dismantle or significantly simplify your altar. You don't need to keep maintaining a space you've outgrown out of guilt or obligation. Keep one or two meaningful items if you want, or clear it entirely and use that surface for something else.

Your practice didn't die—it just changed form.

2. You're Burned Out

Spiritual burnout is real. It looks like:

Feeling obligated rather than called to practice

Going through motions without genuine engagement

Guilt about not practicing rather than desire to practice

Exhaustion at the thought of ritual or spellwork

Your practice feeling like another chore on an endless to-do list

If your altar is dusty because you're burned out, the altar itself isn't the problem—it's a symptom.

Signs this is what's happening:

You used to love your practice but now it feels heavy

You feel guilty when you look at your altar

You're exhausted in general, not just spiritually

Other things you used to enjoy also feel like burdens

You're dealing with depression, major life stress, or significant challenges

What to do: Rest. Give yourself permission to take a break without guilt. Cover your altar with a cloth—not to abandon it, but to give it (and yourself) a rest. Tell your deities/spirits "I need some time, I'll be back when I'm ready."

Burnout requires rest, not forced productivity. Your altar will be there when you're ready to return.

And here's the thing: sometimes the best spiritual practice when you're burned out is doing nothing spiritual at all. Watch TV. Play games. Sleep. Exist without the pressure of practice. That IS spiritual work—it's honoring your need for rest.

3. The Altar Never Resonated With You

Maybe you set up an altar because you thought you were supposed to. Because every witchcraft book and blog post and TikTok said you need one. Because other witches have them.

But it never actually felt right to you.

Some people just aren't altar people. Some witches are walkers, movers, dancers. Some do all their magic in their heads. Some practice in the shower or the kitchen or the car. Some need nature, not a designated indoor space.

If the altar never resonated, that's okay.

Signs this is what's happening:

You built the altar thinking you "should" but never felt drawn to use it

Using it always felt performative or forced

You keep trying to make yourself care about it and failing

Your most powerful magical experiences happen nowhere near your altar

The idea of altar work feels boring or constraining

What to do: Dismantle it. Seriously. You don't need an altar to be a witch. Keep the items you genuinely connect with and release the idea that you must maintain an altar space.

Find where YOUR practice actually lives. Maybe it's on hiking trails. Maybe it's in the bathtub. Maybe it's entirely in your mind and heart. Practice there instead.

Stop trying to fit into a mold that doesn't fit you.

4. Life Legitimately Got in the Way

Sometimes a dusty altar just means you've been dealing with real life and haven't had time or energy for practice.

New job. New baby. Illness. Grief. Moving. Caring for sick family. Financial crisis. Mental health struggles. A global pandemic. Sometimes life is just a lot, and practice falls to the bottom of the priority list.

This is not failure. This is being human.

Signs this is what's happening:

You miss your practice and want to return to it

Life has been objectively overwhelming

You think about your altar/practice with fondness, not guilt or obligation

You're not burned out on the practice itself, just stretched too thin

Things are temporary/transitional

What to do: Be gentle with yourself. Your practice will be there when you're ready. Do what you can, even if it's just lighting a candle once a week, or just thinking about your practice fondly while dealing with everything else.

Small practices count. Inconsistent practice is still practice. Even thinking "I wish I had time to practice" is maintaining the connection.

When life calms down (and it will eventually), you can return. The altar, the deities, the spirits—they understand. They were human (or at least worked with humans) too.

5. Your Relationship With Deity/Spirit Has Changed

If your altar was primarily devotional—focused on specific deities or spirits—and it's gathering dust, your relationship with those beings might have shifted.

Relationships change. Maybe you've moved on to work with different entities. Maybe the deity you were devoted to has gone quiet. Maybe that phase of your spiritual journey is complete.

Signs this is what's happening:

You feel disconnected from the deities/spirits represented on your altar

You're drawn to different spiritual figures now

Your prayers/invocations feel empty or unanswered

You've had a falling out or disagreement with an entity

You're in a period of spiritual questioning or transition

What to do: Be honest about what's happening. Talk to the deity/spirit if you're comfortable doing so. Thank them for the time you spent together, acknowledge the shift, and ask if they have any final messages or requests.

Then update your altar to reflect your current spiritual reality, or clear it entirely if you're in a period of spiritual exploration without clear devotional focus.

It's okay to change gods. It's okay to step back from deity work entirely for a while. Spiritual relationships aren't prison sentences.

6. You're Avoiding Something

Sometimes we stop using our altars because they represent something we're avoiding:

Shadow work we know we need to do but are scared of

A magical commitment we made but now regret

A deity calling that feels too big or demanding

Grief or other emotions we're not ready to process

A part of ourselves we're not ready to face

The altar becomes a reminder of what we're avoiding, so we... stop looking at it.

Signs this is what's happening:

You feel uncomfortable or anxious when you look at your altar

You actively avoid the room/area where it is

You know there's something you "should" be addressing but aren't

The altar represents a version of yourself you're not ready to be yet

You're in spiritual avoidance mode

What to do: Get honest with yourself about what you're avoiding. Journal about it. Talk to a trusted friend. Maybe talk to a therapist if it's deep stuff.

You don't have to immediately tackle whatever you're avoiding, but acknowledging it helps. Sometimes just saying "I'm not ready for this yet" out loud releases some of the pressure.

When you're ready (and only when you're ready), approach the altar again. Or dismantle it and start fresh when you're in a different place.

7. The Aesthetic Trap

Did you build a beautiful, Instagram-worthy altar... and then feel like you couldn't touch it because it was too perfect?

Did it become a display piece rather than a working space?

Are you afraid to light the candles because they'll get messy? Afraid to use the crystals because they're arranged so nicely?

If your altar is too pretty to use, it's not serving you.

Signs this is what's happening:

Your altar looks perfect but feels dead

You rearrange it for photos but never use it for practice

You're more worried about aesthetics than function

Using it would "mess it up"

It's decoration, not devotion (see: previous post)

What to do: Mess it up. Intentionally. Light those candles and let the wax drip everywhere. Move things around for actual use. Get it dusty through practice, not through neglect.

Or simplify it radically—keep only items you'll actually use, arranged for function rather than photos.

An altar is a tool, not an art installation.

What Your Altar's Condition Is Telling You

Look at your altar right now (or picture it). What do you see?

Light dust, but items are still arranged: You've been busy but the connection is still there. You just need to make a little time to reconnect.

Heavy dust, items untouched for months: Something bigger is going on. One of the reasons above applies. Time for honest self-reflection.

Dust plus clutter (mail, keys, random objects piled on it): The altar has lost its sacred designation. It's become just another surface. This suggests either outgrowing it or significant disconnection from practice.

Dust plus some items removed or relocated: You're naturally winnowing down what matters. Pay attention to what you kept versus what drifted away—that's information about your real practice.

Clean but unused: You're maintaining it out of obligation or guilt, not genuine engagement. Time to evaluate if you actually want this altar.

Different items than when you started: Evolution! Even if dusty, the fact that it's changed shows your practice is alive, just in transition.

The Guilt Problem

Here's what needs to be said clearly: You don't owe anyone an altar. Not the gods. Not other witches. Not the concept of witchcraft itself.

The guilt you feel looking at your dusty altar? That's not coming from divine displeasure or spiritual failure. That's coming from internalized "shoulds"—the idea that real witches maintain perfect altars, practice daily, never let dust accumulate.

It's not true.

Real witches are humans with jobs and kids and depression and busy lives and changing interests. Real witches sometimes don't practice for months and that's okay. Real witches sometimes abandon altars and that's okay too.

Your worth as a witch is not measured by how dust-free your altar is.

Let that sink in.

Questions to Ask Your Dusty Altar

Instead of just feeling guilty, get curious. Ask:

"Do I miss using you?" If yes, what's stopping you? Address that. If no, why do you still have it?

"What was I hoping you would do for my practice?" Did it fulfill that hope? If not, what would?

"If I could change one thing about you, what would it be?" Maybe the altar isn't wrong, just the current configuration or location.

"Am I keeping you out of genuine spiritual connection or out of obligation?" Obligation-based practice dies. Connection-based practice thrives.

"What would happen if I took you down entirely?" Would you feel relief? Loss? Freedom? Nothing? That answer tells you what to do.

"Is there a smaller, simpler version of you that I would actually use?" Maybe you don't need a full altar, just one candle and one crystal. That's valid.

"What is the dustiest item here, and why?" The most neglected item often reveals what you've outgrown or what never resonated.

Reviving a Dusty Altar (If That's What You Want)

If you've realized you DO want to reconnect with your altar and practice, here's how:

1. Clean it physically first Literally dust it. Wash items that can be washed. Clear away anything that doesn't belong. Physical cleaning often creates mental/spiritual clarity too.

2. Remove what doesn't resonate anymore Be ruthless. If an item hasn't been used in months and doesn't spark any genuine spiritual connection, remove it. You can always add it back later if you miss it.

3. Simplify radically When in doubt, strip down to bare essentials. Maybe just:

One candle

One representation of the divine (if you work with deity)

One meaningful object

That's enough. Build from there only if genuinely called to.

4. Move it if needed Maybe the location is the problem. Move the altar somewhere you'll actually see and engage with it. Even moving it a few feet can shift the energy.

5. Start small Don't commit to elaborate daily practice right away. Commit to lighting one candle once a week. Just that. Build consistency with small actions before expanding.

6. Ask the altar what it needs Seriously. Sit in front of it and ask, "What do you need from me? What needs to change?" Listen for the answer, even if it's uncomfortable.

7. Set a specific intention "This altar is for [daily grounding practice / devotion to X deity / seasonal celebrations / whatever]." Clear purpose creates clear use.

8. Make it functional, not just beautiful Arrange it for use, not for photos. Put frequently used items within easy reach. Make it inviting to interact with, not precious to preserve.

When to Dismantle Your Altar

Sometimes the right answer is to take it down. That's not failure—it's honoring your truth.

Dismantle your altar if:

You genuinely feel relief at the idea

It's been unused for 6+ months with no desire to return

It represents a phase of practice you've clearly outgrown

Maintaining it causes more stress than spiritual benefit

You've realized you're not an altar person

You need the physical space for something else

Your life circumstances have changed significantly

How to dismantle respectfully:

Thank the altar and any spirits/deities associated with it Say goodbye. Express gratitude for what this space was.

Ask if anything needs to be done before dismantling If you work with deities, check if they want a final offering or ritual.

Cleanse items before storing or rehoming Clear the energy they accumulated.

Keep only what genuinely matters Store meaningful items carefully. Release the rest (donate, gift, dispose of respectfully).

Cleanse the physical space Smoke cleanse or clean the surface where the altar was.

Don't leave an empty wound Either repurpose the space for something new, or create a very simple placeholder if you think you might return to altar practice later.

Let go of guilt You're not betraying your practice. You're honoring your truth.

What Comes After the Dusty Altar

Whether you revive your altar, simplify it, or dismantle it entirely, the question remains: what does your practice look like now?

Maybe it looks like:

Magic in the kitchen while cooking

Prayers during your commute

Monthly nature walks as sabbat observances

One candle you light every morning

A digital practice on your phone

Meditation without any tools

Sporadic spells only when urgently needed

No formal practice but constant spiritual awareness

All of these are valid.

Your practice doesn't have to look like anyone else's.

The dusty altar taught you something: what you thought you wanted in your practice versus what you actually need. Listen to that lesson.

The Altar as Teacher

Even in its dust-covered neglect, your altar has been teaching you:

About your changing relationship with spirituality

About what you need versus what you think you should need

About the difference between obligation and genuine calling

About how you've grown

About what forms of practice actually serve you

A dusty altar isn't a monument to failure.

It's a mirror showing you your truth.

The question is: are you brave enough to look at what it's showing you and act accordingly?

Permission Slips

Here's what you're allowed to do, no guilt required:

✓ Take down your altar entirely

✓ Simplify it to one candle

✓ Practice without any altar at all

✓ Take a break from practice for weeks, months, years

✓ Change what your altar is for

✓ Admit you're not an altar person

✓ Stop working with deities you've lost connection with

✓ Start fresh with something completely different

✓ Practice only when it feels right, not on a schedule

✓ Let your altar stay dusty until you're ready

✓ Never have an altar again

✓ Admit this phase of your practice is over

You don't need anyone's permission, but if you need to hear it: you have permission.

The Bottom Line

A dusty altar is not a moral failing.

It's not proof you're a bad witch or a fake or a failure.

It's information.

It's your practice trying to tell you something about what you need, what's changed, what's no longer serving you, or what needs to shift.

Listen to it.

Honor what it's telling you.

And then act accordingly—whether that means cleaning it and reconnecting, simplifying it radically, or taking it down entirely.

Your spiritual practice is supposed to serve you, not the other way around.

If the altar isn't serving you anymore, you don't owe it continued service out of guilt.

Be honest. Be brave. Be willing to let your practice change shape.

The dust on your altar isn't the problem.

It's the invitation to get real about what your practice actually looks like now versus what you think it should look like.

Accept the invitation.

And do what needs to be done.

Blessed Be.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Photo Source

[witchescollection]

a reminder that you're not falling behind. not in your craft, not in your connection to your guides or gods, not in your spirituality.

you're allowed to have quiet seasons. you're allowed to be tired. you're allowed to be mundane, and magical, and both at once.

your magic doesn’t disappear just because you’re not lighting candles every night. you're still a witch, even when the most you can manage is a cup of tea and a deep breath.

you can take a break if you need - the gods are eternal. they'll still be here.

[mint-in-the-moonlight]

putting the poly back in polytheism

something that I've noticed in neo-pagan/polytheist spaces is this focus on one or a few deities. while this is a valid approach and seems to be working amazingly for many people, i wanted to write a short defence of a different form of polytheism that, while maybe less visible on social media, is equally viable.

the poly in polytheism necessitates the belief in multiple gods however modern forms of worship take many different forms on top of that. from my years being in pagan spaces on social media I have noticed that to many, being a polytheist means worshipping one or a handful of gods and having very close relationships with them. which deities someone chooses to have this kind of relationship with stems from multiple possible sources, for example, personal interest, the deity's domain being somehow related to a person's life or an inexplicable draw to them.

to me, this seems to be the dominant view on social media of the form that neo-paganism takes, however, after years of exploring my spirituality and practice, I have come to the conclusion that this is not how I want to worship. I am writing this post for more people like me, who are interested in exploring this often less mainstream approach.

an ancient template

reading about Ancient Greek and Roman civilisations I was always struck by the number of minor deities with hyper-specific domains and associations. as a modern pagan, I could not understand the appeal of worshipping such a deity, ie. using so much time and resources to build a relationship for only a handful of niche issues that you could approach them with.

but as I kept reading and exploring, I realised that I was approaching polytheism completely differently than the ancients did. they truly did live in a world full of gods and they did not require a relationship built over days, if not weeks or more, to approach a deity and ask for their aid.

as long as you followed the rules of reciprocity, you could approach any deity that was relevant to your situation because they were the best equipped to help you with your problem. now this is not true for all of the population all the time, there were definitely also for example, people devoted to one deity, but from my understanding, this seemed to be the general form that polytheism took in those ancient civilisations.

the influence of monotheism

I think another feature of online neo-paganism is this expansion of the major deities' domains which then removes the need to worship the smaller deities. now, don't get me wrong, I'm all for expanding the domains of deities, especially if this is done from a revivalist perspective in order to modernise them for the contemporary worshipper. but sometimes I feel like completely unrelated domains are added for the sake of convenience more than anything else, ie. so that someone can keep worshipping the same deity(ies) without approaching others.

this, in my opinion, goes against one of the core aspects of polytheism which is the idea that different gods rule over different domains and have power over them. following this idea, it would make very little sense to pray to Neptune during air travel as he has no influence over the skies. yet, I sometimes see the deities be treated more like monotheistic gods which are all-powerful and can influence anything in the world.

if this is your view of how the gods work, that's fine, but I feel like sometimes people accept it without questioning it much or thinking about their view of theology at all. after mulling this idea over for some time, I realised it made much more sense to approach those specific deities, even if they are much less known or minor because this fits into my beliefs about polytheism much better.

a poly-practice

so, how would a poly-polytheistic practice look like in the modern day? well, there are many ways to go about it but I will just share bits from my own experience.

what I have ended up doing is focusing on different deities as they become relevant in my life - I focused on worshipping Janus at the beginning of the year while also taking the time to pray to Fortuna in moment when I needed her aid. I then did some extra reading on Jupiter, but didn't forget to thank Mars every time I went to the gym. I no longer felt the pressure to have some sort of special "connection" to every deity or "feel their presence", just trusting that they are there and then catching glimpses of divinity in my daily life.

looking into which Roman festivals I wanted to celebrate also opened my perspectives to more deities I would not have otherwise worshipped on my own. like this, I feel like I am building an arsenal of deities I can turn to when I need and of course, it is also vital to remember that I can call on multiple ones at the same time, just like the Romans saw the gods aiding one another in their tasks.

I only have one altar, which is practical and thus quite minimalistic, but there is space for my prayer notebook as well as other supplies that I need for my rituals.

conclusion

of course, this kind of practice results in a much more "impersonal" relationship with the gods, but I never really felt the need to communicate with them directly or things like that, so it fits me well. I find comfort in imagining a world full of gods, who may only know me in passing but who look out for me nevertheless.

in the end, the goal of this post is not to change anyone's mind about how they worship, but to present an alternate perspective which you can learn from but also completely disregard. in the end I am just happy that you were interested enough to reach until the end of this post. thank you for reading!!

[breelandwalker]

Mulled Cider

A good all-occasions drink for any holiday from Midsummer to Yule…or whenever you happen to feel like it.

Ingredients:

8 cups apple cider

½ cup brown sugar

Pinch of ground nutmeg

6 inches of stick cinnamon

1 tsp whole allspice

1 tsp whole cloves (plus more for studding)

8 orange wedges, rind attached

Cheesecloth

In a large saucepan, combine cider, brown sugar, and nutmeg. Place cinnamon, allspice, and 1 tsp whole cloves in cheesecloth and tie with string. Add spice bag to cider mixture, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for another five to ten minutes. Remove spice bag and discard. Serve cider in mugs with a clove-studded orange wedge in each. You may also reserve the cinnamon sticks for a decorative touch.

[Source: Celtic Folklore Cooking, Joanne Asala, Llewellyn, 1998.]

Image Credit: Apples from New York.

[witchble]

Science is spiritual!

Learning how the world works doesn’t strip it of magic, it reveals even more of it. The more I understand the universe, the more sacred it feels.

[witchynyx]

"That was how it worked. No magic at all. But that time it had been magic. And it didn't stop being magic just because you found out how it was done..."

-- The Wee Free Men, Sir Terry Pratchett.

[hollowedskin]

Stop eating candles! Stop eating incense!!!!!

I'm trying to put something together and she's like. Actually this is for me and I'm going to eat it.

I have had to put everything under glass domes to stop her. Here's your offering, hope you can reach it under the anti-kitten forcefield I guess.

My friend asked me to give her some tarot cards to pull since she was playing with the runes and she gave me the most dogshit miserable reading I've ever had.

[hollowedskin]

@fiberartandspells do you know what she fucking pulled for me??

8 of cups, 5 of pentacles, and the 8 of swords.

COME BACK HERE AND DO IT AGAIN I DONT WANT THIS.

[fiberartandspells]

8 of cups: Abandonment, you left her to STORVATION by not letting her eat the candle

5 of pentacles: Hardship, she's suffering because you wouldn't let her eat the candle

8 of swords: Persecution, she's a martyr because you won't let her eat the candle (I've seen it read as "major weight-loss" too, which is fucking funny in that context, she's STARVING)

Clearly she is suffering.

[viking-illustrator]

“The Norse Conspiracy Chart”

[viking-illustrator]

Aka “a spell to locate people you need to block”.

Like to charge, reblog to cast.

[windvexer]

[upg ahead etc] Wards and protective spells can, and perhaps should, have an immediate influence on how you feel when you spend time in the protected area.

A home ward doesn't only operate on the idea that if something bad happens, the ward should mitigate it; it also operates to make that space feel safe as soon as the ward is established, up until the point that the ward stops working or runs out of energy.

The way the ward makes a space feel is influenced based on how the ward is made. A ward made with broken glass and vinegar won't make a space feel the same as a ward made of chamomile and lavender.

One early experiment in feeling magical energies and the influence of spellwork can be the construction of mildly protective wards built from favored correspondences, for protection against "bad vibes" (or in the case of a concerned practitioner, generally against ill-influence or uninvited guests, and so forth.)

A decent rule of thumb is that if a ward is applied and it makes a space feel good, then the ward remains charged only so long as the space keeps feeling good. When the good feeling fades, the ward needs feeding.

Further sorcerous experience can then be gained by judging how long wards stay charged and what methods of charging are more or less effective and long-lasting.

[breelandwalker]

Friendly reminder that I absolutely love the idea of drawing witchcraft inspiration from fairy tales and will happily discuss methods and mechanics and even examples at the slightest provocation.

So if you're curious, come say hello!

[aqua-tophana]

The Seven Wild Swans/Swan Princes. Undoing someone else’s spell with a weaving to bind the recipient to their natural state. Pain and blood (sacrifice) involved on the weaver’s end. Familial obligation vs familial devotion.

Thoughts on adapting that? Not ending an adverse spell (or circumstance) through wards or counters but binding the good to the person?

[breelandwalker]

Ooo, good one! (And a fairy tale that I'm personally very fond of, because I love the imagery of the sister feverishly weaving the nettle shirts to save her brothers right up to the very last minute.)

The way I would put together that sort of spell would be some kind of fibre arts piece, whatever you choose, where there's some kind of spool or skein involved. I would attach the magical impetus to the working strand and structure it so that as the enchanted item is being made, the thread pulls at the fabric of the other spell until it unravels. (I've done something like that when making a witch web for counter magic before.)

Then I would put the finer points of the intention or binding into the item that's being made as I was creating it. I might prick a finger and blood the weaving or stitching implement, or I might count the physical effort and the ache in my hands and wrist as the pain and sacrifice. With every stitch and row, I would try to bind or encourage kindness and compassion in the person, as well as hindering or barring impulses to be cruel or callous.

I'm not sure I'd try to bind someone to their "natural" state, since that can often be in flux, but perhaps to their "true" or "best" state. It would depend on the person and what outside influences one might be fighting against.

[breelandwalker]

Straw Into Gold - A Spell to Bring Wealth

The little man took the necklace, seated himself before the wheel, and whirr, whirr, whirr! three times round and the bobbin was full; then he took up another, and whirr, whirr, whirr! three times round, and that was full; and so he went on till the morning, when all the straw had been spun, and all the bobbins were full of gold.

-Rumpelstiltskin

Intent: To bring wealth to the caster.

Ideal Timing: Waxing or Full Moon

Materials:

Small glass jar

Empty thread bobbins or spools

Yellow or golden embroidery floss

Green or gold chime candle

Optional: Amber or orange oil

Most sewing or craft stores will sell empty spools or bobbins for sewing machines. Acquire three such spools or bobbins and enough yellow embroidery floss or sport-weight yarn to fill them.

After sundown, light a candle (yellow or green is ideal, but white works also) and sit down with the bobbins and floss. Focus on the candle flame and think of the way in which you would like money to come into your life.

Once you have the idea firmly in mind, begin winding the floss slowly around the bobbin and continue until it is full. Repeat until you have filled all three bobbins, then blow out the candle.

Anoint the three bobbins with orange or amber oil. Place them into a small jar and leave it somewhere it will not be disturbed. If the desired wealth does not come into your life within three months, or if you need more money, repeat the spell and add the three new bobbins to the jar.

- From The Sisters Grimmoire: Spells and Charms for Your Happily Ever After, 2nd ed., © 2017 by Bree NicGarran.

Want more fairy tale spells? Check out the masterpost here and visit my shop for spell kits, books, magical powders, and more!

(If you’re enjoying my content, please feel free to drop a little something in the tip jar, tune in to my monthly show Hex Positive on your favorite podcast app, or check out my published works on Amazon or in the Willow Wings Witch Shop. 😊)

[libraford]

I have seen... so many opinions about when its appropriate to do spells that it really drives home the point that it truly is just an opinion.

"Make sure you do spells every day."

"Only do spells when absolutely necessary."

"Spell work is not to be taken lightly, only do it after you've studied for a year."

"Frivolous spells make serious witches look bad."

Shut up.

Ill do what I want.

[traegorn]

I blame Charmed for some of this.

[libraford]

The 'only when necessary' one is very Charmed, but I've also seen it in books that predate the show. The tone is always so condescending, too.

Like is magic a finite resource or something? Are we rationing? Is it wartime?

[witch--tips]

does anyone ever feel a little disappointed sometimes by the witchcraft content we have, across all platforms? like there are so few people actually posting unique or interesting things, it feels to me like 95% of witch posts are the same 5 beginner concepts, tutorials, and psas over and over again. tumblr is definitely where ive found the most amount of unique posters who give insight into their own unique practices and theories or make actually good witchy shitposts, but still, how many posts about “how to make moon water” or whatever do we need…? i mean it is GREAT if you ever wanna look up beginner stuff, but its gotten so repetitive.

its also sooooo annoying how fake most of these posts are, or offensive, like “take this quiz to find out your spirit animal!” or “how to figure out if youre a born witch” or any other problematic clickbaity thing. also there so many aesthetic posts in the witchy tags everywhere, and tbf i do love witchy aesthetic things, but even then if you look closer so many of those posts are ai (FUCK ai) or the same 30 pinterest photos over and over again… theres also just a lot of spam and bots and people trying to sell you stuff in witchy spaces, which is annoying too 💔

[web-witch]

This person brings up a good point. It was one of the main reasons I decided to start my blog. It’s also why I’m working on my second book for more advanced practitioners. My advice is not to let the base level be the only level. Share what you have learned and grow the knowledge for all of us. I will admit I’ve been at this for 16 years and not once have I stopped learning from the people I follow on here. There is always something you didn’t consider or could use. Being a witch is about using ingenuity and creative thinking to adapt what you learn to your life.

[windvexer]

I don't say this to dissuade publicposting, but in my experience over the last 10 to 15 years, a lot of the "good" content is never going to be posted publicly.

Even 15ish years ago my experience with online witchcraft was, "this is the public group that anyone can access where nobody really says anything, and this is the invite-only private group where we say more."

And then there are the private conversations happening behind closed doors that no third party ever gets access to.

People who post 'advanced' content tend to get very little engagement, because obviously that content is only of interest to a niche audience. So there's that factor - social media is less fun when nobody wants to talk to you!

This is true even of my content. Of my longform posts, the ones with the most notes address very basic concepts (like 'how to banish', or 'tips for adhd witches') and the ones that I often think, if I might toot my own horn, share to some degree Actual Advanced Things rarely hit 100 notes, even written in the same accessible style.

The problem is that it's just not fun to spend an hour of my life writing an 'advanced' post that will get 15 likes and 2 reblogs, especially because Tumblr.com or any public-facing platform isn't my only outlet for witchtalking.

I would much rather spend an hour chatting with my friends in the private server in an engaging and multifacited discussion on the topic.

And of the 'advanced' (aka, not simply 101) topics I do want to address in detail? Well I'm doing the same as @web-witch, I'm writing books. So that content still isn't going to be circulated as public posts.

There's plenty of social risk, and very little reward, to publicly sharing your practice in social media. And everything beyond the 101 is your personal practice.

If you don't mind me spiritualizing the process a little bit, I think that void - where all the beginner content has been consumed and nothing else can be found in the same places - is a part of the mystery religion itself.

I believe witchcraft is both initiatory and transformative. If you want to keep going, you have to keep changing. A first step I think many of us encounter is, what do I have to change in order to cross this void and get to the next step?

So while there's a practical explanation for why this information isn't out there - that creators are more likely to be punished or ignored than receive any level of reciprocity or reward - I think there's a spiritual one, too.

Witchcraft is esoteric, as in, not exoteric. It's not suitable for the public. Witchcraft is and should be accessible to all. But it's not on the surface. I don't think we can make real witchcraft ever be on the surface.

Of course, this is just a religious belief. I believe that witchcraft cleaves itself away and folds ever-inwards. You chase it, or not! But either way, public advancedposting is rarely fun or worth the effort.

[elminx]

I also think there is a problem with the desire for 10-second content.

I do it too if I'm overwhelmed. A long post might be too much for me at the time. Sometimes it gets lost in my brain, and I never make my way back to it.

The more easily digestible the thing is, the quicker people interact with it.

Just at baseline.

And 101 stuff can often be conveyed more succinctly.

I don't know how to fix this. Or to get people to engage more - share more - talk more.

I want to figure it out, though.

[friend-crow]

For me a lot my reluctance to share more can really be found in the first sentence of the original post: does anyone ever feel a little disappointed sometimes by the witchcraft content we have, across all platforms?

When you post about your personal practice to social media, it becomes content to be consumed by strangers.

To be clear, I don't blame OP for using the term content, and I imagine they don't mean it the way I feel about it. But the fact remains that to me it does feel, to use a cliched term, a bit profane.

Again, this is referring specifically to my feelings and personal practice, and will not be universally applicable. Witchcraft isn't inherently spiritual to everyone in the way the practice I've developed (and continue to develop) is to me.

But on a less spiritual note, as Chicken mentioned, so much after the 101 level becomes highly customized to and by the individual practitioner, so to share a peek at what I'm doing is to leave out many years of context, much of which really can't be easily explained in a social media post (certainly not in one that anybody is going to want to read). Some things I'm okay with posting sans context, or veiled as a joke, but a lot of things really just wouldn't make sense, except maybe to other experienced practitioners who have explored in similar areas.

Some people are comfortable with taking on a teaching role, and one way of doing this is teaching technical skills without personal practice. I think I would find it difficult to do that, nor do I wish to be in a teaching role.

So what you get are my shitposts, my posts that look like shitposts but aren't, and those weird moments in which I am perhaps a little too sincere, but probably not in a way that's gonna teach you any useful technique.

[stagkingswife]

I think I can only echo my buddies up the thread on this topic.

Like Crow said my practice isn’t content for consumption. It’s my real lived every day experience, little moments through out my day, big revelations when I’m at my lowest points, connections and gnosises that will make so sense to anyone but me.

Like Minx said it’s not succinct. My current practice is the culmination of 29 unbroken years of training, experimentation, and experience. The reason we call it a practice is because you need to practice, practice, practice like you practice a skill, a craft, or an art form. When you live in practice for that long you can’t reduce it to a sound bite.

And finally like Chicken said, the real lived details of my practice ARE esoteric. What I REALY DO, day in and day out, is specialized, it is explicitly not relatable. Attempts to share glimpses of that true practice with the wider public have been a best rejected and at worst ridiculed in the past. So I only share the weak watered down versions for public eyes.

This is a perennial conversation and I always have the same answer. “Stop asking for what you think you want, but don’t really. If you keep asking I might just give it to you.”

[cursecuelebre]

Just something I want to say

If you’re any type of polytheist, witch, or/and pagan with specific traditions from a culture ancient or not, RESEARCH THE HISTORY OF WHERE THESE PRACTICES CAME FROM. I am not talking about TikTok or yes sometimes YouTube has great resources but your best tool is academic works by scholars and historians. If you’re a Hellenic polytheist research Ancient Greece how their religion was different than other parts of Greece, how did these deities came into Hellenic polytheism like Aphrodite or Hekate. What was their society like how they treated women and their roles, festivals, even food. Ancient Norse and Germanic history especially since it’s tainted with nazi ideology and pseudo history, how they used runes, what clothing they wore, where they more agricultural base or sea faring. How Ancient Roman Gods were not copy and pasting Greek mythology they had their own indigenous culture and gods and goddesses.

These are important because to know the gods is to know the people that they worship them in the first place beyond religious worship we intend to forget these cultures still exist and carry on ancient traditions. Why and how these religions came to be was of people polytheism especially Ancient Greco-Roman societies it was imbue in their culture art, music, literature, politics, etc. Best way to learn is actually studying it by reading and listening to and from academic who know what their talking about. I’m not saying you should follow the steps of the ancients but learning the past is honouring the traditions and the gods and those who came before.

[dajo42]

i was a kid asking questions like "when you say to rate my pain on a scale of 1 to 10 do you mean relative to what i have experienced before or what i could theoretically experience in the future because what if i say 8 and then later i get twenty billion papercuts and i realise relative to that this pain is a 1" and they would reply "just focus on what you know, you literally had your foot ran over by a ford focus" and id say "well exactly but it could have been both feet which i know would surely be worse" and it still took years to diagnose me as autistic

[snazzy-hats-and-adhd]

"Is a 1 to 10 pain scale intuitive?" needs to be evaluated as an autism diagnosis question.

[yourmom-dotcom]

ive broken a lot bones and always rated the pain at about 6-7 "becuase its just my arm, i know breaking a femur hurts worse" meanwhile theres two smaller peices of bone where theres supposed to be one big one

[snazzy-hats-and-adhd]

Funnily enough, I had just been in for fingertip xrays when I reblogged this. I only rated it a 4 because it wasn't a "constant" awareness (the actual breaking had happened a week prior so most the the swelling and all the bruising g had gone down).

[copperbadge]

Pretty much the only silver lining to having had gallstones is that they're objectively considered one of the most painful conditions you can have (alongside kidney stones and natural childbirth). So if a doctor asks me to rate my pain, I can say "if my gallstones were a ten, this is comparatively [#]" and they will take that shit seriously.

[prismatic-bell]

I do this with my broken foot. "My broken foot was a six. This is a [number]." It helps a lot.

[meallaaoi]

...huh, @copperbadge, that actually helps a lot? I know it's not logical at all, but part of me has been almost disappointed with myself for how much pain medication I needed/how "badly" I handled the pain when I had gallstones/needed my gallbladder removed about 2½ months ago, especially when I compared it to how easily I handled the pain of the baseball-sized ovarian cyst that I needed surgically removed less than 2 months before that.

(Partly I think it's been a bit of guilt for "making my mom so worried" - she was with me for both hospital visits, and she was pretty deeply disturbed by how I was acting due to the pain of the gallbladder thing, especially for the few hours it took waiting in the ER. Also deeply illogical, but definitely still there.)

((Huh, maybe I have some more work to do with my counselor on the impact of my chronic pain issues than I thought I did.))

Anyway, thank you for helping me reframe that experience a little bit.

[copperbadge]

Yeah, learning that made me feel a lot better about taking medical leave prior to having mine removed. I didn't have limited mobility, I could speak and think and (fortunately) advocate for myself, so it seemed ludicrous to take a month of medical leave at a time I was actually very much needed at work. But I had a million medical things to take care of and was only poorly functioning through the fluctuating pain...

So finding out I was basically at 9-10 for pain multiple times a week during that month's leave was very validating.

[anotherdayforchaosfay]

My IUD broke and a piece embedded itself in the wall of my birth canal. In the ER, two male doctors tried removing it with their hand. They took turns. I lost consciousness from the pain. My husband says I turned a shade if gray he never wants to see again. That is my ten. When I use that as the ten for this imaginary skill doctors think is accurate, I mention that. Thing is, I have been in constant pain since a sledding accident fucked up my back when I was 14. I have hEDS and gave dislocated ever ball joint in my body. My right hip has osteoarthritis, I have arthritis in both hands and wrists. That scale they want me to use makes no sense to someone living with chronic pain.

This is the pain scale I show the doctors. They take me more seriously now when I see them about the pain I live with. If you have chronic pain, save this picture.

[pearlsandgrapevines]

“You Cannot Touch Her” Curse/Binding

This curse is particularly for people who have done harm in the past, and as such already known to be a potential threat. The idea is to keep the person from speaking to or approaching the one you’re trying to protect, and to make them feel watched and judged for their past actions.

You will need the following:

A jar big enough to hold a poppet

Some kind of poppet - I used a wooden one with the offender’s name written on the bottom. A photo could also be used

White out

A black candle

A mixture of black salt & cayenne pepper

A sigil of your own design meaning “You cannot touch [name or pronoun]”

A permanent marker

Light the candle and white out the mouth of your poppet. Roll the poppet in the mixture of black salt and cayenne pepper (black salt tends to stain so keep this in mind). Place it in the jar and seal the lid, leaving the poppet inside under the gaze of dozens of eyes. Write your sigil on the lid. During or after all of this, say the following aloud or think it to yourself (change pronouns accordingly):

You cannot touch her. You cannot speak to her. Think of her and bring this curse upon you. May your tongue catch in your throat if you dare to reach her. May you burn and ache if you come near. May you feel eyes upon your back each time you think her name. They’re watching. I’m watching. May you forever question the gaze of others - Do they know the things you’ve done? I do. I curse you. I bind you. You cannot touch her.

Stash the jar in a dark place, like a closet or a cabinet (I don’t recommend burying jars). Let the candle burn until it extinguishes itself.

[breelandwalker]

Witchy Self-Care Tip: Wash Your Feet

At the end of a long day, there can be a strong temptation to just flop onto the nearest comfortable piece of furniture and just shut down. While it does bring relief, here’s one step I recommend taking first to help you cleanse, de-stress, and disengage from the working portion of your day.

When you get home, put your accoutrements away and wash your hands. Attend to any first-thing-in-the-door rituals you have. Then go to your tub, take off your shoes and socks, get any long garments or trouser legs out of the way, and wash your feet.

It doesn’t have to be a full bath. You don’t have to bend or scrub. It doesn’t have to take more than a minute. The water can be whatever temperature is comfortable for you. Use a bucket or run the tap, whichever is easier. Flex your toes a bit, let the water run between them. Let it flow over your ankles if you can.

As you do, take some deep breaths and consciously let go of the working or schooling or errand-running portion of your day. That’s done with, and you’re home. You might still have some things to do over the course of the evening, but you’re headed for some nice leisure time too. If it helps, you can visualize the stress flowing out through your feet and into the water to be washed down the drain.

If you wish, you can add soothing herbs or bath oils to the water before washing your feet. These can be aligned to whatever magical purpose you like.

When you’re done, rinse the tub, dry off your feet, and go about your evening. I recommend clean footwear like fresh socks or house shoes if you don’t wish to go barefoot.

I do this every day when I get home, with a bucket of cool water in my tub. It’s very refreshing, especially on hot days, and I’ve found it a very soothing way to separate my work day from my evening time. Plus, it cleans my feet and softens my calluses. In the winter, I use hot water and it’s a pleasant way to warm up after tromping around in the cold or sitting in a chilly office all day.

Just a little something to help with your daily cleansing routines. Hope you enjoy!

[coinandcandle]

Sometimes you have to step out of your comfort zone and read that book that's more than a decade or even century old to learn more about magic and witchery.

You have to interact with literature and media that isn't within your own echo chamber.

You need regular confrontations with opinions and ideas outside your own bubble otherwise you. will. not. grow.

You must be able to read things critically, knowing that picking up a book and reading it does not equal you believing every word.

Learn about how others view the world, learn how people's beliefs work, learn how to intake information without assuming that every bit of information is on a binary of "good" or "bad" information.

This is the witchy version of me telling you, lovingly, to go touch grass.