What Is This Witchcraft??

|Atlas|Hellenic Pagan|Follower of Nyx| Hi, just your average witch. I do the following: •Divination (tarot and pendulum)•Sigil Requests •Green witchcraft•Sea/Water Witchcraft•Weather/Storm Witchcraft And much more!

[stormwaterwitch]

Rabbits Rabbits Rabbits

Reblog this on the first of the month for good luck all month long!

[dumbbbunnnyy-deactivated2021021]

[elementenchanter]

Stop being lazy witches. What I'm talking about is the excessive use of generative AI to make guides on witchcraft. Get off of your asses and use websites that host royalty-free images for your posts, use free software for your "aesthetic" posts, tarot spreads and moodboards. There is no excuse to use AI, especially for a practice that requires us to do proper research and use our brains to sort though information that is factual and not fake. If you're willing to use generative AI at any point, you're not helping yourself, new witches, or anyone else and is indicative of how much you really care about your practice.

[breelandwalker]

General Advice for Beginner Witches

A brief masterpost of some of my advice posts for beginner witches and the episodes of my podcast dealing with the same. (There is UPG here, particularly where marked, as I base a good deal of my advice on my own experience and observations of other witches.)

Hex Positive Podcast Episodes

Hex Positive, Ep. 04 - Advice for Beginner Witches (July 2020)

Hex Positive, Eps. 6-7 - Come In For A Spell 1 & 2 (Sept 2020)

Hex Positive, Ep. 12 - Witching From The Broom Closet (Jan 2021)

Hex Positive, Ep. 24 - Warding A Witchy Home (Dec 2021)

Hex Positive, Ep. 27 - When Inspo Takes A Holiday (March 2022)

General Tips & Advice

I Feel Like I Might Be A Witch...But I Don't Know

I Have Mental Health Issues - Can I Still Be A Witch?

Can I Still Be A Witch And Use Magic If I Take Medication?

How Do I Teach Myself To Believe In Magic?

How Does Magic Work? (upg ahoy)

Will I Be Possessed Or Haunted If I Try Witchcraft?

What Are Some Things I Can Do To Get Started?

How Can I Start My Practice If I Don't Have Tools Or Books?

How Do I Organize My Study Materials?

How Do I Contact A Deity?

How Do I Worship My Deity If I Can't Have An Altar?

Tips On Working With Deities And Spirits (here be upg)

My Intuitive Spark Feels Low - How Do I Get It Back?

I'm In A Slump - How Do I Get Out Of It?

I've Reached A Stopping Point - What Do I Do Next?

My Candle Is Flickering - Does It Mean Something Bad?

How Do I Make A Magic Circle For Spellcasting?

What Happens If I Get Interrupted While Casting A Spell?

Do I Need To Maintain Positive Vibes For My Spells To Work?

What Should I Do If I REALLY Want To Hex Someone?

How Do I Know / What Do I Do If I've Been Hexed?

How Do I Become More Skilled And More Powerful?

How Do I Know When I'm Ready For The Next Step In My Practice?

Additional Tips For Developing Your Practice

Witchcraft Exercise - Quantifying Your Craft

Witchcraft Exercise - Dig Through The Ditches

Witchcraft Exercise - The Book of Lessons

Witchcraft Exercise - Home Brews

Tips on How to Visualize and Construct Basic Wards

Practicing Your Warding Technique

Cleansing Before Warding / Warding A Shared Space

Refreshing / Patching Existing Wards

Non-Appropriative Herbs for Smoke-Cleansing

Smokeless Cleansing / Other Methods

Recommended Reading & Book Suggestions

[breelandwalker]

UPDATES:

"Witch" Is A Gender Neutral Term (Yes, It Is. Shut Up.)

Critical Thinking Should Play A Role Building In Your Craft

Learn About Baneful Magic...Even If You Never Intend To Use It

Tips for Fact-Checking Your Witchcraft Sources

PSA - Will It Summon Demons?

The Toad Talk on Curse-Shaming

Friendly Reminder - Your Tools Don't Hate You

How Do I Know If I've Been Cursed And What Can I Do About It?

I'm Not Sure Where To Start. Is It Okay To Dabble?

I Feel Tired After Spellwork. Is This Normal? How Do I Deal With It?

How Can I Use Local Plants In My Practice If I Can't Find Magical Correspondences For Them?

Additional Resources

2025 Witches Calendar

Full Moon Info Post Series

How To Write Your Own Spells

Witchcraft Exercises for Building Your Craft

Witchcraft Supply Recommendation Roundup

Additional Book Recommendations

JSTOR Articles on the History of Witchcraft, Witch Trials, and Folk Magic Beliefs

Podcast Recs - Witches and Witchcraft in History

Podcast Recs - Debunking and Fact-Checking for Witchcraft Spaces

Creature-Wizard's Guide To Recognizing and Avoiding Conspiracy Theories and New Age Cult Scams In Witchcraft and Pagan Spaces

Additional Episodes of Hex Positive

Ep. 034 - Building Your Witchcraft Library (May 2023)

Ep. 035 - Money Magic (or Why I'm Not A Rich Witch) (June 2023)

Ep. 037 - Cleaning, Cleansing, and Magical Germophobia (August 2023)

Ep. 038 - Creating Your Personal Grimoire (September 2023)

[cheesekneesandbees]

Treat yo self, broke witch style

Soap glamour spell (Some great soaps 1 2 3) 

Homemade bath bombs (try with various herbs for various effects)

Homemade shampoo 

Try incorporating morally sound love spells- Its way better to radiate love to attract the same rather than to try to draw a specific person to you. Try taking a bath with rose petals, homemade fancy salts, and some pink/red/white candles, or set your favorite lipstick to soak up moonlight, put rosewater in your face powder, or enchant your favorite perfume!

Do some makeup glamour! Enchant your lipstick, your concealer, whatever you want to appear however you like!

ENCHANT YOUR BINDER! Make it a MAGICAL THING that no one can see though!

I’ll add later more!

*Edit* MORE!

Make lipstick and imbue feelings into it 

Do the same with shower jelly 

And other beauty products! 

Draw sigils on your nails (Use a toothpick and nail polish, or some pens from here (Also in that link is super cheap nail polish)

Get a container of those face-cleansing pads (like oxyclean) and enchant them with whatever kind of glamour you want! Add (BODY SAFE) Oils for extra zing. (Or you can make them by buying those cotton pads from Target and a bottle of witch hazel)

Make some herbal or floral jelly! (The recipe says violet but it should work for most things)

Get some thrift store shirts and weave spells into them as you tailor 

[cultusquercus]

I am forming a supergroup of witchblr power users, and I'm calling it WSHA (pronounced "whoa-shuh"): Witchcraft Safety and Health Administration.

We will be inspecting your smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, and fining you for fire safety violations.

[cultusquercus]

But most of all, we will be looking at your photos and getting reeeeal anxious.

[quantum-natura]

Flower of Life Tarot Spread

Current energies

External forces/influences

Challenges/things to let go of

Strengths/things to cultivate

Messages from spirit/unseen guidance 

Outcome/future 

This is one of my first original tarot spreads and has become one of my favorites. It’s a great spread to use when you don’t have a specific question formulated, but works just as effectively with open ended questions. Enjoy! 

[feefal]

Moon comic!

[pnglove]

[space-queen]

constellation correspondences ✦ ˖ ⁺

a list of common constellations and their correspondences

(there are many myths from many cultures surrounding the constellations - pls keep in mind that these are personal correspondences largely inspired by greco-roman mythology and will be updated periodically)

A

andromeda - power, removing barriers, release, letting go

aquarius - innovation, luck, rebellion, intellect, curiosity

aquila - guidance, psychic work, astral travel

ara - hearth, home, devotion, refuge, protection 

aries - protection, banishing

auriga - wisdom, knowledge, storm magic 

B

boötes - protection, warding, acquisition  

C

cancer - astral travel, dreamwork, psychic abilities, imagination, creativity, subconscious desire 

canes venatici - companionship, faithfulness, protection, healing 

canis major & canis minor - death, renewal, new beginnings, protection, purification

capricornus - harvest, energy, abundance

cassiopeia & cepheus - balance, relationships, love, union, healing, maternal conflict (cassiopeia), and familial/home conflict (cepheus) 

centaurus - balance, duality, healing, wisdom

cetus - power, intelligence, communication, change, growth, happiness

columba - peace, relaxation, fidelity, devotion, marriage, union

corona australis - emotions, love, spirituality, success, manifestation of goals 

corona borealis - guidance, protection, knowledge, divination, success, manifestation of goals

corvus - wisdom, secrets, duality, prophecy, divination

crater - life, emotions, abundance

crux - elemental energy, crossroads, decision-making 

cygnus - light, death, transformation, prophecy, self-esteem 

D

delphinus - intelligence, wisdom, truth, releasing negativity, fertility, safe travels 

draco - wisdom, power, knowledge, prosperity, luck, protection 

E

eridanus - life, health, abundance, power, wisdom, transformation, meditation 

G

gemini - balance, change, transition, increased power, banishing

grus - death, rebirth, mysticism, truth, divination  

H

hercules - wisdom, creativity, strength, energy

hydra/hydrus - life, reproduction, forces of nature, power, healing, transformation

I

leo - power, protection, courage, strength 

lepus - abundance, swiftness, wisdom, divination, hidden knowledge, transformation, lunar magic 

libra - balance, healing, legal matters 

lupus - power, purpose, loyalty, protection

lynx - isolation, purification, cleansing, illumination, insight, hidden knowledge, swiftness

lyra - underworld, enchantment, immortality of the soul, music 

M

monoceros - beauty, freedom, love, luck, spirituality, transformation, wisdom, creativity 

O

ophiuchus & serpens - healing, balance, the flow of energy 

orion - self-confidence, strength, victory, winter storms 

P

pegasus & equuleus - travel between realms, spiritual communication, astral travel, divination, psychic abilities 

perseus - heroism, courage, power 

phoenix - change, cycles, transformation, rebirth, renewal, personal growth 

pisces - creation, fertility, union, creativity 

pleiades, the - mysticism, power, higher consciousness, wisdom, awareness

S

sagittarius - mental stimulation, virility, sexuality, physical energy, power, skill, manifestation of goals

scorpius - protection, the underworld, creativity, transformation, psychic abilities 

T

taurus - abundance, regeneration, power, strength, potency 

triangulum - balance, change, transformation

U

ursa major - protection, strength, survival, exile, courage

ursa minor - protection, youth, nurturing

V

virgo - rebirth, harvest, regeneration, prosperity

© 2025 bunny-claws

[windvexer]

My thoughts on reading 7s and Jacks in cartomancy

Working on cartomancy a fair bit lately and I've found these personal definitions have been more useful to me as compared to the Hedgewytch method:

Sevens as Due Consequences, Inevitability, and Fate

In the Hedgewytch method, sevens are "trouble that fate has assigned." Given this association with fate, all the sevens also have a strong link to magic, astrology, and psychism in general. But they're also typically framed as negative. This hasn't been working out as well for me because it clashes with the red/black system of "good" and "bad" portents.

The link to psychism and magic works out great for me because witchcraft and spirit work is prevalent in my life. But instead of framing all sevens as "trouble," I've found a lot more utility in framing them as:

Causal outcomes

Expected consequences

Inevitability

Bottlenecks

"Reality check"

Anchoring

Or basically, shifting them from "seven brings trouble that fate has assigned" to "seven speaks what is fated, troubles and all."

A part of the Hedgewytch explanation for the meanings of the 7s is that they are the half-way point in each suit; six cards are behind them, and six cards are ahead. From this we can derive a meaning of the scales of balance. If all our ideations, hopes, and desires are set aside, what is the very likely outcome of the set of circumstances at hand?

I take this in a very practical way. The consequences of spilling water is that the floor is wet. It's not a moral judgment, it's the reality of the matter at hand: if you run a marathon, it's inevitable that you'll be tired.

Some aspect of negativity can be preserved in this, in the sense that a "reality check" is often going to set our wants and needs aside, and speak only to the facts. So the 7s can still be used as a 'balancer' card to obtain information that might be difficult for the querent.

For example, this would shift the 7 of Diamonds from "financial troubles" (where you basically have to set aside or modify the red = good rule) into "the consequences of this will be related to finances, likely in a good way."

The 7 of Spades transforms from "double trouble" to "the outcome of this is going to suck," and if it's surrounded by diamonds, we can then derive "the outcome of this is going to suck, financially speaking."

The key for me is to view the 7s as being a little outside of the present moment, usually speaking about the consequences that are bound to happen as a result of actions (adjusted to your views on free will and fate, of course).

Jacks/Knaves as Events, Occurrences, Happenings, Opportunities; sometimes Social Status

The original meaning of knaves as "a message, a girl, or a youth" has never been helpful to me and mostly left me with a big question mark when I tried to work off that set of meanings.

Instead I am finding it to be much more helpful to reframe knaves as specific events related to the question or signifier, probably events that give the querent an opportunity to take action towards their wants and needs. (Or, if the knave is poorly dignified, some relevant event that will get in the way of their goals.)

The problem for me with the "message" meaning is that it has been difficult for me to tie the idea of the querent getting a message with the rest of the spread. I realized it's because it feels like a static event happening to the querent, rather than an interactive part of a dynamic spread.

For me the primary difference between "message" and "event" is the agency of the querent. The Knave of Hearts isn't necessarily a thoughtful message from a friend, but an opportunity to deepen that friendship, change the dynamic, or step away.

When the knave represents a person, instead of a "girl or youth" I find it's more practical to read the knave as someone lower down in the social hierarchy than the queen or king might be. If the king is the CEO and the queen is the manager, then the knave might be the shift worker.

Introducing relative social status has helped me untangle the court cards in general, because the courts change from absolutes ("this is a divorced woman") to something relative to the question at hand ("this is a person who has already struggled with the same issues, and probably has more influence in this situation than that knave over there.")

[awitchnamedjuniper]

Shake It Off Salt Spell

This is one I really like. I used to keep a small bowl at the ready (refreshed weekly), though I now just make smaller bowls whenever the need strikes.

This is one I crafted for those days when my insecurities are a little too heavy. I am definitely my biggest critic and my own worst enemy some days. So, for when those negative thoughts are loud.

Materials

Small bowl

Salt

Crushed rosemary

Pinch of black pepper

Combine salt, rosemary, and pepper in a bowl.

Dip your fingers in the mixture, then flick it away from you and say, "Not mine to carry."

You may want to rest your fingers in the salt first, taking a moment to let those negative thoughts and feelings be absorbed. As you flick the salt away, visualize your insecurities being flung away.

Follow up with any self-care activity that feels right to you. Personally, I'm fond of having a cup of rose or lavender tea.

[lailoken]

The Discipline of Discernment:

On the Advantages and Liabilities of Magical Thinking in Magical Practice

“The psychotic drowns in the same waters in which the mystic swims with delight.” – Joseph Campbell

There are certain temperaments that tend, more often than not, toward magical practice. They notice correspondences quickly. They feel atmosphere change when entering a room. They wake from dreams with entire landscapes intact and coherent. They detect rhythm in coincidence. They are rarely content with the flat explanation when a layered one is available. While these traits can deeply enrich one’s experience of the world, the same temperaments are also particularly vulnerable to misreading the world.

Heightened pattern recognition is not inherently mystical. It is simply the mind’s capacity to detect relationship. A practitioner who sees three crows in succession and pauses is not irrational; they are attentive. The question is whether that attentiveness is disciplined. Pattern recognition becomes magical thinking when it is unexamined. The mind that can weave meaning across distance can also weave illusion across absence. A string of unrelated events may be gathered into a narrative because the mind finds comfort in coherence. A dream may be treated as directive rather than digestion. A symbol may be taken as summons when it is merely familiarity. This is not a moral failing. It is an occupational hazard.

Strong imagination operates similarly. It is the faculty by which unseen forms become perceptible. Without imagination, spirits would rarely ever be encountered with any degree of intensity or clarity, because encounter requires a receptive medium. The imagination is that medium. Yet the imagination is also generative. It produces images without external stimulus. It elaborates. It embellishes. It intensifies. If a practitioner does not learn the temperament of their own imagination—how it behaves when bored, how it behaves when lonely, how it behaves when frightened—they risk mistaking its productions for visitation.

In my experience, what separates a gifted practitioner from a deluded one is not the presence or absence of imagination, but the presence of restraint. There is a tendency in modern discourse to equate skepticism with disenchantment and credulity with openness. But many traditions—especially ones that involve direct magical/spiritual investigation and mitigation—rarely operated this way. Many folk practitioners were and are profoundly pragmatic in their own right. A thing might be a spirit. It might also be damp air in the wall. One does not need to decide immediately. The disciplined practitioner permits ambiguity to remain. Magical thinking in its immature form insists upon meaning. In its matured form, it tolerates mystery without filling it. This distinction is subtle but decisive.

Consider coincidence. A practitioner with heightened pattern recognition may experience a series of related symbols in close succession. They might see a particular animal repeatedly, hear its name spoken unexpectedly, and dream of it that night. One response is to declare oneself chosen. Another is to note the pattern and wait. Patterns that persist without prompting tend to clarify themselves. Patterns that require constant reinforcement from the practitioner tend to dissolve when not fed. The imagination can amplify either pathway.

There are individuals whose minds are naturally porous. They perceive emotional undercurrents. They sense when something is about to occur. They anticipate shifts. This porosity can feel like psychic ability, and in some cases it may be precisely that. It can also be anxious vigilance, however. An anxious mind also scans for patterns, as a way to make sense of our circumstances and offer protective action. It also predicts outcomes. It also feels charged by small deviations in environment. And without careful self-study, the two can become indistinguishable.

To practice magic responsibly is to cultivate self-knowledge alongside perception. One must learn the texture of one’s own thoughts. Which ideas arrive quietly and remain steady? Which arrive in a rush and demand immediate action? Which are accompanied by fear? Which by stillness?

In my observation, genuine encounter tends toward steadiness. It does not need to shout. It does not flatter. It does not insist upon immediate identity change. The imagination, by contrast, often seeks drama. This is not to disparage drama. Many initiatory experiences are intense, and some encounters are world-shaking. But intensity in and of itself is not evidence.

There are practitioners who possess extraordinary imaginative capacity. They can construct elaborate inner landscapes and inhabit them fully. This can be a profound asset. Ritual often requires visualization. Relationship with non-ordinary beings often begins in imaginal space. However, the imaginal is not synonymous with the external or the true. A useful discipline is to differentiate between what one generates and what resists generation. If you attempt to alter an inner image and it alters easily, you are likely within your own construction. If it resists modification, behaves unpredictably, or introduces information you would not have chosen, the experience warrants further observation. Even then, caution remains appropriate.

Magical “giftedness,” if such a term is to be used at all, often consists in sensitivity. Sensitivity to pattern. Sensitivity to mood. Sensitivity to subtle change. These are not inherently supernatural traits. They are neurological and psychological tendencies that, when refined, allow one to perceive what others overlook. Yet, as William James observed, “The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook.”

But they can also render one susceptible to overwhelm. A mind that detects pattern everywhere may struggle to dismiss irrelevant stimuli. A mind that imagines vividly may struggle to rest. A mind that senses atmosphere may struggle to differentiate between personal emotion and environmental influence.

Thus the same traits that allow one to see hidden facets of reality can distort reality. The difference lies not in suppressing these faculties but in training them. In this context, training includes:

— Deliberate grounding in ordinary cause and effect.

— Verification when possible.

— Patience before conclusion.

— Acceptance of uncertainty.

It also includes humility. There is a particular danger in magical communities of rewarding dramatic narrative. The practitioner who reports grand visions and complex spirit courts is often given more attention than the practitioner who reports subtle shifts and quiet guidance. This can unconsciously encourage elaboration. The gifted practitioner often learns to be content with the modest. It is often the modest perception that proves most reliable.

Magical thinking, in its healthiest form, is not belief in fantasy, but recognition that the world may contain more than is immediately visible. Heightened pattern recognition, in its healthiest form, is not paranoia, but attentiveness to interrelation. Strong imagination, in its healthiest form, is not escapism, but an instrument for encounter. Each becomes curse when untethered. If a practitioner refuses all skepticism, they risk constructing an elaborate architecture of falsehood around themselves. If they refuse all imagination, they risk sealing themselves off from subtle perception entirely.

The work, then, is balance. One must allow the mind to wander without allowing it to rule. One must attend to pattern without worshiping it. One must imagine without conflating imagination with fact.

The land remains the land whether or not one is perceiving spirits. Wood remains wood whether or not it is being carved into a charm. Bills must be paid. Food must be cooked. Bodies must be cared for. If one’s magical thinking begins to erode these foundations, it is not a gift in that moment. Yet if one’s heightened perception allows them to notice when a place is disturbed, when an offering is ill-suited, when a relationship is unbalanced, then it is indeed a gift.

The very same faculty can mislead or reveal. It depends upon whether it is examined. In this way, magical temperament resembles fire. In the hearth, it warms and cooks. Uncontained, it consumes the house. The practitioner’s task is not to extinguish the fire of imagination or the spark of pattern recognition, but to learn the architecture within which they can safely burn.

Only then do these traits cease to be a liability and become what they were always capable of being: instruments of a wisdom and discernment.

—

Art: ‘The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters’ (1799) — Francisco Goya

[glitterandwitchcraft]

I just planted several marigolds to use as pest control and to eat so here's some witchy info about them!

They're associated with the sun and bring a warm, happy energy to workings

Commonly used in protection spells due to the fact that they work well as natural pest control

Historical uses of these flowers include celebrations for the dead, and due to this, they are also associated with despair in love and missing a loved one

The tagetes genus has strong cultural ties to Aztecs and are still used in dia de los muertos celebrations

They also have an uplifting and relaxing energy associated with them making them amazing for tea magic

[waterwitchesmovingstone-deactiv]

Praying for My Soul to Bloom

Athena,

Guide my mind into the open flames of change. Allow my old leaves to float away from my open hands.

Artemis,

Show me my way into the wilderness of thought, into the abysmal green lands that frighten. Let your creatures walk with me. 

Aphrodite, 

My soul searches for me, the body it carries is lost in an ocean of doubt. Wash my self-hatred from my throat. 

Hera,

Butterfly wings pull me up into the evergreen trees, because you are a believer in hearts overcoming themselves. 

Persephone, 

Darkness isn’t always a terror, a rotten thing. It binds and comforts, allows for introspection. Grow signs along my path. 

Demeter, 

She knows I walk the path of the unmade. I have much to do, but I am not broken. 

Hecate,

The wisp of wind exhales from my lips as newness is drawn into me. Love me through my transformation. 

Hestia, 

Watch as I stumble into a new welcoming place. The walk is uncomfortable, but you are holding my hand. 

[blackthornwren]

“There is a tendency to make Magic inclusive of far too many things - Philosophies, theories, and attitudes; some people seem to want Magic to include everything in its vast field of Knowledge. I am of the opinion that Magic is a Universal Power, but it is a Secret Power of Mystery, and that there are secret means of using it. Magic is not for All. It is to be respected and guarded, and not generalized to the point of becoming lukewarm; it is of no use to make magic popular if it weakens its power, cheapens it, and only increases its commercial value.”

— Andrew Chumbley, Opuscula Magica, pgs 19-20.

[blackthornwren]

@neptunianvenusian So here’s the thing, Chumbley (even in death) can’t really escape this criticism because it was Xoanon that kinda set the ball in motion for this ridiculously exploitative business model of “fine edition” occult books that sell for more than your soul (general you, not specific you). Chumbles is always going to be inextricably linked to Schulke, because that’s his protégé.

Chumbley himself was your basic white dude with dreadlocks, living in his parent’s basement. His work isn’t new, the foundations are tech that was already laid out by other occultists who actually explained it better and made it more accessible. In retrospect, it’s very funny that he said this as he was guilty of the same behavior.

Chumbley’s claim to fame always has, and always will be, a purple prose writing style and books that resell for the same amount of money as the down payment on a house. I don’t say this to throw you off of his working grimoires, but more as a word of caution. The only book of his that would actually be worth acquiring a physical copy of, is the Dragon Book of Essex because it’s easier to work the system when you have the book - jumping through the pdf for relevant sections is very counterproductive. For the rest of his work? The pdfs are readily available and easily acquired.

[cunningqueer]

Btw it's okay to believe magic is real. You don't need to try to logic your way through or obscure science and "spicy psychology" the magic into "rational" things.

I'm 30 years old, I believe in magic and I believe it is **magical**

[stormwaterwitch]

A spell to dispel unwanted thoughts

1.) Lay down on the floor 2.) Scream