HoneyHexe Herbalism

Appalachian witch • Folklore Enthusiast • Conservationist

[dontlickdatoad]

As someone who has a hard time with spirit flight I absolutely ADORE this time of year.

If you're like me and also usually struggle with leaving your body this is a great time to redouble your efforts and try again.

[dontlickdatoad]

Friendly reminder, especially for this time of year:

Don't forget to protect yourself during your spirit workings, but also don't let the fear of messing up stop you from getting your hands dirty.

*~*

In definitely unrelated news: on a recent trip I was doing some spirit work without all my usual set up and protection since I wasn't at home. Some unexpected visitors slipped through and messed with the reading but it was nothing serious and a thorough cleaning staightened things out. In the end: no harm no foul. And maybe next time I'll remember that I have to take more time with set up when doing necromancy so far away from home...

[dontlickdatoad]

Here's some proof that this Toad isn't actually dead- just out enjoying this season too much to post.

Photo from a few weeks back at Pine Creek Gorge

[thetwotorches]

“What do I do if I want to—“

Go into the woods.

“How do I—“

Go into the woods.

“I am going through—“

Go into the woods.

Or if you live next to the sea, to the sea.

Or a desert, into the desert.

Or a grassland, into the grassland.

Or a park with as much treecover as you can scrounge- better yet, make a day of it, leave the city, and go into the woods/the sea/the desert/the grassland then.

Any answer to your question won’t come from another person, but from going into the wilderness. So stop talking, stop asking and babbling, and go.

[dontlickdatoad]

Live Plants and Animals in Magic

So, genuine question here, why does it seem so rare to find magic that utilizes live plants and animals these days? I'm honestly curious and would love to hear your thoughts on the matter!

Is it due to a lack of convenience? A lack of predictability? A fear of offending spirits? Risk vs reward calculations? Something else altogether?

I admit that using live plants and animals in magic is not always the answer but they do seem to have their time and place! Just like bones and dried plants do. Different things for different times and all that.

For example: there's a particular plant I tie a spell to every year and therefore need to take care of it so it continues to thrive. It's a mutually beneficial relationship though and we each get something out of it. Yes, there's a risk that the plant might die but the rewards have outweighed the risk for me.

There are also heaps of folklore around blessing or hexing cows (and by extension the prosperity of the family), especially in the valley near me. I'm sure other areas are the same and yet I only ever hear about it locally and rarely online.

Even creatures as small as spiders can be utilized without killing them so why do I so rarely see anyone talking about it?

Is it happening and I just don't notice? Is it no longer convenient? Do people not find it effective? Let's chat!

[dontlickdatoad]

A charm to gain advantage of a man of superior strength:

I [name] breathe upon thee. Three drops of blood I take from thee: the first out of thy heart, the other out of thy liver, and the third out of thy vital powers: and in this I deprive thee of thy strength and manliness.

Hbbi Massa danti Lantien. I. I. I.

-From the Long Lost Friend, page 40, charm 173

[dontlickdatoad]

Nothing says contentment like a cool summer evening in the mountains spent splitting a whoopie pie with the ancestors while I rock in my hammock

[jbirdoftheriverlands-deactivate]

What about witches with no lineage or starting point? Those of us with no baseline help or teaching, who've had to cobble together our craft from the bits and pieces we've picked up along the way? Careful to avoid appropriation and staying safe, of course, but still not... Still not the same as those who grew up with it. What are your thoughts on our craft?

My thoughts are that way too many young people care about having their craft validated by outside sources and it becomes dangerous for them because anyone selling empty positivity gets an easy way in. The origin is irrelevant, what matters is the actual content and efficacy of your craft itself.

If it works, why should you care what I think? Every family had a First Witch at some point. Maybe you're that. Maybe you're an echo of an ancestor long forgotten. Maybe we're really all distant descendants of the very first. Maybe not.

That's kind of what witches do, gather bits and pieces. I'd be lying if I said the things I do now resemble overmuch the things I was taught as a child. I jumped the fence because I didn't want to stay beholden to arbitrary limitations. So did every witch. Where that exposure came from, whether passed down or cobbled together, is irrelevant, at the end of the day. A great deal of what I do now was cobbled together outside of the family traditions.

Hereditary status exists in some cultures, but that doesn't necessarily mean it always equates to anything that really matters.

Power hasn't got shit to do with pedigree, and the ones insisting it does are the ones who just need to be superior. No matter how lofty your laurels, resting on them is a great way to stagnate while others more ambitious are actually doing the hard work, making sacrifices, putting pieces together, building something powerful.

Look how far you've come from where you started. Should anyone but you really get an opinion about the validity of your progress? The proof is in results. Not the backstory.

[dontlickdatoad]

This! All of this!

I feel like there's this desire for legitimacy and acceptance (from both family and the wider community at large) in a magical practice that people think would exist if they came from a hereditary line. And the natural desire for some guidance ties into it too. But those things don't necessarily come with that background (and the few times they do are at this point overhyped and overrated).

As you even mention in your reply, a magical family practice of any kind often comes with rules and restrictions of their own if you're to follow it. At the very least it comes with expectations. Some chafe at that kind of collar.

Yes, people are born with varying levels of power and different gifts. Yes, that often goes through family lines. But anyone can be born with power. And everyone can attain more power through one way or another. A cunning and dedicated person who has no background that they know of can easily learn more and be/become more powerful than a hereditary witch.

Yes, those of us not from hereditary lines are different than the ones who are. But we chose it. We worked for it. We pushed ourselves because we wanted it. Unless you're trying to claim a title with none of the work, hereditary status means nothing in terms of the effectiveness of your practice.

Your hard work should be all the legitimacy you need. I just wish more people realized it.

[comfort-in-the-sound]

hereditary witchcraft has become a huge topic of discussion on this site - what’s so interesting about tumblr to me is to see hot-blooded arguments raging on questions i never considered needed fighting. While I understand that that term is used falsely by many who are trying to make themselves seem a little more important than the rest of us, it’s wrapped all the way back around now, where it’s assumed that ANYONE using that term is lying! Fascinating! 

I am not one myself, and I am not from the Appalachian area i’m a little too far north, but consider that they are most likely telling you the truth. Appalachian communities are incredibly close-knit and clannish, and most people there benefit from deep family ties and folk remedies and oral history being passed through those lines. They have a generations old distrust of outsiders, and for a long time were more likely to rely on folk cures over medical help. While their grandparents may have never called themselves witches (and may have been teaching magic to ward off witches, a common mindset carried over from the Irish and Scots), they certainly taught their children and grandchildren the way, however they might have called it to themselves. 

[dontlickdatoad]

I find this take interesting (as someone who currently lives and whose family is from a Pennsylvanian part of Appalachia) because your reasoning for why some people might claim the title of hereditary witch is exactly why I wouldn't.

The folk remedies and superstitions taught to me by my family members are explicitly not witchcraft. Like you said, many are even anti-witch. I tie them into my local, folk based craft but I personally feel like calling the lessons from my family "witchcraft" would be an insult to them.

My rosary praying every day, bible reading, God-fearing, Scots-Irish grandmother would beat me black and blue if she caught me calling what she does witchcraft. Folk healing is one thing. Witchcraft is another. Both might be types of magical practice but they're different at their core. So while there might be overlap from the folk traditions of my family and my workings with the craft, to claim that I came from a family of witches would be a lie. Therefore, I am not a hereditary witch.

At the end of the day, what people decide to call themselves is none of my business. Everyone's practice is their own and if someone feels the need to lie on the internet to get praise from strangers they have bigger issues going on.

My only point was that when this post came up as I was scrolling I found it interesting how people can look at the same information and come to two vastly different conclusions. It just goes to show that the craft is a highly unique experience for everyone and discussions about it must have the parameters made clear or miscommunication is bound to happen.

[dontlickdatoad]

I whisper my wants into the flame and watch the world catch fire

[dontlickdatoad]

After a really wonderful chat with my sister earlier this evening I was all set to type this huge post explaining one of the ways I got out of my magical rut.

Instead, all I'm gonna say is this:

Finding a group of people you don't overly care about but can keep tabs on is a wonderful way to try out new spells and ideas.

[dontlickdatoad]

Old folk and fairy tales are wild. Sometimes they're filled with hidden gems like how to consort with spirits, make bones talk, and unlock portals to other realms...and other times they're talking shit on the farmer's wife down the lane from three generations ago or attempting to explain why corn and beans grow in the shape that they do.

[dontlickdatoad]

A while back I spelled myself into a new job because as much as I loved my old one, I was tired of the commute and low pay. I was also starting to get burn out from compassion fatigue but that's another discussion entirely.

I didn't particularly care what my new job was as long as it was close and offered more money. I ended up getting that and it even came with a little bonus- unlimited access to spare jars when we didn't have enough of a certain kind to show to customers, rarer botanicals and oils that the chemists had no interest in, and more experience making lotions, potions, and salves than I ever thought I'd get.

It's not my dream job but it's opened up opportunities in my craft and eased my access to certain supplies. It's helped me finetune certain skills while paying me more for my time. And it's filled with the right combination of lovely coworkers and shitheads that always seems to get me blessing and hexing.

It's turned from a job I thought I'd hate but was willing to do for the conveniences of pay and commute into a true learning experience where I'm going through a rebirth of my craft.

I won't be here forever but I'm glad I'm here now. I guess this personal ramble boils down to: sometimes your spirits know what you need before you do. Put in the work but also trust that they've led you somewhere for a reason.

[dontlickdatoad]

Folklore Friday:

Never take an old broom into a new house, as bad luck is sure to follow. It must be a new broom, and first carried across the meadow, to avert any ill from entering the home.

[dontlickdatoad]

@hiker88 said, "I've been thinking of getting a hand made broom for a witchy friend. Any suggestions or comments?"

Sure! I'd suggest making it if at all possible. They aren't very hard to make and instructions can be found online. I think there might even be some posts about how to make one here on tumblr. 

The basic principle of it is gathering two or three handfuls of sticks and binding them to the handle. Depending on your method you might be bunching the sticks into groups, attaching them together, and shoving your handle in. Or you might be soaking the sticks in warm water, tying them to the handle facing up, then folding them over so they point down and tying them again.

They’re traditionally Ash or Oak wood for the handle, Birch twigs for the bristles, and bound with Willow (soften in warm water) but you could make it out of anything! Switch out the bindings for cording or twine. Swap out the bristles with a woody herb like mugwort. Make an entire mini version using herbs like lavender or rosemary- whatever you want, it’s your gift to your friend!

At the very least, decorating an already made broom would be a wonderful touch to the gift. You could use color thread, feathers, stones, bones, or charms to decorate it. Carving it or using some kind of wood-burning tool might be nice as well! After the broom was finished (no matter if you made or bought it) I’d give it a quick but gentle sweep to celebrate its creation before gifting it.

[dontlickdatoad]

Hello! I saw your post about free readings. I'd like one if I'm in the first 7! I want to know if I keep doing what I'm already doing and stick to my plan, will I lose weight at a rate that feels tangible and satisfying to me?

Hello, dear! While shuffling, the four of wands jumped out with a message for you:

Happiness and celebration is in your future after all of this hard work! This card reminds you to stop and recognize and take pride in all the milestones you hit along your journey.

Have a lovely evening and good luck with everything!

[dontlickdatoad]

Sometimes I forget what a superstitious family I came from until I see something like white lilac blossoms in a home and my first reaction is "Taunting death during a global pandemic? The audacity!"

[monkeymagyks]

Instead of casting "tea spells" to calm your anexities and curb your mood swings, cast a real spell to find your purpose and get over yourself. Magic isn't comfortable and power doesn't evolve under complicity. You can try to make yourself feel better with tea that effectively equivilates to some shitty blunt of mids or you could physically alter your reality and circumstances to create a life of endless opportunitues and possibilities. Fantasy doesn't need to be escapism, it can be your life. But only if you grow a pair and seize it.

[blackh0rses]

sounds ableist but ok

[dontlickdatoad]

What about the original post is albeist?

Having a cup of something like chamomile tea, which acts as a mild natural sedative, to calm you down isn't magic. It's science. There's nothing wrong with it unless you're trying to do actual magic.

No one is saying you need a thirteen step fucking process. Simple magic can be effective. But actually do some research and try and fail and try again before just giving up and calling your cup of tea a "spell."