eine-kleine-hexe

25 | Wiccan | Autistic | Medium | Queer | they/them My name is Jay. I've been practicing Witchcraft for 13 years and have identified as Wicca for roughly 13 years.

[upthewitchypunx]

PBW Witch Shop & Zine Distro

The PBW Witch Shop is a curated selection of witchcraft and magic related zines, books, pin-back buttons, tarot cards and more.

We focus on traditional and folkloric witchcraft, animism, chaos magic, secular witchcraft, magical herbs and plants, queer witchcraft, tarot & Divination, witchcraft & magic in politics, history, culture, and social & racial justice,  and aspects of non-Wiccan forms of witchcraft, magic, and paganism.

Pre-Covid the Portland Button Works primarily made custom pinback button. Selling zines and books was secondary and more of a hobby for me to share things I’d like to read. Right now our business is pivoting to focus on books and zines that people can read in the comfort and safety of their own homes. Some items are from well known witchcraft and occult publisher and some are titles from small publishers with interesting items I don’t see in other shops but I’m excited to elevate.

Not everyone has income to buy books right now, we totally understand that, but I would love it if you were able to reblog this post or share Portland Button Works and PBW Witch Shop with your friends.

If you have been looking for a book about something specific, or if you think something would be a good fit for our catalog, get in touch. We can order almost any book in print, even if it isn’t witchcraft or magic related.

With that being said, here are some categories of items we carry:

Some good books to get you started studying witchcraft:

Grovedaughter Witchery by Bree NicGarran

Making Magic by Briana Saussy

Magical Power for Beginners- How to Raise & Send Energy for Spells That Work by Deborah Lipp

Weave The Liminal by Laura Tempest Zakroff

Some creative books to help build your witch craft practice:

Spellcrafting- Strengthen the Power of your Craft by Creating and Casting Your Own Unique Spells by Arin Murphy-Hiscock

D.I.Y. Magic -a Strange & Whimsical Guide to Creativity by Anthony Alvarado

Psychic Witch- a Metaphysical Guide to Meditation, Magick, & Manifestation by Mat Auryn

Urban Magick by Diana Rajchel

Standing and Not Falling - a Sorcerous Primer in Thirteen Moons by Lee Morgan

Tarot Books

Queering the Tarot by Cassandra Snow

Tarot for Troubled Times by Shaheen Miro & Theresa Reed

Modern Tarot by Michelle Tea

Tarot Decks

Next World Tarot (regular and pocket sized)

Science Tarot

Rider-Waite-Coleman Smith Regular sized and Mini sized

Crow Tarot

Modern Witch Tarot

Cat Tarot

Check out the tarot and divination books in our catalog and also check out tarot and divination decks in our catalog here.

Condensed Chaos by Phil Hine

Advanced Magick for Beginners by Alan Chapman

Chaos Protocols by Gordon White

Hands on Chaos Magic by Andrieh Vitimus 

Liber Null & Psychonaut by Peter Carroll

Other books in the Chaos Magic section

Anthologies: Becoming Dangerous: Witchy Femmes, Queer Conjurers, and Magical Rebels, Bringing Race to the Table: Exploring Racism in the Pagan Community, Shades of Ritual: Minority Voices in Practice

Magical Resistance: Witchcraft Activism by David Salisbury, Magic for the Resistance by Michael Hughes, Revolutionary Witchcraft by Sarah Lyons

Witches and Feminist Perspectives: Caliban and the Witch by Silvia Federici, Witches, Midwives and Nurses by Barbara Ehrenreich and Deirdre English , Witches Sluts Feminists by Kristen J. Sollee

Pagan Anti-Capitalism: Pagan Anarchism True to the Earth: Pagain Political Thology by Kadmus, All That is Sacred is Profaned: A Pagan Guide to Marxism by Ryhd Wildermuth, A Pagan Anti-Capitalist Primer

Queer Witchcraft: Witchcraft and the Gay Counter Culture, Sapphomanteion a Lesbian Oracle, Queering the Tarot

Check out the Witchcraft Culture and History and Witchcraft Politics and Resistance sections of our website.

Green Witchcraft: The Green Witch by Arin Murray-Hiscock, Green Witchcraft by Paige Vanderbeck

Plants and Herbs: Under the Witching Tree by Corinne Boyer, Under the Bramble Arch by Corinne Boyer

The Poison Path: Veneficuim: Magic, Witchcraft and the Poison Path by Daniel Schulke, Pharmo/Gnonsis: Plant Teachers and the Poison Path by Dale Pendell , Plants of the Devil by Corinne Boyer

Witchy Crafts: Pestlework: a Book of Magical Powders and Oils by Bree NicGarran, Sew Witchy by Rachel Henderson, Sigil Witchery by Lara Tempest Zakroff

Other books in our Plants, Herbs, and Magical Crafts section

Books on Atheopaganism

Godless Paganism (anthology)

Atheopaganism by Mark Green

Other Pagan Perspectives

Jailbreaking the Goddess: A Radical Revisioning of Feminist Spirituality by Lasara Firefix Allen

The Wakeful World: Anismism, Mind, and the Self in Nature by Emma Restall Orr

Circling the Star by Anthony Rella

All That Is Sacred is Profaned: A Pagan Guide to Marxism by Rhyd Wildermuth

All Other Pagan books

Traditional Witchcraft: A Cornish Book of Ways by Gemma Gary

A Deed Without A Name: Unearthing the Legacy of Traditional Witchcraft by Lee Morgan

Crooked Path: An Introduction to Traditional Witchcraft by Keldon

Backwoods Witchcraft by Jake Richards

Besom Stand and Sword A Guide to Traditional Witchcraft the Six-Fold Path the Hidden Landscape by Christopher Orapello & Tara Love Maguire

Southern Cunning: Folkloric Witchcraft in the American South by Aaron Oberon

Folk Witchcraft by

The Flame in the Cauldron by Orion Foxwood

Craft of the Untamed by Roger Horne

Check out the rest of the books in our Traditional & Folkloric Witchcraft Section

What are zines? Small independently made magazine and pamphlets filled with stories and unique ideas that you won’t find from major publishers!

Some topics you will find in zines we carry are Secular Witchcraft, the fantastic Fiddler’s Green Pamphlets and lots of zine on the places where Politics, Paganism, and Witchcraft intersect.

Check out all of our witchy zines here.

Other Stuff

witchy buttons

 magnets and hand mirrors

We carry more than just witchy books.

Here are some of the other titles we carry:

You Were Born For This: Astrology for Radical Self-Acceptance by Chani Nicholas

When Language Runs Dry: An Anthology for People with Chronic Pain and their Allies

What is Gender Nihilism?

Be Gay Do Crime by The Mary Nardini Gang

Radical Brewing by Randy Mosher

You Black Friend by Ben Passmore

Learning Good Consent an Anthology edited by Cindy Crabb

How To Talk To Your Cat about Gun Safety and Abstinence, Drugs, Satanism and Other Dangers that Threaten Their Nine Lives

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer

Honoring your Ancestors by Mallorie Vaudoise

Do-it-Your Self Guide to Fighting the Big Motherfucking Sad by Adam Gnade

Yes, I’m Flagging: Queer Flagging 101 by Archie Bongiovanni

Full online catalog of books, zines, buttons and more can be found at PortlandButtonWorks.com and the PBW Witch Shop can be found here.

All items are shipped from Portland, Oregon in plain packaging or United States Postal Service Flat Rate envelopes or boxes with the return address as Portland Button Works. We ship daily and most order come with small fun gifts of buttons or magnets.

Thank you so much for supporting your local witch!

[upthewitchypunx]

The Living Altar - an oracle and spell deck for the radical witch

Witches, Witch-hunting, and Women by Silvia Federici

Grimoire Journal by Paige Vanderbeck

Art of War by Sun Tzu

Memento Mori: A Collection of Magickal and Mythological Perspectives on Death, Dying, Mortality & Beyond

[upthewitchypunx]

A Practical Guide For Witches by Ylvadroma Marzanna Radziszewski  (This is my new go-to  recommendation for new witches)

The Herbcrafter’s Tarot

The Celestial Art: Essays on Astrological Magic (anthology)

[upthewitchypunx]

New This week! 2 September 2020

Magical Writing Grimoire: Use the Word as Your Wand for Magic, Manifestation, & Ritual by Lisa Marie Basile

54 Devil: The Art and Folklore of Fortune-telling with Playing Cards by Corey hutcheson

Five Principles of Green Witchcraft by Asa West

Murder of Crows Tarot deck

Architecture/ Astrology By Dan Graham and Jessica Russell

[upthewitchypunx]

Light Magic for Dark Times by Lisa Marie Basile

Pharmako/Dynamis: Stimulating Plants, Potions, and Herbcraft by Dale Pendell

Enchantments by Mya Spalter

Slingshot 2021 Organizer in Small pocket sized and larger spiral bound

Notes: I know a lot of the Troy Books are currently out of stock because I can’t currently get them from the big book distributor. However! I’ve set up an account directly with their US distributor and should have them back in my next round of orders. I’m also out of a lot of the Three Hands Press books for the same reason and inquiring directly with them about how to remedy this.

Super stoked to FINALLY have the Modern Witch Tarot back in stock.

[upthewitchypunx]

I was finally able to restock Troy Books and added some new ones to the catalog! Check all the Troy Books titles we carry here.

New this week:

Cecil Williamson’s Book of Witchcraft: A Grimoire of the Museum of Witchcraft by Steve Patterson

The Devil’s Dozen by Gemma Gary

Silent as the Trees: Devonshire Witchcraft, Folklore & Magic by Gemma Gary

 Wortcunning: A Folk Medicine Herbal by Nigel G. Pearson

[upthewitchypunx]

True Heart Intuitive Tarot by Rachel True

Game Of Thrones Tarot

Pride Tarot (A Collaborative Tarot)

Zombie Tarot

Pharmako/Poeia- Plant Powers, Poisons, and Herbcraft by Dale Pendell

The Otherworlds Review - collection includes all seven issues

Solidarity Networks & Emergency Survival from Gods & Radicals

Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds by Adrienne Maree Brown

[upthewitchypunx]

Weird Walk Zine #2, Weird Walk #3, & Magic Circle Zine

Modern Witch Tarot Journal by Lisa Sterle (companion journal to the Modern Witch Tarot)

Knot Magic by Sarah Bartlett (I very much disagree with the “Witch’s Oath” found at the beginning of this book but I did enjoy this book as a discussion of uses of knot magic)

[upthewitchypunx]

Use Coupon Code: IANB for 15% off from Thursday until Monday November 30!

New in Catalog: Rituals & Declarations #3 & Rituals & Declarations #4

We have gift certificates! Order gift certificates in any denomination here and a digital code will be emailed to you or your recipient OR You can purchase certain denominations from the website and we will send you a physical gift certificate for gift giving.

[upthewitchypunx]

How To Be Alive in a Dying World zine - a thoughtful new zines by Finn from Everyday Magic zine (which we just restocked all issues)

Witch Hunt: A Traveler’s Guide to the Power and Persecution of the Witch by Kristen J. Sollée (same author as Witches, Sluts Feminists)

 Women of Science Tarot

On Looking: A Walker’s Guide to the Art of Observation by Alexandra Horowitz 

I’m also putting together some gift guides with some stuff from our shop. The first one I just made is for people with oddly specific interests. It contains zines and books about a conspiracy theory of Kurt Cobain being lactose intolerant, StarTrek, Beer brewing, Popcorn, Price, Architecture and more!

Last day for Christmas arrivals in the US (if that’s important to you) is to have your order in by 3PM Pacific time on December 19th!

[deactivated-blog]

[sweetest-incubus-deactivated201]

Graveyard Etiquette for a Spirit Worker/Death Witch

It’s preferred to enter the graveyard with an offering, whether that offering be a bottle of wine or simply a coin. It’s only polite to the spirits who live there.

Never walk over a grave, it is beyond disrespectful and crude.

If you collect graveyard dirt, be respectful. Ask the grounds keeper first if you may plant a flower. As you plant the flower, gather some dirt. Or get the dirt from in a graveyard but not around a grave.

If you read the tombstones, be sure to say a prayer for each spirit and wish them well. This helps them cross to the other side.

Bring your memori journal, if you wish! Write down different names then go home and research the people later to keep their memories alive.

Cary a protection pouch or gem on you whole entering a graveyard. Lots of spirits may cling to you or want to, not all of them many be nice.

Do not leave more than one flower as an offering, this is considered to give you bad luck if you do otherwise.

Don’t sit or lean on tombstones, at all. No exceptions.

[deactivated-blog]

Do you know any of any spells/jar magick that has to do with pets? (Ex, keeping them safe, a 'return home' thing, ect) - young-magick

Quite a few actually! I’ll try to organize this the best I can. I am also going to include some information on familiars as well too, because sometimes they go hand in hand for people with familiars.

General

Crystals for Animals

Recommended Reading: Animal Communication, Healing & Guidance

Tarot Readings for Pets and Familiars

The Domestic Garden Witch: Making Pets Happy

Witchy Things to do with Your Pet

Blessings

Bless a Pet

Cat Blessing

Cat Blessing

Pet Blessing

Finding/Locating a Lost Pet

Crossroads Lost Animal Spell 

Lost Pet Spell

Spell to Find a Lost Pet

Spell to Find a Lost Pet/To Find a Missing Cat Spell [2 Different Spells]

There Is No Place Like Home: Return Home Protection Spell

To Call a Lost Pet

To Call a Straying Pet

Health

***If your pet is sick, it is important to take your pet to the vet for proper care. Just like with humans, spells and witchcraft is NOT an alternative to proper vet/medical treatment if your pet needs it. Be responsible.***

Healing Crystals and Stones for Pets

Healthy Pet Spell

Pet Healing and Wellness Spell

Pet Health and Protection Spell Bottle

To Heal a Pet

Protection

Animal Candle Protection Spell

Animal Candle Protection Spell

Animal Protection Spell

Animal Protection Spell

Animal Protection Spells

Blessing a Cat - A Protection Spell for a Cat

Cat Protection Bag

Pet Protection Powder

Pet Protection Spell

Pet Protection Spell

Pet Protection Spell Bottle

Protective Chant for Cats

Protective Chant for Dogs

“Watch Over Me” Pet Protection Guardian

Release, Death & Remembrance

Animal Release Spell

Kept in my Heart: A Spell to Honor the Dead

Pet Farewell Ritual

Pet Funerary Spell

Pet Loss Ritual

Pet Release Ritual & Jar Spell

Prayers for a Deceased Pet Cat

Prayers for a Deceased Pet Dog

Prayers for a Dying Pet

Other

A Spell to Find a Furry (or Finned or Feathered or Scaled) Friend

Communicate with Your Pet Spell

Feed The Birds Spell

Here, Kitty Kitty: A Few Of Your Favorite Things

Make Animals Less Afraid of Your Presence

Spells Involving Cats

Twitterpated

Familiars: General Info

Brief History of Witch’s Familiars

How To Create a Familiar (Thoughtform)

Tips About Familiars

The Familiar Spirit: Companion to Witches [External Link]

When You’re Away From Your Familiar

Additional: My familiar tag, with a bunch of asks & ask responses about familiars.

Familiars: Spells

A Potion to Commune with an Animal Familiar

Calling a Familiar Spell

Finding a Familiar

Simple Ritual of Familiar

Spell to Ask for a Familiar

Spell To Bring You a Cat Familiar

To Call a Familiar

Other Masterposts

Resources for Familiars and Animal Partners

Spells and Sigils for Animals, Pets, and Familiars

Last Updated: July 26th, 2017

[eine-kleine-hexe]

Ingredients:

Lavender (alt. would be eucalyptus) to soothe anxiety

Peppermint to promote focus and awareness

Dried Raspberry (optional, alt. would be orange peels) to promote the stimulation of energy

Tiger’s Eye  to promote focus and awareness 

Crystal Quartz (optional, but recommended) to add energy to the spell

Fire/Strawberry Quartz (optional) for grounding

Cloth or Satchel preferably of a green, golden, or silver color.

Sigils:

Directions:

Draw and charge your sigils. As you don’t want to destroy them, I suggest charging them with light, crystals, or your own energy. Take this time to cleanse your materials, especially your stones, as well.

Once your sigils have been properly charged, open your satchel or spread out your cloth and lay the peppermint down and repeat:

Peppermint, please focus me

Next, lay the Tiger’s Eye down and repeat:

Tiger’s Eye please focus me

Then, the Lavender/Eucalyptus:

Lavender/Eucalyptus, keep me at peace

Then the Dried Raspberry or Orange Peels:

Raspberry/Orange, give me energy and strength

Then add in the Fire Quartz:

Fire Quartz, keep me centered.

Next add the sigils. As each one goes in, imagine them accomplishing their task. Repeat:

For focus, peace, and my inner best

With this spell, I’ll pass the test

Add in the crystal quartz now if you’d like. As it’s simply to add energy to to the spell, no words are needed.

You’re ready to close it up!

Now, take it with you into a testing session to get the results you want.  I also recommend writing the “Good Grade” sigil on the test itself, if you are comfortable with doing so or can make it look like an idle doodle. Reminder, however, that while this spell might work for the anxiety of test taking, the ‘good grades’ result highly depend on your actions. Same with the “recalling” sigil, it can only work when there is information to recall so study, study, study!

EDIT: Forgot to mention that I wrote the sigils on bayleaves and charged them with crystals- that’s optional but I thought it gave it the extra kick!

[littlecraftylady]

New pages!! I love my new board

[hiddenhearthwitch]

This is gorgeous 🔮✨

[lesbianoscarwilde]

Dorm-friendly offerings & altars

I don’t know about y'all, but I’m BIG on using candles and burning incense as offerings for my deities. I love asking them to help me pick out a candle or incense scent that they would like, and burning it in their honor. That’s my standard go-to when I’m at home. But when I move back on campus this fall, I’m going to have to get a bit more creative for the no-burning-things rule and so as not to alert my already suspicious roommate, lol. I thought I’d compile a list of ideas for dorm and roommate-friendly offerings and altars. 

Obvs, this can be useful in any situation in which you can’t practice openly for whatever reason. PLEASE, feel free to add your own ideas & your own examples from your practice. I want this to be an interactive list!

Offerings

Make them a drink (coffee and tea seem to be popular, but anything can work)

Cut out a portion of your lunch to share with them

Draw them (they’ll love it!)

WAX WARMERS!! If you can have them. Closest alternative to a candle

Oil diffusers

Collect pretty things you find outside that remind you of them. Rocks, feathers, flowers, etc.

Dedicate your work in their domain to them (ex. dedicating your study time to Odin)

If you have kitchen access, bake things for them

Altars

Pocket altars are always a good idea (check out the pocket altar and altoid altar tags for ideas)

E-shrines

If you can do it discreetly, you can set up your altar on a windowsill or in a corner of your desk. 

[the-witches-glossary]

Dangerous Herbs

Listed below are dangerous herbs and herbal combination and explanations as to why they are dangerous. Do not try any of these herbs, orally, on the skin, or in any other way ever (or during pregnancy or nursing, if listed as such).

*Some of the herbs mentioned are safe in small doses are are written as such. Other herbs are toxic in small doses or any amount. This is not a complete list.

Belladonna - Nightshade, bittersweet nightshade is an extremely poisonous herb and is absolutely deadly. It is related to Henbane. Side effects can include dry mouth, enlarged pupils, blurred vision, red dry skin, fever, fast heartbeat, inability to urinate or sweat, hallucinations, spasms, mental problems, convulsions, and coma.

Blue Cohosh - Can cause miscarriages, especially during early pregnancy. This herbs in combination with other herbs has been used as an aborfacient. It works by loosening and relaxing the uterine muscles. This is why it is often suggested as a remedy for pms and menopause.

Black Cohosh -  Can cause miscarriages, especially during early pregnancy. This herbs in combination with other herbs has been used as an aborfacient. It works by loosening and relaxing the uterine muscles. This is why it is often suggested as a remedy for pms and menopause. 

Chaparral - This herb can cause serious liver damage, liver failure, and acute hepatitis. 

Comfrey - Comfrey can be taken in small doses for upset stomach and pms, but using a lot is dangerous. Comfrey contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids, a type of poison that causes liver and kidney failure as well as cancer. They can be absorbed through the skin as well. 

The amount of PAs found in comfrey changes according to the time of harvesting and the age of the plant. The roots have 10 times higher amounts of PAs than the leaves.

Devil’s Claw -  Harpagophytum, means “hook plant” in Greek. Devil’s claw causes additive effects in many medications. It can cause changes in blood pressure as well.

Eucalyptus - Eucalyptus can not be consumed. Taking 3.5 mL of undiluted oil can be fatal. Even applying too much to the skin and absorbing large amounts is dangerous. (Use it very lightly, dilute it, or use a humidifier.) Signs of eucalyptus poisoning might include stomach pain and burning, dizziness, muscle weakness, small eye pupils, feelings of suffocation, and some others. Eucalyptus changes how many medicines break down in the liver.

Foxglove - Poisoning by this herb can cause stomach upset, small eye pupils, blurred vision, strong slow pulse, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, excessive urination, fatigue, muscle weakness and tremors, stupor, confusion, convulsions, abnormal heartbeats, and death. Long-term use of foxglove can lead to symptoms of toxicity, including visual halos, yellow-green vision, and stomach upset.

Golden Seal - This herb is a uterotonic; brain damage (kernicterus) has developed in newborn infants exposed to goldenseal. Do not use goldenseal during pregnancy or breast-feeding.

Hemlock -  Neuromuscular blockage can occur to the point of death if it blocks the respiratory muscles.

Henbane - Side effects include dry mouth, red skin, constipation, overheating, reduced sweating, vision disturbances, increased heart rate, urination problems, drowsiness, restlessness, hallucinations, delirium, manic episodes, and death. Henbane is poisonous and not safe for self-medication.

Kava - In the South Pacific, kava is a popular social drink, similar to alcohol in Western societies. It is used by some to treat anxiety, restlessness, and insomnia, but like many medicines used to treat these types of issues, Kava runs the risk of being too much of a ‘downer - oversedation.’ It can make you unable to operate machinery, fatigued, and worsen depression. Large doses can also effect the liver and cause yellowing of the eyes. Also, some of the dangerous chemicals in kava can pass into breast milk and might hurt a breast-fed infant. Avoid this herb if you have Parkinson’s disease or if you will undergo or have recently undergone anaesthesia as it effects the central nervous system. Alcohol, sedatives, and benzodiazepines interact with downers.

Licorice Root - This tasty herb, when taken in high doses, may cause tiredness, absence of a menstrual period in women, headache, water and sodium retention, and decreased sexual interest and function in men. It may also cause early delivery in pregnant women and miscarriage in early pregnancy. This root has also been seen effecting hormone levels in the body and interacts with oestrogen. It also seems to rid the body or potassium. It can also cause heart failure.

Mistletoe (European) - Can cause chills vomiting, diarrhea, cramping, and other side effects. Short-term, frequent use of European mistletoe might cause liver damage. Lowers blood pressure.

Mugwort - This herb is dangerous in large quantities. Thujone, a ketone and a monoterpene that occurs naturally in two diastereomeric forms:-α-thujone and-β-thujone is present in wormwood Thujones cause a slight high and a feeling of relaxation, which is why it is enjoyed by smokers and drinkers (as a tincture or bitters), can also cause breakdown of muscle, nightmares, seizures, dizziness, confusion, numbness of arms and legs, paralysis, and death. The chemical is also said to be responsible for absinthe’s hallucinogenic effects.

Mugwort might cause a miscarriage because it can start menstruation and also cause the uterus to contract.

Pennyroyal - Pennyroyal has been used as an antificant and can also kill pregnant mothers. Do not use this herb as a method for miscarriage. It can cause irreversible damage to the liver and kidneys, nervous system, brain, and cam cause dizziness, confusion, seizures, and death.

Peony - Peony can cause uterine contractions and is unsafe to use during pregnancy. It also slows blood clotting.

St. John’s Wort - This herb interacts with SSRIs and other types of medications for the treatment of depression. In bipolar, bipolar depression, mania, manic depression, and other related disorders, St. John’s wort can trigger a major upswing or manic episode in patients. This herb also interacts with birth control.

Wormwood - Wormwood one of the main ingredients in the alcoholic beverage, Absinthe. The latin Absinthium comes from the ancient greek word apsínthion, which some claim translates to “Undrinkable”, referencing the herb’s extreme bitter flavor. It is closely related to mugwort, which is toxic in large doses, but wormwood is even more so. The herbs also contained thujones. See Mugwort.

Valerian - This herb, especially the root, can cause oversedation. Alcohol, sedatives, and benzodiazepines interact with downers. Valerian can cause some side effects such as headache, excitability, uneasiness, and even insomnia in some people. A few people feel sluggish in the morning after taking valerian, especially at higher doses. It’s best not to drive or operate dangerous machinery after taking valerian. 

Wintergreen - This type of mint can be dangerous in high doses. Taking wintergreen oil or large amounts of wintergreen leaf can cause ringing in the ears, nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, headache, stomach pain, and confusion.

[recipefordisaster]

🧼Witchy Soap Making🛁

Hello Witches! So awhile ago i posted some pictures of my Yule soaps cooling and a bunch of yall wanted to know my methods so here ya go! (This is going to be a longggg post guys and im on mobile so no page breaks sorry.)

First thing you will need to do is choose your soap base. I use glycerin because it draws moisture into itself (which is great for locking moisture into your skin. Also it lathers BEAUTIFULLY for shaving) and because lye based soaps are a bit too chemically intense for me.

Glycerin melt and pour soap bases are widely available online (read Amazon😍) and come in a wide variety. You have shea butter glycerin soap, goats milk glycerin soap, honey glycerin soap, and soooo many more. I usually use goats milk glycerin BUT if you want to witch it up you can certainly use your own correspondences.

Next choosing scents. I use essential oils in my soaps (which if you havent read the posts that circulate every now and then you should use SPARINGLY and properly diluted. A teaspoon of rosemary oil in a pound of soup is alright. But be careful for skin reactants and please dont burn yourself). However when properly diluted, essential oils really add a lovely scent to your soaps that can last on the skin for hoursss.

(Side note: NOW is my favorite brand and ive never had any issues with them. I have with other brands though. Be sure to pick a good quality brand that doesn’t contain alcohol or other questionable ingredients.)

When choosing scents, there are a few things to keep in mind (which you can find pretty easily as perfumers basics online). You want three types of oils in your mixings to create a signature scent^tm. A base note, a middle note, and a top note. Base notes generally consist of your woodsy patchoulis, cederwoods, cloves and the like. Mid notes would be more citrusy or a little lighter in nature like your lavenders, oranges and lemongrasses. And for top notes these are usually more floral like jasmine, ylang ylang and lemon verbena.

The purpose of combining scents like this, is because the top notes are what you first smell from the scent, but are also what evaporate most quickly, then the mid notes and so on.

Some of my favorite combos are (for two pound at a time pours)

4 tsp Vanilla Essential oil

1 tsp Orange Essential Oil

¼ tsp Clove Essential oil

1 tsp Patchouli Essential Oil

2 tsp Lavender Essential oil

2 tsp Vanilla Essential oil

(I like vanilla okay?)

1 tsp Orange Essential oil

2 tsp Tangerine Essential oil

1 tsp Bergamot Essential oil

(This one doesnt have all of the notes, but it smells sooo refreshing)

If the scents arent strong enough, you can always add a little more. When diluted in two pounds of soap a little more wont hurt.

The last element of your soap is mostly for visual purposes, though you can certainly make it witchy, and includes things like coloring, flowers and salts. One of my more recent soaps pictured here

Is orange because of the tumeric i used while mixing the soap (this is the tangerine orange soap). However, mica powders and edible glitters can also be added for an extra punch. The soap above it included crushed lavender flowers (the lavender patchouli soap) and the one above that (mens shaving soap) sodium sodium bentonite clay.

Alright so now you know what kind of soap base youre using and have picked your scents and inclusions, you are ready to begin!

You will need a double boiler OR a pot large enough for a large metal bowl to melt your soap in.

Your soap (i use about two pounds) cut up in smaller cubes for ease of melting.

A spatula to stir with.

A whisk or fork.

Your essential oils.

Your inclusions.

A mold. (I use the disposable tin bread pans a lot of the time and they work just fine.)

Something to cut your soap. (This can be a knife or a special tool its up to you)

First things first on about medium heat, heat your water to begin melting your soap. DO NOT GET WATER IN YOUR SOAP. A glycerin soap pour can be ruined by water faster than you can say quidditch.

While thats melting, youre going to want to prepare your inclusions. Pictured here is blue mica powder and pink Himalayan salt. I like to mix it with a morter and pestle to be sure everything is completely incorporated.

Now after your soup is evenly melted, you’ll want to add in your powders and whisk it together well in order to avoid lumps. (Think pancake batter. Below is the example with the blue mica powder and Himalayan salt.

After this step, you’ll want to remove your mixture from the heat and allow it to cool off before adding in your essential oils. If the oils are added too quickly, the scents will burn off and you’ll be left with scentless albeit colorful soap.

Once this is done and your soap is wafting tempting notes of citrus or warm spicy cloves in your face, pour the soap into your molds. As you can see from the molds pictured now is the time to add flowers or other (skin and plumbing safe) decorations. If topping your soap with salt i would wait until a thin film starts to form so it stays on top better.

After this step is done, youll need to wait for the soaps to completely firm and set. Depending on the thickness of your soap, this could be anywhere from a few hours to overnight. I usually wait overnight so that i can be sure everything is set enough to cut. (Side note as with candles, soap should not be cooled in the refrigerator. Firstly because it can cause uneven cooling and a large hollow hole in the middle and secondly because when the soap comes out and begins to sweat it can ruin your soap batch.)

After you’ve let your soap set, its time to cut it into bath soap size slices; about an inch to an inch and a half is usually a good bet depending on how thick your soap is. Pictured is above mentioned fancy cutting tool, but you can just as easily use a good knife, just watch out for fingers.

And there you have your finished product!! I like to wrap my soaps in seran or plastic wrap to help keep the scents fresh, but wax paper would probably work as well.

I hope you all enjoy your soaps lovelies and if you do make any please tag me so i can see! 🌻

[leafbunni-deactivated20220211]

PSA TO ALL WITCHES

Don’t leave your crystal ball on your windowsill. I repeat. DO NOT. 

I just went into my room to find it magnifying the sun onto my pillow, thus nearly setting my bed on fire c:

DO NOT LEAVE UR CRYSTAL BALL ON THE FRACKIN WINDOWSILL 

[persephoneandthepomegranates]

All You Need to Know About Being a College Witch

Whether you’re dorming, living in a sorority/fraternity house, still living with your family, or even living off campus with some non-witchy roommates, I have compiled a list of witchy advice, activities, and tips to help live your most magical life while still complying with any rules that may be in place. 

I spent the past 9 months or so living in the dorms at my university. The housing contract was 20 pages long and filled with everything I wasn’t allowed to have, do, etc. To summarize that annoyingly long document, I was not allowed to have any electrical heat sources besides hair tools (hair dryer, straighter, etc), a clothing iron, and an 800 watt or less microwave. I was not allowed to burn incense or candles, use a wax warmer, a hot plate, an electric kettle. The icing on the cake was that we couldn’t even have an incense diffuser because of the air system being connected throughout the entire building and how it could travel into someone’s room and cause an allergic reaction or make them sick. So I had to get a little crafty (pun intended) with my magical practices.

Activities & Tools

Things to Avoid Doing/Having:

Anything With Fire (candles, incense, smoke cleansing, etc)

Anything That’s a Heat Source (hot plates, wax warmer, electric kettle, etc)

Having Alcohol Regardless If You Are of Age (All Campuses are Dry Campuses meaning No Alcohol is Allowed)

Having Your Familiar (Unless It’s Been Approved by Disability Services to be your Emotional Support Animal)

Doing Spells Outside on Campus (Security Will Be Walking Around And May Think You’re Making a Bomb or Doing Something Illegal)

Leave Your Fancy Athames at Home (Weapons are not allowed on college campuses so to avoid that rule get a kitchen knife or a small hidden knife)

Keeping Anything Obviously Witchy/Occult Related Out Unless You Have Your Own Room or Your Roommate is Okay With it (Pentagrams, Animal Skulls, Ouija Boards, etc)

Tools & Supplies You Generally Can Have:

Crystals

Divination Tools (Tarot Cards, Scrying Mirrors, Pendulums, etc)

Herbs

Sachets 

Bottles/Jars

Loose Leaf and/or Bagged Tea

Battery Powered Candles

Himalayan Salt Lamps (Check Housing’s Bulb Requirements)

Ouija Boards (Make Sure If You Have A Roommate, They’re Okay With It Being There.You Don’t Want to Cause A Fight)

Witchcraft Books

Your Grimoire/Book of Shadows

Art Supplies

Plants 

Coffee

Food

Dorm Approved Activities:

Spell Jars (Check my tag #spell jars)

Sachets (Check my tag #sachets)

Shufflemancy

Shower Magick (Make Sure to Clean the Shower After and Check my tag #shower magick)

Kitchen Witchcraft (Dorm Kitchens Have Refrigerators and Microwaves but sometimes more. Check my tags #recipes and #kitchen witchcraft Also the internet has so many dorm-friendly recipes available)

Tarot (Check my tags #tarot for how-tos and tips and #spreads for tarot spreads

Crystal Grids (Check my tag #crystal grid for ideas)

Pendulum (Check my tag #pendulum for tips and tricks)

Scrying (Water, Mirror, Oil, and Crystal are dorm safe)

Color Magick to Pick Your Clothes, Dorm Decorations, and School Supplies (Check my tag #colors for correspondences and for which holiday uses which colors)

Tasseomancy (Check my tag #tasseomancy)

Tea Magick (Check my tag #tea magick)

Runes (Check my tag #runes)

Using Crystals (Check my tag #crystals)

Spell Sprays (I will be posting a how-to on this later this evening. Check my tag #spell spray in a few days for different recipes.)

Sigils (Check my tag #sigils)

Witch Tips/Advice:

You don’t have to do magick every day in order to still be considered a witch. College can be draining and time-consuming. Put your schoolwork before your magick. 

Make sure if you using the dorm microwave, to use microwave-safe plates, cups, etc. You do not want to set off the fire alarm at 2 am because you put your metallic non-microwave-safe coffee mug and it started to smoke.

If using common spaces like the bathrooms or kitchen for your witchcraft, make sure to clean up after yourself as soon as you are done. It can cause the Head of Housing the fine your dorm hall/building if it continually happens.

There was a college witchcraft post saying to give your roommate a gift that you enchanted when you first move in. You should never do magic without their consent and especially if you have just met them and have yet to find out their feelings towards it. Starting out already at odds will turn into fighting roommates in no time. Fighting roommates are not fun or easy for your RA.

If your roommate is not okay with you having your tools out, there are tons of ways to discreetly hid them. There are boxes that look like books that you can buy at Micheal’s. You can also DIY your own book box! You can also use a trunk, cloth bag, decorative box, or even a shoe box to hold your tools.

If you’re interested in green witchcraft, it’s best to wait until you move into your dorm room before getting a plant. You’ll never know that your room doesn’t get enough sunlight or that AC is always on in your hall until you move in. If you don’t wait, you’ll end up with a lot of dead plants like me.

If you’re a religious witch and your roommate doesn’t want there to be an altar, you can make a shoebox altar. Open it when you need and close and store it away when you don’t. You can also make one the size of an Altoids tin or even a digital one such as a sideblog or a screensaver for your electronic device.

You don’t have to do elaborate spells all the time. You can just do simple things like picking what to wear based off of a color’s correspondence or enchanting your pen/pencil for good luck on a test.

@nightshadeandroses suggested to me that you reach out to your school’s religious department. A lot of smaller schools like mine don’t have one. For some universities, it’s a part of Student Services/Resources on campus. Whichever applies to you, the people there are willing and ready to help you. Some campuses have a space available for students to meditate/pray while others will help you find a place to do that whether it be on or off campus. Every college is different and the only way to get what you need is to ask.

If you have any questions, please feel free to send me an ask or message me. I’ll be glad to help!

Best of luck witches!  🔮✨

[witchy-woman]

Hellllooo honey bees! I have a new jar for you today! I was excited to create this one! Everyone loves a good love spell. I am not a fan of a lot of them though, because consent is key and if you cast a spell on someone to love you against their will, well, that’s not cool, okay? This spell jar is about putting it into the universe to bring someone who loves you your way, may it be a friend or a lover, just someone who loves you purely! 

So let’s get started!

cinnamon - for love or lust 

dill - for love or lust

cayenne pepper - for love

parsley - for love or lust (also for fertility!)

lavender - for love and peace

lemon peel - for love and friendship

With each layer, imagine what you desire in a friend/lover, what it feels like to be cared for, etc. Infuse each layer with your intent and belief, speak it out loud, declare it as truth! Your words have power! One you are finished, you can cork your bottle and focus your intent into it as a whole bottle. After you are finished, you can seal up your bottle with wax, I use colors in correspondence with my intent, this one being red. I have a tutorial for how to seal bottles like this here.

Feel free to tag me in your recreations! I love to see them! You can also find my other bottles here.

I hope this was helpful! I’m open for questions if you have any!

xoxo.

[lesbianslovewitches]

Mind Blast Protection Spell

based off of the Dragon Age games

Purpose: For when you feel that there are negative entities, energies, or people trying to target you, or when you just feel afraid.

Ingredients: Yourself. That’s it. Optional: salt, crystal quartz, and/or candles of choice

How To: 

First, try not to get overtaken by the fear you feel, it will try to distract you and make you vulnerable. Ground yourself, stay fully within your mind and body. Pay attention to your breath as an anchor.

Begin to visualize a ball, this ball can look like anything. Try not to force it to look like a certain thing, just let it organically begin to take shape. See it begin to grow, let it get to as big as you need.

Let the ball explode. Feel it blast away from you and encompass you and your space in a dome. It will push away whatever baddies are trying to get you. Reclaim your space and let whatever is there known that it is not welcome and that it needs to leave.

If you choose to use any of the optional ingredients: take the salt in whatever form you like best (salt water, grain salt, imbued into something) and cleanse the space with it, create strict boundaries. If you use crystals, use them to help channel an energy ball if so inclined to, hold to crystal in your hand and feel the energy begin to form from it. Do the same with your candles if used. 

[anonymous-alchemist-deactivated]

🌿💛 Anti-depression energy sachet 💛🍊

Similar to my depression banishing bottle but this one is on feeling numb, while the other is for overwhelming emotions.

Salt

Coffee grounds - energy, strength, clarity

Eggshells - banishing

Rosemary sprigs and oil - refreshing, banishing

Orange zest and oil - energy, happiness

Rose petals - self love

Pine needles and oil - refreshing, strength

Disclaimer: This is not meant to replace professional care and is to be used as a temporary coping skill. If you are suicidal, please seek help immediately.

[citrinecoven]

🌿Fatigue Magick🌿

Fatigue is a lack of energy, a tiredness, this can be mental or physical. One who is fatigued might feel indifferent or apathic. It can occur on it’s own or as part of a disease or syndrome. Fatigue that appears in a healthy person is the easiest form to relieve. Feeling fatigued is super common. We all experience it from time to time, so here is a list of crystals, herbs and care tips to help out when you feel fatigued.

🔮Crystals for Fatigue🔮 🔮Aragonite: Raises energy levels, grounds the holder, provides muscular relief. $ 🔮Beryllonite: calming and stress relieving energy, helps with deep and peacefull sleep, harnesses and emits energy. $ 🔮Corundum: raises energy levels, lowers blood pressure. $ 🔮Milky Quartz: clears mind of worry, raises energy levels, brings positive energy, unwind from stressfull situations. $ 🔮Opalite: brings good fortune, raises energy levels, makes you more aware of self-worth. $ 🔮Ruby: lowers blood pressure, restores positivity and self confidence, raises energy levels. $$ 🔮Scheelite: calming and relaxing, transfer energy, raises energy, assist recovery of heart condition. $$ 🔮Thulite: Provides comfort, raises energy levels, promotes logical thinking, transfers energy. $ 🔮Vanadinite: brings positive energy and joy, raises energy levels, hels with breathing problems. $ 🔮Witherite: converts anger and agression into positive energy, grounds the holder, raises energy levels, provides muscular relief. $ 🌿Herbs for Fatigue🌿 🌿Ashwagandha: improves insulin sensitivity, balances hormone levels, alleviates mental and physical fatigue. 🌿Dandelion: detoxify the liver, fights tiredness and sluggish digestion. 🌿Eleuthero (Siberia ginseng): helps body handle stress, increases vitality, boosts concentration and energy. 🌿Ginseng (Asian): restore vital energy, improve physical and mental performance, helps recover from ilness and fatigue. 🌿Ginger: often combined with ginko and ginseng to combat fatigue, resistance to stress. 🌿Gota Kola: Indian folk medicine from the Himalayas used to fight off fatigue and boost stamina and energy levels. 🌿Ginko Biloba: remedies poor concentration and fatigue, improves oxygen utilization. 🌿Licorice Root: fight off fatigue, restore function of adrenal glands, enhances production of cortisol (= increased energy). 🌿Nettles: similar energy boosting effect as coffee without negative effects, fights weakness, boiled water and dried nettle brewed overnight makes for a perfect infusion. 🌿Reishi Mushroom: used in traditional Chinese medicine, boosts imune system, helps with chronic fatigue, raises energy levels, can de used as tea to replace coffee. 🌿Shilajit: Indiadn folk medicine known as “destroyer of weakness”, used by Himalayan mountain climbers and sherpas to preserve energy. 🌿Skullcap: alleviates tension aches, headaches and pains. Aids with good nights sleep. ✨ Fatigue Care Tips✨ ✨Get some excercise or go for a walk, even a little bit will help. ✨Make sure to drink enough water, stay hydrated! ✨Yoga is excellent for fighting fatigue . ✨Try eating more often, instead of having 3-2 big meals a day have smaller portions spread throughout the day. ✨Relax more! Make a bit more time to do things you enjoy. ✨Drink less coffee and alcohol. *Magick should never replace your medication and/or doctor’s instructions and advice* Taking post requests

[eine-kleine-hexe]

Need some rec’s!

Hey everyone! I haven’t been active for a little under a year, but I’m trying to get back into the groove of things. If anyone has some new reccomendations for witchy blogs to follow, chat groups, etc, hook a witch up!

[swompwolf-deactivated20200619]

A Guide to Pendulums

This is going to be a long post regarding to working with pendulums.  **Please note that a lot of this will be my personal views, and that not everything is going to be universal. Not everyone is going to feel the same way, or believe the same things. 

📑 General FAQ:

❥ What is a Pendulum? A tool used for divining answers.  Pendulums can be made out of anything. A nut attached to a string, a necklace, a fancy crystal attached to a chain.  No matter what the pendulum is made of, they all work the same. 

❥ How does a pendulum answer questions? A pendulum will swing in a direction to give you the answer. There are a few different ways a pendulum can swing, and each direction is a different answer. 

❥ How do I figure out each answer position?  There are a few ways to go about this!  1. Ask your pendulum to show you it’s preferred direction for swinging.  Ask it to show you “yes” “no” “maybe” “don’t know / don’t want to answer” “rephrase”, etc.  2. Make a pendulum board. These can be as simple or as elaborate as you’d like. Check out etsy to get some examples if you need them! 3. Physically make your pendulum swing in the direction and say “This is the ___ position”. So if you’re showing it “yes”, swing it in the way you want yes to be, and tell your pendulum that this is yes. Repeat for all answers.  Sometimes pendulum can be more difficult and won’t show you their preferred position when asked, if this happens a pendulum board or you physically making it swing is best! 

❥ How does a pendulum figure out the answers?  This is going to vary from person to person, as there are many different views on how a pendulum can come to the answer of a question.  1. Higher Self / Higher Consciousness 2. Spirits.  3. Deity / Deities 4. The energy around us 5. The energy within the pendulum Etc. I don’t feel there is any right or wrong answer. Whatever you believe is just as valid as what someone else believes. 

❥ Is the pendulum always right?  Of course not!  In my opinion, the pendulum is one of the EASIEST tools to sway the answer on. Because of this, you may often get the answer you want to hear, or the answer you’re most afraid of, or just the answer you expect to get.  *I will touch more on this later.

❥ Can I communicate with spirits / deities / etc?  Short answer is yes.  If the entity you are wishing to communicate with is willing to talk to you, then yes. 

❥ Will something evil be summoned if I use a pendulum? Nah.  The only way something “bad” is going to come out, is if you specifically call on something. If you do a general call out for something to come talk to you, then MAYBE something less friendly will come. It’s always a good idea to put up protection / guidelines before trying to talk to spirits / entities through any kind of divination. 

🔬 The Nitty Gritty:

❥ Skill level: The pendulum, while the easiest tool to make / get, is one of the most difficult to work with, in my opinion.  To work with a pendulum, you need to be able to be unbiased to the question / answer. It is SO easy to sway the answer to what you want to hear, or what you are afraid of. Your emotions VERY EASILY get in the way.  It takes time, practice and understanding to get to a point where you can detach yourself and answer personal questions without bias. 

❥ Accuracy:  This is another one that gets better with practice and understanding.  The more you trust in yourself, your intuition and your pendulum, the more accurate you will get.  When it comes to future-based questions, this is how I see things:  - If someone asks you a future based question, the pendulum is going to focus on how the person acts and has acted in the past. It’s going to figure out their patterns, how they typically approach things. And will draw a conclusion from that. The most likely outcome. Now, there’s always a chance that the person will go against their “typical” approach, thus making your answer inaccurate.  BUT - the pendulum may also be able to pick up on the persons energy and that it is different and that they may go against their “typical” approach.  However if you aren’t reading through the person’s energy, you/your pendulum may not pick up on this.  This brings me to my next point:

❥ Energy: Working with a pendulum, in my experience, is also working with the energy both around you, inside of you, and around and inside of your client.  Because of this, it can make doing readings tricky sometimes. People can kind of close off their energy, making getting an accurate answer more difficult. Sometimes people aren’t aware they are closing off their energy and some might be aware of it.  Also sometimes people’s energies get spread thin, which can again make it difficult to work with. The reason for their energy being spread thin varies, maybe they’re tired, dealing with a lot of emotions, maybe they’ve already asked other readers for readings and their energy is being drawn there rather than available for you. The reasons are many.  I can’t really explain how energy works with pendulum readings, it’s something that I just kind of do, understand and feel. “Do I need to be an energy worker to work with a pendulum?” – No! I wasn’t an energy worker when I started working with a pendulum, so you don’t need to be either. Though it is something that I do feel develops the more you work with a pendulum. 

🔮📞 Entity Communication:

Whether it be a spirit, deity, or whatever else, pendulums can be used to communicate with them.  Though there are a few things to know before doing this.

“Am I really talking to an entity?”  This is something that crosses my mind a lot when I do pendulum readings with various entities. And there are a few ways to try and figure this out.  ❥ Is the pendulum swinging differently? Does it just feel like it isn’t swinging like it normally does?  This is a good indicator of if there is actually something communicating with you through the pendulum.  This one can take some practice and just a very good grasp on how your pendulum normally swings, how it normally feels, vs when it feels like something else is swinging the pendulum.  ❥ How are you feeling? Do you feel alone? Do you feel like there is something around?  Everyone senses entities differently, whether it be seeing them, smelling them, hearing them or just feeling them, but there are ways to tell if something is around.  If you don’t feel like there is anything around, then maybe there isn’t. I’ve done plenty of readings where I wanted to talk to something, but never felt the presence of anything.  Trusting your intuition is a big part of this. ❥ Do you want to talk to something but aren’t sure how?  My way of doing this may be different from others, or maybe even what you do and that’s fine. But just know this is how I do it so it’s the only method I can speak on!  If I am wanting to speak to something, be it my deities, spirits, or whatever else, I call on them. I say “hey what’s up can you talk?” or “do you want to talk to me now?” or “can you speak to me now?” Sometimes you won’t get a response, the pendulum won’t move at all. Sometimes it’ll say no, and that just means the entity can’t speak now, sometimes it’ll say maybe or ask later. Sometimes it’ll even say yes. The important thing here is to just respect the entity’s answer whatever it is. If you call on your Deity and they say that they can’t or don’t want to talk right now, respect that and don’t ask again. If they say maybe, try again in a few hours. If they say yes, then ask your questions.  So long as you respect their answers and respect them, they should be more willing to talk again in the future.  ❥ When reaching out to an entity,  ask them if they have different preferences for how the pendulum swings.  One of my deities, when talking to me, their “yes” is my normal “no” position for the pendulum swinging. This makes them feel more comfortable, and more apt to talk to you again in the future. Sometimes an entities energy just flows differently, and so they prefer different ways of swinging the pendulum.  So by asking and allowing them to swing the pendulum differently, it can make it easier to communicate and to communicate longer. You may even be able to sense their energy more directly through the pendulum.  ❥ If you’re trying to communicate for longer periods of time,  stop every once in a while and ask if the entity still wants to talk, if they can continue talking, or if they need a break. Sometimes entities have other things to do, and can’t sit for long periods of time to chat. I find this especially true for my Deities. They can’t chat long because they have other things to do, other people to talk to. Your deity or other entity may be different, though. I can’t speak on your experiences.  But asking if something needs a break, if you’re talking for a long time, isn’t a bad thing to do. It’s just being respectful and making sure they’re still comfortable!  Detecting to see if there IS actually a spirit around: There are a few ways to do this, and I will go over a few of the things I do and some tips!  ❥ Ground yourself.  There are a few ways to ground yourself, so find a method that works for you.  Grounding yourself is great to do before any kind of divination, pendulums are no different. This can also really help you to FEEL if there is something around you or not.  ❥ Close your eyes.  Now ask if there is a spirit or entity around. Wait to open your eyes until you feel your pendulum swinging.  This helps you get an unbiased answer, and to see if there really is something around. If the pendulum is saying yes, there is probably something there. If it never really swings or swings in a weird direction that isn’t yes, there likely isn’t anything around.  ❥ Cleanse your pendulum.  You don’t necessarily have to cleanse the space you are trying to communicate in, as cleansing the space may chase off anything that IS in the room.  But cleansing the pendulum itself is a good idea. I cleanse mine frequently, just to make sure there is no kind of built up energy stores that may swing the pendulum weird. 

💨 Cleansing:

Cleansing is going to depend on what your pendulum is made out of and your preferences.  If you have a crystal pendulum, make sure whatever method you use is safe for your pendulum!

❥ Sunlight / Moonlight Just leave your pendulum out in either Sunlight or Moonlight for a bit! ❥ Smoke Grab an incense, herbs or whatever else in order to cleanse your pendulum with smoke.  ❥ Water Run it under water for a few seconds. ❥ Salt Put it in a container that is filled with salt and let it sit in there for a bit (maybe overnight).  ❥ Energy Visualize pushing out the negative, built up energy and filling it with a cleansing light.  ❥ Wave it around in the air I really like doing this personally lol. Since pendulums are on a string / chain, it’s easy to just wave them around for a few seconds! (Just make sure it isn’t going to go flying off and hurt someone / break something!)  Or whatever your preferred method of cleansing things is. Just make sure whatever it is, isn’t going to hurt your pendulum (some crystals can’t go in water, some fade in sunlight, etc) or potentially you. 

🌿 Pendulum Boards:

I thought these needed their own section, because when I first started, I used pendulum boards that I made to give answers that were way more in depth than just a yes or a no.  Pendulum boards can be as simple as pen and paper.  You can write out lists of answers and then ask your question.  Write down all the crystals you have and ask what crystal would be best to keep under your pillow tonight.  Write down a list of gift ideas for someone and ask what would be best to get them.  You can even write out the alphabet and ask your pendulum to spell out the answer to a question.  The possibilities are endless with pendulum boards, so have fun with it, get creative! 

🔍 Additional Tips:

❥ Feel like your readings aren’t very accurate? A good and fun way to help increase your accuracy is to write “yes” and “no” on little pieces of paper. 10 yes, 10 no is a good starting point. Place the papers face down so that you don’t know what piece of paper says what.  Hover your pendulum over the papers and ask it what it says. Then check it. Make a pile of what the pendulum got right and one that it got wrong.  The more you do this, the more accurate you should get.  ❥ Another fun game is to have someone “hide” something somewhere in your home, and then try to find it using your pendulum!  Just ask your pendulum to guide it to you, and follow where it swings to. Or draw a map of your home and have the pendulum show you the room.  ❥ BE VERY CAREFUL OF YOUR WORDING WHEN ASKING QUESTIONS!!! This is SUPER important.  Before I ask a question, I ALWAYS say “please help me answer this question accurately, honestly and without bias”. You can come up with your own phrase that works for you.  But also be careful and critical about how you word questions, too.  Example: “Should I go to the party tonight?” VS “All things considered, is it optimal for me to go to the party tonight?” You may get a different answer depending on your wording.  ❥ Don’t ask more than one question at a time.  Example: Will I fly on (Airline Name) to (Destination)? This is TWO questions. You may get a yes, because you will fly on the one Airline, but a no to the destination. Write out your questions and figure out if there might be more than one question hidden inside and break it down.  ❥ Spend time with your pendulum, bonding.  Sleep with it under your pillow, if it is a necklace, wear it, just have it near you as much as you can. This will help you form a close and strong bond with your pendulum.