My Grimoire

[maleficientsgrimoire]

My tags/sections for this grimoire

#curse

#sigil

#cleansing

#spell

#PCM

#symbolism

#masterpost

#craft

#elements

#protection

#spirit work

#charging

#enchantment

#banishing

#closeted

#correspondences

#energy work

#kitchen witch

#space witch

#ancestor work

#altar

#death witch

#ritual

#sea witch

#trees

#dream work

#school witch

#time

#numerology

#weather witch

#grounding

#glamour

#knot magic

#green witch

[crimsonsongbird]

"I am not afraid."

[blacksapphrodite]

Witchcraft Basics: Glamours

What is a Glamour?

A glamour is a kind of spell you cast on yourself to change how people perceive you. Glamours aren’t like the kind of magic you see in the movies--the same goes for all the witchcraft we talk about here. It’s not flashy. You can’t use a glamour to change your eye or hair color. You can, however, use them to be perceived as more beautiful, more confident, tougher, smarter, more delicate, the list goes on. I’ve written a couple of glamour spells before--mostly beauty spells like my spritzer or beauty oil. But there are other kinds of glamours and other ways to achieve them.

Oftentimes, glamours are performed along with your getting ready ritual. It’s a kind of magic that lends itself well to the mundane things we do everyday, and to the science of our world as well. You’ve probably heard of the placebo effect. The simple version of it is: if you believe something is happening to you, you’ll begin to feel the effects--it becomes real. The intersection of witchcraft and science is fascinating to me, and glamours in particular are where I see it overlapping the most! You’ve got magic and science working on your side with these, and the end result is often that you feel more secure in yourself, which is something we should all strive for.

How to Cast a Glamour

So you’ve crawled out of bed, or off of the couch, and you’re about to get ready to go out. You want to look a certain way--be perceived a certain way, and you want some magical help with that. This is where casting a glamour comes in, and there are a ton of ways to do it. The simplest way, with no outside preparation or ingredients, is to manifest your intent while getting ready for the day, however it is you do that. Wash away the worries and debris of the day before when you shower and wash your hair. Focus on whatever quality you desire sinking into your skin as your wash your face, moisturize, shave, etc.

Choose your outfit according to what you’re trying to manifest--color associations work well for this, as does jewelry, especially if you’ve enchanted it. If you wear makeup, it’s tailor made for casting glamours. Use color associations on your eyeshadow and lipstick--pink for beauty, red for confidence, a nude if you’re trying to go unnoticed. Think of your foundation as well, the foundation of your spell. Whatever perception you’re going for, infuse the foundation with it and put it on. If you use concealer, use it to “conceal” any faults, or whatever it is about yourself you’d like to downplay today. Weave magic and intention into your hair as your pick, comb or brush it out for the day. Do you have a favorite perfume or cologne? Use it to cover yourself in your intention. And the best part is, after the day is over, you can end the spell by washing it all away!

Of course, you can do a glamour via more hands-on means as well. Potions, salves, baths, charms, enchanted meals, the list goes on. Tea, coffee and smoothies lend themselves well to glamours, as you can take them on the go and let the magic flow through you on your way to your destination. You can create a spray for your skin or hair, an oil to anoint yourself with, or even create a satchel to carry on your person in order to exude whatever quality you’re seeking. As you may have noticed, a lot of these glamours are reusable, as opposed to the cosmetic type glamours listed above. Both have their uses, and you can layer these methods as well to achieve what you desire!

Types of Glamours

What kind of glamour might you want to cast, though? Well, here are a few examples!

-beauty/attractiveness

Probably the most common type of glamour, these are used to make you appear more attractive to people you may interact with.

-confidence

To look more confident, even when you’re not particularly feeling that way. These are good for job interviews, meetings, presentations, etc.!

-toughness

If you’re trying to look stronger or more intimidating than you are, for safety or otherwise, this might be the kind of glamour you’re looking for.

-intelligence

Need to come off as more eloquent and intelligent? Well I’m sure you’re plenty smart, but if people have been doubting you, a magical boost might give them a nudge in the right direction.

There are plenty more, and these can overlap and combine to achieve what you’re looking for! Magic is malleable like that. Just be clear about what you need, or you might get mixed results. This goes for any spell, however. ;)

Tools/Ingredients for Glamours

Not sure what to gather beforehand? Here are a couple of ideas!

Makeup (especially eyeshadow and lipstick)

Perfume

Cologne

Lotions

Jewelry

Pins

Moisturizers/Skin care products

Roses (beauty)

Garlic

Hot Sauce/Hot Peppers

Dill

Banana (Success)

Avocado (Beauty, love)

Apple (Beauty, love)

Strawberries (Love, happiness)

Peaches (youth, happiness)

Cherries, pitted (beauty)

Vanilla

Bay leaf (love, passion, harmony)

Basil (wealth,love, faithfulness)

Oregano (ward against negative energy, happiness, peaceful energy)

Thyme (positivity, prosperity)

Parsley (happiness, passion, protection)

Sage (prosperity, mental clarity)

Rosemary (beauty, love, general magical boost)

Marjoram (happiness, love, money)

Sea Salt (purity, protection)

Pepper (passion)

Crushed red pepper (passion, a spell booster)

This is just a list to start with! You can use the edible ingredients to make teas, baths, smoothies, soups, etc., and infuse other ingredients with your intent. Glamours are versatile, and the way you cast them can be, too! The only real limit is your imagination!

(I'm cleaning up my blog and reposting some of my spells/etc that were once hosted on my website.💕)

[will-o-the-witch]

Talk to Your Objects- A Guide to Light Spirit Work

This is a practice that can take a little bit to hone, but can save you a lot of time and really enrich your practice in the long run. Talk to your stuff. Like, really, talk to it. More importantly, listen to what it says back.  This idea largely stems from an animist perspective, where everything has its own soul. By that extension, even inanimate objects are something we can commune with, and through that gain a deeper understanding.

Examples of Use

Talking with a ritual tool regularly, so when you use it you’re bonded with it much more closely.

Asking a unique tool or ingredient directly how you can use it. (Hello, necklace. What kind of enchantments would you take to best?)

Asking for elaboration on a traditional correspondence (what kind of love does it attract? How strong are its protection properties? Protection from what?)

Being more mindful about everyday objects and when they need to be cleansed (such as your bed.)

Knowing when something is “up” with an object (because you’re more readily familiar with its energy)

A deeper understanding of exactly what is going into your spells and why

What You Need

Some level of comfort with discernment, energy work, personal shielding, wards, and banishing. This isn’t a guide designed for absolute beginners, so if there’s anything you don’t feel ready for yet/don’t understand, learn about that first and return to this when you do feel comfortable! 

Something to speak with (for starting, I recommend something that has meaning to you already. I don’t recommend pictures of people because that risks turning into a different kind of spirit work which isn’t what we’re here for.)

An open mind. 

And Then…

Make sure before you do any spirit work that your personal protections are up and refreshed, whatever that means for you. Find a space you can focus and sit with the object in your hands. Talk to it. Really say something out loud, directed at its essence like you would speak to another human. “Hi there. How are you feeling?”

Responses can come in a lot of different ways. You may hear a “voice” in your thoughts that sounds different from your usual thinking voice. You may have images pop into your mind’s eye. Your hands may feel energy of a certain texture, color, etc. Be open to however the message may come in. Do this regularly, and get comfortable with the way that object’s essence feels, how you receive messages, etc. Start with little, inconsequential things while you feel it out.

How Do I Know What’s Real and What’s My Imagination?

Short answer: You don’t. Do it anyway. Long answer: There’s never going to be any 100% certainty in spirit work. It’s important to remember that whether these entities even exist is up for debate in wider culture, and it’s definitely possible for a believer to delude themselves. That said, practice really really does help. Ask about things you can verify, or things you can see payoff with (aka simple signs.) Trust your gut if something feels very fake. If you’re having regular doubts, roll with a conversation in the moment and look back on it with a more critical eye later. That way, if it is real, you’re not wasting all your energy in the moment trying not to doubt yourself. Let yourself communicate comfortably, get what information you’re searching for, and review it when you’re not in the thick of it. If you make the call that something is your imagination, that’s totally fine! It still teaches you something. Now you know what that object’s energy doesn’t feel like, and can recognize that flavor of your imagination next time. 

[coinandcandle]

Anatomy of a Spell

This post will go over what is needed for a spell to be created!

This is a page from my grimoire and by no means is this a set-in-stone situation. Take what you will and leave what you won't.

Desire or intent. This is the whole point of the spell. What is the desired outcome, what do you want to achieve from this spell?

Planning of ingredients, spell structure, time, and location. This includes the verbal or written aspect of the spell if any.

Protection, there’s really no reason not to have a safeguard on your spell in my opinion but this isn't true for everyone. Do what feels right for you.

Raising, gathering, or building energy for the spell. Energy is how you get your spell to work. This can be done by chanting, breathwork, borrowing energy, and more.

Directing energy into the spell. Self-explanatory, gotta get it in there somehow. Basically just getting the intent/desire from inside you to inside the spell so that it can work its magic (pun intended).

Release any excess energy if needed. Grounding is a good way to do this.

Clear and concise ending; this could be a phrase, word, or physical act that indicates the ending of the spell. It’s best when everyone and everything involved knows when you have ceased doing the spell.

Extras:

It’s a good idea to record your process and results of the spells you create and cast so that you have a reference for future spells; also you can figure out what went wrong or right.

I personally think it’s a good idea to put a fail-safe in a spell, I usually do this by stating it out loud: i.e. “If I take apart this spell bag then the spell will cease.” or “If I do this spell in reverse the spell will cease/reverse” and so on.

Preparing the physical and non-physical things for the spell; can mean gathering, cleansing, or preparing yourself to be in the headspace needed for the spell. It's better to be prepared than to get blindsided halfway through because you’re missing something!

[attichaos]

Closet Witch Tip No.1

Oracle Cards

I highly recommend the game cards Dixit

- comes in so many “expansion packs” with different themes, the idea of the original game is all about intuition which means cards are ideal for readings

- for the closet witches who can’t openly buy labelled Oracle Cards

- similar size to tarot cards

- gives ability to find different meanings

Dixit cards hold intuitive meanings and are amazing for story building readings! I use the Journey pack as someone who isn’t a closet witch for some oracle readings and it’s absolutely amazing for those who wish to improve their intuition!

- good game for non witches as well :)

A link to the pack I use

Let me know if this is helpful and I’ll make Closet Witch/Beginner Witch Tip series

As always merry meet,

Atti <3

Dixit Exp 7: Revelations - Dixit - Card Games - Wayland Games

Dixit Exp 7: Revelations - Dixit - Card Games - Wayland Games

[jasper-pagan-witch]

Anyway, to quickly turn my blog away from discourse, tell me something fun you've done with magic recently! Or are doing with magic soon!

I'm going to start reaching out to spirits for aid so that I'm not working solely with deities. I'm thinking plant, animal, and crystal spirits? Since I'm already familiar with crystals, that might be my first step.

[windvexer]

about a week ago I got irritated with my mental health and tied all my anxieties into knots on a piece of yarn i now wear as a bracelet. shocked and concerned at how well it worked.

[friend-crow]

I've been gathering supplies to make a nest spell. So excited to have another creepy artifact to either hide from visitors or pretend is a conceptual art project 👀

Enjoy your spirit work!

[friend-crow]

#nest spell! that sounds so cool!#i really want to make a magic terrarium in this cool air-tight jar i have

First off, nest spell miiiiiight actually be kind of pop culture magicish, since I'm jacking the idea from a not-very-good netflix series I watched and just doing my own thing with it (there was questionable crow representation in the series so I'm claiming this nest spell in compensation).

Second off, magic terrarium sounds tight and I'd love to know how that turns out.

[ravenbara]

Oh gosh, I'm a crafter with my magic and ADHD with my crafting XD.... So which ongoing project do you want to know more about?

The moss themed latch hook rug working energy for a stable home to move into for me and my animals that is a perfect fit for us

The yarn spinning project I'm blending fiber for.... That I need to check with it's recipient what they want the energy in it to feel like... Cuz they are also witchy... And that's an excellent energy programming opportunity...

The embroidery panel lap sized mini quilt for divination that has maybe half the front side panels embroidered right now

The felt/fabric purse/pouch in a significant animal for it's recipient with significant colors with a matching baby animal plush for her kid (both having heart shaped pouches in the opposite piece's significant color for notes from mom to kiddo and back) to strengthen their communication and keep the family protected with the animals energy

Convertible mittens (mittens where the finger cup folds back off the fingers and buttons to the back of the hand out of the way to use the fingers) that I just got yarn for that will (need to verify with recipient) most likely have warmth, protection and soothing of hand pain worked into the crochet stitches.

Like...... I work energy and magic into most of what I make by hand and most of my creative energy is hand work.... It's part of why I work with Hephaestus in my practice!

[death-witch-speaks]

Communicating with Child Spirits- A Personal How-To

Those of you that follow me know that I mainly work with child spirits in my death work practice, which isn't something I've seen discussed very often on here. So, with the blessing of a few of the children I work with the most, I've typed up some tips/tricks on how to start working with child spirits for yourself!

These aren't really in order of importance, and if I happen to think of any more I will update the list!!

1) Understand your limits when it comes to death work in general- things can get extremely heavy extremely quickly and you need to both keep that in mind, and understand it's okay not to be able to do a ton of death work at once

2) Protect yourself- Personally, I have a few protection sigils I use and hefty wards that Hades/Persephone help with, but what protection you use/need is completely unique to you and what you're doing

3) Open yourself up to non-verbal answers/communications- As with a lot of spirit workers/death witches that I know, particularly powerful spirits can "beam" words/phrases into my head or make me aware of them in other ways. Depending on how old the child spirit is, they may or may not think in full sentences or sentences that you can understand, so opening yourself up to different feelings/fragmented thoughts is more helpful than you can imagine

4) Consider using a pendulum to help with communication, especially if you aren't used to speaking with children in your day to day life- As someone who frequently uses both tarot and pendulum to help speak with the dead, I've found that children, especially younger children, tend to give more clear/concise answers through pendulum than through tarot

5) Remember that you're speaking with a child- meaning they might not understand what happened to them, what time period they died in (or what time period it is now), or exactly what's going on around them. Some definitely do and children know more than we ever give them credit for, but that doesn't mean they fully comprehend death or what it means to have passed on

6) Please don't be super super formal with kids! Especially the case of the younger ones, your goal should be to make them feel comfortable enough to help them in whatever way they need, and there are very few children who feel more at ease when an adult starts speaking to them in a way they don't understand

7) Expect the unexpected!! Children play pranks, joke around, mess around, and generally do things that older spirits either don't or won't. Expect to have to make and enforce different boundaries with them than you will with adult spirits, just like when they're living

8) Listen to your instincts! Unfortunately, there are trickster spirits out there who can and will pretend to be children- so if something seems off or makes you feel strange, listen to yourself and get that entity out of your workspace

9) When in doubt, reach out- there is no shame in asking for help or guidance when you're new to something! If you don't know exactly what you're doing and you don't want to just jump into it head first, reach out and ask someone with more experience!!

Hades/Persephone Discord || Asks

[spellgazed]

Divination

Astragalomancy:

Astragalomancy or Astragyromancy is a procedure of divination cast by throwing five dice, teeth, or bones engraved with celestial symbols, numbers, or letters. The placement and symbolism of each particular thrown item matters. In prehistoric times, mammal knuckles were primarily used in Astragyromancy.

Belomancy:

A structure of divination used by monitoring and examining the passage, performance, and landing of arrows during and after being shot off by a Bow. Different structures of arrows and materials should also be taken into account. This is not to be mistaken for or confused with Rhabdomancy’s use of arrows.

Cartomancy:

The use of playing cards, tarot, or oracle decks to gain insight into current, past, or future personal affairs. Crucial in personal development and individual progress from a spiritual standpoint. Each suit in playing cards represents a suit in tarot, with different elements and senses of their own.

Cleromancy:

A form of divination in which one is to cast a lot based off of random chance or divine will. “Casting a lot” is often gently tossing objects with their each individual significant meanings to analyze the pattern in which they land. There are so very numerous unique varieties and procedures to this.

Cowrie Shells:

Cowrie shells have been used for numerous purposes throughout different cultures across all time, created in Arica ranging from West Africa, Santeria, and Candomblé. There are effectively several different procedures to use these stunning shells for divination as well.

Favomancy:

This technique of Cleromancy involves casting a lot employing beans. The origins of Favomancy come from the Ubykh of Russia. However, most archaic methods were lost through the passing of time and are now open to interpretation. I must admit I wish I knew more about this fascinating concept.

Osteomancy:

The use of bone casting for divinatory purposes or perspective. Each distinct bone has covers a specific aspect of your life, and are thrown in order to determine your current position. Certain bones have specific values but the arrangement of the bones also should be considered.

Rhabdomancy:

Rhabdomancy is a kind of Cleromancy including the use of casting rods, wands, branches, or something similar. There are various ways to do this, but is most frequently used to cast lots for answering questions or insight. The items could range from arrows to dowels which I find incredible from a possibility prospect.

Rune-casting:

Rune casting is a process of divination in which a practitioner uses small items such as stones, crystal tumbles, or chips in order to determine ones current circumstances and upcoming opportunities. Runes are also extraordinarily commonly used as words of power and sigils but are predominantly established for this.

Tasseomancy:

A technique of divination developed by just about polishing off your cup of loose tea, and then flipping the tea leaves onto a plate for evaluation. Representation plays key to reading tea leaves, and all figures, characters, and placements account for something. Can also be preformed with coffee grounds or wine fragments.

Theriomancy:

Divination involving animals through either observing their movements, reactions, or demeanor’s shifts. Wildlife themselves have intuition and abilities that are easier for them to stay connected with. Almost all of these are also forms of Augury.

[servantofthefates]

I never cleanse objects. I claim them.

Every time I receive something significant secondhand – jewels, talismans, tarot decks – I formally welcome it to my life.

Taking it to my sacred space and holding it in my hands, I introduce myself.

“My name is Diana… a servant of the Fates… a child of Venus… a Plutonian witch. I am now your sole master.”

I let it know what my intentions are.

“I rarely wear a necklace. But you will not be neglected. I will turn you into an amulet. So you can guard my home when I am not there to look after it.”

I declare my commands.

“Hold on to the strengths of your previous owners. But release anything that could prevent you from fulfilling your new purpose.”

And I tell it what to expect as a reward for its obedience.

“If you ever felt mistreated, it will never happen again. In return for your loyalty, you will be regarded as treasure.”

Then I wait for its reply.

Jewelry gleams, as if nodding to agree. Talismans vibrate or become hotter in your hand. That is how they respond. Tarot, by make, is far more articulate.

Finally, I write down its name in a catalog – an inventory of all my sacred properties. The ink makes the contract binding.

[windvexer-deactivated20160501]

Giant Guardian Magic

Think of an animal that makes you feel very safe and comfortable. Try to think of a cozy animal that can snuggle you and keep you warm and safe.

Think about this animal for several moments. Imagine it being protective and loving towards you. Especially focus on feelings of security and comfort and the unique ‘vibe’ of the type of animal you have chosen.

Once you feel you have “locked on” to the type of animal, it is time to call it to you.

Loudly think, “[Animal], come keep me safe!”

Then stop on the ground with each foot to help the animal find you. If you can’t do a nice proper stomp, take a heavy step instead, or clap your hands, or make any other similar action.

Imagine that at this moment, a giant version of the animal leaps out of the aether* and comes to stand beside you. If you prefer, it will stand near you and keep close watch so that nothing can harm you. Or, it can lay down and snuggle with you.

Because this entity is tied to the aether and not the physical world, it can sit still and yet remain right next to you wherever you go. 

When you are ready for the guardian to go, mentally address it and think, “[Animal], thank you for keeping me safe. Freely go as you freely came.” Imagine the animal leaping back in to the aether and going home.

You do not need to worry about calling a specific spirit, or bothering spirits. Any spirit of that species who is willing to help you will come when you call.

If you often call on a specific animal for protection, consider giving it gifts or offerings to thank it.

*The spirit world; the other world; a faraway place

[maleficientthewitch]

oh my gods i need to do that

[strangesigils]

“I Communicate Easily With You”

Draw this sigil on paper with the full name and date of birth of your target.

In instances of communicating with spirits or divination tools or crystals: ~Place the crystal on top of the sigil ~Keep this sigil wrapped in with your divination tool and sleep with it under your pillow ~Draw this sigil on your Ouija board or other communication device (but also please take protective precautions when doing spirit work/communication)

[strangesigils]

“Improve With Practice”

For Self:

Draw this on a tool or holder of tools you use for the skill you are trying to improve. You could also embroider this into clothes you wear during the use of a particular skill.

For Others:

Draw on the back of a picture of your target and write what skills they’re practicing with around the sigil

[maleficientthewitch]

too bad i can’t draw it on my pencils to improve my drawing skills ):

[starlightbug-deactivated2022110]

I’m so sorry to pop in here BUT, I was thinking this exact same thing!

I use an iPad and an apple pencil for drawing, so I was thinking of just drawing it on the back of my iPad instead.

So you could probably draw it on the inside of a sketch book you’re using?💕

[maleficientthewitch]

oh thats a soooo good idea, thanks a lot! ♥

[windvexer]

You can literally just ask your ingredients/tools what they are best at, or if they'll be helpful in a specific spell, or for advice on how to best utilize them.

Yes, you can, right now. You can just do it, whether or not you're a spirit medium or can "visualize".

Don't get me wrong, I find cultural and historical research of correspondences to be very important. But also, just ask the thyme in your cupboard what it likes to do in its spare time. (Bonus points if you take notes and compare to your research later on)

Here's how I do it. I call it my "pinging" method, like how a modem pings a server. Here's how:

Prepare your question.

If you want to be polite, start with a, "hello, is anyone there?" Although admittedly this is more for animists. If you believe you're just reading energies and there is no indwelling spirit, why not get right to it?

Questions to explore utility and correspondences include:

"Magically speaking, what are you best at?"

"If I added you to this spell, how would you influence/affect it?"

"What kind of intents are you best at supporting?"

"What kind of magic do you not like to be involved in?"

"What other ingredients do you work well with?"

"What other ingredients do you not get along with?"

Focus on the thing which you would like to communicate with.

Avoid performing this technique on living animals, as it often scares them :(

Have it in your field of vision, or touch it, or do whatever you need to do in order to feel focused on it.

Observe, Believe, Feel, Understand, or Know, aka OBFUK (my handy acronym I use to replace "visualize," which I ordered that way because it kind of sounds like "oh f*ck," as in, "oh f*ck, the ubiquitous use of the word 'visualize' has caused many witches to be ironically equipped with blinders that require energy perception and control to be funneled through a filter of sightedness and images, which for many is counter-intuitive and detrimental to their practice"). Anyway -

Observe, Believe, Feel, Understand, or Know that the object which you would like to communicate with is aware of you and will hear you when you send your question.

Send your prepared question.

Speak or think your question to the object. OBFUK that the object receives your question.

Anticipate receiving the answer.

Listen, here's the downfall of this technique: You need a wee bit of open space in your mind. No, you don't have to be a meditator to do this technique (I did it for years before I began meditating). You just need enough space for the answer to arrive.

I have found that ideally, this means actively anticipating receiving your answer for 1-3 seconds.

This works on the same meditative trick as, "wait for your next thought to come and it never will." The force of anticipation itself is what creates an open platform for your answer to arrive at.

Your mind does not have to be "totally clear". You can have a lot of tabs open and still be able to pull off this technique.

Analyze what comes.

We will all get answers in different ways. Repeat: there is no golden standard for how you are "supposed" to receive your answer. Here are some ways your answer might appear to you:

Snippets of memories, songs, scenes, verses, or literature pop into your awareness.

A fully or partially formulated concept comes to you all at once.

You are strongly reminded of something (say, the god Aries, or a soothing woodland scene).

An image or images come to your mind's eye, either still or animated.

Nothing seems to come to mind at all, but certain things on your altar or around your house, or certain colors, suddenly stand out or seem especially relevant.

Nothing seems to come to mind, but you feel energy moving on or around you.

Nothing seems to come to mind, but you feel as if you can smell or taste something that wasn't there before.

It is unlikely that you will hear a voice in your mind that says, "hi, I'm Basil, and I'm good at..." Our particularly clairaudientally blessed friends may receive such information, but the rest of us are likely going to have to apply some level of interpretation to what we receive.

Be aware that if you're talking to something with an indwelling spirit, it may not be interested in trotting out answers to your question, and may have questions of its own, or something else it wants you to know instead.

Ask more questions, or say goodbye.

I believe good manners go a long way, so even if you feel you haven't received any answer, it's polite to send a message like, "thank you for your time, have a good day."

Your answers are now UPG.

I really want us all to understand this!

UPG stands for Unverified Personal Gnosis. It means that you have personally received information through spiritual means, however, that information is not necessarily agreed upon or accepted by anyone else but you.

Please don't go around sharing your UPG as if it is actually verified spiritual canon!

Even if that information is totally cohesive within your personally constructed spiritual system, I'm sorry, but your personal spiritual system is not universal.

If I have a communication session with my rosemary plant, and it tells me, "yes, I'm a plant of protection and dreams [community accepted correspondence], but that's only one side of me; I'm also a spirit of evil, nightmares, and destruction, and that's why I can also defend against them [unverified personal gnosis]," it is wildly misleading of me to go on Tumblr and post a new rosemary correspondence that includes "cursing, nightmares, and destruction" as if everyone needs to automatically accept and believe my own claims.

It is now on you to experiment with the information you receive, compare it to other resources, and decide if what you heard was valid, legitimate information for a certain group, tradition, or practice, or if it is untrue, or if it is only true for you.

Your UPG might end up being totally valid and verified by others (this is then called verified personal gnosis) and this is such an exciting, wonderful, and validating thing to experience.

However, every single time I have a question about a spirit or god, and someone says, "hold on, I'll ask them!" and comes back 5 minutes later with an answer they assume I should accept as canon, I want to reach through the screen and slap them.

Your spirit communication is not automatically spiritual canon, and should probably undergo many steps of testing and verification before EVEN YOU accept it as true.

Troubleshooting

"It isn't possible for me to complete the active anticipation portion, what could I do instead?"

This technique is specifically a telepathic one; you receive communication within your mind. If doing so on the fly isn't possible, I'd recommend trying an entirely different technique, such as asking the same questions through tarot or another divination system, or petitioning the ingredient for a dream.

"I don't think I'm receiving any answers, what do I do?"

Not all spirits want to talk to us. Or from a secular perspective, not everything is imbued with enough energy for us to get a reading, or that energy may be hard to access or understand.

Objects which are very often used in witchcraft, such as magical and culinary herbs, minerals, and animal parts, often have something to say. (Perhaps the reason they are used in magic is because they're so willing to work with us in the first place!)

You can also gently cleanse the object and offer it some incense or water, then invite the spirit/energies back, and see if that changes your results.

Or, you may need to try contacting it over several days, maybe also with feeding and cleansing, before it responds. (Remember, it takes the object energy to communicate with us, whether it is a spirit or just a lump of energy, something must be expended to send you a message).

Plus also: This technique is a skill you need to practice. If I tell you how to hold a guitar and how to make three cords, it's still going to take you a minute to strum out Wonderwall. I recommend a minimum of hours of practice before you write off your own psychic abilities.

"I don't know how to tell the difference between a spiritual answer and my own thoughts."

Practice, practice, practice - and verify. Also be patient and gentle with yourself, and move forward with the understanding that far from 100% of people are magically born with thought patterns clear, regular, or tame enough to easily (or ever) track.

Perhaps the best way to move verify is to communicate with common ingredients in witchcraft, ask them for information, and then verify it against information online. Don't give up too quickly; common correspondence lists are often oversimplified to the point of uselessness. Your herb might have given you a snippet of information commonly ignored by mainstream witchcraft.

"I'm only getting invalid answers - my rose quartz told me it's used for blood magic and banishing."

Try cleansing and charging objects before you read on them. For beginners, it may be difficult to discern whether you're contacting an object, or the energies it's sucked up or wallowed in.

There may be an indwelling spirit or energy "haunting" the object and returning invalid or silly answers. Try reading on different objects and see if your luck improves.

You may be particularly psychically closed off. When I don't properly connect, I get all kinds of nonsense that seems like a real answer, when it's just my random thought generator (un)helpfully trying to fill in the blanks. General practice of divination and spellwork will assist you. I would avoid using this technique to practice, as it may confuse your discernment to accept your inner voice as external communication. Set it aside and come back to it after a couple of months and see if there are changes.

Similarly, the spirit might just not want to talk to you, or isn't present in the item (or, the energies you seek to understand don't exist in that item).

The spirit may be giving you valid information that most people just don't agree with. My UPG for rosemary is that it is sort of an "uncrossing" agent for your life in general - part of the way it protects you is to align things around you so that misfortune is diverted. It's not a good luck charm, this is just how it achieves its goal of protection. This isn't totally off the wall; I think almost everyone agrees that rosemary is protective, powerful, and "high vibrations." But I don't think I'm going to find anyone else talking about how rosemary works the way it does, so I'm not going to be able to cross-check this anyway. But even if they do, they might talk about a different aspect of rosemary or something else it does. So I'm caught in a limbo where this information is true for me and the plant works that way every time I use it, but I can still never verify that with my community. If your answers aren't totally out of left field, you may be receiving genuine information about how the object wants to work with you. But that doesn't mean you will ever be able to verify that with your community.

[windvexer]

How I sense and perceive spirits: the browser analogy

I write because I love to share ❧ My beliefs are not universal, universally good, or universally helpful ❧ This post is full of my personal beliefs, practices, and UPG ❧ Take from it what you will and leave the rest behind ☙

There seems to be a misconception about spirit work that all spirit-workers physically see spirits.

It's been my experience from several years spent in witchcraft and spiritworking groups that such people are actually a small minority.

This leads to confusion from some about how they are supposed to be perceiving spirits. This is what I experience. I hope it will be a helpful description to anyone trying to figure out some of the ways they can perceive the spirit world.

In this extended analogy:

RAM is how much processing power I have in my noggin

Data is how much metaphysical energy I can work with before my circuits get fried

Batteries are my overall energy for my entire self :)

Let's jump in to computer brain time!

My spiritual or psychic perception takes place within a certain tab in my mind-browser. This "tab" might also be called a mindset or headspace.

I open my psychic tab (not great to have it loaded and running 24/7 IMO)

I enter the URL of the spirit, energy, or space I'm trying to perceive

I wait for the URL to connect and load

My tab renders the information into a format I can understand

This process may be very quick on good days (less than a second) or take a long time and hardly come through on bad days - like how a website loads for 5 minutes and finally comes through as jumbled text without the CSS.

I believe the challenge for beginners therefore is learning their own system settings to figure out how to open this tab, and then developing their RAM and data caps so they can run it more often.

Everyone's psychism tab processes and renders information differently.

The information that fills my third-eye tab is often visual and spatial. Some people's tabs get filled with scents, audio files, or are populated with their own memories or mashups of familiar media. Everyone is different.

When the URL loads for me, my tab is going to usually show me a visual rendering that indicates location, size, and appearance.

Sometimes my tab is an augmented reality page that copies what my face-eyes are seeing, and spatially overlays a spirit ("it's over there in that corner").

Sometimes I will see the appearance of a spirit like a .JPG or animated .GIF, and there is no augmented reality portion.

Sometimes it's a .txt file that says "SPIRIT NEAR"

Sometimes it's a .bat file that starts playing a snippet of a song or or a scene from a show.

It can be lots of things for me :)

All the tabs I have open take up a chunk of my RAM.

If I'm having trouble loading my psychic tab, closing some of the other tabs first is helpful.

Sadly, some of them are run by the system admin and as an end-user I'm not allowed to close them ^-^;;

And it can take a really long time to close them.

If I can only run my psychic tab and almost no other ones, that is going to create an immense connection. But I rarely do that.

You know how if you go to a website and they're using a typeface you don't have, your browser replaces it with one of your system defaults?

Well I get that too!

If I'm trying to connect to a URL and a portion of it can't be loaded into my tab, it will be defaulted to the nearest rendering I already have in my cache.

For example, there is a certain type of spooky spirit common in my town. I see them as being very similar to Gengar pokemon. Now they don't all actually look like that. Gengar is just their default icon. If I have a lot of tabs open and suddenly my psychic tab populates with a .JPG of a Gengar, I know that this type of spirit is nearby.

If I want to switch focus to that tab and refresh, in a few moments its actual, individual appearance should load. Maybe even an augmented reality so I can see where it's located. This takes more effort and energy, of course, so I might not do it at all (especially if I need to recharge my batteries, or if I'm close to my data cap).

Taking the time to individually load spirits and energies is very informative and helpful.

It installs a greater variety of icons into my system, so as time goes on my default icons become more nuanced and informative, meaning I get more information with less effort in the moment.

Sometimes, I neither have the RAM/data available to process a URL, nor will I have a suitable default icon stored in my cache.

When this occurs my brain does a neat trick: it leaves the browser cache folder and goes into the entire hard drive of my system to find the closest matching substitute.

99% of the time, this substitute is a character or archetype from the media I consume (which makes me very, very interested in the power of storytelling). But it can really be anything.

Psychic Tab: *ping! Picture cannot be loaded* Me: ??? *tabs over* Psychic Tab: Auto-Generated Picture ID: A memory of when you were ?eight?, ?standing? in front of a tree. You ?thought? the tree was a ?person/alive/friend? and you wanted to be ?its friend/a tree?. Me: "Ahh, perhaps a nature spirit wants to be my friend."

My psychic tab updates depending on the actions I take.

Suppose I see the Gengar icon and I take a banishing action:

If I've got lots of RAM and data left, my tab might update in realtime.

If I'm low on RAM or data, I might have to hit the refresh button myself. I should see a difference in what the Gengar icon is doing; it should change poses, or have a different expression, or be turned around to walk away, etc.

My psychic tab doesn't exist in a vacuum.

It's going to bleed over into my emotions tab, my analytics tab, my vibe check tab, my historical records tab, and so on.

So it's not just me relying on the psychic tab for everything. I might switch back and forth a lot to double-check information in lots of various ways.

Huge protip for beginners!: Learn how to close your psychic tab :)

All tabs take up processing power. All tabs have side-effects (for better or worse). Keeping your psychic senses open 24/7 is not only draining, but it can have serious side-effects and overall really limit your ability to effectively deal with what's going on in your other tabs.

(To extend this analogy, constructed mindscapes where you commune with external spirits are like chatrooms, which I'm mentioning because I think it's cute way to think about things ^-^)

[windvexer]

Hi Chicken! :) I was wondering if you either already had a post or could maybe do one on "types" of shields that people typically create and their purposes? Or maybe like, some kind of next level up from the basic shielding post? I was just kind of wanting to learn more about that and I love the way you explain things.

Hi!

I started answering this, saved it to my drafts, and forgot about it completely. I am so sorry.

Shields are absolutely fabulous energy tech because they can be endlessly modified. In a very real sense, the only limit is your imagination (and your ability to craft with energy, of course).

Shields can be created from/mimic any sort of energy that exists, which is neat. You can make a shield that copies the vibes from a memory or a place, that is entirely made from the energy of a certain plant or stone, etc. If your thing is pop culture magic, you can fill up your sphere with the powers or images from that realm.

Shields can easily become glamours just by patterning them to a form we want people to perceive. For a business meeting you might include a lion or an enthroned emperor into your shield. For a party you might encase yourself in pink and blue hard rock candy.

Shields can be layered into very impressive combinations which can be highly protective. Such exercises are particularly useful for developing control and stamina.

Consider a shielding system with 4 layers, stacked around each other like Russian Nesting Dolls. One is a raging inferno, one is a rushing waterfall, one is an infinite desert, and one is a hurricane whose eye you stand in.

One particularly useful thing a shield can do is surround you with energies that bring you comfort and healing. An inner shield could be patterned like a relaxing coral reef with the sun filtering through and fish darting everywhere, and the ecosystem of that coral reef is the force that filters out unwanted energies coming in. Outside of that, you can place a glamour of a hard-working 1950s accountant complete with suit and tie, so everyone perceives that you're working real hard when you get into the office.

Shields can hold sigils and symbols. This may be a helpful starting place for those who feel an entire coral reef to be out of their reach. However, it's also a practice to be mindful about - this is a really powerful way to add energies around you, and it can quickly become overwhelming. You can move energy through your pointer finger and draw symbols around you (or use your eyes, or any technique you prefer). This is also a method to employ sigils, if carrying them with you or drawing them on you isn't possible/easy.

[thewickedwilds]

🌱🌰Seeds in Witchcraft🌰🌱

I’m not sure if this is a common tool for other witches, but if it isn’t then it should be! I was first inspired by this from the evil lilac bush from the book Practical Magic, and partly from my own grandmother’s ability to make any plant thrive. I’m here to drop some knowledge about using seeds in spell work.

Seeds are wonderful tools to use for a few different reasons. Firstly, seeds are dormant forms of life. For this reason, they are great candidates for offerings in almost any spell or ritual. Simply use the seeds of a plant that is associated with the deity you are working with, or simply the intention you wish to enforce.

Another beautiful thing about this is the variety you can use and the possibilities of customization. For a love spell, you could incorporate the seeds of any plant that has an association with love, such as roses, forget-me-nots, ect. For a curse, you could use an aggressive weed (obviously this requires responsibility, you should never use invasive non-native plants that can change the ecosystem.) such as dandelion, ivy, or even a plant that is poisonous or foul smelling.

Seeds act as time bombs for spells and grow stronger with time. For a long-term protection enchantment for an area of land, you could use an acorn and plant an oak, which has strong associations with protection and health. You could use an annual plant for a shorter spell that will end with the year. This also makes ending the spell somewhat easy if done properly. To put a stop to your enchantment, simply harvest the plant or remove it from the area. This could also be a problem if you use an invasive plant, but that may be what you want! It could act as a failsafe for others trying to tamper with your magic, or to prevent you from making any rash decisions. It could act as a powerful amplifier for your spell, spreading fast and growing more powerful over time, affecting everything in its path. This is another example of a time when experience and responsibility are necessary. The commitment required for such a spell may not be appropriate for an inexperienced witch, or for anyone who isn’t absolutely sure they want this kind of advanced magic cast into the world. 

Seeds/plants recharge themselves. They are living organisms that create their own power from the sun. This means that you do not need to constantly recharge your enchantments. The closest you may come to this is watering your new plants with intent! 

Bonus: It is an eco-friendly alternative to other techniques such as spell jars/bags. It is also much less conspicuous!! To anyone else you appear to be gardening or planting trees for the earth (which you kind of are, but they don’t need to know the rest.) You can slip seeds almost anywhere without detection. This makes them an ideal alternative for bulky spell bags that could easily be found and are difficult to place. Cast the seeds of morning glory in your abusive ex’s yard with the intent of binding them from harming another without a single trace. Cast the seeds of rosemary at your mother’s gate to offer protection. I’m not here to police your craft, the possibilities are endless!