🖤red🕸️

Appalachian Witch 7 year practitioner Protect the Mountains

[seasonofthewitch66]

Hiii! I’m back(if I’m being honest I forgot my tumblr log in lol). For today’s little witchcraft advice post we are going to discuss a couple pieces of Appalachian folk magic that I grew up with. Most of these things are very practical and not super complicated. These are also all things that I have continued to do in my adult life in my own household.

1: Haint Blue

“Haint Blue” is the colloquial name given to a sky blue color. Growing up most my family members had Haint blue either on the underside of their porch awning or on their foundation. Both applications spiritually symbolize the same thing and have a very useful practical application. Having haint blue on your house is for protection as haints(let me know if you want a post about them) will avoid the color blue, they think it’s the sky or water and the color confuses them. Think of it as being similar to putting protective sigils on your home.

My favorite thing about haint blue is its practical application, bug deterrent. Painting your porch awning or foundation haint blue(in my experience) deters bugs. The underside of my porch awning was painted haint blue after we had a really nasty wasp issue 2 years ago. We have now officially gone 2 summers with no wasps returning.

2: Brooms

Now I am not a fan of sweeping but damn do I love brooms. There are several ways your broom can help you out with some unexpected things. My family’s favorite when I was a child is a trick for bad houseguests. If you ever have a guest(s) that are getting on your nerves, putting off bad energy, or simply overstaying their welcome, turn your house broom upside down. I have no direct info on how this works, but it has never failed me in getting rid of unwanted guests. For any of my friends that are moving soon the best piece of advice I ever got from a family member is “never bring an old broom to a new house”. Your broom isn’t just cleaning up your physical mess, it’s also absorbing your energy and the energy of your house. You don’t want to carry an old cycle with you to a new space, so go get a new broom when you are moving. You can also dust your broom with cinnamon, or any other powder you like to help spread the herbs magical applications around your space.

#3:Bottles

Glass bottles are fun house decor but also have some spiritual uses that many people overlook. Like I mentioned in the haint blue section, haints don’t like pale blue. They think it’s the sky and either avoid it or get trapped in it. Blue bottles also are helpful for haints. Bottle trees while being a pretty piece of yard decor, also help deter and nasty spirits you may have outside. Haints don’t like sunlight, so the thought process with bottle trees is that the spirits will go into the bottle and become trapped by the color, and then when the morning sun rises the sun will dissipate their form. You can also make glass bottle wind chimes or sun catchers that can perform a similar effect

[hagoftheholler]

To the more experienced practitioners on here: what's something you feel beginners need to hear?

Personally, mine would be to take your time. Seriously. Don't rush anything. Take your time reading up on information. Take your time cross referencing your information. It's not a race. Your practice will develop to become something personal to you, so don't worry about having all the right information immediately.

[seasonofthewitch66]

I think my advice would be similar, but also that someone else’s practice is not gonna be exactly your experience. I see a lot of beginning practitioners viewing it as a sort of step by step program, however everybody’s experiences and practices are going to be different. You can learn from other practitioners, and listen to advice, but it’s still gonna be different in practice.

[seasonofthewitch66]

Things I do for work as a witch in the service/restaurant industry ✨💵

Hi, so I am a hostess/waitress but I am also a pagan witch so here are some things I do for work. Both before, during, and after

Before work

I typically will light the abundance candle that is in my money bowl and sit with it as I get ready, this helps me focus on manifesting abundance through my routine

I love glamour magic, and have charged some of my makeup that I wear for work to help manifest money and abundance in my life. I did this specifically with my highlighter, but you can do this with any part of your routine whether that be makeup, or skin or hair products

Some of my jewelry is charmed for abundance, the silver hoops I wear in my first lobes at work are charmed for abundance and money.

I carry citrine and Smokey quartz in my wallet to draw money in but also keep it safe and encourage smart spending

I carry a pouch in my bra(you can carry it in your pocket as well, I just wear tight jeans at work and it’s more comfortable for me to carry it there) in this I have bay leaf, marjoram, Rosemary, pyrite, amazonite, and moss agate. These all have their specific uses. But the general over arching property is abundance.

I use my abundance oil and draw sigils on my throat and on the inside of my arms. I also use my protection oil on my chest

My perfume is charmed as well and I spray that before work

I sometimes will do a tarot reading to get a feel for the energy of my upcoming shift

After work

First thing I do when I get home from work is cleanse myself, both physically and energetically. I typically with take a shower, I use products that contain herbs like rosemary and lavender to benefit both from their medicinal uses and their magical properties

While I shower I typically with think about how the night went, practicing mindfulness is a important part of manifesting

After I’m out of the shower I apply my skincare, which I find is a useful tool in building up a good foundation for the night. It makes me feel completely reset

I will then recount my tips from the night and right down my hours. I do this while sitting at my altar and burning my abundance and protection candles.

Then I put any money I want to save into my money bowl. This allows me to sort of recharge its energy at the end of each night

If you have any questions or have a topic you want me to cover feel free to leave a comment or send me a dm 🖤✨

[creature-wizard]

Beginner Witch Tips

Everything is much, much more complicated and nuanced than you think.

You are underestimating the amount of research you need to do.

People who try to sell you on the idea that there’s a secret history or true religion that’s been covered up by a global conspiracy are very likely just Nazis.

Academic scholars aren’t perfect, but getting your history from academic scholars >>>>> getting your history from conspiracy theorists (who are probably just Nazis or Nazi-adjacent).

Make sure those spell ingredients aren’t hazardous to your health in some way. (And don’t just take the word of the people who sold them to you.)

[seasonofthewitch66]

Weirder parts of my practice: Animal and Plant Spirits

TW: photos of bones, possible descriptions of hunting

So in this post I’m going to talk a little about my folk practices, animism, and working with both plant and animal spirits. Obviously as with all my posts, do your own research, everybody’s practice and experiences are going to be different. So let’s get into it

Beginner info

In my experience plant spirits are a better beginner step into working with spirits, as they typically are a)a bit easier to communicate with and b) a bit more forgiving for lack of a better term.

The two animal spirits I currently work with are coyote and mink. Both are native species to my area and are animals I grew up with around me.

When it comes to working with both plant and animal spirits I always recommend working with those native to your area. Familiarizing yourself with the energies naturally around you are important, but especially in folk work in my experience.

Some great books I can recommend that either deal directly with working with plant spirits, or simply the connection between humans and the earth around us are

Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer- while I myself am not indigenous, I believe it is important to understand indigenous practices to avoid cultural appropriation as well as respecting the land I live on as not being mine. It also helped teach me the history of the plant spirits native to my area

Rooted by Luanda Lynn Haupt- I absolutely adore this book. It has taught me so much about me and my connection to nature. It allowed me to see both the grander picture while also allowing me to focus more on the little things in life. I implement a lot of what a learned in this book into my everyday life

Second Nature by Michael Pollan- an amazing book especially if you love gardening or plan to start your own garden. Mostly focuses on the relationship between humans and the land

The Spirits I work with

Mink:

Mink is an amazing spirit. He is playful and mischievous, and while I wouldn’t recommend him to beginners he has been an amazing ally and entity to have in my space. He is especially helpful in my abundance work. He has a extremely energetic presence and brings a lot of joy into my space. He is also protective, he may be small but he packs a punch. He has helped a few times on some wards. He was brought into my care by a friend who did not feel connected to his energy and thought he would be better suited to be with me.

Coyote:

Coyote is another spirit I would not recommend to beginners. She is playful, energetic, mischievous, and can hold a grudge. However, she is amazing. She helps me a lot in my baneful work as well as my shadow work. She is a brave spirit and has helped me learn to face things head on. She has helped me on wards, baneful work, as well as some work regarding my confidence. She came into my care after being shot by a farmer in my area. While I was sad for her life to have ended in such a traumatic way, I was happy for her to end up in my care rather than any other number of things that could have happened to her skull.

[seasonofthewitch66]

Let’s talk Snap Dragons 🪴✨

Snap Dragons, a frequently forgotten ally in protective and baneful magic. These flowers are incredibly useful alongside being incredibly beautiful✨ this post will cover some basic facts about these plants including origins, care, and metaphysical properties 🪴

Basic facts and care🌱

Snap Dragons, also called Antirrhinum majus. This botanical name actually means “like a snout” referring to the plants snout like appearance, often compared to a dragon or calf snout.

Native to Mediterranean Europe, Syria, and turkey

Do best in full to partial sun, and moist but well drained soil

Come in both standard and dwarf variety

These flowers rely on larger bumblebee species for pollination, as smaller pollinators are unable to open the petals of the plant to access the pollen

Doing best in spring or fall, due to their love of slightly cooler climates.

These tower like flowers begin blooming towards the bottom of their stalk and slowly work their way up to create a full and dynamic appearance.

I prefer to first plant these flowers in the spring, as they are able to settle and take root while maintaining beautiful and vibrant colors. This also allows me to harvest some blooms earlier in the reason before summer hits.

These plants will often struggle during peak heat in the summer, however if you keep them watered and well cared for through the summer heat they will perk back up and bloom again in early fall 🪴

These flowers blooms don’t last terribly long compared to some others, but they make up for it with ease of harvest and their beauty

To harvest these blooms you do have options depending on your end goal. You can either

Cut the entire stalk after all blooms have opened, hang the stalks upside down in a cool, dry place, with a plastic or fabric bag over the flowers to catch any that fall. This is best if you plan to hang these flowers as a protective talisman, or decor either hanging or in a vase

Pinch the blooms, by gently pinching the base and bulling gently you can maintain the flowers shape without separating the petals. To dry these blooms simply place the flowers on a paper towel or thin cloth towel, and sandwich them between 2 layers. This allows the blooms to dry while also not being overly exposed.

Natural drying. Since these blooms do not last long even with perfect care, many people will allow the blooms to dry naturally on the stalk. This is also due to the unique shape snap dragons take when they dry on the stalk. Many thinking the dried blooms resemble tiny skulls.

Metaphysical Properties ✨🌱

Extremely protective, purification, strength, grace

Are believed to help protect against hexes, curses, and nightmares

One of my personal favorite talismans for protection as they carry a more baneful energy

Simple return to sender using snap dragons:

Place your dried snap dragons either in front of a mirror on your altar or in your space, or in a compact mirror. Anywhere the snap dragons are facing a reflection. Do this with the intention of the flowers protecting you against the negative energy, and sending it back. This is my favorite simple way of using snaps in my everyday practice

Have a great day or night, and let me know if you have any questions or requests 🌱✨🪴

[seasonofthewitch66]

What I use in my money Bowl 💵✨💚

Hi, so I’m honor of me starting a new job. Here is what I include in my money bowl 💚

The Emperor: wealth, abundance, success. I use tarot cards in most my working and use this to portray exactly what I want and as a reminder for the energy this projects,

Random Cards and fortunes: these are random things I have accumulated over the last year, the card from Panda Express says wealth at the bottom and the fortune reads “financial success is inevitable in your future”

Amazonite: good luck, money, fortune, the gamblers stone. One of my Favorites for any work regarding luck or money. This bowl includes amazonite chips mixed in with the base

Citrine: chips and tumble. Abundance, luck, success

Herkimer diamond: focus and amplify energy

Mossy agate: abundance, success, prosperity, steady energy

Green adventurine: abundance, luck, money

Sulfur Quartz: New Path, prosperity, goals, desires

Pyrite: money, business

Smokey Quartz: protect, focus

Marjoram: Money, abundance, I work with Aphrodite and use marjoram a lot

Chamomile: money, steady energy

Bag: money

Basil: money, business

Hibiscus: money, happiness

Coins: manifest

Cinnamon: amplify, protect

I add money to this bowl throughout the month and will recharge every full moon 🌕 this sits on my altar beside my labradorite dragon, mink skull, malachite lion, and kambaba Jasper. Let me know if you have any questions 💚✨

[seasonofthewitch66]

Let’s Talk Fox Glove🪴

Fox Glove is one of my personal favorites when it comes to plants I work with. Not only is it beautiful but it is an incredibly useful ally and harbours beautiful energy in my garden. I am lucky to have an area of my garden that animals and people can’t easily access, this is important to remember with foxglove as it is extremely toxic (both to eat and touch). In this list I’m gonna talk about some basic facts about the plant as well as it’s metaphysical properties and care 🪴🖤

Basic Facts and Care

Fox Glove(digitalis purpurea) is a plant native to Europe, the Mediterranean region, and the Canary Islands

They thrive best in full to partial sun. As well as moist, well drained soil.

They are a biennial. Which means they will come back and flower every year for 2-5 years depending on care and your region.

They contain a poison that is a cardiac stimulant. While yes, foxglove has been used by doctors for certain ailments. Use caution with this plant as it can trigger cardiac events.

When handling this plant it’s important to remember to wear gloves and minimize its contact with your skin. As many people experience rashes after contact. The toxin can also be absorbed though breaks in the skin, so please be a careful.

They are most toxic when they are in their seed producing stage. Their seeds and roots are the most toxic parts of the plant(but all parts of the plants are still toxic)

When drying these beautiful plants for your practice. In my experience it is best to dry them in a cool, dry place, tied upside down with either a plastic or fabric bag over the plant all the way to the area your string is tied, simply to prevent seeds and dried pieces from falling to the floor. This is especially important if you have animals or children.

Metaphysical Properties 🌱✨

Planet: Venus

Zodiac: Taurus

Basic Properties: death, healing, life, protection, fae communication

Extremely protective plant, similar to snap dragons, they act as a protective anchor for both your garden and your household.

I personally use dried foxglove in my herb bundle for my home guardian(Ridire). This encourages him to protect my home and my space, while maintaining a calm, safe energy

[witchesversuspatriarchy]

Turns out I’m part-crow already ✨

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