Wixen Nerd

don't expect much

[enki2]

[wishful-seeker]

Please remember these things in your craft:

Essential oils are FLAMMABLE, keep away from fire, don't put it on candles!

Don't pour salt on plants or certain rocks. It kills plants and fucks up some rocks. DO NOT THROW SALT OUTSIDE.

Side note: sunlight won't ruin your moon water and you don't have to cleanse if you don't feel like it.

[jasper-pagan-witch]

And most rocks are not water safe, either because they release various things into said water or they break down and dissolve in it. Sometimes both.

[wishful-seeker]

Yup, forgot about that one

Also dont drink or smoke out of those crystal cups or pipes. Not safe!

[breelandwalker]

Also, quit stuffing your jar candles with dried plants. Dried plant matter soaked in liquid wax becomes highly flammable. Most jar candles are fitted with a wick that restricts the heat pool from the candle flame so that the glass doesn't overheat. Having the additional material and a larger flame can cause your candle jar to crack or (in a worst case scenario) explode.

Certain crystal chips can also crack and/or explode when heated, especially anything that has shimmery water inclusions.

[windvexer]

Understand PYROLISYS and stop your house from burning down!!

Pyrolisis: the chemical change that occurs in wood and other materials, lowering the material combustion point in response to repeated heating at even relatively low temperatures such as around 200F.

aka,

the chemical or thermal decomposition of a material when it is exposed to heat

THIS MEANS that if you repeatedly heat something up to pretty high temperatures - like, stuff that's stored near offering candles that repeatedly get hot to the touch -

THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF THOSE OBJECTS DEGRADES, AND LOWERS THE COMBUSTION POINT.

The chemical change of pyrolysis lowers the temperature at which a substance will catch fire. What may be surprising is that wood exposed to temperatures as low as 200 degF. can over time be changed such that its ignition point or combustion point is significantly lowered.

Repeated exposure to high temperatures changes the composition of things!!

Just because your mason jar candle holder didn't explode the first time a little fire got out of control, does not mean it will never explode.

It may explode the 5th, 10th, or 15th time you let a fire get out of control.

As things are repeatedly introduced to high temperatures they are not designed to handle, the little bits inside degrade.

When you burn candles or small fires, nothing in the vicinity should be getting hot. No figurines, no altar cloths, no curtains, no shelves, not the surface the fire-holder is sitting on.

If your candle holder is not fire-safe (which you should never use), never allow it to get hot. Maybe you have to put it in a bigger basin with water to dissipate heat, idk.

IF YOU ARE AWARE YOU ARE USING A CANDLE HOLDER OR FIRE BOWL THAT IS NOT FIRE SAFE (WHICH YOU SHOULD NEVER USE), ONLY USE IT IN A FIRE-SAFER AREA, LIKE IN A BATHTUB, OUTSIDE ON CONCRETE, OR IN A TALL METAL POT WITH A LID TO SUFFOCATE FLAMES. This is the same concept as assuming a gun is loaded and never pointing it at anyone.

You can use many random objects to contain fire that will not catch on fire or explode the first times you use them.

The problem is DOWN THE LINE, when you have exposed non-fire-safe materials to heat they were not designed to handle over and over again.

Definition & Explanation of Pyrolysis

[friend-crow]

For real, though, stop giving me anxiety with your photos of burning candles on your "altar shelf" which is right below another shelf.

[breelandwalker]

2025 Witches' Calendar

For all my witches out there, here’s a handy list of the 2025 dates for the solstices, some commonly-referenced holidays, full and new moons, and special astronomical events. I’ve listed my sources at the bottom.

Dates and times for all events are calculated for Eastern Standard Time, USA, Northern Hemisphere. Adjust for your location as needed and check the DarkSky Placefinder to see what special events will be visible in your area.

On a related note, readers are encouraged to create their own seasonal calendars, holidays, and observances based on your local biome and personal preferences. Enjoy!

Solstices, Harvests, Quarter Days, Some Common Dates

February 1-2 - Imbolc / Candlemas / High Winter

March 20 - Spring Equinox / Ostara

April 30-May 1 - Beltane / May Day / Walpurgisnacht

June 20 - Summer Solstice / Midsummer / Litha

August 1 - Lughnasadh / Lammas / Summer Harvest

September 22 - Autumn Equinox / Mabon / Fall Harvest

October 31 - Samhain / Halloween / Final Harvest

December 21 - Winter Solstice / Yule

Full Moons

January 13 - Wolf Moon ♋

February 12 - Snow Moon ♌

March 14 - Worm Moon ♍ (Lunar Eclipse)

April 12 - Pink Moon ♎

May 12 - Flower Moon ♏

June 11 - Strawberry Moon ♐

July 10 - Thunder Moon (aka Buck Moon) ♑

August 9 - Sturgeon Moon (aka Corn Moon) ♒

September 7 - Harvest Moon ♓ (Lunar Eclipse)

October 6 - Hunter's Moon (aka Blood Moon) ♈

November 5 - Frost Moon (aka Beaver Moon) ♉ (Supermoon)

December 4 - Cold Moon ♊ (Supermoon)

* The full moons in September and October are almost EXACTLY equidistant from the Autumn Equinox this year, so whether you'll have a Harvest Moon in September or October depends on where you live!

New Moons

January 29 ♒

February 27 ♓

March 29 ♈

April 27 ♉

May 26 ♊

June 25 ♋

July 24 ♌

August 23 ♍

September 21 ♍ (Seasonal black moon, second new moon in Virgo)

October 21 ♎

November 20 ♏

December 19 ♐

Special Celestial Events

March 14 - Worm Moon Total Lunar Eclipse

March 29 - Solar Eclipse

September 7 - Harvest Moon Total Lunar Eclipse

September 21 - Seasonal Black Moon / Solar Eclipse

November 5 - Frost Moon Supermoon

December 4 - Cold Moon Supermoon

(Check the DarkSky Placefinder to see what will be visible in your area!)

Mercury Retrogrades (in case you need them)

March 14 to April 6

July 17 to August 10

November 9 to November 29

Happy Witching!

SOURCES & FURTHER READING:

Bree’s Lunar Calendar Series

Bree’s Secular Celebrations Series

Moon Info - Full Moon Dates for 2025

Calendar-12 - 2025 Moon Phases

Full Moonology - 2025 Full Moon Calendar

AstroStyle - All the 2025 Full Moons

Your Zodiac Sign - Astrology Calendar 2025

Old Farmer’s Almanac - Mercury Retrograde Dates 2024-2025

Sea and Sky - Astronomy Calendar of Celestial Events 2025

DarkSky International - Dark Sky Placefinder for Stargazing

Patheos - 2025 Wheel of the Year Astrological Calendar

Image Source - How Stuff Works

=

If you’re enjoying my content, please feel free to drop a little something in the tip jar, tune in to my podcast Hex Positive, or check out my published works on Amazon or in the Willow Wings Witch Shop. 😊

[breelandwalker]

Witchcraft Exercise - Quantifying Your Craft

Witchcraft is a complicated business. There are lots of moving parts, dozens of things to study, and so much information to try and keep straight in your head. It’s easy to become overwhelmed. Sometimes we forget things. Not just when the full moon is (although plenty of us do) but what it is we want to do with our craft.

And sometimes we feel like we’ve lost our drive. Like whatever moved us to become witches in the first place has somehow slipped away, leaving us with just the dregs. Sometimes we feel stuck, unable to make progress. It’s easy to become frustrated too, but it’s important to push on.

To that end, I offer this exercise.

Choose a journal or open a word document and begin quantifying your craft.

Start by outlining the broad concepts. Do you follow a particular path or tradition? How would you classify your craft, i.e. green witchcraft, cottagecraft, sea witch, lunar witch, and so on? Do you work with any deities, and if so, which ones? Do you work alone or with others? How long have you been practicing? What, to you, is the most important aspect of your craft?

Then get into your working space. Do you have an altar? If so, what’s on it and why? Do you have a dedicated workspace, or a place you go to work magic outside of your home? If you could describe your ideal workspace, what would it look like? 

Next, describe your tools. Do you have cards or runes or a wand or other specialized tools that you work with? What do you use most frequently? Do you have favorites? Do you make or grow any of your components? Where do you acquire the things you use in your magic, if you can’t make them at home? Do you have a personal library? What are your favorite sources of information? Do you have ritual garb or jewelry that connects you with your craft?

Sketch out your year as a witch. What holidays do you observe and how do you celebrate them? What seasonal festivals or special occasions do you mark? Which ones do you enjoy the most? Is there a time of year when you feel more energized?

Once you have all of this recorded, think back to what first interested you in magic and witchcraft and describe that. Was it a movie? A favorite book? A personal experience? Were you raised in the craft or did you come to it on your own? What made you decide to become a witch?

Then think about how you’ve progressed since you started. Have you achieved a particular goal you set when you began, or are you closer to achieving it then you were? What have you gotten really good at? Where are you still struggling? Where would you like to be a year from now? Are there things you’d like to try but haven’t yet?

And of course, if anything else occurs to you, record that too.

There is no need to share these thoughts with anyone if you don’t want to. This is purely a personal exercise, to help you understand where you are, where you’ve come from, and where you want to go. Quantifying this information might provide some much-needed inspiration, in addition to helping you solidify any nebulous thoughts that might be floating around. It’s much easier to progress in your craft if you have an outline for what you’re already doing.

Happy Witching!

===

Want more witchcraft exercises? Check out the masterpost here.

(If you’re enjoying my content, please feel free to drop a little something in the tip jar, tune in to my monthly show Hex Positive on your favorite podcast app, or check out my published works on Amazon or in the Willow Wings Witch Shop. 😊)

[khangi]

What Native people say about the use of sage: you can use sage, but you cannot smudge as nothing you are doing (waving sage around) is actually smudging. Smudging is a ceremony and you are, we promise, not smudging. Please buy sage from either us, or someone who sources the sage from us. White sage may not be considered endangered by the US government but corperate sourcing is making it difficult for us to source sage for our own religious purposes. Let alone to sell it.

What white people hear: never use sage ever, don’t ever buy it, don’t own it, don’t even look at it.

Look, y’all. There’s a couple of facets to my talk today.

1) Yes! You can buy sage! You really, truly can! Buy it from either native sellers (go to a powwow! Eat our food, buy our stuff, watch some dancing!) Or buy it from a seller who sources the sage from native people. Pick one. And no, buying it from 5 Below doesn’t count.

2) you CANNOT smudge. This isn’t just you “shouldn’t”— this is a YOU ARE INCAPABLE OF SMUDGING. Waving a sage stick around your doorways IS NOT SMUDGING. It is smoke clensing. Smudging, depending on the tradition and tribe, could easily have dancing and drums involved. You, as a white person, do not have the cultural BACKGROUND to even know how it works. At all. Period.

3) please, for FUCKS SAKE, stop making posts here on tumblr where you tell other white people about cultural appropriation and what they can and cannot do. Please stop, your license has been revoked because none of you bother to get the facts right. We native people are FULLY CAPABLE OF DOING IT OURSELVES. Consider instead: a) reblogging our posts where we talk about it! We’re here! We have made posts!! b) Making a post that states what we said and then LINKS BACK TO US. Screenshot with a link if you must. Stop centering your own voices in these conversations. You are already centered in everything, stop centering yourselves in a native space.

I’m tired of this nonsense, y’all.

Thanks for coming to my TedTalk ™

[death-witch-envy]

Can’t agree enough with point #3 especially. That’s a big problem here on Tumblr.

[breelandwalker]

2024 Witches' Calendar

For all my witches out there, here's a handy list of the 2024 dates for the solstices, quarter days, full and new moons, and special events. I've listed my sources at the bottom.

Dates and times for all events are calculated for Eastern Standard Time, USA, Northern Hemisphere. Adjust for your location as needed and check the DarkSky Placefinder to see what special events will be visible in your area. Enjoy!

Solstices, Harvests, and Quarter Days

February 1-2 - Imbolc / Candlemas

March 19 - Spring Equinox / Ostara

April 30-May 1 - Beltane / May Day

June 20 - Summer Solstice / Midsummer / Litha

August 1 - Lughnasadh / Lammas / Summer Harvest

September 22 - Autumn Equinox / Mabon / Fall Harvest

October 31 - Samhain / Halloween / Final Harvest

December 21 - Winter Solstice / Yule

Full Moons

January 25 - Wolf Moon ♌

February 24 - Snow Moon ♍

March 25 - Worm Moon ♎

April 23 - Pink Moon ♏

May 23 - Flower Moon ♐

June 21 - Strawberry Moon ♑

July 21 - Thunder Moon (aka Buck Moon) ♑

August 19 - Sturgeon Moon* ♒

September 17 - Harvest Moon* ♓

October 17 - Hunter's Moon (aka Blood Moon)* ♈

November 15 - Frost Moon (or Beaver Moon)* ♉

December 15 - Cold Moon ♊

*- Supermoon

Fun Fact: The title of Harvest Moon is given to either the September or October full moon, whichever falls closest to the autumn equinox. Once again this year, that month will be September.

New Moons

January 11 ♑

February 9 ♒

March 10 ♓

April 8 ♈

May 7 ♉

June 6 ♊

July 5 ♋

August 4 ♌

September 2 ♍

October 2 ♎

November 1 ♏

December 1 ♐

December 30 (black moon) ♑

Special Celestial Events

January 3-4 - Quadrantids meteor shower peak

March 25 - Penumbral Lunar Eclipse

April 8 - Total solar eclipse

April 22-23 - Lyrids meteor shower peak

May 6-7 - Eta Aquarids meteor shower peak

August 11-13 - Perseids meteor shower peak

August 19 - Sturgeon Supermoon / Seasonal Blue Moon

September 17 - Harvest Supermoon / Penumbral Lunar Eclipse

October 2 - "Ring of Fire" solar eclipse

October 17 - Hunter's Supermoon

October 21-22 - Orionids meteor shower peak

November 15 - Frost Supermoon

November 16-17 - Leonids meteor shower peak

December 13-14 - Geminids meteor shower peak

December 30 - Black Moon

(Check the DarkSky Placefinder to see what will be visible in your area!)

Mercury Retrogrades (in case you need them)

April 1 - April 24

August 4 - August 27

November 25 - December 15

Happy Witching!

SOURCES & FURTHER READING:

Bree's Lunar Calendar Series

Bree's Secular Celebrations Series

Moon Info - Full Moon Dates for 2024

Calendar-12 - 2024 Moon Phases

Full Moonology - 2024 Full Moon Calendar

AstroStyle - All the 2024 Full Moons

Your Zodiac Sign - Astrology Calendar 2024

Old Farmer's Almanac - Mercury Retrograde Dates 2023-2024

Lonely Planet - Best Star-gazing Events of 2024

Sea and Sky - Astronomy Calendar of Celestial Events 2024

DarkSky International - Dark Sky Placefinder for Stargazing

Pagan Grimoire - Wheel of the Year: The 8 Festivals in the Wiccan Calendar (2024 Edition)

=

If you're enjoying my content, please feel free to drop a little something in the tip jar or check out my published works on Amazon or in the Willow Wings Witch Shop. 😊

EDIT: Mercury is stationed direct on Jan 1st, 2024. The source I used which stated it was in retrograde until the 18th had a typo.

EDIT: Fixed the zodiac signs for the full moons using a new source.

[vital-information]

“He baked cakes with golden syrup, could sew a button by hand, braid hair into tight plaits that wouldn’t come loose and recall a variety of old-fashioned homeopathic cures—cinnamon toast for a stomach ache, a nip of brandy for a cough. He showed me love as an act of daily care; but safety, as my father and [Marilynne] Robinson knew, can’t be assured by domestic rituals. No amount of starch or shoe polish can stop a life from coming apart or guarantee that the ones we love will always stay with us, within an arm’s reach. Yet still we sweep the floors and wash the sheets and hang them out in the sunlight. All this, like a sprinkling of salt around our boundaries, a spell to protect ourselves against abandonment, separation, loss. What else is housekeeping but a kind of magical thinking, a wish against the things we fear the most?”

Madelaine Lucas, “Rituals of Housekeeping, Memories of Home: On Marilynne Robinson’s First Novel”

[breelandwalker]

Mama Bree's Magical Powders

Finally, all my powder recipes in one place! Go nuts, witchlings.

All-Purpose Cursing Powder

Banishing Powder

Clean House Powder

“Eye of Sauron” Revelation Powder

Heal Thy Heart Powder

Hexbreaker Powder

Jackpot Powder

Lucky Day Powder

“Outta My Way” Powder

Peacekeeper Powder

Persuasion Powder

STFU Powder

Traveler’s Luck Powder

Truthfinder Powder

For those of you who may not be able to find herbs locally, here are some online suppliers who consistently have affordable and high-quality products.

Ruth Roy’s Wellcat Herbs - A highly reputable seller with quality herbs, teas, incense, and botanicals. Also runs a booth every year at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire. (*HIGHLY RECOMMEND*)

Starwest Botanicals - Bulk herbs, spices, oils, and teas. Good amount of organic and Fair Trade products, as well as supplies for holistic medicine and tea-making.

Mountain Rose Herbs - Bulk herbs, spices, and sundries. Also carries organic products and essential oils, and has link to schools that offer courses in herbalism and herbology.

The Magickal Cat - Online shop with just about everything you could want for your craft, from herbs to books to cauldrons, and everything in between. Reliable shipping and excellent customer service.

Bulk Apothecary - Bulk herbs, spices, and oils, in addition to materials for the home production of soap, candles, wine, and beer.

For more online resources and information on herb magic and spells, check out my website here.

[breelandwalker]

The website is now defunct, but you can find all of my other recipes in  Pestlework: A Book of Magical Powders & Oils. Available on Amazon or in the Willow Wings Witch Shop. 😊

[theb3lljar]

everything is a sign if youre crazy enough

[criophorus]

WITCHY PSA

DON’T YOU DARE PUT SALT IN THE GROUND.

DO NOT CAST SALT CIRCLE IN THE DIRT. DO NOT SALT THE GROUND TO CLEANSE IT. DO NOT BURY SACHETS THAT INCLUDE SALT.

STOP SALTING THE GROUND.

YOU WILL MESS UP THE SOIL AND HURT THE PLANT LIFE. USE SOMETHING ELSE.

[growing-yet-into-magic]

Use eggshell. Eggshell is fine.

[crazycatsiren]

Or baking soda. I love baking soda.

[breelandwalker]

Or sand! Plain white sand works great.

[singed-shadows]

Sometimes an altar is a pocket full of change, a pair of dice, and a rabbit plush tucked in a travel bag

[spicyhorror-deactivated20220222]

[singed-shadows]

There's "Is this a sign from a god?"

And then there's getting followed home from the post office by a rabbit

[fernthewhimsical]

Yule Spell Ornament

I think I’m not the only for who December and the holidays are a strange and sometimes difficult time. So this year I decided to try and bring some light and warmth, joy and love into our home with this Yule spell ornament!

Disclaimer: I used whatever I had in my house which spoke to me of warmth, homeliness, joy and comfort. You don’t need all these ingredients, and some of the things that I have these associations with might not speak to you. Use whatever feels right!

What you need:

Glass ornament

Wool or twine in the colours of the hearth or Sun

Charm that represents warmth and home, in my case the bonfire

Salt (cleansing, snow)

Cinnamon stick (warmth, comfort)

Different types of tree bark and twigs (yule log, hearth)

Chios Mastic or a different yellow coloured resin (Sun, warmth, energy)

Juniper berry (ancestors, ancient)

Sun charm (Sun, warmth, joy)

Citrine (happiness, joy, creativity)

Yellow Aventurine (happiness, warmth, joy)

Rose quartz (love, self love, comfort)

Chamomile (Sun, comfort, joy)

What you do:

Create your space in the way that feels right for you

Cleanse your ornament

Add your salt, charging it with intent

Add your small herbs and crystals, charging each with intent while you add them

Add your big pieces, placing them in a way that looks good to you, charging them with your intent

Put the cap back onto your ornament

Wrap the top with the wool and add the charm to the outside, charging it with intent

Things I thought about adding: glitter (fun, joy, sparkly lights), cocoa powder (comfort, warmth), holly (winter, everlasting, yule), red apple (comfort, homeliness, yule), sugar (sweetness, love), fake snow (winter, joy, snow)

What would you add to your ornament of love, joy, and warmth?

(Originally posted on my website)

[normal-horoscopes]

MANY PEOPLE HAVE ASKED RECENTLY FOR PROTECTION SIGILS RECENTLY SO HERE ARE MY FAVORITES:

LEFT: THE EYE OF NYX, USED FOR SECRECY AND REMAINING HIDDEN, ACTIVATES WITH THE FOLLOWING "Nocte in perpetua et in perpetua nox" WORKS BEST AT NIGHT

RIGHT: A WARD SIGIL OF MY OWN DESIGN, USED FOR PROTECTION AND DEFENSE ITS EFFECTS ARE PASSIVE AND DO NOT NEED TO BE ACTIVATED FUNCTIONS BETTER THE LARGER THE SYMBOL IS

[skyderman]

i'm new to this. how do i use these? do i just have to draw them?

[normal-horoscopes]

PRETTY MUCH YEAH YOULL KNOW WHEN YOU'VE GOT IT RIGHT

[notyourmothersspellbook]

Just reiterating that the heart of witchcraft is (just like science) experimentation and documentation. Try things out. Get them wrong. Mess up. Do better. Write down your efforts. Make changes and alterations based on what you have access to. Above all, if it works, it works; if it doesn’t, then it’s no good. Witchcraft is a results-based practice.