The 'Verse is an infinte place @spiritedroots - Tumblr Blog

my sincerest wish is that everyone know about the john c. campbell folk school in brasstown north carolina. where you can sign up to take classes taught by folk artists in literally every possible category of folk art. theyve got blacksmithy, traditional beadwork, lacemaking, instrument making, folkloric oral history. you name it, they teach it. literally everyting. its so awesome.

hellenhighwater

The sunporch roof has a bad leak, which we're going to be fixing shortly. I'm moving plants into the den so they're not underfoot for that.

However. I've also been staging hobbit gear in there. And now it looks like I'm prepping for a gotdam jungle expedition

hellenhighwater

I had to fish the microscope out from under the couch, and we've got some enthusiastic scientists ready to explore.

They are cats, of course.

breelandwalker

Witchcraft Exercise - Creating Your Own Runes

Okay, so I was catching up on my reading today, and came across a set of simple instructions for creating witches’ runestones in Kate West’s “The Real Witches’ Book of Spells and Rituals.” The author recommends a set of eight simple symbols painted onto pebbles or disks and cast to find the answers to questions.

Drawing from this idea, I decided to make a simple set for myself and test them out. I haven’t had much luck with tarot or oracle cards, and ogham sticks have been similarly baffling. So one Sharpie and a handful of small mirror discs later, I had my own homemade runestones.

My artistic skills are hella lacking, but I managed to make clear representations of 20 different symbols with meaning for me, and I recorded each of their meanings in my witchbook. (Keep in mind that the following associations are ENTIRELY personal to me and may not agree with or reflect the opinions of others.)

The Sun - Solar, masculine, energy, glory, favorable outlook

The Moon - Lunar, feminine, dreams, intuition, magic

The Leaf - Nature, growth, fertility, health, renewal

The Coin - Chance, wealth, opportunity, luck

The Arrow - Inspiration, Brighid, “look forward,” “forge ahead”

The Harp - Pleasure, Lugh, skill, cleverness, “be crafty”

The Hammer - Protection, Thor, courage, will, “hold strong”

The Teardrop - Choices, Freyja, a journey, “look elsewhere, “search”

The Serpent - Ambition, desire, greed, career

The Spears - Conflict, trials, suffering, illness

The Dagger - Unseen danger, betrayal, a plot, meddlers

The Rings - Unity, harmony, friendship, love, family

The Cat - Independence, serenity, secrets

The Dog - Loyalty, affection, playfulness

The Cauldron - Power, creation, wisdom

The Wand - Influence, directness, proximity, “it is near”

The Spiral - Introspection, confusion, the unknown

The Feather - Release, relief, lightness, escape

The Web - Caution, entrapment, unseen foe, complication, consequence

The Broom - “Start over,” cleanse, banish, re-evaluate

I made a simple casting board with four quadrants - Then, Now, Future, and Within. And with my cheap-o little mirror discs, I did two castings.

The results were clear as a bell and eerily accurate.

I don’t know if it’s the fact that I made the pieces myself, or if it’s the use of symbols that are my own instead of someone else’s, but this set really WORKS for me. And anyone who’s followed me for a fair length of time knows that I am utterly shite with divination.

So for all my witchlings who want to learn divination but are struggling with learning tarot or runes or what-have-you, give this a try! Pick up some discs or pebbles, something with two definite sides, grab a marker or some paints, and make your own set of runes. (Hell, if you can’t draw, you can even use stamps or stickers.)

Use symbols that have meaning for you, and record them in your witchbook or journal. Cast them how you please and read the ones that land face-up.

Have fun!

More Witchcraft Exercises 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. 😊)

breelandwalker

I went into more detail about this exercise in Ep. 053 of Hex Positive!

breelandwalker

Witchcraft Supply Recommendation Roundup

Okay witches, this one's for all our friends and neighbors who are trying to get away from Big Box Monopoly sites or want better / more specialized / more affordable ways to get their components.

Please assume that following things are true:

Reader has visited local thrift shops

Reader has explored local spaces for foraging and wildcrafting

Reader has looked for resources at their local library

Reader has the desire and ability to order things online

Reader has the ability to receive packages

Reader has a small to modest budget

Reader has a non-specific witchcraft path

Reader has a desire for ethically-sourced components

SO. All that being said - what are your favorite places (websites, chain stores, specialty suppliers, etc) to find components for your witchcraft?

Annnnd GO!

breelandwalker

Getting some good suggestions in the notes! My turn to add a few. I do most of my ordering online and I make things and run a small business, so I do tend to buy certain supplies in bulk.

Penn Herb Co - Bulk dried plants and spices at very reasonable prices. Products are sold by the ounce and come in 1oz/4oz/16oz packages. Many are available in whole, cut/sifted, and powdered form.

Starwest Botanicals - Bulk herbs, spices, and teas. The prices for some items are a little high, but the company is up-front about Fair Trade pricing for teas and offers wholesale accounts for businesses.

Mountain Rose Herbs - Bulk herbs, spices, and botanicals, plus essential oils, books, containers, and supplies for cooks and makers.

Bulk Apothecary - Raw materials and supplies for the production of candles, soap, fragrances, and more. Excellent for makers, kitchen witches, and small businesses.

Candlewic - Small-town business selling candlemaking supplies. Everything from equipment to wax to dyes to scents and more. I bought from them for several years when I was making my own.

SaveOnScents - Wholesale fragrance oils, incense bundles, supplies for making candles and perfumes. VERY wide selection, sample packs available for scent testing. Great for anyone who wants to make their own scented candles, soaps, perfumes, etc.

100 Candles - All kinds of candles at bulk prices. Scented and unscented options, plus LED candles, lights, and accessories.

Specialty Bottle - Bulk-priced glass bottles and jars in many shapes and sizes. They also sell tins and some plastic items. Been buying bottles and vials from them for years, always good quality. (I've also been recommended Container and Packaging, but I haven't tried them.)

Factory Direct Craft - Pretty much anything you could want in your neighborhood chain hobby shop, in wholesale form. Lots of miniatures, dolls and doll parts, jewelry making supplies, silk flowers, wooden pieces, paints, home decor, and so on.

I've been recommended WEBS/Yarn.com, Knit Picks, Hobbii, Embroidery.com, and Yarn Paradise for fibre arts supplies, though I've only started to explore them.

I also make a habit of looking for potential supplies when I'm browsing the supermarket, dollar store, hardware store, garden center, farmer's market, or craft/hobby shop. (I'll go to Michaels when I need to, but you won't catch me dead in a Hobby Lobby.)

recreationalwitchcraft

Pressure is On: Spells & Charms for Auditions & Interviews

Stones to Carry:

Aura Quartz: serenity, enhanced communication

Blue Lace Agate: communication, clarity, confidence

Aquamarine: soothing, clear communication

Calcite: confidence, insight, and innovation

Green Aventurine: Confidence

Rose Quartz: releasing stress

Ruby: strength and confidence

Herbs to add:

Basil: wealth, luck in job interviews

Bay Leaf: success & achieving goals

Cedar: confidence, strength, and power

Chamomile: stress relieving, aids in success

Ginger: personal confidence and success

Honeysuckle: persuasiveness, confidence, and success

Rosemary: increased memory, clear thinking

Tonka Bean: good fortune, especially in interviews

Sigils to use:

“confidence and charisma”

“I have complete confidence in myself”

“I am confident in my words, my appearance, and my abilities”

“turn stage fright into confidence”

Spellbook:

Luck and Money Powder

Anti-Anxiety Smelling Salts

Unleash Your Power Potion

Spell to Make You Shine

Quick Confidence Potion

Employ Me Spell

kaijuno

Kamloops, BC

ex0skeletal-undead

Conversational Skulls, acrylic painting by drakhenliche

somardani

signum.noir

thevirginwitch

Property Locator Spell for House-Hunting

This spell is a small part of “A Witch’s Guide to Moving & House-Hunting”, a zine I’m currently putting together! You can view the full draft and research notes of this zine over on my Patreon now!

What You’ll Need:

a map of the general area you wish to move

a pendulum (you can also use a necklace with a charm/pendant or crystal)

rosemary oil (optional but helpful)

candlelight

Directions:

Gather your supplies and cleanse your map, pendulum, and the area where you’ll be casting the spell. Prep how you normally would for spell work (meditation, journaling, etc). Light your candles and relax your ind!

Dab a bit of the rosemary oil on your pendulum (optional) and ask the pendulum to reveal the best location for your new home

Spread out the map on a table/flat surface, and hold the pendulum over the middle of the map, allowing it to hang loose over it

Close your eyes envision the pendulum locating an area that you would prefer - good schools, large neighborhood, close to a park, etc - imagine anything that would be desirable to you. You may also choose to chant or say something in your head along the lines of “Pendulum pendulum, work your magic for me. Open my eyes to my dream home, for health, hearth and prosperity.”

Open your eyes and hold your hand very still. Your pendulum should begin to swing, twirl or pull in a certain direction. Slowly move your hand in the direction the pendulum is pulling.

Ask the pendulum to stop over the requested location.

Mark the area, thank the pendulum and map, and end the spell.

samwisethewitch

Two Banishing Powders from a Southern Folk Witch

In Southern folk magic, the formula used for a banishing spell varies a little bit based on whether you want to banish an actual person (basically getting them to leave you alone) or a spirit/energy/abstract concept.

Banishing formulas for getting rid of living people tend to focus on causing irritation and discomfort to get someone to leave, which may be less effective if they don't have a physical body. Banishing formulas for spirits/energy are more about deep cleansing and making the space inhospitable for undesirable spirits. The herbs and minerals a practitioner might reach for are different in these two situations.

Below are two all-purpose banishing formulas from my practice: one for living people, and one for spirits.

GTFO Powder

For getting rid of unwanted (living) people.

You will need:

The spiciest red pepper flakes/powder you can find (If you like spicy food, use something so hot you can't eat it in large amounts. I like spice and I use Szechuan pepper flakes, but cayenne will work, especially if you know the person you want to banish doesn't like any spice at all in their food. Discomfort is the goal here.)

Black pepper (Used here to cause mild inconvenience/discomfort/bad luck)

Salt (Good, old fashioned banishing)

(Optional) dried, crumbled wasps nest*

(Optional) dirt from the side of a busy road or highway**

*This is actually much easier to find than you'd think, but be careful not to get stung! This is a traditional ingredient in Southern folk magic because wasps are known for how viciously they protect their homes. Fair warning: this is a mean ingredient (since its purpose is to cause pain/discomfort), so I'll leave it up to you whether to include it or not. If you're dealing with a stalking or abuse situation, wasps nest can give you the extra oomph you need to help keep the abuser from returning.

**Only include this if you're trying to make someone physically leave your space or relocate to a different geographical area. And PLEASE be careful collecting this dirt! My advice is to try to collect it during a less busy time of day and to stay several feet away from the actual road.

How to Use It:

When you mix up this powder, speak over it and state your intention. You can enchant this powder for all-purpose banishing, or you could mix up a batch to banish a specific person. Either way, it is important that you tell the powder what it is meant to do. I like to speak directly to the spirits in the powder and ask them for their help.

Traditionally, you would use this powder by sprinkling some in your target's shoes, but that isn't always possible. You can use it in poppet spells by adding it to the feet of the poppet for the same effect. You can also use it to dress candles, add it to jar spells, or incorporate it into other types of banishing spells. Warning: do not burn this powder, as it can cause irritation or injuries to the lungs.

If you need to get rid of a specific person, you'll want to customize the powder to only work on them. The easiest way to do this is with a taglock (an item that has a physical connection to the target). Some of their hair would be ideal, but you can also use a photo of them or even a piece of paper with their name and address written on it, like you were addressing a letter. You'll want to burn the taglock to ash, then mix this ash into the powder. Make sure you burn it outside, because the smoke will be unpleasant.

You can use this powder to keep someone away from your home or another building by sprinkling a line of it across all entrances to the building. If you do this, make sure you've customized the powder for that person with the method above -- otherwise you may accidentally banish ALL visitors.

Ghost-Be-Gone Powder

For getting rid of unwanted spirits or psychic energy. Can also be used to banish non-physical things, like an illness or a bad habit.

You will need:

Asafoetida*

Salt (Again, used here for good, old fashioned banishing)

Garlic (You know how garlic is supposed to repel vampires? That's basically what it's doing here.)

Rosemary (Used for cleansing and banishing)

(Optional) dirt from a church, temple, or other place of worship**

*Honestly, I've used asafoetida by itself for banishing and gotten really good results. This is definitely the Big Daddy of cleansing herbs in Southern folk magic. You can usually find this in international grocery stores or get it online for fairly cheap, and it's one of the few herbs I think are worth going out of your way to get. Warning: a lot of people complain about the smell of asafoetida, but it honestly just smells like a stronger, more pungent garlic to me so your mileage may vary.

**While dirt from a church is traditional, use something tied to a religion YOU believe in. If you aren't Christian, don't use church dirt. For myself, I might use dirt from the Wiccan temple near my home or from another pagan holy site. The point here is to call on your personal spiritual allies for help. If you are an atheist or agnostic, just leave the dirt out entirely.

How to Use It:

When you mix up this powder, speak over it and state your intention. You can enchant this powder for all-purpose banishing, or you could mix up a batch to banish a specific spirit. Either way, it is important that you tell the powder what it is meant to do. I like to speak directly to the spirits in the powder and ask them for their help.

To use this powder to remove a spirit from your home, use it to clean your floors. You can sprinkle it on the floor, let it sit for a few minutes, and then sweep or vacuum it up.

I don't recommend burning this powder as incense, but you can use it in spells. You can place a ring of it around the base of a black candle or add some to a jar spell, for example. You can also use this to cast a circle around your spellwork if you want to protect it from interference in the spiritual realm.

A Note on Cultural Appropriation

Every time I post some of the more folksy parts of my practice online, I get asked whether it's okay for others to use these spells. Specifically, people want to know if these spells come from a closed tradition or if they have to live in the South to use them.

The folk magic tradition I practice is not tied to any closed cultural practice. I will never post anything from a closed practice online. So yes, you can use these powders no matter who you are or where you are from. You don't have to live in the South or be from the South to practice Southern folk magic, but you will get more out of your practice if you have a connection to the region.

On a related note: some of y'all may have noticed that these powders are similar to formulas used in Hoodoo. The GTFO Powder specifically is very similar to Hotfoot Powder, which is used for a similar purpose in Hoodoo. Hoodoo is a semi-closed African-American tradition that is typically passed down in families or communities. When I post about my practice, I do occasionally get comments accusing me of appropriating from Hoodoo.

Here's the thing: my practice does have some overlap with Hoodoo, because I am in the same geographical region and part of the same regional culture that Hoodoo comes from. Over hundreds of years, ideas get exchanged across racial and cultural lines. Just like some elements of Hoodoo come from European traditions, some elements of white folk magic in the South come from African roots. It's not appropriation -- it's a natural result of living in multicultural communities.

All of this is just to say, what I do is not Hoodoo, but I think of my tradition and Hoodoo as cousins. There's some shared DNA, but also a lot of differences. How I do things might look similar to how a Hoodoo practitioner does them, but the theory or exact ritual process may be different.

windvexer

We were just talking about types of banishing, this is super interesting.

heatherwitch

Nonverbal Witchcraft

For my witches who cannot speak, struggle to speak, or choose to remain quiet.

This post is a compilation of ideas and personal methods from fellow nonverbal witches. Not everything may fit for you, but hopefully it will give you a starting point!

Spells:

Write the words and focus your energy on bringing them into being. You could burn the piece of paper to finish off the spell. One contributor also mentions burying the paper.

Our thoughts are powerful. Focus, and say the words in your mind.

You can also mouth the words without speaking them, if that helps you.

Whispering is also great if that works for you!

Find power in silence, use it as its own tool.

Use instruments to create certain rhythms for different spells, instead of chanting.

If sound is helpful, play music that you feel relates/connects you to the spell.

Cast circles and finalize spells by snapping.

Sigils are concentrated intention–use that to your advantage. They can absolutely be a base for spellwork.

Use a power source; the elements (candles, soil, the air around you, a bowl of water, etc.), crystals, burning herbs, etc.

To feel energy without using words to confirm: use tools that have stronger energy that you can physically feel.

Make spell candles, jars or sachets.

Use sign language! I’m of the opinion that everyone should at least learn the basics, and there are plenty of free resources out there!

Specific spells:

Casting a circle: “You can cast a circle by walking in a circle and visualizing your footsteps imprinting on the earth below, creating a barrier of light (color chosen to correspond to intention at the time), walk the circle 3 times and see the barrier in your mind forming a perfect sphere around your work space, becoming brighter and stronger each step you take.”*

To banish: write the things you wish to banish on a piece of paper, light them on fire with a black candle and place in a burn bowl.

To release and invite: use two pieces of paper. On one, write down everything you’d like to release from your life. On the other, write down everything you’d like to invite into your life. Burn the release paper and dispose of the ashes, keep the invite paper. (Optional: I like to do this on the new moon, and have a black candle above the release paper and a white candle above the invite paper).

Protective charm: (click here)

To raise you out of a dark place: (click here)

Spell of destruction: (click here)

Energy work:

Use a cajon, bells, singing bowl, steel tongue drum/moondrum, or other instruments to raise energy!

“I have a specific snapping rhythm that is ‘magic time’. When I snap the rhythm once or three times it’s go time and I fall into the zone.”*

“For energy work and to raise energy I dance and as my heartbeat gets louder in my ears I mentally chant with it, focusing on a short phrase, intention, or incantation with the energy I physically raised and the meditative repetition of my mind.”*

Use a power source; the elements, crystals, burning herbs, etc.

Most energy work involves movement, rather than words (click here for energy work with restricted movement).

Other ideas:

Worship: write letters, devote your actions, decorate an altar. Prayers don’t need to be spoken! Or write your prayers and place them on an altar, burn them, or keep them. (Bedridden worship)

Divination doesn’t require spoken word, especially once you have a bond with your tools. You can always use writing, sigils, or your thoughts to channel your intent/question. (Bedridden divination)

Charge crystals with your intent and wear them/carry them in a pouch.

Kitchen witchcraft, garden magic, tea magic, etc. etc.

Utilize the correspondences of the items in your life.

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