Bitchy Stitch Witch

Call me Sol. They/them nonbinary stitch witch. Full ass adult, getting back into my practice after a hiatus, prior practitioner of six years. Lots of knitting, crochet, and yarny goodness

[hearth-and-veil]

Intermediate Kitchen Witchcraft: Nutrition

The ideas of nutrition and healthy eating have been corrupted by the diet industry. Auntie says fuck that. Think of nutrition as a matter of nutrients. Don’t take, don’t deprive. Add to your body! 

For intermediate witchcraft, think of things as macronutrients (big) and micronutrients (small). A macronutrient is what your body uses the most of, while a micronutrient is what your body uses a smaller amount of. 

Macronutrients are: protein, fat, and carbohydrates. Your body needs all three of them - yes, even fat and carbs. Fuck what the diet industry told you and listen to Auntie: it is not only ok to eat fat and carbs, it is actively a good thing. 

Micronutrients are: vitamins and minerals. Your body is a gloriously complex, divine structure that requires a steady supply of the Earth’s bounty to thrive. You can use these amazing things She has given us to improve your body and your mind. Use what She gives you!

Let’s take a look at some common magical ingredients and the micronutrients they give you! This will help provide you with a greater understanding of how to use them to craft your kitchen spells. Magical properties are purple, practical are pink.

Cinnamon: Healing, protection, warmth, love, prosperity. Vitamins A, B, C, K; calcium; magnesium; potassium; phosphorus. Useful in lowering blood pressure, high in antioxidants, can improve insulin sensitivity, protects against heart disease, powerful anti-inflammatory. Connect the practical value to the magical value. What do you think corresponds? The one that jumps out to me is love corresponding to heart health.

Lemons: Purification, cleansing, joy. Extremely high in Vitamin C; fiber; B6; potassium. Lowers your risk of kidney stones, antiseptic properties, big immune booster. Once again, compare the practical and magical uses. I see vitamin B6 connecting to joy - B vitamins are known to improve stress responses.

Arugula: Attraction, abundance, sex magic, psychic powers. Potassium, calcium, folate; vitamins B, C, D, K, and A. Calcium & vitamin D work together for bone health; eye health; high in antioxidants; improves iron absorption; contains many elements shown to reduce cancer risks. I see a connection in iron absorption and sex magic.

Now, while these are a very direct nutrient-to-association correlation, we do also need to remember that there are other factors. Taste is a huge factor in kitchen magic! Cinnamon associates to a warm disposition; cinnamon is a hot food. Lemons are a sunny food. Arugula is easy to grow, therefore it is abundant.

Homework:

Comment below with your connections on the ingredients listed above. OR

Choose your favorite magical ingredient and reblog it with an analysis of how its magical properties correlate to its practical properties. Feel free to delve into some of the other connections too!

[servantofthefates]

Why are traditional spells so goddamn weird?

Because ancient grimoires reflect the reality of their time.

Old love spells often require you to take something from your target because photographs did not exist yet. Even once they did, it was much simpler to grab a hair from someone’s coat than to steal their photograph from inside their home.

And who else would you cast a spell on if not the guy next door who would be so easy to borrow a handkerchief from? People’s worlds were small. There was no social media, TV or frequent travel. The only men most women were interested in were the ones right in front of them.

Many ancient vengeance spells require the body parts of a hanged man because such corpses littered the streets back then. They would be left there for months, even years, to deter people from committing crime. Cutting a piece of their skin was as easy as picking an apple from a tree.

Animal sacrifice too was rampant because livestock were valuables. People’s wealth was measured mostly through the size of their land and the number of cows in their farm. Not through the model of their Apple Watch or the carat of gold in their necklace — things that some offer as sacrifice these days.

This truth is not restricted to spells. It applies to things like literature too. Poets could write hundreds upon hundreds of words about trees and rivers alone because they are what surrounded them back then. Now we are surrounded by malls, McDonald’s and Starbucks. That is why today’s poets often write metaphors about coffee, shopping and whatnot.

When reading ancient grimoires, keep that in mind. These witches’ reality was different from ours. Although, in traditional witchcraft, the goal is to stay true to the old path. As true as sensibility allows.

[kizillcadi]

[katelyn-danger]

Unironically, vegans need to be advocating for more and better sheep, llama, and alpaca farms. Wool is one of the best fabrics we have in terms of versatility, longevity and most importantly, insulation. Even wet, it retains 80% of it's insulation potential.

AND IT DOESN'T SHED MICROPLASTICS

[katelyn-danger]

Like, there's literally nothing you can do to a sheep that's as morally reprehensible as dumping plastic down the gullet of literally every other living thing. You wanna talk about animal welfare? Talk about reducing the amount of microplastics produced by nylon, polyester, and spandex.

[primalarc]

Funguary, day two: pixie cup lichen OK so apparently pixie cup lichen belongs to the same family as reindeer moss and that's how this happened.

[waitingforthecat]

Image description: art showing a reindeer like creature with antlers that look like pixie cub lichen and lichen growing on its back and in the fur on its neck and stomach. Water is dripping out of the cup like structure of its antlers. end Image description

[thewitchystuff]

Hello witches!

I bring you the 2023 calendar for the remaining months  ☆ﾟ. * ･ ｡ﾟ

How are you holding up mid-mercury retrograde?

This year I just added the Planet Oppositions because there are a few of them in the later months of the year and I wanted to research them.

This is a Northern Hemisphere calendar and specific dates may vary due to different time zones, so always do your research for your specific region.

And if you find any mistakes or anything do add it if you reblog, so I can keep it in mind for future calendars!

See you in the full moon!!

[the-moon-witchblog]

[the-cobalt-athenaeum-deactivate]

Harmless Jinxes

may your birdfeeder attract rodents

may you choose the grocery cart with a janky wheel

may your toilet bowl be extra echo-y

may the airlines scuff up your luggage

may you settle into bed all comfy and cozy, only to realize that you have to pee

may your credit card get briefly stuck in the chip reader when you have a long line behind you

may your coworkers point out how tired you look

may you get lipstick on your teeth

may you receive a backhanded compliment that replays in your head for the rest of the day

may your hot date have awful taste in movies/music

may all the produce in your fridge spoil before you get the chance to cook it

may your smoke detector go off while you're cooking

May your pillow never have a “cold” side when sleeping.

May you feel like a rock is stuck in your shoe when walking.

May you always drop your keys before unlocking any doors

May your shower only give you lukewarm water

May your razors always be slightly too dull when you want to shave.

may you receive spam calls often

May your winged eyeliner never be even

may your gravy be lumpy

may all your doorknobs be sticky

may you put down your hot tea/coffee and forget about it until it's too cold to properly enjoy.

may your antibacterial gel leave a sticky residue on your hands

[feefal]

Mycena chlorophos💚

[skaldish]

There are certain things deities will never do and would be wildly inappropriate for them to try.

As a rule of thumb, deities will never do the following:

Dictate who you can/can't be friends with

Dictate which deities you're allowed/not allowed to venerate

Dictate who you can/can't be romantically involved with

Dictate your course in life

Threaten to leave if you can't/don't fulfill their requests

Ask you to stop taking your medications

Require you to observe a daily practice

Require you to spend tons of money on their behalf

Rush you into an oath, marriage, or some other binding contract

Prohibit you from doing certain activities

Withhold their affections if you do something they don't like

Shame you

Court minors (not in this day and age. Deities answer to the sensibilities of our time and society.)

If you see a deity act in any of these ways, you might be dealing with an impostor spirit or a mental sock-puppet, rather than the actual deity.

Impostors are petty spirits who disguise themselves as deities to mooch off undeserved worship.

Mental sock puppets are personal thoughts and insecurities projected onto an imaginary being.

And in instances where a deity is doing something you don't think is appropriate, you're always free to set boundaries. Gods don't get to act with impunity simply because they're gods.

[annwn]

[gulistan-blog]

㋡🥀

Nature design beauty scenery..

[emartus]

Some beautiful garden🌸🌸

[windvexer]

In witchcraft, you don't need to have beliefs about everything. I mean, especially if that thing has no relevance to you or your practice. But you don't have to have your own personal theories or explanations for, well, anything. "Oh so you read tarot but you can't even tell me how it works?" Sure can't, you want a reading or not?

"I don't know," "I used to think I knew but now I don't," "I'm figuring it out," "That answer isn't important to me," and "I just don't care"

are all perfectly great responses to, and truths about, questioning your own beliefs.

[sosuperawesome]

Fairydrop Art on Instagram

[feefal]

The heart & the brain🫀🧠

[jasper-pagan-witch]

Library Tips For Magic Practitioners

As a Missouri librarian, I've gotten to know my library district pretty well. So here are some tips for you!

Tip 1: Dewey is your friend.

And by that I mean the Dewey Decimal System (a more in-depth list is in that link) is your friend. It breaks down as follows:

000: General Knowledge (encyclopedias, newspapers, almanacs, etc)

100: Psychology & Philosophy (feelings, logic, friendships, etc)

200: Religions & Mythology (Bible stories, Native American myths, classical mythology, etc)

300: Social Sciences & Folklore (families, career, money, government, etc)

400: Languages (English, Spanish, American Sign Language, grammar, etc)

500: Math & Science (arithmetic, animals, rocks, plants, fossils, etc)

600: Medicine & Technology (inventions, machines, farming, health, etc)

700: Arts & Recreation (crafts, painting, music, games, sports, etc)

800: Literature (poetry, plays, novels from other countries, etc)

900: Geography & History (countries, biographies, etc)

If you're looking for ghosts, divination, and witchcraft specifically, look around 133. That's where I've found most of my magic-based books to borrow. You'll also find books talking about people's near-death experiences or reincarnation around this point.

While fiction technically falls in the 800s, most libraries will have it separate from nonfiction. You may still find things like poems or memoirs in the nonfiction section. Some libraries will have the biographies separated into their own section. A few libraries (at least here in Missouri) will have state-specific sections where you can learn more about local stuff.

Tip 2: There are computers and printers to use.

If you can't research something at home for literally any reason, getting a library card will often grant you access to using the computers and printers in the library.

When using the printer, some libraries will charge based on how much ink you use, other libraries will charge based on how much paper you use, and other libraries will charge based on some other criteria.

Be aware that you lose access to these if you reach a certain level of overdue materials or money is charged to your library card until the materials are returned/paid for or the money is paid off. Luckily, librarians are here to help you and can tell you what's missing.

Tip 3: Libraries have more than books.

Seriously. The main branch of my library district has 3D printers, telescopes, gaming systems to use in-building, and more stuff that I didn't even pay attention to because I was scrambling to learn the behind-the-counter stuff. Feel free to ask us for something and we can see if it's in-county for ya!

Audiobooks are often available on CDs and in the form of Playaways, which are like MP3 players with a single book on them. You will need a wire-connected set of earbuds or a wire-connected headset and batteries. Some libraries sell earbuds, but not batteries.

Large Print books will often have their own special designation as LP, but more often they have their own shelf sections. You'll find a surprising number of Westerns there, but there are Large Print nonfiction books.

Tip 4: Requesting materials.

Not finding something you're looking for? Ask the front desk for help! In Missouri, we have the Missouri Evergreen system, which means we can borrow books from all over the state* on the topic you're looking for.

If we can't find it (or you're in a library that doesn't have such a monumental reach), then you can often fill out a book request form. We will then do our best to order the book for you - but be aware that it could take many months, and most of the time, people will cancel their order of the book well before our budget catches up or we even have time to get the book processed and integrated into the system. Patience is key when ordering a new book.

*At participating branches - not every library district in our state is part of Missouri Evergreen.

Tip 5: Self-checkout is a thing.

At least, it is here in Missouri. If you don't want to interact with the front desk, there are often self-checkout stations for books, DVDs, audiobooks, et cetera. Even my middle-of-nowhere branch has one!

Unfortunately, this won't work for other things, like updating your card once it expires or resolving monetary charges (which will both send you to the front desk).

Tip 6: Search the new shelves.

Some libraries like mine will have specially-designated "New Shelves", where you can find a lot of the most recent releases. If you're trying to find something in a particular number that you saw on the search but can't find it, it may be on the new shelf. These get cycled out whenever new books come in, which may mean that you have several months' worth of new releases to dig through.

In short, I hope this helps you in your search through the library! Best of luck to you!

~Jasper