sup witches

Helpful and/or informative tumblr posts on witchcraft, pagan, and divination subjects. Be sure to read the disclaimer! Curated by hellboundwitch.

[csokachild]

Web Weaving How-To

So as requested I’m going to be showing you guys how I weave my spell webs. Again, this is a great all-purpose casting method and I’ve used it as a replacement for dream-catchers so as to avoid appropriation. Also pretty subtle for those with a hidden craft. 

Okay, so first you’re going to need twine, something to cut it with (I’m using a lighter because my scissors are hiding), and a circle. To make the demonstration easy, I’m using a steel ring. 

As the first step you’re gonna want tie your base lines to the ring. I’m doing six lines to demonstrate because it is faster and simpler. 8 lines takes longer but I think looks better. Make sure they’re tight and as near to symmetrical as possible. 

Next cut a long piece of twine and tie it to the center. This will be the starting point of your web.

Wind the piece of twine around the center base-string about two times.

  Pull it over to the next string and wind it around. You want these lines tight enough to make you entire web taut and strong. 

Repeat this going from string to string. For the beginning of this spiral you’ll be making a series of triangle, each one should be a little bit bigger than the previous.

Once you reach the top center base-line again, begin making sure the lines you are making are parallel to the lines you’ve already made in that aisle of the web.

If you didn’t cut your twine long enough, it’s perfectly fine to tie another piece onto it like so:

Continue this pattern until you reach the outsides of the circle. I don’t like to leave any gaps so I will loop my lines around the knots of the base lines. 

When you’ve reached a stopping point (usually when it’d just look wrong to make another line). just tie the line off at one of the base-line’s knots. This completes the spiral of your web.

Now, personally I don’t like leaving the spiral open so I always tie it off at the next point like so:

And now you have your finished web! You can now decorate it, paint it, tie spells and charms into it, anything at all. Have fun! :)

[tinyrosemarysparrows]

Sigil Crafting Method One

I have various methods of sigil crafting, but one of my funnest ones is crafting from a picture. It’s easy and can be simple or complicated depending on what you want.

Step One: Your Intent

I am going to be using one of my love sigils for this post. Two birds are commonly known as a symbol of romance.

Step Two: Drawing the Base

I drew a pair of birds as my picture. Then I put dots at key places (think constellations). I connected the dots to give me the basic lines for the sigil.

Step Three: Separate the lines from the picture

Once they are separated, begin distorting and editing. Since I wanted a romantic partner, I connected the two figures at the heart dot.

I also drew the shapes a couple of times to get comfortable with them without the dots.

Step Four: Curving

For aesthetic purposes, I decided to make my sigil flowing and curled. The love I wanted would be soft and gentle, beautiful and changing. Also, I prefer spirals and curves to harsh jutting angles and lines. Really it all depends on what you think looks nice. However, I would definitely recommend changing the shape so much that it looks very different from what you began with. This is where I broke out the pencil rather than pen.

Just keep on curling and changing. I wanted to integrate a heart to my sigil.

I like to write notes when I’m designing.

And that’s all there is to it. I think that this one took a couple of hours until I made a design I liked that would also be easy to memorize and copy without referencing the original. This one is rather simple compared to some of the others I’ve made with this method.

Have fun sigil crafting!

[hellboundwitch]

instructions not included

You know, I appreciate clear instructions and tutorials as much as anybody.

But sometimes I’m happy just to have an idea suggested and work out a way to make it happen all on my own.

Like, doing magic and witchcraft with tarot cards. Before I even looked beyond the covers of books like Tarot Spells and Everyday Tarot Magic (and probably Portable Magic tbh), I saw the titles and had a hmm moment where I thought about what I thought tarot magic should look like, and then I just started doing it.

And like, some of that was made possible by some understanding of more general magical techniques that I was able to transfer across different methods and some of it was just that I wanted to do something so I figured out a way to make it work.

ANYWAY I’m just sharing this because A) I never explain my tarot witchiness to people and that’s part of the reason why — I figured it out for myself and maybe I’m being a little selfish, but I’m also giving people the chance to figure out their OWN method. And you know what? Mine ended up being SO MUCH COOLER than what I found when I skimmed through the how to books. So I think it’s a good, important chance to have.

And 2) idk I just wanted to tell those of you who don’t know that you can do this…YOU CAN DO THIS. If you hear about a cool concept and you can’t find a book or someone won’t explain it to you or something…try and figure out how to do it yourself. I’ve found, personally, that those methods I discover on my own often end up working better than whatever instructions I find out later.

(Also, never forget that there are a lot of people who will be quick to tell you that something isn’t possible, just because they can’t do it, they don’t want to see it done, or they want to stop other people from being able to do what they do in secret. And then you figure out a way to do it and tell people, and suddenly they knew it all along!)

If it doesn’t work out, you can keep looking for other ways to make it happen, including seeking out more official teaching. But if it does…how awesome is that?

[theheadlesshashasheen-deactivat]

Sigil Honesty.

I don’t remove vowels from the sigils - they allow me to utilize curvatures when it fits with the sigil. I also don’t remove repeating letters unless they detract from the shape I want to put down.

I mean, Agrippa’s sigils don’t utilize either process:

Nor does Spare’s art conform to that expectation, as is pretty obvious.

So why the fuck should I?

I like those much better than when I used the early Chaote methods. And these days, I take inspiration from other places:

(Sigil representing the Fairy Pact.)

(Sigils for the 7 Fairy Sisters.)

“All the various actions and intentions involved in Verum style sorcery are directly related to a series of sigils. Or, to put it another way, everything the operator desires and the operations necessary to achieve it can be reduced to a set of magical characters that can subsequently be employed in attaining those ends.”

—  Jake Stratton-Kent, The True Grimoire.

[EDITED]

[sent-to-the-sun]

Creating your own method of Divination

The purpose of divination is to gain insight about a situation, problem, or question via occult or ritual means. There are many different ways to “divine” and many of us know the popular tools of divination like tarot cards, runes, and pendulums. These tools and the methods behind them have long traditions and “rules” that individuals are free to both break and reinforce. However, we’re not limited to these few options. Making your own divination tools and creating your own method can be a little time consuming, but the results are very satisfying. Here’s the system I found to be the most helpful.

First, think about what you want when it comes to divination. Do you want to speak with your Deity(s), spirit(s), guide(s), or ancestors? Maybe you want simple answers on the go? 

Then, think about what you like about the different forms of divination. Perhaps you like the simplicity of rune symbols. Maybe you find the beauty of oracle cards enticing, or you like the use of a crystal on a pendulum?

Next, think about why you don’t want to use the traditional forms of divination. Do you struggle with learning card meanings in tarot? When you look down at tea leaves do you just see a pile of wet tea? Is a pendulum too limited in its answers?

Then think about what you want to do. What are you good at? What do you enjoy? What is a project that would actually be fun for you? Do you  like making alphabets? Are you a skilled artist? Do you like music? Do you like books? 

Remember, if you find yourself struggling between multiple ideas that won’t work together, then just save the other ideas and use them to make multiple other tools and methods of divination.

Once you’ve sat and brainstormed, you might already have a vague idea of what you want to do. Here’s an example:

Individual 1- 

Wants simple communication with their deity on the go. 

Likes the basic idea behind pendulums Likes the beauty of tarot cards (which comes down to an appreciation of art)

Doesn’t like how long tarot card readings take Doesn’t want to have to carry a translation guide or a lot of tools.  Doesn’t feel “connected” with crystals

Likes music and is proficient in reading and understanding musical themes. Likes gaming

From here, this individual may decide to do a two-fold method of divination. The first part might be a form of shufflemancy on their ipod/zune/mp3 player, which decides the “theme” of the answer. The second part might involve the rolling of a 4-sided die (for simplicity’s sake) to determine the importance of the answer, 1 being not that important and 4 being very important

That is only one of many options this individual has, and has a lot to do with personal taste.

Here is how I used this system to come up with my own divination tools- My Woodburned Divination Coins

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[hellboundwitch]

writing spreads

Tonight I’m working on a bunch of writing spreads. I haven’t really done much with these before, because I feel like Corrine Kenner’s Tarot for Writers just CANNOT be touched — okay, well maybe I wouldn’t go QUITE that far, but it’s such a great book in my opinion — but I decided to go for it anyway because you really can’t have too many writing spreads.

But really, you know — I feel like the entire prewriting process is so easily translated to spreads. Like, take story webs or mind maps, for example.

(image from Gallaudet University)

I look at this and I see a spread. I actually hate doing these things when I’m writing, but coming up with a main idea (or drawing a card for one) and then either pulling out cards that I feel are supporting ideas or just drawing them at random and then relating the card back to the idea — that’s fun for me. And I get a lot out of it! 

And even though I’m a big fan of going with your gut, intuition, personal symbolism, or even just looking at the picture on the card for what it is in regular tarot reading, I think it’s especially fun and important to do when you’re playing around with ideas and writing goo with your muse.

If a card makes you think of the ballet, or the character just looks evil, even if it’s a “good” card and you see a reflection of your villain in there — go for it! Don’t worry about doing it “wrong” or what the card is “supposed” to mean, just have fun and see what happens with your ideas and your story.

(I’ve mentioned before that I think that learning how to use tarot in my writing helped me to be less rigid in my general reading, and made it easier for me to make the intuitive leaps I tend to read with now. Doing it for fun and creativity trained my brain to do it for divination and fortune telling and I’m going to be forever thankful for that.)

[castingshells-deactivated201603]

Sea Witch's Resources: Feathers

Feathers are a guaranteed find pretty much anywhere and thus they are great to include in casting for the convenience of acquirement. The most obvious associations would be to the element of air, so naturally that brings us to uses in travel, communication, and weather magic if that is your thing..

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[shelbymelissa]

Finding Your Witchcraft

[witchofvillagesandwilds]

This post reflects my opinions, not the opinions of others.

*~~~~~~~*

This is something that I think should take some time in the forms of researching and practicing/experimenting. Critical thinking skills are helpful in this venture.

Research

I believe research is important because it gives you many ideas to work with and places to draw ideas from, but it also gives you an idea of what comes from closed cultures. (Cultural appropriation is a big No-No.) Read, listen, and watch. Academic databases can be great resources. If you don’t have access to them, there is still a lot to learn from Google and academic books. Be careful though of what Google presents you with. Some websites will be more credible than others. (There are many posts about how to search using Google and how to evaluate a source. I am sure you could even google how to more efficiently use Google as well!) I consider Tumblr to be a good place to read about how others do witchcraft and what works for them. Sometimes it can be helpful to listen to others. Like with websites, some people are more credible sources than others. Look at different spells and how they are written. Does that work for you? Do you have different associations for the ingredients or parts used? Inspiration for your witchcraft can come from anywhere though. You could even base it off of Harry Potter if you wanted to! 

Practice and Experiment

I also believe that practicing and experimenting are important. Some things may seem like they would work for you in theory, but may not work out when implemented. Maybe you like grand rituals for spellwork but in reality they take up more time than you are able to commit. That is okay. You may just have to tweak things so you can find something that works for you and that you are happy with. A good way to experiment, in my opinion, is to try a spell as written and then evaluate how it felt, the results, amount of time it took, etc. Then tweak the spell a little and try it again. Evaluate the tweaked spell and compare.

Some things to think about:

What are your interests? Cooking? Art? Dreams? The home? Pop Culture? Animals? Plants?

What does witchcraft mean to you?

What does being a witch mean to you?

How could you incorporate your interests into spells, magic, etc?

What are you comfortable with? Simple? Complex? Inside? Outside?

What are your beliefs?

What are your morals and values?

I recommend keeping a notebook, journal, or binder to help you write out your thoughts. You could type it out or record your thoughts with videos or audio tracks. For me, it is helpful to write things out. I can then cross things out, easily re-read things previously written, debate with myself, and follow my train of thought. 

[witchy-business]

Enchantment & New Year's Resolutions

Is there something you’d like to do more of this year? Enchant it to attract your attention in hopes of ultimately achieving your goals (i.e. getting healthier, creating more art, practicing more witchcraft). This post on how to enchant objects may be helpful. Just remember that not all enchantments involve spoken/written/stand-in charms! You could simply charge an object directly with an intent. That said, anything that you personally associate with attraction or attention could be added to these enchantments in a number ways (common associations include honey, vanilla, cinnamon, rose, rose quartz, bright/warm colors). Depending on the object, you could also create a sigil and actually draw it on the target. There are many things you can enchant with the power to appeal to you:

Books

Planners

Journals

Sketchbooks

Musical instruments

Craft/hobby supplies

Tarot deck

Crystals

Yoga mat/exercise equipment (the post that inspired this post; highly recommend)

A glass or water bottle (drink more water!)

Healthy, fresh, seasonal food choices

Your body! If you’d like to love your body more this year, draw a sigil for self-love onto yourself in your favorite color of lip stick/eyeliner/body paint (really anything safe for skin that will come off in one washing) while reflecting or meditating on positive thoughts about your body and holding a rose quartz. After this, add a few drops of essential oils associated with attraction like rose and/or vanilla to a hot bath and wash the sigil off into the water. Imagine the sigil and its intent absorbing into your skin with the warmth of the water and sweet scents.

Alternatively, you could enchant objects with a deterring energy in order to diminish their appeal to you. Personal correspondences for banishing could also help here (commonly ones include vinegar, garlic, cactus, brooms, the color black…). Again, a sigil could be created with a “keep away!” message. Some targets to enchant with repelling energy could include:

Cigarettes

Processed foods

Anything you’d like to cut back on this year

Beyond attraction/repulsion enchantments, if your resolution is to stress less, then you could enchant:

A natural body cream with a healthy dose of stillness/tranquility. If you bite your nails, crack your knuckles, or fidget, choose one with a soothing scent (like lavender) to apply in a meditative state while focusing on pushing excess energy out of the area(s) of tension.

A cup of tea with soothing energy. Choose a tea with a corresponding property to your intent. Brew mindfully. You could visualize color light (any color you find relaxing) steeping into the water along with the herbs and their relaxing properties/powers. Do not let anything interrupt you while you enjoy your tea. Maintain a meditative state until you finish your tea. You could also read the tea leaves if you’d like.

A necklace, talisman, or amulet with stabilizing energy. After grounding and centering yourself, hold the object in your hand and imagine connecting it, through your trunk, to the earth. Draw up the earth’s energy to add to the object. Wear daily. If you begin to feel anxious, hold it and immediately upon touching it, try to ground yourself through the same process.

Happy New Year!

[da-at-ass]

Can't We Just Talk?

I thought my first entry here should be something about my methodology, since practitioners are often well-defined by how they practice. Musing on that, I realized it’s not a trivial topic for me - my methods are the result of a journey that started when I realized that I disagreed with some ‘standard’ practices in demonology.

I’m going to be frank - mages are assholes, and they’re taught to be assholes. Sometimes it’s to gain power, sometimes it’s for protection, and usually it’s a combination of both. If you’re working with Goetia (of course you’re working with Goetia, it’s the yellow pages of the demonology world), then the main manual of study is the Lesser Key of Solomon, usually paired with the Greater Key for greater wallop. Both books are framed around the idea of making demons your slaves, and it’s emphasized that they deserve it and it’s their place. Reading either’s ritual directions for more than a few pages is like being bludgeoned repeatedly with a stone Bible. It’s a pain, a waste of time, and it involves an instrument that’s probably useless and belongs in a museum.

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[thegodthief]

HI! are there any tarot decks that you recommend? and what are some of your favorite decks? Thank you for answering and I hope you have a good rest of your day.

Recommend: One that you would not mind looking at for extended periods of time. Seriously. I once had the Hanson-Roberts mini (came as part of a Tarot To Go book/deck set). Certain cards just hit that Nope Valley for me, and the Lovers card squicked me out so much I gladly paid the postage to get the deck far away from me. There are so many different themes, sizes, and sets of symbolisms out there that I really can not in good conscious point to any particular one and say “Start Here”. That includes the Rider-Waite-Smith (RWS) deck and all its recolorings. The Universal Waite was my first one because I thought I should start with a “traditional” deck, but it wasn’t until after I had a few other decks in steady use that I was able to go back and connect with the UW.

Don’t discount “novelty” decks as your learning deck. If it makes sense to you, then it’s not a novelty. If the imagery resonates with you, then it’s not a novelty. The tarot deck you get is your language partner. At first, it’s going to be numbers, alphabet, and colors. And that’s okay. The more you converse, the more you’ll pick up the language, and the more the nuances of the deck will open up to you.

Having said that, if your personal path has you leaning towards (or against) certain decks, then by all means, follow that lead!

Favorite Decks: Um… What day is it? ~laughs~ It’s like picking a favorite offspring. They all have their strengths and weaknesses. Which one I pick depends on the chore I’m assigning.

Favorite deck to read for strangers that are not familiar with tarot: The Legacy of the Divine. The Devil is not diabolical nor menacing to the viewer as the character is facing off to the side. Death is not threatening nor up close to the viewer. The rest of the deck is visually stunning and the flow of characters makes it easy to make a narrative of the spread.

Favorite deck to read for strangers that are familiar with tarot: The Universal Waite. It’s “iconic”, “ubiquitous”, and “safe”. (It annoys me for the same reasons.) It’s also the deck the querent’s aunt, grandmother, favorite cousin, close family friend, etc, would have been likely to have. The trouble comes when that safe and well-known deck delivers undesired information. But that’s a different rant.

If I was stuck in a remote location for an extended length of time and only had one deck with me, I’d be shit out of luck probably ignore the deck completely and get with some geomancy instead.

I have the Bosch because the imagery is a very good reflection of my dreams and I was looking for a deck that defied notions of Good, Pleasant, and Wholesome while also defying mainstream symbolism. I have the Fey because a dream led me to get it I needed a visual trigger that could successfully get around my tendency to overanalyze things. I have the Thoth because I once fancied myself becoming a Thelemite, and while I realized that would have been a bad fit, I must concede that Crowley’s background work combined with Lady Harris’ images makes for a powerful reading and working deck. I have the Universal Waite because I thought that was what all tarot readers start off with. I kept it because after chewing through Crowley and his book, his history with the Golden Dawn, his contention with Waite, and all the god damn blinds stilted language in Waite’s book, I was able to return to the Universal Waite with a little more understanding about the imagery than before. I have the Convos because I realized sometimes the imagery on the cards was more hindrance than help. I have the Legacy of the Divine because I was looking for a deck that connected with the heart and after seeing that deck’s Three of Swords in person I bought the deck on the spot. And I have the Dollar Tree Tarot because it was a joke purchase that got the laugh on me. Incomplete minors with complete majors gave me a Majors only deck that has been kicking ass and taking names since I started using it to read on Three More Cards.

To make things confusing, I have three versions of Waite’s deck; a standard, a mini, and the tiny. I have two versions of the Thoth; a standard that I have trimmed the borders off of, and a pocket that has survived intact thus far.

So… it’s a bit hard to point at one and say it is greater than the others. It really does depend on what mood you catch me in and why I would need to throw cards in the first place. I suppose I can say with a straight face and an honest heart that my favorite deck is whichever one I am shuffling at the time.

If you’re read this far, congratulations! You might survive me and my word count just yet. To celebrate, I’m going to point you over to someone far more knowledgeable about tarot decks that I am, and much more friendly as well (as long as you’re not being an ass, a troll, or a trollish ass). Click this sentence for tarot fairy cooties.

[merkavahpartyvan]

Wards and Ward Accessories

contributed by Tif

Yesterday Da’at touched on the first steps to finding a demon to work with as the first step to building a posse (because dude, who doesn’t want a posse (ok maybe some folk but this series will still be useful if you plan on being magically monogamous)). Part of that touched on wards, which was apparently left to me because I kind of have a fetish for practical wards. It’s like knitting for the magically inclined, and a fun way to play technomage and get logic all up in your woowoo[1]. … Kind of. Anyway. WARDS.

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[paganhelpline]

Anonymous asked: “How does one even begin to attempt to connect with their god and goddess? Meditation first? Any tips on some one with an absolute 0 of experience on meditation? I am open to most things, but I have had no spiritual influence until recently, Cernunnos and Gaea are who I feel closest to at this point, yet I have not closed out other gods.. anyways, meditation tips for beginners?”

Meditation tips:

Make a routine out of it. Like morning coffee or afternoon tea.

Some days the cranium is just too packed with thoughts to completely settle down. Don’t give up. Meditation is a skill that is developed over time. Acknowledge the noise, slide it away, and continue.

All things in moderation, including moderation.

Some folks segue into meditation by first learning how to bring their physical noise level down. Fidgetters can use a string of beads to keep their hands busy. Folks with back problems can lay down instead of sitting unsupported. Find what works for you and go from there.

Start with a five minute block of time, and increase as you are ready.

Some folks use music or spoken word as a backdrop. Some folks need absolute quiet.

Worrying about meditation will only make it more difficult. No one is keeping score. No one will do it the same way. Find what works for you and build from there.

Meditation is one of many tools that folks use to contact divinity. It’s not a required skill. It is popular because no tools are required to meditate. You don’t need an altar, an offering, special clothes, brass monkey, etc. to meditate. You just need yourself, and the desire to spend quiet time with yourself. Done.

Because you are quite new to meditation, we advise you not use meditation as a deliberate means of connecting with your deities of choice. Before you can connect to those without your head, you need to learn the landscape within your head. Do this, and you’ll be able to discern the difference between your divinities showing you ideas and concepts, and your ego trying to justify that $250 hand carved altar set.

To connect with your deities of choice, we recommend you learn as much as possible about them. This will require discernment as well, since the Internet has a high amount of bullshit noise floating about. But as you learn more of them, you’ll begin to be able to separate the fanfic, from individual’s UPG, from accepted lore, from those aspects and stories that resonate with you.

Homework. You have it.

As you read and study, you’ll find certain deities prefer certain styles of communication. Maybe one is traditionally contacted by scrying into a black mirror. One prefers scrying by fire. Divination (and not just by tarot or runes) is practiced by many. Again, it comes down to what feels right to you, and what your preferred deities’ use.

We do not have personal knowledge or interaction with Cernunnos or Gaea, and as such, we are ill-equipped to advise you how to address those to divinities directly.

Do not be disheartened, as this provides a wonderful opportunity for you.

You have the opportunity to establish a personal connection without interference by other folk. Think of it like falling in love. Right now, you’re infatuated by them. You think of them all the time. You worry you’ll say the wrong thing or inadvertently insult them. You want to get everything right, but know you won’t and are terrified of that moment.

Don’t be.

Slowly, get to know them. Learn how to listen. They’ll nudge you in the right directions until you learn how to hear them clearer. If they ask something of you and you can’t do it, tell them. They’ll understand.

Little by little the relationship deepens until one day you wake up and realize they are as close to you as your heart.

That kind of relationship takes time. You’ll fumble along the way. Don’t be disheartened.

And remember, it starts with “Hello.”.

Enjoy your path.

[spiritscraft-deactivated2025031]

Accumulating Witch Stuff on a budget

First off, when you see witches like myself that have tons of fabulous witch stuff, do understand we didn’t get it all the week we discovered paganism or witchcraft. We have been putting our collections together for years. It is not a game of catch up. If you are just starting out, you don’t need to blow several hundred on supplies. There is a huge advantage to gathering things slowly. In that you will have ample time to become familiar with each object and its inlying spirit.

Wanting some special new supplies isn’t all bad either. When I decided I wanted to do this witch thing innowen tried to dissuade me from buying a mortar and pestle when a bowl and spoon would do. I would not be dissuaded and I bought one from a new age store. Now of course the thing was crap and bits of black enamel broke off in my herbs. But I did learn that I loved grinding herbs in it and I was able to decide what type of mortar and pestle I wanted next and ask for it for yule.

But onto the point. Where does all this stuff come from? How do you get plugged in and develop a great collection?

1) Befriend other witches and pagans, even if they practice way different than you. I can’t say this enough. A good deal of my witchy things were gifts or trades with other witches, pagans and new agers from in person and online. Its easy to get snobby and not want to hang out with the love and light types or to abhor folks who are a bit darker than you on principal. But interactions with others an be your greatest teacher about who you are and aren’t. And most pagan types who have been doing it longer than you have an old tarot deck and a few beginner books they need to rehome anyways. You’ll pay it forward someday.

2) Thrift shop. Don’t go in with anything in mind. Just look for witchy pagan stuff in the isles of the local charity shop. Usually something jumps out at me. Whether it a wall hanging of a pudgy kid with grapes for a bachanal type altar. A candle holder or even a few grab bags of cotton yarn for making charms, something will probably be manipulated for witchcraft and it might only cost a few dollars. I am amazed at what some casual thrifting has turned up for me. Old perfume bottles shaped like hummingbirds? Witchcraft!

3) Mention general stuff you are looking for to thrift gifty friends. Hey thrifty friend, let me know if you see and antlers out thrifting-garage saleing so I can come snap it up. Chances are you friend will delight in surprising you with gifts of their finds. Return the favor and you are golden. My brother is always turning up with loch ness monster themed things for me. I adore him, and the resulting collection.

4) Nature and natury friends. Learn your local trees and stop the car, bike or get of the bus now and then when you see something. This time of year my eyes are peeled for rowan trees and there bright orange red berries. I will take off a sock or my hat to fill up with them and a few branches to take home and make rowan on red thread charms. Get other nature inclined friends to scope out spots for you. Some might even pick up bones and antlers for you. Who knows?

5) Join in on swaps online. After you’ve bought a few things, gotten some gifts, picked up outside, you will someday have extra. Join swaps. Offer whatever you can and take near anything thats offered in exchange. If you don’t like it, gift it to another friend or offer it in an unrelated swap another time.

6) Check your house. I’ve a wand and a few favorite cute witch storybooks from childhood. A nice illustrated Wizard of Oz is a witch treasure! My dad had a cast iron pan in our camping gear. My mom has Irish themed cook books and gardening guides. We even had a few random greek myth books and something on ghosts of Ireland.

7) Halloween clearance sales. The cool stuff I have picked up the day after hallowen at craft and costume stores at 75% off is phenomenal. Always get your black candles this time of year, otherwise they are hard to find.

8) Save money aside for special purchases. Then stalk etsy, ebay and various other websites for just the thing.

9) Ask at holidays for specific things you could witchify. A perfume making kit, playing cards, fairytale books, blank leatherbound journal or sketchbook, nature guides, and etc. You don’t havevto tell your grandma you are a witch to adk her for a rock collection for your birthday.

10) Be observant, patient, give it time, and be giving to other giving people. You will have too much stuff before you know it.

[ioqayin-personal]

A Witch's Bottle

Traditionally, a witch’s bottle was an apotropaic charm against witchcraft, and specifically to kill the witch that had cursed the maker. Now a witch’s bottle can be used for just about anything: healing, protection, love, cursing; you name it, it can be made. 

So here is my method for making a protective witch’s bottle. 

The idea behind this little charm is that it acts as a doppelganger  The curse, or negative spirit will go to this first (because it’s in the front of your house) rather than you, and will be ripped to shreds by the contents therein. 

You will need:

A bottle (better that it be narrow necked, but it is not necessary)  Your Urine (oh yes) A chunk of your hair A few drops of blood Needles and Pins (needles and Pins, needles and pins)  Shards of Mirrors Basically as many pointy objects as you can find, I like using thorns from trees Tangles of thread Any herbs that you associate with protection (rowan, sage, blackthorn, pine, clove, et cetera) 

Prepare your space in whichever way that you prefer. Burn an incense of protection, if you so desire. Do whatever you need to make yourself comfortable. 

Then add the pins (I like to bend them, but that’s my preference), the needles, the shards, the tangles of thread, et cetera. Perhaps say a little rune over them, such as:

"I bless these pins, as the Holy Mother blesses them, against the eye, against malice, against all dread and dreadful ones. I bless these pins against the horror that is hateful to all, and against any evil that enters this home. KA!" 

Or something like that. 

Liven the spirits of the herbs, or just put them in there. Whatever you want. 

Then put in the parts of yourself: the urine, the blood, the hair. Say over the bottle as you do so:

"I name you Decoy. Become a front against malicious ways, against dark spirits, against horrors, against evils. Within you shall evil become trapped. Scratch and stab, confuse and crack, burn and break, and send those chickens back to their roosts! KA!" 

Charge the bottle with this intent in whatever way that you do so. 

And then bury it either at your hearth, or below the front stair, or in some lonely place…like a graveyard, or a churchyard path. 

[borgia-bastard-deactivated20131]

Creating Your Own Path

Note: This was a part of my coursebook, but oh well. The khalessar can have it early. 

Before they even pick up a book of spells, there is one thing that I stress to each and every one of my students: No two witches are alike, and no two paths are identical. Every book you pick up is going to be different, because every witch behind a computer is different, and every book on the shelves is out to teach you how to practice witchcraft one way. That one ways is what publishers look for and it’s what they sell.

My advice to you is not to waste your time trying to emulate someone else. Don’t go into witchcraft wanting to be like every other witch who writes a book or keeps a blog. Don’t go into it wanting to become a witch. Don’t change yourself to fit the image of a witch. Go into witchcraft ready to build a craft around you. Change your image of witchcraft to fit what you already are/what you want to be.

With that in mind, let’s talk about a few different varieties of witchcraft, as well as some good ways to find a craft for you (or build one from scratch).

Some—But Definitely Not All—Types of Witches

Cottage Witch – This is one of the ‘Hearth & Home’ variety witches that focus mainly on the ‘home’ part of home life. A cottage witch’s practice may revolve around their family, and keeping the home safe and happy. Many (but not all) cottage witches work with property spirits or the fae.

Kitchen Witch – Another ‘Hearth & Home’ variety witch. This witchcraft is one that focuses on the hearth part of hearth-&-home. A kitchen with may incorporate a Kitchen Goddess into their practice, and may work extensively with herbs and ritual food preparation.

Hearth Witch – A hearth witch is an extension of the ‘Hearth & Home’ category of witchcraft that seems to often combine kitchen and cottage witchcraft. It can tend toward focusing more in the ‘traditional’ side of the hearth-&-home and may include work with herbs, spirits, and fire.

Faery Witch – This type of witch will incorporate the fae and fae-work into their practice.

Urban Witch – This kind of witch is one that works well in a city setting. The supplies this witch uses may differ from the ‘traditional’ tools, replacing them with more easily accessible, store-bought things. (No need for bones here.)

Pop-Culture Witch – Pop-Culture witches use pop culture imagery in their craft. This may include the worship or veneration of celebrities, comic book characters, writers, etc.

Hedge Witch – A hedge witch is a witch who ‘crosses the hedge’. This typically involves trance-work, astral travel, and spirit work. It can but does not always incorporate elements of the hearth-&-home variety witchcrafts too.

Garden Witch – This type of witch incorporates gardening, herbs, and plants as a part of their craft. They may practice herbalism or wortcunning, or use the growth of plants in their magic and spells.

  There are many, many different kinds of witches and types of witchcraft. This list is by no means all-inclusive. I’ve stuck it in this post just to give you an idea of the types of paths that are readily available to you, without having to start one on your own. All of the above types of witchcraft are considered open paths (ones that don’t require initiation and/or ties to specific communities) and can be mixed-and-matched to suit your needs.

Craft-Building

One of the most intimidating and possibly most fulfilling parts of witchcraft—in my humble opinion—is building a craft of your very own. In the witchcraft community, you will stumble across a number of witches who have created, pruned, and honed their craft to an art. Each one, like the ones I’ve listed above is unique and powerful. The elements in each witch’s personal craft are no less valid because they’ve been added to an individualistic, personalized brand of witchcraft.

If you’re interested in forming your own witchcraft (or even finding an already-made path that suits you), there are a few questions that will make it easier for you to start:

What do you already know about witchcraft?

What do you want to know about witchcraft?

Is your witchcraft centered around an image, ideal, or concept—for example, Fairy Tale Witchcraft?

Do you work with a particular element or power source more than others? This could be fire, water, air, earth, electricity, or anything else from which you can draw power.

Are you drawn to a particular animal, from which you believe you gain power?

Do you intend to work with spirits, fae, and/or gods?

Will you curse? (It’s not a trick question. I promise.)

Will your practice be urban, traditional, or some combination thereof?

Will your practice be based in your culture or heritage?

Will you take part in ancestor-work?

Will your practice be nature-centered?

Will you need tools or supplies? If so, which would you like to include?

Will you use ceremony and ritual?

After you’ve pondered these questions, take some time to make a list of things you know and would like to work into your craft, things you’d like to learn and would like to research for your craft, morals you want your craft to abide by, and anything else you might find useful in craft-building.

Cinder Witchery

Cinder Witchery is a brand of witchcraft that I built for myself—originally, I used the name Hearth Witchery, but there were a lot of other hearth witches and we didn’t agree on some things, so I changed the name.  It’s sort of a confluence of cottage witchcraft and hedge witchcraft. This work is dedicated to my home and family—protecting the home, strengthening the family, and sometimes cursing those that oppose us. I use deities from my family’s culture, ancestral energy, and spirits of our land as assistants. I spend a lot of time with nature, but I seek mostly to be in tune with the physical house. I incorporate family heirlooms or gifts from my family into my practice as tools and vessels. I play with fire every day. I talk to ghosts. I lay curses. I set up boundaries to protect my house. I get my hands dirty. I hunt. I gather. I grow things. I play with feathers and bones. I drum. I make messes. I honor the people before me. 

I know all of that sounds like your basic witch of the cottage variety, but it’s not. It’s the combination of honoring the hearth and halls and honoring the family that has gathered by the fire before that makes my practice my own. 

So, see? It’s not hard to build your own craft. It takes a lot of work and dedication…but it’s not difficult. And the rewards definitely outweigh the work you put into it. Having your own brand of witchcraft is like having your own home—a place where no one can tell you what to do. (Well, they can try; but it’s your house and you can kick them out.)

[thiscrookedcrown]

How to Keep the Energy of An Object While Altering Said Object

So, you’re awesome and scored a really cool Thing. I don’t know what the Thing is. Maybe it’s an awesome shirt or an antique clock or some shit. It’s a Thing. And cool. And has rockin’ energy (that we’re going to call AwesomeSauce for the purposes of this post) that you want to keep and use for your own Purposes (magic, witchcraft, ritual, just fucking because you can, whatever). But, it’s going to take time and the more time you spend on it the less it has that AwesomeSauce and more of your FabSelf.

(Yes, this is going to be the tone of the whole post. Roll with it.)

ANYWAY

So you’ve hauled out your BAMF tools and you’re ready to go to town but at the same time you have the Fear. What if your ruin it? What if you destroy the spirit or energy or AwesomeSauce it has? What the fuck will you do then?

Here’s how you do it, Crown style.

Get yourself a base. For my base, I use a sewing cutting board (it’s big, rubbery plastic, and has measuring lines. Perfect, really). You could use cardboard, chalkboard, blanket, whatever. Using whatever badassery practice you have, set it up to reflect shit back or away. (If you didn’t level up your reflectors then put a shiny object face down on the board. Mirrors are ideal but you know what? Shine up the screen of your touch-screen phone and use that. What? It reflects. Use what you’ve got.)

Doodle time! Doodle protective symbols, sigils, what-the-fuck-ever you’ve got on the base. I use chalk. I doodle on the corners on Special Sigil o’ Power. Shit, you can use a cross or a pentacle or pentagram if it serves your Purposes. Do what you do. Then draw a big, stinking circle in the center. Make the circle big enough to work in.

Get yourself a dampening item. For me, I use sea salt. If you can’t use salt (who wants salt on their clocks?) you can swap it out for a bag of clary sage, rosemary, or volcanic rock. You could also spritz salt water or infused herbal water on that shit, but I don’t recommend it on something that might be damaged by water. Y’know. Electronics and antiques and what-not.You don’t have to use my recommendations. Whatever you’ve got that feels “muffling” works. You could also use another reflective surface here, if you prefer. Either works just fine. Now plop that dampening item over the Thing (except for the area you’re working on because obviously, you’re doing shit there). Move the dampening item around to accommodate your work.

Take breaks often. For real. If the Thing has AwesomeSauce powers and it’s messing with your shit, take a break. Have a drink of water. Keep carbs on hand to ground yourself (or whatever grounds you). Keep sugars on hand to give yourself energy (or whatever gives you energy.) For me, I have either crackers, bread, rice, or pasta for grounding. For energy I eat fruit slices and drink fruit juice. I also keep around mild pain killers in case I get a headache from the energy battling one another, like an epic, invisible Pokemon battle.

If you’re taking parts off or out of the Thing while working on it, put it in a bag to keep the energy in. I usually wrap the Thing in a white cloth for a few days before working on it so the cloth feels like the Thing. That way the removed parts feel warm and safe.

Do whatever you’re going to do to the Thing. If it’s going to take a few days, remember to pack it up each time you’re done. This will help keep it from melding in ways you don’t want it to.

REMEMBER! If you’re an animist and believe the Thing has a spirit, soul, whatever. Remember to ask permission and check every so often to see if the spirit, soul, whatever is OK. Don’t be a dick.

OK, cool. So what the fuck use is this shit?

This is great for if you’re doing a favor for a bro and making them something and they provided the materials. Also useful for altering family heirlooms for your Purposes. It’s pretty useful all things considering. I use this technique when repairing old-ass library books I’ve found that need bookbinding but the library can’t afford to fix ‘em. The library gets a repaired book and I don’t have my energy from the time I’ve spent on it floating around for anybody with a library card to snag and possibly use against me.

Uh, WTF? Why don’t you just not put energy into the Thing?

Well, there’s two reasons. IMO after a while things begin to gather energy from around them to mesh better with their environment. Another thing to note is some people just radiate energy. Sometimes they can dampening it and sometimes they can’t for Reasons. Shit like that happens so this is a technique to help folks who can’t hide their energy. Also super useful for newbies who wants to do a cool thing but aren’t sure how not to muck it up.

Now go, fly. Create and alter Things and cool shit!