#a spell

[bliksemflitsenblog]

🪄⭐️🍀

[indulgence-be-thy-name]

Okay, universe:

I do literally nothing for myself and I have had weekly, guilt-ridden panic attacks about spending the money that has already been spent to see Joe and Grace this weekend in Philly.

Of course I will still be happy to see my sweet Chrissy bean, but I would REALLY REALLY love it if a certain Bambi-eyed bitch would also be there to round out the trip.

Please? Pretty please? I can't have guilt-heaved this many times for nothing, okay?

[chloeewtd]

[peculiary]

Defenders #94 April 10, 1981

[kalashtars]

The Book of the Damned? I haven't heard that one in centuries.....

[cyn-00]

is there like a,,,,medicine to fight writer's block

[clgamble]

Cut The Ties

The latest in my once-every-couple-of-months witchcraft spell things.

So, I've been finding ribbons for the last few years. I wondered if they were from a deity in particular, but I couldn't figure out a connection. Clootie trees and wishing trees and so on, you tie ribbons on to manifest a wish or leave a marker for your intent in a special place (tip: don't do this. It's bad for trees. There are too many chemicals and manmade fibres in most ribbons and it's not cool and it will mess with nature so... yeah just don't) but that is about something you want to stay with you, whereas my ribbons never had that feel. A lot of them were sad, soggy rained on ribbons in the gutter. That kind of thing.

So, I realised after amassing quite a LOT of these things that they were binding me, keeping me trapped and I had to cut the cords of negativity, but it had to be mental. I had to find a way to use them to stop ...tying myself in knots. Can you see where this is going!?

If you are plagued by intrusive thoughts though, this is NOT a replacement for therapy or medication. Trust me. I'm currently doing both of those too.

If you don't have ribbons thrown into your path, it's ok to choose one with symbolism for what you want to rid yourself of. Natural materials, picked out to reflect what you want to invite in - silk for hard work, cotton for warmth & sunshine, whatever resonates. Same with colours which can be chosen going either way - black to rid yourself of grief, or pink to replace sadness with love, you do you! Thrift stores are great places if they have a haberdashery or odds & ends section.

Now the magic part. I have been carrying trauma with me & I spent a weekend carrying a whole pocketfull of ribbons around. My suggestion would be to carry them on you for 3 days, 5 days or 9 days in the lead up to a new moon. Every time you say something about the thing you want to be cleansed of, or remember / think of it intensely, take the ribbon(s) out and tie a knot. Visualise the memory, the conscious recollection of it, going into the knot. Visualise that knot becoming the memory, bind it to the physical ribbon. Think of the moon, as it wanes, these things have less and less power over you. It might not be the most pleasant experience to carry them around with you, but the end is in sight!

On the day of the new moon, as the sun starts to set / in the darkness, you take that ribbon and you talk to it. Light a candle or a fire, ideally outside (if you're indoors make sure your windows are open and the smoke can all dissipate, and cleanse the space with incense immediately afterwards).

Tell it you've transferred these thoughts into it, and you're sick of them hanging around. Tell it that you're stopping this. Run it through your hands and feel the bumps where it should be smooth, feel the way those tangles impede the ribbon's path. Weave it in and out of your fingers, letting your mind wander to whichever of the knots you remember tying strongest, take your time, but when you're ready, burn it. I was lucky and had an open fire in a stove so the smoke was carried away and I didn't have to do much to burn it - you might need a pair of tweezers if you're using a candle! Optionally you can sweep yourself with an athame, penknife or a spritz of salt water afterwards.

And... you're pretty much done. Thank/appreciate the fire & feel it's warmth on your hands, let it release you, burn away what doesn't serve you well and leave you reborn. Congrats, you're now Daenerys Targaryen 😂

As the new moon grows and waxes, new thoughts can fill the space. If you feel you want to, spend some time looking at the moon and name a couple of things you're thankful for, even if it's just "I like my hair" or "The bus came on time". Any positive thoughts to fill the space that's vacant.

As with all the things I come up with, I'm not going to be overly prescriptive and say you need X colour ribbon or Y form of fire... you could even use string if it calls to you & feels right!

The knots are the main thing, and that you build up a habit of tying them whenever you have that negativity try and get your attention. I got bored of it pretty soon, and found it easier and easier to just go "ugh, FINE brain, have a knot, now what was I doing?"