Hey everyone, it’s Turlough. Welcome to episode 2 of Witchy 101! Today I’m going to talk about the necessities for a starter witch. Many of these items you likely have in your own home, especially if you’ve collected stones and crystals.
The most commonly used items in witchcraft are candles. Different colors of candles will be lit for different things- for example, you would use a green candle for luck, opposed to a pink candle. But don’t worry! You don’t have to go out and buy a candle for every color of the rainbow. White candles can be substituted for any color during practice, though I do recommend you have around three (some rituals/spells need more than one candle).
Crystals are another essential in witchcraft. Different types of crystals hold different energy and are used for many different things. Most witches (including myself) use crystals in the majority of spells. You’re likely to find them in more complex spells, as well. Now; please don’t go out and buy 30 different types of crystals! They can be pretty expensive. Instead, get yourself the basics; clear quartz, amethyst, green aventurine, tiger eye, and rose quartz. You can find these on amazon. However, if you can’t purchase multiple crystals, buy a few clear quartz stones. Clear quartz can be used in place of most any crystal.
If you want to be a kitchen witch, you’ll want many herbs. However, many spells need herbs, as well as prosperity or abundance jars. Herbs are super important! Again, different herbs are used for different reasons, and some have medicinal qualities. The basic herbs I recommend are sage, rosemary, lavendar, yarrow, bay leaves, and mugwart. Most grocery stores have fresh and packaged herbs. You can also grow your own! A necessary herb is rosemary, as it’s very versatile and can be used in place of any herb in a spell.
A grimoire, as I’ll be calling it, is a notebook/record where a witch or Wiccan keeps all of their magickal knowledge. It’s where spells are written down, various results are kept, etc. Note that your grimoire doesn’t have to be a fantasy-looking, handmade, leather-bound book. It can if you’d like it, but those can be fairly expensive. For starters, I’d recommend writing down the moon phases and their meanings, crystals/candles and their meanings, and uses for herbs. You can also record different spells or chants you’ve tried, and then log the results afterward. This is also where you can keep track of your sigils, if you’d like. Personally, I keep a pocket-sized notebook for my sigils.
An altar is where a witch or Wiccan practices their magic and/or their beliefs. It is a very personal space, and some witches and Wiccans believe it should not be shown to others, or even photographed. This is up to you. An altar is where you keep your supplies, complete rituals, do spells, etc. You can burn sage (in a smudge stick) to cleanse the area, or, you can use a white candle if that is more accessible to you. Altars hold a lot of energy, and are very magickal places. You don’t have to make your altar the typical “tumblr aesthetic”, but you can if you choose (I personally like to have it very pretty, as I spend a lot of time there). There are various videos on youtube, or pictures here on tumblr or pinterest where you can get your inspiration. Altars are pretty much necessary for a practicing witch. If you’re still in the broom closet, you can put your materials in a shoe box and use that. Or, you can use a shelf in your room and add a few books and other things to disguise it a bit more.
Epsom salts are often used in spells and prosperity jars. You can find epsom salt at the grocery store. Some stores even carry black epsom salt, which is sometimes also used. It’s less common than crystals or herbs, but good to have on hand.
Even if you aren’t a practicing Wiccan, many witches put out offerings on their altars. The offering is given to the universe (or a deity, if you worship one), in respect for it/them and to ask for something (often luck, prosperity, etc). An offering can be something like live flowers, a crystal, etc, but the most common offering is water. Here is a simple offering for prosperity, if you’d like to make it:
• Take ground cinnamon and rub it around the inside of a (very) small bowl. This often works best if the bowl is ceramic and slightly gritty. Cinnamon is often used for prosperity. Then, fill the bowl with water and rest on your altar.
Note: you can also use pure water for an offering.
Satchets are small, drawstring bags that are commonly used to store materials. You can use them to store your crystals if you’re still in the broom closet, or for dried bay leaves. They are typically nylon, though it’s not too hard to find velvet ones either. Tinted satchets can be used to store your jar of moonwater from the sun.
Moonwater is fairly self explanatory; water charged by moonlight. It is used for various things like anointing, an ingredient in spells, or helping grow herbs with a little bit of a boost. Try to make moonwater on one of the main moon phases, although the best time to make it is on the full moon. Here’s how to make moonwater:
1. Fill the jar with water. Set it on your windowsill where it will be hit by moonlight overnight (the more moonlight it gets, the better). Optional: add a cleansed moonstone to the water to help charge it.
2. Wake up before sunrise (typically before the sky starts to lighten too much), and move the moonwater into a dark area, like on a shelf, in a satchet, or in a box or drawer. If moonwater is hit with sunlight, it becomes tainted, in a way.
3. You can now use your moonwater. Just be careful it doesn’t hit direct sunlight!
Small jars are commonly used to store potions/spells of the like. You can also use them for prosperity/abundance jars. They’re also great for storing herbs and keeping them fresh! Many craft stores have small, fantasy-looking jars with corks. You can also use small mason jars- whatever works!
A mortar and pestle are a stone, ceramic, or marble set of bowl and grinding tool. It’s used commonly in baking, so you can likely find a mortar and pestle somewhere like Target! If you can’t buy a mortar and pestle, you can use a bowl and spoon. However, the weight of the pestle is very helpful for grinding herbs, and I’d recommend investing in one.
And that’s all! Feel free to add more in the notes if you’d like. I hope you all enjoyed today’s episode of Witchy 101, and I hope it was helpful! Note: it’s come to my attention that in my last post, I referred to Bhuddism as a religion with deities. My sincere apologies!
