#dihw tips

[dabblinginhippiewitchery]

Reminder for the Medicated Witch

Your meds are magic. They restore your body and mind. It’s ok to not be 100% “natural” because at the end of the day, everything is made up of the same elements.

I personally make taking my meds into a ritual. I drink tea, I meditate, and I feel the magic that balances the chemicals in my brain.

Your meds are magic, and so are you.

[dabblinginhippiewitchery]

Witching Safely

So I’ve seen a bunch of wonderful safety precautions for witchcraft being passed around lately and it makes my little heart burst with joy. So today I’m going to add things that I haven’t seen in this posts, as well as re-hash some of the ones I have seen.

Essential Oils

🦇 Most essential oils should not be ingested. Just because it’s natural does not mean it’s safe. Essential oils are highly concentrated, meaning it’s pretty easy for you to invest harmful qualities by accident. NEVER ingest an essential oil unless it is specifically certified as food grade oil and has scientific research verifying its safety. ONLY ACCEPT REPUTABLE SOURCES. I don’t care if your friend swears that they’ve been doing it for months and it’s safe. If there’s not medical research saying go ahead, don’t do it.

🦇 Most essential oils need to be diluted with carrier oils. Very few essential oils are safe to just put straight on your skin. Learn what dilution ratios are recommended for each oil and follow them religiously. When in doubt, dilute it. It will keep you safe and make your oils last longer. It’s really a win-win situation.

🦇 Be cautious of using essential oils in the sun. Some oils react badly with heat or sunlight. And oils can also cause you to burn quicker (think tanning oil). When in doubt, just wait until you’re indoors or make sure the oil is covered or cool.

🦇 Always do a spot check with any new essential oil to make sure you won’t have negative reactions to it. Gently put a small amount of diluted oil on the back of your hand and wait 2 hours before puting the oil anywhere else. Hives and rashes are not fun.

Herbs

🦇 Medication and herbs do not always mix. If you take any medication, you must ask your doctor before treating yourself with herbs. Again, natural does not always mean harmless. And some medications and herbs don’t play nice. For example, St. John’s Wort can make birth control fail. Always ask your doctor how to safely utilize medicine and herbs to their full potential.

🦇 Do not ingest herbs unless they are food grade. Some herbs and flowers you buy are only meant for potpourri or bath items, and are not safe to consume. Only eat food grade flowers or herbs specifically made for tea and baking.

🦇 Do not ingest fresh herbs unless you know for a fact that they are safe to eat. You don’t know whether or not people spray their yard with pesticides. So if you are gathering wild herbs and aren’t sure if they’re organic or safe then do not consume them. And if you don’t know if it’s edible or what kind of herb it is, don’t eat it. Only consume herbs your grow yourself or know for certain can be safely consumed.

🦇 Properly store herbs you plan on ingesting. I’m all for aesthetic in the form of cool bottles and jars, but save them for herbs you aren’t ingesting unless they’re air tight. Herbs needs to be well sealed for freshness and sanitary reasons.

🦇 Do not mix food grade herbs and magic herbs. You will probably forget which ones are safe. I keep all food herbs in my kitchen, and get some for spells as needed. All my herbs just for magic are kept in the shelves on my alter. It’s just safer for you to not get confused about whether or not you can safely ingest stuff.

Crystals

🦇 Don’t drink crystal water. Not all crystals are safe to put in water. Some of them can make the water toxic, and some crystals will actually get ruined if you leave them in water. Always research before mixing crystals with water and never drink crystal water unless you have have scientific proof that it is safe.

Plants

🦇 Don’t pick any flowers, mushrooms, herbs, or plants unless you know they won’t harm you. Some plants are poisonous and can harm your skin.

🦇 Check for bugs before harvesting flowers or herbs. Some spiders really like flowers too.

🦇 Don’t bury glass jars in your garden. Not only is this bad for Mother Earth, but you could potentially cut yourself when the jar breaks because of roots or because your forgot about it and broke it while digging. Bury safe and biodegradable things only.

Bones

🦇 Bleach and clean any bones or skulls you find. I’m not an expert on how to properly do this, but please don’t just bring bones inside. You could make yourself sick or attract nasty bugs if you aren’t careful.

Blood Magic

(It’s worth mentioning that I personally do not condone blood magic, but I care about your safety.)

🦇 Always sanitize any tools you use beforehand. Use alcohol or hydrogen peroxide. Don’t substitute vodka or just use fire to heat the blade. If you don’t have the means to properly sanitize the blade, don’t do it.

🦇 Do a lot of medical research before hand. If you aren’t careful you could lose a lot of blood or cause nerve damage.

🦇Stay up to date on your tetanus shot. This is something you should do regardless, but it’s an especially good idea for blood magic users.

🦇Only use sharp instruments that can be easily cleaned like metal or glass. Wood can leave splinters or have bacteria trapped in the grains. Plastic can also harbor bacteria in the porous surface, particular if there are scratches.

🦇 Do not use dull knives. It makes the wounds take longer to heal. It also makes you more likely to cut deeper than you mean to.

🦇 Clean all wounds no matter how small and properly care for them every day until it’s healed.

Fire 🦇 Never leave flames unattended. All candles and incense must be put out before you leave the house. Snuff, blow out, dip your incense stick in water, whatever. But make sure the flame is out and wait for it to stop smoking to ensure all embers are dead.

Legal Issues

🦇 Do not trespass for any reasons. Do not take flowers from someone’s yard. That’s trespassing and theft. Don’t jump fences to gather anything. Again, that’s trespassing.

🦇 Don’t take flowers from botanical gardens or touristy locations. Not only is this rude, but it can be illegal depending on where you’re at. Fun fact: taking flowers from Arlington Cemetery is technically a federal offense. So don’t do it.

If you have any other safety tips, please add them to this. Safe witchcraft is important, and it’s good knowledge to share.