(aka easy witchcraft that uses things you may already have around)!
Yesterday I asked the Tarot what topic could I work on for you this week and the answer was to focus on tips and help for beginner witches.
I've been a witch for close to a year now, which may not seem a lot, but looking back I've realized how much progress and growth I had, which means that I should totally be able to give you a bit of support!
Hence today's topic: 10 Things You Can Do As A Baby Witch (aka easy witchcraft that uses things you may already have around)!
All of these 10 things are things that I have done before - some I do regularly, some when it's needed, some when I feel like it!
p.s. I am a full time witch & tarot/past lives reader, so if you want to support my work you can leave a tip here! And of course you're always welcome to DM me for a reading!
carry a crystal: easy, totally hideable if you're in the broom closet and you can totally start from crystals you already have! There's a lot of resources about the meanings of crystals, but I'm also planning on making a post too! Some meanings to start: rose crystal for love, self love and self kindness; selenite to be helped not get trapped in "low" energies; amethyst for peace and serenity
one tarot card pull: if you already have a deck - or if you want to get one - then know that using tarot doesn't need to involve loooooots of cards and time. It can, of course, but a single card pull at the beginning of a day or about a specific question you want to ask is as valid!
cinnamon in coffee/apple for abundance: cinnamon has many meanings, but the very first one I learned was abundance, hence the habit of focusing on the intention of abundance when I add it to my coffee, to a baked apple or to anything else!
hang holly at home: it feels even more seasonal in winter, but to be honest I've had mine since the end of summer. Holly, both with its pointy leaves and with its bright red berries, helps keep evil and malevolent spirits away. Pay attention though if you have pets: holly berries are poisonus for them!
energy bubble: nothing is needed beside visualisation for this one. Before going out, or in any case you feel the need to protect your energy, visualize a white light ball around you, a bubble that protects you from energies that come from other people and the world in general (I find it very useful when I need to go to crowded places like fairs or public transport!)
sigil or rune scribbled on you: I do this mostly for protection and protection of my energy, but of course you can create a sigil for the energy you want to have in your day and then write it on you! I've been a scribbler-on-hands since forever, so this came pretty natural to me! If you are not into sigil creation yet, then you can totally use the rune Algiz for protection!
cleanse your home/space: hopefully you already know, but it's worth to be repeated anyway: no white sage and no palo santo. They are herbs that belong to closed practices, so it's very disrespectful to use them if you don't belong to the cultural group, especially because the alternatives are almost endless! You can simply use kitchen sage, but my absolute favorite (both because I have a plant in the garden, aka free access and because of its cleansing meanings) is rosemary! Get a bundle of rosemary, let it dry, then use it to smoke cleanse your space
light a candle of a specific color: each candle color, each color in general, has a meaning (also a post about it will be incoming!), so a simple witch practice is to light up a candle whose color represent the energy you aim to attract. Examples are blue for relaxation but also mind, green for growth and connection with nature, yellow for energy and joy. If you don't have a specific color, white can substitute all of them!
wear clothes of a specific color: exactly the same process as using a candle, but instead of lighting a candle you wear clothes of a specific color! I did this also to celebrate Sabbats, wearing the colors linked to the celebration!
wear nail polish of a specific color: again, the same process, but for nail polish colors! Especially if you usually wear nail polish, it's a very hideable witchcraft practice!
There are many more of course, this is just a selection that I think could be useful! If you have other beginner friendly practices that you want to share, please do!!
Dear Open Journal: Reiki & Protection Magic at Work
Story:
I work as a Nurse Practitioner and today one of my patient’s who had recently had another stroke was actively dying. She was having a worsening time breathing, she was anxious, she was pointing at the walls and saying she was seeing other people than the nurses and “demon things” in her room. She was in pain. I was mortified. We had nothing available to give her at that time for the pain or anxiety that I could legally prescribe in this state. The nurse aide’s came to me in a tizzy all upset and anxious because their patient was upset and anxious. They have good hearts. I went straight to the patient’s side while the nurse phoned the doctor and, as subtly as possible, set up a protection barrier bubble around the patient’s bed and funneled Reiki into the shield bubble and into the patient until her whole bed was filled with Reiki energy. Just as I got finished I was called to another patient’s room but 5 minutes later, before the order for pain meds had even been faxed by the physician, the nurse aides came to me saying “What what did you end up giving her? Because the patient is awake and calm and denying any pain at all. She is breathing so comfortably. Do we even need the doctors order?” To which I responded “HECK YES! We need the order.” She is still actively dying, as we all will one day, she is just doing so, now, with dignity and comfort instead of in anxiety and pain. I’d call this a win. We obtained the physicians orders and as soon as she got a dose of medication I took down my shield bubble. She was resting comfortably and awake when I left.
Thoughts:
1. I couldn’t tell them that I wouldn’t be able to hold up that bubble forever because how could I, a western medical practitioner, explain that energy work had helped their patient without drawing a lot of questions from my bosses and possibly getting fired?
2. I’m so glad she wasn’t experiencing hallucinations (or seeing actually energy creatures, I’m not certain) or pain anymore. I am so relieved it worked. Thank you @crystalwitch-in-the-tardis for being my Reiki Master.
3. So I had a brief self-doubt period about what I did due to ethics. The patient was not oriented, didn’t even know who she was, so she was not able to give consent for energy work to be done on her. However, she had given the facility at which I work the consent to treat her physical, mental and spiritual well being. She was also not in the position to give consent for anything as it was an emergency and she was in active emotional and psychological distress. After conferring with my protection mentor, Guardian Stormcatcher, we determined that a practitioner of healing and protection should do what they need to do without hesitation in the case of an emergency.
What a day. This is the first time I’ve utilized magic on someone else in the workplace. I’m glad it helped.
There's a meditation in which one imagines all the good feelings, hopes, dreams, desires, loves, gratitudes as a gleaming ball of light, held in the open hands. The envisioning has the person pulling energy in from the universe, BIG universe, infinitely ready to offer up as much as we ask; more radiance, and even more. You might try it right now, it only takes a moment.
The light pours in as you sit with this brilliant energy bubble, building in intensity as the universe conspires with you. Just be with it, let the vibration of your joy become familiar.
After you do this a few times, when you have a decision, a choice, can you pause for a moment and get a sense of which option buzzes in the way that feels more like your own personal bubble of light?
maybe you'll even know right away without thinking about it
Love,
Nancy
