Witch tip: Buy crystals from rockhounds, not metaphysical shops. A rockhound is a lot more likely to charge you a fair rate based on actual value as opposed to a markup.
Side note, it’s usually good to check the actual going rate of stones to know if you may be getting ripped off. There is an insane stock to meet the incredible high demand for crystals, so there are plenty for everyone out there. Don’t feel rushed or pressured to buy anything.
Also, it’s a red flag if your provider doesn’t know where the crystals they’re selling were sourced. Same for most things one could find at a metaphysical shop, but the intense demand for crystals has created a pretty horrific market that relies on slave labor fairly often. The modern crystal market has been referred to as the new blood diamond trade for a reason!
Let’s all aim to be a bit more ethical with our consumption when we can, and acknowledge that having any kind of a collection is a privilege that we need to take some accountability for.
*gently grabs Witchblr by the shoulders* It is okay for some things to not be perfect substitutes for other things. It is okay for there to be parts of something that you simply can't substitute out. It's okay for things to be hyperspecific. Drink some water.
Okay, my fake sockcourse post has too many genuine reblogs on it, so here are some actual spirit work/cemetery-related superstitions I have and practices I do:
I never go anywhere without a head covering. I generally consider it veiling, though I'm usually in either a beanie or a baseball cap. It keeps a no-effort barrier up to keep me from hearing spirits when I don't want to be hearing them.
Anytime I visit a new cemetery, I bring a variety of options for offerings to leave at the gate: coins, bird seed, peanuts, handwritten notes, pretty stones, etc. Not all cemetery guardians want the same thing, so it's good to have options. They tend to appreciate getting to pick out their own goodies.
When making offerings, I try to have one thing representing each element (earth, air, water, fire). Again, options.
Sitting quietly in an appropriate place is a significantly more effective method of getting a spirit's attention than performing some grand ritual.
If I have to cross a bridge in a cemetery for any reason, I hold my breath. If I have to go under a bridge, I set my hand atop my head until I'm out the other side.
If I walk or drive by a cemetery, I remain silent until I've passed by out of respect for the resting dead. It'd piss me off if some guy went by chattering away while I'm trying to sleep.
Within the confines of a cemetery, graveyard, or other place sacred to the dead, I keep my voice low at all times and stay as silent as possible. Similar reasons as the above, but also so that I can hear and feel more clearly. You can't listen if you're talking, you know?
I always ask permission before bringing divinatory tools, magical items, or ritual supplies into any place where the dead have been buried. I ask again before starting anything, since permission to bring something in isn't always permission to perform an action.
A list of the resources I own for unicorn folklore, mythology, and magic. Divided into different sections for easy access. If you have any I missed, please let me know!
Under the cut I explain more about the books and why they are good/not great/trash.
The Great:
The Natural History of Unicorns – Chris Lavers
The Book of the Mythical Unicorn – Vakasha Brenman and Alfonso Colasuonno
The Unicorn Tapestries – Margaret B. Freeman
Unicorn Magic – Tess Whitehurst
Unicornis – Michael Green
The Helpful:
A Complete Guide to Heraldry – Arthur Charles Fox-Davies
Llewellyn’s Little Book of Unicorns – Angela Wix
The Unicorn: A Mythological Observation – Robert Brown
Unicorn Magick – Lisa Papez (Youtube video)
How to Believe in Unicorns – Celestial Café Podcast (Youtube video)
Unicorn Sight – Elizabeth Barette (Spell on Llewellyn’s site)
The Fun:
(Just light, fun books for unicorn lovers)
For Unicorn Lovers Only – Penelope Gwynne
The Unicorn Handbook – Carolyn Turgeon
Unicorn Your Life – Mary Flannery
Unicornucopa – Caitlyn Doyle (this one even has some cute spells!)
The Little Book of Unicorns – Orange Hippo! (this one even has some cute spells!)
The Meh:
Unicorn Rising – Calista
Unicorns – Skye Alexander
The Trash:
Anything by Diana Cooper
Anything by Flavia Kate Peters
the Treasure of the Unicorn – Ted Andrews
Unicorn Magic – Kitty Bishop
The Great:
The Natural History of Unicorns – Chris Lavers: Great source for the myth and history of the unicorn. Including dissecting the New Age view of the unicorn.
The Book of the Mythical Unicorn – Vakasha Brenman and Alfonso Colasuonno: So much history and all neatly organized by region. Some woo, but mostly legends and folklore.
The Unicorn Tapestries – Margaret B. Freeman: Focuses on the Unicorn Tapestries, but the book is huge and filled with interesting info about the folklore and beliefs around the unicorn.
Unicorn Magic – Tess Whitehurst: I doubted very much where I should put this one, in great or in helpful. But in the end, if you want to include unicorns into your magical practice, this is the book I would recommend. Not all of it is great. Whitehurst does have some New Age beliefs and like in most Llewellyn books there is some appropriation (chakra’s), but I have found the exercises to be invaluable. This book was what kickstarted my practice.
Unicornis – Michael Green: A “discovered fieldguide” dedicated to the unicorn. Gorgeous art and storytelling. Comparable to the Faery books of Brian Froud.
The Helpful
A Complete Guide to Heraldry – Arthur Charles Fox-Davies: Good source on the historical views of the unicorn, not only in the context of heraldry. Fascinating to read.
Llewellyn’s Little Book of Unicorns – Angela Wix: It is not easy finding books on unicorns from a witchcraft perspective. This book was fun to read and had some interesting correspondences, exercises, and spellwork in it. It’s not great, and as always there are chakra’s in the book (because Llewellyn) but it did help me a lot as an inspiration.
The Unicorn: A Mythological Observation – Robert Brown: A book from 1881! Interesting read, but very much influenced by the times and in places no longer accurate.
Unicorn Magick – Lisa Papez (Youtube video): Lisa talks about her favourite tools and books when it comes to practicing unicorn magic
How to Believe in Unicorns – Celestial Café Podcast (Youtube video): Two witches who practice unicorn magic discuss their views, where they differ and where they are the same. Very interesting!
The Meh:
Unicorn Rising – Calista: Okay, the book itself is not trash. It’s just not really about unicorns. It’s a pretty descent self help book, with interesting meditations, but if you’re looking for unicorn magic of inspiration this book isn’t useful for you.
Unicorns – Skye Alexander: Look, the book is… okay. It’s just not really deep, and won’t tell your anything you didn’t already know. It’s biased, like most Skye Alexander books, and I’m just not a fan.
The Trash:
Diana Cooper: Books are full on New Age drivel, like equating unicorns to angels, and stating that they come from the ninth, most pure of course, dimension. Lots of Christlight and other “Christ” references. It is a headache to read and honestly has nothing to do with unicorns. Just one demonstration:
Flavia Kate Peters: Holy appropriation, Batman! Again, heavily New Age and equating unicorns to angels. Calls herself a “Faery Shaman”.
The Treasure of the Unicorn: If I have to read “the unicorn horn is a phallic symbol” one more time I am going to scream. It was torture to finish this book. Some interesting points like Storytelling as Ritual, but to be honest, it wasn’t worth it.
Unicorn Magic – Kitty Bishop: This person trained under Flavia Kate Peters and it shows. Same New Age beliefs repeated and very little expanded upon.
my practice notes (or grimoire ?) are so ugly. Not that there is anything wrong with it but it’s not aesthetically pleasing, it’s just practical notes. How are your witch notes looking ?
The plan: hedge crossing / witch flight / whatever you like to call it. I'm just going to explore a bit, see what happens. No big deal. Not planning anything dangerous. Probably no need for any big precautions.
There's a birch (?) tree in the graveyard that pinged me when I tranced there a few days back. Seems like a good place to start. People talk about doors in trees, yes? Graveyards are thresholds and make any sort of crossing easier, yes?
The result:
There is not a door in the tree. I cannot pass through the tree. I cannot talk to the tree.
I can, however, flow into the tree.
I can entangle with the tree.
I can not disentangle from the tree.
When I try to (politely) pull away from the tree (not straight away, but after I decide I have maybe experienced tree entanglement enough for the day), I am no longer inside the tree, but the tree is still inside of me.
Somewhere deep inside of me is a sense of fear, of violation; equally strong, or maybe stronger, is a sense of obligation/reciprocity. What right have I to deny the tree my (body), after I was in its? This is a fair and equal arrangement. I experience the tree, and the tree experiences me.
The small, scared, violated part of me wants to remove the tree and be myself again. To defend a boundary I hadn't thought to establish. But that would be incredibly rude.
It takes me a full half hour to come out of trance, to be able to move my body again. Even if I am happy to let the tree experience sight/movement with me, my muscles do not respond.
There isn't a clear break. Eventually, bit by bit, and with considerable effort, I can move again, and I feel less entangled, and I can thank the tree and move on and while I no longer feel entangled with it I have no idea if there's a root still in me.
There is not regret, but there is a greater appreciation for fucking around meaning finding out.
Lessons learned:
Maybe basic precautions are a good idea. Your basic ward, maybe. Boundaries should be established in advance.
A connection will almost certainly go both ways.
There must be a way to get to know people (or spirits, trees, what have you) slightly more gradually than just fully merging with them on the first date.
Just saw a list of "Witchy Protection Tips," and one of them said,
"Cross your fingers when you feel danger, like when a beggar asks you for money and you can't give them any," (emphasis mine)
And now I'm just mad. Like, what does that mean. Explain to me right now. I'm sorry but if you demonize poor folks, homeless folks, and other people on the outside of society, reconsider.
I'm that person sometimes. And people will be like "at least you're working for your money and not just asking" but like, being transient *is* work. It's fuckin hard. This sentiment of "homeless/beggars are dangerous" shit comes through all the time with the way people avert their eyes when they go by. They don't wanna catch it. It's dehumanizing. Stop it.
