#january challenges

[ovaettrgrimoire]

jan week 02 day 05

Create a rough outline of what sections you want to have in your grimoire, but know that this list will probably evolve.

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Table of contents & organized directory 

Astrology Section

My natal chart

Planets, Aspects, Comets Info

Houses Info

Herboire & Ingredients 

Divination Guides

Tarot

Pendulum

Runes

Dice

Scrying

Palmistry

Ceromancy

Divines & Deities & Landvaettir

General Info Profiles:

Story Excerpts 

Offerings Guide

Activities associated w/ each

Sacred Holidays and Holy Days List

Wheel of the Year 

 Sabbats 

Ritual Food and Offerings Recipes

Potion  & Tincture Recipes

Powders Recipes

Bath Goods Recipes

Tea Recipes

Everyday Witchcraft Tips

Gardening Magically

Basic Procedures

Basic Tools

Basic Glossary

Crystal Dex (like Herboire but for crystals)

Sacred Animals 

Sacred Mythology

Correspondences

Colour

Symbols

Sigils

Sigil Making

Wellness / Healing / Coping 

Charms

Spells

Rituals

Curses

Hexes

Jinxes

Reversing Spells / Undoing Magic 

Book Blessing & Protection Chant 

--- This is what I want my dream book to be organized like so I can turn to it for literally anything. <3 Somedaaaay 

[ovaettrgrimoire]

jan week 02 day 03

 Correspondence Activity: Go look in your pantry. Take stock of what spices and herbs are located there and make a list of them in your grimoire. Write down your impressions of these items and then look up their common correspondences. Do you agree with their common correspondences? Do you not? Why?

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These are my most commonly used and accessible herbs I’m comfortable using. Separated into my impressions personally and the common correspondences. For all of these I don’t reject the common correspondences with these but ammend them in combo with my own impressions too that come from personal use and study/feel for them.

Sweet Basil, dried

Impressions of my own: Strength and swiftness, mental clarity, the energy of the Sun and Mars. Base ingredient for growth related spells of my own.

Common Correspondences: Sun, love, peace, money, protects against insanity, attracting love and money when kept in pocket/wallet. Steady mind. Fire/Mars.

 Dill Seed, dried

Impressions of my own: Subtlety, magic and temperence, communication. Associated with Mercury and Air.

Common Correspondences: Fire, Mercury, Dispeling bad dreams, attract romance, dispel jealousy, emotional balance, good luck, mental balance, protection w/ carpet sprinkle

Rosemary, dried

Impressions of my own: Dew of the Sea. Tenacity, focus, healing. Associated with Venus and Freyja particularly too. 

Common Correspondences: Ward off evil spirits and nightmares. Wood is magical for music spells. Love associations. Power of the marginalized. Fae energies, attracts fae folk. Protects children. Leo associations. Youth. Purification.

Orange Peel 

Impressions of my own: Zest for life, joy, positive energy, uplifting. Associated with Mercury.

Common Correspondences: Sun embodiment, Leo associated. Uplifting, positive joy energy. Sun oriented spells. high energy. Promise of the returning Sun. 

Anise Seed

Impressions of my own: Possibilities, wish magic, growth

Common Correspondences: Air associations, Mercury and Jupiter. Gemini associations. Youth. Dream pillows and positive dream spellwork. Protection from evil intentions. Holy waters and blessings. Wards off the evil eye. Aids in divination and meditation. Common offering to spirits.

 Rose Petals

Impressions of my own: Sacred offerings to a love and/or death divine. Mystery and magic. Associated with the planet Venus. 

Common Correspondences: Rosewater is a protective agent for clothing. Charms against evil eye, bad intentions. Love spells. White roses bring happiness and security. Rosehips are associated with good luck and can be strung like beads for luck. Offerings for spirits. Taurus, Venus, Water.

Wormwood, dried

Impressions of my own: Psychic energy, workings of spirit and/or metaphysical things. Clears psychic energy of an area. Useful for meditation mixes. Associated with Pluto.

Common Correspondences: Planet Mars and elements of air and fire. Visions, astral projection, divination. Anointing oils for divination tools. Used as a “return to sender” herb to send harmful magic back to sender + vengeance spells. With Mugwort and burnt can help with calling up spirits. Banishes spirits too.

Cinnamon, sticks

Impressions of my own: Fires of life, defensive energy. Active energy. Associated with Mars. Warrior energy. Fight power.

Common Correspondences: FIre, the Sun, comfort, sacntification, increase of mood, healing, enhance libido and zest for life. Annointing. Protection and blessing. “Drawing in” spells for love, happiness or money. Enhanced by cloves, cardamom, nutmeg and ginger.

Red Pepper Flakes

Impressions of my own: Bite of life, fires of life. Aggressive energy. Warrior’s fighting spirit. The opposite end of this can be the negative bite of life, used in an aggressive way in hexes or curses too. Mars Energy.

Common Correspondences:  Jinxes for an enemy and to drive unwanted persons away. Hard luck and trouble cursing. 

Cayenne

Impressions of my own: Fires that can harm and heal. Firey passion as well as firey destruction. Another double use Mars element spice like Red Pepper Flakes.

Common Correspondences:  Jinxes for an enemy and to drive unwanted persons away. Hard luck and trouble cursing. Separation spells. Slow and subtle weakening of enemies when used together with Graveyard Dirt, Salt, Black Pepper and Sulphur. 

 Black Pepper

Impressions of my own: Defense. Protection. Like the ingredient to visualize setting defensive mines around yourself with for spiritual protection. Can also act as a base ingredient for curses, hexes, and jinxes. Can be used in public if tossed under ppl as a quick cursing agent. Associated with The Sun. Base ingredient for an aggressive type of protection and jinxes.

Common Correspondences:   Tricks against the enemy and protection. Used in jinxes and to drive unwanted people away. 

Pink Himalayan Sea Salt

Impressions of my own: Protection, barriers, as well as agent that can be charged with other energies and working in the same way as clear quartz crystals. Associated with the Moon. Base ingredient for a defensive type of protection and a charging agent for many other types of spells, a catalyst to hold something within it. 

Common Correspondences:  Commonly associated with the Rose Quartz on metaphysical properties as white salt associated with clear quartz typically. Good for love and taking action and doing things that self-love grows in. Learning to say “no” and protection against users. Protection in general from anything. Gentle strength.   

Garlic, powdered

Impressions of my own: Protection from energy vampires. Protection in general. Quick rapport and quick bite to the tongue -- useful for mental stimulation and protection. Associated with Uranus.

Common Correspondences:   Mars, fire and Aries. Send away unwanted lovers. Cloves useful as poppet stuffing. Repelent of thieves or envious people, bring good outlook. Empowerment against negative energies. Strength. Exorcisms, spell-breaking, invoking passion, protection and strength. Protection against physical and psychic vampirism.

Parsley, dried

Impressions of my own: Power and strength. The Sun’s warmth. 

Common Correspondences:   Mercury, air, Venus. Love divines and Spring divines associated with. Communication with the dead. Protects against drunkenness and increases strength, vitality, and passion. 

Lemon, juice

Impressions of my own: Mental stability and general good health. The sourness of life is needed, so I associated lemons with balance that serve as a balancing agent in my tea spells typically. Associated with the planet Mercury.

Common Correspondences: Moon, Water, celebration of lunar deities, summertime rituals (lemonade). Purifying. Cleansing (leaf or juice or peel), turn away evil.  

[ovaettrgrimoire]

jan week 05 day 04

Spell Activity: Using your correspondence list from yesterday, write a luck spell. Include a candle and water.

Lucky Spell Elixir

Ingredients:

- 1 Green, Gold, or Yellow Candle (White is a good substitute)

- 1 Green *water safe* crystal (I am using Green Aventurine)

- 1 Bottle of Water or a Cup of Water safe for drinking

- Gold Glitter, Green Glitter, or Mixed Glitter (optional)

- Paper and pen

- Carving unit for candle (knife, pin, or use the pen if it won’t break) 

Spell:

Take the candle and carve a symbol that means luck to you. It can be anything that is symbolically powerful to you. For me, I am using Ansuz the rune of luck and good fortune. 

Carving this into my candle I will write on my piece of paper what I wish for luck in the department of my life, or write a rhyme. I tend to enjoy little chants or rhymes so here is what I will be using and get inspired by it if you’d like: Lucky, lucky life, Give me no strife For I wish for wellness Eternally so, ignite This flame and elixir To give me a mixture To aid me in my life. I will chant this as I light the candle that is engraved for luck and set the candle in a candle holder on top of the piece of paper I wrote this upon. Then I will burn the paper after it burns down a little but rip off a small portion of it to write the rune on, and tape that or glue it to my a water bottle in the center of it.

I keep the water bottle with the Aventurine in the bottom of it charging it beside the burning candle. I cover the candle in glitter as anointment. I typically will drizzle the glitter over the open flame and let it spark up in joy. It excites me to see that and provides a boost of energy I enjoy into the spell. Then I let it all burn down while muttering the chant when I think about it while meditating over this and thinking of how I would like my future to look if luck were involved. I thank the candle’s fire, i thank the water, i thank the earth and the air surrounding and involved in this. After the candle has entirely burnt down I will remove the crystal from the water and drink the elixir all the way in one go. I can re-use this bottle to remake elixirs on days I feel like I need extra luck, or the cup, whichever you used, and saying the chant again over it with the crystal within it to charge it -- give it 7 minutes to charge (luck number) and then ingest the elixir on day-to-day basis as needed.  -O

[ovaettrgrimoire]

jan Week 01 - Journal Activity (day 02)

What do I believe in?-

I believe in the shifting energy of the world, the elements and their balance kept on this world. The nature spirits and all the unseen people under the hillsides. I believe in the spirits of all things. I believe in the Vanir, and their guidance and stories. I believe in the beauty of nature in all its forms at every seasonal turn and the power in all those seasons. I believe those we have lost are not truly gone but carried with us in our memories and speaking with them is near rather than far. I believe in the under-workings of the world, the voices of plants and stones, the souls of animals and the wisdom they all have to share if we care to listen. The bones of the earth rattle with teachings welcoming any student of the green path.

What defines my witchcraft?-

Respect for all things. Respect for things misunderstood by humans, not seen or heard, but felt. My witchcraft follows the seasons and draws its inspiration from plants mostly. I work with the seasons and reflect upon how plants are doing at every turn of the wheel and aspire to be like one in my craft and studies and work. I theme all my spells after reflections on nature more than just plants. I feel the weather in my veins and I feel the spirits of all around me and work to respect them. I do not invoke deities but rather speak to them as friends and as people worthy of upmost respect. I care for things around me and in great compassion there is change, and change is a large theme of my witchcraft as all things are constantly changing, I wish to hang onto the reins of this constant shift in my craft and reflect outward what I see and experienced inward. I follow the stars in all they speak and teach also. Balance. Nature driven. Astrology driven.

What do I feel comfortable doing?-

I feel comfortable in all workings with spirits and the respect we owe them all, of lost ones, the plants, the stones, the animals, etc. I feel most comfortable doing workings in protective magic and in motivational, inspiring magic. I work the most comfortable with fire and earth magic. I work with air and water too but it is not my closest elements. I try to balance it all though as that’s a large theme. I see air and water as teachers, whereas earth and fire are home. I am comfortable with cartomancy more than any other divination but also work with pendulums and scrying from what I see in nature around me.  I draw hints from the world around me and all the nudges it gives. I illustrate and paint and allow the energy to flow throughout me when I make things in my craft, I metabolize my experiences best through art so it is a large part of my craft. I am comfortable reading the energies set by the stars and our place in the rhythm of the universe (astrology) and I am comfortable speaking to plants and working with them as friends.  I am comfortable contacting the deceased and leaving them offerings. I am comfortable working for the Vanir and speaking to Freyja the most. I am comfortable cursing, hexing, and jinxing those who require a slap from the universe, safely so. Typically I am doing this for abusers and harmers, as they need the balance of the universe to fall upon their heads. I do it as a form of protecting future victims as a survivor myself.

What are the rules of my practice?-

Respect all things. Do not invoke or treat deities like spell ingredients, they are people and friends to be had and respected. Respect the spirits of nature around you and do not do anything to harm them. Respect animals as they are wiser than any human could potentially be. Respect your fellow human and hold community in an important place in your heart, do all you can to foster and grow that community with your practice. Give love freely. Know your worth. Fight for what you love. Give without expecting receiving immediately. Tread carefully and thoughtfully in this world as something is always living and sharing space with you. Respect the turning of the wheel and the power of seasons. Respect elders. Help others learn where you can, kindly so. Being soft is not a weakness but a strength. A warrior’s path is that of knowing when to fight and when to seek peace. Your heart is on your sleeves or not at all. Do all things with passion or not at all.

What won’t I do?-

I will not invoke deities as “ingredients” in spells, this is an ultimate disrespect.  Nor will I summon the deceased as ingredients is just as bad to me. I will not draw blood for offerings. I will not expect anything but rather keep open to the possibilities. I will not give up!

Deities-

Freyja is who I am closest to, we have been friends since I was 15 and she guided me along my path to begin with. I found witchcraft first and then after a few months I found Freyja. She spoke to me when I read about multiple pantheons in a large book at the time and we have been inseparable ever since. I have a lot in common with Her and have always felt loved by Her in return. She teaches me and is also a home. I gather hints and signs from her in my day to day life. Her falcon cloak has been lent to me in dreams multiple times. Her wisdom is what I follow and learn from daily. I eventually met the rest of Her family 5 years ago, the Vanir, and now work specifically with the Vanir as a Vanatruar. Freyr Her brother is my second closest friend of the Vanir.

What drives my magic?-

The desire to learn, the desire to respect others, the desire to find my place in the world, the desire to be one with the seasonal shifts, the desire to shift myself into what I could potentially be, and to aid others in all I do. I wish to learn from nature and become nature as we all eventually do become it once again some day. The desire to not be forgotten drives my magic too. I am here and I will experience this life in the fullest form.

Do I understand my own magic? Can I explain it?-

Yes, my magic is that of balance with nature and seeding one’s self within the cycle and working alongside the rhythms of the universe to exercise my strength and power in the ability to change the world around me by changing myself first. I follow the guidance of plants and seek their wisdom in all I do, along with the wisdom of animals and nature in general. I carry a great respect for all things and in doing so, I give to them and hope to be able to be a student forever. My magic gives back to the world that gave everything for me to be here. I seek out cycles of ebb and flow like this in my magic as it reflects the world around me.

[ovaettrgrimoire]

jan week 03 day 03

Correspondence Activity:  Make a list of the stones you own, use in your practice, or want to use in your practice. What properties and associations do you use in conjunction with these crystals? Do you find that certain crystals have different properties than what is found on common correspondence charts?

Rose Quartz

Love, self-love, gentle strength, ocean gem, pearl of the sea, hope, cheer, overcoming adversity, gentleness and healing. Moon.

Clear Quartz

Openness, clarity, clear goals and safety, security. Mercury. 

Smokey Quartz

Powerful defensive energies, the “take in negative and return out positive” ability and strength. Mars and Pluto.

Amethyst

Mystic energies and energy for psychic work or divination enhancement. Moon.

Labradorite

The dreams and destiny stone. Connects you to your dreams and goals and maintains focus.

Rainbow Fluorite

The communication stone. This aids in all things Mercury related, especially facilitates learning.

Carnelian

The Life of the Party stone and the zest of life stone. Remembering how brilliant of a miracle life is. Heart, The Sun.

Snowflake Obsidian

The balancing stone. The black and white makes grey area stone. The Chariot is associated with this stone, as well as both the Moon and Sun are too. My favourite grounding stone.

Blue Lace Agate

Communication stone. One that puts ease on how one communicates to be soft as clouds.

Green Aventurine

The adventure stone, the stone of getting things done, the stone of inspiration and pushing through towards goals. A good mental stability stone.

Orange Aura Quartz

The light of life stone. Though aura quartz are made by humans they are still overtop of clear quartz, i think they are just as important in metaphysical relationships with stones as “natural stones.” 

Goldstone Runes

Another manmade but still wonderful. Stars, the stone of possibilities and divination.

Lapis Lazuli

Stone of the sea. A stone of great calming nature and a stone of protection and defense.  -- I find that each individual crystal that you personally communicate with can have a different correspondence than one of its same kind as are people and their differences same goes for stones. They are bones of the Earth therefore have unique properties to each one. I have mostly one or two of each of them here, some are just some of these properties and other certain ones are more powerful at one or the other. A lot of them will generally share an *area* of correspondences imho and be stronger at one type or the other as we all are unique so are they. 

[ovaettrgrimoire]

jan Week 01 - (day 03) - Correspondences

CORRESPONDENCE ACTIVITY: Write down three to five of the most common items you use in your practice. These could be herbs, tools, crystals, or whatever else you find yourself reaching for first. Write down your correspondences for them - what are these item’s properties? Why do you use these items? What are your personal associations for these items? Are there any warnings attached to these items?

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Salts - Primary a protective ingredient I use salts of various kinds in all things I do as I do a lot of protection work. It also acts as an ingredient for casting circles of protection when I am doing sensitive spellwork, ways to draw lines of protection in places physically, or added to other spells that arn’t protection related but as a means of extra protection to keep the energy of a spell safe. I do kitchen witchcraft too so salt is constantly an agent of power for my craft.

Basil - Another agent of protection and a Sun related plant, strength related, Basil is a comforting plant I draw a lot of lessons from. I have raised Basil in my years too and adore the plant in general. They are lovely friends to raise. Fresh or dried Basil has been borrowed with permission for my spellwork many a time. It’s my favourite herb.

Fruits - I carve runes into fruits and use them as offerings for seasonal shifts and I use fruit as part of my way to reflect on the season and use it as offerings on my altarspace, offerings for the spirits, offerings for animals and offerings for Freyja. Fruits are a vessel as well as a bountiful gift given to us by the world and are sacred to me from nature.

Crystals and Stones -  The bones of the Earth have long since been friends of mine that I call upon in times of need, but also form relationships with. I have had some crystals with me since the very beginning of my craft and they are friends with histories of where I have met them. I treat them with the same respect as people. They live with me and are beside me in all I do. I plan every space I occupy to be shared with crystals and certain ones stay in certain areas with me so that I may draw upon their energy and give them a home with the energy they prefer too. I cleanse them and spoil them all with Moon baths and they are wise teachers. I reflect a lot with the aid of crystals. They are vessels for energy as I am too and give and take like any good friend does.

Tarot Cards - Tarot is a way I reflect through my everyday life, I draw cards for myself and let my decks speak to me. They have personality and energy of their own too as each deck has a spirit. I befriended tarot earliest of all the divinations and it is my comforting home to be with my tarot friends. Tarot carry properties of wisdom to me and of foresight. I borrow tarot cards as a means of drawing upon the solitary energy of a single card and its symbolism as symbols and symbolism are a large part of my craft, the Tarot are incredibly useful for this when I need something that invokes a particular symbolism or energy or theme for a spell. It’s like having the hand of a friend guiding you through your work when I work with my tarot cards individually for spellwork. It also is the best vessel for me to aid others with, my Tarot and I have helped many people working together to translate their insight. 

[ovaettrgrimoire]

jan Week 01 (day 04) - Spellwork Activity

SPELL ACTIVITY: Today heralds in the start of a new year! This week’s activity is to write a spell or a ritual that welcomes in 2016 2019. What would you like to accomplish in the new year? Use that as a starting point to jump off of in your spell or ritual creation. Don’t worry too much about the structure of your spell if you are new to spell crafting. We will most definitely be working on spell crafting this month!

------ What to accomplish this New Year?  I would like to invoke the energy of the ability to change this year. I want to invoke the energy of new beginnings and the ability to follow-through this year, to fight for what and who I love and believe in. A gentle spell to guide myself through meditation on change and what I can do to accomplish that while still being myself in the new year. Change for the better.  Spell/Ritual -  Changeling Tea

Ingredients -

- Green Tea packet - Dried Basil - Lemon Juice - Sugar (optional) - Honey Symbolism of the Ingredients - The green tea produced from the Camellia sinensis shrub is done with the process of using unfermented leaves of the shrub. It’s an evergreen, and evergreen do not change with the season like Basil does. This is symbolic of the person you are - the core that is your heart. Around that are items that represent change to me. Basil changes with the season and a tiny sprinkling of crushed basil leaves into the tea directly add to the ability to change. The fact though that even though the  Camellia sinensis shrub is an evergreen, it can become many different types of teas so the Green Tea is also optional. You can use Black, Oolong, White, Yellow or Dark tea from the same plant for the same spell. I like the symbolism of Green for freshness, a new start. The New Year is that of a fresh start. Though the plant is the same, just as you are, it can change dependent on what you do with it. Consider doing this tea spell at every turn of the year with a different tea from the same plant and adding a different plant sprinkling on top. Basil dislike the cold but are the fastest to grow type of plant from my experience in gardening. I choose this for the new year as Aries season is coming around the corner, it is a booming vessel for change time, and personally this year we also went straight into Mars in Aries as the year began. Basil’s speedy growth and ability to be different year round gives me hope, and symbolizes that. Basil to me is also a protective herb and thus will provide that energy too as you start your new year. Lemon is sour -- but adds unique flavour to Green Tea. It symbolizes that to change sometimes we must face the sour things in ourselves and that it is important to make that a part of acknowledgements of who and what we are. To ignore that is to ignore a part of yourself. Albeit alone, lemons are very sour to taste, but mixed with your good qualities - the other ingredients - you can create a nice blended person with flaws and good qualities. Flaws are just an opportunity for growth and learning, which is the theme to this Changeling Tea.  Sugar is optional as some cannot handle heavy sugar in their diet. Use extra Honey as a natural sweetener if that is the case. However, the Sugar is the nicest aspects of yourself - easy to taste alone and remind yourself of your good qualities when adding this portion in. We are eager to usually add too much sugar to anything, symbolic of how we might pay too much attention just to good qualities and forget we have space to learn which is not recommended. Keep a balance.  the Honey is symbolic of gold, the reward of change. However, Honey is slow-moving and exits the bottle in a slow pace. Patience. The honey reminds you that you deserve the sweetness of allowing yourself the patience you need to change. Often people make resolutions and lose sight of them because we lack patience with ourselves for changes, giving up completely. Instead, make intentions instead of resolutions so if you fall off the path you can get back on it, with the intention to keep moving -- small steps are as important as large ones. This slow pace of the Honey balances out fast pace of Basil and how it grows, symbolically. Honey is made from hard work of bees, so remind yourself that true change comes with hard work in small steps from many small changes to make up one large one (the batch of honey made by many bees working hard.)  --- Meditative Notes on the Spell  -

In taking the time to make this tea take the time to meditate on each of the previous mentioned symbolism in relation to you, and reflect on that while putting your tea together. Steeping the tea also takes patience so that adds to the symbolism of the honey. In general, tea is best served as hot as possible, warming your spirit and heart, but also best to include the aromatherapeutic aspect of this with it. Take your time. Breathe in with your nose and breathe out with your mouth but not directly into the cup. I typically lean my nose over the cup and keep my mouth outside of it to allow this meditative experience while it steeps. Think of how each symbol above applies to your life. Think of your negatives, your positives, your hopes and what you’d like to change and think of the steps you need to get there. The smallest of steps. Think of what you can do right after finishing your tea (take the time to have peace and quiet while doing this) and any small % is worthy of praise. Be honest with yourself, but also be gentle with yourself, much like the tea will be gentle to your spirit and your body.  Afterwards while cleaning the cup, rinse with very hot water (careful) to symbolize a rushing river taking away any intrusive and negative thoughts you built up while meditating. Cleanse yourself and ground after this. Take charge of your life and your new year and day afterwards. 

[ovaettrgrimoire]

jan week 05 day 05

Self-Reflection Activity: Reflect on your progress in January. Which challenges that you completed do you think will make it into your actual grimoire? What information do you have no use for?

I love this question. I think that everything I have worked with so far this month will definitely make it into my grimoire, at least especially my spellwork and things about correspondences and whatnot. I enjoyed and made some good use spells to work with so I’m proud of that. Especially the list of things I want to explore I need to print out and keep in my physical rough draft grimoire so I can keep up on those new goals. I have made a lot more progress than expected this month and am excited to move forward into February’s challenges. I will work on compiling these things in printed documents for my physical rough draft grimoire today to get caught up as we’ll move into the Feb challenges tomorrow morning. I’m excited! I don’t think there is any info I have no use for in this month so far. It’s been a good January. Here’s to moving forward with joy and abundance!