#juniperwildwalk

[agendertord-blog]

Mugwort and violet :)

hi im so sorry i somehow forgot to answer this???? anways here we go!!!

mugwort: my nail biting habit and procrastinating!!! also i say things without thinking all the time and it’s the absolute worst and half the things i say are rude and ugh

violet: heck yea im queer!! i consider myself transgender agender. idk what it means to me other that im really happy i finally figured out my gender identity after like 1 and a half years (which doesnt sound like a lot but when ur a kid it seems like forever)… 

thank you for asking!!

[juniperwildwalk]

sending good vibes, hope all goes well. best of luck.

Thanks <3 It helped a lot to know there were people out there hoping for me! 

-- Juniper

[juniperwildwalk]

Would appreciate some good vibes sent my way!

Hi lovely followers,

I’m having a rough time, needing to do some rather unpleasant things that might have serious consequences if it goes wrong. So, I’d appreciate any good and positive magicks and vibes you can send my way!

Blessed be <3

-- Juniper

[juniperwildwalk]

Hello! I am a newly-starting out witch, I have done extensive research and have thought about it and have decided that I want to try out witchcraft, something I have been interested in since I was young. I wanted to ask, are there any spells or rituals that I can start out with that do not take much skill? Thank you!

Well, I think the answer here is that what all rituals require, at their core and centre, is WILL. They require that you truly and deeply believe that you can change the world, and they require that you truly and deeply wish to do so. Once you have that, the next step is to practice meditation. You need to connect yourself to the world around you, to the magick inherent in everything, and feel your spirit expand out to embrace that. It can take no time at all, or it can take months of trying. There’s no way to know until you try it.

Once you’ve done this, try working on basic energy moving. Feel the energy around you, perhaps the heat in the air, and try to draw it out of the air and push it away from yourself, maybe into some water (which takes energy very well). Learn to feel what your own body’s energy feels like - learn its characteristics and how it works, and then learn how to direct it to heal yourself. 

You can also try ritual magick, like a ritual to enhance your energy levels or a healing spell. I can definitely help you draw some of those up if you like! 

[juniperwildwalk]

So you have a spell that could "cure me" of being transgender and rid my dysphoria? I just want to be normal and just accept the body I have. Why can't I? I've tried for over half a decade. I've tried my entire life to shake that feeling. I've lost family and jobs... There has to be something that will work.

*Hugs* Sweetie, there’s no power in the world that could do that, because that would be changing you at a fundamental level. That would be murder - killing you, and replacing you with a stranger.

I’m trans too, and I had the same pains. I can’t take them away, and I can’t force you to change or stay the same. This is your path to walk, not mine. I have no right to tell you what to do. All I can say is that it’s not wrong to walk down any of those paths. Your choice is your choice, and there is no wrong nor right. There is only the paths, and the choices you make.

You can’t shake these feelings because they’re a part of who you are. Despite what some idiots might say, it’s been conclusively proven that gender is inherent in the brain, and it’s not some kind of cultural conditioning. Gender is something that we have built in, and in some people it’s built in differently. In some people, a male body is built around a female brain, or vice versa, or indeed anything in between. You can’t change that without destroying your entire brain and rebuilding it, and that would kill YOU as a person.

I hope you choose a path that brings you happiness, love. I really do. You could try talking to a therapist about this, or moving somewhere new. That’s all I can really suggest. However, know that here, people of all genders, sexualities, races, religions and every other feature are accepted. 

-- Juniper

[juniperwildwalk]

Hi there, I’m kinda getting into growing herbs and stuff and am interested in learning more about herbalism, but I don’t really know where to start. Are there any books you could recommend that I could look into to learn mostly about the properties of various herbs from like a physiological perspective, and then also just about identification, growing, and maintaining one’s plants? Thank you, sorry if that’s too vague or anything!

Hi there to you too! :D

Herbs are pretty interesting things, but there are a lot ofskills you’ll need to know from other areas before you really properly getstarted on growing and using your own herbs. Before you try to grow herbs formedicinal or magickal purposes, try just growing a few culinary herbs likeparsley and sage - these can be used magickally (or medicinally for a couple ofthings), but they have the advantage of being useful for other things, andthey’re good plants to practice on. 

Start with picking up a fewgeneral books on gardening, growing herbs for cookery, and learning about yourlocal environment. Learn about the chemistry of the soil you’re going to begrowing your plants in. Learn about local wildlife such as insects that mightwant to eat your herbs and ruin the crop. Learn about how to interpretinstructions on growing plants - what is your area’s hardiness code, how well drainedis your soil, how well sheltered, do you get frosts, that sort of thing. Youneed to have a lot of information about your local environment before you eventhink about trying to grow herbs! After all, they’re not cheap, and you don’twant to put all that effort in for nothing!

There are a lot of books outthere that will really help a beginner :) Personally, one of my favourites is "YourBackyard Herb Garden", because it's practical, functional, and itgives beginners to herb gardening great advice and a few good starter usages ofcertain herbs. It's a pretty no-nonsense book, too, and will give lots ofpractical advice on testing chemistry and things, which are just essential. Italso gives advice on how to prepare herbs AFTER they've been picked, such asair-drying, which is an essential skill for a herbalist.

Now, assuming you've eithergrown your own herbs successfully or got hold of some yourself, there are a fewgood books that you can try reading with regards to practical herbalism."Medical Herbalism: The Science Principles and Practices Of HerbalMedicine" is a great one, although quite pricey (there are a fewtorrent-able copies online if you know where to look!) It's got a good coverageof the science and medical principles behind herbalism, but please be awarethat it was written in 2003, and some of our understanding HAS changed sincethen so do make sure you double-check the reliability of something before youtry it. Additionally, if you REALLY want to become a herbalist, the only way todo that safely is to find a person who will actually teach you herbalism, inperson. It takes years to become a good herbalist, just like it takes years tobecome a good doctor, though a little kitchen-herbalism is OK so long as youstay safe!

There's also a great list ofherbs and books about herbs on the wiki page of /r/Herblore, the reddit pagefor herbalism and herbalists! The books there are great, and they also offergood discussion about different herbs and their usages. Feel free to submit anyquestions you have to them as well as me :) I know they always answer mine!

-- Juniper

[juniperwildwalk]

I've always been really really interested in witchcraft and everything I've read I believe in but I don't know much about it. Is there a book you might suggest to study the history of witchcraft and the rituals or techniques?

Definitely! There are quite a few books I’d recommend, but depending on what you want to start with there are several options. 

If you’re looking into straight witchcraft, with little to no religious component from any specific tradition, you might find it a bit harder. Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft is a very popular first choice, but I must advise you that Buckland does approach witchcraft in a rather... formulaic way. He kind of acts like “this is the only way to do it”, which is patently nonsense. 

Witchcraft: A Beginner’s Guide is often recommended, though it’s quite female-oriented, often ignores masculine elements of witchcraft (if you’re like me and focus much more heavily on the feminine elements this is OK, but still not ideal), and it’s just a tad nature-centric, which isn’t for everyone.

Drawing Down the Moon by Margot Adler is one of my personal favourites, because it’s quite impressively academic and it covers a pretty wide range of topics. It’s NOT a “spellbook” or a how-to guide, it teaches you the real fundamentals of neopagan practices and their anthropology. 

I hope that helps! There are more Wiccan-specific books I can recommend too, ask any time ^.^

-- Juniper

[juniperwildwalk]

Will be back to posting soon!

Sorry peeps, I’ve got work to do at uni. I’ll be back to posting soonish!

- Juniper