Easy Spell Subs
When I first started practicing WC I was pregnant with my oldest daughter, scared out of my mind, and completely fucking broke. Every spell I read was like, you need this really expensive blood of ten virgins, 28 specific crystals and some special kind of incense I’ve never heard of. I was like WHAT?!
Eventually every spell became more like a ‘guide’. If I felt like I could sub out things and still retain the magical integrity of my intent, then I figured it was fine.
Magic is for EVERYONE. So don’t feel locked out if you can’t get all the things. Improvise instead.
CRYSTALS. If you’re spell calls for a really specific kind of crystal you don’t have, you can always sub for a clear quartz. For me it’s sort of the foundation of all crystals and has a great range of properties. If anything else, find a light colored stone outside and cleanse it just like a regular crystal.
CANDLES. I use A LOT of tea lights. I just feel like they are super convenient. You can melt the tops of them, add herbs and stones. Their usefulness is endless.
HERBS. Salt. Salt. Salt. Salt. I use a lot of salt. Sometimes I just use sage too. Or whatever I have on hand that I think would have the same effect as the herb called for.
TAROT. Printable tarot! I think it might be the best thing ever. If you search Google you’ll be able to find some pretty basic printable decks, but that’s all you need to get started.
INCENSE. Sometimes incense is impossible. Breathing problems, apartments, and even dorm rooms makes lighting incense hard. If you just need to cleanse your space, use a quick meditation and throw up some light around you (visualize the light coming from your chest and spreading out to fill the entire area) to get rid of any negativity. If you need an air representation use a fallen leaf or feather.
[A quick side note on subs: Spell subs are generally ok for really simple things, meditations or self type spells. But I did want to note that if you are getting into some nitty gritty witchcraft and it’s asking for certain ingredients there is prob a reason. That item holds specific properties that are needed for your spell to work. In this case if you need to sub out try to find something that is closely related and/or has similar magical properties otherwise you risk the spell not working properly. Edited: 041320]