Honoring the Spirits of Home: Creating Sacred Spaces for the Unseen
Welcome back, Seekers! Within my local coven, we are journeying through the mysteries of Spirit until Winter Solstice. Today, I introduced the art of crafting Spirit Houses, and I thought it would be fitting to share a bit of that here. I like to keep these crafty posts simple and open-ended, leaving space for the practitioner to add their own touch. The best magick often arises from just diving in and letting your intuition guide the way. May this inspire you to connect, create, and explore! 🌙✨
As witches, we work with spirits every day, whether we realize it or not. Our homes, like ourselves, are steeped in the spirit world, alive with layers of unseen inhabitants that have their own roles, wisdom, and stories to tell. For many of us, it’s a quiet understanding that a witch’s home should be haunted—not in the fearful sense, but filled with life that pulses in harmony with our craft. From ancestral guides and house spirits, to the land’s ancient beings, these entities weave themselves into the very fabric of our spaces, enriching them with energy and presence.
Regardless of whether a home is newly built or weathered by decades, each dwelling becomes imbued with spirit. There’s an existing ecosystem of energies that connect to the land itself, the history of the area, and the layers of life that once lived or passed through. These spirits, sometimes subtle, sometimes profound, thrive within the space we call home, coexisting with us and enhancing our magick. But it is up to us to nurture a balanced and harmonious relationship with them.
Why Connect with the Spirits of Your Home?
Developing a deep, reciprocal relationship with the spirits of your home doesn’t just benefit your craft; it offers blessings for everyone under your roof. When these spirits feel acknowledged and respected, they offer protection, lend strength to your magickal workings, and create an atmosphere of peace and nourishment. A home can truly feel like a sanctuary when the spirits that dwell within it are in harmony with those who reside there in the flesh. This connection turns your space into an anchor—a place of personal power, healing, and resilience.
Building Friendships with Spirit
Nurturing relationships with spirits requires time, care, and a commitment to reciprocity. Just as with human friendships, there is a cycle of giving and receiving. Spirits respond to sincere attention and intention, as well as the gifts and gestures we offer them. One meaningful way to foster this connection is by creating a spirit house or a dedicated space where spirits can feel welcomed and honored.
A spirit house is both a physical symbol and a spiritual anchor. It becomes a place where offerings can be left, and it serves as a gateway for interaction with the spirit world in a respectful and clear manner. It’s a way of saying, “You are welcome here, I honor your presence, and I seek your guidance and protection.”
Creating Your Spirit House
Designing a spirit house is a creative, personal process. It need not be elaborate; sometimes, the simplest gestures carry the deepest respect. You may choose a small altar, a shelf, or even a discreet box placed in a peaceful corner of your home. Consider using natural materials—wood, clay, or stone—as they tend to resonate well with spirits of place. Personalize it with items like stones from your land, soil, dried herbs, or even water from a local stream. Each addition builds a bridge between your energy and the spirits you invite into your home.
When crafting your spirit house, remember that offerings and gifts can strengthen this relationship over time. Spirits, like friends, appreciate time, energy, love, and tokens of appreciation. Remember, spirits are aware of intention as much as they are of the physical offering, so approach this creative expression with reverence and sincerity.
For my spirit house, I’ve chosen to weave in unsea, or “old man’s beard,” gathered lovingly from my mother tree, a sacred link to the ancient and wise energies of the land. I've placed birds within the space, their forms standing as messengers and symbols of spirit, guiding and connecting with the unseen. Mushrooms, too, find their place here, embodying my bond with the natural world—grounded yet reaching into hidden realms. They carry the magick of spiritual growth, reminding me of the mystery and connection to realms beyond. Each piece breathes life into the space, deepening my relationship with the spirits I honor… and I placed a bell at the entrance, placed with the hope of hearing it softly chime as the spirits pass through.
making this response post about my personal warding systems inspired me to describe some methods of warding, especially for those of us with low energy or little time.
i have a more extensive version of this post as an article on my substack.
layered wards are nested within each other; from innermost to outermost, i've organized them as: the body, the bed(room), the home, the property, and spiritual allies.
the body
if your hair is long enough, braiding the hair can be utilized as a potent protective method, to tie up spirits and negative energies within it.
if you regularly wear makeup, it can be incanted over to protect from the evil eye, and/or from negative energy intrusions.
bracelets may be enchanted for protective purposes; traditional protective bracelets include those with blue and red braids, or charms of cross, cornicello, hamsa, nazar, serpent, or phallus.
the lords prayer was traditionally written and stored within the shoe for protection throughout the day.
a stronger protective charm may be created that is not worn every day, such as a SATOR square charm bag, or a jar of iron nails.
the bed(room)
a spell pouch underneath the pillow is a common contemporary spell for aiding sleep, hedgewitchery, and/or psychic dreams.
an open pair of scissors under the bed is a traditional(?) method of deterring nightmares.
witch balls or witch's ladder may be hung in windows to trap spirits attempting to enter.
the home
traditional wards over the home include the horseshoe, bulbs of garlic, witch bottles & balls, prayers & psalms over the house (such as within Carmenica Gadelica), to cross upon the hearth the iron fire-tools, the stuck heart, carving sigils into door frames, floor washes, incense, & crosses.
traditional delineators of home boundaries include go-away powder, salt, cascarilla, graveyard or church dirt. in hoodoo traditions goofer powder may be employed.
the property
a traditional property ward is the hedge or "witch's lump" figure, described by Gemma Gary:
To protect farm land, and all that lies within its boundaries, take small amounts of earth from the north, south, east and west of each piece of land that is to fall under the protection of the charm, remembering to collect also dirt or dust in the same way from each of the farm’s buildings. Mix these small samples together, and work them well into a lump of rough clay (even better if the clay used can be dug from the land to be protected), crafting this into a human but sexless form. As the body is worked, so the Pellar breathes life into it. The figure’s garments must then be set with small panels of broken glass. Once fired, set the figure somewhere within one of the farm’s hedges, so that it may keep a protective watch over the land and all that lies within.
farm-building specific charms can be found in Gemma Gary's texts ("To Protect Farm Buildings and their Contents"), as well as in Carmenica Gadelica.
traditional delineators of property boundaries include buried witch bottles, & protective blackthorn or hawthorn hedges.
spiritual allies
a contemporary method of spiritual allyship for protection is befriending and asking local nature spirits around you for protection (or other petitions) – especially trees, creeks, and birds of prey.
traditionally, specific trees would be planted on the property for this purpose; here is an excerpt from The Black Toad by Gemma Gary:
The Bay is to be planted by thresholds to impart a protective influence upon the home...The climbing Ivy, grown up the walls of the cottage, creates a verdant shell of protection around the home...To impart protections upon the home, the Rowan may be planed near doorways.
other areas you may benefit from warding:
an office or place of work
your name or reputation
vehicles
pets & livestock
gardens
suggested reading:
Simple Methods of Magical Protection by Keziah @sheydmade
Witchcraft 101: Protection Explained by Windvexer @windvexer
Beginner Witch Protection Recommendations by Windvexer @windvexer
Home Protection in Folk Magic by Keziah @sheydmade
Protection Work in Folk Magic by Keziah @sheydmade
Protection & Reversal Magick: A Witch's Defense Manual by Jason Miller
referenced texts:
Traditional Witchcraft: A Cornish Book of Ways by Gemma Gary
The Black Toad: West Country Witchcraft and Magic by Gemma Gary
Carmina Gadelica (AKA Charms of the Gaels) by Alexander Carmichael (Accessible via Internet Archive or Internet Sacred Texts Archive)
Hey everyone~! I am finally opening my Geomancy readings. Been needing to make some extra money on the side, so feel free to reach out to me via my asks or DMs to request one.
I accept payments via Paypal or Venmo, though I may open a Kofi if folks are wanting to send payments that way.
And know that I would appreciate any reblogs as well.
3 Signs: The Right Witness (From the past/querent), Left Witness (future situation) and Judge (ultimate answer, how to get from right to left). It is straight forward and to the point.
Shield Chart: It contains 16 figures, which provide a detailed output of the question. It can also cover houses and explore into exact information for a reading.
Add Ons: If folks want to get even more exact, the following can provide further insight into reading the shield chart.
Trace the Fire lines: This explores into the more outspoken aspect of the chart. If there is a section of the reading that has more emphasis and input, this can explore into that.
4 Triads - Provides further details into the reading based on their placement
the querent’s current self, circumstances, and attitude
the current situation of the question
settings and surroundings of the querent - people and activities involved
direct relationships involved with the querent’s life, including their friends, colleagues, coworkers, etc
Each reading will come with a visual chart along with a written explanation of the chart's meaning.
Below, I have an example of the 3 sign and Shield chart.
In preparation for a spiritual market I'm participating in October, I decided it was about time to release a new zine: this one, on Weather Magic!
This zine features correspondences to certain weather events, protections for bad weather, how to call rain and wind, and more! This is a great quick-reference pocketbook to keep on your altar or bookshelf, or take with you while traveling when you need to craft a spell!
You can get it over on my Etsy!
(My shop is still 50% off til August 23rd, so take advantage now!)
I've always been called to the dark. The nooks and crannies obscured by shadows. The long unlit hallways you can't see the end of. The unusual and suspicious street with no lamps where you might see someone sketchy come out of.
It wasnt until witchcraft that those spaces started to make sense to me, especially in places of power like old churches or crossroads. Today I was having a night walk through a small town, and when I reached the old, now decaying and abandoned church, I felt His presence. There was a long dark alley beside the building, and there He was.
He inhabits the dark, consumes it, embodies it, devours it. He lives in it and becomes it all at once. For in the blink of an eye you can see His shadow calling to you, luring you in. I was hesitant to leave, even if it was late and dangerous, for I could see His eyes looking.
I've always loved the dark and felt comforted by it because He's always in it, our dear beloved Man in Black. The Devil.
In an effort to share more about my Tradition and our practices, here is a short write-up about the deities found within our Craft. Note that this is by no means all-encompassing, and these beings hold many more Mysteries than I can describe in a Tumblr post.
The Goddess(es):
Our Goddess is seen as both One being, and Two. She is Her own Mother and Daughter. The different sides of Her are honored at different times of the year. As one Goddess, She is seen as the First Magician, Queen of Witches, and the Devil's Wife. Each holds within Herself the core of the other. Within the darkness of the night, the light of the moon and stars reaches us. Within the brightness of the day, shadows lurk and provide respite. Here, I will break down Her two sides:
Dark Goddess Kolyo:
Kolyo is the Queen of the Dark Half of the Year, ruling over the time between the Autumnal and Spring Equinox. Known as The Covered or The Hidden One, She is the Great Mother of All, the Spinning Goddess of Fate, the source of our magic, and older than time itself. She is often associated with The Morrigan, Diana, the Norns, and 1734 from the 1734 Tradition. She is the vastness of space, twinkling with the Star-Fire far beyond our reach and comprehension. She inhabits the cloak of night and the shadows of the day.
Light Goddess Goda:
Also known as Godiva, Goda is the Daughter-Self of Kolyo, being Her and also being birthed by Her simultaneously. Our Lore states that Kolyo and Qayin came together to birth the Light Goddess Goda. She rules over the Light Half of the Year, from Spring to Autumnal Equinox. She is the Queen of Faeries, the Great Herbalist, Goddess of the Grain, Lady of the Burial Mound, and Keeper of the Divine Springs. She is often associated with Aradia, Frau Holle, Epona, and Brigid. She is the sun rays of the morning, and the moonlight of the midnight sky.
Red God Tubal Cain:
Also known as Tubal Qayin, Qayin, or Tubelo, Cain is the Tradition's Witch Father. He is the Great Initiator, the Gatekeeper of Kolyo's magic that which we wield, the keeper of the original Black Book, and the King of Familiar Spirits. He is often associated with the Devil at the Crossroads, the Sabbatic Goat, Lucifer, and Azazel. He connects us to Divine Creation (as First Blacksmith) and Divine Destruction (as First Murderer). He is a transgressive god, liberating us from our chains and empowering us with His magical knowledge.
Personal Notes:
The common belief within the Spiral Castle is that these deities can take on the names and faces of others in an effort to connect with members of the Tradition in a way that will be meaningful to us, and that these names listed above are the True identities of these deities. I have mixed feelings on this personally. I do believe that they can present themselves as a different entity in order to connect with us more easily, but I don't believe that this is unique to this particular set of deities. My ultimate belief on deities in general is that each deity is unique, and are representatives of different concepts from different cultures and traditions. Ultimately, I believe that we create the Divine as much as they create us; they are either egregores that have been created by group faith, or that they are spirits that we have lifted to the status of Divine.
That said, there are certain times that I syncretize them with entities of other pantheons, such as associating Qayin with Lucifer, Goda with Aradia, and Kolyo with Diana. In these instances, I'm using these beings' names more as titles than the beings themselves (Lucifer-Qayin as the Light Bringer, Aradia-Godiva as Teacher of Witchcraft, Diana-Kolyo as First Magician, etc.)
That's all I have for now. Thank you to anyone who has read this far! I'm excited to continue posting about these beings as they become a more integrated part of my practice! ❤️️
