The Witchling Diaries

I’m a ‘trainee’ solitary eclectic witch, with a focus on cosmic and crystal witchcraft. Basically like an online grimoire/book of shadows, feel free to ignore, as this is mostly just an organisational thing.

[earthwalkerwiccan]

Witchy Clendar *Northern Hemisphere

[themori-witch]

LOOKING FOR: WITCHCRAFT BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS!

Preferably non-Wiccan and non-religious.

Looking for informational books, including info on historical practises.

I will not purchase or entertain books by Silver Ravenwolf, Raymond Buckland, Catherine Yronwode, and Christian Day.

If you know of any books that you think I'd be interested in, please let me know!

[themori-witch]

Thank you for all of the responses I've had so far! To make things easier, here are the books I currently own:

Malleus Maleficarum.

The Green Witch by Arin Murphy-Hiscock.

Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs by Scott Cunningham.

The Witches' Almanac 2016-2017.

The Little Book of Practical Magic by Sarah Bartlett.

The Little Book of Moon Magic by Sarah Bartlett.

The Book of English Magic by Phillip Carr-Gom & Richard Heygate.

[the-witchling-diaries]

‘The Crystal Code’ and ‘Luna’ by Tamara Dreissen are both very good!

[seagreenwitchery-deactivated202]

Hey there Tumblr! Just wanted to post a little sneak peek of the September Full Moon Newsletter that we just posted in MWC! This months theme was: ⚡️Tech and Pop-Culture Magic!⚡️

The Modern Witch Collective Discord server posts a Full Moon Newsletter (most) every month! We strive to always give lots of information to help others further their knowledge; every newsletter includes a Pick-A-Card reading, crystal/herb of the month, and a few articles around whichever theme we choose.

Our little community is really friendly and it gives you a place to connect with other 18+ witches from all around!

Join Link if you’re interested: https://discord.gg/RPtyEHD

[phoenyxoftheashes]

Secular Witch Wheel of the Year ideas

So you want to celebrate your own wheel of the year, but you are not Wiccan (or maybe not a Celtic Polytheist or Heathen Polytheist when it comes to the specific Celtic or Heathen holidays)?  Why not try making your own wheel of the year to celebrate nature or your own holidays?

Note:  It’s important that if you do this, you do not try to make your own holiday yet still call it by another name.  For instance: if you make a holiday around February 1st and give your own attributes to it, it’s important to not call it “Imbolc”.  Imbolc is a specific holiday with its own customs used to celebrate Brigid.  If you want to celebrate Imbolc, then celebrate Imbolc.  If you’re not celebrating Imbolc, don’t call it Imbolc.  Make sense?

Second Note: The solstice and equinox holidays will be named as such, and the cross quarter holidays will be referred to as “mid-x”. Note, this is a bit different than what you may be used to since the solstice holidays are sometimes referred to as such. Ex: summer solstice as “mid-summer”. For the purposes of this post, only the cross quarter days will be referred to in that way. Just fyi to avoid confusion. I’m referring to them as “mid” because they are in the middle of the season.

Now, onto the ideas:

❄️ Winter Solstice (Usually somewhere between Dec 20th-22nd): Celebrate family, holiday cheer, resolve any old issues you’ve had this year, look back on the year and what you have done. What have you learned?? You can also celebrate this as a time of new beginnings.  Since the sun is returning and the days will be growing longer: you can view this as your new year.  Make witchy resolutions, or any new year resolutions!! Celebrate winter festivities and the return of the sun

🕯Mid-winter (Feb. 1st-2nd): I view this holiday as a time for purification.  Get rid of any bad habits.  Cleanse yourself and your house.  Do some spring cleaning. Celebrate the growing strength of the sun, and celebrate the coming spring as well!!

🌹Spring Equinox (Typically between March 19th-21st): I view this time of year as a time for growth.  This corresponds with the growing signs of spring in the environment.  The days getting warmer, etc.  Take the time to do spells that correspond with your growth as witch or just as a human being.  This time is heavily associated with fertility. But this could be fertility of many things - talents, the mind, imagination, projects, etc! Try out new things, practice the things you love to do, etc. Maybe even grow a garden as well.  Remember the new years resolution you made at the Winter Solstice? Now would be the time to make sure you’re bringing the list to fruition! Also, celebrate spring festivities!

💞 Mid-Spring (May 1st-2nd):  For me, this time of year is about life and love. Celebrate life by helping others around you: donate food, money, or your time. This holiday can be a time for charity and giving to others. I specifically view this time as a celebration of life and the living because the opposite cross quarter day would be Mid-Autumn (Halloween), which is a day to celebrate the dead. You can also spend this holiday appreciating the life of nature by spending time outside, building a bonfire, going for a walk, or tending/creating a garden. You can also celebrate this holiday as a holiday for love - spend time with your loved ones! Do something special for them. For other’s, this time of year may also correspond with sex as well. Oh, and celebrate the coming of summer time!!

🌞 Summer Solstice (Typically between June 20th-22nd):  For me, this is a time for power.  Celebrate your power and magic as a witch.  I personally believe this is the day of the year when the power of the earth is strongest.  Some view this time as a day when the veil between worlds thins. Especially in regards to the Fae. So you could take advantage of that. Also, celebrate summer!  Woohoo Summer!!! Spend your days at the pool, hanging out outside….or inside where there’s air conditioning. Whatever works for you.

🍞 Mid-Summer (August 1st-2nd): First harvest.  Time for feasting.  Reap what you have sown so far throughout the year.  I correspond this holiday with food - specifically grain. Celebrate the earth and the food that it provides you. Also, celebrate the coming of Fall!! (My favorite season of the year)

🍂 Autumn Equinox (Typically between Sept 21st-24th): Second Harvest. Witchy Thanksgiving.  List all the things you are thankful for, and celebrate them! Do some Autumn festivities, and celebrate Autumn (arguably the best time of the year ;)

🎃 Mid-Autumn/Halloween (October 31st-November 2nd): The final harvest. The opposite of Mid-Spring which celebrates life, Mid-Autumn celebrates the dead/our ancestors. Do something nice to remember those who have past. Also, celebrate the coming of winter!

Feel free to use my ideas for your celebrations :)

[strangesigils]

“I Am Happy, I Am Calm, And I Am Motivated”

Requested by @ugrown​

[strangesigils]

“Charge My Crystals”

Put it on a box or bag that you keep your crystals in. Requested by @theflannelchick

[strangesigils]

“My Love Is Made Known To Those I Care About”

Have this sigil drawn on a piece of paper. Write the names of your loved ones on the other side of the paper and keep it somewhere safe. Charge this sigil every Sunday with the loving thoughts of the people you care about.

[wildewitchery]

☆ Crystals to cleanse the home!☆

Hi guys, here is a quick post on crystals to aid in cleansing the home.

Rose Quartz 

Rose quartz is often considered a love stone or a healing stone. Keeping a large piece of rose quartz in your bedroom or a room you are frequently in should help promote a love and nurturing atmosphere and environment helping negate negative energy! It’ll also help maintain happiness and love in your home. Remember to cleanse the stone with sage or tea, and they charge it with ‘running’ rose water. Do this as you see fit! (Wilde also finds it helpful if you leave it outside in a salt circle during the full moon)

Smokey Quartz

Smokey quartz is a great general cleansing crystal, this stone will remove dense energies and will replace it with a clear, clean and an uplifting energy! They’re very grounding and protective crystals and will help clear anxieties or negativeness that may occur in the home! Cleanse and charge in moonlight.

Black Obsidian

This is an excellent protection stone, this stone works by absorbing negative energies. It helps release tension and disharmony, allowing you home to be less tense and allowing less arguments to take place (hopefully)! We recommend you keep two pieces on each side of your front door to prevent any negative energies from coming into your home.  Be sure to cleanse and charge it in moonlight!

Amethyst

This crystal absorbs negative energy and helps create a tranquil and happy atmosphere. Place an Amethyst cluster in rooms you frequent for this effect, it also helps you sleep better if you keep it in your bedroom! Cleanse and charge in moonlight, too!

If you don’t own crystals, don’t worry! Sigils often have some of the same effects as them. As well as this, salt lamps often cover some of the properties of the stones too, and are relatively cheap to buy! Blessed be! -Wilde and Quinn

[starstonemagic]

🔮Path Ahead Spread🔮

1. Preparations

2. Where I want to be

3. How to get there

4. What’s in store?

5. Driving force

6. What’s holding me back?

[the-surreptitious-solitary]

Tarot Spread For The Upcoming Year, Two Ways

First, a simple overview, shown above. Shuffle while concentrating on the upcoming year. If you have a particular type of concern for the days ahead (career, romance, finances, etc), focus on that and ask for guidance. If not, ask for general guidance or predictions and deal as shown. These cards represent:

Overall theme for the year

Message for January

Message for February

Message for March

Message for April

Message for May

Message for June

Message for July

Message for August

Message for September

Message for October

Message for November

Message for December

Read upright/reversed based on their relationship to the center of the wheel; center is the bottom, the rim is the top, so, for instance, card 2 is in a normal orientation, while 5 is on its side with the top to the right.

Alternately, you can take a more comprehensive look at the upcoming year. As above, shuffle and concentrate on the kind of overview that would fill your needs. Last the cards as shown. These cards represent:

A lesson you will bring with your from the past year into the upcoming year (will help you deal with the coming year)

Overall theme for the new year

Overall struggle/adversary for the new year

A lesson you will need to learn in the coming year to prepare your for the following year

Message for January

Message for February

Message for March

Message for April

Message for May

Message for June

Message for July

Message for August

Message for September

Message for October

Message for November

Message for December

Struggle/adversary for January

Struggle/adversary for February

Struggle/adversary for March

Struggle/adversary for April

Struggle/adversary for May

Struggle/adversary for June

Struggle/adversary for July

Struggle/adversary for August

Struggle/adversary for September

Struggle/adversary for October

Struggle/adversary for November

Struggle/adversary for December

Read upright/reversed on the monthly messages as indicated with the first spread. The struggle/adversary cards (3 and 17-28) should be read holistically; the upright or reversed meanings may be most appropriate to be aware of. Use your intuition. Be aware that these cards often have advice for how to deal with that struggle.

The struggle/adversary may be a person, situation, mindset, etc.

I suggest reading each month as a pair (its message and struggle/adversary together). You may find that a month that has a negative message may carry advice on the struggle for how to get through it, for instance. It is surprising how these cards interact sometimes.

[thecolorsfucked]

I just bought this new tarot deck and I was wondering how to get used to it and get to know it?

do a deck interview! what I did with my tarot mucha deck(my most recent addition) was, I shuffled her a lot, cleansed her with smoke, added a protection ward, and then just asked her like 

what are your preferences with readings

do u need me to do anything special before readings

why me

how are u feeling about this relationship

do u have any issues with working with other decks

where do u see our relationship going

i also just talk to my decks while shuffling them and pulling a card whenever like i think they would want to respond, which helps in learning like the deck’s communication style and stuff

and then stick to like less intense readings for a short time to get both of u used to each other and u should have a rly close friend

[hillbillyoracle]

Stop Learning Tarot Cards Like Flash Cards (You’re Better Than That)

One thing I’ve noticed as I’ve started teaching tarot cards to other people is that they have a tendency to think that every card has an individual meaning and it is their duty to memorize 78 complex sets of meanings before they can begin reading for others. 

That’s simply not true. 

It’s also incredibly inefficient and totally kneecaps you when you move on to learn another deck (and try memorizing ANOTHER 78 complex sets of meanings). Cards exist in relation to one another. Understanding those relationships lets you remember meanings quicker, better understand how cards in a spread might be connected, and give much smoother readings. 

If you’re learning Tarot for the first time or looking to bush up, here’s my advice after reading cards for 10 years. Please, learn from my mistakes.  Tarot is a language

In the same way you learn letters and string them into words and then string words into sentences to communicate, tarot is a language you learn so your intuition can communicate more fully with you and others. And like a language, it’s often best to start with the phrases that you’ll use the most. 

Practice: Go through your deck and pick out no more than 12 cards that are really calling to you and look up those meanings. Write them down if you’re up for it. Go through your deck and pick out no more than 12 cards that give you a feeling of unease and do the same. Notice any reoccurring symbols?

  Tarot is a story

How you understand that story may vary on your tradition, your experience level, your aims. Most standard Tarot decks follow the Fool’s Journey through the Major Arcana as he becomes more skilled and then more enlightened. A similar pattern can be seen in each of the suits. The Court Cards are less narrative in my opinion but a similar progression can be seen. 

Practice: Take out each of the suits one at a time and lay them out in a row. Read the meanings of each card and see how the story progresses. Write down a summary. Do the same with each of other suits’ courts and the major arcana.

Tarot is a system

You aren’t fluent until you know the language well enough to speak smoothly and in most situations. Similarly, it takes understanding Tarot at a high level to give the best quality readings and read without a book. No card exists in isolation and just like when they show up in a reading, you must read them in relation to the rest of the spread - it helps a lot to know them in relation to the rest of the deck. 

Practice: Lay every card in your deck out like this (pardon my bad MSPaint job). Major Arcana up top and Court Cards off to the right and all the numbers lined up with the Fool and World left hanging. Pick one of the cards that resonated with you in the first exercise and look at how it relates to all the other cards in the deck. If it’s the 8 of Pentacles, what do the other 8′s look like and speak to? What do 8 (Strength) and 18 (the Moon) in the Major Arcana connect to it (if at all)? How does it relate to the rest of the story of the Pentacles?  Hope this helps! If you have any questions, feel free to ask! 

[readingsbylily]

Here are a few of the very first three-card spreads I learned when I was first starting out with Tarot. Even now, I use a lot of these spreads for my daily readings or to gain insight if I don’t have time for a longer spread. For me, my personal favorite is the Stop/Start/Continue. It’s sometimes helpful to get in touch with what I need to quit doing, what I should be doing instead, and what I’m already doing right. I also really enjoy these 3-card layouts because you can use them as a jumping off point for making your own spreads. What are your favorite 3-card readings?

As always, you can reach out and chat with me here or find me on Instagram @readingsbylily. I have recently opened up an Etsy shop too where you can find my readings!

[whichwitchami]

The Happy Burrito

A tarot spread for when Depression/ Apathy hit hard and all you want to do is curl up in a fuzzy blanket until its over. 

1. The Never Ending Void: where is this depression or apathy coming from?

2. The Fuzzy Blanket: what words of comfort do you need to hear right now?

I wanted to keep this short and sweet. I know when I’m drowning in apathy or depression I don’t feel like touching my cards, much less interpreting them. Hopefully this will be helpful yet easy to those who need it. 

***** Please do not remove my captions******

spread inspiration from @scarletteugenetarot

[anniraven]

How to make a three card spread for every problem

Sometimes life gets overwhelming and you don’t understand what’s going on. While big fancy tarot spreads can give you great answers to your questions, where do you start if you’re not sure what the question is or where the poblem lies? You want a quick, simple answer, that gives you a starting point, in this case, a point of view that helps you understand the situation, the problem and how to fix it.

The simple three cards structure

Card 1 is supposed to tell you, where your problem(s) come from. Where there certain events triggering the events leading to the chaos? Maybe your life wants you to confront a new task. What is happening around you may be a reflektion of what is going on inside you, unconciously, or vice versa (especially if you’re an empath).

Card 2 should explain your position in all of this. Even if your problem does not involve chaos, asking where you stand in regards to solving the problem might help interpreting the third card. You can also try and understand your role in a social conflict, how you have influenced the evolution of it so far or how far you have come in understanding and solving the problem.

Card 3 is telling you how to solve it. If you were really lazy or just really good at communicating with/ reading your cards, you might as well skip the first and second card. I think looking at past and present is really helpful in understanding what your card suggests for the future. If you already have a solution in mind you could also ask for the outcome.

Traditionally, you would place the cards next to eachother from left to right, but in the end you can spread them however you feel fits. How you spread the cards of course will have an effect on the interpretation of the interactions of the cards (eg. where figures look etc).

I will now list some example questions:

Card 1 - Finding the root of your problem(s)

Where does my problem stem from?

What happened that triggered this chain of events?

What does most of this mess right now boil down to?

What is at the core of my current issues?

What task am I being confronted with right now?

Card 2 - Finding the place in all of this

What is my role in this current conflict?

Where in this mess is my place right now?

Where am I on the path to solving the problem?

How can I extend my understanding of the problem?

How have my issues progressed so far?

What energy am I currently bringing to this?

Card 3 - Finding a solution

How can I solve this problem/ the issues?

What energy do I need to invite to fix this mess?

What do I need to bring into my life to help me with this?

Whom can I ask for help?

What outcome will the solution that I thought of have?

Obviously you can always draw more cards to get a more detailed and maybe specific answer. Espacially, if you don’t feel able to understand one card to is full extend in answering your question. Then asking a follow-up question can be very helpful and you should never shy away from doing so.

I know big spreads are very popular and that is for good reason, but sometimes the small spreads that can be done quick and dirty just do the work in pushing us in the right direction.

If you have any tips yourself, feel free to add onto this.

[whichwitchami]

The Wellness Wheel Tarot Spread

**Based on a concept discussed in one of my counseling courses, where each slice of the wheel represents a section of your life and how well you feel like you’re doing in that area**

The idea behind this spread is to pull one card for each area of wellness to give you an idea of how you can improve that area of wellness. Under each section of wellness I’ve included just a few topics that might relate to that section. You can ask about a specific topic or just the overall area of wellness for each card.

1. Spiritual Wellness

-Connection to nature

-Belief in the divine

-Connection to a community

-Sense of self or sense of purpose

-Meaning in life

2. Financial Wellness

-Abundance and income

-Stability

-Paid vs. Unpaid work

-Productivity and work ethic

3. Physical Wellness

-Sleep

-Diet and exercise

-Medical appointments

-Medication/ vitamins

4. Emotional Wellness

-Awareness and acceptance of emotions

-Mindfulness

-Ability to Identify and express emotions

-Emotional stability/ regulation

-Use of positive coping strategies

5. Social Wellness

-Healthy and positive interactions

-Communication

-Sense of community

-Hobbies

-Social connections to family, friends, pets etc.

6. Intellectual Wellness

-Stimulating activities

-Challenges and engagement

-Productivity

-Continued learning

7. Environmental Wellness and Safety

-Do you feel safe in your immediate environment?

8. Overall Wellness

-What do you need to know to raise your wellness overall?

[barberwitch]

Meeting Your New Tarot Deck

Hello there my witches and diviners! Here’s an introduction Spread I like to do for New decks so I can get a grasp on them. This is a reprint of the Dalí Tarot Universal deck I got for my birthday.

Shuffle your cards (I’ll usually “bridge” my cards once the entire time I use them, and that’s the first time I use them) cut your deck how you like then make your Spread starting top to bottom, left to right. 1: Please introduce yourself (card the deck thinks of as the best summary of its facets/personality) 2: What’s your strength as a deck? 3: What are your limitations? 4: What can I learn from you? 5: What’s the best way to work with you? 6: What’s the outcome of our relationship?

Please introduce yourself: Knight of Swords. Majestic and proud and a touch materialistic, the deck likes to think of itself as the “crown jewel” and craves attention and recognition.

Your strength as a deck: King of Coins Matters of the physical world, whether it’s wealth, health or goals are questions best answered by this deck. Advice and insight into sensuality and the pleasures of life are easily handled by this deck

Your limitations as a deck: Ace of Swords Deeper matters of the mind, and cleaving clarity may be limited. What this could mean is that the deck, like the sword is a tool, and like the ace represents, only the beginning. The decks job isn’t to discern nuances in emotions or relationships but to show truths. It’s limit is also a strength. The sword is double edged, I may not like all the answers I get.

What can I learn from you: The Lovers About relationships in all their forms. Relationship with myself, others, romantic, business or otherwise. Life is made up of relationships, and being able to get insight into those as well as strengthening my own relationships is awesome:

Best way to use/work with you: III of Swords. Asking questions and reading answers with an open mind and an open heart. Don’t let biases shade the answers I seek because each reading is separate and stands on its own not influenced by past readings

Outcome of our relationship: Wheel of Fortune Balance and natural order will be strengthened and restored when lacking. This is comforting to read because sometimes when using the cards and seeking answers it’s because you feel out of sorts, but the answers and messages delivered will bring you back to base.

Now I know what you might be thinking, “those aren’t exactly the interpretations I have for that/those cards.” This is a personal thing for me, but I always base my intro spread on the meanings the included book/pamphlet have. Think of it as a new phone. You unpackaged it and follow the designated set up directions, then later on you personalize it. Especially with this deck, the imagery is a very important aspect of the cards and their meanings.