The Herbal Witch 🌿 @theherbalwitch - Tumblr Blog

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happy cottage life 💐🌻☘️🍃🌿🌱🌾🍁🍂🌼

What can I use sandspurs for? (Some places call em sandburs?? Idk- google shows the right thing)

So many of them grow in my yard and I don’t have anything to do with them, the waste of potential is making me sad but I don’t even know what i could use them for

you could dry them and make a besom :)

lynxlavender

The Mohs Hardness Scale: A bit of Geology every Witch who uses crystals should know.

Hi all!

As a Geology nerd who is also a witch, I was inspired to make this post by all the crystal-related confusion that pops up throughout the witchy internet! Hopefully, this will help someone out there on their journey!

What is the Mohs Hardness scale, and why should a metaphysical fan of crystals care about it?

The Mohs Hardness scale is a scale of 10 minerals that are used to determine the hardness of other minerals that geologists find in the field. It is super useful for the crystal witch to know and use, because:

It will help you to identify your unknown rocks and minerals. (It is not the only way to do so, but it is the most accessible. The Mohs number for every mineral is just a google away! It is also 100x more reliable than color, which is almost useless for accurate identification, as even minute chemical impurities can radically influence color, and many many minerals produce both multiple colors and identical colors to other minerals.)

It will help you care for your crystals. (Ever open a bag to find one of your stones has broken another, or destroy a mineral by getting it wet? The Mohs hardness scale will prevent those mishaps.)

It will help you make safe choices about your crystal waters/elixirs. (Crystals that are too soft will become absorbed by the water.)

The Mohs Hardness Scale

(The scale has 10 minerals, with 10 being the hardest, and 1 being the softest. In between the main minerals I have put a few household items that can also be used in lieu of a stone.)

10. Diamond

9. Corundum

8. Topaz

7. Quartz

6. Feldspar

5.5 - A piece of glass

5. Apatite << Anything past this point is questionable in water! (See below)

4.5 : An Iron Nail

4. Fluorite

3.5 : Copper

3. Calcite

2.5 : Your Fingernail

2. Gypsum (aka Selenite)

1. Talc

What if I don’t have all of these?

No problem! Just start looking up the hardnesses of what you do have, and build your own set! (The Mohs number is on each stone’s wikipedia page! :) ) Don’t worry if you don’t have anything harder than quartz (7) or softer than your fingernail (2.5); you won’t be testing diamonds too often, and you’ll always have your fingernails! (Hopefully!)

How to Use the Scale:

Identification:

Say you’ve got a lovely new stone, but you have no idea what it is! You’ve googled a few possibilities that seem right, but you’re not sure. Here’s where the Mohs scale comes in!

Google the Mohs numbers for the stones you think it might be, and write them down. For example, you’ve got a lovely new blue-green stone, but you’re not sure if it’s Fluorite or Aquamarine. You write down the number 4 for Fluorite and the number range 7.5-8 for Aquamarine.

Next, you’ll gather items that are harder and softer than your possible minerals. For our example, I’ll have you start by grabbing the easily accessed Quartz at a hardness of 7.

Now, attempt to scratch the crystal with your Quartz. If it can scratch the crystal, your mystery stone is softer than Quartz. If it can’t, your stone is harder than Quartz. For example, if it can’t scratch your blue stone, you can rest assured that it is not Fluorite (4), and that it is more likely to be Aquamarine (7.5-8).

Repeat step number 3 with items of different hardness until you have narrowed down your Mohs Number. Let’s say that the quartz does scratch our mystery stone.This means the hardness is <7. Keep repeating scratch tests until you can confirm that a 5-hardness item can scratch your stone, while a 3-hardness one cannot. Once you’ve done that, you can identify it as having a hardness of 4, and that it is likely a Fluorite! (Or, if it does not meet those requirements, you’ve gotta start googling new possibilities!)

Note: this is not a FOOL- PROOF way to identify stones, as minerals of the same hardness can also have the same color. It is a very useful way to narrow down the possibilities, however. Try to consider as many attributes of the stone as possible when identifying.

Safe Storage:

When deciding whether to box or bag crystals together, try only to combine those of similar hardness. Your carnelian will smash your fluorite, and your selenite won’t long survive a rowdy citrine, and it will be very sad for all involved! :(

Checking for Water Damage and Elixir Safety:

While I also highly recommend that a crystal witch familiarizes themselves with one of the many crystal toxicity lists online, another one of the things that can make an elixir dangerous is particles of minerals being absorbed into the water. This occurs with many soft minerals; anything less than or equal to 5 on the Mohs scale is risky. A good rule of thumb is to stick with those 6+ on the Mohs Scale if you want to put it in or clean it with water. To clean your softer crystals, buy a cheap toothbrush and dry brush them — it’s been super useful for me!

~~~~~

Hopefully this wasn’t too boring, and will be of use to someone!

I also have an idea for an in-depth post about identifying crystals. Let me know if anyone would be interested in reading that!

Either way, blessed be!

(Note: I am NOT a scientist! This is just some hobby geology knowledge for you all! If any actual geologists out there see any mistakes in my post, please know I want you to point them out!)

petriquartz-spiritual

I think it’s really important that we talk about a very pertinent and relevant topic:

How to spot fake crystals!

“Fake” in reference to crystals can mean many different things depending on who you ask, but we’ll cover all of them. Dyed stones, heat treated, glass, man made, mislabeled/marketed, etc.

As the crystal community grows, so do the counterfeit dealers! One of the fakes I see most often are the small little bullet shaped points made into pendants, with very over exaggerated color and patterns, that are being sold at extremely low prices and readily available at places like Walmart, Five Below, and Amazon. These are either made from resin/plastic or dyed glass, and possess absolutely no metaphysical properties or vibrational energy.

Another way to spot a fake is if the price is just too good to be true. While I am able to offer stones (IG @petriquartz) at a lower price than most retail metaphysical stores, it’s usually just because those places are OVER charging for their product. While you don’t want to overpay, you also don’t want to underpay, as that is an indication that the stone you are purchasing is not genuine.

If a stone is one with a natural pattern, we want to be sure that the pattern is not completely uniform or symmetrical. A patterned stone that is often faked, as it is on the rarer and pricier side, is malachite. A good way to tell if your malachite is genuine is to see if the stripes on your stone are dark green or black. Black stripes that are very uniform are a tell-tale sign that what you have is a fake.

Now what about heat treated stones??? The vast majority of the time, heat treated amethyst is marketed and sold as citrine. While this isn’t really false, it is a little deceptive. Amethyst and citrine are both varieties of quartz. The only difference is the oxidized state of the iron impurities within the mineral. Naturally occurring citrine is quite rare, which is the result of natural heat and pressure applied to amethyst over a very long period of time. We are able to simulate that effect by heat treating pieces of amethyst in order to speed up the process.

Finally, let’s talk about man made stones. Some of the most popular man made crystals include opalite, goldstone, and blue sandstone. Some people debate whether or not these man made stones still possess any sort of metaphysical properties while not coming directly from the earth. Whether you use them in your own practice or just have them as display pieces in your house is totally up to you! Do what feels right, and if you feel called to them, there is nothing wrong with using them!

I hope that this can offer some insight to anyone just getting starting, or some guidance for anyone looking to purchase crystals! For genuine, ethically sourced stones, be sure to check out Petriquartz on all platforms. The majority of my sales are done via my Facebook group, where I offer exclusive prices for members, as well as frequently host giveaways and live sales once a week or more! Click the links below to join us!!!

linktr.ee/petriquartz

🌙 Crystal Magick 🔮 has 522 members. This is a place to discuss crystals and their healing power, share photos of your collection, and ask fo

lostinbrown-deactivated20260426

Astro Notes

Taurus Risings might have a lot of dreams that involve lot of fire, war and destruction and fights due to Aries in 12th.

Taurus and Capricorn Risings usually think a lot about money to their own benefit as they later manifest that ♡.

Scorpio placements like having the doors closed.

11H Neptune people may witness gaslighting from friends.

People with the placements of your 2nd House will spoil you.

I find that it's the fixed Risings that grab the most attention. They are rigid and they stand out from the crowd.

People with Mars/Pluto aspects can be the sweetest people with the most violent thoughts and tempers. Very protective of those they care about.

North Node 1st house might struggle from people pleasing in their early life

Sagittarius Venusians love bohemian aesthetic, the free breezy tropical vibe ✨

People with water signs in the 12th house might like traveling to beaches and islands.

Aquarius Mercury's are very forgetful. Like you say a name and they forget it a few minutes later!!

A big reason why Capricorn Venusians may not like casual relationships is because they see relationships as an investment of their time. Saturn values time more than anything. So Capricorn are always looking out for value.

Taurus placements usually have specific food they like eating all the time and they never get bored. It's like coming home to them. They are fixed energies so they may prefer some restaurants they known and go to all the time!

Cancer moons can't take rejection.

Aries and Scorpio Mercuries will be mean and ruthless if angered.

Some with libra in 3rd will be the peacemaker or the balance machine of their siblings

12H Mercuries know a lot of mystical spiritual stuff but dosen't share it with people except a really really close one.

Moon in 2nd - dresses for comfort

2nd House Saturn people could have a habit of eating all the time

Also go to this link to read my latest post on Mercury Retrograde in Gemini do share my article if you find it valuable 🌌

themirroredmoon

Colors & Their Magickal Associations

Be it a satchel with herbs and crystals or candles for a simple spell, color has meaning and aid in our spell work. Here are basic colors and some of their meanings, along with some herbs/flowers/plants/etc associated with those properties. ♡ Black - Banishing: Cayenne, Clove, Dragon’s Blood, Feverfew, Garlic, Hot Pepper, Mugwort, Rosemary, Wormwood. - Binding: Dill, Hydrangea, Ivy, Knotweed, Licorice Root, Morning Glory. - Protection: Anise, Angelica, Bay, Basil, Cedar, Cinnamon, Cumin, Fennel, Leek, Pennyroyal, Rice. ♡ Blue - Healing: Allspice, Bay, Cedar, Cypress, Juniper, Mugwort, Peppermint, Pine, Rose, Saffron, Thyme. - Peace: Gardenia, Lavender, Lemon Balm, Marjoram, Mint. - Sleep: Bergamot, Chamomile, Lavender, Lettuce, Rosemary, Thyme. ♡ Brown - Healing Animals: Allspice, Bay, Cedar, Cinnamon, Clover, Lime, Mugwort, Thyme. - Home Protection: Anise, Basil, Bay, Caraway, Cedar, Clove, Cotton, Cumin, Fennel, Garlic, Ivy, Lavender, Leek, Marigold, Mint, Mugwort, Oak, Parsley, Rose, Rosemary, Sage. ♡ Green - Beauty: Aloe, Avacado, Basil, Catnip, Chamomile, Lavender, Mint, Thyme, Tumeric. - Luck: Allspice, Comfrey, Heather, Nutmeg, Oak, Orange, Rose. - Money: Allspice, Basil, Cedar, Cinnamon, Clove, Ginger, Jasmine, Orange, Pecan, Sesame, Spearmint. ♡ Orange - Legal Matters: Buckthorn, Calendula, Hickory, Marigold, Skunk Cabbage. - Success: Bay, Cinnamon, Clove, Ginger, Marjoram, Rosemary, Safforn, St. John’s Wort ♡ Pink - Romantic Love: Basil, Catnip, Clove, Clover, Coriander, Damiana, Gardenia, Ginger, Hibiscus, Jasmine, Lavender, Lemon, Lime, Orange, Rose, Thyme, Vanilla. - Friendship: Bamboo, Gardenia, Lemon, Rosemary, Sweetpea. ♡ Purple - Healing: Allspice, Bay, Cedar, Cypress, Juniper, Mugwort, Peppermint, Pine, Rose, Saffron, Thyme. - Power: Acorn, Black Haw, Cedar, Cinnamon, Cinquefoil, Ginger, Rowan, St. John’s Wort, Sunflower. - Travel: Comfrey, Dill, Fennel, Lucky Hand, Mint, Parsley. ♡ Red - Courage: Basil, Black Cohosh, Chives, Horseradish, Nettle, Pepper, Sweatpea, Thyme, Yarrow. - Lust: Avacado, Caraway, Cardamon, Celery, Cinnamon, Daisy, Garlic, Ginseng, Lemongrass, Licorice, Mint, Nettle, Pear, Periwinkle, Rosemary, Saffron, Vanilla, Violet. - Power: Acorn, Black Haw, Cedar, Cinnamon, Cinquefoil, Ginger, Rowan, St. John’s Wort, Sunflower. - Sex/Sexual Potency: Banana, Bean, Black Cohosh, Caper, Dragon’s Blood, Fig, Grape, Hawthorn, Hazel, Mandrake, Oak, Peach, Poppy, Walnut, Wheat. - Strength: Bay, Carnation, Mugwort, Mulberry, Pennyroyal, Saffron, St. John’s Wort, Sweetpea, Thistle. ♡ White - Joy/Happiness: Catnip, Lavender, Marjoram, Saffron. - Peace: Gardenia, Lavender, Lemon Balm, Marjoram, Mint. - Protection: Anise, Angelica, Bay, Basil, Cedar, Cinnamon, Cumin, Fennel, Leek, Pennyroyal, Rice. - Purification: Anise, Bay, Cedar, Coconut, Eucalyptus, Fennel, Lavender, Lemon, Parsley, Thyme, Tumeric. ♡ Yellow - Divination: Camphor, Cherry, Dandelion, Fig, Goldenrod, Hibiscus, Lettuce, Meadowsweet, Orange, Pansy, Pomegranate, Rose, St. John’s Wort, Willow. - Joy/Happiness: Catnip, Cinnamon, Feverfew, Hawthorn, High John the Conqueror, Hyacinth, Lavender, Lily of the Valley, Marjoram, Meadowsweet, Mint, Safforn, St. John’s Wort. - Mental/Psychic Powers: Acacia, Bay, Caraway, Cherry, Citron, Dandelion, Flax, Grape, Mugwort, Orange, Peppermint, Rose, Rosemary, Rowan, Rue, Spearmint, Star Anise, Thyme, Wormwood, Yarrow.