The Woodbine Witch

Woodbine: Shakespearean word for honeysuckle | PNW Based | They/them | Lesbian | Your Local Hedge Witch | Heathen Against Hate | AuDHD | Follows through: ignitelimelight

[friend-crow]

True and sincere answer to all of the people who ask, "I have just seen X animal, what does this mean?":

Rejoice, my friend, for this is a most auspicious sign! You have received one of the greatest blessings known to human kind: you live in a world full of creatures! Take comfort and enjoy this divine blessing.

[elminx]

Elminx's Long-Form Lemonade for Sweet Cleansing

If you've been hanging out for more than a hot minute, you have probably caught on to a secret about my kitchen witching: it's not the NUMBER of ingredients you enchant; it's how you enchant them. For the purposes of witching, I prefer simple recipes (ingredient-wise) that have a bit of oomph to them. Do you need to stir a pot for 45 minutes straight? (see also my french onion soup recipe) What about starting a vinegar infusion that needs to be shaken every day?

This, as the saying goes, is where the magic is made. At least, for me.

So, imagine my surprise when my friends introduced me to a long-form way of making lemonade. Rather than simply juicing the lemons and adding some sugar and water - you combine the sugar and lemon peels and let them sit for some time to release the lemon's essential oils.

Not only does it make a superior lemonade (can confirm!), but it immediately had my magic wheels turning.

The goal is to make lemonade that will sweetly cleanse you of what ails you. This spell can easily be adapted to add specifiers—see the end of this post for more details.

As always, I will not tell you how to do YOUR magic. This is a technique, not a magic tutorial.

The Basics: When Life Gives You Lemons

Lemons have a long history of use as a cleansing agent. Cunningham's infamous green book lists them as a feminine plant, under the purview of water and the moon and used for the powers of "longevity, purification, love, friendship." (for what that's worth) From an herbal energetic perspective - lemons are considered to be cooling - they are used in the summer to cool hot termperatures and applied to the sick to help bring down fevers. Citric acid is also a bladder stimulant, which we will be making use of for the purposes of our potion-making.

What we associate with lemon as the "cleaning agent" is believed to come from limonene, a terpene found in the peels of most citrus fruits that is both antiviral and antibacterial. Lemonene is used in many cleaners that you can buy on the market but can also be extracted directly from the fruit, as we will do in this recipe.

The Technique

This standard high-end bartender technique makes wonderful, complex sour mixes that can absolutely make the perfect cocktail. Rather than extracting the limonene from the citrus using alcohol or vinegar, we use sugar.

This technique is called oleo-saccharum, which means "oil-sugar" - you are using sugar to draw the essential oils out of the lemon peels, making a natural (no heat) syrup. Note here: this syrup can be used on its own for all sorts of syrupy needs - you could stop the preparation here if you don't love lemonade.

This can be done on the fly (an hour or so), but I highly suggest letting this sit for 12-24 hours for the full effect.

The Recipe

You will need:

5-6 lemons, the best-looking ones you can find

1 1/4 cups sugar

Filter Water (to taste)

Peeler, citrus juicer, optional

Additional magical flavoring, optional

Become better acquainted with your lemons. For the purposes of this recipe, I do this by holding them, talking to them about what I want from them (general or specific cleansing), and rolling them across a hard surface. This last part helps to separate the peel from the pith, which will help you cut away the peel in the next step. Because we intentionally try to release the limonene compounds in this recipe, you may wish to begin by carving your lemon at this step (BEFORE you peel). You could carve your intentions, your name, the names of the people you are looking to cleanse, or any cleansing runes or sigils that you use in your craft.

Carefully peel your lemon. You want to get as little pith (white parts) as possible, as they don't taste good. Take your time here. Really breathe in the scents of the lemon during this. This is the first part of the cleansing process - you are incidentally cleaning yourself and your kitchen as you do this part of the spell. Lean into this. It smells amazing. Revel in it. Think about how it reminds you of everything being shiny and clean as a child. Lemons ARE cleansing - really feel into this here. We won't use the rest of the lemon until tomorrow; you can juice it here or store it overnight in an air-tight container)

Add your lemon peels and the sugar to a mixing bowl and thoroughly massage the sugar into the lemon peels. This should take some time - think fives of minutes at least. You want to do this until you can feel the change in consistency in the sugar - try to incorporate all of the sugar with all of the lemons. Remember, sugar is inherently sweetening, and lemons are inherently cleansing - you combine these two elements here to make a sweet, cleansing spell. Let the smell of it clean out your nose and your sinuses. This is the meat of your spellcasting - you are working your spell into your ingredients. Talk to it. Use your energy. Pray over it. You will know when this step is complete.

Cover your bowl and let it sit at room temperature overnight or for up to 24 hours. The longer this extracts, the more intense the flavor in the finished product. In a pinch, give it an hour, but I suggest waiting at least 8-10 for the best effect.

The next morning, add 2 cups boiling water to your lemon paste and stir until it has thoroughly combined - this is a great place to reinforce your magic from the day beforehand. (This version had the addition of some freshly picked sour cherries which gives its red color)

6. When this has cooled, add the lemon juice and additional water to taste. I personally put this in a half-gallon ball jar and filled it with water, and then my partner and I further diluted it from there.

7. Drink and enjoy. For an extra cleansing effect, consider that part of the act of citrus is that of a urinary stimulant - it will make you pee. Think about how peeing removes things from your life. Remove what needs cleansing. Your spell is complete.

This spell is as simple as that but it can be dressed up in some many different outfits with very little effort. Do you know a flavor (remember, all edibles here) with the right magic associations to add to this spell?

Add some blackberries at the infusion stage for good old-fashioned hedge witch protection. If you really need something out, you could experiment with infusing some jalapeno after you've made the lemonade (tread with a lot of care here...). I've worked with lavender and hibiscus here for calming, cool energies. I recently added a cup of sour cherries to Step 3 for a love-cleansing effect.

There are two ways you can add flavors to this spell: you can mix your flavor in during the sugaring phase, or you can do a secondary infusion after your lemonade has been made. Use your best judgment here - fruits can go in with the citrus peels for sure, but herbs and other more "tea like" ingredients might be better steeped afterward.

I haven't tried it yet, but I'm eager to use some of my savory kitchen herbs the next time I near to clear out my money flows.

Or alternatively, use it as the first step in a witchy cocktail (my go-to, as you know). This lemonade makes an exquisite base for a margarita—for a bougie twist, use white Patron and some Chambord; you will not be disappointed.

This is almost a blank slate - sweet cleansing could be used for anything you put your mind to.

Do you like my work? You can support me over on Kofi by tipping me, ordering an astrology commission, buying some art, or signing up to be a monthly supporter of my work.

[saintjasperira-deactivated20250]

demonic possession wouldn’t even affect me, i would just assume it’s The Symptoms

[destiel-news-network]

(Source)

The formerly-Catholic Society of St Pius X triggered the schism by consecrating bishops without the Pope’s approval, a key part of the ceremony for Catholic believers.

The group has fought with the broader Church for decades on Vatican II reforms. This included things like “Mass should be offered in languages other than Latin” — but SSPX is generally seen as mostly being opposed to Vatican II’s attempt at building peace between Catholicism and people of Jewish & Muslim faiths.

[destiel-news-channel]

link

[Image ID: The Destiel confession meme edited so that Dean answers 'We've got a catholic schism today!' to Cas 'I love you'. /End ID]

[windvexer]

highly dependent on cosmology(?) but I would generally advise against setting up an altar to manage a part of your life and then forgetting about it, which is the magical equivalent of putting a wild horse in a corral and forgetting to feed it.

Correct, you did not need to feed it before. And yet behold, it is now starving.

You know?

Like yes, a domesticated horse can have wildly better health, longevity, safety, etc. But you also have to feed it. And you did not have to feed it while it was roaming free.

[samwisethewitch]

How to Spot a Spiritual Scam Artist

If you spend enough time in witchy spaces, at some point you will likely come into contact with other alternative spirituality and/or alternative healing practitioners. You may choose to study some of these healing practices, or you may run into them accidentally. As you meet and mingle with different spiritual practitioners, it's a good idea to familiarize yourself with common scams so you can avoid them.

Learning to spot a scam artist now will save you a lot of trouble as you navigate different spiritual spaces. By developing a strong bullshit detector, you can protect yourself and other people from being drawn in by grifters.

In this post, we'll go over several common red flags that indicate a spiritual or wellness scam. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but these are some of the scams you're most likely to run into.

Red Flag #1: They use titles they haven't earned, such as master, guru, priest/priestess, etc.

If someone uses a special title, don't be afraid to ask them how they got it! For example, a Reiki master/teacher is someone who has completed the highest level of Reiki training, and any legitimate master/teacher will have a certificate to prove that they are properly trained. Likewise, if someone uses a religious title like “High Priestess” or “Reverend,” they should be able to provide proof of their ordination.

This also goes for people who use secular titles. If someone goes by “Dr. So-and-So,” don't be afraid to ask what their doctorate is in! You'd be surprised how often people in wellness spaces pretend to be doctors because it makes them sound more authoritative.

Red Flag #2: They can't or won't tell you where they got their information and training.

This is similar to the previous red flag. A spiritual practitioner should be able to tell you who their teachers are, what their training was like, and what books and other resources they get their information from. This goes for witches, tarot readers, energy healers, yoga teachers, herbalists, and anyone else claiming to have some kind of authority or training.

If someone refuses to tell you where they got their information, there's probably a reason – maybe they don't have a source (i.e., they're making stuff up), or maybe they know their source won't hold up to scrutiny. Either way, these people are wasting your time.

Red Flag #3: They advise you to stop conventional medical treatments, stop taking prescription medications, and/or stop going to therapy.

This one should be self-explanatory, but just in case, let me remind you that spiritual practitioners are not medical professionals. No one except your physician should be telling you what medical treatment you should or shouldn't use. Even if it is framed as “just friendly advice,” a spiritual practitioner telling you what to do for your physical health is overstepping a boundary.

A trend I see a lot in spiritual spaces is the claim that psychiatric medication interferes with psychic abilities or makes it harder to work with energy. This is 1.) false, and 2.) ableist.

Taking medication to treat medical issues, including mental illness, does not have any negative spiritual effects. In fact, you may find your ability to work with energy is actually improved when your symptoms are properly treated.

Suddenly stopping a medication can have serious health consequences, such as withdrawal or worsening of symptoms. You should never stop taking your prescribed medication without talking to your doctor first.

On a similar note, spiritual practitioners are not therapists. If you are struggling with mental health issues, you should seek services from a licensed counselor. It is inappropriate for a spiritual practitioner to give mental health advice.

Red Flag #4: They diagnose people with medical conditions or give medical advice when they aren't a medical professional.

This is related to the previous red flag. Once again, spiritual practitioners are not medical professionals. Unless this person is also a licensed medical doctor, they should not be trying to diagnose you with medical conditions. (And even then, they would need to perform a medical exam to give a diagnosis.)

Some spiritual practitioners claim to be “medical psychics” or otherwise able to sense medical issues. This is not a valid medical diagnosis and is not a replacement for conventional medical care.

Red Flag #5: They give diet and exercise advice when they aren't a dietician.

Spiritual practitioners are not nutrition experts or physical therapists and are not qualified to give diet or exercise advice. There is no reason for a spiritual practitioner to be telling you what to eat or how to move your body.

Be especially wary of people who claim that you need to lose weight to advance spiritually or who tell you that your weight is a sign of spiritual issues. This is fatphobia, plain and simple. Weight and body size are caused by genetic and environmental factors, not by a lack of spiritual development. A person's spirituality has nothing to do with their size.

Red Flag #6: They try to sell you expensive products.

You do not need crystals, essential oils, herbal supplements, or any other tools to make your magic (or any spiritual practice) work. Anyone who insists that you absolutely need such-and-such crystal or such-and-such herbal tea is trying to make money off you.

Red Flag #7: They claim to be a reincarnated deity or spiritual leader OR they claim to speak for such a being.

Speaking from personal exprience as a former social worker, these claims ofen come from people who are in psychosis and need medical help. (Remember, psychosis just means someone is having experiences that are disconnected from reality. It does not mean that person is crazy, evil, or dangerous. Psychosis is a common medical condition and, like most medical conditions, it can be managed with medication and social support. That being said, psychosis is often accompanied by mental and emotional distress, which is why it's important to get help.)

We also sometimes see these types of claims used to mythologize the leaders of high-demand groups, a.k.a. cults. Whether the cult leader truly believes these claims or not is often unclear. (See the story of the “Love Has Won” cult for a fairly recent, high-profile example of this.)

Let me be clear: Lots of people have spiritual practices that involve working with gods, angels, saints, or other spirits, and many people feel that they receive messages from these spirits. That on its own is not necessarily a red flag. I'm also not really talking about therians or otherkin here – those identities can be totally healthy. What IS a red flag is if someone claims to speak for a supernatural being, epecialy if they claim to be that being's only earthly representative.

Red Flag #8: They claim to be “chosen” by a higher power and on a divine mission.

Like the previous red flag, this one is less about someone feeling like they have a spiritual calling and more about them claiming to have spiritual authority. A spiritual practitioner who feels like their life's purpose is to heal people is not necessarily a red flag. A spiritual practitioner who feels like their life's purpose is to be a world leader or otherwise control people is a red flag.

Red Flag #9: They subscribe to conspiracy theories or revisionist history.

Unfortunately, spiritual spaces can sometimes become an onramp to harmful conspiracies. Be wary of anyone who makes claims that are obviously out of touch with reality, even if you think they genuinely believe it.

Many conspiracies are closely tied to racist and/or antisemitic hate movements. Even conspiracy theories that seem silly at first glance, like the idea that the Egyptian pyramids were built by aliens, are based on racist ideas and can be a slippery slope into hateful thinking.

Red Flag #10: They try to push their religious or spiritual beliefs on you.

Obviously, if you ask someone to teach you about a spiritual practice, you are going to hear a little about their spiritual beliefs. In a class on witchcraft, I have to talk about witchcraft. But it would be inappropriate for me to use a witchcraft class to talk about my religious beliefs. It would also be inappropriate for me to invite my witchcraft students to a worship service or to pray over them without their consent. The same goes for other spiritual and wellness practices.

If you are interested in learning more about these topics, I recommend the following resources:

Steven Hassan’s BITE Model of Authoritarian Control: https://freedomofmind.com/cult-mind-control/bite-model-pdf-download/

Bright-Sided by Barbara Ehrenreich

What We Don't Talk About When We Talk About Fat by Aubrey Gordon

“The Crunchy to Alt-Right Pipeline” by Kathleen Belew: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/12/fringe-left-alt-right-share-beliefs-white-power-movement/672454/

Sisters In Hate by Seyward Darby

Killing the Black Body by Dorothy Roberts

The Dream podcast

Maintenance Phase podcast

If you enjoyed this post, please consider checking out my website or subscribing to my newsletter for updates and exclusive content!

[samwisethewitch]

I’ve been seeing a lot of ableism and fatphobia in witchy spaces on social media lately, so here’s your routine reminder that wellness grifters don’t deserve your time or your hard earned money.

[windvexer]

if you blow out candle you BLOW AWAY the MAGIC and ur spell goes pllphfphphphhhhhhbbb into the wind and WON'T WORK

[windvexer]

if you use a candle snuffer it will SMOOSH DOWN the MAGIC like u r throwing ur magic into the DIRT to FAIL and ur spell WONT WORK

[windvexer]

if you pinch out a candle with ur fingers ur SQUISHING ur MAGIC like u sqursh a BUG and it will say WHY DID U DO THAT i thought we were FRIENDS and ur spell WONT WORK

[windvexer]

if u let ur candle burn out all the way its like watching ur spell DWINDLE DOWN and DIE and ur magic will LOSE POWER and ur spell WONT WORK

[windvexer]

if u use a fire extinguisher u are EXTINGUISHING the POWER of ur MAGIC and burying ur intent under ANTI-MAGIC FOAM and ur spell WON'T WORK

[windvexer]

[windvexer]

[cannibalchicken]

[anusgeorg]

My ancestors died because they were born a long time ago

[cryptotheism]

Adam: Your older brother. Abel. He's dead.

Adams third child, Seth: What is that?

Adam: I don't know. This is new for me too.

[cryptotheism]

Eve: I think "dead" is what happens to dinnerbeasts.

Seth:

Eve: We might have to dinner him.

[mocharoll]

@official-cannibalism-posts

[official-cannibalism-posts]

Official Cannibalism post

[creature-wizard]

Before making big assumptions about the behaviors and wants of deities, please carefully examine your relationship with your parents and how they treated you.

[an-ruraiocht]

like did you know that trees lower the surface temperature by up to 19° and grass by up to 24°... access to green space is access to safety in a climate crisis and it is a massive site of inequality because poorer areas tend to have less green space and thus get hotter. urban trees are an equality issue as well as a climate issue. sorry it's not a magic bullet that solves everything but sometimes you need to pick an issue that helps a bit and focus on that. this might not be yours. it's likely going to be mine in the future when my health issues allow me to take it on. if we each pick a thing we can make a difference

[mothermara]

remember to bury the dead with a phone, everyone. these days the ferry terminal at the river styx wants you to download a fucking app

[horrorcitos]

My favorite house in the neighborhood (a 1927 Tudor Revival) and all of her beautiful live oaks 🫶🏼

[lake-erie]

the rainbow is a well-known symbol of gay pride that originated in the late 1970s in san francisco, when the gay community promised to never again destroy the earth by flood

[systlin]

Getting down on my knees and thanking the humans who invented dishwashers and washing machines.

[jasper-book-stash]

Keeping in mind all of the racist, appropriative, and New Age-y elements of The Magic Of Tarot: Your Guide To Intuitive Readings, Rituals, And Spells by Sasha Graham, I have to say that "remove the scary cards from your deck and don't read to predict misfortune" is the part that finally broke me and made me DNF this book at page 72.

1 out of 10, I wouldn't even use it to wipe my ass. I will not recommend this book and I will not recommend this author. This book singlehandedly turned me off of her work forever.

[jasper-book-stash]

Here are some of the really bad parts of it near the end where I finally gave up!

This editing error where it was changed to black instead of blank, showing that no one actually fucking read through this book to edit it.

Section of note: A card a day. This practice is described later in this chapter. Dedicate a section to recording your daily pulls and insights. Begin with a black sheet of paper. Write your question on the top of the paper: "What do I need to know today?"

It was obviously meant to say blank rather than black.

This passage which made me go "girl, what?"

Section of note: Reading for pregnant women is something to consider before an expectant mother shows up in front of your cards. Are you willing to say or show something that could frighten a woman who is soon to be in the hospital? Consider the power of suggestion. The image of the Death card can be terrifying to one unfamiliar with its nuanced meaning. Do not run the risk of frightening or stressing out a pregnant woman. Avoid it altogether. Would you really want to bear the weight of responsibility for a woman in her last trimester to see the Eight or Nine of Swords or something equallly spooky that she might internalize? I have made it a personal rule to never read for a pregnant woman and highly advise you to do the same.

Honestly the section below it about drugs and alcohol is equally cringe-worthy but I was so fucking baffled by "cards may scare pregnant women" that I didn't even process the next paragraph.

And finally, the thing that broke me once and for all, the part where the author says to just remove scary cards from the deck because they might scare your querents.

Section of note: Remove scary cards if they freak you out. Tarot should not feel frightening. If something bothers you, remove it until you are ready to integrate it. You might consider removing scary cards when reading tarot for the public. Remove the Death card when reading for strangers since people tend to take that card at face value. You never know who is going to walk up or what experience or assumptions they hold about tarot cards. What if an eleven-year-old with a sick mother walks up to your table and pulls the Death card? Do you want to be responsible for putting that image in a child's mind? There is no right or wrong answer, but it is something for you to consider.

I love how she says "there's no right or wrong answer" after giving you instructions and leading you to what she obviously thinks is the right answer.

Overall, the infantilization of everyone in this book is one of its most annoying qualities, but I cannot stress enough that the repeated racism, appropriation, and New Age bullshit is enough on its own for me to rank it a 1 out of 10. Genuinely, skip this one.