baby witch shit :)

my pfp is my pothos plant, persephone, i love her <3 my main blog is @olliegolliegee

[breelandwalker]

Witchcraft Exercise - Creating Your Own Runes

Okay, so I was catching up on my reading today, and came across a set of simple instructions for creating witches’ runestones in Kate West’s “The Real Witches’ Book of Spells and Rituals.” The author recommends a set of eight simple symbols painted onto pebbles or disks and cast to find the answers to questions.

Drawing from this idea, I decided to make a simple set for myself and test them out. I haven’t had much luck with tarot or oracle cards, and ogham sticks have been similarly baffling. So one Sharpie and a handful of small mirror discs later, I had my own homemade runestones.

My artistic skills are hella lacking, but I managed to make clear representations of 20 different symbols with meaning for me, and I recorded each of their meanings in my witchbook. (Keep in mind that the following associations are ENTIRELY personal to me and may not agree with or reflect the opinions of others.)

The Sun - Solar, masculine, energy, glory, favorable outlook

The Moon - Lunar, feminine, dreams, intuition, magic

The Leaf - Nature, growth, fertility, health, renewal

The Coin - Chance, wealth, opportunity, luck

The Arrow - Inspiration, Brighid, “look forward,” “forge ahead”

The Harp - Pleasure, Lugh, skill, cleverness, “be crafty”

The Hammer - Protection, Thor, courage, will, “hold strong”

The Teardrop - Choices, Freyja, a journey, “look elsewhere, “search”

The Serpent - Ambition, desire, greed, career

The Spears - Conflict, trials, suffering, illness

The Dagger - Unseen danger, betrayal, a plot, meddlers

The Rings - Unity, harmony, friendship, love, family

The Cat - Independence, serenity, secrets

The Dog - Loyalty, affection, playfulness

The Cauldron - Power, creation, wisdom

The Wand - Influence, directness, proximity, “it is near”

The Spiral - Introspection, confusion, the unknown

The Feather - Release, relief, lightness, escape

The Web - Caution, entrapment, unseen foe, complication, consequence

The Broom - “Start over,” cleanse, banish, re-evaluate

I made a simple casting board with four quadrants - Then, Now, Future, and Within. And with my cheap-o little mirror discs, I did two castings.

The results were clear as a bell and eerily accurate.

I don’t know if it’s the fact that I made the pieces myself, or if it’s the use of symbols that are my own instead of someone else’s, but this set really WORKS for me. And anyone who’s followed me for a fair length of time knows that I am utterly shite with divination.

So for all my witchlings who want to learn divination but are struggling with learning tarot or runes or what-have-you, give this a try! Pick up some discs or pebbles, something with two definite sides, grab a marker or some paints, and make your own set of runes. (Hell, if you can’t draw, you can even use stamps or stickers.)

Use symbols that have meaning for you, and record them in your witchbook or journal. Cast them how you please and read the ones that land face-up.

Have fun!

More Witchcraft Exercises Here

(If you’re enjoying my content, please feel free to drop a little something in the tip jar, tune in to my monthly show Hex Positive on your favorite podcast app, or check out my published works on Amazon or in the Willow Wings Witch Shop. 😊)

[breelandwalker]

I went into more detail about this exercise in Ep. 053 of Hex Positive!

[lleyksie]

owls + apples 🍎

[essence-of-wicca]

RECOMMENDED READING

Any title by Gerald B. Gardner, the founder of all of modern Wicca, which in turn has been influential on much of modern Paganism and Witchcraft in general.

Any title in the “Real WItches” series by Kate West - Titles contain information on the basics, the Sabbats, writing rituals, Covens, and more.

Principles of Wicca by Vivianne Crowley - A basic look at Wicca, similar to my series but more in depth.

Wheel of the Year by Pauline Campenelli - A deep dive into the Sabbats, including activities and folklore.

All Acts of Love and Pleasure: Inclusive Wicca by Yvonne Aburrow - Discussions about addressing sexuality, gender, and disability in Wiccan practice.

Traditional Wicca: A Seeker’s Guide by Thorne Mooney - An introduction to Tradition-based Wicca, illustrating differences from Eclectic/Solitary practices without degrading either approach.

Queen of All Witcheries: A Biography of the Goddess by Jack Chenek. Exactly what it says on the cover. Read my review here.

The Horned God of the Witches by Jason Mankey. A brilliant companion to Chenek's book. Read my review here.

[sova-witch]

Updated

[sova-witch]

Got a necklace. Owl and pentacle and mushies yes

[witchylittlebro]

[witchylittlebro]

Look at these babies!! Trying to look for some uses, meanings and symbolism of these guys (pocketbook flowers, slipperwort) does anyone have anything on that? Tips are also great <3

[witchylittlebro]

WOOOOOO JUST GOT 7 POTS A PLANT SOME POTTING SOIL AND A HANDFUL OF SEED PACKETS

[witchylittlebro]

i'm looking into growing trees, or probably dwarf varieties of trees that are more shrubs, in pots, and getting some differing information, does anyone have any advice?

[witchylittlebro]

considering a bunch of plants to get, because i don't have many right now :( any suggestions?

the only space i have for them would be my balcony or inside, so in pots

[passion-of-l0vers]

so funny that humans imagined a creature that is like a human but bigger and called it a “giant”. that’s such an uncreative name. that’s just an adjective. “it’s a giant!” “a giant what?!” “a giant… um. yeah. giant.”

[passion-of-l0vers]

[passion-of-l0vers]

oh my god,,,, the word was originally used for the creature and not as an adjective,,,,, that’s even funnier *guy seeing something huge* wow! that’s roughly the size of one of those big creatures wouldn’t you say?

[passion-of-l0vers]

[official-linguistics-post]

official linguistics post

[buriedpentacles]

When I say "connect with nature" I don't just mean the aesthetic forests with deer and beautiful flowers.

I mean the weeds growing through concrete, the fungus that grows on the rotten shed, the nettles that always seem to return and the scary, spindly cellar spider in the corner of the bathroom.

Nature is not always pretty or magical - the pigeons and seagulls you swat at are nature too, the wasps and flies that hover by your meals are animals too, store-bought strawberries and the leaves that fall from your neighbour's tree are not all that different from the Giant Sequoias and it's seeds.

If you want to connect and understand nature, I mean *really* connect to it, in it's entirety, you have to seek out and learn about the ugly, scary and mundane things as well. You don't have to like it, just don't forget that it's there.

[depsidase]

[glitterandwitchcraft]

Some little things I've learned over a decade of witchcraft:

If you are feel called to work but are tired/drained, sit outside. Take in all the energies around you. Nature can help charge you

Every witch does a little bit of a bunch of types of magic but sticks mainly to one or two in general. You usually won't be eclectic forever. You'll find what magics work best with you.

Never be lazy or cut corners with spirits. Always be respectful and always tell them to leave when you're done

When you see a plant or ingredient with a long list of properties, there are different things at play. Season of collection, the part of the plant, the health of the plant, etc all play a role in impacting which properties it will carry.

Don't call on spirits unless you have confidence and control

Be careful with sea/water magic. Get into it gently and slowly until you have the energy figured out because it can get out of hand quickly.

Adding a little pinch of magic into your breakfast can make a major difference in your day.

Your personal emotions/feelings over something will impact a work

Planting some plants is good, not only to have a garden, but the dirt helps cleanse you too. Get all dirty and muddy. It's good for ya

Not all trees are nice

The more you listen to your intuition, the easier it will be to tell it apart from your anxieties and worries

Incense is very easy to make which is why it's usually cheap to buy. But you can find a million tutorials online on how to make your own personal incense which is great if you want a spell to take effect over a while but also want to infuse the fire energy in it.

The more you work with something the better feel you get for it. Cinnamon goes in almost everything i cook and most of my spells because me and cinnamon just get right along

Your path is yours and no one else's. It will look like yours and no one else's

[snakeflower-cottage-deactivated]

Witches and the Genius Loci: Folkloric Methods of Contact and Communion

The witches of old knew how to speak with the land. They didn’t just live in the wild, they wove themselves into its fabric, calling on the hidden ones in the earth, water, and wind. How did they do it? The answers would be as varied as the forests and fields they walked. But there are patterns we can see in all of them. Here are some of the ways I have discovered witches (in European folklore) reached out to the spirits of the land.

𖤐 Offerings at Spirit Dwellings

A witch rarely arrived empty-handed. Milk poured at the base of an ancient tree, ale left at the mouth of a cave, a bit of bread crumbled into a stream, these were ways to invite the unseen to draw near. Scottish folklore describes the gruagach, a guardian spirit, receiving libations of milk at stones and riverbanks (Campbell, Superstitions of the Highlands and Islands of Scotland, 1900). In Belgium and the Netherlands, witches were accused of offering beer and bread to the duivel, a local spirit often conflated with the Devil in later Christianized accounts (De Blécourt, Het Duivelspact, 1993).

𖤐 By Bone and Blood

In Scandinavian folklore, the practice of bjarmic magic involved burying bones to anchor spirits to the land, while Livonian witches were said to whisper their desires into a skull before placing it in the earth (Rääbis, Eesti Rahvapärimus ja Nõiakunst, 1926). In the 17th-century Scottish witch trials, accused witches described sealing pacts with land spirits by pricking their fingers and pressing the blood into soil or stone (Pitcairn, Ancient Criminal Trials in Scotland, 1833).

𖤐 Spirit-Flight and Dreamwalking

Witches didn’t always wait for spirits to come to them. Many traveled in spectral form, slipping into trance states with the help of charms or salves to reach spirits. The Trollenfrauen of German folklore and the Heks of Scandinavian folklore were said to enter deep sleep while holding a stone, allowing them to fly in spirit to the places where land spirits dwelled (Müller, Sagen aus Westfalen, 1857). In 17th-century witch trials from Flanders, accused witches claimed to lie still in darkness, feeling themselves lifted away to converse with spirits at crossroads and hollow hills (Proces tegen Tanneken Sconincx, 1606).

𖤐 Bone Charms & Rattles

A witch’s tools were often made from the dead. Flemish folklore mentions witches carrying duivelsfluitjes—small bone whistles said to call spirits when blown at twilight (De Meyer, Volksverhalen uit Vlaanderen, 1970). The bohnenzauber of Germanic folklore involved threading small bones together to create a rattling charm that stirred spirits of the wild (Grimm, Deutsche Mythologie, 1835).

𖤐 Turning Up the Soil

Some witches were accused of whispering into the ground, digging their fingers into the soil as they spoke. In Swedish folk belief, jordfastan involved burying a charm/offering (usually a piece of cloth or a coin) under a tree to call on spirits of the land (Hylten-Cavallius, Wärend och Wirdarne, 1863). Scottish trial records mention witches placing coal or burned bones in the earth as a form of spirit-binding magic (Pitcairn, Ancient Criminal Trials in Scotland, 1833).

𖤐 Skin-Turning and Familiars

In Breton folklore, witches who wished to meet the hidden spirits of the woods were said to transform into black dogs or other beasts before travelling into the deep forest (Sébillot, Le Folklore de la Bretagne, 1904). In Scotland, it was believed that witches who took the form of hares or crows could cross into the spirit world more easily (Popular Tales of the West Highlands, Campbell, 1860).

𖤐 Betwixt Earth and Water

The land’s voice is loudest in the places where two worlds meet. Marshes, riverbanks, and tidal flats; these places belonged to neither land nor water, making them perfect for spirit-calling (my favourite method). In English and Welsh folklore, witches were said to stand barefoot in water at night, calling on spirits with secret words (Henderson, Folklore of the Northern Counties of England, 1866). In Estonia, it was believed that standing in a bog at sunset allowed one to hear the voices of spirits whispering in the wind (Loorits, Eesti Rahvausund, 1949).

Seeking out the spirits of the land is integral to building a foundational practice in witchcraft and connecting to your landscape. It is these spirits that grant you access to the powers of the land that you require to make your works work.

[greenwitchcrafts]

April 2025 Witch Guide

New Moon: April 27th

First Quarter: April 4th

Full moon: April 12th

Last Quarter: April 20th

April Budding Moon

Also known as:  Breaking Ice Moon(Algonquin), Budding Moon of Plants and Shrubs(Tlingit), Budding Moon, Growing Moon, Frog Moon(Cree), Moon When the Geese Lay Eggs(Dakota), Moon of the Red Grass Appearing(Oglala), Moon When the Streams Are Again,  Navigable(Dakota), Moon When the Ducks Come Back(Lakota), Pink Moon, Planters Moon, Sucker Moon(Anishinaabe)

Element: Air

Zodiac:  Aries & Taurus

Nature spirts: Plant Faeries

Deities: Anahita, Bast, Ceres, Cernunnos, Hathor, Herne, Ishtar, Kali, Tawaret & Venus

Animals: Bear & Wolf

Birds: Hawk & Magpie

Colors: Blue, brown, crimson, gold & green

Trees:  Bay, forsythia, hazel, lilac, pine & willow

Herbs: Basil, chives, dill, dogwood, dragon's blood, fennel, milkweed & thistle

Flowers: Daisy, dandelion, lilac, geranium & sweetpea

Scents: Bay, bergamot, patchouli & pine

Stones:  Angelite, beryl, diamond, garnet, malachite, quartz, ruby, sapphire, sard, selenite & zircon

Issues, intentions & powers:  Beginnings, fertility, growth & spirituality

Energy: Authority, balance, beginnings, change, leadership, opportunities, overcoming obstacles, personal skill development, rebirth, self-evaluation, temper control & willpower

April is commonly referred to as The Pink Moon, this name comes from the early spring bloom of a wildflower native to eastern North America: Phlox subulata, commonly known as creeping phlox or moss phlox. This flower, often called “moss pink,” was in full bloom around April’s full Moon.

• The full Moon on April 12, 2025, occurs just before reaching apogee.

Apogee refers to the point when the Moon is farthest from Earth. When the full Moon occurs near this point, it’s classified as a “micromoon”—the opposite of a supermoon. Since this full Moon happens about 22 hours before apogee, it will appear slightly smaller and dimmer than usual.

Other celebrations:

• Walpurgis Night - April 30th

Also known as: May Eve

The origins of the holiday date back to pagan celebrations of fertility rites & the coming of spring. After the Norse were Christianized, the pagan celebration became combined with the legend of St. Walburga, an English-born nun who lived at Heidenheim monastery in Germany & later became the abbess there. Saint Walpurga was hailed by the Christians of Germany for battling “pest, rabies, & whooping cough as well as against witchcraft”. Christians prayed to God through the intercession of Saint Walpurga in order to protect themselves from witchcraft, as Saint Walpurga was successful in converting the local populace to Christianity. Although it is likely that the date of her canonization is purely coincidental to the date of the pagan celebrations of spring, people were able to celebrate both events under church law without fear of reprisal.

Walpurgis Night is still a traditional holiday celebrated on April 30th in northern Europe & Scandinavia. In Sweden typical holiday activities include the singing of traditional spring folk songs & the lighting of bonfires. In Germany the holiday is celebrated by dressing in costumes, playing pranks on people & creating loud noises meant to keep evil at bay. Many people also hang blessed sprigs of foliage from houses & barns to ward off evil spirits, or they leave pieces of bread spread with butter & honey, called ankenschnitt, as offerings for phantom hounds.

Sources:

Farmersalmanac .com

Llewellyn's Complete Book of Correspondences by Sandra Kines

Wikipedia

Encyclopedia Britannica

A Witch's Book of Correspondences by Viktorija Briggs

Encyclopedia britannica

Llewellyn 2025 magical almanac Practical magic for everyday living

[god-of-annwn]

I just think that having altars to the gods in our homes is so beautiful. It’s a practise that’s been carried down for thousands of years no matter how hard people have tried to wipe it out.

[beautifulvalleywitch]

Ultimate Grimoire or book of shadows checklist✨📓✒️🔮

Hey beautifuls,

I’ve compiled a checklist in booklet format of pretty much anything I could think of or find online that you could include in your Grimoire/book of shadows. Please note that this is a very very broad list and you do not need to include absolutely everything listed. Pick and choose what matches your craft!

also if you would like a non-watermarked PDF print version (digital file) I’m offering this for just $3 AUD. You can direct message me here on tumblr or on my Insta account “@beautifulvalleywitch”.

Otherwise enjoy this free version lovely’s 🥰🥰

*copyrighted, please do not share without credit or claim as your own*