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If you think of religion in terms of what it does for people and for communities, you can kinda start seeing where theism and supernaturalism aren't actually inherent requirements, and you can also start seeing where many so-called secular things are arguably forms of nontheistic, nonsupernaturalist religion.

This might feel upsetting if you're of the mind that religion is inherently bad. But in reality, "religion" is just a word that covers a very broad range of sociological and behavioral phenomena, not all of which we can reasonably expect people to give up. (For example, commemorating ancestors and celebrating holidays.)

Additionally, admitting the possibility of nontheistic, nonsupernaturalist religion gives both individual people and cultures room to grow without feeling like they're utterly losing themselves and everything that grounds and anchors them.

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18 years ago today my grandpa passed away.

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A little bit of info- My father is a native american Christian and animistic man.

My father had a nonbinary friend cut him out because through someone else they found out my dad is the bishop of the local LDS church. And my poor father is so sad because they were one of his close friends and he told me he was scared to tell them he was lds because he didnt want to lose them. And thats wild to me.

Firstly my dad has a trans nonbinary son who practices witchcraft (me) and a bisexual son (my brother). Neither me or my brother are LDS and my father has fully supported my spirituality. He bought me dowsings rods, crytals, herbs, and even tarot cards. He he always advocating for change, diversity, freedom, and love. And his friend even knew all this. But my father being LDS was too much. [Personally, I think they just needed an authority figure to snap at- its what i did years ago when I was in a real bad place, i deeply regret my actions]

This broke my heart to hear. My dad is what I think all church leaders should be like. He truly does try his best to love his neighbors like actually not just the white Christian ones. If i had a leader who was like my dad growing up, I'd honestly would have felt a lot safer growing up.

---

The Thing is this is for so many groups. Not just "not all Christians".

Someone finds out youre gay and suddenly they hate you.

Someone finds out you were born in the US and now they see you only as an idiot.

You're a trans man, now women see you as a traitor, and men see you as a mentally ill woman.

You practice witchcraft and are a Christian, now you're hated both by the witch community and the Christian community.

The hate makes me so tired. The Us vs Them that we are trained to constantly participate in.

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Religion truma is a real thing and its understandable and 100% valid. But also its not an excuse to hurt people because of the trauma (ive done it before and its something i deeply regret). Have honest communication and discussion. Set boundaries. If hearing about something hurts/or triggers you, explain that. And if they dont follow your boundaries then thats not on you. But cutting out anyone who is different than you, one who you got along with started a buisness with, or loved simoly because you learned something about them (being trans, gay, straight, a man, a woman, black, native american, christian, Islamic, jewish, etc.) causes lots of issues.

Hell my people have been tortured, slaughtered, and have "gone missing" for generations for being indigenous and different and "dangous".

Im just tired of the hate.

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I’m watching Kitchen Nightmares and I realized I’m basically Gordon Ramsey when I’m in someone’s space and they’re complaining about bad energy, like

“When was the last time these crystals were charged?”

“Do you not cleanse your space? Look at all this spiritual build up! Don’t you dare tell me you cleansed this!”

“Malachite next to carnelian? No wonder you can’t sleep and you’re eating everything you noodle!”

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Witchcraft Supply Recommendation Roundup

Okay witches, this one's for all our friends and neighbors who are trying to get away from Big Box Monopoly sites or want better / more specialized / more affordable ways to get their components.

Please assume that following things are true:

Reader has visited local thrift shops

Reader has explored local spaces for foraging and wildcrafting

Reader has looked for resources at their local library

Reader has the desire and ability to order things online

Reader has the ability to receive packages

Reader has a small to modest budget

Reader has a non-specific witchcraft path

Reader has a desire for ethically-sourced components

SO. All that being said - what are your favorite places (websites, chain stores, specialty suppliers, etc) to find components for your witchcraft?

Annnnd GO!

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A thing that I think a lot of American witches don't seem to realize and do take for granted: it's a privilege that we can be witches and call ourselves witches.

Much of the world doesn't look too kindly upon any reclamation of the "witch" title.

We're lucky to do this because over here we're where the modern witchcraft movement has its influence.

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A powwow, anywhere

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How does a baby witch move to the next stage in their practice?

Witchcraft is a little difficult to get knowledge on. After baby witches have read the well known books and resources, basic correspondences and "how to make your own spell" stuff, we tend to feel lost. On the internet we either see other baby witches, or witches so advanced that everything they post could possibly be a shit post. They'll talk about things that you have absolutely no idea about, and when a witch gets to that advanced stage, they either have a hard time explaning their unique UPG, or part of their practice is simply too personal to share.

So how does a baby witch involve into a more advanced and confident one?

Now i can't tell you a certain answer, because these are just my opinions and theories, but this is how i did it. Keep in mind there is no rule book! Only suggestions.

1. Historical Resources

Okay baby witches. Its time to put down the new age modernized books of witchcraft that only have bare bones information like correspondences and moon phases. You've learned everything you can from them. Now, you need to find books on magic HISTORY, as well as some science books. See how your ancestors did magic, why they did it, what they believed. This will give you a deeper understanding and connection to magic.

Old texts like The Three Books Of Occult Philosophy are interesting with great info...but it was written in the 1500s and even I have a hard time understanding it. Old old grimoires like this and other famous ones ARE good texts with lots of info, but if you start with these you will probably burn out and not really be able to understand them.

Books about magic history will give you a great start to truly understanding magic, some of my favorites are Art of the Grimoire: An Illustrated History of Magic Books and Spells by Owen Davies, and Magic: A History: From Alchemy to Witchcraft, from the Ice Age to the Present by Chris Gosden. That last one was actually found in my public library of my very southern small town.

Other good books are folklore books! Read the old fairytales of your region, learn about your geological location, what kind of trees are native, what superstitions does your region believe in, what locations have legends and what are they? Learn how your ancestors practiced. Certain regions have certain correspondences for different symbols or native plants. Getting to know the story of your land is a great step in becoming more advanced in witchcraft.

Next, science books. I have a book that is a feild guide to stars. Its not a spiritual book, but it tells me what the night sky looks in my region everyday. Gardening or herbalism books will help you get a better idea of what to associate things with plants, and why they have the correspondences they do. I also really love books on sciences of the mind, like psychology or dreams. Learning how the brain works helps you control it and your power. Again, just having all this information is very helpful.

Now after that i recommend trying to dip your toe into the ancient grimoires and cryptic magical knowledge. Don't feel bad if it takes a few tries to understand it!

2. Make Your Own Path

Stop following every rule or instruction from your resources and books. THERE IS NO RIGHT OR WRONG WAY TO PRACTICE. Start making your practice YOURS. dont like smoke cleansing? Come up with something else, like singing, music, sweeping, even blowing bubbles to cleanse a space. After reading your historical resources, make shit up! The best spells are the most intuitive ones!

Once i went on a walk in my neighborhood with a small bell. I asked the spirits to guide me to something cool. I said that i would hold up my bell in each direction, whichever direction it rang more for, i went that way. I ended up finding a bluejay feather! Be creative, try new things that no one has ever done before in the magic space, like making sigil tokens out of shrinky dink plastic, or enchanting an object to cast wishes. You don't need to look up spells on google anymore, make your own! Think of it like pretending when you were a kid. Oh, you found a cool leaf? Lets put it in the spell! Oh, you wanna dance around the object to infuse it? Lets go! You have a piece of jewelry from your grandmother that you want to add to the spell? Go for it. Literally just make shit up, see what works and feels good. Do you associate good luck with this random native plant? Well then its good luck then!

Magic has been practiced since the dawn of time, and over thousands of years cultures practiced in thousands of different ways. And guess what? They all made that shit up. And it worked for them. You need to make your own story. Part of the power advanced witches have is simply a good connection with the self and nature. I know witches who can simply speak words filled with power and make shit happen. Go wild. Get close to your child self and the Earth around you.

3. The start of a spiritual initiation

A spiritual initiation is a series of events that change you to your core, an awakening that destroys everything you once knew. Think of it as similar to the tower card, leading to positive change.

A spiritual initiation can be something your spirit guides do with your consent, but it can also happen to anyone living a normal life.

These events are kind of like a "finding god" moment. You will learn so much, so quickly, and nothing will ever be the same again. You will open a door, and once you take that first step you will be flooded with spiritual experiences and personal growth. Over and over, relentlessly, until you have become a refined and better version of yourself.

Mine was not searched for, it was placed upon me. I talk about it a lot, but it was my journey with CRPS. i was an athletic 18 year old in her prime, and within one year i became bedridden, housebound, and a wheelchair user. I went from a normal teen to the strangest and hardest circumstances. It was isolating. It was lonely. I spent countless hours unable to even lift my hands, hold my phone, or feed myself. I only had my mind.

I call this feeling of loneliness and distress that absolutely has no escape, The Empty Room. Named after an oracle card in my favorite deck.

The Empty Room is a place where only you and yourself are present. There is no comfort, there is no distractions. Just silence. But, The Empty Room is very special. Within it are infinite possibilities. It is space and time, it is the mind. The Empty Room shows the truth, the ugly and the good. In order to survive The Empty Room, you must find your truth within it. Find whats hidden in the nothingness.

The spiritual initiation puts you in this room, it forces you to look deeply at yourself, to be honest with yourself. To CHANGE. This change and growth can be incredibly painful, and oh so rewarding and beautiful. People and myself have described it as like being torn to pieces and having to rebuild your entire self. But this ultimately leads to mental, spiritual, and emotional healing.

During this time, which could be months or years, as you grow and change and rebuild yourself, you will tend to have more experiences with the other side. You will be more in tune with your magic, more powerful and more confident.

I can't tell you how to start your initiation, its unique to everyone. Maybe you make a wish to the world, maybe you ask your guides, or maybe it just happens.

But, once you start it.. you see the world with different eyes. You're more powerful and connected with the world around and within you. You may have prophetic dreams, or paranormal experiences, or moments where you speak to God. Moments where it feels like the world looks directly at you, waiting, listening, watching. It will feel like you have someone gently guiding you to peace, perhaps dead loved ones or your deities. You will get more messages from them. Magic will become easy. Akin to breathing.

This journey may be the hardest thing you ever do. And it will make you the best and most powerful version of yourself. And you will know when it happens.

Good luck baby witches, the world is waiting for you.

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Dealing with Wayward Spirits

A necromancer's altar generally has the bit of bringing spirits from various places who are attracted to the light quality of it. It acts as a marker that often says: "there's someone who works with your type" here, and this can create a few things.

The first instinct we often have is to abjure or exercise the spirit from the altar, but some spirits are generally harmless. They're more curious or wanderers across the world.

To deal with these types of spirits and have them pass over can require a few key things. The first is obviously the spirit themselves.

1) Recite a Protection Prayer/Atma Raksha Mantra

This is just to prepare the self for any possible interference that may come across but also in case the spirit has baggage that we're not ready to deal with or unable to fully handle.

2) Guardians or Intermediaries

Have a guardian or intermediary spirit such as Hermes Chthonos, Hekate Chthonia, Mama Muerte or the Guardian Angel to sit during the reading and healing, to ensure that you can hear clearly or that things don't get lost in translation or speaking.

3) Identify the Needs of the Spirit

Generally, a spirit is often attached to the earthly realm due to a need that was not fulfilled. You then sit with the spirit and speak with it. If it was sent by another person, then bless it and send it on its way. Do extra protection but also divination to find out who sent it. If the spirit has a need, transfer and handle it's need.

In some cases, a spirit is just lost and wandering. Give it time, focus on any sensations that may occur during the mediumship before moving onto the healing.

4)Healing the Spirit

If you're a part of a certain lineage, then this is generally easy to handle. If not, you might have to figure out a method to work on removing what ails the spirit. The simplest way would be to infuse water with the Divine Amrit to pour or splash over the spirit. If the spirit is set back because of Karma, then reciting Holy texts such as the Vajrasattva Mantra or hiving offerings to the Dakinis and Buddhas for the remedy of the spirit can be done. Reciting texts like the Tibetan Book of the Dead can be done to guide the soul through the Bardos post mortem

5) Postliminary Cleansing

To ensure the spirit has no ties to the material world, postliminary cleansing can be done. Taking some khernips, rose water, holy water or other such materials- take the water and sprinkle it on the altar or space while praying for the safety of the spirit. Ask the guardian to guide the spirit to the afterlife.

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I know I have someone watching over me! When I'm having a hard time, and I have the radio on The Middle by Jimmy Eat World comes on without fail. It does that ever since my step dad passed away two years ago. ❤️

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okay so, some of you might remember the witchcraft questionnaire that’s been floating around my page for the last few years (you can see the form here, alongside the raw data).

i’m going to share what i found interesting about this data, although it is a very limited sample. if you’d like to keep answering the form and sharing it, that will help me get a more accurate picture of the community. it’s all anonymous, and you can fill it out again if it’s been a while since you last filled it out.

obligatory note that there are many ways you can interpret this data (i’d be interested to see how others might look at it, so please feel free to share your thoughts), and also that i have a pretty rudimentary understanding of data interpretation. if anyone has any more experience and would like to put their two cents in, please feel free!

identity

the weightings for gender were as follows: 52.3% female, 18.9% male, and 28.8% identified as something outside the binary (shout out to the one person who put nothing for gender, ily), and a wide arrange of pronouns (57.3% being she/her 21.8% he/him, and 26.4% they/them).. additionally for sexuality, only 9% of witches on witchblr identify as heterosexual, with everyone else identifying as bisexual, pansexual, or another queer identities. both of these, to me, reinforce that witchblr is a strongly LGBTQ+ space. also, 19.8% of witches identified as polyamorous!

age

most common was 21-30 (39.4%), followed by 18-21 (23.9%), and then 15-18 (15.6%). shout out to the three 60-80 year olds in tumblr (and apologies for lumping y’all together), and to the two people who are 10-13, please be safe and also get off tumblr (I know you won’t listen though). similarly, there was a pretty good mix of beginner and long-term practitioners.

religion & path

the most common religions were pagan (41.1%) and wiccan (21.1%). there were also a lot of people with their own unique idea of religion, which was super cool! as for witch paths, eclectic dominated with 55.1%, the next being kitchen witchery at 16.8%. again, a lot of unique paths here (witchblr hates putting themselves in boxes, it seems). folk got mentioned a lot as well, as well as someone who listed seven different paths (how do you have the time?).

skills & practice

divination (88.4%), meditation (80.2%), and warding (56.6%) are the most frequently practiced. 8.5% of people said necromancy (as in, raising the dead? i want to know more), and sigils and crystals popped up a bunch too. most of these skills weren’t resource or tool heavy, and so easily accessible.

community & additional Info

it was super fun reading through everyone’s entries for this section and what people felt really represented their practices. the most common themes i found were the idea of low tool and resource approaches (a lot of energy work and intention setting), a lot of connection with nature), many folks talking about having a solitary practice, and how they adapted their craft to suit their needs (witch closet, limited money, small space, disability etc.).

here are some responses i picked out that i found interesting or that i feel represent what i see a lot of folks talking about on tumblr:

”I don't practice daily- most of the times I forget to practice weekly if I don't write it down somewhere…”

“What practice looks like evolves and changes the longer I'm doing it. "Witchcraft" looks very different for me now than it did last year, or five years ago, or ten years ago, or when i first started 18 years ago.”

“i’m a co-leader of a coven/circle at my local Unitarian Universalist church, we’re in the process of becoming a CUUPS chapter!”

“i want to connect in person with other witches. i wish there was a larger network that existed outside of social media and the internet.”

i also asked how people felt about witchblr. The most common threads that popped up here were that people valued the community and resources, but were frustrated by the drama, gatekeeping and misinformation.

again, some of my favourite comments below:

“Better then witchtok’

“Don’t trust any one witch. Find your own way and don’t take anything anyone tells you as complete fact.”

“Everyone’s path is different. You can use as many labels and worship whoever you want or worship nobody. Your practice is for only you. Don’t let anybody tell you how to do it.”

“i really like it. it's full of kind people and a lot of information that is way better than the information you'd hear from places like Tiktok. it's a way for witches to really connect and blog about their practices and beliefs.”

“i was on Witchblr back in the early-mid 2010s and it was So Much Richer and so much Less Commercialised than a lot of current witchy spaces are. A lot of people talking deeply and at length about their practice and deities and all sorts of things. Now it feels, barren. Commercialized. i mean hell, people were selling spirits on Etsy for a hot minute. its bad and frankly contributed a lot to my own craft falling apart for a while (not to mention the many abusive and manipulative people who used their status to hurt others, myself included). Some specific religious subsets of witchblr/paganblr are incredibly guilty of fostering abuse. i come back to witchblr with incredible trepidation and heavy guards up. Especially as a person of color.”

“complicated. like any other public place, i think it's incredibly important for the spread of information, but it's also filled with misinformation and toxicity. i wouldn't say it's the worst place to be a witch on the internet by far though. probably one of the better ones.”

“i think it has a lot of fear mongering, and sometimes its really naive. Almost every post is "im sick, am i cursed?" "i saw a bird, is it a sign?" And "DONT EVER USE A SCRYiNG MiRROR OR YOU WiLL DiE." i wish there were more serious and philosophical discussions. Too many people are worried about following rules that don't even exist. i feel alone in a community thats meant to be for me.”

“Keep your head up and keep practicing.”

also shout out to @friendcrow @creature-wizard and @cryptotheism for getting mentioned as good blogs to follow!

thank you for reading! again, please feel free to add onto this analysis. if enough new folks answer the questionnaire i might make a part two in a year or so <3

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basic ass witch tips ✧

a revision of one of my old posts!

uncensored tips to combat some of the harmful misinformation i have been subject to over the many years i have been a witch.

certain plants interact negatively with certain medications - st john's wort, grapefruit, etc.

on some kind of medication, including but not limited to hormonal birth control, heart medication, and antidepressants? you might wanna check with your doctor before you drink that new tea you just bought.

always, always, always tell your doctor before trying any kind of herbal supplement, whether it’s something you made yourself or something you bought at the store.

have sensitive skin? dilute your essential oils before putting them anywhere near your skin or in your bathtub.

have a diagnosed medical condition? talk. to. your. doctor. before ingesting anything or putting anything on your body that you aren’t familiar with.

don’t. drink. essential. oils. essential oils are not consumable!!!!!

don’t put citrus oil on your skin and then go out into the sun unless you want a badass chemical burn.

don’t put any kind of damn essential oil on your skin without diluting it with a carrier oil. almond oil? olive oil? coconut oil? i don’t care. dilute your essential oils. 

vitamin E is NOT a preservative!!!!

herbal infusions are only good for like, a couple weeks MAX if stored in the fridge.

don’t put essential oils on your animals, diluted or not, point blank. 

oh, and don’t put fucking crystals in their water bowls to “cleanse their chakras” or whatever the fuck. 

speaking? of crystals? don’t put crystals in your bodily orifices. don’t put crystals in your own damn water. just don’t. 

some crystals release toxins when wet; some raw crystals may release toxic dust that can be harmful when inhaled.

thinking about burning some kind of random herb in your house? you better make sure it’s not gonna release noxious fumes and murder your family. 

speaking of random herbs - got the urge to forage for some herbs out in the wild? wear. fucking. gloves.

don’t burn incense or herbs around your pets. they have tiny, fragile respiratory systems and are super sensitive to that kinda shit. 

gotta burn a candle down completely for a spell? you better not leave that shit unattended unless you want a house fire. 

always. practice. fire. safety. that means, don’t go burning shit outside during a burn ban. 

a lot more stuff is flammable than you might think!

salt - it can kill grass, it can cause an electrolyte imbalance when ingested. drinking excess salt water won't make you a better sea witch, babes.

god help me - if you wanna harvest your own blood via finger stick, stay away from dirty safety pins and needles and invest in some sterile lancets to avoid the risk of bloodborne illness. 

drinking dirty water you've collected from outside can literally give you worms. boil your damn water. 

oh yeah. moon water. everyone loves to make moon water but do you know what happens when you leave a container of water at room temperature? it grows bacteria. refrigerate that shit. 

fresh herbs or other things of that nature left at room temperature can also grow super harmful bacteria, for example, raw garlic at room temperature is a breeding ground for botulism and mold.

the point? take the advice of others with a grain of salt and please for the love of god just do your research before trying anything new.

© 2025 bunny-claws

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protection work 101-ish

1. the basics

to start with, lets look at some common terms. i’d define them as follows:

wards = long-term protection on spaces (altar, room, etc) - they’re generally seen as permanent despite needing energetic top ups.

shields = temporary personal protection (veiling, amulets, visualization) - you can also shield someone else, either directly or remotely.

cleansing = an act that resets energy to neutral - can be a space, yourself, or an object.

banishing = essentially telling energy or an entity to fuck off (in varying degrees of hostility). i tend to be more nice than mean, especially if that entity is important or likes to hold a grudge.

these concepts get blurred sometimes, and that's fine. most people use them in overlapping ways - it’s just useful for this post (and this blog) to have a list of definitions.

2. why protection work was hard for me at first, and what i do now

i've always found protection work difficult to keep up long-term. i really struggle with doing big rituals consistently (probably the ADHD). i don't have the energy for it. for ages, my protection either just... didn't exist, or it happened in the moment - shielding when something felt off, visualising energy forming around me, stuff like that. the idea of putting wards up every full moon or doing protective cleansings every sunday made me feel exhausted just thinking about it. the energy it took, the way it felt like a chore didn’t feel right, and had me really questioning if witchcraft was for me. i believe that the more energy you give something, the more energy it has - but the more i complicate things, the harder it gets for me, and the less my magick feels like an extension of myself

so instead, i started doing it intuitively. i put my wards up once, and rather than topping them up on a schedule, i check in with them. if they feel off, i fix them. if they feel fine, i leave them! this is something that no one really talks about in protection work, which is: you have to get to know yourself. you have to build trust in your own senses. that comes from meditating, yes, but also from learning to set boundaries, making decisions about what you want your space to feel like, and letting yourself be messy and wrong and curious until you start to learn what "off" feels like. building your intuition will help you sense when you need to top up your wards, when things aren’t right. i visualise a pulse scanning out from me (think like a laser beam), to figure out how my wards are. when my wards are strong, i feel a kind of energetic solidity around me. when they're broken, it feels more like a wooden fence with slats in it, and the energy leaks. things come through that shouldn't. sometimes i feel it energetically. sometimes it's just vibes being off. sometimes my deities let me know. sometimes i don't notice at all until shit starts going sideways.

i also have a servitor who maintains my protective space (his name is alfred (like from batman)). i created him, i feed him energy, and he works like a bouncer: letting only kind-intentioned spirits and energies through. i’ve talked about my “swinging-door” policy here if you want to read more about it, and if you want a separate guide on how to set a servitor up let me know. ultimately, this means that sometimes, if i'm meditating and talking about something, a deity i wasn't expecting shows up. i might think i need aphrodite's help, and freyja turns up instead. or maybe dionysus just wants to hear some gossip. it also allows deities to decide what kind of relationship we have, and let them take the lead. i also send a regular pulse scan out, and if my wards are low I feed energy into them and servitor with visualisation, usually i'll set a five-minute timer and visualise a meter filling up, like i'm charging a battery. i can do this from my bed so it’s decently low effort. again, if you’re like me and find ceremonial magickk feels more performative than a natural extension of yourself, it’s fine to not overcomplicate it! find your own rhythm.

3. advanced protection

i mentioned before about using a shield on someone else, either directly or remotely. taglocks, which you’ll hear mostly used in baneful magickk, are helpful if you're protecting someone else - usually i enchant a crystal or an amulet for them. consent is important here - i don't like remote magick on people without them knowing. for example - my boyfriend (who's very much not a witch) wears a few protective bracelets, one of which is a hematite bracelet from me. it’s sentimental and serves a spiritual function (win-win). you can also shield someone else if you’re with them in person, just by visualising them the same way you’d visualise yourself! this only really works whilst their visible, but can be useful if you and a friend are walking through a busy place and you want to shield you both from the energy.

another thing worth mentioning, and this goes for all advanced practices, is that the most potent magick is that which is a natural extension of the self, and that doesn’t feel like a chore (more on that in another #moaw post). veiling is one of my favourite low-key protective acts. so is wearing enchanted jewellery. both of these work at the subconscious level, and have the added benefit for those in the broom closet of being pretty discrete (you can veil with anything over your head! doesn’t have to be a headscarf). i'm messy, so i don't clean my space often, but when i do, i notice the energetic shift - it’s one of the most underrated methods of cleansing, and again, very discrete. another method is setting up my digital boundaries! curating what i consume, who i let into my digital space, and noticing what drains me. this is energy work too. protection work doesn’t mean much if you’re then bringing negative energy into your space through your phone.

and here's a big one: know your land. get to know the spirits around you. build good relationships. that way, you're not doing protection alone - you have backup. if something breaches your wards, you have plant spirits, ancestors, deities, and the land itself helping you notice, and you can (with consent) draw from their energy or ask for their support. so even when i'm tired or distracted, i'm not unprotected.

4. “i think something’s in my space - help!”

don’t worry! i’ve created a handy flow-chart below to help!

step one: diagnose it

is it just negative energy from an interaction you had? have you been behind on cleansing? is it something mundane?

→ if yes → cleanse and reset your space

→ if no or unsure → keep going

step two: what is the entity?

use some method of divination to figure out who the entity is! some good questions to get started:

what do they want?

are they trying to communicate?

did i do something wrong?

is this a known spirit? have we interacted before?

is it just some local energy passing through?

step three: response

if it’s just lingering energy → cleanse

if you accidentally offended something → apologise or offer something meaningful, and keep talking - depending on the level of upset, you might be able to salvage this and forge a new relationship

if they’re just cranky for no reason → be compassionate, but banish! sometimes entities (especially ghosts) take out their anger on random folks, and you might just be unlucky.

if they won’t leave/are actively making things worse → banish!

step four: check your wards

do the pulse technique i mentioned earlier (or whatever works for you), and figure out how the entity got in - are your wards fractured? did you forget to energise your servitor? whatever it is, diagnose it and work on it.

step five: reflect and learn

most strong negative energies don’t just wander into your space for fun. hopefully by now you’ve figured out the root cause - write that down and reflect on the experience!

5. final thoughts

banishing is, firstly, a boundary. it's no different than saying "hey, i don't want to talk about that right now” or “please leave my house.” it can be kind. it can be neutral. it can be mean. it's just a way of telling an entity to leave. i think there’s this misconception in the community that banishing is negative, and it can be, but it doesn’t have to be. and sometimes the kindest thing is to send stuck energy moving if you can’t help it and it’s causing a nuisance (or being actively damaging).

and honestly? you're probably fine. when i was starting out, i wasn't talking to spirits or doing anything risky. i could've skipped protection entirely and been fine. as i got more confident, i started staying in places where the vibe felt off, just out of curiosity, because now i know how to handle it if something weird happens.

you're probably not going to get haunted by a demon. you probably don't need ten layers of magickal protection. if you're not poking around the otherworld, antagonising spirits, or diving into deep trance work, you're probably okay. there’s so much fear-mongering out there, and i get why - better safe than sorry - but take a moment to remember that everything will be okay, and if you fuck around and find out and need a hand, there’s many resources and many people here on witchblr to ask.

and if you’re gonna keep fucking around and finding out? good on you - but you might need stronger wards than someone like myself, who stays pretty far away from the fucking around part of witchcraft now.

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thank you for reading this! i hope this was helpful, and if you have any questions or add-ons please reblog/reply or send an ask. just a reminder: everything i wrote here is my opinion, and i know people will have different methods, and i encourage y’all to share those! and if you have any suggestions for topics you’d like for this longer form series (tagged #moaw if you’d like to read the others), please also send me an ask.

[a-single-white-crow]

quasar transmutation spell ✧

[rework of an old post]

“a quasar is believed to be the center of a supermassive black hole surrounded by an accretion disk. an accretion disk is a flat, disk-like structure of gas that rapidly spirals around a larger object, like a black hole, a new star, a white dwarf, etc. a quasar gradually attracts this gas and sometimes other stars or or even small galaxies with their gravity - these objects get sucked into the black hole. when a galaxy, star, or gas is absorbed into a quasar in such a way, the result is a massive collision of matter that causes a gigantic explosive output of radiation energy and light. this great burst of energy results in a flare, which is a distinct characteristic of quasars.”

this spell is designed to banish negative energy into a supermassive black hole, and then transform that negativity into positivity for the caster - this positive energy is represented and emitted by the quasar.

in this spell, we are mimicking the idea of matter being accreted into the black hole, in which the energy and radiation produced as a result is what makes a quasar SO bright.

feed the dark to give way to light.

ingredients:

one candle in the color and shape of your choice - something to represent bright light would be ideal, so any color that isn't black tbh

a handful of small onyx crystals that you don't mind getting rid of at the end of this (onyx is commonly known for its association with absorbing negative energy)

a piece of clear quartz

a small black pouch or sachet

instructions:

place your candle on a flat surface - table, altar, whatever

assign each piece of onyx something you want to banish, whether it be a person, a bad habit, etc. if the stones are big enough, you could even write on them with permanent marker!

place the onyx crystals around the candle in a circle; while setting the stones, one by one, imagine matter being absorbed into the black hole, representing the things you wish to banish

light the candle - imagine this to be the glowing quasar at the center of the black hole, which is absorbing matter faster than you can imagine, transforming that energy into the brightest light in the universe

grab your clear quartz - meditate on your intent while holding the crystal above the flame; set aside whenever you're ready (don't be careless; don't hold the crystal so close to the flame that you burn yourself)

afterwards, collect the onyx crystals one by one in the same order that they were placed

add these crystals to your black pouch

safely snuff out your candle

close the spell however you wish and discard the black pouch - just throw it in the trash if you want

keep the quartz somewhere safe to represent the flow of positive energy into your life, even in the presence of darkness

© 2025 bunny-claws

[a-single-white-crow]