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Common Kitchen Herbs 🌱

Not every witch has access to metaphysical shops that sell specialty herbs, or herbs you can’t find in your local grocery store, so here is a list of common herbs and spices that you can easily access, or that you may already have! 

Aside from obtaining these herbs and spices individually, look for bottles of poultry or beef seasoning, and other seasoning blends (Cajun, Italian, etc.) - they usually contain a variety of these herbs in one convenient container. 

Allspice - prosperity, luck, healing, energy

Anise Seed - protection, happiness, enhanced psychic ability, cleansing, warding off nightmares and disturbing dreams

Basil -  love, banishing, wealth, success, sympathy, protection; dispelling confusion, fears, and weakness

Bay Leaf - wishes, protection, good fortune, success, purification, strength, healing, inducing prophetic dreams, enhanced psychic ability

Black Pepper - protection, banishing, cursing

Chamomile - peace, relaxation, restful sleep, love, healing, luck, prosperity, removing curses or negating spells

Chili Powder - love, fidelity, cursing, removing curses or negating spells

Cinnamon - success, healing, protection, power, love, luck, strength, prosperity

Cloves - protection, love, prosperity, banishing, friendship, stopping gossip

Cumin - love, fidelity, protection, banishing, preventing theft

Dill - prosperity, protection, luck, lust

Fennel - strength, vitality, sexual virility; prevents curses and wards off negative energy

Garlic Powder & Garlic Salt - healing, protection, banishing, cleansing, purification

Ginger - sensuality, sexuality, personal confidence, prosperity, success, health, protection, new experiences and adventures

Mace - concentration, focus, self-discipline, studying

Marjoram - cleansing, purification, dispelling negative energy, protection, love, wealth, revealing the truth through dreams, overcoming sadness and grief

Mustard Seed - courage, endurance, preventing physical injury, luck, success

Nutmeg - prosperity, luck, protection, intellect, removing curses

Onion Powder & Onion Salt - prosperity, stability, endurance, protection, breaking bad habits, cleansing

Oregano - happiness, strength, energy, vitality 

Paprika - energy

Red Pepper - energy, banishing, cursing

Rosemary - healing, love, lust, improved memory, dispelling negative energy, cleansing, warding off nightmares

Sage - cleansing, purification, wisdom, healing, dispelling negative energy, wishes, overcoming grief and loss

Sea Salt - cleansing, purification, banishing, protection

Sesame Seed - prosperity, lust, passion

Tarragon - healing, compassion

Thyme - loyalty, affection, strength, courage, banishing, cleansing, healing, luck, prosperity, restful sleep, warding off nightmares

Turmeric - cleansing, purification

Common spice brands include: 

McCormick

Mrs. Dash

Lawry’s

Old Bay

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My book of shadows is coming along nicely so far

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☀️ Yule Energy Sun Spell ☀️

Recently I’ve been feeling burnt out, and I was struggling to find a spell to do on Yule, so I decided to kill two birds with one stone!

feel free to alter this spell as needed

ingredients

☀️ a gold/yellow candle

☀️ orange, lemon, and grapefruit* slices, preferably dried

☀️ one full orange

☀️ a cup or chalice

steps:

☀️ lay your fruit slices in a circle around you and your altar and say: “with each slice that i place, i make this circle my sacred space.”

☀️ light your candle

☀️ grab your full orange and wave it through the smoke, visualise the energy of the sun transferring into the orange

☀️ once you’ve decided you’ve waved in the smoke for long enough, take your orange and squeeze its juice into the chalice/cup

☀️ when you have enough juice to drink, stop squeezing and drink all the juice

☀️ once finished, thank the sun for lending you his energy and blow out your candle

…and there you have it! Merry Yule!

* you can substitute these with any citrus fruit, lemon, orange, and grapefruit are just my preferred fruits for this spell

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Witch’s bevarage

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Battlecry

I’ve been in a funk; A noxious, seemingly bottomless, unforgivable funk.

I let my fears, doubts, and insecurities gobble me up like a tasty, little snack cake.

But it seems that I did not sit well in the belly of my demons… *devious smirk*

Unfortunately for them, my mother raised me to be a solider, like her.

And I rose up and fought against the consumption with everything I had.

Down there, in the depths of a boiling breadbasket, I had an awakening that caused my darkness to get acid reflux…

And while gagging and whimpering in pain, burping up flames from my raging incandescence,

They recognized their detrimental mistake.

"Oh, no."

They’ve swallowed a witch.

They’ve swallowed a daughter, a sister, a lover, a friend, an adventurer, a warrior.

They’ve swallowed a Goddess.

"Purge. Now."

Ahh, but before they could lift their rotten toothbrushes to their mouths and make themselves heave,

I already had my sword ripping up their abdomen, tearing through intestines and busting through ribs…

As I climbed out from underneath their tattered entrails, with blood soaked clothes and gritted teeth,

I gave them my battle cry…

They pulled up their claws to cover their ears, and expelled more desperate whimpers that only fueled my madness.

I screamed once more, feeling power erupt from deep inside my womb.

Today, I stand victorious.

Though it is only one battle and there are many more in my future,

Today, I embrace my vulnerability and let my divine feminine howl freely into the endless sky.

Today, I am everything I always knew I could be.

Today, my demons lost.

•Ashliee Merchant

@witchyflowerqueen

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🍃✨ Knowledge is weapon. I intend to be formidably armed. Just spending a little time expanding my mind and focusing my power on some green magick. Samhain is coming up and I am excited to implement some of what I have learned into my practice. What are you doing to make yourself happy today, moon babies? Whatever it is, I hope it sets your soul on fire and brings you inner peace. Blessed be.

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The Ultimate Witches Guide to Herb Drying

As all witches know, herbs are a vital part of the craft. I am so lucky to be blessed with a large garden, and me and my husband grow an abundance of herbs for both magickal and culinary purposes. I have been drying my own herbs for years, and keep my cupboard well stocked! For me, drying my own herbs has yielded so much benefits, such as:

• It works out so much cheaper then buying from the grocery store.

• Its so much better for the environment. Think about the packaging that herbs come in when you buy from the grocery store that gets thrown away! We store our herbs in labelled glass jars, and the process is absolutely zero-waste.

• Its a lot of fun! I absolutely adore the entire process, it feels very earthy, witchy and it is so rewarding to produce commonly bought things yourself!

Currently, my inventory of dried herbs that I have prepared myself is as follows: Basil, thyme, parsley, coriander/cilantro, rosemary, oregano, sage, dill, lavender, tarragon, chamomile, peppermint, lemonbalm and many more. I use these dried herbs for teas and infusions, cooking and witchcraft. I also keep a fair amount of these herbs for using fresh!

Does this sound like something that appeals to you? If you have the space for a herb garden, it is definitely achievable, even if it is just on a balcony or windowsill!

How To:

Harvesting: the best time to harvest herbs is when they have plenty of healthy foliage to allow further growth. Regularly snipping actually allows herbs to thrive and encourages new growth! To keep my herbs healthy, I regularly snip off dead leaves and harvest healthy, abundant foliage while leaving enough to spare for the plant. The absolute BEST time to harvest is early in the morning after the dew evaporates, but before the suns rays start to evaporate the essential oils within the leaves, which happens when exposed to heat throughout the day. Use scissors to cleanly snip the foliage off the plant.

• Drying: After harvesting, it is important to dry herbs quickly to preserve flavor. After washing herbs, make sure to pat dry gently, you don’t want any moisture in preparation for air drying. To air dry it is very simple! Tie an elastic or piece of string around the base of the herbs to create a bundle. Then you want to hang them upside down in a warm, dry and dust free area out of direct sunlight. I use a drying rack and peg the herbs upside down and then hang the drying rack up, however you can use a clothes hanger or hang them on a line! Some people like to wrap a brown paper bag around the herb bundles when drying. This a) stops leaves falling onto the ground when dry and crumbly, and b) keeps them from gathering dust, etc.

You will know your herbs are dry when they feel dry and crumbly in texture.

Storing: After my herbs are dry and brittle to the touch, I separate the leaves from the stems and store in clean, airtight glass jars that are labelled so I know which herb goes where. I keep the leaves while and crumble just before cooking, as I believe this helps to retain flavor, but I know some people will crumble dried herbs with a mortar and pestle before storing. Keep your dried herbs in a cool, dark place away from humidity, and enjoy! 🌿

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How I make spellcandles

I was making a spell candle for the Imbolc ritual I’m hosting for the coven tomorrow and figured: why not turn it into a little tutorial? So here is my version of the spell candles!

What you need: (note: I made a candle for creativity and inspiration, so everything matches that goal. Change herbs, colours and stones to match any goal you want/need!)

🕯 a base candle, either white or a colour that works for your goal

🕯 through-and-though coloured candles for dripping in colours that match your goal. I usually use two or three, in this case yellow for happiness and inspiration and orange for creativity

🕯 herbs, I used basil (creativity), rose (passion/motivation), mistletoe (fertility for ideas) and mugwort (creativity)

🕯 small stone chips, I used aventurine, citrine and burnt amethyst (all for creativity)

🕯 oils, I used jasmine (creativity)

🕯 ribbon and charm (optional, but pretty!)

🕯 baking paper to protect your work surface

Start with carving some words or symbols into the candle. Today I used a bindrune for creativity, the runes kenaz (inner fire), wunjo (happiness) and gebo (gift).

Now drip the first colour. Make sure to first go around the edges for the pretty drips and then fill in the top.

Next are the herbs, stones and oil. Simply sprinkle them on top and arrange the bigger pieces so they are spread out a bit. Press the stones gently down into the still soft wax for sturdyness.

Drip the last colour, making sure to set but not drown the herbs, and tadaa! One pretty spellcandle! But wait, there’s more!

Tie the ribbon around the candle with one knot.

Slide on your charm and knot again, fitting it snuggly against the candle.

Make a pretty bow and trim the ends,and you’re done!

Burn it during your spell (note: remove the ribbon before it catches and reuse it!), place it on your altar or even make them to give away as gifts!

Also, feel free to tag me if you make one with the tutorial, I’d love to see them! 🌙

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🔮 Relatable

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Spiritual Progress Tarot Spread

Where you are in your spiritual cycle

Central cycle lesson

Positive Influence

Negative Influence

Advice 

Thought I would share this spread that his been super helpful for me and for others that I read for! Hope it has good results  for anyone who decides to utilize it!

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“I sink into myself more and more each time I open my mouth, she said, and I sink out of myself each time I close my mouth. Each time I speak, she said, I become a little bit more and a little bit less like myself.”

— Daniel Borzutzky, from “The Shrinking Island,” published in Alice Blue Review

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Bonding With Each Element

Earth

Taking a walk in a park or forest

Planting

Picking flowers (though, not from other people’s gardens, of course)

Grounding, meditating, etc.

-The key is to surround yourself with nature, whether it be sounds of nature, or even getting into kitchen magic, which will involve herbs.

Air

Taking a stroll on a breezy day

Sitting in front of a fan (as an alternative to the above)

Anything creative (Dancing, singing, etc)

Divination (Smoke of an incense, crystal ball, taro/cartomancy, etc)

-The wind element is about expressing and realizing your creativity and talent. By doing this, you are bonding with the element.

Fire

Meditation with a lit candle

Drinking a cup of freshly brewed hot tea or coffee (don’t burn your mouth, now)

Activity that involves breaking a sweat (exercise, etc)

-Fire is about passion and anger, whether releasing that anger so it does not build up inside of you, or invoking a passion you have for something. This intensity will help you bond with the element.

Water

Taking a long shower or bath

Making Sun or Moon Water

Collecting Rain/Snow/Storm/Sea Water

Dream Magick: making peaceful sleep satchets, etc

-Water is about purification, love, and psychic awareness. Cleansing yourself daily, charging water for a specific use, and healing will help you bond with this element.

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Grimoire-of-three’s Full Moon Ritual for Groups

With the coming of the full moon this weekend, we’ve decided to share our ritual with you all. It’s been nearly a year since we performed our first full moon ritual together and it’s one that we always find ourselves going back to in times of high stress. We each stand by our element and one will lead the ritual by cleansing the circle and calling the elements. Water is blessed to be charged in the light of the moon to create moon water and is followed by a meditation. Of course, this can be changed to fit your needs and to incorporate more people. We also recommend playing calming music during the ritual and performing it outside, if possible.

Materials: Element candles (yellow, red, blue, green), silver moon candle, sage, clean jar, water, quartz crystal (One for each person), lighter or matches

Casting the circle: Smoke cleanse the circle and participants with sage. Light each candle as the corresponding element is called.

Air (East): We come together on this Full Moon night, welcoming Air to protect and guard our circle. As the wind blows through the trees, may it bring us new ideas and psychic wisdom to release bad habits and create new routines in our lives, and to have the foresight to focus on our goals.

Fire (South): As the Earth’s core churns, bringing the heat and passion of Fire, we welcome this element to protect and guard our circle. On this Full Moon night, we ask for vivid energy and the inspiration to beat back unwanted influences in our lives.

Water (West): With cool logic, we welcome Water on this Full Moon night to protect and guard our circle. Like the falling rain, we ask that you purify our souls and replenish our commitment to bettering ourselves.

Earth (North): We return to our roots as we welcome Earth on this Full Moon night to protect and guard our circle. With the stability granted to us by this element, we anticipate the fruition of our plans and ask for strength in the coming times.

Moon (Center): Finally, we welcome the Moon at her fullest stage to protect and guard our circle. May our Mother grace us with her feminine energy, bringing out our true brilliance to mirror hers.

Moon Water: Recite the blessing together as you pour the water into the jar. After reciting, have each person place a quartz crystal into the jar*.

Blessing: Under this Full Moon, we bring together our own crystal intent. Let our energies combine and grow stronger together to bless this water. Let it be infused with the power of the Moon and bring enlightenment to help us manifest our goals.

Meditation: Sit and meditate under the light of the full moon. (We will be posting a meditation specifically for this ritual once we have a decent recording)

Closing the Circle: Extinguish each candle as you release the element.

Moon: We thank the Moon for blessing this water and gracing us with her feminine energy. We release you from our circle.

Earth: We thank Earth for grounding us and strengthening our bond on this full moon night. We release you from our circle.

Water: We thank Water for cleansing and purifying us on this full moon night. We release you from our circle.

Fire: We thank Fire on this full moon night for for giving us the energy to push forward and reach our goals. We release you from our circle.

Air: We thank Air for bringing us enlightenment on this full moon night. We release you from our circle.

Closing: The circle may be closed, but will never be broken. May we be surrounded by positive energies and may the spirits of the elements and the Moon strengthen our bonds to one another. Sweet water and light laughter until we meet again.

*If you plan on consuming the moon water, make sure to use purified water and wash your jar and crystals before the ritual.

We hope you enjoy this ritual as much as we do.

-Brie ☀️, Kalli 🌙, and Amanda ✨

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wheel of the year 

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Persephone Books is actually magical.