bone-deep-witch

[bone-deep-witch]

[bone-deep-witch]

I've been doing the bare minimum with my sacred space revamp for the last week and a half or so. But today, I decided it was time to get the things that were there unpacked, and get the cover onto my couch thing. The cover is a big, double-sided curtain that belonged to my Gran, which has a matching cushion. I need to find a new insert, it's a very droopy and sad cushion.

The blanket is one of the few decent presents my ex got me in our relationship. Largely because it was picked from a wish-list I supplied.

The shawl was Mum's, from her youth as a lover of folk music.

I have many things to find homes for, and I'm pretty sure I have another box packed away somewhere, as well as all the stuff inside that I haven't even touched yet. Yike.

[bone-deep-witch]

Lavender-dyed cow skull with red-lit eye sockets, destined for the shrine to The Morrigan which I'm planning for my sacred space. I really like the effect of the lights!

[bone-deep-witch]

I started unpacking some of my witchy decor in the van today - partly to remind myself of all the things I've bought over the past few years. Money and abject grief will do that. 🤷‍♀️

I have a bunch of cute stuff to decorate with, as well as my devotional stuff, and my altar tools and so forth. I think I'll be able to make the space a nice mix of my eclectic, long-term, changing and evolving, pagan and witchcrafting life. I've decided that I'm going to use the table as a working altar, and I'm going to use the wardrobe as a shrine to The Morrigan. I have a couple of great things to put in there. And I'm sure that I'll find more that I've forgotten about as I unearth more storage boxes! (Not to mention random stashes I've "put away in a safe place" 🙄)

I've often wanted a completely separate space for this, and now I have somewhere much sooner than I thought I would, thanks to my son. I do love and appreciate him so much. 🥰

[bone-deep-witch]

I'm not having the best day today. I'm pretty sure I'm developing a dental abscess, which is the thing that triggered my chronic fatigue syndrome back in 2004/2005ish. So that's super fun. Doctor for antibiotics tomorrow, with any luck.

But my son is still working with me to help sort through the stuff from storage, which helps a lot to stop me from getting overwhelmed and burnt out.

And I have my two support animals doing the most to keep me rested and snuggly.

Tarka the spaniel was quite angsty about me this morning, he gets himself in a bit of a state sometimes. Morgen the lab, despite being younger, is quite sensible about my health, and keeps a paw "on the pulse", even while she's sleeping!

[bone-deep-witch]

My beautiful batty lights, which I bought from Aussie shop, Beserk, almost 2 years ago (😅) have finally taken the next step towards independence, and moved from the lounge room out into the caravan!

There are no convenient hanging points on the outside of the van, so until I work out a post or porch or something, they're hanging out in here to supervise the ✨️transformation ✨️

[bone-deep-witch]

"There is no completion without overcoming the challenge."

Nine of Bows, Wildwood Tarot app.

An appropriate card to draw while I'm sitting here procrastinating gathering more things to take to the van, and taking the poultry their feed...

[bone-deep-witch]

And a new Piranesi necklace. Carved shell, resin, sea glass, ceramic beads and pearls. Going to try making something with fragmented shells next, and to carve an ammonite. Something about the statues

[bone-deep-witch]

Some time in nature with my older dog, after he stayed home and my younger dog went to a training session this morning.

Gundogs are my heart, spaniels are my soul.

(Don't tell my labrador I said that!)

[bone-deep-witch]

Little things, day by day.

One of the first things I aim to do is simply light a candle and some incense every day. The caravan needs a lot of work still before it matches my vision, but that doesn't mean I can't sit and enjoy the quiet, and contemplate, and smile at the antics of my ducks and chooks.

I spent a while today having a bit of a treasure hunt around the house, looking for boxes and random pieces of my 25+ years worth of witchy collecting (hoarding? Hmmm... I did find some stuff I had completely forgotten I owned.), and took some out to the van. I know there is more stuff, some of it currently blocked in under my old, neglected altar. There's stuff on my altar, some in a cupboard, and I'm pretty sure at least one more box that I packed away. More treasure hunting to look forward to!

[bone-deep-witch]

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

[bone-deep-witch]

So, um... yeah. It's Erica. Hi!

It's taken me close to three years to get to a place where I can even think about really starting the rebuild of my craft practice, and creating a space I can use for working.

I've had the help of my son for the past week, clearing out some of the things that needed sorting, and also cleaning up my Mum's old caravan, which my ex left in an awful state. I'm going to gather up my multitudes of witchcraft supplies and take them out to the van, see what I need, see what I want, see what still resonates with me, and see what needs to be released to a new home.

I'm excited to get started, but my physical health has taken a battering in the past couple of years, so I have to remember to pace myself.

[bone-deep-witch]

Dan Fris

[bone-deep-witch]

Coffee, Orange, and Blood for The Morrigan.

I felt like absolute crap on the 21st, so I did my little Solstice Ritual a day late. Nothing taxing this year, because I'm under a large cloud of depression and in general doing very little.

This tree in the pine plantation gives me Morrigan Feels, even though it's a peppermint gum, and obviously more in tune with the Paredarerme people who are the original Custodians of this land.

I drank come coffee and shared some of the orange, and poured/squeezed the libations into the nice little cleft you can see in the back of the second picture. I couldn't leave the orange there, as citrus fruits can cause issues for some of our native wildlife.

As we in the Southern Hemisphere come from the darkness into the lighter half of the year, I've asked The Morrigan's help in finding my way out of my own inner darkness. I plan to do some shadow work, and to continue working at getting my day-to-day routines and healthier habits back in place.

August through October are going to be difficult, since those are the months during which Mum got sick, passed, and we had to go through her flat. But at least I'm starting August with a trip away to visit a dear friend, see my favourite band in their home state, and get a Mum memorial x favourite band tattoo.

[bone-deep-witch]

R. Lalique Lavande Alpy Perfume Bottle circa 1929

[bone-deep-witch]

I bought an athame for the Morrigan, and a "crystal confetti" bag from the same shop. I don't do a lot with crystals, so my IDs are a bit tentative, but I think I know what most of them are!