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Never put your faith in a prince. When you require a miracle, trust in a witch.

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Set up the first altar on my new table today 🍂🍁🍂

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Empowerment Spell

This spell is rooted an indignant desire for self-empowerment. It is an assertive spell, not a soft one. Keep that in mind.

What you’ll need:  - an ice cube  - a black, white, or red candle (you may use one or all three, but not two without the third) - a dish to place the ice cube on Conditions that enhance the spell: - Noticeable wind outside - Cold weather - Done at either dusk or nighttime.  - Being in an already meditative state Directions: 1. Go outside. Light the candle. Facing the north, put the ice cube in your mouth & suck on it. Think about the people you wish to empower yourself against, your reasons for doing this spell, and the kind of personal effect you want it to have. Set your intention. Keep the ice cube in your mouth until you feel your intention is properly set. 2. Take the ice cube out of your mouth and set it on your dish. Focusing on your intention, recite the following however many times feels right for you. Pay mind to the coldness of your breath:

northern air sharp’n my tongue words borne of ice within my lungs i, the blackest sheep my hearts desire to be respected lift me higher

3. Blow out the candle. To “seal” the spell (as if it’s a letter), pour the melted wax on to the ice cube & let it cool. Do with the ice/wax as you wish, but do not discard of it in the trash. 

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Botanical Witches by Célia Beauduc

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how & when to cleanse your tarot cards ✨

how to cleanse:

shuffle - shuffle your cards for some time with cleansing intent.

sort the cards - put the cards back in the order of the major arcana from 0-21, wands, cups, swords, and then pentacles. let them stay like this for a short while, until you feel they’re cleansed, and then shuffle them again.

crystals - choose a crystal with your intent and place it on top of your deck, or create a crystal grid around it.

smoke cleansing - pass your deck through the smoke of burnt sage or rosemary, or through the smoke from insense.

sunlight/moonlight - natural light sources give healing energies to your deck. sunlight is more masculine, while moonlight is more feminine. keep this in mind when choosing a light source and what’s best for your deck.

meditation - meditate on the cards. this may be one card at a time or the whole deck at once.

yoga - do yoga with your deck, this will soothe and cleanse you both and create a stronger bond between you and your deck.

sound - use a song, a bell, or an instrument to wash vibrations over and through your deck to release energy.

salt - sprinkle salt gently over your deck or put your deck in an airtight bag and submerge it in a bowl of salt and let the salt absorb pent up energies.

sigils - write a cleansing sigil on a slip of paper and put it in the box or bag with your deck.

fresh air - set your deck on a windowsill by a cracked open window. allow the movement of fresh air to cleanse the pent up energy from your cards.

close contact - keep your deck beside or under your pillow as you sleep to both cleanse and build a close relationship with your deck.

when to cleanse:

brand new deck - if you bought or have been gifted a new or secondhand deck, the best way to sort out its energy is to cleanse it before the first use.

after each use - this is the best way to upkeep the health of your cards.

every day - a great way to take care of your cards, routine cleansing is a wonderful daily ritual for you and your deck.

when someone else touches it - energies can get muddled when someone other than the reader touches a deck.

after a complicated reading - your deck can run out of energy quickly when you ask it to do a complcated reading, and the best way to replenish these energies is to cleanse.

after not using it for a while - stagnant energies will build up in your deck if you go a while between uses. the best way to counteract this is a thorough cleansing.

with your life cycles - whether moon cycles, menstrual cycles, or sleep cycles, cleansing your deck when your energy is high can be a good idea.

whenever your deck tells you - sometimes you will be able to feel when your deck needs to be cleansed. a good cleansing and recharging is helpful when shuffling becomes difficult, you’re getting the same cards repeatedly, or you feel your deck run low on energy.

[girlngrimoire]

Inktober n° 29 and happy Halloween! 🎃 This will be my last Inktober piece, even though I only did 29 and not all the 31. Still pretty happy with the challenge!! 

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Banishment Magick 🔮

Banishing is the act of forcefully removing something, or putting an end to something. Banishing generally involves three different parts: the actual banishment, cleansing to clear out any lingering negativity, and protection from further negative energy. Banishing and cleansing can sometimes be done in one swift motion. 

Things you might want to banish:

Negative spirits or entities

Negative energy

Bad habits

Negative influences in your life

Methods of Banishment:

Performing the LBRP (Lesser Banishing Ritual of the Pentagram)

Sprinkling black salt or another kind of banishing powder around your home or property

Anointing doors and windows with blessed or charged water

Burning incense in your home

Creating a spray and spritzing it around your home

Drawing symbols on your doors and windows with blessed/charged water or oils

Physically cleaning your space to remove dust, grime, and negativity 

Playing loud music - metal would be a good choice

Making other loud noises (slamming doors, banging pots and pans together, etc.)

Crafting a poppet or representation of said negative influence and burning it

Binding the negative influence to an object and disposing of it

Herbs for Banishment:

Basil, Betel Nut, Black Pepper, Black Salt, Cactus, Cayenne Pepper, Chamomile, Chili Powder, Cloves, Dragon’s Blood, Elder, Garlic, Heliotrope, Horehound, Juniper, Morning Glory, Mullein, Mugwort, Oleander, Onion, Rosemary, Rue, Sage, Sea Salt, St. John’s Wort, Thyme, Tobacco, Vinegar, Wood Betony, Yarrow Flower

Crystals for Banishment:

Ajoite, Ametrine, Chrysocolla, Black Tourmaline, Bloodstone, Emerald, Epidote, Fire Opal, Garnet, Halite, Hematite, Hemimorphite, Howlite, Jet, Obsidian, Onyx, Smoky Quartz, Sugilite

Planets associated with Banishment:

Moon, Sun, Mars, Saturn, Pluto

Celestial Bodies associated with Banishment:

Black Holes, Supernovae

Lunar Phases associated with Banishment:

Third Quarter Moon, Waning Crescent, Dark Moon, Full Moon

edited on 8-27-2018

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witchy playlist II 🔮

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Day 2 - An Altar  ✨

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blackbearmagic’s Crystal Hunting Guide

Introduction

Scientific Fact: Witches love crystals almost as much as they love jars.  Consumerism Fact: In many metaphysical shops, nice-looking crystals can be had for relatively cheap. Ethical Fact: Many of those crystals are as cheap as they are because they are mined with no consideration for the damage done to the environment or the welfare of the humans collecting them.

So what’s a good, honest, ethically-minded witch to do, especially if he/she/they don’t have the money to afford crystals that were mined sustainably and responsibly, or the time to research which sellers obtain their wares from ethical mines?

Find their own.

I’ve been crystal hunting all my life, but only within the last year have I started doing it seriously. I’ve walked away from a creeking expedition with slabs of smoky quartz the size of my palm or calcite hunks bigger than my fist, and I personally think creek-crystal energy is much more vibrant and easy to work with; by comparison, the crystal points I’ve bought from metaphysical shops feel… inert, lifeless.

So let’s get straight into it!

What You’ll Need

a good-sized creek or stream with lots of gravel spits along its length

offerings to the spirit of the creek, if appropriate to your personal practice

bug spray, sunscreen, snacks, water, and anything else you’d normally bring on a hike

your trusty adventurer’s Bag of Holding

your sweet self

Now let’s talk details.

When I say “gravel spits”, this is what I’m referring to:

These tumbles of stone are going to be where you’ll find your treasures, and the size of the stones themselves actually tells you what size of crystal you might find: When the conditions are right (ie, during a flood), the water flowing through that portion of the creek is capable of lifting and moving rocks of the size you see there now. 

In my experience, the crystal specimens you’ll find are typically half or one-third the size of the average rock on the spit. They’re usually larger than the smallest rocks, but much smaller than the largest rocks. Not always, though–I have found specimens larger. (See the introduction.)

Regarding offerings, if that’s part of your path, you’ll want to make sure it’s nothing that will harm the local wildlife or damage the ecosystem in any way. My personal go-to is water, ideally water from a bottle I haven’t drunk from yet.

In the same vein as offerings, I’ve had great success in making a sort of bargain with the spirit of the place: That in return for treasures, I will pick up and remove any litter I find in the area. It is, of course, always a good idea to remove any litter you see when you’re out in nature, but it doesn’t hurt to point out to the spirit of the place that it’s something you’re doing for it. Bring along a trash bag to help collect it.

Lastly, with regards to your bag, I would advise something with two shoulder straps. Rocks are heavy.

What You’ll Do

Once you’ve hiked to your creek and found a gravel spit with lots of good-sized rocks, it’s time to start looking. There’s two main approaches I’ve found that work well, and I tend to use both. 

The first is a broad sweep. This one works best if you’ve got good lighting on the rocks. All you do is stand in one spot and sway side to side slightly while looking over the gravel, looking for anything that glints, shines, or otherwise catches the light shining on it. If you see something, investigate it. Repeat.

The second is the more detailed search. Get down on the ground–whether that means kneeling, crouching, laying on your belly, I don’t care–and go over each rock one by one. Use your eyes and use your hands. I imagine this method is probably going to be unpleasant for a lot of you, but honestly, it’s like crack to me.

Once you’ve combed over the current gravel spit as thoroughly as you please, pack up and move on to the next. Continue for as long as you like, or until you feel it’s time to go. Just remember that as far out as you go is how far you’ll have to walk back!

Advice and Warnings

Tell someone where you’re going and when you expect to be back. If you godsforbid go missing, they’ll be able to give the police an idea of where to start searching for your poor, lost ass.

Keep a charged cell phone with you at all times. 

If you see something or someone iffy, do your best avoid it. Sometimes there are creepy people in the woods, and sometimes they do creepy things. Don’t get involved.

Make sure you’re not trespassing on private property. All of the creeks I hike on are on public land. If you’re in a state park or other protected environmental area, don’t go off the trail–you could cause damage to a fragile ecosystem.

Following the creek is a good way to get out and back without losing your way.  Don’t stray too far from it if you’re in unfamiliar territory.

The best times of year to go hunting–assuming Northern Hemisphere, a temperate climate and deciduous forests around the creek–are the spring and summer. In the autumn, you’ll have to clear fallen leaves off of the gravel before you can look, and winter is too cold. 

The best time of day is the morning, when the sun angle is lower and is more likely to glint off of shiny rocks.

You’ll have your best luck the day after heavy rain. Rain will swell the stream and shift the stones around, and could uncover new treasures! 

Inspect anything that looks even remotely worthwhile. You’ll find a lot of duds, sure, but that will help train your brain to tune out what you don’t care about finding.

“What Can I Find?”

Exactly what sort of minerals and crystals you’ll find is highly variable. All minerals are not equally distributed across the planet, because many of them require very different conditions to form and the crust composition varies slightly from place to place. However, there are some stones that are pretty common all over the Earth, so no matter where you go hunting, you’re likely to find them.

Of course, for more specific identifications, please consult the internet, a book on mineralogy, or your local rockhounding club. 

Quartz

The chemical formula of quartz is SiO2, or silicon dioxide. Silicon and oxygen are, by mass, the two most abundant elements in Earth’s crust; around 90% of it is composed of silicate minerals like quartz. Ever find a pretty, sparkly, mostly-clear rock on the ground? It was probably quartz. 

Quartz comes in a mind-boggling array of colors, from smoky quartz so dark it’s practically opaque to purple-and-orange ametrine to the brilliant clear of a Herkimer diamond (yup, not actually diamonds) but all of these varieties are still quartz. In my region of North America, clear and smoky quartz seem to be the most plentiful. 

Calcite

Calcite is calcium carbonate, CaCO3. Like quartz, it is made of some of the Earth’s most abundant crustal elements (in this case, calcium and oxygen) and comes in a stunning array of colors. In my creeks, I’ve found calcite in yellow, orange, white, and even blue and red.

The biggest giveaway for rough calcite is its texture. If you pick up a rock and it feels like someone rubbed wax all over it, you’ve probably got yourself a calcite specimen.

Feldspar

Feldspar is one of the most abundant minerals in the crust, alongside quartz. It’s also a silicate, and it frequently finds its way into other minerals, such as granite. 

What sets feldspar apart from the other two minerals I’ve mentioned here is its fracture habit: It naturally fractures along cleavage planes which intersect at 90-degree angles. It doesn’t shatter–it shears. If you find a rock with a smooth face that looks like a polished stone countertop, it’s probably feldspar.

“But Bear, I Want Crystal Points!”

Oh. Yeah.

You can find those too. 

Every one of those pictures is of quartz points that I have found in my area. (In fact, they’re actually all from the same crystal-hunting hike, and represent only about a third of the specimens I found that day!) As you can see, they aren’t all perfect–and I have plenty of others that are, like, three facets and no point–but they’re all beautiful, and some of them really sing, if you know what I mean. 

Conclusion

Finding your own crystals can be pretty simple, when you get down to it. It can be a lot of fun to get down and dirty, and is a great way to get yourself out in nature for a while. And, of course, you can rest assured that your crystals were gathered in a sustainable, respectful, ethical manner–assuming you took care of yourself and the environment while finding them!

Best of luck! –Bear

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take note

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It was so pretty and sunny out today, and my Monday has been rough, so I stepped outside for a few moments during my lunch break, asked my deck how I could unfuck my day, and drew three cards. And as always, they are right~

Deck: Mystical Faerie Tarot

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✨Luna’s All-Purpose Magickal Water Recipe💧

This is a recipe that I often use for various purposes in the form of a charged water that can be used as an addition to spells, a wash, etc. 

Ingredients: 

1 fl. oz. of 190 proof ethanol alcohol (think Everclear - acts as a base and a preservative)

2.5 fl. oz. of distilled water (a diluent) 

10 drops of lavender oil (cleansing, peace, relaxation, calming, happiness, attraction, protection)

10 drops of lemon oil (cleansing, happiness, joy, banishing)

10 drops of lime oil (cleansing, protection, peace)

10 drops of orange oil (happiness, joy, attraction, peace, energy, prosperity, luck)

5 drops of dragon’s blood oil (banishing, protection, luck)

5 drops of basil oil (prosperity, success, banishing, luck)

Instructions: 

Add all ingredients to a dark glass container (the dark glass will help preserve the mixture even further) 

Close and shake well

Store in the refrigerator or in a cool, dark place

*Shake well before using*

Uses: 

Use as a floor or window wash

Add a few drops to spell jars or sachets

Add to bath water 

Use to cleanse, consecrate, and anoint magickal tools

Use to anoint candles (allow to dry before lighting the candle as the ethanol in this recipe is flammable)

Use to wash your hands before spellwork 

Use to wipe down and cleanse your altar or sacred space

Sprinkle on your doorstep to invite positive energy and prosperity into your home - alternately, to banish negative energy from entering your home

Anoint your wallet to encourage the flow of income

Use to “paint” symbols of your choice on the outside of doors and windows or other areas of your home

Dab some on the insides of your wrists after a shower or bath for personal success, luck, and protection

Use as an offering to your deities if the ingredients are appropriate for said deity 

Carefully and discreetly sprinkle some outside of the location of a potential employer for luck when applying for jobs or going for interviews 

Use as a spray to cleanse and invite peaceful and positive energy to a space

This recipe truly is “all purpose” and can be used for many, many things. Use as you see fit for your particular situation! 

Note: please do a patch test before applying any mixture that contains essential oils to your skin or your bath water

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Honestly Conjure Women are so amazing. We are the mothers, the sisters, the aunts, the preacher’s daughters and the Hoe On the Corner. We’re the hood rats partying and the elegant CEOs. We’re the lawyers, journalists, nurses. We are the writers, actors, and beauticians. We weave stories in our hair and we lure lovers like Sirens. And we take a lot of bullshit everyday so I just want to appreciate us for a moment. Go tell a conjure woman you appreciate her and her work. Donate to her and worship her. Support her.

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