#someone please help i'm basically out of incense!!!

[agothinhiding]

Know a good online incense shop?

Does anyone know a good place online to buy incense from a good source? I moved away from the shop I usually go to and can't find any within a reasonable distance of where I live now, so I'm hoping to find a place online to buy from.

[wine4thewin]

I’m sorry this is out of nowhere but do you have indie perfume recs? I’ve been trying to get into that. I want to smell scary. like a hungry siren, or like sickly sweet poison. But also all your faves too please! Thank you so much!

Oh, I love this question! Indie shops are like...my happy place. My addiction, perhaps?

The indie perfume world is wild and deep. I've been in it for a few years, so my taste in perfume has changed, along with the houses I 'vibe' with.

I will start with the 'easiest' for newcomers to get into. When I say 'easy' it is because they break out scent profiles, styles, and also make it easy to sample at a lower cost. The more advanced houses will be expensive, riskier with high reward, and you must know your style deeply before you attempt buying from them...because your wallet will eventually hurt otherwise XD

The breakdown below the cut, because I am long-winded, I am sorry.

Most people start with Alkemia Perfumes. I started here, even though I eventually decided the perfume oil base didn't actually work for me (after I had an absolute blast trying over 20+ samples over a few months. The fun was worth it. Getting scents in the mail is self-care, I tell ya.). You can sample 5 different scents of your choice for $18. The nice thing about this brand is they really break down scent types, which will help you elsewhere. They break it down by 'aquatics, spices, sweets, earthy, incensy, florals, vanillas, etc. in their 'explore our perfumes' section. A lot of people recommend their 'Ghost Fire' from them (I've never tried it). I personally like 'The Honored Ghosts' & 'Misdeeds After Midnight' (but misdeeds was limited collection sadly). Typically, the 'scary' scents will be earthy / incensy / red musk / resinous styled scents.

Andromeda's Curse is another very easy to sample house, but on Etsy. I had fun trying them, but found the longevity to be light on my skin, which annoys me. You will find that indie oils tend to be lighter throw than alcohol fragrances (though can last on your skin for 8+ hours), but some very expensive oils are just as powerful. For $13 you can sample 5 scents here. Try different notes & styles and keep a journal of what worked and what didn't. You will soon find that there is a 'death note' that you NEVER get along with, therefore you must avoid most perfumes with it haha. My death note is typically patchouli and anything overly floral. White Tea is also a note I can't wear, I despise it.

This all being said...where do I actually shop? Nocturne Alchemy. This house is NOT easy to get into and often you need someone to help you understand their catalogue (which I am happy to do). It is pricy and also has a wild amount of Limited Editions (scents that only come back 2 years in a row seasonally and disappear forever...I typically buy these). I vibe with this house. It's my scent style and works on my skin. I love dark vanillas, spices, resinous fruits, and honeyed ambers and this house goes beyond all this and more.

Nocturne Alchemy / NAVA is known for their ambers & resins and I can say I love their Queen Amber, Celestial Amber, Princess Amber, and their Sky Amber. All fabulous, though Queen Amber is considered 'intimidating' due to the heavy mix of thick honey / incense / ambered musk. It's basically aggressive woman walking into a room. My husband likes it on me, so whatevs, I dig it. I'm a honey fan, so I search out honey scents LOL. You may lean towards their Anubis Garden & Desecrated Tomb collections, as they are very dark and powerful...NAVA has a huge collection of various scent profiles, if you have more questions on them, feel free to comment and ask. I've tried...a lot...of their scents...T.T

I will also recommend Arcana Wildcraft & Arcana Craves. They are both owned by the same person, but Wildcraft is a bit more...complex? Eerie? I don't get along with most scents from there, but I do get along with the Craves lineup because I love interesting gourmands. Pumpkins Crave Black Swallowers is basically a drunken goth pumpkin bread, boozed up, smoking a clove cigarette on Halloween outside a goth club in the 90s. Pumpkins Crave Resins is one I also like...fresh pumpkin bread and heavy black amber, but also a bit boozy with something heavy, maybe the labdanum {notes being: Gilded amber, black amber, 10 year old labdanum absolute, black tea, and boozy golden gourd} I've tried a bunch of scents from Craves and most are a lot of fun, but on the gourmand side. I love their Honey & Vanilla catalogues.

You might also want to glance at BPAL, as they have a strong, eerie/unique/goth theme to them. I don't get along with most of their oils, but I do like some of them and they are very popular! Snake Oil {vintage patchouli and dark, rich, aged vanilla absolute. deep, rich, earthy notes swirled with vegetal musks, sugared vanilla bean, and dark spices} has a cult following, people age it for years they love it so much. Personally, I didn't like it, too much dark patchouli for my tastes, but I did like the other version Scream Inside Your Snake Oil because it was the original but mixed with funnel cake...so...vaguely sweeter LOL. I do also like their Bobbing For Snake Oil scent {apples crushed into vintage patchouli, dark, rich, aged vanilla absolute, vegetal musk, and spices}.

Hexennacht is a house that has a very strong catalogue. I've loved so much from it, but eventually couldn't justify buying after personally witnessing the owner out a customer's purchasing history in a facebook group fight T.T That being said, the products are great and they once had a scent called 'Necromancer' that literally smelled like a bad man making bad life choices, but like, with a lot of money involved. 'Hēdonē' is one of the scents I like, I was told I smelled like sexy incense while wearing it. You can sample all scents from this shop (and other shops!) at Ajevie, a decanter who provides samples of multiple houses. They are closed until January 11th at this time, but when they open you will be able to see all the samples they offer. You might be interested in 'Fallen Angel' - rain-soaked granite, mountain air, petrichor, creeping ivy, damp earth. This is atmospheric and smells like being on a mountain in the middle of a rainstorm.

Pulp Fragrance is also closed for break right now, but they have a scent called 'Hallowed Ground' that literally smells like walking in a graveyard and it is terrifying LOL (notes being: Rich soil, damp air, slowly decaying wood, black honey, dark chocolate, soft moss, and a thread of precious resin incense smoke)

There are sooooo many houses I can tell you about, but these are the most popular and reliable ones you will see.

If you have any questions, I'm happy to clarify anything! The Indie world is huge and there is so much to learn, it's a fun journey and I hope you have a blast (though there will definitely be times that you will smell things and go OH NO WTF IS THIS? NAST AF!)

I will also suggest r/indiemakeupandmore on Reddit. I don't know much about 'Reddit life' aside from this sub, because it is full of the greatest people ever who simply want to talk about indie perfume recs, experiences, new shops, indie perfume/makeup/skincare/candles/candy/coffee, etc.

Also. Off topic, but if you are looking for more indie products, I recently discovered Lollies By Leah and I can tell you that I was mindblow by these lollypops. WTF. I don't even really like candy, I was gifted these, but now I'm thinking of buying a subscription box because this month's theme is Fairy Tale lollies and these things are WILD.

I even get into indie soaps and skincare. It's a thing T.T If you get dry hands in winter, Haus of Gloi has spectacular pumpkin butter cream, OMG, my whole family buys it. Literally. My. Whole. Family.

*also, more shops listed in the comments.

[sweaterwitchhelper]

hello i'm a very very beginner to this stuff. At this point i wouldn't even call myself a witch because i know so little. but i really really want to learn more about witchcraft and spirituality because it seems so interesting. i'm not a complete beginner to spirituality in that i have mediated before and regressed into a past life (i'm not sure you believe in that but i do). anyways like i was saying i believe i have the ability to become a witch and would be so so greatful to you if you had any tips on what i should learn first because its pretty overwhelming to see all this information and not know the basics. i know witchcraft isn't all crystals and incense and it takes hard work and effort and i'm more than willing to put that in, anyways thank you for reading this if you did.

Ahh, Wednesday. The day of Answers for my Asks.

Hello lovely new witch! Just because you don't know much doesn't mean you can't call yourself one, you are just in the earlier stages. We have all been there and experienced it. But, you call yourself what you are comfortable with.

Now then, I personally do believe it's possible to reincarnate. Though I feel it's a choice for your soul to make. I also believe some people have had many past lives, while others only a few. Again that's where it ties into the fact I think you have a choice whether to try again when you please. Not the point now though!

My advice I always give baby witches is a few things:

Deity work is NEVER required. You decide if you want to, and when you are ready if you decide to. No one else can tell you when you are ready, not even the deity. It's when you are comfortable. And you can decide never to do it, that's okay!

You don't need to be blessed with a special natural talent to be a witch, anyone can be a witch if they learn and try.

Never believe everything you read. Take it all with a grain of salt. You wouldn't believe me if I said that the ceiling said pancakes without looking up and seeing for yourself. That being said, it's okay to believe different from others. One person may fully believe in spirits and Fae, while another thinks they don't exist. It's okay to have a difference in opinion of belief.

You don't need a ton of money, or expensive things to be a witch. Most of my more expensive items were gifted to me and I didn't even need, though I am very grateful for them and love owning them they technically weren't necessary for the craft. A lot of times you can get smaller, cheaper alternatives or make them yourself. But if you want that fancy bottle and box set, and can afford it go for it. Your happiness is important, just know you don't absolutely have to have it to be a witch!

Picking something to learn. Like you said there is an abundance of information out there to look at and pick up. I always say to pick something you like to begin with and start learning. Ask other witches, read books and articles, figure out a meaning that's all your own. Like I said with research, take it with a grain of salt, but have an open mind to new things that you think might be for you.

Try doing some stuff yourself, do a little spell. Try out a Pendulum. Open doorways that you didn't think of before. Experiment. Have fun.

Please, leave closed cultures alone. Lots of openings in the world to do things, so why mess with things that aren't for us. Closed cultures you need to be born into, or initiated by someone in the culture. It isn't for someone who isn't one of those to touch. I will say, please listen to people of the culture instead of someone randomly stating things. (For example, I have native blood so I constantly say sage is for everyone, white sage is literally sold by Natives to everyone to be used. Listening to someone on a high horse who doesn't know what's going on to not use sage for smoke cleansing or smudging is ridiculous, because it's taking money away from the culture that actually is trying to get it out there. Plus sage was used for these purposes much farther before than we think. Our planet owns the plants and it's uses, not the people. Sorry for spinning off into a bit of a rant.)

It's all you. It's figuring out your path. Slowly blazing into the woods. You'll figure it out, and if not I'm always here. Happy to help, to talk, to teach and be of use. I hope I did well. So many people out there willing to help and talk and share. Open your windows and call for them, someone will answer. Maybe we should have a tag for looking for witches, haha. Maybe there already is one, I never checked. Good luck, please know I'm always here to talk.

Love,

Sweater 💙💙

[amuklaios]

I'm interested in worshiping the anemoi, but I haven't seen anyone else talk about worshiping them at all, so I was wondering if you had any advice or thoughts on the matter?

Ooh, yes, yes! As someone who worships a god not often spoken about or worshipped (Thanatos, represent!), I’d be happy to give my two cents. If anyone else has some helpful information, feel free to add, too! 

So, first thing I personally do is research. Not too much, just enough to get a basic idea on the god(s) in question. I look at their major symbol, some of their family, any major myths they were apart of. Since the Anemoi is actually a group of gods, you can probably just look into their basic role! This website is a very good resource, and has a page on the Anemoi right here.

The next thing I would do is reach out to them. Send a quick prayer, explain that you’re interested in worshipping them. Give a small offering too! Research can help you find out what their specific offerings tend to be, but libation, flowers, food, and incense are good go-to’s! 

Talking and getting acquainted with the gods is the best thing to do. I understand how difficult it can be to start worshipping without much information or following here, but I promise it’ll be alright! I’d be happy to research and write up some posts about worshipping the Anemoi and their cults, but I think part of the bonding experience comes from being able to do that yourself! All in all, my best advice I can give to you is to just go for it! I’m sure they’d be happy to work with you. 

If you have more questions, please feel free to send them in! You can also message me, if you’d like!

[phemonoi]

Witchy / Tarot Journal

May 30

Three pairs of cards flew from my deck while I was shuffling it today. I didn't sleep at all tonight, and I was tired and angry this morning until I meditated outside with Apollo, talked to Him, and told Him I need his guidance and light. I instantly felt better, more relaxed and overall happier. I also remembered I asked Him for a sign yesterday. And I mentioned to Him this morning that I bought Him some hyacinth incense. When I looked up at the sky, a big rainbow was crowning the light of the sun that shined from behind the clouds. It was beautiful, inspiring, exciting and it made me blush. I am deeply grateful to Him. I love Him.

However, as I was saying —while I was shuffling my deck, three pairs of cards flew out of it. I looked at them and I've been trying to analyse them following my intuition for hours. This is what I've got:

First Pair: Page of Pentacles, Page of Cups (R)

Considering your ideas but never actually moving into action will cause boredom and disinterest. Boredom and disinterest can lead me to emotional chaos. But I need not to fear about this, because all the knowldge I've acquired, all the strategies Apollo has teached me, all the patience I've grown, can help me whenever this might happen. It is good to think about my next step and profoundly considere it, but it isn't good to just stay there thinking, doubting, questioning. Shut your inner “thinker” up and let the “poet” speak.

Also I shall mention that in the deck of Matt Hughes the Page of Pentacles is looking at the coin the same way I look at my phone 24/7 and Apollo is literally so frustrated that I have this obsession with internet he's like PLEASE GET OUT OF TUMBLR FoR fiVE MINutEs-

Second Pair: The Devil, Four of Wands (R)

The familiar situation is/will continue to be tense. Family members are not connected at any level beyond the material. Jelousy, mistrust, and secrets may arise. The arrival of an inheritance can break the familiar support, or, on another hand, the lack of familiar support can lead to the loss of an inheritance. I need to stay grounded, protect my energy and balance myself and my individual values with those of my family. I won't let familiar conflicts corrupt me, I've come too far. Accepting that I can't be the mediator or the healer in situations where no one wants a mediator or a healer there. I also must remember that I manifest my own reality. I should stop fearing the worse outcome, and instead handle the situation with ease and patience so things turn out in a positive way.

Third Pair: Ace of Pentacles, Strenght (R)

Again, the imbalance between material needs and financial blessings, with desires and selfishness can lead to conflict. “Be careful, for with a great amount of money vanity may arise” . Not precisely from me, but it could be from someone else. It is needed that I focus on improving my own economical independence the next month. Strenght, courage and support will be needed in order to proceed to the next stage of these material issues I've been going through, which will require to make desicive choices. I shall be an subtle influence for my family to make the right decisions. On a side note, an ascencion on the physical/material level will be offered to me —I shall connect with earth, and my body, stay present and grounded without doubting myself and my progress.

🌾 🌼 ✨ ☀️ 💛 🌻 🍯 🦋 ☕ 🌾 🌼 🐝🍯 💛

So uhm... I think I'm getting better at this! I mean, I spent like two hours blankly staring at the cards, but apparently it was worth it? Also I messaged my aunt who is a tarotist and she just replied with a “without context its hard to read it” without giving me any tips or whatever, and that really annoyed me, but... well she indirectly encouraged my independence.

But basically

(btw, i don't remember who's the creator of this meme but i hope that isnt a problem)

[toycarousel]

I have really weird feelings about witchcraft because my gramma did it when my mom was a gal, but I'm not jarred or anything! I still love you and your stuff. My gramma (who's now a very religious woman, haha) has never been one to judge or hate without reason, and you're the same. I guess I'm just really ignorant on the details of witchcraft? And with the stories I've heard from my mom it's quite scary to me, haha. Lots of love!! xoxo

That raises a lot of great questions, Anon~! Witchcraft is actually a HUGE umbrella term.  There are Pagan witches, Wiccan witches, Satanic witches, Christian and Catholic witches, Muslim witches, and witches of all sorts of spiritual beliefs.

When I first started learning about spellcraft and witchcraft as I knew it, I found mostly info on Wicca witchcraft.  But I was actually raised a Catholic since I was born (I was baptized, and went to a Catholic school for the first 12 years of my life), and other stuff.  There's a form of witchcraft called "High Magic," wherein a lot of ritual work with Christian Angels may be done, and the first spells I tested out were of that nature, because it was what I felt safe within, and what I just happened to run into~! But there's so much info relating to crafting spells and magic that ties into Wicca, that I ended up being a Wiccan for a little while instead (the teachers at my Catholic school were not pleased with me).  

I'm not a Wiccan now, I'm more... I suppose, like... a combo between Christian and Polytheist (which seems like it would automatically contradict itself, but it doesn't have to).  I leave myself open to a variety of beliefs, and take what I find to be morally sound or potentially true (based on personal instincts) and craft my own set of beliefs from wider religions.  I don't really follow anything specific to the letter though, you know~?

So, I have no idea what kind of witchcraft your Gramma was doing at the time, but I fully believe you when you say she may have had bad experiences with it. Just like people can have bad experiences with every faith, and lose their own way, it can happen with certain incidences of witchcraft too.

There are a lot of people online who practice witchcraft and are very open about it, but they are super diverse, so I can't even loosely define witchcraft, it's so vast.  ; P A lot of witches use the term to refer to working with maybe crystals, healing herbs, casting spells (which are p much synonymous with personalized prayers, imo), maybe casting curses.  

On that note, I think curses or "negative" magic (magic with the intent to harm) is what a lot of people associate with all witchcraft (witchcraft and Satanism are also conflated with each other, and while there are Satanic witches out there, there are Satanic ppl who don't identify as witches, and Satanism as a whole is something I can't say much about because I know it's also very vast, and individuals don't all practice it the same way -- and besides that, I personally don't know a whole lot about it~!) 

I don't judge witches (of any spirituality) who cast curses, because a lot of them are casting curses on people who've genuinely wronged them -- like enacting a spell to bring justice to someone who may have abused them as a child, for example.  It's a lot like praying to God that a bad person gets what's coming to them.  I can understand that.  However, I do believe that curses can accumulate negative energy, and that they can backfire.  Even innocent spells can backfire, in my personal experience.  :’)

Maybe something your Gramma got into backfired, or maybe she met with a crowd of self-proclaimed witches who were doing unkind things, who knows~? There are very cultish witches out there too, who prey on people who are interested in witchcraft, or who are maybe just exploring options -- just like there are cultish versions of/groups within every faith (there are witches, and then there are like... the westboro baptist church version of people who consider themselves witches, if that makes any sense, ahahaha~!)

Anyway, basically what I'm saying is that it's fair for you to be wary of something that has caused you, or people in your life a lot of pain.  But it’s always good to remember that witchcraft is such a broad spectrum of people that the term can mean almost anything -- and it's likely that the specific version of witchcraft that harmed your Gramma and Mom is exactly that.  A specific version of witchcraft that may just not have been all that nice, or all that effective, or all that safe... it’s hard to always know exactly what you’re getting into when you adopt a faith.

In any case, I rambled a whole lot here, ahahahaha~!!! And thank you for being non-judgmental toward me~!!! For transparency, the witchcraft I do now basically consists of writing and imagining prayers to Aphrodite, keeping a shrine for her that I add things to or adjust on occasion, burning incense, burning sage, using herbs and spell-bottles for, like, self love, or fortune for loved ones, crystal magic, tarot cards, and stuff like that.

I'm also kind of a sea witch, so I like to work with ocean-water, seashells, sea-glass, and sea-salt in my spells, along with cool stuff I find at the beach (whenever I get to visit a city that has a beach; I'm landlocked, sigh :')

I don't do curses (though, as I said, many truly good people do), because I personally prefer to let cosmic justice do its own thing without my help, no matter how tempting it might be to spiritually attack someone myself.  It's just not my thing.  However~! I have cast a spell on myself that means if someone else curses me, my body acts as a mirror, and their curse is reflected back at them, so they suffer the consequences of the harm they tried to do to me.  I did that for peace of mind, because I know a lot of witches, and a lot of people who don’t like me for the mean things I said in the past (and I don’t think brutally cursing someone because they said something mean to you in passing is fair justice).  I’m already suffering the direct consequences for things I’ve said and done, and that’s just life.  ; P

But yeah, I’m not sure if any of this cleared things up for you... I can link you to some witchcraft masterposts and blogs if you’re interested in knowing more details about specific forms of witchcraft.  The best way to figure this out would be to ask your Gramma what kind of witchcraft she once did, why she quit, etc., if she feels safe talking about it~!!!

But no matter what, it’s good to learn about various faiths -- you never have to believe in something that you just.  Don’t.  And if you’re wary of something, sometimes learning more about it can help assuage that fear, even if, after learning about it, you don’t decide to partake in it.  Like I said, you don’t ever have to be into anything that makes you uncomfortable~!!! Best of wishes, Anon, and I hope you and your family are doing well these days~!!!

[thebibliosphere]

Hi! Uhm, I don't know if you can help me, but do you know a cleansing and or protection spell against ghosts? A cemetary is right down the street from my house and I've already had 2 ghostly visitors on Halloween the last couple of years from there (forgot to close the window that night NEVER AGAIN). If not, would it be possible to direct me to someone who would know sth like this? I hope, I'm not too forward w/ this request. Thank you so much and have a lovely day!

Not too forward at all! My parents house is actually between a cemetery and a fairy mound, so we were always finding bits or charms people made to keep both at bay. It was an interesting childhood in the garden in that regard. One time dad dug one of them up and discarded it. The streak of bad luck that ensued led to my mother going to the Totally Not Witches in our church to get another one.

One of the main charms I am aware of for keeping unwanted visitors out of your house is to plant iron around the entryways. Everyone thinks this is always just for fae, but iron is just one of those good, solid, dependable metals for when it comes to protecting the home. My parents have iron horseshoes above the doors. Some people like to have them facing down the way (like a U) because they believe it keeps luck inside your house, other people flip them like an upside down U so that anyone with bad or unwelcome intentions, will feel turned away and be in theory unable to cross the threshold.

You can also take iron sheers and plant them in your yard, blades open and facing outward so that anyone unwelcome will cut their soul if they try to break in or enter where they are not welcome. You don’t necessarily need to do anything too magical too them either to do this. It’s the will of your intent as you bury them that does most of the work, but it doesn’t hurt to remind them every day when you walk over/past them that they are there to Protect you, and focus a little of your will toward that notion.

You can also create a protection charm like that out of pretty much anything, iron is just traditional and preferable to some people. I didn’t have any iron when someone tried to break into mine and Etd’s home (except the iron curtain rail I threatened the guy with, happy coincidence) so I actually took my favorite quartz crystals, told them they were going to look after my house now and buried them near the thresholds. Ocassioanly I will rework the charm whenever I am cleaning house, focusing on where I know them to be in the yard, and willing them to be filled with light and the general vibe of “if you’re here without my invitation fuck the fuck right off”. It works well for me. You could also use lemons or something else that is biodegradable, but then you need to redo the spell in full fairly often, which some people like cause it helps them feel protected, and some people don’t.

I also keep crystals by all the windows which I work with similarly, with the extra notion that I don’t want people looking in and they should feel uncomfortable if they try. This would also work easily for ghosts too. My preference is clear quartz or amethyst.

I will also once a year, usually on Hogmanay, go around all thresholds and windows with salt, imagining an invisible ward around everything that seals the house from malice or unwanted guests, living or otherwise. I’ll usually do each window individually. Then when I’m done I open them up and brush the salt outwards towards the outside world, as a symbolic gesture of brushing the evil/bad energies out of the home. It’s something my mother always did, which she got from her mother, and it stuck with me. Those are my basic house wards.

If you feel like your ghost buddies have decided they want to stay and are disregarding the wards, you may need to have a chat with them regarding boundaries. And by chat I mean reminding them this is your house and to kindly gtfo. You can do this with your average cleansing house spell, a million and one of which you can find in Google. But my personal fave is to bang my iron pots and pans together walking through the house saying firmly “this is my space, you’re not welcome here, leave please”. If I’m feeling particularly special I’ll light some incense, but if you couldn’t tell I’m a very “fuck off I’ve not got time for this bullshit” witch.

Also if it's just specific to Halloween? Keep candles lit by the windows, or if you can, throw the traditional jack-o-lantern outside with a candle inside, give them something else to focus on, a bit like moths to a flame. But be sure to have your wards in place, you want them to focus on the light, not your actual home. Good luck.

[mentalillnessmouse]

I'm 17 and I have depression. One of my parents are too lazy to even give a shit about my sisters and me. It's very stressful because if I so much as step out of line one time said parent threats to kick me out. I have no safe place to go anymore and I honestly just feel like I'd be better off dead

Abuse CW

I am sorry you are struggling so much and that you are in such an unhealthy environment right now. Remember that you do not have to be stuck there forever. This situation, though something you have endured for so long now, is not permanent. You and your sisters can and will get out and make your own lives for yourselves. I am wondering if you can work on two things to help yourself right now. 1. Find someone to confide in about your situation and/or your mental health. You deserve to be heard and supported, and I have faith you can find someone to confide in who can help you. Maybe it is a teacher, a friend’s parent, your other parent who does not threaten you, another adult at your school, your doctor, coach, anyone who will listen. You deserve to get help and feel better and to feel safe at home. I know it is scary to reach out, but it can be so worth it. 2. Create a safe space for yourself. That space can travel with you, or can be somewhere permanent. Maybe it is your bed, a place in your yard, or a backpack full of items to make a safety kit/comfort box/crisis kit (whatever you want to call it, it is a bunch of self-care & self-soothing items to create a safe mind and safe space.) Here is what is in one person’s kit, and here are some suggestions on what to put in oneFor a while in my apartment, I had a corner where I would often find myself when having a breakdown/anxiety attack/whatever you want to call crying, shaking, hyperventilating and wanting to use unsafe coping skills. So one day in a moment of mental clarity, I decided to put a bookshelf there and fill it with some calming and distracting things. For me, it was a copy of my safety plan (Safety plan cards are a great idea to keep in your wallet or comfort box which reminds you of your coping mechanisms and people who you can call to be safe.) , some incense to light, some bracelets to fidget with, a notebook, coloring book and markers. Most of these things could easily be thrown into a backpack to come with me on days once I moved back to my grandmother’s house and no longer had a safe space. Instead, I would grab this bag and go take a walk, sit somewhere and make a safe space wherever I was. Kid you not, on a snowy day when I could not go out, I sat in the bathroom and went through my bag!Remember, it may be hard to have a permanent safe space right now, but you can always make one wherever you are. You will not be stuck in this situation forever, and you are capable to reach out and ask for support. 

How to tell someone about your mental health & interactions with others

This post on telling someone about your mental health problem has some great tips and advice.

This is a post with links to various module you can complete to help you assert yourself.

Talk about Mental Health

How to start your conversation

How to tell the people you love

Video for Parents By Teens Explaining Depression

How and When to Disclose Mental Illness

Abuse

Help Guide A site containing articles to help understand, help numbers,  “tool kits”, and self help.  

Mental Support Community A forum to talk about any form of abuse and how it affected you.

Mental Help A site that has basic information, resources, articles, and a list of books that might be helpful.

What is emotional abuse? explores what emotional abuse is.

Domestic abuse is a collection of a few different posts that might help.

Caring for yourself

Psychological abuse

Suicide Prevention

Feeling Suicidal? Please take a moment to read this post on how to cope with suicidal thoughts.

A list of Reasons NOT to Commit Suicide_

Suicide: an Honest Discussion How to cope with suicidal thoughts/ideation made by a MHP

Take care,

Ari

[sylvaetria]

Hey Richtor! I'm a stuggling witch that struggles with spells, do you think you could give me a few tips for casting them please? And tips for intent please? Like focusing your intent, what to think etc?? Please!

These are just tips and tidbits, things I think may be useful to know or do. They are not necessarily required, and every witch has their own way of doing things, but I think these things may prove helpful in spell casting.

Tips for Casting Spells

☆Make sure that you are being safe, first and foremost! Your personal safety matters more than anything else - research and practice proper fire safety techniques, how to handle toxic herbs, etc., before using those things in your spellwork.

★ Try some basic energy work exercises before you begin casting spells for specific desires - this way, you know you are able to direct the energy exactly where you need it to go. (You can find some energy work exercises [here]).

☆I know some people have troubles with visualizing, and sometimes mental health can also be a hindrance to this, but it can be a very useful technique in witchcraft - if you are able, I really do recommend working on visualization / imagination techniques if it is not your strong point, though I know some people just cannot and that is okay too, it isn’t needed but I do find it very useful. (If you wish, you can find some posts about visualization [here].)

★ It is okay to use another person’s spell - it won’t necessarily be any less effective if you don’t write it yourself, as long as you like it, have the ingredients, and are able to perform the actions of the spell.

☆Though, I do recommend trying spell writing as soon as you can - it really isn’t as hard as it looks, I promise, and it can really flush out your knowledge of the how’s and why’s of spellcasting and how magic works and fits together. ([Here] are some resources for writing spells.)

★ Try to be as clear in your intent as you can - sometimes not being clear enough can result in the energy not bringing you what you want, or even bringing you something else.

☆Do what you can to ensure that your actions and energies line up with your intent / the reason you’re doing the spell - some methods may not be appropriate for certain goals, while conflicting energies (and doubt / fear) can prove to be a block for magical success. 

★ Seriously, I know it can be hard, but try to fight the doubt monster off as much as you can - belief is used as a tool in chaos magic for a reason, as it can be very powerful in conjunction with magic. (Think, Law of Attraction.)

☆It is helpful to know why you are doing what you’re doing, how each step / ingredient of your spell works, and why it will help you get what you need - this way, you can be ensured that your steps are actually beneficial in helping bring about your desire, and you’re not spending thirty minutes doing whatever just to have it not work.

★ If you are able, do your spellwork in a quiet and private environment - distractions can draw your focus and intent away from the spell.

☆Try to have all the ingredients and tools you need ready and at hand before you start casting - again, drawing your focus away to leave and grab something can hinder the flow of energy.

★ Some people find that the atmosphere can impact their spells too - so, if it matters to you, feel free to light all the candles and incense, dress in witchy garb, play that spooky music, etc., whatever it takes for you to generate that energy for your magic.

☆Keep a notebook handy, to write down exactly what you did during the spell - this way, if the spell doesn’t work, you can go back and look at your notes to try and discern what you did that could have affected the magic.

★ If you feel that any magical working is getting way too intense, and you need to disengage, absolutely do that - again, your safety and comfort are more important and should always come first. ([What to Do if Witchcraft Suddenly Gets Way Too Intense].)

Tips for Intent

☆ I view intent akin to desire and want, but in a more active / energetic state. Intent is not neutral or immobile, it is active and full of energy and going towards its goal with purpose. So, when doing something with intent, you are doing it with active purpose and with your desires in mind. With that being said, here are some tips I have on focusing your intent in spellwork.

★ Do what you can to ensure that your actions correspond with your intent, as well as each other - it might not be so beneficial to keep a poppet of someone you wish to banish, if you get my train of thought.

☆ The tools you use also play an impact on this as well - making sure they match up with your desires, and don’t contradict one another, can be a big component in making sure your spell manifests as desired.

★ It can be as simple as focusing deeply on what you want to happen in your mind - for example, when I draw my sigils, I repeat the statements I use for them over and over in my mind, solidifying it in my brain.

☆ In regards to what you think, it can be a phrase that you repeat over and over that corresponds with your desires - one or two lines are generally enough.

★ However, some people focus their intent with chants and incantations, almost little poems that match their desires and encompass what they want to happen - traditionally this is done vocally, but I have also repeated chants in my mind, and it is a great way for witches who can’t speak to practice this particular method.

☆ Try to “feel” your intent (as an emotion, energy, etc.), not just think it - this is a good energy work exercise that might take some time and practice, and should prove useful in the long run, though not necessary.

★ Visualizing what you want to happen, your intent in action, is also a good way to utilize it - close your eyes and imagine in your mind what you and your life will look like once the spell has begun working. 

Okay, so that is what I have for now! I will likely expand on this in the future, when I have more ideas, but for now that’s what I’ve got. I hope it has proven useful to you, however, or at least helped you think of some things I might have missed Good luck anon!