#witchcraft info

[4rimoire]

GROUNDING AND CENTERING

grounding in a spiritual sense is the practice of connecting to the environment around you and releasing unwanted energies. centering is the act of clearing your mind to focus on the task at hand.

you may feel "out of balance" and unable to concentrate sometimes, this can be a sign that you need to practice grounding and centering. below i will list some ways to practice spiritual grounding and centering, but feel free to come up with your own ways as well!

note that the correspondences listed at the end are my personal correspondences, you may have different ones and thats okay!

GROUNDING AND CENTERING WITH BREATH

breathe in and out slowly, focus on the way that it feels. visualize (or alternatively, if you cant visualize, just think of) the unwanted energies and thoughts leaving you with each breath out and the thoughts of the task at hand coming in with each breath in

GROUNDING AND CENTERING WITH MEDITATION

try meditating and clearing your mind of all unwanted thoughts, focusing fully on whatever you need to be focused on. focus on the environment around you. what do you hear? what do you smell? what do you see, if your eyes are open? if you have trouble with meditation, there are guided ones online

GROUNDING AND CENTERING WITH VISUALIZING

try visualizing (or thinking about if you cant visualize) all the unwanted energies leaving you and you connecting fully to the environment. you can do this in many ways, but a common way is to visualize ( / think of) breathing out the energy for the release and roots connecting you to the ground for the connection. visualize ( / think of) the wanted thoughts and energies coming in

CRYSTALS FOR GROUNDING AND CENTERING

hematite

black tourmaline

smoky quartz

red jasper

carnelian

malachite

obsidian

fluorite

[tenofmuses]

Free Witchcraft Resources for Beginners

A couple months ago I made a post shouting out the fact that witchcraft doesn’t require any money to get started (or to be practiced, for that matter), and I had a few people ask me about what they can do that’s free, especially as a beginner, so I wrote up this post. I was lost and broke when I was getting started with my craft, and it was really difficult to find tips for beginners that weren’t just “buy these things!” I’m hoping this will be useful for people who are looking for a place to begin.

So. You’re interested in witchcraft and would like to find out more. Maybe you keep seeing those “crystals/herbs/books/etc. beginner witches should have” posts, and you’re frustrated, because you want to begin your practice, but don’t have the money for those supplies. I was once in that spot, and even now that I’m five years into my practice, I have rarely purchased any of the supplies witchtok deems to be fundamental. Here are some places you can begin instead. Let’s get started!

Info continues below.

Foundations

By foundations, I’m referring to things that aren’t explicitly witchcraft, but that I have found very beneficial within my own practice.

1. Before anything, I recommend asking yourself a simple question: why do I want to practice witchcraft, and what do I hope to get out of it? You may not know for sure yet, and your answer will likely change over time, but having some intentions going in can be helpful when you’re in the early stages of research. When I was starting out, I felt very overwhelmed by the amount of info out there, so if you have a bit of an idea of what you’re specifically interested in, that can be helpful to get you going.

2. Meditation: not all witches meditate, but a lot of the skills you develop through meditation can be helpful within witchcraft. You can try out secular meditation (apps like Balance and Headspace, as well as Insight Timer—the former has a mix of secular and spiritual meditations), or you can find a witchcraft-specific guided meditation on YouTube. For neurodivergent folks out there, I recommend looking into active meditation, which I’ve found to be quite beneficial for myself.

For me, it’s always important to remain grounded when I’m doing any spiritual practice, and meditation is a good skill you can work on to help with that. I also find that having a background in meditation can be really helpful later down the line when/if you are attempting visualization and/or astral projection, witch’s flight, and so forth.

3. Journaling: another thing that isn’t specifically witchcraft-related, but is an important skill to harness, on my opinion. To me, it’s crucial to be in touch with what I’m feeling (especially when it comes to doing spellwork), and journaling is one great way to do that. If you’re stuck and don’t know where to begin, look up witchcraft (or general) journal prompts on here or somewhere else. A lot of the ones that come up will be shadow work, which can be intense, so only do what feels comfortable for you.

I’d also like to note that automatic writing/drawing is an entirely free option if you’re interested in communing with spirits or deities. Essentially it involves getting into a trance-like state (usually in a dark room only lit by candlelight or similar—this is to avoid distractions) with a piece of paper and pen, and you write or draw everything that comes to your head without thinking about it. And then you go back and see what sort of messages you may be receiving. It’s a bit hard to explain and I’m not very experienced in it myself, but it’s something worth looking into if it sounds interesting to you!

4. Look at what you have, instead of what you don’t: a lot of beginner witch resources will list specific items that you should have, without really explaining why. And without that knowledge of how/why having an item is important, you might find your Must Have crystal sitting unused on a shelf somewhere. So instead of focusing on the items you want or feel like you should have, look at what you do have. Are there plants or herbs in your house/yard that you feel drawn to? Do you have a collection of cool rocks and stones? How do these items make you feel?

For me, a large part of my craft is my belief in Animism (the belief that all living things have innate spiritual qualities, like a soul, spirit, or specific energy) and this can play into the way you interact with the natural world if it’s a belief you also subscribe to. Try and feel the presence of a plant to see if it gives you any specific feeling. It does? Great! Now you have a correspondance for that plant. And it’s even better than the correspondances you’ll get in a book because it’s based on your own personal connection and intuition. That’s what is most important.

5. When in doubt, use your intuition. You might find a source that says cinnamon should be used for protection. Another will say it should be used for abundance spells. What matters the most is what you think about an herb/plant/stone/colour, or whatever else you may utilize. I recommend to start keeping a list of what you associate these things with. It can take awhile to build up a personalized list, but once you have one, it’ll be a lot more useful than what a correspondances book says to do.

6. Scour your pantry and get cooking: are you wanting to try out a spell but you haven’t bought the ingredients? Look in your pantry. You may be surprised by how many commonly used witchcraft herbs you find in there. And if you have been starting to associate certain herbs or spices with specific feelings or energies, that’s a great way to get started with creating your own spell.

You can do a spell in many ways, but when I was starting out, one of my favourite ways was to incorporate a certain herb or spice into food I made. Say you’re making a soup and maybe you want a bit of protection, so you add some ground pepper with the intention of that pepper protecting you as you stir it into the soup. Same goes for any other ingredient you’d like to use. A little intention goes a long way!

7. Dedicate your actions, time, or energy: if you’re interested at all in working with deities, ancestors, and other spirits but don’t have the time/space to build an altar—or maybe you aren’t sure how involved you want to be with this part of witchcraft—you can devote an action to the entity. This can be simple. For example, when I worked with Apollo, I would use taking my meds and vitamins as an act of devotion to him. This is an offering. And offerings can be anything you want them to be. They don’t have to be expensive or fancy!

It’s also important to note that you do not need to work with deities or spirits to be a witch. You don’t even have to believe in them. Many witches are atheists or don’t work with any deities at all. But for those who are interested, simple offerings can be a good place to start.

8. Practice energy work: in my view, energy work is the most important skill to learn for your craft, since so many things build off of it. And with energy work, you don’t need to spend any amount of money on it. All you need is yourself, your intuition, and anything else—I mean that quite literally, you can practice feeling the energy of other people, pets, trees, buildings, foods, socks, your favourite pen, and whatever else you think of!

Once you get to know the energy of the things around you, you can more effectively utilize them as tools within your practice (this builds off of the intuition point I made earlier).

For example, as a child I lived in a house that was surrounded by cedar trees. It was a place where I felt very safe. To this day, when I see or smell a cedar tree, I feel safe and protected. You can read this any way you’d like—to me it’s both a spiritual and psychological phenomenon—but this is one example of sensing energy.

As a witch, you can practice that skill and use it to get to know the tools you’d like to use within your own craft (the things that connect to you personally, not what you’re told you should connect with). This isn’t an easy skill by any means, so if it doesn’t come naturally to you, that’s perfectly okay!

For more on this subject, I recommend two books: Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Kimmerer (more on animism in particular) and Psychic Witch by May Auryn (lots of exercises to practice working with and sensing energy).

Where to Go for Learning

After you’ve thought a bit about some of the above, or skipped it altogether if it doesn’t suit you, you’re probably wanting some good resources that will actually tell you how to do the witchcraft thing. But before that, I want to reiterate again that this is your practice, and you should only do what you are interested in. So take what you want and leave what you don’t.

I’m going to point you in three primary directions for learning good information: books, podcasts, and YouTube.

But first, I want to issue a massive disclaimer for the YouTube information (and some books, for that matter). You should not have one sole source for your information. Books that have bibliographies are always the most trustworthy sources. And even though I trust the information coming from the YouTubers I’ll mention—especially because I’ve read similar information in several witchcraft books—don’t take their word at face-value. Be critical of what you’re told. Believe what you believe. This is a skill you’ll learn over time. It can be a bit overwhelming at first, but it will get easier to discern what’s good info vs. bad info, over time.

Before you get started, I highly recommend watching this helpful video by HearthWitch with info on how to vet your witchcraft sources: link.

Books

In my view, books are the Best source of information, period. Anyone can publish an article or video online, but not everyone can publish a book. So there tends to be a bit more reliable info in witchcraft books.

As far as knowing what book you should begin with, there are lots of lists out there for beginners, and I recommend just looking at one of those lists and picking what sounds interesting to you. Take what you like and leave what you don’t.

Most of the YouTubers I’ve listed below have videos recommending books for beginners.

If you’re interested in British folk witchcraft, I started out with Folk Witchcraft by Roger J. Horne and it was a brilliant beginners guide that I recommend to anyone who is interested in that branch of witchcraft.

As always, while you read witchcraft books, be critical of the information you are presented with. Unfortunately, lots of witchcraft books (especially the classic ones) can be rooted in concepts like bioessentialism, colonialism, and racism. My recommendation is to not take any author’s word as gospel and to use your critical thinking skills when reading witchcraft books.

Where I live, books are EXPENSIVE. And when you’re just starting out in your practice, you might not have the money or ability to go out and buy a book just yet. Maybe you’re still unsure if witchcraft is right for you. Or maybe you’re in the “broom closet.” Whatever the reason, here are some free places to find books.

1. The public library: a bit obvious, but a great resource to look at, because you never know what your library might have. Libraries are the best. And entirely free!

2. Library apps like Libby or Overdrive: especially helpful if you don’t want to bring home a physical witchcraft book, or if your branch doesn’t have any copies of what you’re looking for. You can also get some audiobooks on there.

3. Archive.org: aka the web archive. Entirely free and entirely legal, this works as an online library service where you can check out a book for a bit of time right from your computer. Sometimes you can download PDFs as well. I’ve found a lot of my favourite witchcraft books on there, so if you have a specific title in mind, search it there.

YouTube

First, as a bit of a caveat before recommending you to watch YouTube videos on witchcraft: in my view, books are the best source of information for any witch, as they are able to contain a large degree of nuanced and research-informed information. But books aren’t a simple solution for everyone, and I’ve learned a lot from informed YouTubers over the years (in fact, like many witches, I was first exposed to witchcraft via Harmony Nice on YouTube!).

I’m including a list here of witch YouTubers that I personally recommend because I have found that their content aligns with information I have read in books and other research-informed sources over the years, and because I find them to be generally reliable.

I want to note here that this list is rather biased, as I tend to watch witchcraft YouTubers whose practices mirror my own in some ways. So most of these practitioners have practices informed by European folk witchcraft, and are not very diverse as a result. If any practitioners have further recommendations to add on, especially for practitioners of colour and practices that are different from mine, please do so!

My recommendations:

ChaoticWitchAunt: folk witchcraft, specifically in the Italian tradition, some great beginner content, info on working with saints and spirits.

TheWitchOfWonderlust: death magic, spellwork, great beginner content, lots of excellent info on working with spirits.

HearthWitch: truly a well of information on British witchcraft, beginner videos on any topic you can think of, q&a livestreams, and there’s even a video on vetting witchcraft sources that I really recommend for beginners.

The Redheaded Witch: folk witchcraft and folklore, spirit and ancestor work, daily witchcraft ideas, some beginner videos.

TheGreenWitch: such an excellent resource for herbal/green witchcraft, videos on spellwork, ingredients, tools, and more.

Mintfaery: lots of beginner information, videos on working with the fae, nature witchcraft, and lots of fun witchy days in the life.

Ella Harrison: German folk witchcraft, great beginner resources, including some more niche traditional craft topics like witch’s ladders.

The Norse Witch: info on Norse witchcraft and Heathenry, Norse paganism, and some content about astrology.

simplywitched: lots of great everyday witchcraft content, pagan witchcraft, more vlog style.

Warrior Witch Nike: witchy book reviews, paganism, deity work, some astrology content.

Mhara Starling: the place to go for anyone interested in Welsh witchcraft and folk magic related to Wales.

Alwyn Oak: lots of witch’s guides, especially relating to sabbats (those popularized in Wicca), forest witchcraft, gorgeous videos.

Ivy The Occultist: chaos magick and lots of interviews with practitioners from a variety of paths/backgrounds.

Shadow Harvest: personal day in the life witchy content, some videos looking at working with dark goddesses and deity work in general.

Note: some of these YouTubers have written their own witchcraft books geared towards beginners, so if you enjoy their videos and want to learn more, check those out.

Podcasts

The Astrology Podcast: not specifically witchcraft, but if you want to learn about astrology in detail, this is an excellent place to begin. Link goes to YouTube.

Books and Broomsticks: all kinds of good info, especially pertaining to folk magic, witch guests invited on to share more about their own practice. Link goes to Spotify.

Southern Bramble: A Podcast of Crooked Ways: a variety of witchcraft related topics, interviews, and discussions, often revolving around folk magic and traditional craft—interviews show different traditions. Link goes to Spotify.

New World Witchery - The Search for American Traditional Witchcraft: what it says on the tin; various topics and conversations through an American traditional/folk magic lens by the author of the (amazing) book with the same name. Link goes to Spotify.

Salty Witches Podcast by Cat & Cauldron: traditional witchcraft through a modern lens, another podcast that has a wide variety of topics covered. Link goes to Spotify.

—

As always, if anyone has any additional (free!) resources to add onto these ones, please do so.

Good luck to all of the beginner witches who are embarking on their spiritual journeys, and I hope some of these tips have been helpful! :)

-Em

[thehazeldruid]

As wonderful as this hellsite is (was? Kind of….) for finding witchcraft and pagan information….

Always double check sources. Always look in more than one place. Search for answers, sure, but always check and double check, and find more sources for your information elsewhere.

I’ve met some great and knowledgeable witches and pagans on here

I’ve also met some pagans and witches on here with shit for brains

Discernment. It’s important.

[moonlight1237]

Tarot Suits

Cups

Water, Emotions (Emotional situations, your emotions, how you're dealing with emotions), love, relationships/Family, Communication, intuition. But also; frustration, moving on, stagnation, emotional stress. Court card Queens.

Wands

Fire, willpower, passion, spiritual beliefs/thoughts, our drive and morals, creativity, growth, strategic planning, transformation, Inspiration, energy/action, travel. But also; deflection, aggression, argumentative, avoidance. Court card Knights.

Swords

Air, mental and logical thought and planning, how we think and take action, resilience, rational decisions, reasoning/communication, ideas, awareness and perception, mental health, conscious awareness. But also; conflict, illusion, not seeing clearly, power hungry, guilt, toxic traits and thinking. Court card Kings.

Pentacles

Earth, our labor and rewards, prosperity, stability, environment and body awareness, finances, material/ physical matter, health, practicality/rationality, Ancestors, work/business. But also; greed, disconnection to reality, physical/mental instability, financial instability, materialism. Court cards Pages.

This is a little overview of the Suits in the Minor Arcana meaning can change depending on card/position

[witchesbe-like]

We all know I’m a lazy witch. Of course in a perfect world I would spend every moment planting lavender around my garden, perfecting my tea blends, and staying warm in my cozy cabin by the fire. But in reality I have barely enough time to get in the shower before I start my day. And I don't own a cabin so…. So in reality is that really lazy? Or has capitalism made us all squish out every second out of our day getting stuff done just so we can do in all over tomorrow? Yes. Yes it has. So when I say I’m a lazy witch, maybe I’m just an exhausted witch. Either way, here are my favorite lazy witch hacks for when you are out of time, or just don’t have the energy to put in a full two hour ritual every full moon. 

Visualize your circles around you and forgo placing crystals or items in an actual circle. Magic is metaphorically speaking so just imagining yourself in a big bubble will do just fine. 

Keep your crystals on your windowsill so you don’t have to remember to charge them with the moonlight. 

Every candle is a magic candle. 

A shower anytime makes a great cleansing ritual. 

5 minute meditations for releasing stress works wonders when you’re feeling over it. 

Pull a single tarot card when you have a question that needs guidance. 

Step outside barefoot to ground yourself and just stand in th dirt for a few minutes. 

Leve a portion of your dinner uneaten for ancestors. 

Keep witchy spell notes on your phone. 

Use moon tracking apps so you don’t have to keep checking the moon phase. 

Use white tea light candles for everything because sometimes it really just doesn’t matter. 

Stir things clockwise (coffee, tea, cake mixes) to bring towards you and counterclockwise to let go or release. 

Line your front door with salt for protection. 

Place rose quartz in your room to remind yourself to self-love

Make meals with intention, think about health or happiness next time your microwave your mac and cheese. 

Light a match and blow it out to suck up any bad vibes in a room. 

Wear blue to manifest passing a test or getting a new job. 

Walk outside during a full moon and spend a few minutes recharging under the moon light. 

Spend a few minutes every morning writing down your intentions for manifesting your life and visualizing what you want daily.

Remember that you are a badass witch and don’t forget it. 

[thistle-grim]

Intro to Witchcraft - Part I

With Thistle Grim

“Magic is believing in yourself. If you can do that, you can make anything happen.”― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe 

Q&A

What is witchcraft?

In simple terms, witchcraft is the use of magick to bring about change. 

What is magick?

Magick (or “magic”; a “k” is often added to help distinguish between witchcraft practices and stage magic) is the manipulation of energy to achieve a specific goal. There are countless ways to do this, and in turn, countless paths and areas of focus. Because of this, each person’s path is unique to them, and this is something I really appreciate about the craft. It allows me to focus on my own natural abilities and interests without struggling through concepts I may not enjoy or agree with. 

Is witchcraft a religion?

Nope! Not on its own, but there are people that use it alongside their religious beliefs. In certain paths with predefined history and beliefs, such as Wicca, religion is part of the deal, but you can mold your own practice to fit alongside your existing religion...or practice it with no religion at all. You could be a skeptical atheist, only believe in cold, hard, scientific facts, and still find power in witchcraft. (Though, I personally have found it’s much more fun to let myself believe and chase the whimsy.)

Ok, but is magick real?

First, I want you to consider your definition of “real”. Do you mean “is it scientifically proven? Does it actually have the power to make change?” In some ways, absolutely. From an entirely skeptical approach, there is still great power in placebo effects. 

Magick is real because people believe it is. They have for a very, very long time. Believing in something gives it 

Magick helps us reprogram our minds and keep our eyes on a specific goal. Oftentimes it is much like a form of creative meditation and mindfulness, taking place both inside and outside of the mind, rather than solely inside.

Of course, you will come across types of magick that rely more heavily on your willingness to believe. Whether or not you choose to believe is up to you, just shape your path accordingly.

How do I get started?

One of the first steps to starting down your own unique path will be determining your existing strengths and areas of interest. Some popular focuses include things like crystals, astrology, candle magick, elemental magick, kitchen witchery, lunar magick...but if a certain category doesn’t align with your beliefs or interest you at all, you can simply not use it, and there’s no harm in this. If whatever it is doesn’t vibe well with you, toss it and move on to something different. If no pre-established category fits, it is also 100% okay to define your own. Some of my favorite niche types of magick were born this way, like pop culture and emoji magicks, Heck, even “meme magick” could be a thing. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination. 

Start researching the basics (a list of these along with resources will be included in Part II). As you progress through your research, you’ll likely feel a pull to certain subjects. Follow it. Soak in all the information you can. Understand that the approaches you find will vary greatly. If it resonates with you, keep it. If not, move on.

Look into the different types of witches, beliefs, religions, etc. Odds are you’ll find some that really call out to you. But be patient and don’t be discouraged if it takes a bit of time for you to find your place. You’ll get there.

But don’t witches worship Satan??

Some of us do, sure. A lot of us don’t. In fact, most witches I’ve talked to don’t even believe in Satan, as they don’t subscribe to Christian beliefs. Some of us worship Norse/Greek/Egyptian/Celtic/etc deities. Some of us worship no deities at all. For some, the higher power is the universe itself. For some, the higher power comes from within ourselves.

Do YOU worship Satan???

Lol, nope. I do work closely with Persephone and Hades, but I wouldn’t describe the relationship as “worship” and my view of deity is different than you might think. I personally view goddesses and gods as archetypes – as symbols representing different ideas based on the lore that has grown around them. To me, they represent life lessons and situations we may encounter, and we can learn a lot about ourselves through their stories. For example, Persephone embodies the transition from light to dark/life to death, and holding her as a focus has greatly changed my relationship with death itself.

Witchcraft is NOT a substitute for medical treatment. Please do not use it as such.

Assess your intentions...

Before getting started on your path, it’s important to ask yourself the following questions.

Do I believe in magick? What does it mean to me?

What do I wish to get out of witchcraft?

What are my personal ethics and boundaries?

Important Disclaimers

Witchcraft is NOT a substitute for medical treatment.

There is a TON of info out there...and not all of it is safe or well-researched. Keep this in mind as you take in information, and always dig deeper once you find something you’re interested in implementing. 

Humans tend to suck sometimes. Some witches you meet, talk to, or learn about are going to suck, too. The witchcraft community is not immune to asshole-ism.

If you’re expecting to cast your first spell and immediately get everything you want, change your expectations now. It’s called “practicing witchcraft” for a reason. It takes practice, patience, and a dedication to learning. If you want results, you’ve gotta do the work.

There are witches who will try and push their own beliefs on you and tell you “you are doing it wrong.” There is no “wrong” way to practice witchcraft. Stay confident in your power.

That being said, there are *disrespectful* ways to practice witchcraft. Appropriating practices from closed cultures is frowned upon. I'm not here to police your practice, but I encourage you to research this and understand how it can harm the people who are a part of these cultures. 

Part II up soon!

[breelandwalker]

Weekly reminder that it's not okay to illegally download and distribute free copies of recently-published books from a niche market where the authors depend directly on monthly royalties to pay their bills.

Books are a luxury and if you can't afford a title, save your pennies or check out a copy from your local library. There are plenty of free resources and public domain texts available in the meantime.

It's worth mentioning that plenty of authors in the witchcraft and pagan markets make a point of providing free resources and advice to the community on a regular basis, myself included. To take that information and then turn around and steal from us on top of it is not only petty, it's cruel, especially considering the financial hardship we're all facing in the current economy.

Download overpriced textbooks and public domain titles, not witch books.

[espresso-049]

Hidden places for sigils

A lot of witches are in the broom closet and can't really have sigils just showing or you may just not want anyone to see your sigils. Whatever the reason may be you might want to keep them hidden or not super visible. Here are some places where you can put them.

On the lip of your shoes

Inside your phone case

In your wallet

Behind your watch

On your cosmetics

Tags of clothing

On your water bottle

On a key ring

Nail polish designs

Written on your skin in places others won't see or notice

On the bottom or on the heel of your shoes

Those are some places you can put sigils I hope this helps !!!

[2024-grimoire-challenge]

January Week 1

Welcome welcome to the 2024 Grimoire Challenge! Time to really get started everyone! This week will have a lot of stuff all jammed in. So buckle up, grab your grimoire and your supplies, and let’s get to work!

Monday

Name your book - this may seem silly and you definitely don’t need to name your book. Not properly at least. Other than “my grimoire” or “book of shadows” or what have you, which is totally fine. But some of us might feel the need to give it a proper title. “The Basil Grimoire” or “Hazel’s Handwritten Workings” something, anything, that ties the book to you and your craft. Make a title page! If you feel so inclined. If not, that’s fine too.

Definitions (New Page) - ritual and spell. Let’s define a few things. Make a page specifically for definitions, that we’ll add to through the challenge. Let’s start with a couple simple definitions. Define spell. And define ritual. Within the confines of magic, witchcraft and your practice. What is a spell? What is a ritual? What are the differences?

Study (herb) - Pick another herb from that list we made, and dig into the details. Make a page for it on its own, or add its info to another page! Whatever works for your craft. The questions to ask for these study prompts are going to continue to remain the same. Where did it come from, where does it grow, how does it grow, what are its mundane and practical uses. What are the myths and legends and stories surrounding the herb? What are its magical properties and why/ how do you think the other information you've learned about it have influenced its magical associations?

Tuesday

Outline/ index (New Page!) - it helped me a great deal to have an index or outline to my grimoire. I started this as a file on my computer as my grimoire grew and changed I could more easily manage it and rearrange it as I saw fit. Then eventually I could make it into a handwritten copy.

Study (gem) - Like our herb prompt, the gem prompts are going to always use the same outline and questions. Where does the gem come from? What is it used for in a practical and mundane sense? What are its physical properties? What are any myths, legends or stories? Where and how does it form? How does all of that relate to its magical correspondences and what does the herb mean to and for you in your craft?

Spellwriting 101 (New Page!) - make a new page dedicated to spellwriting. This is going to be one of those prompts that is focused on you and your craft. How do you write spells? How do you set them up? What components do you use? What is the format? How is it done? What does it require? From materials to timing and circumstances? Write it all out in your lab notebook. Make it a work in progress. Not all spells are going to work out the same or function the same as you perform them, but having a general layout and method helps to focus your practice.

Wednesday

Common tools - What are the common tools in your craft? That is, you don't need to have a list of every single tool ever used in witchcraft, just the tools that you use in yours. Both regularly and less regularly. What are they used for specifically? What purposes do they serve in the magical and practical sense? Are they ceremonial and symbolic or do they serve an actual physical purpose? (i.e. a wand used to direct energy serves many purposes, while an incense burner could literally just be that, an incense burner)

Year outline/ calendar - not everyone celebrates the same days, holidays or even the same holidays the same way. What are the special occasions and days in your calendar? Mark them and when the proper season/ holiday comes around, we can make pages dedicated to those days. This week this will simply be a list of these days, while later we will actually make pages for them individually. Think of it like the Wheel of the Year, Yule to Midsummer and so on. What days are important to you and your practice? Are they actual holidays? Or simply days of power like the full moon? Or is it simply days that are significant for other reasons, like the anniversary of the day you began practicing witchcraft?

Practical - tool usage - practice using your tools. For example if you use a wand. Practice using it to direct energies or whatever it is you utilize it for.

Thursday

Altar design/ work space (New Page!) - make a page dedicated to your altar and its setup. Why are things where they are? The reasoning can be simple as “that’s where it fits” or you can give it a more meaningful reason. Candles in front of or behind something to represent some purpose. Do you have items that represent the elements? Deities? Different sources of power or directionality? Different colors for different meanings? Why is your altar the way it is?

Practical - cleansing space - practice cleansing your space and tools. This is of course a physical and 'energetic' cleansing. Tidy it up, redecorate your space, clean the tools if they have dust or ash or anything on them. Sometimes it is good to have a clean start.

Friday

Personal practices - this is just a thought provoking prompt tied in with the Journal prompt below. What are some of your personal practices that you've brought into your witchcraft? Anything from little habits from your every day life to things brought from religion or family traditions. No matter how hard we try, we carry within us echoes of things not related to our practices into it. And that is totally okay. Recognizing them, acknowledging them, and truly incorporating them can be a huge step toward understanding ourselves, our beliefs and our practices all around.

Journal/ introspective/ meditations - Think about the above and write any of it down that you come to terms with. Self understanding is important in and outside of witchcraft.

Thank you all and I hope this week's prompts aren't too overwhelming! Stay tuned next week for the next set of prompts!

-Mod Hazel

[a-single-white-crow]

Household Spirits

Household sprits are personal favorite of mine. There are many examples in media of homes being alive or sentient. A famous Slavic example is the walking home of the Baba Yaga. In Western culture, we have the Castle from Howl's Moving Castle; if not from the book, then from the famous Studio Ghibli film of the same name. And seen in an absolute favorite film of mine, the 2006 animated film Monster House.

Now, what is a household spirit?

Simply, an entity or energy that specifically protects the home and Household

(Some may see their home as an energy/feeling in the home. If this energy is truly a Spirit or just the energy given to the home I’m unsure. So, for the sake of this topic, I will also be calling this energy a Household Spirit.)

There are two main categories of this Spirit. That of Deities and those of lesser Spirits.

House Deities are much more powerful and grand. They focus not on one home but many or all.

An example of a household Deity could be the Greek Goddess of Hearth; Hestia.

As for the lesser forms, they are more local. Focused on individual homes and households. They are a Spirit for the people.

Some examples of these Spirits are...

Brownies, Scottish (also taken by Irish)

Kobold/Hobgoblin, German

Lares, Roman

Gasin, Korea

Domovoy, Slavic

Nissie, Norwegian

These Spirits, as one can assume, were worshiped in the home. Some would have a small Idol/Effigy to represent the Spirit on a shrine, while others were seen more as members of the family. Going as far as to even invite them for family meals.

Personally I find caring for a household Spirit to be a priority. If nothing else they help fill one's home with wanted healthy energy. As an ignored home and Household Spirit can become dull, ill, or tired. Leading the home to become more susceptible to unwanted hauntings and negative energy filling the space.

For myself, my Household Spirit is genuinely one of my favorites to work with. His personality is so full. He has given myself and my husband so much motivation when working on our home.

It's not always happiness and rainbows with him though. He has caused a bit of trouble when he feels the need to. When I first started working with him, I let him know immediately that my husband is autistic and has adhd while I have adhd and have minor hoarding tendencies. So we can struggle with simple chores sometimes. I was clear with what to expect from us as our household Spirit. And because of this, he sometimes needs to get creative. I had a bathroom mat that was so worn and used the bottom of it was peeling away and leaving rubber bits everywhere. I kept saying I should replace it but I just never did. Years I kept that same rug. A week into working with our Household Spirit that rug was nudged towards the bathroom trashcan, rolled up slightly, and just anyway he could he pointed myself and my husband towards getting rid of the old worn thing. We never did. Always getting distacted or forgetting about it. Until one day we went into the guest bathroom and the rug was stained beyond saving. Completely destroyed. This forced instant action. We couldn't put it aside and it gave me the push to actually toss it. Since then he hasn't acted so drastically. But even then, I appreciated his act as it was the final kick I needed to get rid of that rug.

The moral of this story is to say...

They know how to get a job done. Make sure to let them know they are appreciated, and they will make it worth your while. And remember, they aren't messing around.

Offerings

Food (ie. Bread, sweets, fruits, ect.)

Drink (ie. Wine, Water, tea, dairy, ect.)

Speaking with the Spirit: Saying “Hello” when you come home

Lighting a Candle

Coins and trinkets

Creating of getting an effigy/Idol for the Spirit

***Note for Brownies and Hobs- Although they wear rags or "peasant's clothes". Never give them clothes. It is an ultimate insult for them, and they will leave***

What does a Household Spirit do?

Helps clean your home- Both in a literal sense and in a spiritual sense

You can leave an offering to your House Spirit asking them to protect your home while you are away for long periods of time.

Bring good luck

Find lost things

Certain types are known to leave gifts- Kobold/Hobgoblin

Can be mischievous or down right evil if mistreated- Breaking items or stealing things

When moving away does a Household Spirit go with you?

Answer: Depends on the Spirit

Some House Spirits are more like a Household Spirit meaning family and not house specific.

Others like the Domovoy of Slavic folklore are a house specific spirit. Meaning, when you move that specific Spirit stays.

When leaving being a House Spirit (as the Domovoy) make sure to perform a Ritual of Thanks to show appreciation, allow the Spirit to understand why you are leaving, and so the House Spirit will treat the next family with respect.

If there are ever any questions about whether your House Spirit should come or stay don’t be afraid to ask. Sometimes, even just your intuition is an answer.

[witch-of-the-creek]

Without looking up the answer-

I will be posting the technical answer in the comments

Please do not look up the answer or view the comments before selecting an option as that skews the results

[4rimoire]

ENTITY AND DEITY ETIQUETTE

there are some important principles to follow when working with any entity or deity, and this post is going to underline those major points

keep in mind that each entity and deity is going to have different preferences for interaction, so its always a good idea to think about your relationship with that specific entity or deity and what that entails

RESPECT

respect any entity or deity you choose to have any form of relationship with, whether that be worship or work. you would not want to work with someone who disrespects you, so do not assume an entity or deity would want to work with someone who disrespects them

this includes things like treating them with general respect, respecting their time and boundaries, following your word, etc... just generally being respectful of the other being you are interacting with

MAKE THINGS WORTH THEIR TIME

do not constantly ask them for help with spells with nothing offered in return, you should provide an offering or devotional act of some kind if they agree to help you with something. an example could be requesting help with a spell and promising an offering in return (make sure to follow through), you could say something like "(name/title), i am requesting your assistance with (spell), and if granted i am prepared to offer you (thing), thank you for your consideration"

SET ENTITY HOUSE RULES

this is mostly for spirits and other entities as opposed to deities, but you should set house rules so they have clear expectations of what to do and what not to do. this both protects you as well as gives them clear expectations of what behaviors are and are not okay

ITS OK TO SAY NO RESPECTFULLY

saying no to a deity or entity (or an entity or deity saying no to you) is perfectly okay, as long as its done so respectfully. a way to respectfully say no could be "i appreciate your interest in working with me, but i am not interested because (reason, eg. i already work with x amount of entities/deities, i do not have the time right now, etc.)"

PUT IN EFFORT

put in effort to the relationship you are building with this deity or entity just like you would with another person. this means dedicate time to them fairly often, even if its as simple as glancing at an altar or giving a small offering

ADDRESSING A DEITY

when you speak to a deity, its a good idea to address them by their name. this can be done formally, or more casually. a formal approach may look like "(name), ruler of (xyz), (and/or epithets)", while a casual approach may look more like "lord/lady (name)", an epithet, or simply their name. try to find out what the deity youre honoring would want from you and do what you think would be best

[khajiithaswitchywares]

[moonlight1237]

Tarot court cards

Page

Represents typically a younger person/spirit.

Messagers this card is bring a message of sorts at times, students; learning new things and starting journeys and exploringthe world around them, learning about themselves and studying the art of the Suit they represent.

Knights

Planning and taking actions to move forwards and complete goals, young adult people/spirits, they are the *action* a call for excitement and movement, seeking out knowledge and power pushing their Suit and goals forwards.

Queens

Masters of their Suit they guide and teach the way, mature female presenting people/spirits, nurturing and caring of those around them and those they guide (of course depending on the Suit and position this can change), creativity and expressing power.

Kings

Protectors of their Suit they set the grounds and express passions of what they do, they make boundaries and create structure and maintain authority and order among chaos, they are mature men presenting people/spirits who hold wisdom of their Suit.

These are general overlooks of the Courts of each Suit

[hiswitchcraft]

I see a lot of beginner tips on the internet that seem to be for people who have already gotten started, how about some tips from someone who has no idea where to start at all?

Tips for Witches Who Haven’t Even Started Yet

Heads up this guide will be designed assuming someone has learned modern witches are a thing, is interested and maybe wants to be one, but has done none or very little research.  First let’s go ahead and get rid of some COMMON misconceptions people come into my DMs with when they’ve barely begun... 

There are all things you do not have to do to be a witch: 

Do evil things or be a “satan worshiper” 

Be a specific religion, because witchcraft is not a religion

Work with deities or spirits of any kind 

Be a woman, witch is a gender neutral term

Be Wiccan or Pagan

Pick a witch type 

Spend a lot of money 

Be in a coven or know other witches 

Have a big or pretty altar, grimoire, ect 

Have tarot cards or any tools for your practice gifted to you

One final disclaimer Another thing to go into your research with that you may not know if you’re just starting at the very beginning is that there are many paths, practices, belief systems, ect besides the eclectic form of witchcraft I teach here and that you will commonly see presented online. I feel a lot of people may benefit from a more structured, or different path. Keep an open mind. You might come across something more fitting.  So if the above is all false, are there any rules? The only rules I ever push around here are have an understanding of what you’re doing and its consequences, and do not appropriate from closed practices!  Okay, so I read all of the above, now what? If you don’t know where to start at all? Research. Research is always where you should start. That sounds overwhelming and may be something you’ve already seen a few times but it could be as simple as a google search to start and I will be here to make it as simple as possible with this guide. Also as usual my DMs are always open if you have questions. 

Onto how to do that research...  First here is a google doc full of links I’ve compiled that may give you somewhere to start! With that, here are some suggestions for what to research. 

Follow your interests For someone who has just begun I would highly suggest following your interests. What I mean by that is if anything interests you, keep googling, try Youtube maybe, check if your library has books on it, ect. Take notes on what it is, why it interests you and what you find. There are tons of practices and subjects witches study so just keep learning at your own pace and incorporating what works.

If you need somewhere to start, here’s some general topics I’d suggest:

Types of magical/Pagan practices

Cleansing

Charging

Grounding

Warding

Banishing & binding

Divination types

Tools & ingredients

Closed practices

If you’re stuck hopefully doing some searching on the above topics will get you down a rabbit hole of interest. Below is also a bunch of info on how to do GOOD research. Doing good research is very important to me. 

Research tips  Think critically and ask yourself questions like this while researching: 

What are the qualifications, motives and biases of the person giving me this information?

Who recommended this source?

Is anything they're implying or advising here a threat to my or someone else's safety or health? Do I know that this suggestion is safe? 

Does this line up with other things I know to be true? Like science, other factors about witchcraft, your beliefs, ect. Beliefs won't dictate fact but often in witchcraft personal belief is the only thing that will sway you towards one answer or another.

Does it make sense? Like logically does it make sense to you? Why? Just ask yourself why. Ask them why. Ask them for sources or an explanation.

Have I seen someone say this before? How often? Apply the above questions to that source or sources as well.

Here are all my other general research tips: 

Take time to take things with a grain of salt. Try not to categorize them as right or wrong until you're absolutely sure.

Cross reference everything you find. The answer you see the most is likely right. 

Understand that many things are up to personal belief and for many questions the answer will be "Depends on the witch." Both answers might be correct. This path is yours and often you have to dictate how things will work. 

Check out your local library.

Use books that aren't marketed as being about witchcraft or the occult. Folklore, local flora and fauna, nature, botany, gardening, foraging, geology, these are all useful subjects. 

Ask real, experienced witches. Do not rely on them as your soul mentor and ideally and contact multiple witches or groups, but do ask.

Don't worry about making a fancy grimoire or book of shadows or having all the correspondences in the world written out. That's the least of your worries, take notes on the essentials and things that interest you personally. Some things to include are the subject, date & source of what you're reading.  

Take notes, here’s how I mentioned note taking in there and I definitely have more to say on that! A lot of the time people get overwhelmed before they’ve even done anything remotely “witchy” because they feel like they need to have a big fancy grimoire. This is not the case. You can make a google doc or shove a bunch of notes in a binder. This tip has helped a LOT of people including me. I do strongly suggest taking notes, but take them your way. 

General Tips And finally here are some general tips to reference or keep in mind as you research and maybe start practicing witchcraft.

Don’t believe everything you hear and take information with a grain of salt. Most things to do with witchcraft depend on the witch. 

Lots of witchcraft supplies can be found or made. It doesn’t have to be expensive.

You can find supplies at mundane places, the dollar store, craft store, library, ect. 

Follow your intuition! One of the most important things here. To be a good witch and form a solid, personal path you have to know and be able to tune into yourself. 

Experiment! Try different things. Maybe it works, maybe it doesn’t. 

When you don’t know what to do, return to the basics. Whatever that means for you. Cleansing, warding, your deities, ect. 

If you feel overwhelmed, start with just one topic or two! You don’t need to take in witchcraft as a whole right away. Same goes for if you return from a break from the craft. 

Finally remember that you are always welcome to DM me for any reason with any question or concern throughout your research and practice! After my hiatus I’ve learned helping you guys one on one is my favorite thing, so remember I’m always here 💕 

[bekkathyst]

Natural Citrine

Natural citrine has always been one of my favorite stones to work with in my practice, so I thought I’d compile some information in a post! Some general background about me: my name is Rebekka and I’ve been a witch for about 12 years, and I’ve owned my crystal & jewelry business for 10 years now.

Natural citrine is the yellow, naturally occurring variety of quartz. A lot of what is commonly called “citrine” that you see for sale, is actually heat treated amethyst, and, less often, lemon quartz which is irradiated quartz. I have a post that you can check out here that explains how you can tell the differences. It’s been considered acceptable for years to just call these other two crystals citrine, so for a long time many people just getting into crystals had no idea how valued and rare true natural citrine is.

I’d love to highlight some of my personal opinions and metaphysical properties I’ve learned to attribute to it from different books and sources over the years.

Metaphysical Properties:

Citrine is known as the “Merchant’s Stone”. It’s often associated with prosperity, creativity, abundance, business, sales, and luck. When first starting my business in 2013 I remember reading this, and deciding to always keep a citrine crystal with me when I did shows and fairs! I simply stick one in my money bag/box when doing events. And when I had my brick and mortar shop, I always kept a citrine in the cash register. It would be a perfect stone to keep in your wallet or purse as well.

Citrine is also said to be one of the crystals that is capable of not only blocking negative energy, but being able to transmute it to positive energy. Because of this, citrine doesn’t need to be cleansed or charged, and can even be used to charge other crystals.

I’ve also personally strongly associated citrine with being a stone of manifestation, ambition, and intention setting. I find it useful for setting and achieving goals and planning long term aspirations. In my opinion it’s a great stone to use when you’re writing in your planner or even setting New Year’s resolutions.

Citrine is definitely one of my most used crystals in my practice, and I’ve always had a fondness for it!

I hope you enjoyed this post, and please let me know if there’s any other crystals you’d like me to speak about! 🌸

If you’re interested in supporting my work:

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