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[thecorvidcoven]

If you lived in a community for witches, full of homes, shops and third places. What would you like to see?

I know I would love to see things like a community garden, a witchy library, and areas for people to do rituals outside.

[thecorvidcoven]

Oh that would be so nice! There could also be an outside area or nice hall that could be rented out to any faith of witches!

If you lived in a community for witches, full of homes, shops and third places. What would you like to see?

I know I would love to see things like a community garden, a witchy library, and areas for people to do rituals outside.

[thecorvidcoven]

Oh i would love at least one cafe that has witchy themed food. Ooo and mini cauldron for mugs and broomsticks for drink stirrers

If you lived in a community for witches, full of homes, shops and third places. What would you like to see?

I know I would love to see things like a community garden, a witchy library, and areas for people to do rituals outside.

[thecorvidcoven]

What is a Herbal Ally?

An herbal ally, also known as a plant ally, is a plant spirit that you have developed a bond with spiritually for your practice. This bond is usually created over the course of several months to years. An herbal ally is usually chosen from local plants, cultural or religious relevance, or from just your kitchen. This includes things like trees, moss, flowers, weeds, anything that grows that you can think of. 

Why do you want a Herbal Ally?

The stronger the connection you have to the ingredients you use in a spell working, the stronger the working will be. For example when you choose a recipe, you would want to choose one that has familiar ingredients. 

When using an herbal ally, it gives you in depth knowledge of what you are intending for your spell working. Especially if you have the plant in your home, you can monitor the plant itself to see how the spell working is going. The plan itself eventually might tell you how it wants to work with you, like if it prefers protection spells to love spells, or money spells to abundance spells. 

How do you Connect with Plant Spirits?

There is no one way to connect with plant spirits to create an herbal ally. Even within a specific method there would be changes depending on what kind of plant it is. For example if the plant is edible, consuming it in some way is one method many people choose to do, but that's not possible for all plants due to various reasons. 

Connecting with a plant spirit takes time, just like any other relationship. It can take up to months before you feel comfortable enough to start using a plant spirit as an herbal ally. The first step is to forget anything you might know about the plant so that you can intuitively figure out how the plant would work for you. 

Remember to write down your observations about the plant when going through any exercise to get to know the plant. Try to use all your senses in your exercise and if possible meditate afterwards to help your observations sink in. Before even trying to consume a plant, look up if it's edible and how to consume it. 

Exercise Outline

Pick a plant

2. Write & draw a plant identification page within your notebook

Update as you go through the your exercise’s

3. Do a small amount of research for safety purposes

Is it poisonous

Is it edible

Does it have nettles or thorns

How to identify

How to properly consume the plant

4. Start to Intuitively get to know the plant

Pick a sense (smell, taste, touch, seeing, listening)

Stay with this sense a week

Write down observations after the exercise 

5. Five Senses 

A sense per week

For five weeks

Meditate with the plant after the sense activity

6. Deep dive mundane research

Write down herbalism uses

Write down any scientifically proven benefits 

Write down color, texture, growing habits

Folk Lore

7. Research magically

Remember to write down everything about the experience 

(five and six can happen simultaneously) 

Five Sense Exercises

Smell

Smell and/or burn the plant 

What do you smell

What does that smell make you think of

What happens to your body after you smell the plant

Taste

Drink it in tea

What does it taste like

What does the taste make you think of

What happens to your body after you drink it

Touch

Touch the plant

What does it feel like

Does it have things that poke you like thorns or nettles

Does it leave a residue on your skin

What happens to your body after you touch it

What is the texture

Seeing

What does the plant look like

What does it make you think of

What are its growing habits?

How much water does it need

How much sunlight does it need

What color is it

Hearing

What sounds does it make

What do the sounds make you think of

(if possible) take the plant outside and listen to it in the wind

An herbal ally is a useful tool in a witches tool box. It opens up new avenues for you to grow and learn, making you more versatile in your practice. Regardless of how you go about creating an herbal ally, hopefully this will allow you to learn something new about yourself and your practice. 

[thecorvidcoven]

If you lived in a community for witches, full of homes, shops and third places. What would you like to see?

I know I would love to see things like a community garden, a witchy library, and areas for people to do rituals outside.

[thecorvidcoven]

Does astrology play a role in your practice? How do you incorporate it?

[thecorvidcoven]

What is your favorite element to work with and why?

[thecorvidcoven]

What is your favorite element to work with and why?

[thecorvidcoven]

What is your least favorite element to work with and why?

[thecorvidcoven]

How do you define what a beginner, intermediate, and mastery within witchcraft? Do you have more staged that you recognize? I personally recognize the researching stage, but I feel like that overlaps a lot more than any other stages.

I would love to know more peoples opinions on the subject.

- Magpie

[thecorvidcoven]

How do you plan for a full moon in your practice? What had changed since the beginning of your practice? What hasn’t changed?

- Magpie

[thecorvidcoven]

Week Six

Journal Activity (Specialized) - Find your natal chart in astrology, and write down your houses. (You can use Cafe Astrology)

Spell Activity - Create a dream bag using only ingredients you have. You can place this under your pillow, in your pillow, or hung above your head as you sleep.

Spell Activity - Research symbolic magic and use it in a spell for money.

Mundane Activity - Find a drink (Soda, Juice, Energy Drink, etc.) and come up with a way you could use it in a spell working.

Journal Activity - Find a video (Youtube, Tiktok, etc.) on a witchcraft related subject and write down one to five things you find interesting.

[thecorvidcoven]

What is your favorite element to work with and why?

[thecorvidcoven]

What is your favorite element to work with and why?

[thecorvidcoven]

Week Six

Journal Activity (Specialized) - Find your natal chart in astrology, and write down your houses. (You can use Cafe Astrology)

Spell Activity - Create a dream bag using only ingredients you have. You can place this under your pillow, in your pillow, or hung above your head as you sleep.

Spell Activity - Research symbolic magic and use it in a spell for money.

Mundane Activity - Find a drink (Soda, Juice, Energy Drink, etc.) and come up with a way you could use it in a spell working.

Journal Activity - Find a video (Youtube, Tiktok, etc.) on a witchcraft related subject and write down one to five things you find interesting.

[thecorvidcoven]

How do you plan for a full moon in your practice? What had changed since the beginning of your practice? What hasn’t changed?

- Magpie

[thecorvidcoven]

How do you define what a beginner, intermediate, and mastery within witchcraft? Do you have more staged that you recognize? I personally recognize the researching stage, but I feel like that overlaps a lot more than any other stages.

I would love to know more peoples opinions on the subject.

- Magpie