When Someone Blogs About A Spell, Consecration, Ritual Or Any Personal Magical Or Witchcraft Work, They

If you don't understand why salt is important in witchcraft what the heck have you been reading?

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By the way I don't just mean salt circles.

Building a Magical Home

One of my favorite quotes about the magic of homemaking comes from Cory Hutcheson, host of the New World Witchery podcast. He says, “Home is a transformational act. It is the thing you do to turn a space into a space… that is full of ritual and significance and meaning. So there is sort of this ongoing relationship you have with the space that makes it a home.”

The act of creating a home, of making a space your own, is inherently magical. But if you want to make your space feel a little more witchy, here are some ideas to get you started.

Charms and Talismans

Making your own magical objects can be a powerful way to bring magic into your space. The best thing about making your own charms is that you can make them look however you want, so it’s easy to disguise them as ordinary household objects. You can make a charm for any intention by combining objects based on their magical correspondences.

I’ve talked about protective charms in previous posts, so I’m not gonna spend a lot of time on it here. The simplest protective charm is keeping a large piece of iron under your bed to keep away nightmares, evil spirits, and negative energy. You could also make your own protection charm, like a witch bottle.

You can create a “happy home” charm to bring peace, harmony, and happiness into your home. This charm could include herbs like basil, rosemary, lavender, peppermint, and/or bay leaves, as well as other items that you associate with peace and good fortune, like lucky coins, crystals, or black cat fur. Write your desires for a harmonious and happy home on a piece of paper, fold it up, and add it to the charm. You could store these items in a green bag, bury them in your backyard (in this case, make sure you’re only using biodegradable plant matter — leave out the coins and crystals), or place it inside a household object like a lamp or an end table.

If you suffer from insomnia or other sleep issues, try making a dream charm to help you sleep well and have sweet dreams. To make a simple dream charm, fill a blue or purple bag with lavender, chamomile, peppermint, and any other objects that you associate with peace, restfulness, and sleep. If you want to have lucid dreams or receive psychic messages in your dreams, include a bit of mugwort. Place the charm in your pillow or under your mattress. (I personally swear by this one, as it’s helped a lot with my insomnia.)

Charms are great for homemaking magic because you’re actually creating a magical object, which can then become a permanent fixture of the space.

Magical Decor

You can use magical items to decorate your home to bring certain qualities into that space.

Hanging or displaying a broom is said to bring good fortune, protection from evil, and good hospitality. Cauldrons are used to represent the Goddess, rebirth, and raw potential. Horseshoes hung above door frames bring safety and luck to all who cross under them, and keep unwanted guests away. If you can get them legally and ethically, animal bones, teeth, claws, and feathers can represent the spirit and energy of that animal. You can also put up images of spiritual and occult symbols — I have an image of the Sun tarot card hanging in my bedroom to promote positivity and growth.

If you need to be a little more subtle with your witchy decorations, working with the magic of color is a great way to do that. Gathering a lot of items of a single color in one room changes the energy of that room. Here’s a quick guide to give you some ideas:

Yellow is associated with divination, mental clarity, the element of air, success, communication, and inspiration.

Purple is associated with divine power, spiritual awareness, mystery, astral travel, magic, and authority.

Blue is associated with healing, psychic abilities, the element of water, peace, truth, and patience.

Red is associated with protection, the fire element, sex, power, vitality, and love.

Orange is associated with ambition, creativity, breaking through blockages, and career success.

Pink is associated with romantic love, friendship, self love, compassion, and emotional well-being.

Green is associated with nature, herbalism, the earth element, money, wealth, prosperity, and luck.

Brown is associated with grounding, animal magic, stability, and balance.

White is associated with purification, cleansing, the full moon, new beginnings, healing, and spiritual growth.

Black is associated with protection, truth, outer space, banishing, and transition.

Decorating your home with colors that are meaningful to you can create a powerful magical space. You may also have your own color associations (for example, yellow is a very “happy” color for me), so feel free to incorporate those into your decor as well!

Growing Magical Houseplants

Most witches feel a very deep connection to nature and draw power from the natural world, but we can’t all live in a cottage in the heart of the forest. Even if you live in a tiny apartment in the city, you can still bring nature into your space by keeping houseplants. Many popular houseplants have magical uses, and many popular magic herbs can be grown inside. Here are a few to get you started.

Aloe. This is one of my favorite plants. Aloe brings luck and protection, especially protection on an energetic/spiritual level. I like to keep aloe in my bedroom to protect me while I sleep, as well as to bring luck and inspiration while I’m working at my desk.

Basil. Basil is very popular in money spells, and will attract prosperity and luck to your home. However, it also has protective properties — both spiritual protection and protection from bugs, since basil is a natural insect repellent! Basil can also be used in love spells, and is just generally a good plant to have around for good vibes.

African Violet. This flowering plant attracts positive spiritual energy into your space. It has associations with the moon and the water element, and is very good for promoting spirituality and psychic power.

Rosemary. Rosemary is one of those herbs that every witch should have on hand. It’s so darn versatile, it can be used as a substitute for virtually any other herb, and can be used for almost any intention. Some of the most common magical associations for rosemary include: cleansing, purification, protection, healing, mental activity, and enhancing memory. According to author Deborah J. Martin, there’s an old English saying that, “Where rosemary grows, the woman rules the house.” Like basil, rosemary is a natural insect repellent.

Lavender. Lavender brings peace, love, and gentleness, which makes it a perfect addition to any home. It can be used in spells for cleansing and purification, enhancing psychic abilities, and stress relief. Lavender is also a powerful addition to love spells. Keeping lavender in the bedroom can aid in restful sleep, while lavender in the kitchen will bring harmony to the home.

Sage. Sage is the most talked about cleansing herb, and with good reason. Unfortunately, a lot of the sage bundles you can buy at metaphysical stores are made with white sage (Salvia apiana), which is sacred to Native American peoples and is endangered due to overharvesting. Instead of buying those, why not grow your own garden sage (Salvia officinalis), which has a lot of the same magical properties? Growing sage in your home will purify the space and protect those who live there. Sage also has an association with wisdom and mental prowess.

Hoya. Hoya is a common houseplant that you’ve probably seen even if you don’t know it by name. It has a distinctive appearance with waxy, dark green leaves and clusters of white, star-shaped flowers. Hoya aligns and balances the energy centers within your body, as well as in the surrounding space. It’s associated both with grounding and with spiritual openness, so it can be great for balancing the two.

Peppermint. Peppermint has a variety of magical uses, but my favorite way to use it is for gently opening up blockages and getting things moving. It’s great for cleansing, but is more gentle than rosemary or sage. Place it in any room where you tend to do a lot of healing work, or where you could use some peace and love. Peppermint is also used in dream magic, so growing it in the bedroom may bring on vivid or lucid dreams.

Orchid. Orchids are used in magic for love and lust. Historically, orchid has been used in folk medicine to promote male virility and “Jezebel root,” used in American folk magic to attract wealthy male lovers, is a type of orchid root. If you live with a significant other, try growing an orchid in the bedroom to promote passion in your sex life. Otherwise, grow orchids in your home to promote love or to attract romance.

Catnip. If you have cats, they’ll love this one. Catnip is actually a type of mint, and has strong lunar associations. It’s said to make one more charming and attractive, and is especially useful for attracting women. At the same time, catnip promotes courage and fierceness. It is also, of course, associated with cats and feline deities, so this is definitely a plant you’ll want to keep around if the cat is one of your animal guides.

If you have a yard space that you can turn into an outdoor garden, your magical plant options are limited only by your local ecosystem. Some outdoor plants that have magical uses include roses, sunflowers, rue, lemon balm, and strawberries.

Creating an Altar

Altars are focal points of magical and spiritual energy. Many people, both witches and non-witches, find that having a designated space for their spiritual practice creates a deeper sense of sacredness and purpose.

An altar can serve lots of different purposes. Many witches use their altar as a magical work space to prepare spells, meditate, and do divination. You may choose to dedicate your altar to a deity, your ancestors, or some other spirit(s) you work with. You can also build altars for specific intentions, such as a money altar or a love altar — performing rituals at this altar everyday is a powerful method for manifestation. You altar may be some or all of these things, or it may just be a place to sit and connect with the spiritual.

You can set up an altar on any flat surface, like a shelf or table, or inside a container like a jewelry box. Your setup can be as simple or as elaborate as you like. An altar can be huge and complex, with statues and candles and flowers, or it can be as simple as a tealight and an incense burner. It’s all about what appeals to you.

Resources:

New World Witchery pocast, “Episode 143 — The Magical Home”

Southern Cunning: Folkloric Witchcraft in the American South by Aaron Oberon

Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner by Scott Cunningham

“Candle colors and their meanings” by Michelle Gruben on the Grove and Grotto blog

Green Witchcraft by Paige Vanderbeck

A Green Witch’s Cupboard by Deborah J. Martin

“The Magic of Orchids in Wiccan Love Spells & Rituals” on the Art of the Root blog

motivational tea potion

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this potion is wonderful first thing in the morning before a busy day, right before a work shift or school day, before you have to do a bunch of cleaning, even before spellwork! just all around a great tea to light a fire under you whenever you may need it

[ what you’ll need ]

2 cups sun water

motivation, energy, healing, comfort, focus, communication

2 tsp black tea

grounding, energy, prosperity, motivation

1 stick of cinnamon

comfort, healing, motivation, energy, prosperity, communication, good luck, communication, protection against negativity

1 whole clove

prosperity, grounding, longevity of energy, good luck, communication

2 sprigs of rosemary *

rolls negativity off you, focus, compassion, motivation, energy, good luck, prosperity

1 - 2 black peppercorn

high energy, motivation, grounding, good luck, protection

honey to taste

communication, abundance, gentleness, good luck, energy, motivation, focus, comfort

maybe a tsp or so if you’re using dried, can be subbed out for thyme *

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this is meant to be a recipe for a drinkable tea but you could also pour this potion into a bath or just bottle it up and keep it on your desk/nightstand, etc! as always feel free to send in any questions, happy witching :)

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hello my lovelies! long time no post! x

here is my midsummer/summer solstice/litha/etc spread! i recommend for crystal use incorporating rose quartz, citrine, moonstone, carnelian, garnet, tigers eye, or amber into ur practices on this beautiful day. of course, any crystals u can get your hands on will be beneficial if thats what you choose to do, but a little bit of rose quartz did no one any harm ;) 

for candles/incense, i keep my black candles for the later period of the year when im screaming around my house n pretending to not b terrified of LIFE :) right now, i bring in red (love n passion, baby!), oranges (bring in those new beginnings which are always appearing in front of u this time of yr!), and yellows (communication n GOOD HEALTH SO SAY GOODBYE TO UR ALLERGIES - jks, sadly). white is always good - really just the classic warm colours that can be used for either chakra channeling, meditation, spell work, etc. in the incense-sphere, lavender and chamomile are GREAT for this time of year. I also rec dragons blood for any sexy charms/spells/etc u might be doing.

i hope this has helped and that u enjoy using this spread! pls lmk (if u want) if u do use it omfg i LOVE hearing from u guys and learning what worked for u/what didn’t and the results u got! 

happy midsummer/summer solstice/litha to all u magical folk out there - have a fab time of yrrrrr! x

Let’s Talk Litha!: Celebrating the Summer Solstice

June 21st marks this year’s Summer Solstice - the Sabbat known as Litha (or Midsummer)! If you celebrate the Wheel of the Year, Litha is one of the key points in the calendar: The summer solstice marks the Sun’s peak of power, and also marks the longest day in the year!

Litha, or, The Summer Solstice

Litha marks the longest day of the calendar year - the Summer Solstice - and is positioned at the bottom, Southernmost quarter point in the Wheel of Year. Traditionally, this is a great time to commune and connect with the Sun, do solar magic, and use the Sun’s peak power to spellcast, charge, and cleanse.

Colors: Red, orange, and other fiery, bold tones

Incense & Scents: Dragon’s blood, orange, musks (personal correspondences here - use your own for max results!)

Altar Setup: Find stones and crystals that have washed up on the summer shore, local flowers, seasonal fruits, and plenty of candles. A bonfire is traditional (a red candle is practical!)

The Litha Feast: What would a Sabbat be without a feast? Litha is a perfect time to eat outdoors (if possible!). Traditional foods include herbed breads and pastries (baked!), desserts and dishes with summer fruits (try berries, stone fruits, or citrus, depending on what’s local to you!), cold cooked poultry for our omnivore witches, and flower or berry wines. More modern foods for Litha could include potato salads, dishes made with lavender or sorrel, peppery foods, or dandelion greens.

Litha Traditions:

Light a bonfire and jump over it (if it’s small enough!) to cleanse yourself of past ills.

Stay up on Midsummer Eve to wait for the rising sun.

Dispose of old amulets in the Litha fire.

Work magic with stone circles.

Make speeches to Fortuna, the lady of Fortune (is my Hellenic Revivalism showing?).

Phone past friends and invite them over.

Honor the Oak tree by paying one a visit in your local neighborhood.

Lead the way to your Litha celebration with a torchlit procession (or lantern or sparkler-lit, as it were!).

Magic for Litha: Healing, purification, cleansing, fire, protection, rebirth, power, sun magic, magic with stones and crystals, reaffirmations, and oaths.

Have at it, witches! (and link me to your Litha altars/plans/feasts! I’m a sucker for peeking on all your aesthetics & magics :>)

Comforting Tea Spell

If a friend shows up at your doorstep in tears or distraught and is looking for comfort, brew her a witchy cup of tea by imbuing it with your intentions: visualize your friend being warmed and soothed by your cup of tea as she drinks it. As a witch, your intent carries great power through your actions. You perform everyday actions with intent and become more attuned to yourself and the way things work in the world around you. By learning to channel your desires through the spellwork you do, you will manifest happiness, joy, and abundance in your life. 🍵

For the tea blend, you will need:

Lemon Balm

Mint

Chamomile flowers

Lavender

Rosemary

Any additional add-ins you wish to brew into your tea based on your intentions, such as cinnamon for luck, ginger for strength, or sugar for sweetness

For the Spell:

Steep the tea blend in a tea pot or in a loved mug. As it’s steeping, stir the contents with a spoon clockwise and imbue your intent into the tea. Visualize your friend being warmed and soothed by the tea, or imagine her delight when she tastes the tea.

Add any additional spices, herbs, or sugar you’d like to add to the tea now. Consider their magical associations. Add a pinch of cinnamon for luck, or a pinch of ginger for strength, a pinch of thyme for courage, or a pinch of rosemary or salt for protection. Add sugar for sweetness if desired, for both taste and sweetness in mood.

Stir the tea, three times clockwise, one final time and recite: “With tea and spell, and help from above, all is well, light and love.” Then tap your spoon on the mug or teapot three times to seal the spell.

Serve the tea lovingly to your friend or loved one.

Freya! Ever since I listened to Neil Gaiman's 'Norse Mythology' I've been wanting to draw her really badly- I particularly loved the Freya design created by @irenhorrors on Instagram. Freya is the Norse goddess of love, beauty, fertility, war, and death. She's a total badass who never puts up with Loki's shenanigans even when he's convinced everyone else.

"Call on Freya when you need the push to be bold and embark on an adventure to pursue your heart's desire. - Ann Shen, 'Legendary Ladies'

I first made my own herbal chai blend after reading about it in @thymeherbal The Herbal Homestead Journal, which is still one of my favorite herbal references. I love this blend so much around this time of year, especially as someone who doesn’t drink caffeine. I didn’t put rations on this one since everyone likes theirs a bit different, but this is how I roughly make mine: 

•1:1:1 burdock, dandelion root (which I prefer roasted), and saspirilla root. This ends up being around 3 

•6 tablespoons each for me

 •1-2 tablespoons peppercorns, orange peel, cloves, crushed cardamom pods, and anything else your adding to the mix 

•2 crushed cinnamon sticks 

•1 tsp fresh ginger and turmeric to each cup 

Kitchen Magic: Empowerment Oils

Empowerment oils… oh, boy! When it comes to oils, there are about as many oils as there are witches in the world, and more! When I had first started getting into witchcraft, I was most intrigued by what I could do in the kitchen - something that definitely makes sense, as I am a cook and am pursuing a culinary degree - and between the herbs, teas, and oils, I had discovered an entire world of witchery that seemed daunting at first. And oils, I think, were probably the most daunting.

In learning about oils, I had come across entire books dedicated solely to herbal concoctions that can be blended up for use - Cunningham’s The Complete Book of Incense, Oils & Brews alone has 62 oil recipes, and that’s just a select few that Cunningham had shared.

But, sister witch, understand that you don’t have to be a whiz in the kitchen, nor a certified herbalist to make use of oils. With research, you can learn quite a lot, but like any aspect of the Craft, it comes down to what feels right. Trying to make a healing oil and you want to throw an amethyst into the bottle? Go right ahead! Making a money oil and don’t feel like bay laurel draws money to you? Leave it out and toss in some cloves! The possibilities are nearly endless.

So in order to cover oils in any kind of meaningful way, I feel like it’s best to break that umbrella topic down into what the oils are being used for. And as tempting as it is to hop straight into specialized oils, like Return-To-Sender or Road Opener oils, I realized that when I was studying oils and learning from other witches, I almost never came across a general-purpose oil, or what I call an empowerment oil.

In short, an empowerment oil is a multi-purpose oil meant to give a spell or other working just a bit more umph. It’s not focused to any particular use, and if I were to compare it to crystals, I would say that an empowerment oil is most like clear quartz in its uses. It is a battery oil, an energy drink for your mojo bag, liquid fire warmth for your spells that are going cold.

So! All of that rambling said, say you want to get into making empowerment oils. What do I look for? What do I put in it? Do I have to have a special carrier oil extracted from the wood of an endangered arctic berry bush? Well… first of all, I hope that you’re practicing wisely and not using endangered species for your work if your practice calls for it and it can’t be substituted for something non-endangered… well, good on you, but I won’t be helping you out on that one.

I break down what I look for in an oil based on the following criteria: What is it for? What do I want it to look like? Do I want to put it in my body? And can I easily make it with ingredients I have access to, or can easily gain access to?

What is it for?

Simply saying “empowerment” isn’t enough. Just like with any spell, you want to be able to visualize the purpose of the oil. So my Fire Water oil, for instance, is an oil where I knew I wanted it to protect, cleanse, purify, and enhance my workings. I visualized it as liquid fire, and when dressing, say, a healing candle, I can see the candle glow with golden healing warmth.

This is the kind of thing you want with your oils. Specific intent. The beautiful thing about empowerment oils is that they can be enchanted time and again for whatever you’re using them for. Going back to the Fire Water, I enchant it when I make it so that I can align the herbal properties, and then when I use it in a spell, I enchant it again so that the more specific property is called upon. My oil can be used for all sorts of purposes, but if I’m needing it for protection, I call upon that specific property.

The best way I personally use to do this is by using multiple herbs that share common traits. Cinnamon, Rosemary, Sage, and Cloves are all exceptionally good protection and purification herbs. All four of them are in my fire oil. Cinnamon, Clove, Rosemary, Sage, and Juniper are all very good for energizing and waking me up. All of them are in my fire oil.

You can use your intuition to determine what properties you want to incorporate into your oil, and start determining your ingredients from there!

What do I want it to look like?

This varies from person to person. Some couldn’t care less what their oil looks like, as long as it smells good, or as long as it does what they want it to do. For me, the senses are very important to incorporate into the spell or mixture I’m using - call it the cook in me.

If you’re a person who is put off by something because it stinks, looks or tastes rancid, or has floaty bits in it, then put together your recipe in a way that counters all of that.

I love vibrant colors, swirling movements, and pleasant smells that remind me of the purposes I want to incorporate. As such, my oils are pretty, have floaty bits, and smell - if I may say so - rather divine. For me, all of that adds to the magick of my Craft, so I take it into account.

Do I want to put it in my body?

I am a cook. For a lot of my oils, I want them to either be edible and pleasantly smelly or safe to put on skin with pretty scents. This is why I use a lot of herbs and spices that I can easily find in my kitchen. However, essential oils are occasionally included, and it is important to make sure that you know if what you’re putting into the oil is safe for consumption.

This may sound like a no brainer, but it isn’t always so for some people… I’ve seen someone get herself sick because she didn’t stop to think about a) how much essential oil she was adding, and b) whether it was a natural oil or if it was an artificial oil meant for aromatherapy. Always. Do. Your. Research.

Similarly! If you want the oil to help you with divination or healing, don’t add selenite to it - the stone will dissolve, and you will get yourself sick by consuming it. If it’s a divination oil for communicating with the dead, do not consume an oil with nightshade in it. You’ll end up communicating with the dead, but your physical body would be most ready to become fertilizer.

Can I easily get the ingredients?

If the answer is “yes!” Then have at it! If the answer is no, then in my practice, it’s important to consider why that may be. The oil may not be meant to have that ingredient, or Goddess could be saying “leave it out” or “there’s something better that you already have.”

I often see recipes that call for woods that aren’t readily accessible where I live. If I’m making a protection empowerment oil, for instance, and I’m not worried about consuming it, but it calls for female holly berries (holly with pointed leaves), I won’t have access to that. What holly grows here is all male. I can, however, substitute the holly for acorns or oak leaves, since oak is very easily accessible here.

Use your intuition and go with your gut if you can’t get a hold of something. It is okay to change up recipes as you need to suit your purposes.

In conclusion…

Empowerment oils are beautiful tools for any witchy working, and can be used in place of any other oil if you don’t have access to it (drats! I’ve run out of amethyst oil… good thing I have a jar of fire water!).

Be safe, and mix to your heart’s content! Empower your empowerment oil and empower your spell with that lovely empowerment oil! Just know that as long as you’ve made it your own, it will do wonders for you!

I’ll leave you with a short list of good herbs that I personally love to use as all-purpose herbs for empowerment oils, or which are great for mixing with others!

Blessed Be! )O(

Herbs: Cinnamon, Sage, Rosemary, Cloves, Juniper, Bay Laurel, Chili Pepper

Oils: Olive (extra virgin), Grape Seed, Vegetable, Canola

Stones: Clear Quartz, Salt, Iron