Grimoire-archives - The Lady's Grimoire

Pagan Pages: Baby Witchery 101

Starting out, witchcraft can seem overwhelming due to the vast amount of information out there. When I first began, I saw all these amazing witches on social media and was shunned by the same ones for asking questions they didn’t want to answer. As a whole, the witch and pagan communities are welcoming and open. However, there are always those few that feel the need to spread hate instead of information for those witches that are just starting out. Witchcraft is just that, a craft. While my craft may not be exactly the same as yours, it does not make either one “better” than the other. For those searching for information, I will list things I believe will help anyone starting out and looking for guidance.

Firstly, decide what kind of practitioner you want to be. I’m not referring to your “title” so much as figuring out which areas appease most to you. For myself, divination practices came naturally due to being a conduit, but the options are endless. Perhaps you love the beach, or cooking, or feel the pull of different dimensions and spirits. Your craft is meant to fit you, so explore the areas that call to you the most.

Secondly, read and read some more. In my opinion, knowledge is power. The better informed you are, the better you can adapt your craft to fit you. I recommend any book by Scott Cunningham or Arin Murphy-Hiscock for beginners. Their books are packed full of easy to comprehend information. They are good books to see what resonates with you.

Most importantly, DO NOT GET DISCOURAGED. Just as with any other craft, it can take time to build up all the tools that you need/want. Get what you can, when you can, and the rest will come with time. You are your most important tool. Your intention and state of mind shape your reality, and witchcraft is nothing more than harnessing the abilities that lay dormant within you. Your tools simply amplify your intentions.

Lastly, welcome to the family. You will never be alone again because you are now part of an ancient, tight-knit community. We make mistakes and we learn together. Additionally, La Morte XIII understands how difficult and overwhelming it can be, so reach out anytime on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, or Tumblr. Let us know if you have a specific question or would like us to do a post pertaining to a topic you are learning.

Blessings to you all, SoloVVitch

Photography by: @solovvitch Pagan Pages by: @solovvitch

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Offering cookies recipes

Cookies are one of the best baked goods to give as offerings, because they're 1; easy to make, and 2; greatly enjoyed by most deities.

The recipe(s) I use is a modified chocolate chip cookie recipe, which can be easily modified to preference.

I prefer to use sifted cake flour instead of all-purpose, because it makes them a bit thicker and more firm.

Keep in mind that I'm no professional baker by any means, so there may be some oopsies in this post. If so, please don't hesitate to point it out!

Version 1: Dark Chocolate Chip Rosemary Cookies

2 & 1/2 cups flour, sifted

3/4 cup softened coconut oil

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup white sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 heaping tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary

1 teaspoon cardamom (optional)

1 cup dark chocolate chips

Cream together the coconut oil and the sugars with a hand mixer. Add the eggs and vanilla extract.

Sift in the dry ingredients, then stir with a spatula until just combined.

Mix in the rosemary and chocolate chips.

Spoon 1' balls onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake at 375 for 9-12 minutes, or until browned.

Version 2: Milk chocolate chip chai spice cookies

The second uses the same recipe, except instead of dark chocolate chips and rosemary, I use a mix of chai spices.

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves (be very careful not to use too much! Cloves can be extremely overpowering!)

1 teaspoon cardamom

1/8 teaspoon ground star anise (you can leave this one out if you don't like the taste)

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1 cup milk chocolate chips

Just sift the spices in with the dry ingredients and you're good to go!

Happy baking!

Actually useful shit to have as a witch

You really don't need all the fancy bullshit every tumblr influencer will ever tell you to use. Here's my countdown ofaxtually useful shit.

A pocket knife, preferably with a wood handle. Use that bitch for everything, enchant it, carve symbols in it. It will absolutely be your best friend.

A good bag or backpack with a couple of plastic or ziploc bags in it. If you ever run off into the woods to find minerals, bones, plants, etc. A set aside bag and some things to store your treasures in becomes a necessity.

Basic divinatory sets. You don't have to buy fancy shit, learn to divine with playing cards and dice, or learn geomancy, lithomancy, or rune casting with homemade sets. A tarot deck is nice, but it isn't necessary when you've got so many other divinatory aids available.

A nice sized chunk of scrap cloth. When you process dried plants or sort new ones, that shit can and will get everywhere. A scrap piece of muslin or linen can help contain all of that mess and make clean up way easier.

A stash of good rocks. Draw sigils or symbols on those babies and leave them in the garden, the windowsill,property boundaries, under the stoop, etc. You can never have too many good rocks.

A pendulum, for fucks sake. The cards are going to be vague as hell when you're trying to figure out yes or no questions, and using a candle to communicate with spirits is really fucking hard outside. If you can't afford one, find a nice chunk of pointy quartz and learn to macrame.

A workspace. Everyone talks about having big fancy altars, but no one mentions that you need a good surface to do all your work on.

Storage, so much storage. I'm not talking about mason jars and pill bottles, I'm talking about where you put all the things you put in those jars. Having a workspace with drawers is immeasurably helpful.

A broom and water source. You're going to be cleaning up after yourself a lot, it's helpful to have a jug of water and a broom that stays by your workspace.

A mode of cleansing. I make a salt concoction to scatter around my workspace on short notice and store it close by.

On that note: SOMETHING TO CANCEL SPELLS WITH. Eventually, something will go wrong. You'll want to end that spell immediately. Have something to do it with.

A strainer. If you don't have a blender, rub dried plants across it to get a powder. If you do have a blender, you can strain that powder with it. Either way, if you intend to powder shit, get a strainer.

Small trays. It makes drying flowers so much easier if you have a small metal surface to contain them with- then just stick those suckers in a southern window and let em go.

Yarn/string scraps. Having a box or drawer of scraps makes trying this up to dry easier and a bit less wasteful.

A stash of offerings for whatever you work with. Honey for fae, coins for graveyard gatekeepers, alcohol for ancestors, etc.

Protective talismans or charms. Once you're into all of this stuff, you'll likely stick your nose in something you shouldn't. Having basic protection with you or in your workspace is incredibly important. A key and hagstone with red string is simple and effective.

A lighter- so many people forget the most basic shit. You're going to want to light shit on fire if you're a witch.

And a last tip- if something is too hard for a mortar and pestle, a plastic bag and hammer works too.

Witches type

Source IG: @waterofwhimsy

Kitchen Witch Spoken Charm

As it passes from mouth to heart, and heart to soul,

If a single emotion:

let happiness fill them whole.

If a more complex intent:

May friendship spread and strength as this is my goal

vegetarian summer pesto ravioli

- ✨🍝🌿🌼

what you’ll need;

[ basil pesto ravioli ]

• 3 oz cooked cheese ravioli

stability, love

• 2 c fresh basil

happiness, healing, friendship, love, protection

• 1/2 c sunflower oil**

abundance, love, healing, energy

• 3 garlic cloves

protection, healing, strength, purification

• 1/3 c sliced almonds

love, healing, compassion, grounding

• 1/2 c parmesan cheese

love, comfort

• salt & pepper to taste

protection

[ steps ]

• blend pesto ingredients together until smooth & creamy then toss together with cooked ravioli, garnish with more cheese if you’d like and it’s ready to serve

**olive oil charged up in the sun is a great substitution for sunflower oil if you don’t have access to any during lockdown

- 🍝🌿

[ rosemary mashed potatoes ]

• 12-15 halved mini red potatoes

summer fire, energy, stability, grounding

• 1/4 tsp rosemary

strength, protection, mental clarity

• 1 tbs butter

love

• an amount of milk?

i personally don’t have any strong associations for milk, so..

• 1 tbs sour cream

joy, friendship, love

• 1/8 tsp garlic powder

protection, purification, strength

• salt & pepper to taste

protection

[ steps ]

• making mashed potatoes for one is always awkward for me, sorry for the odd proportions; boil up your halved potatoes with your rosemary for something like 10-15 min or until you can stab the potato with a toothpick/fork, strain and mash together with your butter and add small amounts of milk at a time till it’s just creamy enough, then add in your sour cream, garlic powder & salt/pepper

- 🍝🤍

Folk Remedies for Illness

Hey y’all it’s flu season. My mom’s got a little cough/fever going on so I called my grandmother and she gave me a bunch of remedies. She’s a Colombian woman who knows her folk magic so I thought I would share them here.

Lemon Tea:

lemon

water

honey

Can be heated up in the microwave.

Broth:

Main ingredients (add a lot of these):

red onion

garlic

Optional add ons:

chicken

buganvilla flowers (good for a cough)

carrots or anything else that would make it more nutritious and delicious

All cooked together in a pot with water.

Banana Cream:

banana

butter

honey

Mashed together until creamy and smooth.

Gargles:

warm water

salt or baking soda

Gargle it in the back of your throat and then spit it out.

It’s really important to take fluids when you’re sick so it’s also a good idea to drink liquids like orange juice (which has vitamin c), tea, and water.

If you’ve got any further question about how to make these or my personal magical correspondences, my ask is always open.

Everybody has ancestors. EVERYBODY. Ancestral worship is for everyone no matter the religion or spiritual path. Those within the African diaspora are dealing with the generational trauma due to oppression and the symptoms of oppression. Those of European descent also have the generational trauma of being lied to, and a loss of cultural identity in order to blindly support a system that continues to oppress others. Healing said generational trauma will involve an alchemical process of healing the guilt, shame and embarrassment from what the ancestors have done so an ally can be born and that history does not repeat.

This one Caucasian girl told me that she began to work with her ancestors and she said that she could tell that some were still deeply racist in the spirit world, and others had learned to do better. She asked me, what can be done when she’s just trying to honor her “good” ancestors and be better. There’s certain rituals that one can do to block yourself from ancestors that don’t wish you well or that you don’t find useful. They don’t have to be elaborate. The key is that you have that right, and you have that power to define who has access to you.

Fighting Consumerism in Magic

aka, little things to distance your craft from capitalism

Let’s all just admit that buying stuff is fun. That said, there’s a big issue of consumerism within the witchy/pagan scene. As magic work and the pagan “aesthetic” becomes more of a commodity in the mainstream, there’s a mounting attitude of needing All The Items in the highest quality (even if we’re not certain we’ll use them,) and big corporations mass-producing cheap stuff to make a buck off of a growing trend. Here’s some things you can do to help detach your practice from that and support other people in the craft:

Go outside. Check your backyard or local park for local plant life, waters, roots, etc. If your work involves things from nature at all, you can probably find a lot of your supplies… in nature. It takes a little more time, but it’s free and then you’ve gathered stuff yourself! 

Make stuff. This one is pretty straightforward. There may be key items to your practice that you can make yourself instead of buying it! That said, I know sometimes spending money is inevitable so I won’t dwell too much on this… let’s talk more about shopping:

Shop mindfully. The price of a lot of items will skyrocket once it has a pentacle or other symbol engraved on it. For example, little mortars and pestles can be very pricey in witchy shops, but you could probably get a bigger one that’s actually food safe for less at a nice grocery store. Antique stores and international markets are now your new best friends.

Support small businesses! Things are cheaper on Amazon, but the extra money goes to support real people, likely other practitioners. If you can, supporting small, local, independent shopkeepers and crafters does a ton of good. It also helps build and sustain a local community. 

Shop based on need. Don’t get something “just in case” (unless it’s banishing or hex breaking stuff; those are decent to have on hand.) It’s tempting to impulse-buy a ton of niche items and ingredients, but unless you have a reasonable idea what you’re going to use them for in the near future, it’ll probably just create clutter for you to deal with later.

Prioritize effectiveness over aesthetic. Ultimately your practice has to work for you, not just look good. I think making your work aesthetically pleasing to yourself can be an important part of really connecting with what you’re doing, but don’t make that desire burn a hole in your wallet and distract you from what brought you to this path in the first place. Altar envy is a real thing. 

Recycle/Upcycle. Use old clothing fabric for an altar cloth. That old trinket dish makes a great offering dish. Enchant jewelry you already own. That jar of strawberry jelly you just finished off will work just fine for that spell. Things can be re-purposed and made into new things.

Analyze your offerings. Special occasion wine isn’t a special occasion if you do it every time. Not every offering needs to be a grand gesture, regular maintenance is more important generally.

Organize trades. Have any pals that also practice? See if you can help each other! You could trade different goods (that old mini cauldron you bought and never used for that abandoned tarot deck, maybe?) but also services. A protection spell for a luck charm. A reading for a reading. You help them with the laundry and they cook you a meal one day. 

As always, the goal is to foster a local community of individuals doing honest work, and shedding the consumerist mindset society taught us to make us spend more money. Take up the idea that you can do magic completely on your own with what you already around you, and if you do want to spend money, see if you can do it in a way that helps the world a tiny bit.  :)