Witchbasics - Blog Posts

Explain the basic: shielding and banishing

Shielding and banishing are two of the most important things you have to learn before you start your journey as a witch. Both practices are essential for maintaining energetic boundaries and ensuring a safe environment for magical or spiritual work. used to protect oneself from negative energies, entities, or influences and to remove unwanted energies or entities from a space. Here's a breakdown of shielding and banishing in witchcraft:

Shielding: Shielding involves creating a protective barrier around oneself, which acts as a defense against negative energies or influences. It helps maintain personal boundaries and prevents unwanted energies from affecting one's well-being. Common methods of shielding include:

Visualization: Visualizing a shield of white light, a protective bubble, or an impenetrable barrier around your body. This visualization can be accompanied by the intention of repelling negativity while allowing positive energies to flow.

Energy Manipulation: Drawing upon personal energy or universal energy to create a protective shield. This can involve using hand movements, gestures, or energy manipulation techniques to form and maintain the shield.

Use of Objects or Symbols: Carrying protective talismans, amulets, or symbols such as pentagrams, runes, or protective sigils that represent personal protection. These items can aid in maintaining the shield's strength.

Banishing: Banishing refers to the act of removing negative energies, entities, or influences from a person, place, or space. It's a method used to cleanse and purify an area or oneself from unwanted energies. Common practices for banishing include:

Smudging or Cleansing: Burning herbs like sage, palo santo, or cedar to clear a space of negative energies. Using the smoke to cleanse and purify the environment.

Salt or Protective Circles: Sprinkling salt around a space or creating a protective circle by physically drawing or visualizing it to keep unwanted energies out or to contain them within the circle for removal.

Rituals and Spells: Performing rituals or casting spells specifically designed for banishing. This involves using candles, herbs, oils, and specific incantations to remove negative influences or energies.

Invocation of Higher Powers: Calling upon higher spiritual entities, deities, or guides associated with protection or cleansing to aid in banishing unwanted energies or entities.

As always, I will love to hear your thoughts! and if you have any questions, I will be more than happy to answer them! If you liked it, leave a comment or reblog (that is always appreciated!). and have a wonderful day or night!

I hope this isn't rude, but I'm following a LOT of witch blogs. you being one of them. yet, when I look at the witch-related asks & answers for all of those blogs, other blogs are helpful and list spells and such. you just "no" whenever someone asks? Can I ask why you reject magic for a lot of your situations, considering you run a magic blog and are quite literally a creator of a magical how-to book?

simply because magic is not needed in every situation, nor is it advisable. recognizing when magic is and isn’t needed, or even a good idea is important in the life of the witch. 

here are a couple of examples of such:

things i have answered “no” to today:

bewitching your significant other (consent issues anyone?)

bewitching a non-signif to find out personal things (consent again)

asked for a spell for communicating with spirits (just because a skill isn’t developed doesn’t mean a spell will replace experience)

weight loss spells (dangerous and against my personal morals)

however, the one outlier i include is this, because it’s important:

easily google-able question (as stated in previous posts, i encourage people to develop their own research skills so they can grow in their craft when they reach an area of their path where there isn’t someone around to hold their hand and slip them the answers)

as for your “other blogs are helpful and list spells and such”, i’d like to direct your attention to the many posts of lists and ~stuff~ i make for people. such as the:

200+ spells all helpfully organized by type

the sideblog @orriculum-grimoire​ in case that wasn’t helpful enough

fucking huge witchcraft 101 masterpost 

every potion related post i have ever made rolled into one

how to ground masterpost because apparently it needed one

how to charge objects with intent or energy

cleansing masterpost

emoji spells 101

how to adjust a spell to suit your super specific needs

how to substitute ingredients in a spell

what does it “MEAN”

how to nullify a spell or remove a curse

disposing of spell materials 

where to find some goddamn herbs

how to make moon water 

an example discussion of researching and understanding correspondences using rosemary

fire safety BECAUSE NO ONE EVER DISCUSSES IT

spring witchcraft ideas

winter witchcraft ideas

coffee witchcraft masterpost

coffee lore and superstition

top five herbs because that’s somehow relevant

how to curse

how to glamour

how to do magic with flower crowns

unpacking witchcraft - spell types 

some basic terms to know 

methods for spells  

how to write your own spells - resources 

when to cast a spell - by weekdays 

when to cast a spell - by time of day 

low effort witchcraft 

tools of witchcraft overview

a witch’s wand -how to make one

building a broom/besom 

correspondence resource 

“to be a witch” falsehoods 

other witches and you 

witchcraft and the law 

difference between a witch and a herbalist 

self care for the witch 

when your spell fails 

tarot and pendulums can get it wrong

curses jinxes and hexes masterpost 

harry potter spells masterlist

sailor moon spells masterlist

florence + the machine song spells masterlist

steven universe inspired spells masterlist

valentine and all love related spells masterlist

infused water magic

floral tea magic 

herbal tea magic 

fruit tea magic

general tea magic

smoothie magic

milkshake magic

hot chocolate magic

how to contact a mermaid 

different types of mermaids

various powers of mermaids

offerings for mermaids

mermaid tips

sea witch resources

you want to know why i dont post lists? it’s because i already have.

i post a lot of gathered and organized research of my own, and a lot of 101 type stuff. it’s available and accessible. even a lot of the stuff in my book is available and free (yes, a lot of it is posted here, for free). 

When to spell: time of day

So these are my correspondences from my grimoire for times of day, plus my reasoning, which may or may not coincide with other associations. I focus on my personal associations, but also the practicalities of doing certain spells depending on how light it is (based on autumn in my region of the UK). Since my focus is on how light it is, I’m not distinguishing “morning” from “afternoon” and such. 

Night:

The sun is asleep and it’s totally dark. This is a good time for preparation: preparing for the next day, an upcoming spell or ritual, an upcoming event. It’s also a good time to do anything involving secrecy, especially once everyone’s asleep and the house is quiet. 

Spells for: understanding, cleansing, magical powers.

Dawn:

The sun is starting to rise. Light is returning and the day is beginning, but it’s not totally light yet. This is a good time to work with beginnings and goals for the day ahead. Since the day is beginning to get brighter and brighter, this is also a good time to start spells that you intent to grow throughout the day.

Spells for: motivation, confidence, luck.

Day:

The sun is high in the sky. This is a good time to focus on your daily responsibilities, and everything associated with them - relationships, habits, and skills.

Spells for: fertility, relationships or communication, improving skills and knowledge.

Sunset:

The sun is setting, and the day’s almost over. There’s still some light left, so this is your chance to finish off anything needing done each day as well as reap the rewards of your efforts. As daylight hours are decreasing, this is also a time to do work with banishing or breaking.

Spells for: dedication, success, prosperity, banishing or breaking. 

Spells throughout the day:

You could include aspects of each time of day into a day-long spell. Taking a luck spell as an example:

Night: cleanse anything you intend to use and incorporate understanding to help you understand the effects of the spell on yourself and others. 

Dawn: begin “growing” the spell, and incorporate luck. Make sure your goal (intent) for the spell is clear.

Day: incorporate aspects of your daily routine that you need the luck for. (Charge the spell after class if you need luck for an upcoming test, for example.)

Sunset: incorporate success to help the spell work well, incorporate banishing to banish unintended effects and complete the spell. 

The spell is now complete, and can be cast at any time. Of course, you could include any combination of these times (though I’d only include times that follow one another - so I wouldn’t just skip dawn and do night and day, for example). 

Spells throughout the seasons:

Since this can be season dependant, it can be adapted if that suits you better. It might be better to start a luck spell at night and charge it while you sleep if dawn is at 3am, for example, or you could just do it during the day. 

Other posts:

When to spell: moon phases

When to spell: days of the week

Beginning Tips for a Witchy Notebook

I get a lot of asks about how I started my notebook whenever I post pictures of it! I do have a background in scrapbooking/collage/art, which is reflected in my witchy notebook. I’ve been a self-identified practicing witch for about a year now, but many of the practices in my craft have been in my life for years.

Some people call them Book of Shadows, grimoire, or simply just a “witchy notebook.” Here are some tips that helped me when I was beginning my notebook. Lengthy post with pictures!

Notebook? Binder? E-grimoire?

There are lots of ways to keep all your witchy information together. You can keep your grimoire on the notes of your phone, documents on your laptop, Canva/other graphic design website, loose leaf papers or in a binder, or a regular bound notebook. Don’t place too much pressure on yourself! Whatever feels right is right.

Start with what you like (but stay open to what you don’t know!)

Your notebook won’t have the same authentic magic if you fill it with things that you don’t actually care about! While my first notebook contains some aspects of witchcraft that I don’t practice now, they were still important to me at the time. Your notebook is a visual representation of your journey, so don’t be afraid to fill it with your current obsession with crystals or a one specific tarot card. 

These are some really great tags for exploring topics when you don’t know where to start!

witch tips

baby witch

witchy 101

And some simple ideas for your first entries:

your birth chart

what you want to use magic for

a collage page of your witch aesthetic (or ideal aesthetic)

a wish list

your favorite crystals

a simple moon calendar (full/new moons of the year, month, or just information about the phases)

your favorite colors, seasons, places in nature etc

record information about the chakras/energy points in the body

list of your favorite witchy movies and tv shows

draw teacups and fill them with drawings of your favorite blends

drawings of your ideal familiars (animal companions)

A couple witchy things that you may not have heard about but are super cool to incorporate into your craft:

sigils (visual symbols charged with an intent)

incantations (short spells that sometimes rhyme)

Don’t knock Pinterest.

I personally like to have very organized and planned out pages. I’ve resorted to Pinterest *many* times to get graphic ideas for lunar calendars, zodiac wheels and other witchy things that require a lot of information in a condensed graphic. Pinterest has great inspiration for those special, planed out spreads.

Separate or keep it altogether. 

Some people like to keep everything in one notebook/binder, others like to separate their topics or layouts into different notebooks. I started a bullet journal for more planned out pages, but my general notebook is a leuchtturm1917 with dotted grids where I have reference pages and personal entries.

Here are some pages of my notebook that I’m especially proud of.

Ultimately, your notebook is a reflection of YOU. It doesn’t have to be super witchy, covered in cobwebs with etched pentagrams. It can be a simple composition notebook or a super frilly lace journal. Be true to yourself and your notebook will never lead you astray. Best of luck and feel free to message me!

What to use when in Witchcraft -

Ok so I am gonna say this is my personal reference, its mainly through associations. You might TOTALLY disagree and thats chill!

Its more something to think about and a guideline of what I use myself…

Candle Magic:

Carve a candle when…. the candle represents the target, in sympathetic magic. When, essentially, the candle is a poppet and lighting it is a symbol of destruction or empowerment to the target.

Place something under the candle or before it when… you are doing general candle magic, when the candle represents empowering a wish, idea or concept.

Anoint the candle when… doing work with spirits and gods, when you mark the candle for a special purpose, when doing high magic.

Herbs and plant work:

Use dry herbs when… it is convienent to do so, when the herbs are out of season or when you need to store them in a jar or bottle for a long time.

Use fresh herbs when… the spell is very earth orientated, when doing magic on behalf of another or when the magic is sympathetic so that the herbs represent the target, within kitchen witchery.

Use flowers when… when the spell concerns love and sex, or perhaps fertility and attraction, due to flowers being the reproductive parts of the plant.

Use fruit when when… working with children as a target, or with children practising. When you work with fertility and abundance spells.

Use wood and twigs when… when the spell is for protection or binding, for hardiness.

Burn herbs (recaning/incense) when… you wish to cleanse or banish, or invoke an atmosphere - that being, for divination using herbs that are said to open up your perceptions, when banishing, burning acrid or pungent herbs.

Use oil infusions when… you wish to anoint something, when you wish to mark something permanently.

Use floral waters (rose water etc) when… dealing with spirits and gods, for glamour as it has a long history of being used to beautify.

Crystals:

Use metals (haematite, copper, ores etc..) when… you work in protection, when you do energy work due to the conductive properties of metal.

Use shell, pearl, coral and such when… you work in sea magic, when you work within emotional magic due to the element of water.

Use points when… you wish to direct magic to a target.

Use tumble stones when… you wish the magic to be gentle or manifest at a certain place on the body on a target.

Use geodes when… you work in protection, when you work with glamour aimed to obscure and hide.

Knot magic:

Use cotton when… it is convenient.

Use silk when… doing spells that benefit the target.

Use ribbons when… love spells and wealth spells, as well as confidence and beauty spells. Spells to ensure victory.

Use rope when… doing spells that aim to hurt or weaken the target, binding especially.

Poppets:

Use cloth when… the spell aims to benefit who the poppet represents, use particular care when sewing or cutting, choose colours that are appropriate to them.

Use wax when… you wish to manipulate the target.

Use clay when… wish to create fetches or servitors, when you wish to create permanency.

Use twigs when… you wish to bury or throw the poppet out, when you want the poppet to be easily destroyed by breaking or setting on fire.

Sigils:

Use an alphabet grid or circle when… you wish the sigil to be more random and less attached to you.

Combine the shapes of letters from a sentence… when your sigil is very specific and a short term goal.

Use your own personal symbols when… you want the magic to be connected to you, when it is personal.

Throwin’ the Bones

Of the divinatory techniques with which I am familiar, bones are my personal favorite. Yes, they have that very witchy vibe – but it’s more than that; the bones are honest. They don’t sugar coat, and while they have to be interpreted, once you know how to read them – there’s little room for interpretation. They are very direct and are much better suited to answering yes or no questions than tarot. With a little imaginative methodology, there few questions the bones can’t answer. And even fewer they won’t answer (as tarot cards can be known to do). A few examples of things I think the bones are better at answering than tarot: questions involving time, questions regarding health, sickness and maledictions; they present a broader grasp to any given situation – incorporating things outside of the question presented and how these things relate to the question or the reading, showing the interconnectedness of life – and how these things all relate back.

Our countless cultures have countless methods for collecting and reading the Bones – and I can only rightly attest to my own methodology: one in which the Bones need not necessarily consist solely of bones, but a collection of gathered trinkets and curios, all with their own meaning, their own story and their own energy. My collection consists of: bones (bare and painted), coins, stones, shells, jewelry, twigs, buttons, animal teeth and other squabbles. The only rule I implement is that the item can be easily gathered and (safely) tossed without breakage or injury (save your razor-blades and glass shards for witches’ bottles!).

Collecting the Bones and Bobbles

Most any small bones will do, though its recommended that you use bones that haven’t been cooked, as cooked bones have a tendency to get very brittle – especially in the case of chicken, which is quite common. In my collection I have a number of different animal bones: most are chicken, but I also have some raccoon and possum bones, as well as teeth and claws. I built a “base” of bones, but am continuously adding or replacing as I see fit.

A short list of “Bones” I like to include – most of which serve as my “base” bones:

Self Bone – used for the reader

Other Bone – used to represent another person or the person you are reading

Magic Bone – represents the need for or use of magic

“Evil” Bone – malicious or hateful acts, disadvantageous behavior

Love Bone – represents romantic love

Male Bone – represents male fertility, masculinity, sexuality or a man

Female Bone – represents female fertility, femininity, sexuality or a woman

Health Bone – represents physical or mental health

Wealth Bone – represents financial standing or monetary issues

Family Bone – represents familial connections or a family member

Fate Bone – represents destiny and your lifepath (I use a shell for this: open side up means an event can be altered, destiny is not set in stone; open side down, this path must be walked – prepare in lieu of fighting)

“Key” Bone – (I actually use a small key) which represents the key to any given situation, the remedy or problem at hand and its cause

This list is by no means comprehensive and I have many more bones in my collection with more menial meanings. This is simply a small list of options to be added to and adapted by whosoever casts the bones.

Reading the Bones

There is no right or wrong way to read the bones, there is simply your way and their way. Below I will dictate how it is that I do a general reading – again, this is just an example of one way, take and adapt to fit your own unique style or tradition!

Begin by collecting your bones into your hand. I keep mine in a leather pouch, but don’t like to toss them directly from the bag as it doesn’t allow for much control – i.e. the bones fall out either in a massive, unreadable pile or they fly out in such a scattered way nothing is close enough to read. Throwing them from the hand allows for a rather contained casting, and one that can be read easily. I do not include the Self or Other bone, instead, the Self Bone is placed before the caster and the Other Bones is placed either in front of the person you’re reading for or simply in the middle of the casting area. When reading for yourself, place the Self Bone in the center and discard the Other Bone.

Throw the Bones. This can be done on a square of cloth on which a circle (or any number of complex shapes) has been drawn or simply upon a flat table. If throwing in a circle, discard all bones that fall outside of it. These bones are null for the reading, though they can also be read as “far from the person’s mind/current situation.”

Interpret the Bones. This is done by noting the location and connection of the bones present. For instance, note the Love Bones proximity to the Other Bones and the Male Bone. This could be interpreted as being the male love of the querent – but if the “Evil” bones is introduced, this could symbol ulterior motives or a hostile or explosive relationship. Read based on both their proximity to the Other Bone – the closer, the higher priority the matter is – and their relation to one another. It’s very much like investigating a big puzzle, putting it together piece by piece to form a comprehensive understanding of their life or situation. Also not their relation based on the third dimension: x bone seems to be overlapping y bone – is the x issue eclipsing an underlying problem or truth represented by y? It depends. Only through practice will you find clarity.

Convey the message. I always like to spend a few moments making a variety of “hmm” noises when reading for others – it builds up their anticipation. Or you can throw in the occasional gasp or snarky smirk. Their responses are usually hilarious – even more so when yours are genuine! If you are reading on your own, it may be a good idea to sketch out a general map of the readings as opposed to taking a picture as often bones overlie others, which makes for a rather misleading photo representation. You might also find jotting down notes rewarding, especially in synthesizing a cohesive read.

Once you’ve garnered all the information you can from that particular toss, feel free to specify: take the bone/situation you wish to examine and toss the rest again over it/them, reading the others through that particular lens. I.E. Who is this person mentioned? What are their qualities? What is the nature of this love? What magic is being referenced here? Follow that rabbit hole as far as you wish, building your understanding.

Do not be afraid to adjust your style! Want to narrow down a time frame? Make a sort of timeline with the bones. Wish to determine the source of an ailment? Shape the bones into the form of a body. I find the bones allow for far more creativity and ingenuity than cards. And above all – TRUST YOUR GUT.

Photos: These are photos of my “base” bones when I first started reading; since then they have probably doubled (if not tripled) in number and do not incorporate my other animal bones, claws or teeth. 

Bone Divination (Osteomancy) is an ancient practice of fortune telling used throughout many cultures. It’s important to find personal pieces that you deeply connect with.

List of objects commonly used in Bone Divination sets: - Old Coins - Crystals and Stones - Dice - Seashells - Animal Claws - Small animal Jaw bone - Animal feet - Nuts - Seed Pods - Skeleton Keys - Beads made of glass, wood, animal horn or bone - Metal Charms - Personal Jewelry such as rings or pendants - Any items that hold a personal meaning for you

Taking care of your divination set: - Regularly cleanse your pieces with White Sage - Keep them with you during the day to form a deep bond with the pieces - If unable to keep them near during the day, keep close to you at night - I find that most pieces like to rest on natural surfaces- wood, moss, etc - Charge them under the Full Moon when possible, especially crystals or stones - Meditate with the pieces and listen to what they have to say - Occasionally bury the bones lightly in an indoor flowerpot for a short time (or outside in the garden if not raining). Bones tend to like being in the ground. It allows them to rest.

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Divination Intro

Like any other school of Magick, Divination uses many different methods in order to divine esoteric knowledge, including the past, present, and possible future. 

Important note: It is important to remember that, no matter the type of divinatory practices used, no single person is able to tell the future. There are always variables at play that may change your future and your destiny. Divination simple says that, should things continue as they are, this is the most likely outcome of the situation.

How does divination work? 

In and around all things is a flow of energy. You can think of this flow of energy as the circle of life type of thing from Lion King. “The circle of life flows through us all”, or, like water: Water particles are everywhere, even in the air we breath, and is thus constantly in motion. Same with energy. Energy makes up the very fabric of our existence, making us connected to everything around us.

Here’s a witchy secret they don’t often bother to tell you: We are connected to this energy, and this energy is connected to all things. Energy, at its base, is information.

When we tap into this energy, we are able to see the information that the energy has to give us. Different diviners use different methods of tapping into this energy, but it’s all the same.

Kinds of Divination:

By no means is this list exhaustive. As mentioned before, there are many ways in which diviners practice divination. None is better than the other, and all accomplish basically the same thing. There are a few that I have dabbled in, and a lot that I have not.

Cartomancy

The most common and well known form of divination is divining using a deck of cards, most commonly tarot. Among the cards are different sets of titles and imagery that is meant to invoke some sort of reaction from your intuition. The best way to work with the tarot, oracle, or any other deck of cards is allow the cards to speak to you, and not you for it. In other words, allow there to be a natural progression as you read the tarot, instead of forcing meanings where there may be none.

Runes (Futhark)

Runes are another form of divination that use ancient symbols housing esoteric wisdom to divine. According to the legends which I’ve read, the runes are Norse in origin, but the exact details of how they came to be is a mystery. It is said that they were sacred to the Norse goddess Freya, and were possibly even discovered by her. She then introduced then to Odin, the Allfather, god of war, and the greater mysteries. Odin, who became fascinated by them, hung himself in a tree to die a shamanic death, and was then reborn as Odin the Runemaster. At some point, it is rumored that Odin then gifted the runes to man. 

Whatever the legends, the runes do have an energy all their own, but are not quite as easy as the tarot to read. They are symbols, ancient and unknown in origin, not pretty little colored images on a deck of cards. The best way to work with runes is to learn their general meaning, and allow them to expand their knowledge to you over time. 

Scrying

Scrying is another popular form of divination that uses a smooth, reflective surface in order to “See” images within the depths. Most commonly, crystal balls, black mirrors, and bowls of water are used. 

This form of divination is difficult to master, and takes tremendous patience. Thus, I will not be able to go into further detail about this at present.

Osteomancy

“Throwing bones” as it were. I’ve had more time to learn a little bit more about this, and I have a very basic understanding of how this form of divination works. 

Osteomancy uses bones, preferably from small animals, as well as other shells, beads, and curios collective known as the “bones” thrown out onto a cloth to divine the future. Depending on where the bones land, the diviner is then able to use their meaning to paint a picture of the quarents future, past, and present. 

I’ve read a few blog posts about this form, and it seems that, most commonly, osteomancers use what is known as “animism” the idea that everything has a spirit and is alive, in order to divine. While this may or may not be true, I believe that bone throwing employs the use to psychometry in order to decipher the bones.

Which brings me to my last point…

Psychometry

Psychometry is a powerful way to exercise your “Psychic muscles”, but it also takes a lot of patience to learn. Psychometry refers to the latent or inherent or learned ability to perceive residual information off of objects and/or people, usually by touch. 

Psychometry is best practiced in one of two ways. 

Collect various, preferably older items, such as necklaces, pocket watches, other small antiques, wood, shells, etc. Place all of the items under a cloth or under a bowl and then shuffle them around, making sure that you shuffle long enough for you to have no way of knowing where each item is. You then place your hand over the object, fell its energy, and try and divine what the object is. It’ll take time, but your accuracy will vastly improve, and you’ll find that other esoteric things come to you easily.

Find random objects such as old building bricks, signs, lampposts, antiques, etc. and place your hand on them. Close your eyes, and try to sense the object. See all of the memories that it houses within. Who did it belong to? What has it witnessed? Where did it come from? Eventually, you’ll begin to gain an understanding of the objects around you even without needing to touch them and close your eyes. Then, eventually, you’ll be able to divine a person’s past, present, and future using the same exact method, giving you yet another tool in your divinatory arsenal.

There are, of course, many MANY other methods that I missed. The ones I mentioned above are simply the ones that I personally have, so far, dabbled in. The tarot, of course, is my strongest practice, but others are working their way up there as well.

Short list of other divination practices:

Tesseomancy- Tea leaf reading

Pyromancy- Fire scrying

Lithomancy- Stone throwing

Pendulum- Divining with a heavy, pointed object on a chain

Numerology- Divining with numbers

Astrology- Divining using the stars and their alignments

Automatic writing/Drawing- Divining by closing your eyes and allowing your subconscious mind to write/draw

Rainwater 

Rain from a lightening storm

this has the greatest energy

used in a bath to re-energize your being and aid in a ritual of clearing and cleansing your energies of negativity by soaking in it

used to clear and cleanse an object or area 

store in a white glass bottle

Rain from thunderstorms, tornadoes or hurricanes

Used to empower spells for moving things forward such as letting go of the past and moving forward in life

used to help move a project forward and get beyond current blocks in life

used to change a pattern or habit you don’t like

store in a blue glass bottle

Sun and Rain

Used to balance energies when feeling weighed down

helps gather your thoughts when they are flighty and scattered

store in a dark green bottle

Hail storm

collect in a metal bowl but dont let it sit in the bowl for more than 6 hours

allow the hail to melt before bottling it

store in a black or dark brown bottle

used to dispel psychic attacks or negative energies

best used for black magic to get rid of your enemies or negative forces that stand in your way

Spring Rain

used to empower new ventures such as new relationships, new business ventures, a new job

rain collected on the spring equinox or the first rain after the spring equinox is good for empowering spells for relationships

stored in a light green bottle

Summer Rain

used to encourage growth whether it be personal, spiritual growth or growth of a business venture or relationship

used to break bad habits

great to water indoor plants

rain collected on mid-summers eve and day is especially mystical

store in a sky blue bottle

Fall Rain

used for giving thanks and showing gratitude for the abundance the year has given you

store in an orange or fall colored bottle

Winter Rain

can be used for blessing a person, relationship, family or object

can be used to bless an event such as a birth, wedding or new business venture

to be able to survive the hardships of winter one is able to survive the hardships of life

Full Moon Rain

Used to honor the Goddess

a small glass can be added to a cleansing bath

add a couple of drops to your bath before an important event or ritual

used for a blessing during a full moon ritual

used for blessing a child or pet 

rain collected during the full moon according to that season will have the energies of that moon according to month and season

clean altar spaces and other things by putting an ounce of rain water into your cleaning products

also very good for divination

Waning Moon Rain

good for getting rid of things, banishings, and purging negative energies

used like a banishing oil

also can be added to your bath for relaxation, clarity or promoting self love

use to prepare for lunar rituals

anoint your money with it to increase your wealth 

anoint yourself to increase your psychic awareness

New Moon Rain

good for workings in which something needs to be brought in 

used when starting a new project

Waxing Moon Rain

used to bring in good energies and blessing

used at the start of a new project or a new beginning

Rain collected from trees or roses will have different energies depending on the type of tree or color of the rose you collect it from

Use 1 cup of rain water to 1 tub size of water

For rituals use 1oz of rain water in a glass bowl or cauldron, to add effects to the water pour over crystals energized with your intent

For a spell place all your spell items in your bowl or cauldron and add 1tablespoon of rainwater

For cleansing or anointing ritual take 1/2oz of rainwater into a glass bowl and as you recite your incantation dip your fingers or wand/athame into the water then mark your physical body, the mark can be any spiritual symbol that has meaning to you

To anoint a tool, pout 1oz of rainwater onto the tool as you state your incantation to empower the tool for its intended purpose.

@autumnwitchesx i hope this helps you some!!!

also the bottles you store in dont have to be a specific color unless you want them to be, im all for using what you have first and foremost 

🌕✨ moon water correspondences ✨🌕

taken from one of my favourite pages of my grimoire! 

moon water can be used for blessings, enhancing spells or rituals, for promoting clarity or relaxation, in love magic, wealth/prosperity magic, to increase psychic awareness, and many other purposes! but by harnessing your moon water at different times, you can then incorporate the specific traits of that time/phase/zodiac period into your spell work. 

✨new moon water ✨

the new moon is associated with new beginnings, so use new moon water in spells or rituals focusing on things like new employment, new relationships, or new homes. 

e.g. when moving into a new home, add a couple of tablespoons of new moon water to the water you would normally use to cleanse your house with!

✨waxing moon water ✨

the waxing moon is the period in which the moon is growing in size, so use waxing moon water as a way to grow the strength of your spells. waxing moon water is also beneficial in spells to promote growth (of abilities, skill, or knowledge). the power of the waxing moon also increases the potency of fertility spells, wealth, luck, business and relationship spells  

✨full moon water ✨

the full moon is the point at which the moon is at its peak, so use full moon water for spells that require an extra push of energy. also use full moon water in spells to promote strength, love, protection, health, or use in spells to strengthen spiritual gifts and achieve your dreams 

✨waning moon water ✨

the waning moon is the period in which the moon is decreasing in size, so use waning moon water for all magic intended to remove things from your life; banishing spells to rid yourself of bad habits, toxic relationships, lingering diseases, weight loss, stress, addictions and negativity 

✨dark moon water ✨

when justice is required and is not obtainable outside of your spell work, casting in the dark of the moon and adding dark moon water will help with any crosses, hexes or binding spells

✨super moon water ✨

think of full moon water x1000000…… when you need an EXTRA BIG KICK OF ENERGY for your spells, this guy has you covered 

✨lunar eclipse moon water ✨

the lunar eclipse signifies change, so when drastic change is required, the addition of lunar eclipse water draws on the phenomenal change shown during an eclipse, as the moon cycles through all of its stages in a single instance

✨zodiac* moon water ✨

full moon water also takes on the energies of the zodiac sign the full moon is in. here’s a brief rundown of those properties and/or what they can be used for:

1) full moon water in aries = couragous, positive energy; charging tools 2) full moon water in taurus = stable, earth, fertile energy 3) full moon water in gemini = positive charge, overcoming obstacles 4) full moon water in cancer = loving, maternal, protective energies 5) full moon water in leo = lucky, creative, successful energy; arts, politics 6) full moon water in virgo = practical energy; facilitates planning 7) full moon water in libra = persuasive, balancing energies; legal matters 8) full moon water in scorpio = psychic, spiritual, banishing energy  9) full moon water in sagittarius = transforming, spiritual energy; meditation 10) full moon water in capricorn = careers, politics, attaining material goods 11) full moon water in aquarius = innovative, inventive energies 12) full moon water in pisces = dreamy, psychic energy; astral projection

Candle Color Correspondence 🕯🔮

🕯RED: Binding, Courage, Strength, Lust, Magnetism, Competitiveness, Fertility, Health, Attraction, Protection Magick, Conflict, Dispelling Anger & Hate.

🕯PINK: Emotional Healing, Spiritual Healing, Love, Friendship, Compassion, Protection if Children, Affection.

🕯ORANGE: Luck, Strength, Power, Attracting Luck, Creativity, Success, Professional Growth, Justice, Energy, Happiness, Ambition.

🕯YELLOW: Clairvoyance, Communication, Action, Inspiration, Psychic Power, Memory, Divination, Confidence, Imagination, Wisdom, The Sun.

🕯GREEN: Mother Earth, Balance, Growth, Wealth, Money, Health, Dispelling Envy & Jealously, Dispelling Greed, Beauty, Abundance, Luck, Harmony, Fertility.

🕯BLUE: Communication, Inspiration, Harmony, Occult Wisdom, Forgiveness, Fidelity, Focus, Protection, Truth, Loyalty, Banishing Anger.

🕯PURPLE: 3rd Eye, Psychic Power, Spirituality, Confidence, Success, Divination, Contacting Spirits, Increase of Willpower & Inner Strength, Independence, Spiritual Guidance, Protection.

🕯WHITE: Peace, Truth, Purification, Protection, Spirituality, Positive Outcome, Happiness, Moon Magick, Cleansing, Balance.

WHITE CAN BE USED IN PLACE OF ALL COLORS DURING SPELLS AND RITUALS

🕯BLACK: Binding, Dispelling, Reversing of Spells Hexes and Curses, Destruction of Evil & Negative, Habit Breaking, Grounding & Protecting, Repelling Spells.

🕯BROWN: Friendship & Balance, Intuition, Concentration, Animal & Earth Magick, Healing, Locating lost objects, Blessing of a Home.

🕯INDIGO: Balance restoring, Spell Blocking, Creating Balance, Karma.

🕯GOLD: Divination, Luck, Money, Success, Wealth, Sun Worship

Pendulums 101

As requested by @birdsofthestrangestfeather, here’s my own little pendulums 101!  🌙✨

What is a pendulum?

In short, it can really be anything, as long as something is hanging from a chain or string and is able to swing. It can be a fancy crystal pendulum from Etsy or a local witchy shop, a necklace you already own, a pocket watch, or even something as minimalist as a string and bead/needle! Get creative; it doesn’t have to be fancy, any particular material, or bought, just as long as it works as a pendulum.

What do you do before you use a pendulum?

Cleanse, cleanse and cleanse! Unless you made it yourself (which if you did, you don’t have to keep reading unless you want to!) your pendulum has probably been through a lot! I’d recommend leaving it out in the full moonlight for some hours or overnight, running your pendulum a few times through sage or incense or even visualizing a white, cleansing light around your pendulum! Other options include letting your pendulum cleanse in sunlight, dirt and water. 

Do a little research if you have a crystal pendulum to see what would suit that crystal best and otherwise trust your intuition on what would be the best way to cleanse your new pendulum!

How to program your pendulum?

Just like people, pendulums have different ways of working. My pendulum swings back and forth for yes while yours may circle around! To figure out or establish how your pendulum says yes, no, maybe and unknown/I don’t know, you have to program your pendulum. 

If you want your pendulum to show you, ask it basic, obvious to answer questions. I’ll ask, “Am I six foot tall?” and my pendulum swings no so hard it nearly breaks! But when I ask, “Am I five foot three?” it goes straight to yes. Repeat this sort of thing until you figure out how your pendulum works so you’ll know when asking questions how your pendulum is answering!

If you’re more comfortable telling your pendulum how it’s going to answer, then go right ahead! Tell your pendulum to swing a certain way for maybe and another way for no, etc, etc. Make sure to test out the way you programmed your pendulum afterwards with basic questions!

Also, there’s always the option of using a pendulum board, which is a visual yes/no/maybe/unknown guide for your pendulum, to help program. You can also use these boards later on, if it’s your preference. Even when using one, though, don’t forget to test your pendulum and make sure it’s answering correctly with obvious questions.

How do you use a pendulum?

It’s quite simple and easy to use a pendulum! You simply hold the top of the pendulum between your fingers (I usually hold with my pointer finger and thumb) and keep a very steady hand. You don’t want to be shaky or moving it because this will obviously interfere with the actual answer. Once your hand and the pendulum is steady, keep it suspended above any surfaces and away from anything it would knock into. Then, go ahead and ask your question and wait to see!

How to read a pendulum?

Back to the programming of a pendulum, it depends on how you did that. Just be sure to give your pendulum plenty of time to settle into the answer and make sure it’s truly swinging or circling in the direction you think it is. If you’re not sure, you can always ask again!

Extra tips & uses for your pendulum 

Congrats!! If you’ve reached this point, you know a lot about pendulums! Buuut, I do have a few more points to make…

🌙 Start off with harmless questions. It’ll take some time for the pendulum to really be in sync with your energy, so gradually build up from things like, “should I eat this for breakfast?” or “would purple be a good color to wear today?” to the stuff that actually impacts your life.

🌙 Once you get in tune with your pendulum, you can expand your uses for it. You can ask for advice on things you’re indecisive about, talk to your spirit companions or guides, do readings for people and even talk to your gods. They’re very useful all the way around!

🌙 Again, always make sure to let your pendulum have enough time to answer you!

🌙 Whenever your pendulum is acting up, not answering like it usually would or the like, give it a good cleanse. Just like other witchy tools, pendulums like to be cleansed often, especially if you do readings with it!

Thank you for sticking around and reading this super long post. I hope you enjoyed and found this information useful! 

I absolutely adore my pendulum and use it often, so I definitely recommend that every witch give it a go! 

Also, thank you to @birdsofthestrangestfeather for asking me to put together this post! 🌙✨