A spell to break the smoking habit

It includes:

Sealed with red wax for strength.

Blessed yule

~ tarot spread intended for self reflection ~

Arcane’s Tarot Starter Guide.

basic ass witch tips 🔮

edited on october 27, 2018

Don’t put gemstones in fire. I saw someone talk about flame cleansing cinnabar, and nearly lost my final shit. Do you know what happens to heavy metals when you heat them? Do not.

I am so glad most of y’all are using this post as an opportunity to critically think about your practice and to share useful information with everyone!

Wheat fields are more mystical than fields of other crops. You are 7,000 times more likely to meet an old god or see a portent of doom in a wheat field than in a field of like… soybeans.

For your consideration: cornfields

Cornfields are less mystical than wheat fields but more mystical than soybean fields. Two-bit monsters congregate in corn fields to eat people, but their power is nothing compared to the things that manifest in wheat fields. 

Have been in both wheat and cornfields; can confirm. Cornfields host monsters who eat people. Wheat fields attract old gods. 

I have a theory that this is because the notions most of us have of “old gods” are pretty intrinsically European, and wheat was (and is) the staple crop of European life. It is quite literally tied to the ancestral rituals and beliefs of most white people. Odin, the Morrigan, and even Zeus are actually linked to a set of peoples who cultivated wheat.

Meanwhile, corn (maize) is a crop native to the Americas. It features in the white cultural imagination in a very different way. Corn is a motif seen not in our ancestral myths, but in a much newer genre: the American Gothic. With its focus on the tensions between man and nature and—perhaps more importantly—the United States’s history of genocide against its indigenous population and trade in enslaved Africans, the American Gothic is VERY preoccupied with agriculture. Our monsters come out of corn fields because corn is a symbol for not only what we did to the Native Americans (who were the first to grow the crop), but of what we are doing to the very land itself. Corn is a monument to our cultural sins.

Meanwhile, I suspect that corn features very differently in the imaginations of people of color. If you asked a Native American person or a Latinx person what sort of mysticism they associate with corn fields, I imagine their answer would be very different than ours.

TLDR: White people associate wheat with our ancestors’ gods because our ancestors grew wheat. We associate corn with terrible monsters because it is a literal sign of our own monstrosity.

Native American here, can confirm that small plots of corn feel safe and homey; ideally they should be interplanted with other crops. You find turkeys and possums and raccoons in the corn. It might tell you important knowledge.

However.

Giant monocultures of corn, where the corn grows unbroken for miles and miles, not near human habitation, devoid of local wildlife, just corn on corn in the soft wind? Corn mega monocultures? Those sound like screaming.

….You meet gods in wheat fields? All I find are passed out and drunk Ukrainians. 

And how can you be 100% sure that those drunk Ukrainians were not, in fact, cavorting with the old gods?

Spider in amber Sadly there is no scale on the original, but this photo taken in a museum depicts a beautifully preserved hunting arachnid. Loz Image credit: Elisabeth

This Autumn, let something die.

A worry, a relationship, a project that has run its course. Let go of anxiety over the future. Let go of guilt.

Let go of other people’s dreams for you. Let go of the fear that happiness or success or love or joyousness somehow isn’t for you.

Let go of feeling unwanted. Go outside, can you feel how deeply your presence is craved here?

Let go of the small and burdensome things. Gifts never opened. Keys without a lock. Broken earrings, old love letters, the ephemera on your fridge.

As David Whyte writes, “Anything or anyone that does not bring you alive is too small for you.” This Autumn, let go of all the clothes you have outgrown.

Let go of comparison.

Let go of doubt.

Let go of the feeling that you are somehow not good enough.

Because every imperfect apple that lays soft in your hands, and every ray of low Autumn sunlight that warms you through woolens will tell you a different story, a much truer story. The story that you are more, much more, than enough. That you bless this world simply by being alive.

Y’all this hit me hard

Tree Symbolism

Alder ~ Call the tree of fire. It symbolizes firm foundations for any venture, and power to control external forces and factors in your life. It can off you security in times of uncertainty and the persistence to carry a venture through difficult initial stages.

Almond ~ Abundance, prosperity and love without limits. Like all nut-bearing tree, the almond promises fertility for any venture and the fruition of dreams, although perhaps not until several months after inception.

Apple ~ Fertility, health, love and long life. The magical apple tree promises renewed life and strength if you have been feeling tired or have lost your way.

Ash ~ Expansion of horizons, travel especially by sea, healing, strength and prosperity. As a World Tree the ash will increase your authority and powers of leadership, bringing with it, of course, additional responsibilities.

Aspen ~ Communication, eloquence, protection against theft, and healing. A tree of great sensitivity, the aspen bring empathy with others that is not without personal pain. It connects you to the heart of another person’s experience.

Avocado ~ Desire, and increase of beauty in beauty or environment. You will be able to create beauty out of ugliness, but will find that you have become involved in the concerns of your wider environment, as well as creating personal beauty and grace in your life.

Bamboo ~ Protection, especially of your household boundaries and against negative thoughts of others. You can drawn the protection around you and those you love, but must make sure your own thoughts and words are likewise positive.

Banana ~ Fertility, male potency and prosperity: involves slow ripening of endeavors and so patience for the right time for true power.

Banyan ~ Luck and optimism. You can welcome sunshine into your life by seeking simple pleasures and enjoying every small moment of happiness.

Bay  ~ Fidelity, marriage and preservation of family and home, and pleasant dreams. Be persevering and seeking lasting joy rather than instant excitement, you can bring true harmony to yourself and those you love.

Beech ~ Knowledge, formal learning and change. You can learn much from being still in the natural world, and by seeking to give your intuitions and inspiration firm foundations.

Birch ~ Cleansing, health, new beginnings, Goddess magic and protection of the young. You may need either a new approach or to clear the deck and sacrifice what is comfortable and familiar for new growth.

Boxwood ~ Uncovering hidden treasures, buried talents and the unexpected. A tree for bringing out potential and perhaps fulfilling earlier dreams you had dismissed.

Cedar ~ Good fortune and fidelity in love, and mature relationships. A very cleansing and healing tree that can take away the fears that stop you from making your own happiness and good fortune.

Cherry ~ New love, divinatory abilities and fertility, A tree of springtime and so especially useful to younger people for exploring their own capacity for love.

Chestnut/Horse Chestnut ~ Abundance and expansion of opportunity. A magnificent tree for bold endeavours and ambitions, filled with idealism and nobility. 

Coconut ~ Fertility and motherhood, and the flow of new life and energies: give protection against all negativity, especially psychic attack. A traditional source of the nourishing life force of the Earth Mother, encourages nurturing others and in return experiencing the joys of giving.

Cypress ~ Long life, healing and comfort in sorrow. A good tree for working through loss and what must be mourned for.

Dogwood ~ Clear focus and determination. A tree that will stand firm against opposition and cheerfully persevere to achieve the desired results.

Elder ~ Tree of the White Moon Goddess and of female magic; give ability to see other dimensions and increases clairvoyance. A fairy tree, the elder absorbs personal negativity. It is a good tree for men as well as women to use to explore their magical side and to suspend disbelief in the presence of nature essences.

Elm ~ Quiet sleep, love and giving. The elm itself is under threat in a number of places through disease, but it nevertheless signifies serenity and dignity amid noise and chaos.

Eucalyptus ~ Cleansing and healing. A tree that frees stagnant or blocked energies and helps people move forwards.

Fig ~ Wisdom, creativity and creative ventures, fertility, harmony and balance. A tree filled with personal riches that allows our artistic and inspiration side to blossom.

Fir ~ The tree of Christmas and so a tree of birth, the return of light and new beginnings, the life cycle and also cleansing. A tree of light in the darkness and the promise of the future joys even on the darkest of days.

Hawthorn ~ Courage, marking boundaries, purification, protection, male potency (although it is a female tree), and cleansing: a fairy tree. Use this to protect you from skepticism and cynicism in others and to create a personal space away from the demands of others.

Hazel ~ Wisdom, luck, fertility, knowledge and inspiration, justice and divination, especially water magic and dowsing for water and treasure. Use this tree when you face injustice or feel strongly about a particular principle, to allow you to resolve matters by using persuasion not force.

Holly ~ Protection especially of the home against all negativity; a tree also for money and material gains. Another tree that thrives on opposition and uses difficulties as a springboard for positive action; a tree that works especially well with animus energies in women or in resolving issues with men in your life. Holly is regarded as a male plant, so it exudes assertive, active energies associated with the animus or male aspect of ourselves. King of the waning year.

Ivy ~ Fidelity, married love and committed relationships; Good for for taking risks in terms of deepening trust and love towards another as well as for sorting out issues of the relative importance to self and others to establish loving but clear boundaries; good for women to with.

Juniper ~ Protection against all negative forces, and purification. One of the best cleansing trees for clearing away bad habits, addictions or emotional luggage from the past. 

Larch ~ Protection, especially against thieves; optimism. A tree that lifts the spirits and triggers the inner protective system we all possess but often do not trust; good especially if you have felt under threat - whether emotionally, psychically or actually - from others at work.

Laurel ~ Protection from illness, success and realization of ambition, and winning through in spite of difficulty. A tree that promises that you will achieve more than you hoped or dreamed of if you meet life head on.

Linden ~ Justice, cooperation with others, partnerships of all kinds and dealing with officialdom. A tree of quiet, unassuming power that shows it is possible for one to take on a system and win if the case if just.

Mango ~ Health, permanence and lasting happiness. This rich fruit tree promises joy year after year if you plant the seeds of that joy now.

Maple ~ Long life, health of children, fertility, riches of all kinds and pleasure. A good tree if you have lost your confidence in yourself, suggesting you look at all the potential treasure you have in your life that will help you turn the corner.

Mistletoe ~ Known to the Druids as the “All-Healer”; peace, love and purity, and also fertility and sexual potency, the union of male and female, and protection and good health. A plant to choose if you are near the beginning of your spiritual journey or a relationship that you believe will prove important.

Myrtle ~ Stable relationships, married love, fertility, youth, peace and money. Another tree of harmony both with others and within yourself that can stabilize an uncertain patch in your personal world.

Norfolk Island Pine ~ Assurance that you and your family will never suffer poverty; soaring potential; if you seize opportunities you will succeed.

Oak ~ King of the waxing year and sacred tree of the Druids; tree of knowledge, power and independence, confidence, prosperity and potency. Like the ash, the oak is a wise Father Tree that represents commitment to a journey of exploration and attainment of mastery over the emotions.

Olive ~ Peace and reconciliation, forgiveness, abundance, nourishment, healing and fertility. A healing tree that can mend any sorrow or bitterness and from this reconciliation bring lasting peace in your immediate world and maybe beyond as your peacemaking influences spread.

Orange ~ Love, abundance, fertility, marriage, luck and money. Increase confidence, self-esteem and self-love as a basis for making positive relationships with other which you can ask for what you need.

Palm, Date ~ Fertility, potency, self-renewal, rejuvenation and the revolving life cycles of nature and people. A tree of the sunshine and blue skies that enables you to regenerate your energies and to take steps forward on a new path.

Pear ~ New life, health, woman’s matter and fertility; gentle growth, the increase of quiet joy and fulfillment of realistic aims within the near future.

Peach ~ Marriage and birth, abundance, happiness, fertility, wishes and long life. Another sunshine tree that enables you to unfold your sensuality and sexuality without guilt or shame.

Pine ~ Symbol of fire and illumination, cleansing, friendship in adversity, knowledge and protection from all negativity. Like fir, the pine blazes in the darkness, illuminating your path and burning away what holds you from fulfillment.

Poplar, White & Black ~The white poplar symbolizes money, astral projection, hope rebirth and divination. The black poplar refers to ending. Together, the black and white poplar move through endings to beginnings, from regret to healing and from pain to joy.

Redwood ~ Limitless potential, long-term spiritual growth and clear focus. This tree tells you to aim high and not to doubt your ability to soar, however far off the goal seems.

Rowan/Mountain Ash ~ Another tree of the White Goddess; brings protection to the home, increases psychic powers, brings healing, and is also good for metal dowsing and astral projection. A magical tree that will keep you safe from harm and fears, whether of darkness or malice of others.

Silver Banksia ~ Protection, letting go of sorrow, developing a more positive outlook, new growth and positive achievement. A gentle tree that enfolds you in love and reassurance that all shall be well if you just trust and stretch out your hand to life.

Sycamore ~ Protection and the granting of wishes; increasing influence over other and situations. A tree whose effects are like its fast-rooting spores, meaning that you can have a real influence for the better on any situation if you communicate your feelings and ideas.

Tamarind ~ Love, especially new love and rebuilding of trust. A tree of gentle love, especially after sorrow or betrayal, promising kindness and friendship that may deepen into more permanent feelings.

Vine ~ Rebirth and renewal, joy, ecstasy and fairy magic. It advises you to abandon the inhibitions and prohibitions in your head and seek what will bring you happiness and connection with life.

Walnut ~ Tree of prophecy, traditionally where witches meet; health, increase of mental powers, fertility and granting of wishes. A tree that promises the gradual unfolding of good things and the revealing of the secrets of psychic powers.

Willow ~ A Moon tree; intuition, Moon magic, healing, making wishes come true, increasing psychic energies and understanding the emotions of others. Go with the flow of the hour and tap into the underlying emotions of any situation or person to discover the truth; a good tree if your emotions and intuitions are blocked.

White Mangrove ~ Nurturing self and others, being sensitive, intuitive, caring, balanced and in touch with the pulse of life. Another tree of connection with others and with the wisdom of the natural world; it overcomes any sense of loneliness and alienation.

Yew ~ Tree of endings, of new coming out of the old, of permanence, of aims that are slow to come to fruition and enduring strengths, of what is worth and union between two people after difficulty. The yew will allow what is lost to be mourned for, while reminding you what is of worth, and will endure. 

Source The Modern-Day Druidess by Cassandra Eason 

Bats illuminated by lightning

That’s about as Halloween as it gets….

Northern Ghost Bats

The common name, northern ghost bats, refers to their soft, long, white pelage. Sometimes the proximal ends of the hairs are grey in color, while the distal ends are white, giving the animal an ashy grey tone. Northern ghost bats have nearly naked faces with large eyes and shorter, yellowish ears. They do not have a nose leaf, and their tragus is prominent, broad, and rounded. 

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(Traditional Witchcraft - A Cornish Book Of Ways by Gemma Gary)

Embroidery Hoops

Shimunia on Etsy

See our #Etsy or #Embroidery tags

made a little tarot spread inspired by getting my shit mildly wrecked on a bike ride today, and the hospital visit that followed

good for reading when you’re trying to process something that’s hurt / hurting you, and trying to figure out how to move on. be warned that it won’t necessarily give you gentle messages. this is mostly an analysis / advice spread; only the last card is really “predictive.” if you don’t like predictive card readings, you can leave that one out and do this as a 5-card spread.

image transcriptions (spread layout and info) under cut

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