I need to redraw from references more
top 10 shane madej communist moments feel free to add on
Hi Juniper! I've recently started using runes, and I have a question about something. Hopefully you haven't already answered this and I missed it.. When a rune falls in the reversed position, does it always reverse the meaning of the rune? If so, what does it mean when a rune shows negative meaning when in the position of the outcome? Thanks!!
Definition: “Merkstave”
Merkstave: adj, “A rune that is lying in the reverse position to what it would usually be read as during runecasting. This causes it to have a darkened or inverted meaning, but not necessarily either opposite or even really bad.”
Etymology
Merk: “Dark”. We get the English words “murk” and “murky” from this.Stave: “Stick”. In Modern English, we may refer to a stick (especially a carved or crafted one) as a “stave”.
When a rune is cast in it’s reversed or Merkstave position, it means that (for runes to which this applies) the normal characteristics of the rune become… essentially the “darker” version of their normal traits. Bear in mind that this is not necessarily the opposite of their obverse (non-Merkstave) traits, but is instead a sort of shadow that the “light” version casts, as the name suggests - a Merkstave rune is literally a “dark” rune.
In answer to your question however, a rune lying Merkstave does not have a reversed meaning. Merkstave meanings are derived FROM their obverse meanings, but are not the opposite, and not all runes HAVE a Merkstave. Any rune that looks the same when you rotate it 180° (turn it upside-down) does not have a Merkstave form.
A rune such as Fehu, for instance, is a classic wealth rune when in its obverse form. It represents domesticated cattle; power under human control, wealth you can profit from, social and political success. However, when it is turned to its Merkstave form, those traits become “dark”; instead it now represents wealth that slips from your fingers, social or political fortunes that turn sour, obsessive greed or avarice. This is not simply the opposite of wealth - the opposite of wealth is poverty, plain and simple. No, Fehu Merkstave specifically represents having something and then losing it, or alternatively becoming a slave to your own avarice, greed, or gluttony. Fehu is the rune of power under the control of humans, and so Fehu Merkstave is the inverse of this. Not humans without power, but humans under the control of power. This is a big difference - simply being without power is very, very different from having power and wealth and influence (or at least a chance to get them) and then having those things ripped away from you.
What runes don’t have Merkstave forms?
None of the vertically symmetrical runes have Merkstave forms, because they cannot be told apart whether they’re upside-down or right-side-up. Here’s a complete list of all Elder Futhark runes that do not have Merkstave forms:
- Gebo - “The Gift; The Sacrifice”
- Hagalaz - “The Hailstone”
- Isa - “The Ice; The Icicle”
- Jera - “The Harvest”
- Sowilo - “The Sun”
- Ingwaz - “The Fertility God; Yngvi and/or Freyr”
- Dagaz - “The Dawn”
However, if you plan on getting seriously into runecasting, it is important to remember that these runes CAN lie in opposition to other runes, even if they cannot lie Merkstave. I won’t explain that here, because it’s a bit more complex, but I hope this has been a good overview for you!
– Juniper Wildwalk
5 Magickal Suggestions for the Winter Solstice
As the darkest portion of the solar year approaches the northern hemisphere, the life energy around us sinks into sleep beneath the Earth and the air chills as creatures descend into hibernation or fly south for the winter. At this time, when the nights lengthen and the winds bite, magick is more accessible to those who may have struggled during the summer months as the walls between our world and the next stay quite thin after Samhain, until the springtime come Ostara.
During this time, many hold Yuletide feasts or family gatherings, and spells and rituals of all kinds that encompass the hidden, the magickal and the feminine are performed as the Goddess’ power rules over the Earth whilst the God sleeps. Here are a few winter tips and ideas to keep your hand into the magickal game as you stay warm this coming new year.
- Bake healing spells into sweet spiced buns and other foods, and share them out at Yuletide and other Winter festivals. We all know that with the rise in the usage of heaters and the increased close proximity to each other as we stay indoors over winter, sicknesses spread like wildfire during the winter months. Spread healing magick through your loved ones by baking warm, welcoming winter foods filled with spellwork to keep illness at bay this year. Elderflowers are strongly antiviral and a common ingredient in certain foods and drinks (especially in the UK), and ginger helps fight nausea. Cinnamon stimulates your sinuses, and a combination of lavender and passionflower will calm the body better than any synthetic sedative, and aids in achieving and maintaining restful sleep.
- Full moons are strongest during the winter months, so try using them to super-charge your crystals and tools. Moon-charging and washing are common practices amongst those of us who use tools, substances and crystals in our workings, and Winter moons are stronger than Summer ones as the Goddess is at the height of Her powers during this time. Use this to your advantage and perform some truly excellent winter workings with your new charged tools!
- Hold a Solstice bonfire to call the sun back from his sleep, in the footsteps of the traditional Witches and pagans who practiced rites at these most important times of the year, the Solstices. At such times the natural cycles are beginning anew, and through honouring the sun as he begins his return to full strength over the coming Spring and Summer, we may call down the sun’s strength into our lives for the next year to come.
- Promote some new seasonal mythologies to break the monotony of Santa Claus and his reindeer. As fun and jolly as the Fat Man is, Santa Claus, Sinter Klaas, Father Christmas, Old Man Winter, Saint Nicholas or whomsoever you choose to bring into your home as your solstice god of the year are all fairly old-hat at this point. Whilst many honour these individuals through longstanding heritage, most people simply continue the traditions they were taught as children. Well, I recommend coming up with your OWN seasonal myths to whisper to children as you cuddle up in your warm beds. Tell children about the Solstice Fairy, a tiny little thing who flies a sleigh pulled by magical bumblebees and brings presents and sweets to those who’ve been good. Tell them about the Snow-trees, great tall pine trees that grow up from the clouds and when they lose their leaves in winter they fall to earth as snowflakes. Of course these are just stories, but what is Santa other than a story we all agree is “acceptable”? Why not make your own this year; it’ll be more fun, and far less commercial!
- Use the power of the coming new year to fuel spells for promoting change. As the year turns over into the new one, there’s a huge amount of mental energy focused towards the coming year, and what’s going to happen as our lives shift into the new period coming. Use this power in new years eve rituals to power spells for change in the new year - it’s more effective than resolutions, after all!
Have a blessed Solstice, my Northern siblings!
– Juniper
“What is candle magick?”
The Short Answer:
Candle magick is any form of magickal spell or working in which lit candles are employed to provide strength, energy, and focus to a spell or magick working. These spells don’t always use candles as the sole tool of the spell (for instance, many candle spells also involve crystals and deity invocations), but the candles are always one of the central focuses of the spell’s workings.
The Long Answer:
Beginner or “novice” Witches and apprentices often struggle with the most basic aspects of Witchcraft and magick; what do these terms mean, and how do I understand them and use them in my own Craft? In such an arcane (literally “little known”) field as Witchcraft this is especially intense, because knowledge of our practices and methods have been hidden, crushed, suppressed or persecuted for many centuries by those around us who fear that which they do not understand.
Thus, the ways of Witches are constantly being relearned and reinvented, uncovered and reinterpreted, so that the practice of our ancestors is different to that which we perform today, and the practice of our descendants shall be similarly different from our own. This does not mean that our new practices, or our reworked older practices, are lesser though! If anything it makes them more potent, seeing as they are more suitable for the world in which we live today than perhaps an older spell that relied on a time when the fastest means of transport was a galloping horse.
“How does candle magick play into this?”
One of the oldest elements of magick that has been reinvented in the modern day is that of the magick of candles. Candle magick is an ancient art that has been present since the development of tallow candles (see below), in which we use the presence of the tamed flames within our Circles to provide fuel and power to the spells we weave.
Everyone has a different means of doing so, but the main features of modern candle magick are as follows:
- Colour: Modern Witches utilise different colours for different effects. Red is usually associated with powerful emotions, especially love and lust, whilst blue may be associated with sleep, calm or oceans. Research what colours you’ll need, but if colours don’t matter to you it’s entirely acceptable to simply use a generic white candle for everything.
- Size: The size of a candle doesn’t just affect it’s burn time, but also its flame size. Fatter candles possess fatter wicks, that will burn with a larger flame but will consume the candle faster. Balancing time with power is an important skill, and should consider what you’re using your candle for - if it’s just to burn overnight until it goes out, use a tealight. If you want it to last all day as you perform a sabbat or ritual around it, use a large votive candle that’s rated for at least 48 hours (so that no more than half is used on a single day).
- Shape: Candles come in a variety of shapes, but choosing between tapers (free standing, thin towers), votives (free-standing squat candles that thin out towards the bottom), pillars (traditional free-standing candles), jar candles (literally in a jar) and others can impact your spell. Research what shapes work best for you - I mostly use pillars or tealights!
- Fragrance: Some Witches choose specific fragrances for specific effects, such as jasmine for money or ylang-ylang for healing. Others don’t use smells at all, and find that they simply distract from the focus upon the spell. Whilst I admit I am the latter in this situation, preferring to burn incense if I desire pleasant aromas in my workings, scent is a common feature for Witches to focus on and I’d suggest you research what scent you need for what effect if that’s something you desire.
- Sustainability: An issue that has been plaguing more and more Witches and other practitioners of candle magick in recent years has been that of how to source candles in a manner that’s sustainable for the environment. Common candles used and their positives and negatives will be discussed below. This aspect doesn’t necessarily affect the spells themselves, but is of significance rather to the Witch who casts them.
Choosing the appropriate combination of the above is important, not least to the magick but also to yourself! Find a combination that works for you!
“What candles are sustainable to use?”
- Paraffin is cheap, readily available, and produces little to no smoke. It’s also easily obtained in a variety of colours and fragrances. However, paraffin wax is made of petrochemicals, substances produced from crude oil, and as a result is unsustainable in the long run.
- Palm oil is the most widely used non-petrochemical wax. Whilst it’s also almost as cheap as paraffin, and relatively smokefree, it’s also produced by cutting down vast numbers of palm trees. Whilst these trees are usually farmed, and so are relatively renewable, the land cleared for palm tree logging is extensive and often linked to habitat destruction. All jelly candles are made with palm oil.
- Soy is one of the vegetable waxes, and whilst it’s cheaper than some other substances it’s more expensive than paraffin or palm oil candles. It also requires far less habitat destruction to grow than palm oil, but is also grown on cleared land, and it encourages the production of extensive monocultures of soy plants that can cause difficulties for many species of insect, other arthropods, and the animals that feed on them. It produces more smoke than paraffin wax, but is not massively smoky. It can be easily dyed and perfumed, and is widely available for purchase in good candle shops and speciality stores.
- Bee’s wax is probably the most expensive kind of widely produced commercial candle, and it’s also the most smoke-producing (though it still produces little smoke). However, it’s also one of the most sustainable kinds of wax because so long as the bees are kept healthy, it doesn’t harm them to take some of their wax (and good beekeepers know how much is too much to take and will limit their harvest). It’s an animal wax, which means it’s not suitable for those vegans who don’t use insect products, of course, and it can be between three and five times the price of a similarly sized paraffin candle. It’s also difficult to colour, and has a lovely fragrance of its own but this can make it difficult for people to find scented bee’s wax candles. It can be produced without requiring large factories or clearing a huge amount of land, and placing bee hives in an area is actually very beneficial for the local land (provided the bees are an appropriate species for the region of course).
- Tallow is an animal product made from the fat of mammals like cows and pigs. This makes it very smoky, and unsuitable for vegans or vegetarians. It also has a rather unpleasant smell. However, it is the most traditional form of candle, so those who are highly focused on traditional practices may wish to use it, and tallow is really very cheap because few people in the modern day buy it. It’s not particularly sustainable, since animals take a lot of land and energy to produce, but since the animals are killed anyway it’s better to use the product than simply throw it away.
In conclusion, candle magick is a simple, cheap means of providing focus power to your spells. It’s a highly useful form of Witchcraft, and one I hope you find useful. And that’s a basic introduction to candle magick! I hope it helps you!
– Juniper
A Masterpost of Sigils
This is a masterpost of every sigil I’ve ever posted on this blog, and I’ll try to keep it updated every time I post a new sigil! If you like sigils, favourite this or bookmark it and it’ll update every time I have a new sigil to add.
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Making and Using Sigils:
- A Crash Course In Sigils
- How Do Sigils Get Their Energy?
- What Is Sigil Magick?
- Creating Sigils (short version)
Sigils:
- Protection and Safety
- Creativity and Talent
- Warmth and Compassion
- Balancing and Repayment (harmful)
- Confidence and Self-Assurance
- Empathy and Understanding
- Ward Against Insects
- Remembering To Take Medication
- Punishment and Harming (harmful)
- Honesty and Candour
- Lovers’ Knot
- Health and Happiness
- Always Find An Object (direct image link)
- Feminine Fertility and Growth (direct image link)
- Masculine Fertility and Growth (direct image link)
- Glamour and Beauty (direct image link)
- Legal Success (direct image link)
- Spirit-Warding and Exorcism (direct image link)
- Concealment and Hiding
- Calm, Peace, and Happiness Under Pressure (direct image link)
- Guarding Against Intrusion (direct image link)
- Mind and Body Protection (direct image link)
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– Juniper Wildwalk
8 Tips On Achieving Guided Meditation And Hypnosis
One of the most overlooked and most important aspects of Witchcraft, mindfulness and simply mental health is meditation. Guided meditation is simply a kind of meditation in which one person guides the other or group of others, in a similar manner to guided hypnosis. The alternative to this is self-meditation and self-hypnosis, which are both very common means for people to achieve altered states of consciousness.
I have been practicing meditation, guided meditation, hypnosis and self-hypnosis for many years now, and I consider myself to be fairly experienced. In my opinion, these are some of the most important tips for any beginner who is seeking to induce hypnotic or meditative trance states (which are essentially the same in all but name). Your reasons for wanting to practice meditation or hypnosis might vary, but at the end of the day the rules remain the same. Some practice self-hypnosis for religious or spiritual reasons, whilst others do it for personal pleasure and enjoyment of both them and their partner(s). However, the most important rules are safety, consent, communication, and trust. Abide by these, and you’ll rarely go wrong.
Remember also that this guide is simply an introduction, and is not the be-all-and-end-all of how to meditate! Look up meditation and hypnosis methods on the Internet or in books, and learn the way that YOU meditate best!
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- Candles can provide excellent sources of focus and concentration, and gazing into a candle is a very common technique used by meditators, mindfulness practitioners, and even hypnotherapists. Try visualising the flame licking up and around your body, warming your mind and pushing orange-yellow heat energy inside your muscles, melting away tension and stress. You might also want to imagine that the flame is a living thing like a spirit, guiding you down into a trance state. When I’m inducing a meditative or trance state in someone who is struggling to induce it themselves, this is a standard induction method I will use.
- If candles don’t work for you, try a detailed and decorative object of fascination. Fascination is a term used to describe a meditative or trance state that’s induced through the usage of objects that fascinate the meditator. This means they should be decorative, ornate, intricate, or simply aesthetically very pleasing to the eye. Crystals (especially translucent crystals like quartzes, or scintillating stones like opals) are a very common group of fascinators, because they play with light in interesting ways, but other objects like rings, jewels, coins, or even knives have been used to great effect. Find the object that works best for you, and then hold it in your hands. Visualise the energy this object contains; feel it out using your eyes and hands, and imagine that the deeper you admire the object, the more energy it pours into your body. Feel this energy drawing you down into the item, and losing your tensions and stresses as you fall. This is an excellent induction for when candles or other methods don’t work, and especially for those people who can’t “disconnect” their senses as easily as others.
- Narratives can be wonderfully useful, so try weaving a story to guide yourself into trance. When I’m inducting a new apprentice to demonstrate proper meditative and trance techniques, I will often use a narrative approach. Stories are such powerfully emotive and imagery-rich topics, and the imagination can’t help but weave itself into the story and follow the story down into a meditative state. I commonly use stories that also allow me to work physical contact (such as controlled strokes along the palm), as this “anchors” the story into people’s minds and bodies and gives them a frame of reference upon which to build. You might want to think about a story about Witches of old who used secret herbal potions to draw themselves down into the spirit world, or if the meditator is a fan of swimming you can talk about a pool of water that removes stress from the body. This technique is a very reliable one, but it’s not really suitable for self-hypnosis and self-induced meditative states – you might get more success with something like progressive relaxation if you’re self-inducing.
- The key to a good meditative state is relaxation, which is why progressively relaxing your body is the single most common form of induction used by hypnotherapists and guided meditation teachers. It’s a very good “starting-point” technique, one that works well for many people, but that doesn’t potentially limit future inductions if it doesn’t work for a person. Progressive relaxation is achieved through several methods, but my favourite is to imagine a warm pool of energy soaking up through your feet, and progressively relaxing each muscle group in your body in turn. This technique is fast, requires no additional tools or practice with narratives, and there’s a lot of information about progressive relaxation available online if you’d like to learn more. However, whilst it’s a good starting induction, it doesn’t work for everyone and so I’d advise learning more than one technique in order to cover all bases. It’s also the best beginner’s technique for those looking to use self-hypnosis and self-induced meditative states, and it’s a technique that even after many years of working with meditation and hypnosis I still find myself using time and time again.
- Low-level but consistent physical contact, measured and rhythmic sounds, and repetitive motions are all very, very common when you’re seeking to induce trance, especially in yourself, because they provide the mind with a comfortable, repetitive, unchallenging environment in which it can feel safe to relax and open up. Meditation is always much harder to achieve if sensory stimuli from outside the mind and from outside the meditative session itself are random, unpredictable and violent, because the brain can’t simply relax and instead is constantly on the lookout for every new potential threat. This is why many hypnotherapists have offices that use cool, even lighting, soft music or quiet sounds, and sometimes will burn incense or use soothing visual and physical textures. It sets up an environment in which the brain knows what to expect, and so it stays calm. When self-inducing, try sitting in a dimly-lit room with comfortable in-ear headphones playing quiet, soft music (I use Enya a lot!), and perhaps with some mild incense burning. If you are unexperienced with meditation or self-hypnosis, avoid starting your practice in environments with lots of sensory stimuli!
- If you are working with someone else, avoid words like “danger”, “cut”, “desperate” etc.¸ as these are emotive or “strong” words that invoke strong, often negative emotional reactions at a subconscious level. This can make the brain start to close up again, because it starts sensing stress or potential attackers. Instead of saying “there’s no danger here”, try something more neutral like “you know that you can be completely safe here”. Instead of saying “cutting away the strings holding onto your tension”, use terms like “slowly untying the strings connecting you to the tension”. Find ways of speaking or referring to things that use neutral, soft, non-threatening words. Additionally, wherever possible, avoid plosive consonants like hard P, hard C, or B. Instead go for more sibilant consonants like soft C, S, and H. Again, this sets up flowing river of words that the mind can flow away with, rather than a jarring barrage of words that disrupts the pleasant relaxed state you are hoping to culture.
- Always, always remember that the most important word when inducing someone else is COMMUNICATION. Before you begin, talk about what your goals are from a guided meditation or hypnosis experience, make sure you’ve talked about what direction you’re planning on taking, and always, always communicate with your partner throughout your session. Make sure to ask if they’re OK, if they’re feeling uncomfortable, or if there’s anything specific they need at that time. Do not constantly ask “if they’re in trance” – the whole point about trance is that it’s not some mysterious different state of mind, but rather it’s the same state of mind but simply in an altered form. Watch your partner, listen to them if they ask for anything or mention anything, and constantly be alert for if they are showing signs of distress. Hypnotic states can often make memories or visualisations more solid or real, so if your partner gets triggered by a memory during a trance state this can be even worse than it might normally be. Keep an eye out for any signs of discomfort, and be aware that it’s your job to keep them safe as well as guide them down and up again.
- Learn how to guide someone up safely, without causing distress – this is probably the most overlooked thing on this list, and yet it’s the one that’s easiest to get wrong. When guiding someone up, don’t try to control the speed or manner of their ascent. They’ve just been through an emotionally and mentally taxing ordeal, and if they need to take things slowly then that’s what you need to help them do. The most common and one of the best wake-up sequences is simply to count up from 0 to 10, at each level describing how another part of their body or mind is waking up in a logical order. However, look up alternative methods if you’d prefer, and allow THEM to control the speed of ascent. This might be achieved by asking them to count the numbers as they go, and each time they do moving onto the next line of the wake-up sequence.
I hope this beginners’ guide has helped you on your journeys towards fulfillment and mindfulness!
– Juniper WildWalk
Basic Witchcraft Substitutions
“I’m a secret Witch and don’t have access to herbs. What can I use instead of ____?”
“I can’t afford a cauldron, what can I use instead?”
“I can’t get ______, can I use _______?”
So I get this kind of question a lot. Witchcraft in the modern day, especially Witchcraft as it’s practiced by younger people and/or people on social media Witchcraft groups, has a certain aesthetic around it that tends to popularise expensive cauldrons, gem-studded wands, expensive black velvet shawls, and all the other trappings of a field that has become caught, like so many things, in the web of materialism and a desire to be identifiably “Witchy”. Now, please understand that this is not an inherently bad thing - common aesthetic or cosmetic themes are a trope common to many cultures and subcultures around the world and through history. They serve as common binding elements, giving people a much-needed sense of community, a sense of belonging, and a certain amount of morale boosting that might otherwise be hard for a person in a somewhat shunned subculture to achieve.
However, for those who are unable to make this kind of subculture connection apparent for whatever reason be it societal, financial or otherwise, or for those who wish an alternative presentation and practice of the Craft, this can sometimes be problematic. Many Witchcraft resources online assume that a Witch has free and open access to certain things, such as a metal cauldron, a ceremonial athame, a certain number of expensive herbs or crystals, or other such tools or components. Since this isn’t always practical, here is a simple substitution guide for you, giving a non-exhaustive list of potential, basic substitutions.
Please bear in mind, this list only gives example substitutions - other options are also potentially possible!
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Athame Most knives, especially things like letter-openers that are not used for eating. It doesn’t have to be sharp, as athames should never be used for cutting - that’s a boline’s job
Boline A boline is simply a sharp knife that is used for cutting spell ingredients and the like. Any sharp knife will do, just cleanse it appropriately before and after.
Cauldron Most bowls, though metal or fired and glazed clay is best as these materials are both fireproof and waterproof. Flowerpots or ceramic mugs can work if nothing else is available!
Chalice Any glass will work, however something special and with a stem, like a decorative or ornate wine glass, would be most suitable. You could also use a special or ornate mug, but one either without a handle or with two handles would be better than one with a single handle.
Coloured candles If you don’t mind the lack of colour, white is a good “general” colour. However, if the colour is essential, consider tying coloured ribbons around the base. Do not melt crayons into the wax, however - this can clog the candle-wick and cause it to explode, potentially violently.
Crystals Look up the associations for that stone, and see if any more common ones would do. In a pinch, consider instead writing the intentions on paper and burning it, or using stones from around your area that you feel have an appropriate energy.
Deity statues If your deities would find it appropriate, it may be possible to simply write their name on a candle, or inscribe a basic god or goddess figure into one, and burn that in place of using a statue or idol of your deities.
Grimmoiré A grimmoiré is really just a book that’s written in. Any notebook will work, no matter if it’s bound in singed leather or in a plastic spiral-bound homework book.
Herbs Again, consider possible alternatives - if sage isn’t available, rosemary is a good protective. If you don’t have feverfew for a headache charm, consider willow leaves or bark.
Pentacle table top A pentacle drawn on a piece of paper will work well as an alternative, or you could consider using something like water daubed into a pentagram on the table top.
Ritual or altar cloth Cleanse and bless any clean, appropriately coloured fabric and it will work well. A bedsheet is an ideal altar cloth. Black cloth is reserved for Samhain or funerary altars.
Wands A wand is simply a channelling device for your own innate energies and abilities, so anything that channels will work. Something like a stick that’s been blessed will do, as will any rod made out of metal.
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Blessed be,
– Juniper
is it bad to burn sage?
Nope! You’re probably thinking of the whole smudging deal - it’s not just Native Americans who burnt sage as a protective, most of Europe’s been doing it for a VERY long time as well. It’s literally just the word smudging that’s appropriative, along with the specific rituals that the Native Americans use; the generalised usage of sage smoke to cleanse things and spaces has been going on across the world long before the Old and New worlds met up.
7 simple water spells that use 2 ingredients or fewer
Not everyone has the time or money for a busy, involved spell. It takes practice, a quiet place to sit down, and often a lot of meditation or introspection before you can create a really POWERFUL spell. However, sometimes what you need isn’t power, but speed - these spells answer just that need combining water and no more than TWO other ingredients to create useful, flexible spells. They’re not the most powerful bits of magick you can perform, but they work fast, they don’t need a protective circle to cast them, and they can be re-performed easily and with almost no ingredient costs!
- Fill a glass with water, and invoke the healing elements of Water and Earth. Pour healing energies into the water, and add a sprinkle of salt to cleanse out impure energy. Drink this water in one go for a fast and easy noticeable healing spell. Please note, however, that it is not a super-powerful spell! If you really need healing, perform a proper, strong spell after going to a doctor.
- Dip your finger into a glass of saturated salty water, and use the water to draw a pentacle upon your table or altar. When the water evaporates it will leave the salt behind, creating a perfect salt pentacle perfect for keeping your altar free of harmful energies. This also means that it can be washed off in seconds with a damp paper towel or wash-cloth, making it easy to clean up and easy to dispose of in an instant if you are a secret or hidden Witch in an unfriendly environment.
- Mix sugar and a spice, such as vanilla* or cinnamon, into water and bless it under moonlight. Dedicate it to the moon and to the cycles of nature. Then, before the sun rises, pour the water out over any plants in your garden that need a little extra help staying healthy and strong. *Please only use vanilla extract, vanilla paste, or vanilla bean for this! Vanilla essence is NOT real vanilla, and has never seen the inside of any herbs at all. Vanilla essence is a chemical called vanillin, which was created synthetically in a factory - it is NOT a real herb!
- Add rosemary and sage to a jug of cool water, and leave it to sit in the fridge for three days. Take the jug out and dip a paintbrush into this water, and then paint the potion upon the top of any doors in your house that face the outside. This will prevent negative spirits from entering your dwelling, and will help prevent you bringing stress in from the outside world with you too!
- Add together 3 parts dried rosemary (or 5 parts fresh), 6 parts water (8 if using fresh herb) and 2 parts salt, boil together in a pan for at least 10 minutes, then leave this to sit in a cool place away from as much sunlight as possible. Leave this potion to sit and infuse for at least 2 weeks, and then during your showers measure out about a quarter-cup (~60ml) of the potion. Apply this to your scalp and hair, massaging vigorously, and then after at least 1 minute of leaving it in wash it out with shampoo and water. This potion is extremely nourishing for the hair, and will help your hair stay stronger for longer. Soak your hands and feet in it for 10 minutes twice-daily as a nail strengthener, too! Keep refrigerated when not in use!
- Under a full moon, step out into nature and bless a bucket of water. Add a handful of salt, and command the salt to dispel all impurities and harmful energies in the water, and then use whatever incantation or wording you choose to tell the water that anything washed within it will be cleansed of foul energies and made new again. Then use the water to wash down any items in your house that might have negative energies attached; for example a necklace that was given to you by an abusive ex; a favourite toy from your childhood before you moved away and couldn’t play with it anymore; or perhaps a ritual tool that has not been cleansed in a long time and has energies built up inside it. This water will remove all the bad energies, and leave the good ones, allowing you to make the object’s energy “new” again and remove bad associations.
- Fill a glass of water and dip your thumb into it, before pushing your Will into the water to infuse it with creativity, confidence, and innovation. Drink this water, or give it to someone you think needs it, and for a little while it will infuse them all the tools they need to be strong, confident, assertive and make their points well. Drink it before anything that requires these skills, such as a job interview, a presentation for school, or before asking your crush out on a date. It will fill you with confidence and help you get the job done right!
I hope this helps a lot of Witches who might be busy or secret or poor or forgetful, or maybe all of them together! Good luck my wonderful Witches, and may the Goddess bless you all!
– Juniper Wildwalk
u know what I’m gonna go out & use artificial vanilla just to spite this article because it’s really aggressive about its vanilla sourcing
How nice for you. Meanwhile, I’ll continue using real herbs with actual magick in them, not synthetic stuff cooked up in a lab that’s literally never seen a plant before. I’m not being aggressive about vanilla sourcing, I’m just telling you that given that vanilla essence has never been near a plant, ever, much less a vanilla plant, it doesn’t actually even count AS vanilla. Not so much “aggressive about vanilla sourcing”, more saying “telling you to use vanilla” - vanilla essence is not, and has never been, vanilla.
If I said to only use A. vulgaris mugwort in a herbal medicine, would you use A. absinthium out of spite too, because I was being “aggressive” about mugwort sourcing? Because if you did that, you’d end up using wormwood mugwort instead of common mugwort, and you’d potentially poison yourself.
Sometimes, when people specify something, it’s because they know what they’re talking about. I specified not to use artificial essence because it is not vanilla in any way, shape, or form, not to “attack” you.
Science and Witchcraft are not enemies
- A scientist will tell you that our cells are powered by combustion reactions. Combustion is just another word for the reactions involved in Fire.
- A scientist will explain that your blood is the same salinity as the oceans were 3.6 billion years ago, when living creatures first incorporated circulated Water into their basic structure - the precursors of blood.
- A scientist might teach you about the millions of tiny chambers in our lungs called alveolar sacs that inflate and deflate every time we breathe, allowing our blood to mix with Air to feed our cells.
- A scientist could tell you about the many minerals and metals that make up our bodies, from the metal in our bones to the phosphorus in our DNA, constructing our bodies out of Earth.
Our bodies are made of Earth, Air, Fire, Water and Spirit - the Elements of Magick
They’re also made of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorous, sulphur, iron, chlorine, potassium, sodium, and a million other elements and compounds - the Elements of Science
The Elements of Science and the Elements of Magick are not mutually exclusive.
Science and Witchcraft are not mutually exclusive.
You can be a scientifically-minded Witch, or a Witchcraft-practicing scientist, or anything in between. Your magick does not have to conflict with your science, and your Elements of Magick can be the same as your Elements of Science.
Illuminate the worlds of science and Witchery with your knowledge and your light. Let yourself shine, a beacon of bright knowledge and wisdom in the night of ignorance and fear.
– Juniper WildWalk
Georges Hobeika Spring/Summer 2017
menthol illwess innit
celebrities watching parasite be like
this is funny to me. self awareness level 0
this is, without a doubt, my favorite tiktok ever.
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