How to set up your altar.

However you want.

Bee Protection for Gardens and Homes

It’s that time of year when the flowers are blooming and it’s getting warmer… And here come the Bees! I know so many people don’t like them, but the fact of the matter is, we need them. For pollination, for life.. and for honey (I happen to love honey, so yes, I need them). 

But what else can Bees be for? Well, people don’t like to mess with them, and I was thinking, maybe the Bees can have another purpose. Protection. They’re already around our homes and gardens, just doing their thing, and how many people like messing with bees? No one. No one likes to mess with Bees.

But how to do it? Well, I think Bees (both physical and spiritual, and yes I believe in little Bee spirits) deserve the same respect and treatment of any entity you would ask the favor and protection of. Be it local spirits, fae, house wights, or anything else. Offerings are always a good place to start.

1.) Give an offering of honey - Bees love honey, but make sure it is not from over seas! Foreign honeys can have bacteria and chemicals that are deadly to the local Bees. Always offer local honey (‘tis the season of the farmers markets)!

2.) Place or plant flowers and blossoming plants in your garden or around the home - This will take some research. Find out want plants grow well in your area that Bees like. There is so much information available online, it should not be hard to find. Give them a reason to want to bee (<—pun inserted here) around.

3.) Leave out some water - Not many people know this, but Bees do get thirsty! Leave out some water for them, and put some stones in there that aren’t covered all the way so the Bees can land and get a little drink. After all, they come out during the summer, and it’s hot as hell in most places.

4.) Don’t be afraid! - If you find a bee in the house, let it go outside. Don’t scream if you see one… You wouldn’t do that to a spirit your asking help from, the Bees don’t really like it either. And they are not out to get you. Bees are only aggressive if threatened. If you see some Bees, just leave them alone and let them do their thing.

Whenever an offering is left or you see a Bee, make sure to make it known you appreciate it’s hard work, and hope it aids in the protection of your home and garden. 

If you have anything else to add, please do so! Otherwise, I hope this helps protect some homes and gardens, and makes many prosperous relationships for witches and Bees!

Now that the weather is starting to warm up, I want to reblog this for anyone that would like the aid and love of the Bees this spring and summer!

Celebrate Midsummer

Outside:

In the Home:

In the Kitchen:

In the Bath:

On your Altar:

Spells and Sigils for Animals, Pets, and Familiars

Updated: March 29th, 2016

[Resources for Familiars and Animal Partners]

Attracting Animals

Blessings

Communication

Death / Remembrance

Finding / Calling a Familiar

Healing and Health

*Do not neglect taking your pet to the vet for a cheaper, magical solution; spells should be used as a boost, not a replacement, to proper medical treatment for any animal. Be very careful with any flames or small objects around animals.*

Locating Lost Animals

Protection

Sigils

Miscellaneous

Looking to find more adult witches (21+) blogs to follow.

Younger witches are cool, but I want some more content from people who are going through similar things in life as I am, and have similar priorities.

Like/reblog/follow and I’ll check you out.

22 right now, gonna be 23 in may tho

29!

26, turning 27 this year.

26 this year

Currently 21, turning 22 this year!

29 and still don’t know what I’m doing lol! 

25, going on 26. The adventure continues.

Just turned 29 :)

Hymns

Finished all of the hymn requests! :D Here’s my current list of hymns :D

Morning Hymn

Morning Prayer

Nighttime Prayer I

Nighttime Prayer II

Hymn to Asclepios and His Daughters & Prayer for Good Health

Hymn to Zeus & Prayer for Protection and Blessings

Hymn to the Muses & Prayer for Help in Finals/Exams

Hymn to Athene & Prayer for Help in Finals

Hymn to Hermes, Apollo, and Hekate & Prayer for Protection During Travel

Hymn to Hermes & Prayer for Protection

Short Hymn to Hestia & Prayer for Her Continued Blessing (To be said before giving up a piece of your meal)

Hymn to Dionysos & Prayer for Merriment and a Joyous Heart

Hymn to Aphrodite & Prayer for Her Continued Blessing and Support

Hymn to Hermes and Hestia & Prayer for Their Continued Blessing

Hymn to Artemis & Prayer for her Continued Blessing

Hymn to Selene & Prayer for Her Continued Blessing

Hymn to Persephone & Prayer for Her Continued Blessing

Hymn to Hestia & Prayer for a Harmonious Oikos

Hymn to Dionysos & Prayer for His Continued Blessing

Hymn to Hades & Prayer for His Continued Blessing

Hymn to Morpheus & Prayer for His Continued Blessing

Hymn to Selene & Prayer for Her Continued Blessing

Hymn to Persephone & Prayer for Their Continued Blessings

Hymn to Persephone and Hades & Prayer for Their Blessing Over All Sacred Unions

Hymn to Zeus and Hera & Prayer for A Better Year

Daily Prayer to Artemis (Short)

Daily Prayer to Persephone (Short)

Hymn to Hades & Prayer for His Continued Blessing

Hymn to Morpheus & Prayer for His Continued Blessing

Hymn to Dionysos & Prayer for His Continued Blessing

Hymn to Hera & Prayer for Her Continued Blessing

Hymn to Aphrodite & Prayer for Self-Love

Hymn to Nature (as a whole)

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.

What you will need:

Place set of objects into a thin, tall bottle. Close the bottle well. Shake the bottle with your non-dominant hand for 5 minutes while repeating these or similar words: ‘Herbs and silver, Copper and grain; Work to increase my money gain’ Place the money spell bottle on a table somewhere in your house. Leave your purse, wallet or cheque book near the bottle when at home. Allow money to come into your life. 

Attention Fellow Witches!

I’M GOING TO TELL YOU ABOUT THIS MAGICAL ASS WITCH SHOP AND WHY IT’S IMPORTANT TO YOU!

This place is called Maggie’s Pharm and it’s unique to my hometown of Memphis TN. They have existed for over 35 years now, surviving through the recession and managing to stay afloat when all else around them disappeared. They are locally owned and nearly ALL of their products are handmade. They have a phenomenal selection of oils and shampoos, as well as all kinds of medicinal remedies and teas and soaks to help those in need.

The great thing about them is that not only do the have superior customer service (some of the nicest and most helpful people I have EVER met, and their knowledge base is just amazing - you can ask them literally any question about their products, or ask for advice on how to achieve a certain outcome and they’ll ALWAYS answer with a polite and humble air. Very Educated), but they also DO NOT BOAST using their products in place of proper medical care for serious conditions. They advocate a harmony and melding of the two, and I think that’s just great.

BUT LET ME GET TO THE MEAT OF WHY I MADE THIS POST. 

THEIR HERBS.

Guys. GUUUUUYS. They literally have every herb you could ever think of. And their spice collection is impressive as well. And everything is FRESH and NEW. They are constantly turning over and taking care of their products. Like, every time I’ve been in there, there’s some lady taking down the jars and examining them, refilling whats low or dumping what may have sat for too long. This shit is legit. These people take great pride in their work and it shows in the product. Maggie’s has never let me down in all these years (even before my witchy days, when I was simply going in there for their special tea blends and their homemade skin care products.)

The best part? Everything is reasonably priced. Nothing over the top. 

For example, today I bought Jasmine, Chamomile, Thyme, Basil, Peppermint, Sandalwood, Red Rosebud Petals, Mugwort, Sage, Dandelion Root, Cayenne Pepper, Rosemary, Lavender AND a new mortar and pestle all for like 34 bucks. You can’t beat that dude.

Now why am I telling you all this, my dear witchy friends, when most likely you live very far away from this place and can’t access these wonders?

WELL GOOD NEWS. THEY SHIP.

That’s right you heard me. THEY’LL SHIP ANYWHERE YOU WANT.

I’m not sure about outside the US, you’d have to call and ask them, but I DO KNOW they can for sure send anywhere in the US. But LOOK GUYS. This is a great place and you can totally utilize it in your craft.

In a world where technology and the internet reign supreme, it’s nice to see that some truly magical homely places like this still exist in the world. I know its easy to buy online (and it may be a bit cheaper too) but please PLEASE give these guys a look and a shout out. 

We don’t want the magical witch shops of the world to disappear.

So please, if you can, give these lovely people a try. You won’t be disappointed I can promise you. And they deserve support more than you could ever know.

Thanks everyone <3 -hugs you all-

www.maggiespharm.com

Shop local, even if itms not *your* local ;)

I like to have white or ambient noise playing while I study, so I thought I’d share a list of my favourite websites in case anyone else was interested.

Ostara Tea

since i cant do much for Ostara this year i figured the least i could do is come up with a nice tea recipe in celebration for it, i came up with this from what herbs i have on hand here at school. 

Materials 

boil water,  then steep herbs mixture for  5-10 minutes once steeped strain/ remove the herbs. then add the honey and milk. Serve in your favorite mug and enjoy.

Also dont forget to leave some outside as an offering. (i usually pour it onto the roots of one of my favorite trees) 

-HoneyCoyote-

ALWAYS research herbs and other ingredients before use to make sure they wont cause any medical complications 

You are a witch. You warp the very energy that makes up the universe. You dig chunks of sharp crystal from the earth with bare hands and wear them as trinkets. You rip herbs from the dirt and use them to spice the air. You collect glass and bones and storm water and daggers.

Maybe you’re a different sort of witch. Maybe you write music like a siren’s song, sung to the stars, manipulating them until they shine the way you wish. Maybe you delve deep into code and weave quiet, meticulous charms into the very bones of the cyber world, feeling the flow of waves and wifi like others do the wind and the ways of the cosmos. Maybe you collect eldritch creatures, spirits, fae, and deities like others do stamps, frightened because you’re smart, unceasing because you’re brave, and know you’re much scarier than anything you welcome over your threshold.

Maybe you slip blessings into food. Maybe you slip curses under doorsteps. Maybe you draw symbols on your arms. Maybe you write incantations to be heard only by crickets, wicked, whispered nocturnes.

Whatever you do, however you do it, you are a witch. You are a warrior by default. Your strength is as innate to you as breathing. The only thing you must fear is what will happen when someone pushes you too far.

In which I (sleepily) rant about Harry Potter and Christian homeschooling

Harry Potter was something to fear growing up. For those of us who were aware of the books’ existence, we classified them as “dangerous.” We were told that these books would invite demons into our homes. My mother was convinced that the only way J.K. Rowling could think up such things were if demons influenced her dreams and caused her to write it. No shit. She’s thoroughly convinced that this is the same case with the author of the Twilight books too.

This type of paranoid, extremist thinking isn’t uncommon at all in the fundamentalist Christian homeschooling communities. With my experience down in the South where religion already runs rampant, I witnessed how that atmosphere fueled the twisted ideologies of Christian homeschooling parents to the point of insanity. If they believe that demons are real and that bringing in certain secular material that “promotes” witchcraft will invoke demons, then who’s going to stop them? After all, the parents know what’s best…right?

What happens to the brains of these children who are so sheltered from the world in the name of keeping them Christian and pure? Because in this world, demons are real and you’ll go to Hell if you don’t accept Jesus as your Savior. Fear is instilled in us from the very beginning. Fear of the outside world, other people (mostly “unbelievers”), sex, and losing our eternal salvation. We were forced to grow up in this rigid way of thinking, lest we lose ourselves to the “secular world.”

The religious homeschool world can be a pretty fucked up place to grow up in, though.

But as it turns out, thankfully, Harry Potter isn’t evil. Rejecting Christianity didn’t make me a terrible, immoral, hateful person. If anything, leaving Christianity made me a better person because I’m a kinder and much more compassionate human being now. And yo, Harry Potter is the bomb. Like, who the hell wants to deprive their children of this stuff?! It’s awesome! Unlike what my mother taught me, it doesn’t teach you spells. It takes you on this fucking magical journey and…damn, one of my favorite book series ever so far.

Stop depriving your kids, people, and just let us live a little. Life is short.

I feel like you just explained my whole homeschool experience. Glad I wasn’t the only one!

I want to say how impressed I am by the OP's courage. Questioning something on which you've been indoctrinated is terrifying, and takes a great deal of personal strength. Kudos.

You Can't Take the Sky from Me - A Spell to Keep Flying (Firefly)

This spell is for when you’re in a tough spot, when the world is trying to bring you down, when you just need to keep flying. You will need:

Procedure:

The three stones represent the troubles in your life. If you wish, you can take the permanent marker and write specific worries, problems, or things you’ve lost on each stone, or you can just meditate on your troubles while holding the stones.

The leaf represents you, and your ability to persevere even through these troubles. Take the marker and write on the leaf “I will keep flying.“ Write it as many times as you’d like, and feel free to add other Firefly quotes that appeal to you, or even quotes from other sources.

Put on your brown coat, and go outside. This works best when you have a good space to throw the stones without being able to see where they land, or a pond or body of water to sink them in. If you have to do this out a window, you can, but be careful.

Taking the stones in hand, say or sing: Take my love.

and throw one of the stones. If you’re doing this out a window, just drop it carefully - causing property damage is not the idea here. However, if you do just drop the stones, don’t look for them ever again. Don’t pick them up. Don’t look down when you’re walking in the area where you dropped them. If you happen to accidentally glimpse one, pretend you didn’t. For the purposes of this spell, those stones are gone the instant you let go of them after speaking the words. 

Continue the first verse of the song, throwing the second rock after you say Take my land, and the third after you say Take me where I cannot stand.

Now hold up the leaf, and say to yourself 

I don’t care, I’m still free.

As you say these words, imagine yourself leaving behind the troubles that you cast away with those stones. If it isn’t a very windy day, tear up the leaf as you speak, which will let the scraps fly away more easily. When you say You can’t take the sky from me, cast the leaf into the wind, and watch how it soars. 

If you’d like, you can repeat this process using more stones, more leaves, and other verses of the Ballad of Serenity.

HERE’S THE DEAL...

Voting is very important and I want you all to get out and voice your opinion on who should be elected as President and Senate, along with the amendments and such! So I’m offering my FOLLOWERS a deal if you get out a vote tomorrow, March 1st! If you post a picture of you with your “I voted” sticker (NOT AT THE POLLS IT’S ILLEGAL) I will give you a free one card tarot reading! Just get out and vote, get your sticker, head home or wherever, snap a picture of you with it, and tag me when you post it!  I’ll be offering this from 7am until midnight on March 1st only! So make sure you post it promptly!  Thank you guys and please PLEASE get out and vote! The future of our future leaders!