How to Organize Your Book of Shadows/Grimoire

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A great recommendation on how to do so! Remember, though, this is only an opinion: always follow your intuition and include what feels right! There may be topics on this list that are not applicable to your practice and/or don't interest you, and that is okay. Each book of shadows/grimoire is unique item that should be personal to you and you alone.

Witchcraft: Tea Magic

Credit: spells8

Witchcraft: How to Connect With Your Intuition

Credit: lovebyluna

Secular Celebrations - Lughnasadh

From Midsummer, we move to Lughnasadh in early August. Also called Lammas, this is the first of the three harvest holidays. Much of what you’ll see associated with this holiday involves bread, bread, and for a change of pace, more bread and also corn. But there are also associations with field games, music, crafts, artistry, games of skill, self-expression, wishmaking, and the first fruits of the harvest. It’s another holiday for picnics and bonfires, so keep that in mind when you’re planning your festivities.

It’s probably easiest to talk about the food first, since that’s a big part of this holiday. Lots of witches bake bread of some sort for Lughnasadh, in observance of the grain harvest. This would be a great time to put that sourdough starter to use, if you made one. But don’t limit yourself to bread alone! Late summer fruits and vegetables are also coming into season and that gives you plenty of options for kitchen witchery. Check your local farmer’s market or produce stand for what’s available, or see what’s in season for your area, since this will vary from region to region.

You can make jams and preserves, try your hand at winemaking or brewing beer, make a vegetarian or fruit-based dish, or cook over an open fire, if you have the option. You should be able to harvest things from your garden as well, since it will be producing by this time, and this is another great holiday for visiting pick-your-own berry patches and orchards. If you can, share what you harvest or make with friends and neighbors. This is a time to remember your circle and your community as well. None of us stand alone, and we are stronger when we stand together and nurture those bonds.

Make decorations with wheat stalks and corn husks, and thank the fields and the sun for their bounty. Just like on Midsummer, you can hang ribbons and paper wishes from trees and shrubs if you like. I’m also partial to (very carefully) gathering brambles, rose thorns, and holly hedge cuttings for use later in the year around Lughnasadh. It’s a tricky, prickly business, but they come in very handy when you’re preparing magical protections for the home.

If you can have a small bonfire or have the opportunity to light up a cauldron or a burning bowl, you can throw incense or paper wishes into the fire. If you like, you can also throw paper packets containing your regrets into the fire, symbolically ridding them from your life and freeing you to move forward.

If the weather allows, have a field day! Play games, have a cookout or a barbecue, play music, and enjoy yourself. Celebrate the abundance that the first harvest brings into your life and all the hard work you’ve done so far in the year. Provided that your circle can gather, maybe have an informal tournament with games of skill and chance. For those of you who just went, “-gasp- Trivia contest!” you’re right on the mark. That carnival atmosphere comes into play again for Lughnasadh, so have a little fun with your near and dear.

Handicrafts and the arts are also celebrated at Lughnasadh. It’s a good time to start that new project you’ve been meaning to do, or to try your hand at a new skill.

This is also a time to begin reaping what you’ve sown and to examine your own progress since the beginning of the growing season. Meditate on how your personal projects are going. What progress have you made toward your goals? What have you learned so far this year? What promises have you kept, which ones could use more dedication, and which ones fell by the wayside?

How have your actions, for good or for ill, affected the direction of your path? What have you sown that is now coming to fruition? What is still budding? What has yet to manifest? What might require more of your attention?

Meditate also on self-expression. How well do you communicate with others? What would you like to improve? Are there boundaries that you need to clarify or reinforce? How much are you allowed or able to be your truest self? What do you long to be able to do or say or express differently?

Keep in mind that progress, education, and recovery do not happen in straight lines or have constant upward trajectories. Be patient with yourself. You may not be exactly where you thought you’d be, but you’re still further along than you were. Even a single step forward counts, and it’s okay to stop and rest if you need to.

- Hex Positive, Ep. 011 - Secular Celebrations (November 01, 2020)

Other Posts In This Series:

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New Herbal/Kitchen Witchery Guide : - Featuring so many more herbs, flowers, roots, etc. - Now with a fruit/vegetable set for cooking your spell work ;) - There’s now deities associated and planet/gender/element for each listing.

This is the second post in the series, ginseng through star anise

Herbalism Post Link Tree: Post 1 | Post 2 | Post 3

New Herbal/Kitchen Witchery Guide : - Featuring so many more herbs, flowers, roots, etc.  - Now with a fruit/vegetable set for cooking your spell work ;) - There’s now deities associated and planet/gender/element for each listing. 

This is the first post in the series, acorns through flax seeds 

If you guys notice any errors or issues on this post (or the other ones) let me know here or in a message so I can fix it! 

I managed to catch COVID earlier this week (send me your healing vibes pls). The 3rd post is the most likely to be wonky since I worked on it while fevering today  😂

Herbalism Post Link Tree: Post 1 | Post 2 | Post 3

New Herbal/Kitchen Witchery Guide : - Featuring so many more herbs, flowers, roots, etc. - Now with a fruit/vegetable set for cooking your spell work ;) - There’s now deities associated and planet/gender/element for each listing.

This is the last post in the series: sunflowers through ylang ylang, then fruit and vegetable correspondences! 

Herbalism Post Link Tree: Post 1 | Post 2 | Post 3

Bedridden witch: Elements edition

Little ways to connect to the elements while you’re bedridden or stuck inside.

Earth:

Water:

Air:

Fire:

Click here for my other posts in this series!

Thanks to @healing-water-witch for giving me the idea and contributing!

Witchcraft: Dream Herbs and Crystals

Please do your research and be cautious if you intend to ingest any of the herbs mentioned here. If in doubt, don't consume it!

Credit: manifestmoons

Small Witchy Challenges to Reconnect to Your Practice

Sometimes it can be hard to really feel connected to the actual magickal side of being a witch. Personally I’m involved with my deities or other spiritual/personal things 110% of the time but I don’t always feel connected to my actual witchcraft. So here are a few small magickal challenges I thought up to help anyone in a similar situation.

✨ – Set aside a time once a week to burn a candle. Make it a color that connects to whatever aspect of your life you would like insight or growth in and spend 10 minutes watching the flame and opening yourself to whatever it is you’re seeking.

✨ – If you have any books with pre written simple spells in them (most intro to witchcraft books have a section) flip through it and find a spell that calls to you and do it! As written, just to practice getting out of your head and going through the motions of spell work.

✨ – Send out blessings. To your crush. A new friend. Your best friend. Your mom. Whoever.

✨ – Call up your energy into your palms and then place them on your own heart to send yourself love and healing and to connect yourself to your energy.

✨ – Spend some time picturing the kind of witch you wish you were, your ideal witchsona if you will. Then tell yourself that’s exactly who you already are. Keep reminding yourself whenever you feel disconnected from your craft that you are already an unbelievable witch.

✨ – Go back through your old book of shadows/grimoire and reflect on what’s worked for you in the past.

✨ – Wake up and tell yourself first thing “I am a witch. I am magick. My life is full of magick. I see and feel all the magick around me. I am a witch.”

✨ – Pick out outfits or accessories that make you feel witchy. (Bonus points for intentionally planning a super witchy outfit on the full moon)

✨ – Do a spell for anything that’s coming up in your life that you want to work out a certain way, no matter how trivial it seems. Test this week? Do a spell. About to start a work out routine? Do a spell. First date? Spell. Gotta stay on budget grocery shopping? Spell. Your worth it, it’s good practice, and if it all ends up working even better!

✨ – Write down spell ideas as they come to you. Save them as notes in your phone and then come back and flesh them out in your BOS later.

✨ – Come up with your own challenges! If you’d like to share, tag me on your post or send them to me, I’d love to hear your ideas!

Witchcraft: Home Protection Spray

Credit: wiccantips

Coffee and Tea Magic

Two of the most popular beverages around the world, coffee and tea are more than just a tasty drink.

Do teas or coffee really have magical properties? Read more to find out~

Witchcraft: Grounding

Grounding or “Earthing” is the exercise of adjusting your energy and body to the Earth’s frequency. The Earth continually pulsates at the frequency of 7.83 Hertz, which is called the Schumann Resonance. This frequency is generated in the Earth’s electromagnetic field by the electrical collaboration between the Earth’s surface and the ionosphere.

There are many ways to ground yourself or promote grounding energies around you. The possibilities of techniques are nearly boundless which is inspiring. Everywhere you could possibly be is on this planet, meaning you can ground at any moment you desire.

Common Grounding Methods:

Chromomancy:

Using color magic, you can incorporate colors around and within yourself to ground. One can preform this with their wardrobe, crystals, candles, thread, hair color, makeup, artwork, interior designs. The Root Chakra is correlated with the color Red, whilst the hues Brown and Black embody Earth itself. You can visualize your body filling with a warm light that is brown, red, or black.

Crystals:

Whilst on the idea of color magic, you can choose stones of the particular aforementioned colors for grounding purposes as well. However, every single gem comes from the Earth, and thus works. My personal recommendations would be Moss Agate, Tiger’s Eye, Bronzite, Dendrite, Garden Quartz, and Tree Agate. You can do this by wearing or carrying stones with you.

Edibles:

Growing, cooking, or simply eating foods that grew beneath the Earth’s surface can assist in attuning you with Earth’s frequency or energies. This ranges from vegetables to spices. Ginger Root, Turmeric, and Galangal also can work phenomenally.

Scanning:

Body scanning is the process of taking the time to observe how each and every segment of your body feels to connect with yourself and the present moment. I recommend starting with the bottom of your feet, noticing how they feel. Are they sore, or maybe dry? Once you’ve felt it entirely, move upwards until you’ve focused on your entire body.

Scents:

Certain aromas will also influence you to become grounded, especially when done with intention. From oil rollers to diffusers, there are many ways to apply scent in your home. If essential oils are not your favorite, you can always use fresh flowers or leaves in a potpourri.

Sounds:

There are a vast range of methods that may incorporate sound into grounding. This includes but is not limited to listening to Hertz Frequencies directly. Alternatively, there are guided visualizations and meditations throughout the internet to use as well. If those do not resonate with you, listening to animals, winds, storms, or fires always work as well.

Walks:

Walking barefoot on the Earth is one of the most conventional methods of grounding out there. The Earth maintains an electrical potential on its surface, and when you are in direct contact with the ground, the Earth’s electrons are conducted to your body, and thus attuning it to the same electrical frequency.

Witchcraft: Working with the Moon (+ lunar phase correspondences)

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Witchcraft: A Guide to Incense + Correspondences

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Caution:

Overall, if you use incense properly, safely, and sparingly, it should not pose you any health problems.

Witchcraft: Herbal First Aid Kit

Note: Always consult a licensed doctor/physician before using any herbs for medicinal purposes, especially if intended as an internal supplement.