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Tips For Those Who Are Considering Witchcraft

Deciding to practice witchcraft and magick can be equally daunting and exciting.  Here are some tips about what to do if you are thinking about becoming a witch!

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First, a few things that you should NOT do:

1.    Do not do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable, period.  Trust your intuition, and always stay true to yourself.

2.    Do not do anything that puts you in danger.  This includes casting a spell without protection, or opening yourself to spirits before you know what you are doing.  This also includes running out in the middle of a storm to collect rain water, or agreeing to meet a witch that you met online, alone.  Use common sense in all matters of your craft; your safety and health, both physical and mental, must come first.

3.    Do not do anything that contradicts your own personal, spiritual, moral, ethical, or other beliefs.  Unless you plan on changing what you believe, just don’t do it.  It doesn’t matter if everybody and their familiar is doing something; if it doesn’t agree with you, walk away from it.

4.    Do not start actually practicing anything witchcraft-related until you have researched it.  Do not do a spell until you have a working understanding of magick, as well as all of the ingredients involved in the spell – even ones you intend to substitute (especially the ingredients that you intent to substitute, actually).

5.    Don’t take witchcraft lightly. Your craft doesn’t need to be all serious spells and spiderwebs, but you do need to have a healthy respect for the energies and powers that you will be working with.  You shouldn’t fear them - never work with anything that makes you afraid - but you should respect them.

6.    Don’t take your studies lightly. Put yourself through witch school. Research everything; ask yourself questions and give yourself homework.  Ask others questions and ask them to give you homework!  Be creative in your studies, but still take them seriously.  You don’t have to be hunched over spellbooks all day, but you should make an effort to at least mentally review your existing knowledge, on days that you can’t find the time for more.  

7.    Do not be afraid to ask questions or for help – but do not automatically assume that everybody actually knows the answer.  Most witches around here will do their best to answer your questions, but they’ll also usually straight tell you if they don’t know something themselves; you should respect that, whether or not they point you in the direction of somebody else.  On the other hand, if something sounds wrong, trust yourself and double check.  Get a second opinion, if need be.  

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Next, a few things that you should know before you enter the world of witchcraft:

1.    Witchcraft is real, and magick is real.  Whether or not you believe in it, it believes in you (as the saying goes).  Approaching magick as if you were cosplaying Harry Potter is an attractive but ultimately unwise idea.  Approaching magick as if you were learning to operate a highly beneficial but potentially dangerous piece of machinery – now, that is a wise idea.

2.    Witchcraft isn’t inherently evil, but neither is it inherently pure good.  Witchcraft is power, plain and simple.  It is what one chooses to do with that power that gives it such meaning, and even then, the concept of good and evil is an ethical and spiritual one, and thereby tends to vary from person to person, and from witch to witch.  You have to use your own morals to guide you.  The only type of magick that should be in your witchcraft is the magick you intentionally choose to put there.  On a related note: I personally don’t agree with classifying magick as ‘black magick’ or ‘white magick’, period – not because magick can’t have precise descriptors, but because there’s no need to use terms that have such negative racial undertones.  Light can be harmful and ‘evil’, while darkness can be protective and ‘good’. Your intentions aren’t “to do dark” or “to do light”, anyway.  Your intentions are “to do harm” or “to do healing”; your intentions are “to take away” or “to give”.

3.    Witchcraft is a personal practice. You do not need to follow any one specific path, spiritual or otherwise, in order to practice witchcraft.  There are many different types of witches, and many different types of magick.  If there is not one specific path that you feel is absolutely perfect for you, don’t choose one that feels ‘close enough’ – walk your own path and mold your witchcraft into something that is uniquely yours.  

4.    Witches worship in varying ways.  Some do not worship at all, and are purely secular witches.  Some are simply spiritual and do not follow one set path. Some are polytheists and worship many gods; some are monotheists and worship one.  Some are atheists and worship none!   Some are Wiccan.  Some are Christian.  Some are Satanists.  Some worship ancestors.  Some worship the stars.  Witchcraft is a personal practice, and should co-exist with all other aspects of your life.

5.    You don’t need a whole lot to get started.  Twigs can be used as wands; rock quartz can be used as a crystal.  Tea mixes contain herbs, and your spice cabinet is basically a magick cabinet.  Most of what is in your house can be used for magick, for that matter.  While it is definitely helpful to have the proper tools and ingredients when performing magick, it is possible to DIY your way through witchcraft until you can afford otherwise.  Also, it is probably smarter to wait a second before you run out and purchase anything, anyway.  As you learn more, you’ll start to see which tools you really need, which ingredients you’ll likely be using the most, which items really call out to you.  If you run out and buy everything that you see right away, you risk wasting money on things that just don’t work for you, or that you don’t even need.

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Lastly, here are the things that you DO need to do, no matter what:

o    Be true to yourself.  Do not compromise yourself or your beliefs.

o    Be safe.  Don’t do or use anything that you do not have a working knowledge of.

o    Be educated.  Never stop seeking out new knowledge; try to learn something new daily.

o    Use common sense.  Don’t get caught up in things; think before you take action.

o    Trust your intuition and instinct.  We often know more than we consciously realize.

o    Be creative.  Write the spell that you’ve been looking for.  See what is laying around the house that you can use for your witchcraft.  Be inventive!

o    Have patience.  Learning takes time; magick takes time; developing your craft takes time.

That’s it for the moment!  Tune in tomorrow for a post regarding more tips and information on what to do when you do decide to go ahead enter the world of witchcraft ^_^

~Tari

[blackcatsbaby]

Gahhh, I feel like a really shitty witch right now. I haven't gotten anything done lately; the most I’ve done is printed a year calendar and started infusing some oil, thats it for nearly 2 weeks. I’m definitely planning on being witch af for Mabon though so yeah

[blackcatsbaby]

[blackcatsbaby]

Basic Charging / Casting Circle

I recently got a few messages from witches wondering how to charge items using the elements. Most of them were familiar with how to charge items with moonlight or sunlight but were a little confused as to how they should go about charging items using the elements. Overall, charging items using the elements is pretty easy. Here are a few methods:

To charge something with the element of fire either bathe it in the light of a fire, smoke or flames.

To charge something with the element of water either drop a few drops of water on the item, fully submerge the item in water (sink/bathtub/lake/pond/stream/ocean) or leave the item out in the rain.

To charge something with the element of earth either sprinkle some dirt on the item, bury it or charge it using rocks/stones/crystals.

To charge something with the element of air either blow air onto the item, leave the item out in the wind or bathe the item in smoke from incense.

If you wanted to you could charge something using all five elements (water, fire, earth, air and spirit) using a basic charging/casting circle. All you have to do is draw the circle above, put the item you want to charge in the centre of the pentacle, put representations of each element in their appropriate circle and then place your palm in the circle which represents spirit/self. Then, if you have a chant/incantation etc. say it and charge your item.

And there you go. I wish you all the best with your charging.

-          Marci

[blackcatsbaby]

[blackcatsbaby]

[blackcatsbaby]

[blackcatsbaby]

Herbal Amulets

From Magical Herbalism by Scott Cunningham

To See Ghosts: Carry lavender and inhale its scent.

To allay fears: Carry a mixture of nettle and yarrow.

To Detect Witches: Carry a sachet of Rue, maidenhair, agrimony, broom-straw, and ground ivy.

To Be Courageous: Wear a fresh borage flower, or carry mullein.

To Avoid Military Service: Wear the 4-leaved clover if you wish to avoid duty.

To Ensure Safety and Protection on A Journey: Comfrey worn or carried will safeguard you.

To Prevent Storms and Wreckage While At Sea: Put a clove of garlic in your purse or in your pocket. In the South Pacific or in Hawaii wear a garland of ti leaves.

To Guard against Rape: Wear the heather to avoid all acts of passion.

To Keep One from Dreaming: Hang a sprig of lemon verbena around the neck.

To Conceive: Wear the mistletoe, the cyclamen, or the bistort.

To Prevent Weariness while Walking: Put mugwort in the shoe.

To Keep Venomous Beasts and Wild Animals Afar: Wear avens or mullien.

To Keep Others from Deceiving You: Wear the pimpernel or snapdragon.

To Keep Disease Afar: Wear a sprig of rue around the neck.

To Enable A Soldier To Escape His Enemies: Wear the vervain and you shall accomplish this.

To Avoid Being Sent To The Gallows: Wear or carry a carnation.

To Ensure Victory: Wear woodruff to win.

To Ensure That Friendly Words Are Spoken To You: Wear the heliotrope.

To Enter the Underworld: Carry an apple, or the branch of an apple tree that bears buds, flowers, and fully ripened fruit.

To Regain Lost Manhood: Carry an acorn or mandrake root.

To Remain Youthful: Carry an acorn.

To Prevent Drunkenness: Wear a chaplet of saffron, crocus, parsley, or rue to prolong your enjoyment.

To See Fairies: Gather wild thyme and carry it with you, or put it on the eyelids (with your eyes closed) and sleep on a fairy hill.

To Be A Successful Fisherman: Carry a bit of the hawthorn.

To See A Unicorn: As this beast usually lives among the ash trees, carry a bit of the wood or leaves and you may see one. Or lie down among ashes and place one of its leaves on your chest and wait for one to make itself known.

[blackcatsbaby]

[blackcatsbaby]

A fabulous video a friend of mine did on different things to research<3

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A cup o’ tea in the forest

[blackcatsbaby]

Part 1 of a series of Mirkwood appreciation posts (x)

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Mount Rainier National Park, WA

Flickr / Instagram

[blackcatsbaby]

New smoked quarts crystal ball🔮

[blackcatsbaby]

[blackcatsbaby]

Faerie Sight

How to see faeries:

Wearing one’s coat inside out.

Wearing a posy of primroses.

A four leaf clover crushed and put into an ointment may give one sight of the Faeries as well as placing Faerie Ointment on the eyelids.

Bending over and looking backwards through your legs.

Looking through a Fir knot hole.

Looking through a loop made with a Rowan twig may cause Faerie sight.

Looking through a hag stone. 

Meditating on a daily basis.

Averting one’s vision.

Dawn, moon, dusk, and midnight are the best times for faerie sightings.

Believe - faeries will most likely not show themselves to non-believers.

Have good intention - faeries can sense it.

Looking for a long time without blinking.

[blackcatsbaby]