#witchcraft resources

[tenofmuses]

Free Witchcraft Resources for Beginners

A couple months ago I made a post shouting out the fact that witchcraft doesn’t require any money to get started (or to be practiced, for that matter), and I had a few people ask me about what they can do that’s free, especially as a beginner, so I wrote up this post. I was lost and broke when I was getting started with my craft, and it was really difficult to find tips for beginners that weren’t just “buy these things!” I’m hoping this will be useful for people who are looking for a place to begin.

So. You’re interested in witchcraft and would like to find out more. Maybe you keep seeing those “crystals/herbs/books/etc. beginner witches should have” posts, and you’re frustrated, because you want to begin your practice, but don’t have the money for those supplies. I was once in that spot, and even now that I’m five years into my practice, I have rarely purchased any of the supplies witchtok deems to be fundamental. Here are some places you can begin instead. Let’s get started!

Info continues below.

Foundations

By foundations, I’m referring to things that aren’t explicitly witchcraft, but that I have found very beneficial within my own practice.

1. Before anything, I recommend asking yourself a simple question: why do I want to practice witchcraft, and what do I hope to get out of it? You may not know for sure yet, and your answer will likely change over time, but having some intentions going in can be helpful when you’re in the early stages of research. When I was starting out, I felt very overwhelmed by the amount of info out there, so if you have a bit of an idea of what you’re specifically interested in, that can be helpful to get you going.

2. Meditation: not all witches meditate, but a lot of the skills you develop through meditation can be helpful within witchcraft. You can try out secular meditation (apps like Balance and Headspace, as well as Insight Timer—the former has a mix of secular and spiritual meditations), or you can find a witchcraft-specific guided meditation on YouTube. For neurodivergent folks out there, I recommend looking into active meditation, which I’ve found to be quite beneficial for myself.

For me, it’s always important to remain grounded when I’m doing any spiritual practice, and meditation is a good skill you can work on to help with that. I also find that having a background in meditation can be really helpful later down the line when/if you are attempting visualization and/or astral projection, witch’s flight, and so forth.

3. Journaling: another thing that isn’t specifically witchcraft-related, but is an important skill to harness, on my opinion. To me, it’s crucial to be in touch with what I’m feeling (especially when it comes to doing spellwork), and journaling is one great way to do that. If you’re stuck and don’t know where to begin, look up witchcraft (or general) journal prompts on here or somewhere else. A lot of the ones that come up will be shadow work, which can be intense, so only do what feels comfortable for you.

I’d also like to note that automatic writing/drawing is an entirely free option if you’re interested in communing with spirits or deities. Essentially it involves getting into a trance-like state (usually in a dark room only lit by candlelight or similar—this is to avoid distractions) with a piece of paper and pen, and you write or draw everything that comes to your head without thinking about it. And then you go back and see what sort of messages you may be receiving. It’s a bit hard to explain and I’m not very experienced in it myself, but it’s something worth looking into if it sounds interesting to you!

4. Look at what you have, instead of what you don’t: a lot of beginner witch resources will list specific items that you should have, without really explaining why. And without that knowledge of how/why having an item is important, you might find your Must Have crystal sitting unused on a shelf somewhere. So instead of focusing on the items you want or feel like you should have, look at what you do have. Are there plants or herbs in your house/yard that you feel drawn to? Do you have a collection of cool rocks and stones? How do these items make you feel?

For me, a large part of my craft is my belief in Animism (the belief that all living things have innate spiritual qualities, like a soul, spirit, or specific energy) and this can play into the way you interact with the natural world if it’s a belief you also subscribe to. Try and feel the presence of a plant to see if it gives you any specific feeling. It does? Great! Now you have a correspondance for that plant. And it’s even better than the correspondances you’ll get in a book because it’s based on your own personal connection and intuition. That’s what is most important.

5. When in doubt, use your intuition. You might find a source that says cinnamon should be used for protection. Another will say it should be used for abundance spells. What matters the most is what you think about an herb/plant/stone/colour, or whatever else you may utilize. I recommend to start keeping a list of what you associate these things with. It can take awhile to build up a personalized list, but once you have one, it’ll be a lot more useful than what a correspondances book says to do.

6. Scour your pantry and get cooking: are you wanting to try out a spell but you haven’t bought the ingredients? Look in your pantry. You may be surprised by how many commonly used witchcraft herbs you find in there. And if you have been starting to associate certain herbs or spices with specific feelings or energies, that’s a great way to get started with creating your own spell.

You can do a spell in many ways, but when I was starting out, one of my favourite ways was to incorporate a certain herb or spice into food I made. Say you’re making a soup and maybe you want a bit of protection, so you add some ground pepper with the intention of that pepper protecting you as you stir it into the soup. Same goes for any other ingredient you’d like to use. A little intention goes a long way!

7. Dedicate your actions, time, or energy: if you’re interested at all in working with deities, ancestors, and other spirits but don’t have the time/space to build an altar—or maybe you aren’t sure how involved you want to be with this part of witchcraft—you can devote an action to the entity. This can be simple. For example, when I worked with Apollo, I would use taking my meds and vitamins as an act of devotion to him. This is an offering. And offerings can be anything you want them to be. They don’t have to be expensive or fancy!

It’s also important to note that you do not need to work with deities or spirits to be a witch. You don’t even have to believe in them. Many witches are atheists or don’t work with any deities at all. But for those who are interested, simple offerings can be a good place to start.

8. Practice energy work: in my view, energy work is the most important skill to learn for your craft, since so many things build off of it. And with energy work, you don’t need to spend any amount of money on it. All you need is yourself, your intuition, and anything else—I mean that quite literally, you can practice feeling the energy of other people, pets, trees, buildings, foods, socks, your favourite pen, and whatever else you think of!

Once you get to know the energy of the things around you, you can more effectively utilize them as tools within your practice (this builds off of the intuition point I made earlier).

For example, as a child I lived in a house that was surrounded by cedar trees. It was a place where I felt very safe. To this day, when I see or smell a cedar tree, I feel safe and protected. You can read this any way you’d like—to me it’s both a spiritual and psychological phenomenon—but this is one example of sensing energy.

As a witch, you can practice that skill and use it to get to know the tools you’d like to use within your own craft (the things that connect to you personally, not what you’re told you should connect with). This isn’t an easy skill by any means, so if it doesn’t come naturally to you, that’s perfectly okay!

For more on this subject, I recommend two books: Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Kimmerer (more on animism in particular) and Psychic Witch by May Auryn (lots of exercises to practice working with and sensing energy).

Where to Go for Learning

After you’ve thought a bit about some of the above, or skipped it altogether if it doesn’t suit you, you’re probably wanting some good resources that will actually tell you how to do the witchcraft thing. But before that, I want to reiterate again that this is your practice, and you should only do what you are interested in. So take what you want and leave what you don’t.

I’m going to point you in three primary directions for learning good information: books, podcasts, and YouTube.

But first, I want to issue a massive disclaimer for the YouTube information (and some books, for that matter). You should not have one sole source for your information. Books that have bibliographies are always the most trustworthy sources. And even though I trust the information coming from the YouTubers I’ll mention—especially because I’ve read similar information in several witchcraft books—don’t take their word at face-value. Be critical of what you’re told. Believe what you believe. This is a skill you’ll learn over time. It can be a bit overwhelming at first, but it will get easier to discern what’s good info vs. bad info, over time.

Before you get started, I highly recommend watching this helpful video by HearthWitch with info on how to vet your witchcraft sources: link.

Books

In my view, books are the Best source of information, period. Anyone can publish an article or video online, but not everyone can publish a book. So there tends to be a bit more reliable info in witchcraft books.

As far as knowing what book you should begin with, there are lots of lists out there for beginners, and I recommend just looking at one of those lists and picking what sounds interesting to you. Take what you like and leave what you don’t.

Most of the YouTubers I’ve listed below have videos recommending books for beginners.

If you’re interested in British folk witchcraft, I started out with Folk Witchcraft by Roger J. Horne and it was a brilliant beginners guide that I recommend to anyone who is interested in that branch of witchcraft.

As always, while you read witchcraft books, be critical of the information you are presented with. Unfortunately, lots of witchcraft books (especially the classic ones) can be rooted in concepts like bioessentialism, colonialism, and racism. My recommendation is to not take any author’s word as gospel and to use your critical thinking skills when reading witchcraft books.

Where I live, books are EXPENSIVE. And when you’re just starting out in your practice, you might not have the money or ability to go out and buy a book just yet. Maybe you’re still unsure if witchcraft is right for you. Or maybe you’re in the “broom closet.” Whatever the reason, here are some free places to find books.

1. The public library: a bit obvious, but a great resource to look at, because you never know what your library might have. Libraries are the best. And entirely free!

2. Library apps like Libby or Overdrive: especially helpful if you don’t want to bring home a physical witchcraft book, or if your branch doesn’t have any copies of what you’re looking for. You can also get some audiobooks on there.

3. Archive.org: aka the web archive. Entirely free and entirely legal, this works as an online library service where you can check out a book for a bit of time right from your computer. Sometimes you can download PDFs as well. I’ve found a lot of my favourite witchcraft books on there, so if you have a specific title in mind, search it there.

YouTube

First, as a bit of a caveat before recommending you to watch YouTube videos on witchcraft: in my view, books are the best source of information for any witch, as they are able to contain a large degree of nuanced and research-informed information. But books aren’t a simple solution for everyone, and I’ve learned a lot from informed YouTubers over the years (in fact, like many witches, I was first exposed to witchcraft via Harmony Nice on YouTube!).

I’m including a list here of witch YouTubers that I personally recommend because I have found that their content aligns with information I have read in books and other research-informed sources over the years, and because I find them to be generally reliable.

I want to note here that this list is rather biased, as I tend to watch witchcraft YouTubers whose practices mirror my own in some ways. So most of these practitioners have practices informed by European folk witchcraft, and are not very diverse as a result. If any practitioners have further recommendations to add on, especially for practitioners of colour and practices that are different from mine, please do so!

My recommendations:

ChaoticWitchAunt: folk witchcraft, specifically in the Italian tradition, some great beginner content, info on working with saints and spirits.

TheWitchOfWonderlust: death magic, spellwork, great beginner content, lots of excellent info on working with spirits.

HearthWitch: truly a well of information on British witchcraft, beginner videos on any topic you can think of, q&a livestreams, and there’s even a video on vetting witchcraft sources that I really recommend for beginners.

The Redheaded Witch: folk witchcraft and folklore, spirit and ancestor work, daily witchcraft ideas, some beginner videos.

TheGreenWitch: such an excellent resource for herbal/green witchcraft, videos on spellwork, ingredients, tools, and more.

Mintfaery: lots of beginner information, videos on working with the fae, nature witchcraft, and lots of fun witchy days in the life.

Ella Harrison: German folk witchcraft, great beginner resources, including some more niche traditional craft topics like witch’s ladders.

The Norse Witch: info on Norse witchcraft and Heathenry, Norse paganism, and some content about astrology.

simplywitched: lots of great everyday witchcraft content, pagan witchcraft, more vlog style.

Warrior Witch Nike: witchy book reviews, paganism, deity work, some astrology content.

Mhara Starling: the place to go for anyone interested in Welsh witchcraft and folk magic related to Wales.

Alwyn Oak: lots of witch’s guides, especially relating to sabbats (those popularized in Wicca), forest witchcraft, gorgeous videos.

Ivy The Occultist: chaos magick and lots of interviews with practitioners from a variety of paths/backgrounds.

Shadow Harvest: personal day in the life witchy content, some videos looking at working with dark goddesses and deity work in general.

Note: some of these YouTubers have written their own witchcraft books geared towards beginners, so if you enjoy their videos and want to learn more, check those out.

Podcasts

The Astrology Podcast: not specifically witchcraft, but if you want to learn about astrology in detail, this is an excellent place to begin. Link goes to YouTube.

Books and Broomsticks: all kinds of good info, especially pertaining to folk magic, witch guests invited on to share more about their own practice. Link goes to Spotify.

Southern Bramble: A Podcast of Crooked Ways: a variety of witchcraft related topics, interviews, and discussions, often revolving around folk magic and traditional craft—interviews show different traditions. Link goes to Spotify.

New World Witchery - The Search for American Traditional Witchcraft: what it says on the tin; various topics and conversations through an American traditional/folk magic lens by the author of the (amazing) book with the same name. Link goes to Spotify.

Salty Witches Podcast by Cat & Cauldron: traditional witchcraft through a modern lens, another podcast that has a wide variety of topics covered. Link goes to Spotify.

—

As always, if anyone has any additional (free!) resources to add onto these ones, please do so.

Good luck to all of the beginner witches who are embarking on their spiritual journeys, and I hope some of these tips have been helpful! :)

-Em

#been working on this post since october first which is just crazy…it took So Long #I searched everywhere for info like this when I was a beginner but all I found were lists of things to purchase #which isn’t helpful when you’re broke and living through a recession! #I hope this hopes someone out there <3 #witchcraft resources #witchcraft 101 #witchcraft info #beginner witchcraft #witchcraft #witchblr #beginner witch #folk witchcraft #baby witch #resources #my post

[tiredwitchplant]

Everything You Need to Know About Crystals: Carnelian (Red)

Carnelian (The Sunset Stone)

Color: Red, orange, pink, brown

Rarity: Common, easy to obtain

Hardiness: 7

Type: Agate or Chalcedony

Chakra Association: Solar-Plexus, Sacral, Root Chakra

Angels: Michael

Deities: Isis

Astrological Signs: Leo, Taurus, Aries

Element: Fire

Planet: Sun

Origin: Britain, India, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Peru, Iceland, Romania

Powers: Success, Confidence, Motivation, Courage, Sexual Energy, Vitality, Action

Crystals It Works Well With: Aquamarine, Beryl, Super Seven

How It is Created: It is part of the chalcedony family. It is made up of silicon dioxide colored by different levels of iron impurities, with specks, banding, or stripes in many shades of brown or orange-red. The stone itself has a beautiful warm orange color that is best appreciated when it is polished.

History: Since ancient times, carnelian has been polished and worn as jewelry. The Egyptians used it to contrast with onyx and lapis lazuli in the making of collars and necklaces. The Romans were fond of it set in gold, using small beads in earrings or larger polished stones in finger rings for men and women. In the Middle Ages, carnelian was also popular as a healing stone. It was said to dissolve anger or rage, protect the wearer from negative influences, and promote courage.

What It Can Do:

Can be used in spell for success, confidence, and motivation

Can bring a burst of inspiration and energy

Is good for sex magic and sometimes menstrual support

Can cleanse and restore other crystals

Can help those in abusive situations by providing inner strength and movement to the right path

Help with mental preparation with childbirth

Calms angry emotions and puts a stop to mental lethargy

Can restore vitality and remove the fear of death

Was used to protect the dead to their journey to the afterlife

Dispels apathy and motivates success

Improves analytics abilities and clarifies perception

Removes extraneous thoughts in mediation and tunes daydreamers into reality

Can stimulate metabolism and improve your life force

Can influence reproductive organs and increase fertility

How to Get the Best Out Of: Use as a pendant or belt buckle, or place in contact with the skin as appropriate.

How to Cleanse and Charge: You can cleanse and charge carnelian with the sun.

Crystal Grid:

Creativity Grid

Shape: Flower of Life or Vesica Piscis

Mantra: “Creativity flows through me.”

Center Stone: Carnelian sphere or tumbled stone

Secondary Stones: Rainbow moonstone, larimar, kunzite, orange calcite

Moon Phase: Waxing phase or full moon

Day: Wednesday

Sources

#witchblr #witch community #witchcraft #occulltism #paganblr #nature #crystal witch #crystals #gemstone #gems #minerals #crystal grid #geology #spirituality #pagan #goddess isis #witches #witchcraft resources #magick #witches of tumblr #witchcraft 101 #carnelian

[samwisethewitch]

I think this book plagiarized my writing.

Disclaimer: Please do not harrass anyone because of this post. Please do not review bomb this author's books. The last thing I want is to sabotage another author's career or kick off a cyberbullying campaign. I am making this post to present my evidence and get the truth out there so readers can make informed decisions about the books they invest in, NOT as any sort of personal attack on this author.

In case you don't follow my blog: Hi, I'm Sam. I'm a queer, neurodivergent witch and author who writes books about witchcraft, paganism, and identity politics. I also read a lot of books about those topics because I enjoy hearing what other people have to say about them.

Recently, I was reading the book Herbal Tea Magic for the Modern Witch by Elsie Wild and realized what I was reading felt familiar. Like, really, really familiar. Like, "hey, isn't this my work?" familiar.

Herbal Tea Magic for the Modern Witch was published in November, 2021. It contains a section titled "The Four Components of a Spell," which is very, very similar to a blog post I made in April of 2020, titled "How to Cast Spells That Work." I also posted a video version of that blog post to YouTube at the same time. You can read the original blog post in full here.

Below is a table I made where I laid out my text and the excerpt from Elsie Wild's book side by side. Words and phrases highlighted in orange are identical across both texts. Words and phrases highlighted in blue are the same idea, but phrased slightly differently.

As far as I am aware, this four-part model for spellcrafting is my original creation. Although I was inspired by books on magic and spellcraft (especially Wicca For Beginners by Thea Sabin), this simplified model is one I created to make spellwork more simple and accessible for beginners.

I think there's too many similarities between the two texts to be a coincidence. To me with my journalism degree, this looks like paraphrasing plagiarism, a type of plagiarism where an author repeats someone else's ideas but changes the exact language to hide the similarity.

Wild does incorporate some of her own ideas as well, and I'm definitely not claiming that her entire book is plagiarized, but I believe the main idea of this specific passage is plagiarized from my blog.

Paraphrasing plagiarism is still plagiarism. This author may not have literally copied and pasted my work, but I think she is very much trying to pass off my ideas as her own.

All that being said, I have no reason to believe Elsie Wild plagiarized me on purpose. In 2020 and 2021, a lot of my content from Tumblr was stolen and reposted on other platforms, especially Instagram. I personally have come across several accounts that took screenshots of my blog, cropped out my username, and then posted my content without credit. There are probably many others I never caught. It's possible Wild saw my words on one of these accounts and had no idea who the original author was.

I have reached out both to Elsie Wild and to her publishing company, Ulysses Press, but as of this post I have not heard back from either. I really wish I could talk to someone who worked on this book to get more information, but it has now been several weeks with no response, so I decided to go public because I feel like people deserve to know about this.

Again, I am not trying to cancel Elsie Wild or her publisher, but I'll admit I'm hurt by the possibility of someone else taking credit for my ideas. I genuinely do hope any plagiarism was unintentional because the alternative is a full-time writer with an established career knowingly plagiarizing from online creators with smaller platforms.

If you'd like to help me out, you can do that by reblogging this post and/or buying my books. Helping spread the word about this is very, very much appreciated.

#plagiarism #plagiarizing #elsie wild #ulysses press #tea witch #tea magic #kitchen witch #kitchen witchcraft #green witch #green witchcraft #witch books #witchcraft books #witchcraft resources #witchy #witchblr #witch #long post #signal boost #mine #my writing #writblr #writers on tumblr #writerscommunity #witchcraft #wicca

[lunasapphire]

What it looks like to be an actual witch✨

Research on top of research on top of research - welcome to my unorganized but organized research grimoire scrapbook

#witchblr #witchcraft #witch #baby witch #witch community #magick #magic #research #witchcraft scrapbook #witchcraft resources #witchcraft research #witchcraft rules #actual witch #eclectic witch #witchcraft tools #traditional witchcraft

[witchcastors]

Witchy Library!

PSA to any of my occult darlings! Here's an e-library archive I found while cleaning out my likes

Subjects range from hermeticism and alchemy, to yoga, mythology, hypnosis, witchcraft, enochian magick and more. Go nuts 🔮

#witchy things #witch #occult #books #witchcraft #witchcraft books #occult books #elibrary #witchcraft resources #witchblr #alchemy #witchy books #mythology #hermetic library #hermeticism

[eldritchboop]

I am Angry at The Lost Book Project so please enjoy this curated list of ebooks

TL;DR: A company is trying to resell books from the Internet Archive at a markup. Here are roundups to all the free links instead.

Please donate to the Internet Archive if you find this post valuable.

42 Ancient Medicinal Plant Remedies

7 Lost Books and Texts on Meditation

The Witchcraft and Magic Collection (51 books)

11 Secret Books for Spiritual Seekers

11 Classic Numerology Books

The Lost Entrepreneurs Handbooks

21 Rare Books on Sacred Sexuality and Magick

16 Seminal Books on Law of Attraction and Manifestation

The Ancient Greece Collection - 36 Rare Books

The Ancient Key to The Tarot - 21 Books

The Definitive Demonology Book Collection

33 Rare Hidden Books on Freemasonry

The Manly P. Hall Collection

45 Rare Supernatural Books - Ghost Stories and Mysteries

37 Ancient Lost Texts on Buddhism

20 Books On Astrology, Zodiac and Horoscopes

The Lost Book of Spells - Spellbooks and Rituals

37 Lost Books on Ancient Mesopotamia

18 Lost Alchemy and Occult Science Books Works Of Sir George Ripley

The Vikings & Norse Mythology Book Collection

My angry rant as to why I am willing to do this in my spare time is below the break.

So I received a target Facebook ad for a website called the Lost Book Project (I refuse to link to them) advertising a collection of herbal books for a nice low price. Problem - the first book I saw them selling was Culpepper's Herbal from the 1600s, meaning it's well outside copyright. I own a digital copy for this reason!

So logically, I decided to check if the other books on the list, most of which are outside copyright, were also available on Archive.org. Sure enough, the whole list is available there.

Now, for starters, this makes me INCREDIBLY angry. It's not illegal to sell out-of-copyright books, but the Internet Archive is my favorite place for old books, and like Wikipedia they operate entirely on donations. Their average donation is $17 - just about the cost of this collection.

Websites that are making money off of a free service by locking them behind a paywall are anathema to everything that the Internet Archive stands for. Furthermore, if you're in the US or UK (where most of these books are sourced from), your tax dollars have already paid for these books to be stored and digitized.

EDIT: I have also noticed that two many books are still in publication and under copyright! I have sent notices to their publishers.

Things like this activate my sense of fairness to the nth degree. I hate scammers. I hate people who sell things without adding value. And I really hate it when they're taking money from good institutions that need it. Imagine if half of the people who paid for these books donated instead!?

So please help yourself to the links on each roundup. I'll continue to do the work needed to link all of the books they offer to their proper sources.

And fuck companies exploiting the work of others for their own profit.

#witchcraft resources #witchcraft #witchblr #witch community #free resources

[grey-sorcery]

A compiled text of informative articles.

This volume contains 26 articles: Bias in Witchcraft - 3 Correspondences - 9 Divination - 11 Duality - 15 Effective Visualization - 21 Grounding Exercises - 25 Psychic Abilities: 1st Steps - 29 Shadow Work: 1st Steps - 45 Spell Logs - 55 Spirituality & Critical Thought - 59 Spiritwork: 1st Steps - 64 Herbology - 68 Intermediate Gnosis - 82 Nature Vs. Nature - 85 Psychicism & Mental Illness - 91 Spell Circles - 106 Spell Potency Checklist - 112 The Elements: Fire - 114 What is Magical Theory? - 134 Chat GTP & Witchcraft Research - 152 Dimensions & Spiritual Planes - 16 Fate Magic - 175 Mechanics of Sigils - 176 Mirrors - 185 Exorcism Story - 194 What is it to be grey? - 197

#beginner witch #witchcraft #baby witch #witchcraft resources #witchcraft books #witchcraft guides #witchcraft ebook

[pigeonflavouredcake]

My Grimoire Research Library

this is a list of my major resource I've referenced/am currently referencing in my big grimoire project. For books I'll be linking the Goodreads page, for pdfs, websites and videos i'll link them directly.

There are plenty of generalised practitioner resources that can work for everyone but as I have Irish ancestry and worship Hellenic deities quite a few of my resources are centred around Celtic Ireland, ancient Greece and the Olympic mythos. If you follow other sects of paganism you are more than welcome to reblog with your own list of resources.

Parts of my grimoire discuss topics of new age spiritualism, dangerous conspiracy theories, and bigotry in witchcraft so some resources in this list focus on that.

Books

Apollodorus - The Library of Greek Mythology

Astrea Taylor - Intuitive Witchcraft

Dee Dee Chainey & Willow Winsham - Treasury of Folklore: Woodlands and Forests

John Ferguson - Among The Gods: An Archaeological Exploration of Ancient Greek Religion

Katharine Briggs - The Fairies in Tradition and Literature

Kevin Danaher - The Year in Ireland: Irish Calendar Customs

Laura O'Brien - Fairy Faith in Ireland

Lindsey C. Watson - Magic in Ancient Greece and Rome

Nicholas Culpeper - Culpeper's Complete Herbal

Plutarch - The Rise and Fall of Athens: Nine Greek Lives

R.B. Parkinson - A Little Gay History: Desire and Diversity Around the World

Rachel Patterson - Seventy Eight Degrees of Wisdom: A Tarot Journey to Self-Awareness

Raleigh Briggs - Make Your Place: Affordable & Sustainable Nesting Skills

Robin Wall Kimmerer - Braiding Sweetgrass

Ronald Hutton - The Witch: A History of Fear in Ancient Times

Rosemary Ellen Guiley - The Encyclopaedia of Witches and Witchcraft

Thomas N. Mitchell - Athens: A History of the World's First Democracy

Walter Stephens - Demon Lovers: Witchcraft S3x and the Crisis of Belief

Yvonne P. Chireau - Black Magic: Religion and The African American Conjuring Tradition

PDFs

Anti Defamation League - Hate on Display: Hate Symbols Database

Brandy Williams - White Light, Black Magic: Racism in Esoteric Thought

Cambridge SU Women’s Campaign - How to Spot TERF Ideology 2.0.

Blogs and Websites

Anti Defamation League

B. Ricardo Brown - Until Darwin: Science and the Origins of Race

Dr. S. Deacon Ritterbush - Dr Beachcomb

Folklore Thursday

Freedom of Mind Resource Centre - Steven Hassan’s BITE Model of Authoritarian Control

Institute for Strategic Dialogue

Royal Horticultural Society

The Duchas Project -National Folklore Collection

Vivienne Mackie - Vivscelticconnections

YouTube Videos

ContraPoints - Gender Critical

Emma Thorne Videos - Christian Fundie Says Halloween is SATANIC!

Owen Morgan (Telltale) - The Source Of All Conspiracies: A 1902 Document Called "The Protocols"

The Belief it or Not Podcast - Ep. 40 Satanic Panic, Ep 92. Wicca

Wendigoon - The Conspiracy Theory Iceberg

Other videos I haven't referenced but you may still want to check out

Atun-Shei Films - Ancient Aryans: The History of Crackpot N@zi Archaeology

Belief It Or Not - Ep. 90 - Logical Fallacies

Dragon Talisman - Tarot Documentary (A re-upload of the 1997 documentary Strictly Supernatural: Tarot and Astrology)

Lindsay Ellis - Tracing the Roots of Pop Culture Transphobia

Overly Sarcastic Productions - Miscellaneous Myths Playlist

Owen Morgan (Telltale) - SATANIC PANIC! 90s Video Slanders Satanists | Pagan Invasion Saga | Part 1

ReignBot - How Ouija Boards Became "Evil" | Obscura Archive Ep. 2

Ryan Beard - Demi Lovato Promoted a R4cist Lizard Cult

Super Eyepatch Wolf - The Bizarre World of Fake Psychics, Faith Healers and Mediums

Weird Reads with Emily Louise -The Infamous Hoaxes Iceberg Playlist

Wendigoon - The True Stories of the Warren Hauntings: The Conjuring, Annabelle, Amityville, and Other Encounters

#I'm writing this while watching the new SovietWomble video #good way to spend 3 hours #witchblr #witch #witchcraft #pagan #pagan witch #kitchen witch #paganism #hellenic pagan #hellenic witch #grimoire #digital grimoire #book of magic #grimoire resources #witchcraft resources #resource list #witch masterpost #eclectic pagan #witchy #grimoire tips #grimoire inspo #grimoire inspiration

[everlastingmooncoven]

Update: I have over 600 free books and resources uploaded to my google drive. I also have a 18+ discord for Everlasting Moon Coven!

Google drive: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/10mkrjBylnr59A6lWrJQ7R7SNgbZTu8d4

Discord: https://discord.gg/ZaBCHSbMZ3

#spells #witchcraft #free pdf #pdf witchcraft books #witchcraft books #witchcraft resources #witchcraft pdf resources #witchcraft library #witchcraft discord #discord coven #everlasting moon coven

[the-witchs-den]

Sound Cleansing

As we know, smudging (closed practice) and smoke cleansing aren’t the only types of cleansing. But what exactly is sound cleansing?

Sound cleansing, for all intents and purposes, is cleansing an area using sound. Sound is made up of vibrations, right? Different sounds have different vibrational frequencies. Energy is vibrations too, right? With that knowledge, the sounds that you use to cleanse an area will break up the energy that you’re trying to get rid of.

But how do you use sounds to cleanse an area?

I mentioned different frequencies, but I didn’t mention intent. You can use anything that makes sound to cleanse, but you also have to match your intent. Here are some different ways to cleanse with sound:

Bang pots and pans (a little chaotic, but also my personal favorite)

Use a bell

Tell the energy to f*** off (another of my personal favorites)

A singing bowl

Banging your staff on the ground/floor (I’ve used this one a lot with my old staff)

Sing/hum

Play music that resonates with your intent

Crystals that correspond with banishment in a jar/cup/bowl and shake them around!

Clap your hands

These are just a few examples. Try out different methods to see what works for you!

#sound cleansing #witchcraft #eclectic witch #witch #witchblr #witchy vibes #pagan witch #witch vibes #witchcore #witchcraft 101 #witchcraft blog #witchy #moon witch #night witch #beginner witch #witch tips #advice from a high priestess #witches #witch community #witchcraft resources #grimoire inspo #grimoire #grimoire excerpt

[witchesbe-like]

We all know I’m a lazy witch. Of course in a perfect world I would spend every moment planting lavender around my garden, perfecting my tea blends, and staying warm in my cozy cabin by the fire. But in reality I have barely enough time to get in the shower before I start my day. And I don't own a cabin so…. So in reality is that really lazy? Or has capitalism made us all squish out every second out of our day getting stuff done just so we can do in all over tomorrow? Yes. Yes it has. So when I say I’m a lazy witch, maybe I’m just an exhausted witch. Either way, here are my favorite lazy witch hacks for when you are out of time, or just don’t have the energy to put in a full two hour ritual every full moon. 

Visualize your circles around you and forgo placing crystals or items in an actual circle. Magic is metaphorically speaking so just imagining yourself in a big bubble will do just fine. 

Keep your crystals on your windowsill so you don’t have to remember to charge them with the moonlight. 

Every candle is a magic candle. 

A shower anytime makes a great cleansing ritual. 

5 minute meditations for releasing stress works wonders when you’re feeling over it. 

Pull a single tarot card when you have a question that needs guidance. 

Step outside barefoot to ground yourself and just stand in th dirt for a few minutes. 

Leve a portion of your dinner uneaten for ancestors. 

Keep witchy spell notes on your phone. 

Use moon tracking apps so you don’t have to keep checking the moon phase. 

Use white tea light candles for everything because sometimes it really just doesn’t matter. 

Stir things clockwise (coffee, tea, cake mixes) to bring towards you and counterclockwise to let go or release. 

Line your front door with salt for protection. 

Place rose quartz in your room to remind yourself to self-love

Make meals with intention, think about health or happiness next time your microwave your mac and cheese. 

Light a match and blow it out to suck up any bad vibes in a room. 

Wear blue to manifest passing a test or getting a new job. 

Walk outside during a full moon and spend a few minutes recharging under the moon light. 

Spend a few minutes every morning writing down your intentions for manifesting your life and visualizing what you want daily.

Remember that you are a badass witch and don’t forget it. 

#lazy witch #witch #witchbr #witch energy #witch journal #witch life #witch queen #witch questions #witch vibes #witchcraft asks #witchcraft community #witchcraft for beginners #witchcraft help #witchcraft info #witchcraft practice #witchcraft question #witchcraft resources #witchcraft spells #witchcraft tips

[liminalsoul]

Searching for (European) traditional witchcraft information

At first sight, trying to find traditional spells and rituals is overwhelming due to the amount of information that is usually mixed with a more globalized type of witchcraft. This isn't necessarily bad but it hinders the research work on the specific topic.

Through time, I have found academic articles referring to declarations in witches trials the most useful ones, however the main problem with them is that, while they give us a valuable general view in the practices of different times, they hardly ever inform us of concrete practices.

Another source similar to the other one is those documents that were written by inquisitors and for inquisitors. In this particular ones there are detailed different practices and superstitions to describe what witches exactly did and how to identify them. These give us valuable but biased information because of the christian view of the writers.

I have also surprisingly found interesting articles on witchcraft in literature. They offer and overview of how witches were seen by society and what services were publicly offered by them.

Finally, reading isn't the only source where you can get information. I think it is really necessary to ask old people about what superstitions, legends about witches or beliefs do they remember from their childhood or what did their family tell them, as well as researching on what customs are still active in rural areas.

#traditional witchcraft #witchcraft #witches #folk magic #folk witchcraft #paganism #witchcraft books #witchcraft resources #witchcraft research #witchcraft articles

[tiredwitchplant]

Everything You Need to Know About Crystals: Moonstone (White)

Moonstone (The Sacred Stone of the Moon)

Color: White, cream, yellow, blue, green

Rarity: Easy to obtain

Hardiness: 6.5

Type: Oligoclase/ Feldspar

Chakra Association: Brow, Heart, Root, Third Eye, Sacral, Solar Plexus

Deities: All Lunar Deities, Diana, Selene, Artemis, Isis, Chandra

Birthstone: June

Astrological Signs: Cancer

Element: Water

Planet: Moon

Origin: Australia, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, USA

Powers: Femininity, Calmness, Balance, Luck, Intuition, Healing, Sensual, Patience, Reproductive Health

Crystals It Works Well With: Aquamarine, garnet, pearl

How It is Created: Moonstone is a type of feldspar composed of potassium aluminum silicate. It can be found in a number of colors, but all examples demonstrate a particular sheen known as labradorescence; an effect also found in labradorite and blue moonstone. Labradorescence is a light effect caused by parallel hairlike structures laid down within the crystal matrix, which reflect light back and forth, creating different-colored effects, including blue, yellow, silvery gray, and white.

History: Moonstone is the sacred stone of India. During the earliest traditions, the gem was said to have been embedded in the forehead of Ganesh, the four-handed god of the moon, since the beginning of time. It was written in Hindu mythology that moonstone is made from moonbeams, thus its luster.

The magnificent gem is never displayed outside for sale unless placed on a yellow cloth, as yellow is a sacred color. According to other legends, Moonstone can give gifts of prophecy and clairvoyance to the wearer. It could also clear the mind for the wearer to welcome wisdom. But to unlock this ability, Moonstone must be placed in their mouths during the full moon. Since ancient Egypt it is considered as a spiritual stone as it is seen as the gem of protection for night travelers.

Since Moonstone looks a lot like the moonshine, ancient Romans believed that it was formed from moonlight. If you look at the gem closely, you’ll see a dance of light that lurks on the insides of the gem. Ancient Greeks merged the names of the goddess of love (Aphrodite) and the goddess of the moon (Selene) and christened Moonstone as “Aphroselene”. While the Romans believed that the gem exhibits the image of their moon goddess, Diana.

It is also known as an aphrodisiac and when worn by two people, they will fall passionately in love when the moon is high. Moonstone was once called the “Travelers Stone” as it is said to protect those who travel at night, especially at sea.

What It Can Do:

When worn, can attract true love and arouse passion

If you give your lover a moonstone during the full moon, there will be passion between you always

Can settle disagreements and return things to peaceful status

Sewn into garments can enhance fertility

Wearing moonstone protects sensitive emotions

Enhances divination, prophetic dreams and prevents nightmares

Great for meditation and scrying

Represents yin and attracts peaceful energy

Protects travelers at night and by sea

Considered good luck

Balances male-female energies and aids men who want to get in touch with their feminine side

Affects the female reproductive cycle and alleviates menstrual-related diseases and tensions

Helps with digestive and reproductive systems, assimilates nutrients, eliminates toxins and fluid retention, and alleviates degenerative conditions of the skin, hair, eyes and fleshy organs such as the liver and pancreas.

How to Get the Best Out Of: Wear as a ring or place on the appropriate body part, would recommend the forehead, for spiritual experiences, and solar plexus or heart for emotions. Women may need to remove Moonstone at full moon.

How to Cleanse and Charge: Moonstone is relatively soft stone, 6 on the Mohs scale, so it should be handled with care as it can be easily scratched or crushed. Moonstone should be stored separate from other jewelry in its own soft bag or lined box and should not be worn while performing strenuous tasks that could result in it getting bumped or scratched. It can be cleaned with plain water and a soft cloth. If it gets scratched, take it to a jeweler to have it polished out.

Charge your moonstone in the light of the waxing moon and keep it out of direct sunlight.

Crystal Grid: N/A Couldn't find one that wasn't too complex @_@

Sources

#moonstone #witchblr #witch community #witchcraft #occulltism #paganblr #gemstone #crystal witch #crystals #witchcraft 101 #witchcraft resources #geology #lunar #lunar witch #nature #geology rocks #rocks #samhain

[traegorn]

Hi, I really like your podcast, do you have any book-recommendations for someone who wants to move on from introductory 101 whichcraft books?

Unfortunately I really don't.

Like beginner stuff is easy to recommend because in the solitary practice driven world of the modern witchcraft movement it's the main way 90% of us get started. Reading for your first few years becomes a necessity, and for a lot of folks that's where they find out what a lot of the options are.

And so those books sell. Those books get published.

One problem is, after that, you get into more specialized things. There is no general intermediate version of Witchcraft. People branch off and get into way more specific things. It's like how when you're a kid there's just "science class" but in college it splits off into so many disciplines. If you tried to write one book to cover all of it, it would be massive and unmanageable (or just not end up giving you enough information to be worth it and just be another beginner book).

The other problem is that these books are harder to sell for publishers because the audience is smaller. You always sell more beginner books for any topic (because there will always be folks who want basic understanding but not more -- be the subject carpentry or witchcraft), plus those that specialize will fraction off to what they want to do next.

So yeah. That means there are way fewer "intermediate" books out there.

And book availability aside, the main reason I can't recommend any... is that I haven't read a lot of them. Y'all, I love doing witchcraft -- I've spent the last twenty five years of my life being a witch -- but I don't actually enjoy reading witchcraft books like some of y'all. I mean, don't get me wrong, I research the hell out of stuff I do, but I'm pretty set in my practice. I learned a lot of stuff by trying and doing within the frameworks I've developed. I also learned stuff from working and discussing with other witches. I stopped actively reading witchcraft books for fun a couple of decades ago.

Folks ask me "what do you think of [author who first published five years ago]," and my response is either "I don't know their stuff" or "Ah fuck, you're going to make me read something aren't you just to find out whether something is terrible or not." Or I ask one of my friends if the author is terrible. Most of the time it's that third thing.

I'm like the opposite of @asksecularwitch in so many ways.

Like so many of my witch friends just spend so much time reading witch books, and that's great. I'm glad they're enjoying it, but I'm not that person. I've always been much more one for direct conversations with other witches -- and then when I do research something spending more time with non-witchcraft sources to make sure I'm getting the cultural, historical, and scientific sides right.

So, uh, yeah.

That's why I don't have any good recs for you.

Sorry?

Uh, anyone else wanna chime in?

#Witch #witchcraft #witch books #witchblr #witches #witchcraft resources

[cheerfulpagan]

digital book of shadows template !

so! for all my new / "baby" witches, or just witches who want a digital altar for any reason, i made a Notion template for many witchy needs!

a quick glance at some of the home page!

includes:

a place to input your astrology chart

daily goals checklist

a shopping list

a place to input information on your spiritual team

and several started pages to log information on materials, astrology, tarot, etc !

feel free to change anything you want on it!

#witchblr #witchcraft resources #witchcraft #notion #digital altar #digital witchcraft #witchcraft notion #witchy

[grimoireofanovicewitch]

Book Review

Psychic Witch: A Metaphysical Guide to Meditation, Magick & Manifestation by Mat Auryn. Was another one of those early beginner books I bought it has great reviews and for a good reason.

The biggest thing that I liked about this book is it's witchcraft with the fewest amount of tools or things you need to buy that I've ever seen. It's all energy work and you can do that for free. So it's great for beginners that don't want to have to buy a bunch of tools in order to do magic or people that are in the broom closet and want to keep their practice as low key as possible.

It goes over the basic topics of witchcraft in detail. Things like grounding and centering are such a core part of witchcraft that most books mention that you need to do it but don't explain how to do it because it's always assumed it's a basic skill that everyone knows.

This book has plenty of exercises where you could probably turn this into a year-long journey where each week you focus on one or two exercises to focus on building up your psychic ability

If you can only buy one witchcraft book Just to see what it's all about. I would buy this one. It has all the basic knowledge you need with no tools you need to buy.

#witchcraft #witch #psychic witch #beginner witch #book review #witchy #witchcraft resources #mat auryn