I Think People Very Often Oversimplify What Shadow-work Is And Typically Don't Know What It's For.

Water Energies

Moon Water

It could energize crystals

Perfect for a magical bath

For bless yourself, your home or magical tools

Spring Water

Good for Fae work

Excellent for abundance

Used in love or fertility spell

Used in subtle magick

Snow Water

Recommended for spells that focus on purity endings and change

For slow working spells

Rain Water

Multi-purpose

Excellent for growth and rebirth spells

Good for spells that you want to keep gaining power over time

River Water

Recommended for rituals and spells that has to do with moving on.

Focusing energy

Breaking through rough times

Warding

Good for activating tools

Ocean Water

Good for cleansing

Healing

Banishing

Used for protection rituals and spells

Cleansing crystals

Thunderstorm Water

Add a magical boost to any work

Good for spells and rituals that has to do with emotional strengthening, confidence and motivation

Virtuous for hexes and curses

How to read your birth chart (basic)

Part 1 – Reading the Planets/Objects

For this, the only important part of the chart is the box with the planets and corresponding zodiac signs. I’m using my own chart as a reference.

Each planet (eg. sun) and object (eg. rising/ascendant) governs a specific portion of your personality.

The planets each have corresponding symbols, which are standardised for everyone’s birth chart (☉☽☿♀♂♃ ♄⛢♆♇).

The chart will show you what zodiac sign each planet and object was in the moment you were born, which is personalised for you.

Each planet and object has its own meaning,

☉ Sun: your core identity, ego

☽ Moon: feelings, emotions, aesthetics

Rising: how you are perceived by others (technically the 1st house, not a planet)

☿ Mercury: communication, intelligence, socialising

♀ Venus: love, romance, affection

♂ Mars: sex, passion, anger, drive

♃ Jupiter: luck, fortune, ideals

♄ Saturn: restrictions, limitations

⛢ Uranus: changes

♆ Neptune: dreams, sleep

♇ Pluto: transformation, deep meanings, destiny, your soul

and it takes the characteristics of the associated sign.

♈︎ Aries: active, initiating, leading, independent, aggressive, impatient, combative, energetic, pioneering, naive, assertive

♉︎ Taurus: persevering, down-to-earth, stable, stubborn, possessive, prosperous, dependable, physical, sensual

♊︎ Gemini: talkative, mental, adaptable, flexible, changeable, responsive, sociable, superficial, versatile, inquisitive, witty

♋︎ Cancer: gentle, conservative, feeling, nurturing, defensive, contemplative

♌︎ Leo: magnanimous, generous, hospitable, caring, warm, authoritative, active, open

♍︎ Virgo: analytical, intelligent, reserved, critical, helpful, conscientious

♎︎ Libra: just, sociable, refined, accommodating, kind, fair, diplomatic, likeable, indecisive, respectful, artistic

♏︎ Scorpio: passionate, perceptive, resourceful, possessive, psychological, prowling, determined, probing, fixed, focused

♐︎ Sagittarius: optimistic, restless, enthusiastic, adventurous, honest, irresponsible, outspoken, independent

♑︎ Capricorn: tenacious, conservative, resourceful, disciplined, wise, ambitious, prudent, constant

♒︎ Aquarius: individualistic, assertive, independent, humanitarian, inventive, original, eccentric, opinionated, intellectual, idealistic, cool, friendly, detached

♓︎ Pisces: intuitive, dreamy, artistic, humane, sympathetic, sensitive, compassionate, perceptive, tender, impressionable

For example, my sun, which governs my core identity, is in Capricorn. This shows that my core identity is tenacious, conservative, resourceful etc.

My rising/ascendant, which governs how I am perceived by others, is in Taurus. This shows that I am perceived as persevering, down-to-earth, stable etc.

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Now just replace this out with your own info and congrats! You now know the basics of reading the planets and objects in your birth chart!

I’m still working on learning to read the houses, but I’ll link it when I’m done!

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Chart made on https://www.astro.com/cgi/chart.cgi?btyp=w2gw&rs=3&usechpref=1 (more accurate)

Information gathered from my book of shadows and https://astro.cafeastrology.com/ (better info)

✶*✧Introduction to Spell Sealing✧*✶

Everything must come to an end.

This is an area of spellcraft that doesn’t get a lot of publicity because for most people it just becomes a natural part of the process.  However, if you want to mix up how you do it, try something new, or otherwise let go of the way you were originally taught, this might be a good resource for performing rituals!

What are Sealed Spells?

In the context of magic you usually hear about sealing and binding like binding a person or something from being able to do something.  Here we're talking more like a binding contract.  This is a binding or seal locks in an action or intent.  It is binding in the way an agreement is binding.  You have given it firm parameters that it must follow and you have endeavored to finalize the action.  You have provided certainty, locked in your answer, sealed the deal.  

The benefits of this are inherent in the finality.  You have a set thing that now is much harder to alter and is much harder to waver in its purpose.  This is no longer some multi-purpose object.  It has varitably been christened for this and this alone.  The work to undo it will be just as rigorous as the work to do it in the first place.  A light cleansing of your materials afterwards might not be enough.  You're gonna need the spiritual bleach.

To some extent you might just feel that something needs to be finalized.  If you feel it in your gut like you need something to formally end the working, these are what you might be looking for.

More Common Than You Think

This might be more familiar to you than you would initially think.  Signing your name on something at the end is a common one, but even in a ritual sphere there are many examples.  This is going to be your “so mote it be”, your “Amen”, and your other declarations of finality.  Even purely secular situations often have rituals of finality.  I think you’ll find that when these things are left out, there is sometimes a feeling of the energy hanging in the air.  In a lot of ways it does not feel right.  Whether this is the social convention of signaling to everything and everyone present that the ritual has come to a conclusion, or just to announce you’re finished, there is some power to it.

Types of Seals

There are several different ways to express finality in your workings.  Here are just a few examples.

Shutting the Door and Sealing the Envelope

If your work involves some kind of lid or package, you can physically seal it.  Whether this is corking a jar, sealing with wax, tying a string around something etc.  If this is a possibility it is a good way to finalize a spell.

Written and Spoken Seals

Whether this is through signing something like you might finalize a formal contract or expressing that it is finalized verbally.  A few examples of this are listed above that you may have heard before, but there is really nothing stopping you from making your own.

Kiss Seals

Sealing with a kiss.  Kissing something to finalize has historical precedent and takes no extra tools to complete besides your lips.  Whether this is physically using your lips or the other means, this is one option for a quick seal.  Just don’t kiss poison.

Burning, Burying, and Bestrewing

Few things are more final than destruction.  Once you’ve set the flame, you’ve pretty much confined what you’ve set on fire to that purpose forever.  Burying something in the ground would be another example of this.  Whether you feel the finality is from returning it to the earth, or because you are sealing it in a tomb of soul, this will certainly signal that it is done.  Some feel like things are not complete until they’ve scattered the ashes, in which case throwing something to the wind could be your version of finality.

Whether this is through signing something like you might finalize a formal contract or expressing that it is finalized verbally.  A few examples of this are listed above that you may have heard before, but there is really nothing stopping you from making your own.

Sigil Seals

An extension of the written or spoken seals are sigil seals.  It accomplishes much the same thing, but can be a little more formal.  Some might think this is kind of a stretch, but wax seals, like what might go on a letter, could fall into this category, technically.

GROUNDING ☀️

Howdy! I’m back with another installment in my protection series!! Today I’m gonna be talking about something a little bit less magickal and more mundane: Grounding!

What Is Grounding? 

A quick google search will bring you to a plethora of pages talking about the phenomenon known as…grounding. Be wary that some of these sources will talk about autoimmune diseases and other chronic illnesses as if they can be cured by grounding- that is NOT the case! 

Grounding is talked about in two capacities: as a practice that can help you pull away from flashbacks, unwanted memories, and negative or challenging emotions..or the other way grounding is mentioned in modern day witchy settings is as: a therapeutic technique that involves doing activities that “ground” or electrically reconnect you to the earth. 

I honestly think these are one in the same, but I think of grounding as “centering” myself to protect myself from any malicious energy that may intend to harm me, and as a way to dispel any unwanted energy. 

How To Ground Yourself

Put your hands in water: focus on the temperature, the feeling of the water, etc. 

Breathing exercises: By bringing focus to your breath, you can help calm and center yourself. I personally favor an app called “Breathwrk” that has guided breathing exercises. 

Take a short walk: You may not always be able to take a break to walk, but this is an amazing way to get in touch with the earth and your surroundings while also giving yourself a little “reset” to get back to a healthy mindset. 

Hold ice: Like with the water technique, holding an ice cube and letting it melt in your hand gives you a sensory focusing tool to bring your mind back to the present 

Light a candle: Or something to that effect. If you put on your favorite diffuser scent, or light your favorite candle, you can focus on the scent and draw your attention to the scent that fills the room

Play a “challenging” game: I think this one may just be me but I love to do the daily mini cross word, or a similar game like solitare, when I’m feeling overwhelmed. It brings me back to the moment and gives me a second to reset while stimulating my brain 

Think in categories: Choose one or two broad categories, such as “musical instruments,” “ice cream flavors,” “mammals,” or “baseball teams.” Take a minute or two to mentally list as many things from each category as you can.

List your favorites: Listing is something I thoroughly enjoy, and by listing your favorite ______ (insert category) you are bringing your mind into a thankful/uplifting headspace 

Close your eyes and focus on your energy. Get it under control so that it’s manageable—and then, using your hands, push it into the ground, a bucket of water, a tree, or some other object that can absorb it.

Why Do We Ground?

Grounding is useful in multiple mundane situations, like when you’re stressed, overwhelmed, etc. But we use grounding in magickal situations…especially surrounding energy work. For example: If you fail to center yourself properly before you preform a spell, ritual, or something that is highly demanding of your energy, you can feel kind of “amped up” or jittery afterwards. When you preform any sort of magick, you can get a rush of energy afterwards if you didn’t properly center yourself. Grounding is extremely useful because it can help get rid of that extra energy you’ve stored up. 

Sources/Citations/More Resources

Remember it’s always important to cross reference your information, for this post I used multiple sources I knew have been vetted by much more experienced witches than I am- but still! You need to make sure what you’re reading is credible

Grounding Techniques: Healthline

Magickal Grounding

Grounding 101

What Is Grounding: Healthline

Getting Grounded

Anatomy of a Spell

This post will go over what is needed for a spell to be created!

This is a page from my grimoire and by no means is this a set-in-stone situation. Take what you will and leave what you won't.

Desire or intent. This is the whole point of the spell. What is the desired outcome, what do you want to achieve from this spell?

Planning of ingredients, spell structure, time, and location. This includes the verbal or written aspect of the spell if any.

Protection, there’s really no reason not to have a safeguard on your spell in my opinion but this isn't true for everyone. Do what feels right for you.

Raising, gathering, or building energy for the spell. Energy is how you get your spell to work. This can be done by chanting, breathwork, borrowing energy, and more.

Directing energy into the spell. Self-explanatory, gotta get it in there somehow. Basically just getting the intent/desire from inside you to inside the spell so that it can work its magic (pun intended).

Release any excess energy if needed. Grounding is a good way to do this.

Clear and concise ending; this could be a phrase, word, or physical act that indicates the ending of the spell. It’s best when everyone and everything involved knows when you have ceased doing the spell.

Extras:

It’s a good idea to record your process and results of the spells you create and cast so that you have a reference for future spells; also you can figure out what went wrong or right.

I personally think it’s a good idea to put a fail-safe in a spell, I usually do this by stating it out loud: i.e. “If I take apart this spell bag then the spell will cease.” or “If I do this spell in reverse the spell will cease/reverse” and so on.

Preparing the physical and non-physical things for the spell; can mean gathering, cleansing, or preparing yourself to be in the headspace needed for the spell. It's better to be prepared than to get blindsided halfway through because you’re missing something!

common outdoor items & their uses

a guide to common outdoor items and their magickal uses.

acorns- luck, protection, wisdom, power

walnuts- healing, protection, self care

pinecones- fertility, masculinity, growth, nature

pine needles- cleansing, healing, strength, banishment

pecans- employment, protection, success, abundance, prosperity

grass- growth, learning, healing, new beginning, grief, recovery

maple leaves- feminine, travel, change, decisions, healing

oak leaves- truth, justice, knowledge, steadfastness, protection, guidance

birch leaves- protection, cleansing, fertility, purification

dandelions- calling spirits, divination, healing

dandelion seeds- divination, wishes, manifestation, dreams, luck

dandelion leaves- defeating negativity, steadfastness, growth, purification

2 leaf clovers- love, luck, courage, cleansing

3 leaf clovers- protection, luck, fidelity, divination

4 leaf clovers- spirit work, luck, psychic ability, attraction

5+ leaf clovers- wealth, luck, attracting money, sanity

wild clover flowers- animal magick, blessings, breaking curses, luck, love

apple seeds- love, secrets, knowledge, gateways, divination, prosperity

tree bark- protection, binding, banishment, cleansing, purification

rocks- many rocks have crystals hidden inside, the most common is quartz types. if unsure, rockcs can represent strength, stability, protection and banishing. if you suspect its a crystal, look it up and discover the correspondences that matter to you!

will add more as i can, feel free to add your own!!

Witchcraft: Protection Herbs and Crystals

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Keeping this here for safe reminders

Your Life and the Suits in Tarot

Wands are your passions.            

The Ace of Wands could mean finding a new hobby, like painting or hiking. The Two of Wands could mean planning the renovation of your home, if interior design or woodworking is among your passions.

Passion is related to creativity. So the Six of Wands could mean your Instagram posts gaining a lot of attention, if you are into fashion or photography.

And we tend to be very passionate about our favorite celebrities and our crushes, so the Eight of Wands could mean receiving attention from someone famous or somebody you are interested in.

Cups are your emotions.

The Ace of Cups could mean the arrival of a new lover, while the Two of Cups could mean romance blooming between you and a friend.

Emotions are not always positive. Sometimes it is as if they do not even exist, like in the Four of Cups, where you are bored from feeling nothing. Other times they are negative, like in the Five of Cups, where you could be grieving a death or a breakup.

The Page of Cups could be an invitation to go out on a date. The Knight of Cups could be a marriage proposal. Both offers involve strong emotions.

Swords are your thoughts.

These thoughts could be mundane, like the Two of Swords asking you to decide between steak and salmon for dinner.

Other times, they could be of the higher kind, such as the Four of Swords conveying that your mind is at peace, because you have found your true spiritual path.

Most of the time, though, these thoughts are about day to day affairs, such as the Page of Swords confirming that you will get the job, or the Eight of Swords predicting how stressed you will be because of an exam.

Pentacles are your foundations.

Since we are living in a material world, most of our foundations are material. The Ace of Pentacles could mean starting at a new job, while the Six of Pentacles could mean receiving a bonus.

Foundations are related to stability. So the Five of Pentacles does not necessarily mean you will lose everything and become a beggar. It could simply be predicting that you will suffer a salary deduction because of the pandemic, causing you to feel less financially stable than usual.

For this reason, the King of Pentacles is the most stable figure in this arcana, closely followed by the Queen and the Knight.

They often overlap.

Because all of life overlaps.

If what you are most passionate about is money, then when the Suit of Wands talks to you, it would be speaking about finances, instead of hobbies. And if you are emotionally focused on spirituality, then instead of symbolizing a new lover, the Ace of Cups could mean a new religious journey.

The Three of Swords, for example, is about heartbreak. So why is it not under the Suit of Cups? Because when we are heartbroken, our heart is actually quiet. It is our mind that screams in pain, and that is the Suit of Swords’ domain.

SOUTH AMERICAN RESOURCES

The Anthropological Masterlist is HERE.

South America is an American continent that is underneath North America.

AFRO-BRAZIL ─ “The Afro-Brazilian people are an African people. They live in Brazil.” ─ Slavery in Brazil

ARGENTINA ─ “The Argentine, or Argentinian, people are a South American people that share the Argentine culture. They are native to Argentina.” ─ Argentine Information ─ Argentine Literature (in Spanish) ─ Argentine History

BOLIVIA ─ “The Bolivian people are a South American people that share the Bolivian culture. They are native to Bolivia.” ─ Bolivian Information ─ Andean Culture ─ Andean Music

BRAZIL ─ “The Brazilian people are a South American people that share the Brazilian culture. They are native to Brazil.” ─ Brazilian Information

CANDOMBLÉ ─ “Candomblé is a Brazilian diasporic religion that resulted from the syncretism of existing religions such as Yoruba and Roman Catholic Christianity.” ─ Candomblé Music

CHILE ─ “The Chileans are a South American people that share the Chilean culture. They are native to Chile.” ─ Chilean Information ─ Chilean Culture (in Spanish) ─ Chilean History

CHILOTE ─ “The Chilote, or Chilota, people are anyone that lives in the Chiloé Archipelago off the coast of Chile. They share the Chilote culture.” ─ Chilote Churches

COLOMBIA ─ “The Colombian people are a South American people that share the Colombian culture. They are native to Colombia.” ─ Colombian Information ─ Colombian Culture ─ Colombian History

ECUADOR ─ “Ecuadorians are a South American people that share the Ecuadorian culture. They are native to Ecuador.” ─ Ecuadorian Information ─ Ecuadorian Culture ─ Ecuadorian Culture

GUYANA ─ “The Guyanese are a South American people that share the Guyanese culture. They are native to Guyana.” ─ Guyanese History

PERU ─ “The Peruvian people are a South American people that share the Peruvian culture. They are native to Peru.” ─ Peruvian Information ─ Machu Picchu Information ─ Peruvian Indigenous Cultures

TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO ─ “The Trinidadian and Tobagonian, or Trinbagonian, people are a South American people that share the Trinidadian and Tobagonian culture. They are native to Trinidad and Tobago.” ─ Trinidad and Tobago Information ─ Trinidad and Tobago English ─ Trinidad and Tobago Slang

VENEZUELA ─ “The Venezuelan people are a South American people that share the Venezuelan culture. They are native to Venezuela.” ─ Venezuelan Information ─ Venezuelan Information ─ Venezuelan History

Components of a Spell

A stated goal (what do you want to happen) ex. to find a job, to send someone away

A target (who or what the spell is aimed at)

Intention (the ability to consciously focus on a desire) ex. protection, attraction, banishing

Ingredients (herbs, crystals, bones, shells, etc)

Method (jars, sigils, poppets, amulets, etc)

Timing (moon phases, seasons, time of day, weather)

Sources of power (yourself, deities, spirits, elements, magical tools, etc)

Raising Power

Sending power to the target

Ending the Spell (disposing of remains and declaring success "So mote it be!")