✶*✧Introduction To Spell Sealing✧*✶

Rule of Thumb for Learning Witchcraft

This post is not for those who create witchy content, but rather for those who consume said content.

Not every tumblr post is an educational post. Sometimes people are just sharing their experiences.

Of course it'd be nice if everyone could clarify whether a post is educational or not but with the amount of posts that witchblr sees in a day that'd be too much to ask of every single blogger.

So a good rule of thumb when navigating tumblr:

If you don't see someone saying that a post is educational or informative then don't assume it's educational or informative.

It's very likely someone is simply sharing their experience. If you aren't sure if the post is meant to be educational then you should just ask, I don't know of many bloggers who would be upset by the question "Is this meant to be an educational post or a post about your personal opinion and experiences?".

If someone says that a post is educational it’s perfectly acceptable to ask for their resources if they aren’t provided.

If they share incorrect information (and you have the energy for it) then it’s also perfectly acceptable to politely correct them and share the correct information. 

I want to share some examples:

Opinion or personal experience: I prefer basil rather than mint for prosperity spells.

-> This is someone sharing their experience with a type of spell and the herbs they've used in said spell.

Fact: Humans have been using herbs for mystical and magical purposes across cultures since even ancient times and many of these herbs have different correspondences based on the culture.

-> We have texts and traditions backing this statement that can be easily found.

Opinion or personal experience: Artemis enjoys chamomile tea as an offering.

-> This person's personal experience with Artemis shows that she enjoys chamomile tea. However, this is not something we can prove nor is it something we can render invalid.

Fact: In ancient Greece, deities were often offered honey or olive oil. Artemis in particular was offered locks of one’s hair as well as animals from a hunt.

-> We have writings from those who lived during ancient Greece to back this up. Solid resources for this can be searched for fairly easily.

Facts are something we have evidence for. Opinions and personal experiences aren’t rendered invalid in light of these facts, but it’s generally in bad taste to try to teach your personal experiences as facts.

TL;DR

Rather than looking for a statement saying that a post is an opinion/ post about personal experience, it’s better to assume that if you don't see someone saying that their post is educational then you shouldn’t see it as trying to be educational or informative.

Evil spells this, good spells that! Where are the petty inconvenience spells?!

Enchant a pebble to always end up in your target's shoe.

Socks that can't have shoes put over them until they step in at least one (1) liquid.

Curse that prevents hot food and drinks cooling until your target has taken a sip.

Disappearing ink that only appears when the person it's on is looking away.

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!

🌄Sunrise Witchcraft🌄

☀️sunrise is the best time for: healing, positivity, happiness, anti-anxiety/depression, spirituality, self care/love, air magic, cleansing, soft energy/ positive energy amplifier, truth spells, protection, and peace

☀️sunrise associations: citrine, lemon, peaches, ginger, orange, morning dew, orange calcite, coffee, bergamot, lime, earl grey, mint, sage, cinnamon, grapefruit, morning glory, marigold, saffron, calendula, daylily, daisy, black tea, and frankincense

☀️tips and things to try:

🌞yoga (especially sun salutations!)

🌻sunbathe in the sunrise to cleanse and charge with positive energy

🌞if you can’t wake up before/during sunrise, just leave your window blinds open to help you wake up naturally and/or to charge in the sunlight while you’re sleeping

🌻this is a great time for tea and coffee magic

🌞this is a great time to charge stones, especially sun-sensitive stones. (Here’s a post on solar stones)

🌻listen to and charge with soft or acoustic music

🌞 spend some time outside, take some deep breaths of fresh air, enjoy the birds chirping, flowers, dew, fog, and the beautiful colors in the sky that sunrise brings

🌻charge some lemon juice in the sunrise for extra boost of cleansing, positivity, and happiness properties (to make it stronger you can infuse it with mint or grapefruit, which both have similar properties and correspond with sunrise)

🌞if you’re comfortable with it, leave an offering out for sunrise deities and dawn sprites & other sun fae

🌻sunrise is a spiritual time, it’s the perfect time for meditation, exploring spirituality, astral travel, etc.

🌞here’s my post on how to connect to the elements in the morning/dawn

☀️My sunrise recipes:

🍋Sunrise tea: (has cleansing, happiness, positivity, energy boost, and protection properties)

1 part grapefruit (be careful if you’re on medication) optional

1 part sage or basil (whichever you prefer, both work)

1 part lemon

1 part orange

1 part mint

1 part hibiscus

🍊Sunrise oil/diffuser blend: (helps you connect to the sunrise, and it’s energy. It has positivity, happiness, anti-depression/anxiety, glamour, cleansing, and love properties)

Bergamot

Grapefruit

Rosemary

Lime

🍑Dawn faeries/spirtes:

☀️What they’re like- human looking, lots of pinks (their skin as well as ‘clothes’), they love dancing during sunrise, waking up the animals and plants sweetly, happy attitude, gentle, they love dew, pink clouds, they have a soft yet sparkly pink glow (it feels warm but not hot), and can bring about peaceful and positive feelings

☀️Offerings- rose quartz!!!, grapefruit, pink chyroprase, pink roses, peaches, peach roses, peony, geranium, hibiscus, marigold

☀️Deities associated with sunrise- Eos, Aurora, Hemera, Alectrona, Neaera, Mitra, Saranyu

Let’s talk about ●●●

●●● Warding

★ There are many forms of magic that serve the purpose of protecting the environments that are important to us

☆ Wardings are a type of magic, which is characterized by the act of creating an energy barrier around something or place, with the intention of protecting. Protective barriers will keep certain energies out, and with clear intentions and practice, you can shift your ward focus to block all negative and harmful energies, or banish only specific energies.

★ Energy barriers can be constructed in many ways, both complex and simplified, and customized according to your personal practices. They can be temporary or permanent, but they are usually made to continue to protect the place for a long period of time.

→ To keep in mind when planning your energy barriers

• Have multiple layers with different purposes. A tip is to have at least the following layers:

1 - Concealment layer, to keep your home camouflaged and to make it more difficult for some entity or person with bad intentions to find your residence.

2 - Offensive layer, intended to deal with entities that wish you harm, or that want to harm you.

3 - Defensive layer, to prevent the energies sent against you from reaching you, whether from people or entities.

• Be very specific and selective when creating your wards, especially when placing intention and visualization. It is not enough to just determine "protection against malicious entities", as this is very vague, and an energetic barrier has no conscience to discern what is a good or bad intention. In that case, a better way to determine your protection would be "protection against entities I consider to be malicious or harmful," as that becomes your personal perspective.

   It's always good to make clear what a bad intention is too, such as "things that bring me nightmares", "things that bring conflict to my life", "things that affect me negatively", in short.

• The ceiling, corners of the house, floor and walls must be completely covered by the barriers! It doesn't matter how much power and energy you put into wards, if they have weaknesses and unprotected spaces. So visualization is very important, and in methods that use physical things like water, furniture must be moved to reach hidden spaces.

★ Free Witchy Newsletter  |  Tip your witch ★

Samhain

Crisp air like a freshly picked apple and leaves the colors of sunset indicating the ending of a season; here comes Autumn and with it a very popular pagan holiday: Samhain!

This is a remake of my original Samhain post. This one is going to be a long one so buckle up!~

While us those in the northern hemisphere are celebrating Samhain, our friends in the southern hemisphere will be celebrating Beltane!

Historical Samhain

The name “Samhain” (pronounced Sah-when) comes from the Old Irish samain which literally means “Summer’s end” as it was created using Old Irish sam ”Summer” and fuin ”end” (etymonline.com).

By now I’m sure you’ve guessed Samhain’s origin, it’s a Celtic* festival, one of four major holidays.

**In this post when I refer to “Celts” or “Celtic people” I am referring only to the Insular Celts, more specifically the Gaelic-speaking Celts. To learn the difference between Celtic and Gaelic please read this article

For these Celts, Samhain was the beginning of the new year. Due to the oral nature of the culture, not much is known about the traditions of Samhain, though we have some documentation from other cultures as well as some ideas from historians as to what they may have done.

Traditions

The traditions of Samhain may vary by group or even by family, but one common tradition was to have a large, public sacred bonfire. (Fun fact, the term “Bonfire” comes from the English “bonefire” meaning literally “a fire of bones”). During these bonfires, the Celts would sacrifice livestock and crops as offerings to their deities.

Households would extinguish their hearth fires earlier that day and would take the flame from the public bonfire to reignite their hearths. This was likely to represent renewal or new beginnings as they transitioned to the new year as well as a representation of community.

The veil between this world and other worlds is thought to be very thin on Samhain, making it easier not only for us to reach out to spirits, deities, and the like, but for them to reach out to us. These otherworldly beings are thought to be able to influence our world more powerfully during Samhain.

In some places, like Britanny, they believed that the dead would visit their living friends and relatives during this time.

In Welsh tradition, people would leave out food, leave doors unlocked, and prepare the house for the spirits of relatives that may come to visit.

Large turnips were hollowed out and would have faces carved into them and then place on window sills to ward off evil spirits.

In other places, like Scotland, Samhain was a time for mischief. Young men would dress up as spirits, donning masks, painting their faces, or wearing costumes.

Divination was very popular during this time, especially marriage divination. This wasn’t just done by druids but by the common folk as well.

In some places, it was considered taboo to forage for fruit or grain during and after Samhain, it was thought that the fae or spirits would have passed over and tainted them. There were even laws against doing so.

Notes

Samhain is the Irish name for the month of November.

Samhain is one of the four main holidays of the ancient Celts, the other three are Beltane, Lughnasadh, and Imbolc.

Pigs were the choice of sacrificial animal for Samhain.

Samhain was a sacred time that often welcomed assemblies and would be used to settle important business matters like the inauguration of new kings, debts being paid, and trials.

In Celtic mythology, the Second Battle of Mag Tuired begins on Samhain.

Trick-or-treating is a modern-day tradition but could have derived from the many different traditions of old.

The Cailleach is a seasonal goddess said to rule the “dark” side of the year (fall and winter) and would rule between Samhain and Beltane. Likewise, the goddess Brigid would rule the “light” side of the year between Beltane and Samhain.

While Wiccans may celebrate Samhain as part of their Wheel of the Year, it is not a Wiccan-specific holiday and has ties to much older traditions.

Modern Halloween is an amalgamation of Samhain and the Christian All Hallows’ Eve or All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ day. Halloween found its popularity after many Celts immigrated to North America.

Similar to these holidays is Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) which originated in Mexico. This holiday reunites the living and the dead, allowing the spirits of loved ones to cross back over to our world for a short period of time. Families will make altars and give offerings to those who have passed. Festivities and celebrations are held during this time. It is traditionally held on November 1st or 2nd but is celebrated on October 31st or November 6th depending on the location.

Modern Samhain

As long as you’re aware of and honor the history of Samhain and are being respectful you can celebrate this holiday however you choose!

Here is a list of correspondences and the like that I found throughout my research for Samhain, some have historical backing and others don’t. Take what speaks to you and leave what doesn’t.

Food

Mead, beer, and mulled wine

Meat

Bread, soul cakes, pies, and other such pastries.

Apples, squash, and potatoes.

Colcannon

Soul cakes

Barmbrack

Colors

Warm colors such as red, orange, brown, and yellow.

Black

Dark green

Rocks & Metals

Onyx

Obsidian

Citrine

Hematite

Carnelian

Smoky quartz

Tiger’s eye

Ruby

Copper

Jet

Plants

Rosemary

Thyme

Vervain

St. John’s Wort

Mugwort

Dragon’s blood

Saffron

Deities

The Morrigan

The Dagda

The Morrigan and The Dagda seem to be the main deities for Samhain as per Celtic mythology but you could also choose to honor any Celtic deity or even other deities on this day, especially those involving liminality and death such as:

Cerunnos

Diana

Anubis

Hecate

Heimdall

Here are more liminal deities and here are more death deities.

Magic & Spellwork

Spirit work: honoring or communicating with spirits

Banishing and cleansing (out with the old and in with the new!)

Honoring ancestors

Activities

Bonfire

Fest

Baking

Decorating or creating an altar for Samhain

Other Correspondences

Tarot: Death, The World

Death in the Tarot often means “the end of something with the promise of something new on the horizon”, and represents transition the perfect card for a holiday of similar sentiment.

The World tarot card indicates cycles, closure, and completion.

Zodiac: Scorpio

It’s Scorpio season!

Runes: Fehu, Eihwaz

Fehu can represent new beginnings.

Eihwaz represents transformation, out with the old and in with the new, which pairs well with the ancient Celtic new year.

Androgyny

In Samhain's past, it wasn’t uncommon for men to dress in traditionally women’s clothes and women to dress in traditionally men’s clothes. While the social idea of gender is shifting and we don’t gender clothes as often in some modern societies, we can still use this as a way of celebration. Androgyny is like the liminal version of gender, neither male nor female. So trans witches or gender non-conforming witches of all flavors: show yourself some extra love this coming Samhain holiday!

References and Further Reading

The Ancient Origins of Halloween - History.com

Samhain - Worldhistory.com

Halloween Customs in the Celtic World - by Bettina Arnold

Samhain - Wikipedia

Samhain - Flying the hedge

Secular Celebrations - Samhain - @breelandwalker

Disabled/spoonie witches: remember, cleaning is cleansing.

Washing your face is cleansing. Taking a shower is cleansing. Cleaning your home is cleansing. Tidying up your space is cleansing. Doing the dishes and running a load of laundry are cleansing. Taking out the trash is cleansing.

If you don't have the spoons to do any extra cleansing, it's okay!

Houseplant Correspondences & Meanings

I've developed these correspondences as part of an oracle deck that I had planned to create but I need to actually draw them.

ANYWAYS here are some houseplants and their witchy correspondences!

If you know me personally or have been following me for a while, you'll know that I'm obsessed with houseplants. So of course, being me, I've been trying to incorporate them into my practice.

Snake Plant (Dracaena trifasciata)

-Inner Strength, Positivity

Snake Plants can live and thrive even in difficult environments. This plant reminds you of your inner strength and of the positivity around you. You are capable of adapting to your situation. Be confident in yourself and your decisions, even if those decisions are hard to make.

These plants are also believed to have the ability to absorb negativity and release positivity, as a person this is someone who always shows you the bright side.

Rubber tree (Ficus elastica)

-Flexible, Lenient, Support

Rubber trees are diligent and flexible. The aerial roots of the rubber tree are used to build bridges in some places! These plants are able to be trained as they grow so that the tree is never harmed.

Things are changing and you seem to be handling it well, allowing yourself to go with the flow is the right choice. You may be the support for someone else going through a change right now, allowing them to lean on you and reflect on your love and kindness.

Ficus Elastica reminds you of your resilience, your ability to bend without breaking. You know that as time passes and things change you will only get stronger.

Pothos (Epipremnum aureum)

-Easy going, Care-free, Quick to recover

Perhaps it’s time that you allow yourself some freedom. This card urges you to practice some self-care–and that doesn’t just mean drinking a gallon of water and smearing on a mud mask–let yourself relax and have some fun. Hang out, like the vines of your friendly pothos.

This plant can also represent someone who is outgoing, carefree, and a true extrovert. Seek them out for support, they are a good companion to have.

Spider plant (Chlorophytum)

-Friendship, Community, Kinship

The spider plant is one of the easiest plants to propagate, making it an easy gift for those around you! This plant signifies a strong community and friendships. Take stock of the friends you have and let them know how grateful you are! 

You can look toward and lean on your friends and your community, either for guidance or for a listening ear. Let yourself be a part of this community and know that it doesn’t make you any less of an individual to be part of something bigger than yourself.

Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum)

-Gentle, Careful

Maidenhair fern is soft to the touch, encouraging you to be gentle with yourself and those around you. Let yourself be taken care of and allow others to shower you in love and praise, you deserve it. You are being careful, and there is no shame in that, but without any trust in yourself or those around you, you may end up worse off. Let your hair down and have some fun.

ZZ Plant

-Resillient, Independent

The ZZ plant is known for thriving even with little outside help, it’s time to be like ZZ and be independent. You have the resilience and strength necessary to make it on your own. This doesn’t mean that you need to be alone, just that it’s time to stand with your own two feet. 

This plant also reminds you that while being independent is certainly something to be proud of, it’s okay to reach out for help when you need it. Even the ZZ plant needs to be watered and given a little sunshine!

These correspondences are based on the history, meanings, and overall vibes of the plants. It's ok if you don't agree with these, as this is just a page from my grimoire that I'd like to share with other plant lovers.

ANYWAYS here are some houseplants and their witchy correspondences!

Egg shells in witchcraft

Save your eggshells and make them into a powder. You can use them for protection, peace and cleansing!

Also, can be used to make Black Salt. Just add some incense ashes!

Just rinse them, allow them to dry, crush in your mortar and pestle and store them in a labeled bottle.

Powdered Eggshells can be used in your magical workings to cast circles or for protection.

To add some extra oomph, add a pinch of salt and dragon's blood resin in your protection blend.

Also this one-

Say Hello to the Tens in Tarot

Their Differences

The number 10 is the biggest in the Minor Arcana. Therefore:

The Ten of Wands is the biggest burden you can have.

The Ten of Cups is the biggest happiness you can feel.

The Ten of Swords is the biggest pain you can endure.

The Ten of Pentacles is the biggest abundance you can enjoy.

Ten of Wands

Main Meaning: Burden. Either in the sense of having too many tasks to accomplish for the day, or too many problems in life to deal with.

Positive Meaning: Being burdened by a harvest. First-world problems. Like having too much money that you do not know where to put it all.

Ten of Cups

Main Meaning: Happiness. The kind you get from knowing there is a special someone or an entire loving family you can share your joys and sorrows with.

Negative Meaning: Nothing. The Ten of Cups at its worst only means that your fairy tale ending is delayed. In divine timing, it will arrive.

Ten of Swords

Main Meaning: Pain. Physical or emotional. Feeling like you cannot take it anymore. As if death would be a sweet relief to your current ordeal.

Positive Meaning: The worst is over. You have experienced the peak of agony. From here on out, whatever follows will be tolerable.

Ten of Pentacles

Main Meaning: Abundance. Usually material. Not the kind that lasts for just a few minutes, but one that will stay for the rest of your life.

Negative Meaning: Nothing. Like the Ten of Cups, the Ten of Pentacles at its worst only means your stability is delayed but still promised.