A Reminder For My Struggling Witches And Pagans

witches, let’s talk spell books.

this is such a huge part of our craft, and i think its about time we talk about it.

a side note before we start, there is an amazing video that personally inspired me by a witch (herspeak) that you can watch here! i will include some of the information she gives in her video in this post for those of you who don’t have the time to watch!

first off… grimoire? book of shadows? whats the difference? what on earth even is a book of mirrors?? wait… there’s even more??

well first lets quickly talk about the different types of books!

grimoire: a textbook of magick, a reference book filled with anything you desire or need to remember (lists, correspondences, how-to’s, spells)

book of shadows: for wiccans/pagans, this can be seen as more religious, but it is typically more known for its personal/spiritual journal aspects (religious or not); some may use it for references also

book of mirrors: a book of reflections, for recording experimentation and its results including successes and failures (some like to keep their book of shadows pure with only successes)

book of light: a book used usually by wiccans/pagans that is used by eclectics, referring to light as knowledge; used for notes and information often to be shared whereas a book of shadows is personal and private (sort of makes me think of a less organized/personal grimoire)

the tree: a seax-wica (an anglo-saxon paganism) version of a book of shadows

book of ways: a devotional book for wiccans/pagans

(of course all of these things are up to further interpretation!)

back in the day when witchcraft was more ruled by covens, only one spell book was required for each coven, but now that witchcraft is often a solitary and/or personal path, witches are often encouraged to have their own! most witches will have either a book of shadows or grimoire. some witches will have both, and some will have one book that includes the aspects of both and call it one or the other.

let’s start with the basic thing nobody talks about… the book itself!

what should you use? well first off, you don’t need some big, expensive, and fancy leather book straight out of hocus pocus. if its so fancy that you aren’t going to work in it, don’t use it! you could use…

a sketchbook

you could make a book (a traveler’s notebook is a great idea)

an online book

a binder and insert pages

an old thrift store book and paint over the pages

you could even write and paint on paper and paste all over your walls and work space and make a room your ‘book’

you could choose something that relates to your field of magick if you have a defined one, get creative!

make sure your book a reflection of you. but remember, we are what makes books come alive. reading is what makes languages have purpose. without you there to read it, your book is meaningless. the connection between you and your book is beyond special from the first moment you begin working!

so where on earth do i start? if you already have one, what’s holding you back from working more?

well what interests you? if you don’t know yet, here is a wonderful masterpost of types of magick! find what you like, what sounds cool to you, what resonates with you, research it! (maybe make an entry about it and your discoveries!)

once you know your interests, don’t waste time on things you aren’t interested in. if you don’t care about herbal magick, don’t write down a seven page list of all herbs and their properties. i personally had to retry creating a grimoire a few times in order to learn that lesson.

so how do i bond and grow comfortable with my book? how do i create a connection? how do i give it my personal touch?

do what makes you happy.

create your own aesthetic. maybe ask friends around you what your aesthetic seems to be if you don’t know yourself. don’t follow that big ole leather book stereotype unless you like it. if you do, another great idea for aging your pages are coffee and tea stains on your paper. 

sleep with your book under your pillow! bond with it like you would your tarot deck. carry it around throughout the day. let it become a companion.

your book isn’t just a place to write about your craft, infuse your craft! if you like lunar magick, bathe it in moonlight. if you like herbal magick, spray your pages with an herb and water mix.

don’t stress about organization or a table of contents yet. you can put an index at the end when you know you’re done. its your book so you’ll probably have a sense of where things are anyways, but if you’re forgetful like me, use some labelled bookmarks!

in fact, don’t stress about it at all if you can! your book shouldn’t stress you out. mistakes happen. keep negative energy away. you and your book are a conjoined, powerful force! you can paste over pages, paint over them, or even just rip them out. in the wonderful words of herspeak in the aforementioned video, nothing is special until you say it is. 

remember, it might take a couple tries to get it right, and that’s okay! you might have to make a couple throughout your lifetime to hold all the knowledge you learn, so no worries.

don’t just copy and paste other peoples’ information into your book, that isn’t how you learn. take note of things that are important to you. are you memorizing or understanding? allow yourself to understand. if it shines and you find it important, write this information in your own words and in a setup you enjoy.

you don’t have to be an artist to make a beautiful book! your book is already beautiful, unique, and magickal because its yours!

here’s some ideas for pages in your book!

correspondence lists. i definitely think color correspondences are important for just about every witch! what do these things mean to you? how do they make you feel and what do you relate them to? do this with other things you find interesting!

devote a page to your sun and moon sign or maybe you and your partners signs and how they interact.

create a protection sigil just for your book.

make a page about your totem animal/spirit animal. please don’t appropriate these terms though, you can also use daemon, patronus, eomkin, or even just your personal corresponding animal.

you could make a page for each holiday, its history and dates, and add a paper pocket into the page filled with recipes.

you could collage things that make you think of a deity you like whether you’re secular or whether you participate. if enjoy and appreciate a deity, give em a page! if you worship or work with one or many, dive in much deeper and show how that relationship affects you.

paste in pictures from books or parts of posters that show what magick means to you.

practice spirit work? draw the spirit! collage the spirit. find art that makes you think of the spirit and pop it in there.

press plants you find, tape them in, bring a little greenery into your book. label them if you like. give them your own names if you don’t know your plants well.

write your dreams out, decorate in a way that feels right, use colors according to how it made you feel.

draw out the ingredients you want to use in a spell/potion/oil. dab a bit of the creation on the page.

make a page for your familiars. list any spells for them, where you found/adopted them, their breed and things about them, what’s their favorite snack, and if your familiar is cooperative, maybe try to get a paw/nose print!

make a pendulum chart.

find one of those adult coloring books. tear a few pages and stick them in either randomly or maybe in a page about meditation. when stressed, use it as a meditative practice.

chakras, what they mean to you, correspondences, and which you may need to work on. here is a fun test you can take that tells you if your chakras are under-active, over-active, or open.

any fictional/real witches or wizards that stood out to you? why?

write about magickal experiences you had as a child you can’t explain today. what about imaginary friends and were they imaginary?

get geeky. make spells about video games! inspire spells based on favorite characters and abilities or get inspiration from your favorite playable mages! get really creative with this one.

make a page about past lives if you know of any.

what do the elements mean to you? what are your favorites? which do you feel connected to?

stick envelopes in there and put recipes, spreads, all sorts of things in there to save some pages! utilize fold out pages for long chunks of information.

do you cast circles? what do you use? what do you think the energy looks like? the color? the shape if you don’t see it as a circle? draw the seen and unseen.

make a page about your spiritual or psychic gifts. how did you discover them?

make a list of things to research. cross them out as you do.

print out aesthetically pleasing pictures you find portray you and your craft. collage your personal aesthetic/witchy moodboard

i could list on and on, but i hope i’ve given you some creative inspiration! make your book what you want! keep researching and gain inspiration from others if you’re ever lost. feel free to message me if you ever have questions!

happy casting!

no one’s a perfect witch 🌙

🌙 spells wont always work, and that’s okay. one failed spell, or even ten doesnt mean your power has left you completely, it just means you need to re-center yourself and rediscover it.

🌙 how often you do something witchy does not make you more or less of a witch. taking time for you is okay. missing full moons for spells or pagan holidays is fine, they are not mandatory

🌙 there will always be more to learn, don’t feel pressured to learn it all, especially if it’s not something you’re interested in. go at your own pace.

“Becoming a witch is an awakening, a remembering, an initiation. It’s a chant to ‘come home, come home, come home’, because even when you feel like you’re lost, you’re not.”

— Gabriela Herstik

Hello! Do you have any suggestions for a closeted witch on how to make sun water? The sun never hits my windows in the summer (it’s extremely sad, not gonna lie), but it does in the winter, and I can’t just leave a jar anywhere in the yard because my parents will see it and they will question me about it. They already think I’m weird and tend to be a bit... harsh about me being myself. And they’re both still working from home right now due to covid, so my room is basically my sanctuary.

I’m sorry about your situation! Here’s some ideas that I hope will help:💛

🌞If you have a crystal like clear quartz you can charge that in the sunlight and then put it in water. It’ll have the same effect but the crystal is easier to hide!

🌞Pretend like you left a water bottle outside on accident

🌞Go outside with the water. They won’t question you getting some fresh air and sunbathing while staying hydrated with a cup of water (hopefully)

🌞Make a citrus infused water or infuse water with other solar plants (chamomile, marigold, basil, etc) to replace the need for sunlight (I have like 281690 posts about solar plants)

🌞Make sun salts and dissolve them in water

✨🌝Shop Update🌝✨

Verbenalune.com has been updated with a beautiful bunch of new crystals and crystal jewellery ✨🌝 click the link to check them out 🙏🏻🙌🏻 - verbenalune.com🌛

Clicking and reblogging really helps my small business grow 🙏🏻 I’d really appreciate it even if you just have a lil browse 🌝 thank you!! ✨

You’re healing every time you

get out of bed because there’s something you’re excited about.

don’t think about people who left.

clean the clutter in the room and dishes in your sink.

smile at yourself and random people.

do something kind and out of the blue to make someone happy.

work out or meet with friends even though you have no energy to.

calm yourself down when your thoughts race.

remember to drink water.

don’t dwell on things you can’t control.

do things good for yourself, even though you have no motivation.

tell yourself that you’re growing from this, and you won’t feel like this forever.

Witchy Self Care & Mindfulness🌻🌿

Artwork by @CraftingWitch on Instagram

Important Reminder:

Witches who began their practice YESTERDAY are still valid witches Witches who began their practice 5 MINUTES AGO are still valid witches Witches who had to TEACH THEMSELVES are still valid witches Witches who had someone TEACH THEM are still valid witches Witches who have been practicing in secret for YEARS are still valid witches

Witches who didn’t realize that they’d been doing magic ALL THEIR LIFE are still valid witches

Witches who were initiated into a COVEN are still valid witches

Witches who work ALONE are still valid witches

You are a Witch the instant you decide you want to claim that Title, and no one can take that from you. So don’t let them take that from you

READINGS ARE OPEN AGAIN

Hey guys! So after a bit of a health break and working part-time at just one of my jobs its time for me to open readings again. I still have very limited hours of about 20 a week and until tourism picks back up again (which can take months even after Covid ends) for my second job to start up again - budget is still tight!

I know a lot of others are suffering severely as well - but if anyone has any spare income and wants a reading please feel free to IM me or send me an ask or (preferably) send me a submission form.

The Readings I Offer

Tarot Readings

A simple thing that many offer but with my readings you will receive images of the spreads and cards taken and any other addition items added (crystals drawing, colormancy, etc)

1 Card Reading - $1.50

3 Card Reading - $3.00

5 Card Reading - $5.00

10 Card Reading - $8.00

Custom Spreads or Requests - Up for Discussion

Past Life Readings

My bread and butter! Every interested in delving down into the lives you may have experienced in the past? Are you wanting to do some soul searching or get back to some of your old energy of those times? Well these readings are wonderful for self discovery, self reflection and to improve yourself over flaws of history.

Standard Reading (5 Cards) - $5.00

The standard past life reading is where I do a 5 card spread based off of the custom spread I created personally for past life readings. These readings will consist of: early life, teenage life, young adult life, adult life, and late life. Additional notes may be added to the reading by me.

Full Reading (10 Cards) - $8.50

The standard past life reading is where I do a 10 card spread based off of the custom spread I created personally for past life readings. These readings will consist of: early life, teenage life, young adult life, adult life, late life, how you were seen by others, your inner self/personality, your purpose in this life, if you met any of your soulmates, and how this life effects your current one. Additional notes may be added to the reading by me.

Full Reading + 3 Cards - $11.00

This reading is like the full reading, but with the addition of 3 more cards added to the end of the spread. These cards can be picked from a list of specifics that you wish to know more about this past life for more specific info. You may choose which of the three areas of the 10 you wish to add a card (or cards) to for more detail. 

Full Reading + 5 Cards - $12.50

This reading is identical to the full reading with the addition of another 5 card spread afterwards. This additional 5 card spread will help us determine in more detail your past life in specific aspects: the time period, the location, your lifestyle (job, family, social class), your biggest fears and your goals/dreams of this life.

Small Reading - $3.00

This is my affordable cheaper option for those with a tighter budget. It is a smaller version of my standard reading featuring the first 5 cards of the standard reading: early life, teenage life, young adult life, adult life and late life. 

Colormancy

My readings using custom colormancy cards made from my color theory test kit. With these colors much like other forms of card readings, I will use them and their alignments to draw answers for your questions or inquiries.

One Card - $1.00

Two Cards - $1.50

Three Cards - $2.50

Five Cards - $4.00

Crystal Throwing

A crystal throwing reading is using a bunch of different crystals and a large grid and tossing randomly selected crystals onto the grid and interpreting that for divination purposes. You may also do single drawn stones from a bag or box for single simple answers.

How the reading will work:

I will receive your question(s) and then using them as a guide will throw the crystals I draw onto my grid. I will interpret the patter, placement and the crystals correspondences to give you a detailed reading. I will also take a picture of the grid and the crystals upon it.

Pricing:

The price for a standard crystal reading will be $7.00 and for every additional throwing or question you would like to add is another $3.00.

I also have an option for if you want a Large Throwing consisting of answering 5 questions and taking the use of many more crystals than a standard throwing it is $11.50.

I also offer single stone drawings for $1.00 a stone.

Energy Readings

My energy readings are not the same as aura readings, I will read your energy via what visions I get, imagery, sounds, smells, tastes and feelings. I type out my readings while I experience them (likely with my eyes closed) and will go back through to correct spelling errors before sending. Sometimes these readings delve into divination other times they don’t. I will then take what I see, feel and witness and interpret it more deeply for you and send that.

The price is 6.50 for a basic energy reading. A full detailed or extended one with additional tarot cards, crystals or other added insights can be requested and price discussed.

If you need more details on energy readings feel free to look at my Energy Reading Page

Pendulum Readings

A simple reading but good for anyone who needs simple brief answers.

One Question = $1.00

Each additional Question = $1.00

5 Question Bundle = $4.50

10 Question Bundle = $9.00

Spirit or Entity Communication = IM me to discuss possible price depending on entity/spirit, length of reading and number of questions

Deity Communication/Entity Communication

Need some help communicating with a new deity, entity or spirit? I am happy to do my best to assist you with this!

Basic Deity Communication Spread - $12.00

This reading will be done with a spread I have made and used for deity communication to contact and get information from the deity. Additional cards may be added as needed each for $1.

Add Energy Reading - add. $5.00

If needed or desired I can add on an energy reading of you and possibly the deity/entity itself onto the standard basic reading above for an additional fee 

Thank you all for helping me with this. If you cannot request a commission, please reblog and signal boost this if you can. Money will be tight, my city is about to fully shut down with little to no support from our local government. I also accept tips through my Ko-Fi page as well.

Hi! I'm a baby witch and I'm starting by learning and doing simple things like tea magick and sachet bags. I love all kind of flowers and hace a small garden myself. Being from Spain, I'm very fond of orange blossoms, which here are called "azahar" ¿Could you know by chance what are their magic properties and correspondences? They are blooming now and I would love to do somethung with them.

Orange blossoms are my FAVOEITE flower. They smell amazing. Probably the best scent I've ever smelled honestly. These are my magical associations and uses for them:

🍊attraction

🌼love of all kinds

🍊passion

🌼glamour

🍊euphoria

🌼confidence

🍊protection

🌼kindness

🍊health

🌼sun magic of course

🍊power

🌼energy

🍊fidelity

🌼beauty

🍊they also have some of the coolest fae! And are good for fae magic

I hope this helps sunshine🌼🌞🍊!