So Much Of Life Is Miraculous And We Don’t Always Recognize That. Our Body Does So Much Without Us

Types of Herbal Remedies

I’ve compiled a list of types of herbal remedies, with brief instructions on how to make them. Choose your herbs carefully, as some are poisonous, some will interfere with health problems and medications, and some can cause allergic reactions.

If you are concerned about any health issue you have, or worried about herbs reacting with your medications, go talk to your doctor. This post is not intended as medical advice.

Compress

This is usually cloth that has been soaked in a herbal infusion so that it can be applied topically. Useful for skin issues, muscle pain, joint pain, and general aches.

You can make one by soaking cotton wool in a warm infusion of your choice, wrapping the balls in a piece of clean cloth, and applying to the affected area. Once the cloth cools down you can soak it again in the warm tea and reapply.

Infusion

This is basically the herbalist term for tea. The herbs are usually dried and ground before being steeped in very hot water and then strained out. If you use a bag then you can skip the straining.

Tincture

This is similar to an infusion but much stronger, and with alcohol instead of water, which helps to preserve it.

Put your herbs in a jar. Cover them with alcohol (most people I know use vodka). Put the lid on the jar and shake it daily for a month or so, then strain the herbs out. I tend to keep mine in the little dropper bottles, as you normally don’t need to take much at once.

Decoction

I like to think of these as a stronger infusion. You need four times as much boiling water as dried herb, and you want to simmer the mixture for about half an hour before straining.

Syrup

These are herbs mixed with a sugary substance, which makes them easier to consume and helps to preserve them a little. They’re a good way to get your herbs in if you have a sore throat, as they are often quite soothing.

You’ll need a couple ounces of fresh herb per pint of water. Put them on the stove and heat until about half of the water has evaporated. Then you need to add about five tablespoons of sugar/honey/maple syrup per pint of water you used originally (so if you put two pints in the pan, you need ten tablespoons). Keep stirring for about twenty minutes, then take it off the heat and bottle it up. You need to keep syrups in the fridge, preferably in a dark coloured jar or bottle.

Balm

Essential oils and beeswax, basically. Add about twenty drops of essential oil to a cup of melted beeswax, stick it in a jar, let it cool, and there you go! You can mix in juiced herbs if you like, but that’s optional.

Salve

A salve is basically essential oils mixed with beeswax, oils and herbs. I have seen them made with coconut oil, though if you live in a warmer environment then coconut oil won’t work for you as it melts. You need about fifty/fifty dried herbs and beeswax (if you live somewhere warm) or use a mixture of beeswax and an oil like olive or safflower if you live somewhere colder, just so it’s soft enough to use. Use about twenty drops of oil per cup of beeswax. You’ll need to melt the wax in a double boiler, and let the herbs infuse in the molten wax for about half an hour. Then you add your essential oils, and pour the molten salve into the containers and let it cool.

Ointment

This is basically a liquid balm or salve. Follow the methods above, but use oil instead of beeswax.

Bath

When taking a herbal bath, you are basically making a giant cup of tea! Fill an organza bag with your chosen herbs, and put it in the bath while you run the water, then remove it before you get in. You can reuse the bag of herbs, but they lose potency with each use, so I try to avoid doing this.

Poultice

This is a paste of herbs and sometimes other things that is applied to the skin. Used for infections, splinters, burns, boils etc. They’re pretty simple to make, you just mix some dried herbs with a tiny bit of boiling water to form a paste, put it on the area, and use a piece of cloth or gauze to keep it there. If you want to use fresh herbs you just mash them up.

Dove Blood Ink 🩸

Uses

Dove’s blood ink is traditionally used for any type of love, blessing, friendship, reconciliation, desire, and loyalty working/spell. This ink can be used to record spells, write petitions, create sigils, etc. Blood inks (dragon blood, dove blood, bat blood) got their names because of their dark red pigment due to the type of resin used, Dracaena Cinnabari, which causes the inks to look similar to blood.

ingredients

isopropyl 99.9% alcohol

Dracaena Cinnabari resin (medieval DB resin)

a pinch of rose petal

tsp of cinnamon/cinnamon chips

1 bay leaf

a pinch of calamus root (optional)

How to make

In a glass, air tight container, add your botanicals, and then pour isopropyl alcohol over the botanicals, stir, and seal lid tightly. Store vial in a cool, dark place for at least 24 hours.

After allowing the isopropyl to infuse with your botanicals, strain the botanicals from the isopropyl so that your alcohol is now in a separate air tight glass vial (this vial will be the one you store your ink in!)

In a mortar and pestle (preferably a separate one dedicated solely to ink making), crush DB resin into small pieces and/or powder. Make sure this is real Dracaena Cinnabari resin, as this is the only DB resin that dissolves in alcohol.

Add your now crushed resin to your isopropyl that has been strained into your ink vial, and stir. Allow your resin to dissolve for at least 3 hours minimum before using ink. If you would like to strain excess pieces of non-dissolved resin from your ink, you may do so, but I prefer to keep them in the mixture. Depending on preferred consistency, you may need to add more resin and/or isopropyl. Shake/stir before each use.

⚠️ WARNING ⚠️

Do not make this ink near/on an open flame, or near ANY heat source. Isopropyl is highly flammable. Please wear gloves and a mask when making your inks to protect yourself from fumes. Do not use rubbing alcohol as a substitute for isopropyl!!! Your alcohol must be 99.9%; any water added to your ink will ruin and harden it because water hardens resin! Any utensils/bowls/vials etc used for ink making should be dedicated purely to ink making. Please do not eat out of or use your utensils for other things that you may ingest.

five simmering pot recipes that will make your home smell like fall!

Instructions: Fill a small saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add the ingredients from your favorite recipe, continue to boil for a few minutes, then turn the heat down to simmer. Add water as needed, usually every 30 minutes or so.

Recipe #1 Cinnamon sticks Apple peels Orange rinds Whole cloves

Recipe #2 Peel from 1 lemon Peel from 1 orange 2 bay leaves 3 cinnamon sticks 2 Tablespoons whole cloves

Recipe #3 A few drops vanilla Orange peels

Recipe #4 1 cup dried lavender 1 tsp anise 1 Tablespoon nutmeg 1 Tablespoon whole cloves 1 Cinnamon stick

Recipe #5 5 bay leaves 1 Tablespoon whole cloves 2 sticks cinnamon

War Water

So this is one of those things I've kept on hand ever since my days as a baby witch because it's a) easy to make and b) easy to hide if you're still closeted for any reason because it doesn't really smell or anything. I mean yes now I don't have to hide so I keep mine in an old pickle jar, but it can be kept in opaque containers to hide it if necessary.

You really only need 2 things for this - some kind of metal that will rust, and water. You're essentially letting the metal rust and using the rusty water for your craft. Of course this means be very careful, don't touch this with your bare hands/don't get it on your skin (and wash up right away if you do get it on you), and any implements you use to stir it or handle it need to be washed thoroughly when you're done.

Now if you look around some people will tell you that you need very specific metals and/or water - versions where only cut nails will do, or broken pins, or something of the sort and where the water has to be rain water, snow water, set outside in the moonlight, collected only on a certain day, whatever. And I'm not saying those versions are wrong per say, but they are not universal to everyone's practice.

Mine contains any metal I know will rust - bits of jewelry chains that broke, metal rings from pendants I pried off, a few nails from old projects that would have just been tossed out otherwise, ect. And the water? Plain tap water. I haven't had the ability to set up my rain water or snow water collection systems since I moved in with my house mates, so I just use tap water.

As for uses, war water is most often associated with a form of protection. A very aggressive, offensive form of protection that is known to basically cause your enemies to war with one another while also taking those disruptive energies and taking them far away from your life. It can also be used to take a curse and throw it back at the person who sent it at you. It's a great to sprinkle across doorways and window sills outside to protect yourself, and personally I keep a small bottle of it in a woven hang by my bedroom door along with other protective elements :)

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🛡 Warding 🛡

Disclaimer: This is all based on my research, path, opinion & experiences! Intro: I really was holding out on doing this post because it’s such a big, important topic to cover and I really don’t want to mess it up or get anything wrong. This post needs to be done though, people have asked if I have such a post and an anon suggested it. So finally, here it is.  - What Is Warding? Warding is a type of magick, it is the act of creating an energetic barrier around you, your home, an object, ect. They can be temporary or permanent, although typically they are cast with the long term in mind. They can banish or turn away whatever you choose. Warding is an excellent skill to have because it can keep you, and even others safe and with practice you can do it anytime with just about whatever you have on hand.  When Should I Ward? Whenever you want an energetic barrier around you, most people consistently ward their home, themselves or their place of practice. Some people even ward their space every time they prepare for a spell. It should be done consistently in any area you want protected, but exactly where and how often is entirely up to the practitioner.  What Should I Do Before? Cleanse, a ward is a barrier of energy and in the same way that it keeps things out it also keeps things in. You don’t want to trap anything inside of it. Cleanse yourself before you ward yourself. Cleanse your space before you ward your space!  Tips Before You Ward- Phrasing Keep the phrasing in mind! You don’t want to keep anything out that you want in, or let something in that you want out. If you’re chanting or using sigils ect keep in mind exactly what you want to keep out both in your methods and in your mind. Covering everything Make sure to cover everything, a ward is useless if there’s a weakness in it or if the ceiling & floor aren’t probably covered. Be super thorough!  Layering Your Wards One small little wimpy barrier? Ha, the spirits say as they scramble into your home to wreak havoc! You need to layer your wards, don’t just use one method one time, there’s no such thing as too much warding.  What Are Some Ways That I Can Ward? Now we’ll get right down to the methods you can use to ward yourself and your space! Remember that warding is important and needs to be effective, don’t try anything that you don’t have experience with for warding. At first, focus on the stuff you know. If you like sigils, use sigils at first and slowly work your way into using other more complex methods or methods that solely rely on your abilities. Circle Casting You cast a circle by summoning the four elements to protect & energize what is in the circle.  - Here’s my post about circles & how to cast them  Chanting/Speaking Come up with a protective chant you can use to ward your space. This chant could be someone else’s or your own as long as you feel it’s effective. Speak it aloud and visualize a layer of energy protecting your space.  Incense Burn a protective incense in the space you’d like to ward and visualize a barrier protecting your space. Athame Draw out the line of your ward with your athame, visualize the wall appearing, covering everything with a thick layer of energy.  Spraying Spray a mix of blessed/magickal waters and or herbs with protective properties in the space you want to ward.  Sigils Create a sigil using your favorite method with the intent to “ward” or “protect/protection.” Then charge and activate it as a layer of protection! Here’s my post on sigils if you’re interested in that: - Sigil Post Jar Spells You could mix up a jar spell for warding, set it in your house and forget it as a layer of warding.  - My protective jar spell post Anointment Anoint the doorways of your space, you could also anoint the ceiling, floor, walls, corners, honestly go for it.  Salt Sprinkle salt all around the edge of your home or space. Make sure to sprinkle salt on the INSIDE of your harm as salt can harm plants & wildlife if used outside. If you’d like to make a barrier on the outside of your home, you can use dried & crushed eggshells in place of salt. - Post on how to make eggshell powder here -  Hag stones Hag stones are stones with holes in them that have been corroded into the stone because of rushing water. It is believed rushing water is protective & cleansing so if you wear a stone that sat in it long enough to have parts corroded away, that the stone will maintain and keep those properties with it. It’s a great way to personally ward yourself, and an excuse to go out in nature.  They look like this! 

Energy Manipulation If you’ve got a knack for manipulating energy, you can create a barrier through work and visualization that surrounds yourself or your space. This isn’t recommended for beginners though! Links: - Horse Warding Charm By @anothersusurrus - House Warding Spritz Mixture By @seleneblackwell Both of these are great if you’re looking for specific spells, types of magick, correspondences, sigils, ect! - Protection Magic Masterpost Part 1 By @auricwitch - Protection Magic Masterpost Part 2 By @auricwitch Personal Wards Also remember not just to ward your space but yourself, if you layer your home with wards, what happens when you leave? Exactly. Keep yourself safe too! Circle casting & hag stones are great methods I mentioned above that are good for personal warding.  Can I Ward Specific Things And Not Others? Absolutely! I mentioned this in the phrasing section of this post, keep in mind exactly what you want to keep out when you’re warding. I like words like “negative” or “harmful” or “with ill intent” because they don’t necessarily keep out the Fae or positive/neutral spirits but it does keep out anything that wants to harm you in general. Just think about it ahead of time, find wording or a phrase you like and keep that in mind as you ward.  What If I Live With People? If you’re out of the broom closet, explain to your family/roommates what you’re doing and why you’re doing it and make sure they’re cool with it and are aware of what’s going on. If you’re not out of the broom closet, you may have to resort to only warding yourself/your room, & that’s okay!  I hope this helps someone or teaches them something new! Enjoy! Have a lovely day 💖

The perfect cake doesn't exi-

Leslie Vigil on IG

Once again I was inspired by the coziness of Ghibli films to make a hearty soup!

I’m calling this one Forest Porridge 🍂💕

(Vegetarian and vegan substitution at the end!)

Melt a tablespoon of butter in a skillet. To the skillet add one diced sweet onion, Cook on medium heat until onions begin to become translucent. Then add 1 pound of mushrooms to the skillet (stems removed) and continue cooking until the mushrooms release their moisture.

In a soup pot melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Add three carrots and two ribs of celery, sliced, three or four diced red potatoes (more or less to your preference) and cook over medium heat until tender (about eight minutes).

Add three cloves of minced garlic and 1.5 teaspoons of dried thyme and 1 teaspoon of dried basil to the skillet with the onions and cook for about a minute, stirring.

Add onion mushroom mixture to the soup pot along with 6 cups of chicken broth and one cup of rice (I used jasmine). Cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.

In the skillet you used for the onions cook two diced chicken thighs until golden brown.

Add the chicken and any drippings to the soup pot to simmer with the rest for the remainder of the 30 minutes.

Finally, mix in 1 cup half-and-half, 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, and 1 to 2 cups chopped fresh spinach.

Salt and pepper the absolute hell out of it, to taste but anything with potatoes and needs boatloads of salt.

Enjoy!

For a vegetarian variation swap chicken broth for vegetable broth and omit the chicken, omit the parmesan cheese or use a vegetarian/vegan substitute.

For a vegan variation swap butter for preferred oil or vegan butter, chicken broth for vegetable broth, omit the chicken, use one can of full fat coconut milk in place of the half-and-half and omit the parmesan cheese or use a vegetarian/vegan substitute.

Today's herb of the day is Star Anise!

Gender: Masculine

Planet: Jupiter

Element: Air

Magickal uses:

Drink as an infusion with tea or burn as an incense before divination to boost psychic abilities and awareness. Place on your altar to increase the power generated from it, add to a bath with bay leaves for purification, place in a dream pillow to prevent nightmares, carry with you to bring luck in love, health and money matters. Carry in a satchet to ward off the evil eye, hang an anise seed head from your bedpost to restore lost youth, use as an offering to entice spirits to aid in magical operations and anise leaves or anise seeds used in a potpourri will protect a room from evil spirits and intentions. Good for money, luck, protection, psychic power, dream, love, purification, power and purification workings.

Other uses:

Star anise has been used in Asian and Eurasian cooking for many, many years. This age-old spice is not only known as a culinary expert, but is also famous for its medicinal properties like being used to improve heart health, steady blood sugar, ward off bacteria and fungi, aid in sleeping and help fight the flu.

In foods and beverages, star anise is considered a culinary spice; both the seed and oil are used as flavoring.

In manufacturing, the oil is used as a fragrance in soaps, cosmetics, perfumes, and toothpaste, and to mask undesirable odors in drug products.

Deities:

Quan Yin

Info YULE Appreciate

Symbols of Yule:

Yule log or small Yule log with three candles

Evergreen boughs or wreaths, holly, mistletoe hung in the doorways

Gold pillar candles

Baskets of clove studded fruit

Simmering pot of wassail, poinsettias, Christmas cactus

Herbs of Yule:

Bayberry

Blessed thistle

Evergreen

Frankincense holly

Laurel

Mistletoe

Oak

Pine

Sage

Yellow cedar

Incense of Yule:

Pine

Cedar

Bayberry

Cinnamon

Colors of Yue:

Red

Green

Gold

White

Silver

Yellow

Orange

Stones of Yule:

Rubies

Bloodstones

Garnets

Emeralds

Spellworkings of Yule:

Peace

Harmony

Love

Increased happiness

**This list is not absolute and just my opinions**

Black Salt AKA Witch’s Salt

So firstly, to be clear, we’re not talking about the black salt used in Indian cuisine, which is volcanic rock salt and found in some supermarkets. The Black Salt we’re talking about here is generally homemade. I’ve seen various ‘recipes’, with increasing numbers of ingredients so I’m going to outline the basics for you.

Why use Black Salt?

Black Salt is used for banishments, removal of negative energies and protection. It can be sprinkled around doorways and windows to protect the home, left in a dish under the bed to protect from nightmares or added to baths after a stressful day. It can also be used in jinxes, hexes and curses. Used for protection, it should be swept away/disposed of regularly (anything from once a week to once a month, depending on the degree/frequency of negativity it’s dealing with). Black things in witchcraft (salt, crystals, candles) are used to absorb and dispell negativity, and so need cleansing/recharging/renewing regularly in order to keep doing their job. Unused Black Salt can be kept for future use, preferably in an airtight container made of natural materials.

How do I make Black Salt?

Black Salt can be as coarse or as fine as you would like. You could mix together the ingredients as they come to you, or grind them yourself and then combine. In it’s purest form, Black Salt is made up of just two ingredients, in roughly equal measures:

Salt Ash

Easy. Sea salt or Kosher salt are prefered. For the ash, any source is fine but sources linked to magic are best. Some possible sources are:  Incense ash (cone or stick) Herb bundle ash Paper ashes (from burning lists etc)* Charcoal disc ash (used for burning loose incense) Fireplace ash Barbeque ash

*It is not recommended to keep ash for future use if it was created during banishing, letting go, jinxing, hexing or cursing. These should be disposed of immediately after the ritual/spell is complete. Depending on the ash used you may find your Black Salt doesn’t actually look particularly black. The colour black adds power, as it absorbs negativity and banishes ill-meaning spirits. There are a couple of ways you can remedy that if you wish to, just gradually add as much as you need to get the desired colour: Activated charcoal Food colouring

One more common ingredient used to strengthen Black Salt is black pepper. Fresh ground is slightly more potent but powdered will work fine. A little goes a long way.

TL;DR - This is what you need to make Black Salt:

Salt Ash Activated charcoal or food colouring (optional) Black pepper (optional)

However you choose to make your Black Salt, remember that intention is key. As long as you are clear about what you want the product to achieve, you can get results with even the simplest of ingredients.