Secular Altar Themes

things to release on a full moon

fear of change 

searching externally for answers & not searching within

negative energy 

the belief that you’re not good enough

comparing yourself to others

clinging onto things

letting go of the need for approval from others

fear of criticism & judgement

old beliefs that no longer serve you

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Transiting Venus re-enters Aries

Wednesday, April 30 - Friday, June 6, 2025

As I wrote in the weekly forecast (April 28-May 4), this is a two-part transit. Between April 30 and May 16, Venus is still retracing her retrograde steps; we’re finishing up the work we’ve done since January.

On May 16, Venus moves out of her post-retrograde shadow. She’ll then go back to “trigger” mode.

In the meantime, we’re focused on mopping up matters in Venus’s areas:

Art - for example: I do fiber arts, but it has been sheer torture to even look at my various unfinished projects, let alone pick them up and continue work. Now that Venus is in Aries, I should be less conflicted about plying the needles and the hooks. Maybe I can even branch out a little bit and plan to make new, different things.

Beauty - if we resisted the urge to give ourselves drastic makeovers during the retrograde portion, we now can see the wisdom of waiting! We’re more determined to make changes based on what we like, not what someone else thinks we should have.

Love - if there is one Venus area where Aries honesty is always needed, it’s love. We have to be brave enough to have the honest conversations. And we have to love ourselves, too!

Money - Venus going into Aries will give us the chance to cut through any financial fog/crap and take direct action. We recognize where we’re too financially impulsive, and we take action to maybe discipline that a little.

Affected will be:

Any placements between 0°00’-10°50’ of Aries, Cancer, Libra, and Capricorn - the lessons are a little more difficult &/or harsh, here.

Any placement between 0°00’-10°50’ of Gemini, Leo, Sagittarius, and Aquarius - there’s more flow (if we even notice anything at all).

Any placements between 15°00’-25°10’ of fixed signs (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius). Frustrations and delays.

Most of the heavy lifting will occur between May 1-7, when transiting Venus will first conjunct transiting Neptune, and then sextile transiting Pluto. We can align the Venus energies with where The Cosmos is headed.

(Now that I am retired and have more free time, I’m going to to try to resume blog posts about planetary ingresses, retrogrades, and so forth - but probably not in the excruciating detail of the past.) (I saw “7777” in angel numbers as I was typing that!)

🌿Magical herbal salt🎀

Hi!🌹 Today I want to share here one of my magic salt recipes!🔮💜

First at all I took some fresh herbs from my little balcony garden and rock salt.🌱

Salt is a crystalline mineral made of two elements, sodium (Na) and chlorine (Cl).Salt magical properties are cleansing, purification, protection.

I used Parsley, Lavender, Basil and Marjoram.

Herbs magical properties are:

Parsley - increase strength, vitality and passion.Parsley is also supposed to protect food from contamination.🌿

Basil - helps steady the mind, brings happiness, love, peace, and money and protects against insanity.🌿

Marjoram - cleansing, purification, and dispelling negativity.🌿

Lavender -love, healing, purification, sleep and beauty.🌿

So that all herbs make my salt more magical and powerful!🌙🔮

I used mortar and pestle to mix that all.🌿After that I added my salt into glass jar and I left in on my altar🔮.

I will add my herbal salt to everything that I cook.

Also I will use it for my protection spells and rituals.🔮

My instagram - crystalia_witch

All pictures are mine.

With love,

Agata🎀

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Floriography

Victorian-origin flower meanings were conceived as a code, but can also be used for correspondences. 

This table from a Smithsonian PDF has several common breeds and sentiments as a shorthand, but here are some lengthier resources:

Language of Flowers website (includes seasonal information)

List with a couple household herbs

Book scan from the early 1900s

Long archived list with sexy obscure flowers

Floriography’s most intuitive use is for love spells. Put yarrow in a stave-off-heartbreak talisman, leave a couple violets in a vase on your altar, whatever. However, by the time you get to something like white chrysanthemums (truth), there’s all kinds of divining and revelatory “show yourself” work you can do. 

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Z.M. Wilmot’s Personality Tarot Spread

1. Central Characteristic: This card represents the most important part of someone’s personality; it is the card that best describes and sums up the the personality of the entire person. It is both the primary factor and the summary of the rest of the spread.

2. Influencing Characterstic: This card is the second most important aspect of someone’s personality, and influences, mitigates, or complements the Central Characteristic; in many ways it also the secondary characteristic of a person, and provides a second dimension to one’s personality, adding depth to it.

3. Influence of Past: This card sums up the influences that past events have had on one’s personality; memory is an important part of our personality, our desires, and our own identity. This card represents and shows the influence that this memory has had on a personality.

4. Goals of the Future: This card represents what one are striving to accomplish; another aspect of one’s personality is their drive, and what makes them motivated: that motivation and drive is represented by this card, which shows the thing that the person is striving to achieve, and their most important desire for the future.

5. Unconscious Thoughts and Motives: This card represents the unconscious thoughts and concerns of a person, and also represents this person’s motives. It answers the questions of “why do they do this?” as well as those of “what are they really thinking?”  This is their unconscious drive (rather than the conscious drive of Card 4), and represents the deepest aspects of their personality, hidden from themselves. This card also serves as the synthesis of cards 8 and 10.

6. Conscious Thoughts and Concerns: This card represents the person’s conscious thought. It helps one examine what the most important things are to this person, and represents their most pressing concerns, and what is most important to them at this time. This card also serves as the synthesis of cards 7 and 9.

7. Public Face: This card is the public aspect of one’s identity; this is how others perceive this person, and how their environment (including other people) affects them and notices them. This card is similar to Card 8 (second from the bottom of the Staff) on the Celtic Cross. This card represents how they want others to see them as well.

8. Private Face: This card represents the concept of self-identity and self-image, and shows how a person really thinks of themselves. This might line up with one’s public face, but often is at least slightly different. This card is similar to Card 7 (bottom of the Staff) of the Celtic Cross spread. This card shows how this person really feels about himself, and what they think their own identity is.

9. Public Desire: This card represents what one says they want; it is the stated hopes and fears of a person. This is what the person wants others to think they want and what they want others to think they are afraid of; this card represents those desires made public.

10. Private Desire: This card represents one’s true hopes and fears; their heart’s desire or their deepest, secret fear. These are the desires that people keep repressed and hidden – sometimes even from themselves – for various reasons. These are the inner passions and repressed terrors that often motivate people’s actions unconsciously.

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Tarot & Oracle Spread Masterpost

This is a masterpost of tarot & oracle card spreads. None of them are mine; this is solely a compilation of various spreads found on tumblr. I’ve broken them down into sections to sort through them with ease. This is not a full list, but do enjoy the spreads listed below. Note: Witchcraft is NOT a replacement for medical care. Seek the services in your area if you need help.

Enjoy!

Daily Spreads:

Good Morning Spread

Harmonious Day Spread

Daily Brew

Morning Mug

One Day At A Time

Love/Luck/Truth:

Soulmate Spread

Relationship Insight

how to make friends

Luck Ducky

Illuminate the Truth

Bat Tarot Spread

two halves of the same heart

confusion in a relationship

Love Tarot Spread

Single and Looking

A Way Back into Love

Where is my love life going?

Self Love/Self Care/Spirituality:

The New You

What’s Up My Dude?

The Unicorn Spread

Mirrored Heart Spread

Breathe Deeply

Inner Empress Spread

Shine Like a Star

Self-Love Spread

Self-Exploration Spread

May Your Self-Confidence Rise Like the Moon

Self-Care Spread

A spread for healing from hurtful words

Forgiveness Spread

For Gaining Closure & Letting Go

Let Your Soul Shine

calm the f@%k down

hierarchy of needs

Pyramid of Present Introspection

Unlock yourself

Walking Away

Stop Being Bad To Yourself

For Empaths

I Can’t F@%king Sleep

Up All Night

Reprogram your Subconscious

Higher Self & Purpose Spread

Spiritual Growth

Spiritual Check-up

Spiritual Progress

connecting with the gods/goddesses

The Baking Sun

Enlightened Perspective

Temper Temper

Loneliness Spread

Self Love Spread

Personal Protection Spread

Self Image Spread

Wholeness Spread

Aphrodite’s Pearl

Hidden Self

Change/Fear:

The New Adventure Spread

Evolve Your Blog

The Tree of Life & The Sprout of Fear

Go With the Flow: A Guide for Change

Keys to Courage

Terrified

Classic Tarot Spreads/Based on Tarot:

Classic Tarot Spreads

Star Spread

100 Variations of the 3-Card Spread

Simple and classic spreads

The Empress

The Fool

The Tower

Eviction Notice

The World

Connect with your Tarot Deck:

Bond with Your Tarot Deck

Hello New Friend (Tarot Deck)

Get to Know Your Deck

Pop Culture: 

Harry Potter Hogwarts Houses

Rapunzel Spread

Happy Little Trees

The Princess and the Pea

The Princess Bride

Brainstorming/Productiveness/Success:

Achieve Your Dreams

Plan Your Goals

Job Search

Solution Spread

The Right Choice

for busy motherf@%kers

Busy Bee

Toxic Workplace Spread

Quick Coffee Break

growth and goals

Problem Solving Spread

Focus Spread

Holiday/Specific Time Period/Date:

August 2017 Solar Eclipse

New Year’s Spread

Imbolc Spread of Growth

Imbolc Spread for Goal Setting

Valentine’s Day Spread

Valentine’s Day Self-Love Spread

Be Your Own Damn Valentine

Galentine’s Day Spread

Ostara Tarot Spread

For Beltane

Lammas Spread

Back to School Bag

Holiday Survival Spread

Tarot Spread for Yule

Neptune Retrograde

Embracing Mercury Retrograde Part 1 & Part 2

How to Survive Mercury Retrograde

Beginning, Middle, & End of the Month

New Moon Reflection Spread

New Moon Spread

New Moon New Start Spread

Full Moon Spread

Near to Distant future Spread

Creativity:

Paint Palette Tarot Spread

Protagonist Spread

Sunny Creativity

Storytelling through Tarot

The Artist Spread

Find Your Muse

writing tip

Realize Special Talents

Quick Tarot Fixes/Tricks:

Fix My Wifi

Goals & Desires

Stalker Stand Still

Spiderweb Spread

for when you’re stuck between two choices

Easy Tarot Tricks

The Hermit

doing the right thing?

fix a f@%k up

Wheel of Fortune

goals and desires

41 Quick Spreads for any situation

For When You’re Lost/Going through a Hard Time:

Putting the Faith in the Universe

Well, Now What?

Finding Balance

A Light In the Dark

Radical Acceptance

Fork In the Road

When You’re Laying On Your Bed Wondering Where the F@%K You’re Going In Life

What are my next steps?

Self-Discovery

When the World is Cruel

This Too Will Pass

Bottled Up

“Strongest Person I Know”

Difficult Conversation Spread

What the Actual F@%K?!

Past-Lives:

Pyramid of a Past Life

Past Life Spread

A Glimpse into Past Lives

Miscellaneous:

RGB Spread

Conquering a Bad Habit

12 Olympians Spread

Spread for Hobbies

Zodiac

Planetary Tarot Spread

Seven Sisters

Setting Intentions

The Lessons

How to Handle a Situation Getting Out of Hand

Remove the Blinders

I Want to Know You

Chakra Spread

What You’re Attracting in Life

Mending the Communication Gap

Crystals: Card Reading Aids

How I do Crystal Grids

So I got an ask a while back about how I do crystal grids and if I could share that information, so here goes!

Let’s start off with some general knowledge of what a grid is, what it can be used for, and what different parts make up the grid. 

What is a crystal grid?

-Simply put, a crystal grid is an arrangement of crystals that helps set, focus, and amplify intentions 

What can a grid be used for?

-There are several things you can use a crystal grid for

1. To increase the power of your crystals

2. To cleanse and/or charge your crystals

3. Create protective boundaries

4. Raise the vibration of your space (good for work flow or meditation) 

5. To bring in luck, happiness, wealth, love etc. (any intention you can put into a spell, you can put into a crystal grid) 

Different Parts of a grid 

The Perimeter

–an optional outer ring of stones that are used to protect your grid. 

The Desire Stones

–Gather the energy of your stones and send it out into your space

The Way Stones

–Organizes and modifies the energy set by the focus stone

The Focus Stone

–Usually the stone in the center of the grid, sets your intentions

Grid Layouts

-There are books that tell you the ‘typical’ layouts but honestly I say do whatever feels right for you and fits your purpose! 

Now that the technical stuff is out of the way, lets move on to how I personally create my crystal grids!

I like to keep my process pretty intuitive. There are lots of resources that will give you specific steps to follow, and even tell you which types of crystals to use in what part of the grid based on the crystal structure or color. I tend to throw all of that out the window. 

Step 1: I pick my intention. This can be anything I would do a spell for, healing, self-love, binding, banishing, bringing in money or luck, and so on. 

Step 2: Pick my crystals. I actually pick the crystals before I pick the layout. Sometimes I select crystals based on which properties match with my intention (rose quartz for self love, aventurine for money). Sometimes I just go through my collection and pick the ones that are calling me. 

Step 3: Pick my layout. I tend to do a traditional bullseye type layout (Focus stone in the very center, way stones as the middle ring, desire stones as the outer ring). Sometimes I use a spiral method. Those are probably my top two layouts. 

Step 4: Place the stones. Again, this is a very intuitive process. I tend to use a point for the focus stone, and then lay way stones in a cross like shape around it (i.e. one directly above, one directly below, one to the right, one to the left) filling in with a few other way stones if I feel like it. I then place the desire stones in a circle around the whole thing, alternating stones (If I have multiple types of stone for the desire stones). If I put up a barrier it also goes in a circle around the whole thing. 

Step 5: In my process, the grid is activated once the stones are all in place. Sometimes I’ll fuss and shift stones around until they make a pleasing design, so once I’m done, the grid is activated. I then leave it up as long as I please!

How is everyone doing? Lately, I find myself getting lost in the demands of meeting career and life obligations, while also trying to pretend that everything is “business as usual” in the middle of a pandemic. We may not notice right away, but if we are not careful to respond to our body’s signals, everyday stress can easily turn into chronic stress. Little problems become big problems. Worry turns into anxiety. With so much chaos around us, it is even more important that we all take time to recognize when we need to take a step back and breath. To use a familiar flight analogy, we have to put on our own oxygen mask before assisting others. Helping yourself first is not selfish. It’s making sure that you are well and taken care of so that you can continue to do what you do. This week, I would like to encourage anyone reading this to take a break. Take some time for you. Check in with yourself. What do you need at this time to feel fully supported and safe?

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I will be posting excerpts

I n t r o d u c i n g

          Witches Against White Supremacy

As the current political climate worsens and the #BLM protests continue, I wanted to become more politically active and help support protestors as best I can from where I live. In an effort to do this, I started the sideblog, Witches Against White Supremacy.

The premise of this sideblog is to help aid the bail out funds across the United States and help anti-racism and anti-fascist efforts.

How does this work?

Easy: donate a minimum of $5.00 USD to any of the fundraisers listed in our Navigation, submit a photo (blurring out any sensitive information minus your name OR receipt number) to our blog confirming the amount donated, and you’ll receive a divination reading by one of our moderators. Once you’ve submitted this, send us an ask stating that you donated, the amount you donated, along with your blog URL so we can verify your donation. Once you’ve done so, one of our moderators will claim your reading and we will queue the reading. Readings will be published 4 times a day. If you have any questions, feel free to send us an ask but PLEASE do not submit Anonymous questions for the donation verification.

Can I state a preference for a reader?

You can! If you’d like to state a preference for the deck used as well, check out our Moderators page for a list of decks each moderator will be using.

If you have any questions about this project, please send an ask either to my personal blog (pastellewitchcraft), OR to witches-against-white-supremacy. If you’d like to volunteer your time for this, please send an ask to my personal blog and we can coordinate!

Can I commission one of the mods to do a divination reading?

Short answer, yes. Long answer, no-yes? It’s up to the moderator to accept a commission or not and their prices can be regulated on their own terms. If you want to commission a mod, send the blog an ask and they’ll reply to you when they have the chance!

Moderator Position Regulations:

1. Must have a tumblr blog 2. Must have a Discord (for coordination purposes, I’ll be hosting a Discord server to coordinate reading claims) 3. Must be above the age of 21. 4. Must be Intermediate to Advanced experience with divination and witchcraft.

Note: Readings conducted are for entertainment purposes only! We will not conduct readings about legal matters, health, or third party members.

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