Everything Is Growing So Nicely.

Better late than never. Pictures from my ritual on Litha. Working was a simple fertility charm. Ask if you are interested.

Useful info for herbs. Thanks

Many Witches and Herbalist love to grow their own herbs/flowers, it will help your home look more lively and you can control the environment for the plant to grow. While growing plants can seems easy, many plants cannot grow indoors, or need special requirements to grow full and healthy.  While herbs such as chives and sage can grow indoors, plants like roses and honeysuckle will grow best during the warm seasons outside. When planning on gardening a new herb, research where would be best to grow them. If you are buying seeds, look on the back of the seed package and it will tell you the best conditions for growing the herb/plant.

Some herbs to grow indoors:

Chives - Plant them in well-drained potting soil that’s rich with organic matter. They can tolerate light shade but do best in full sun 

Mint - Mint can grow in many soil types and degrees of sunlight, but it produces the best leaves in rich soil. It’s a perennial, but its hardiness varies by variety, so check which type you are growing.

Rosemary -  Quick-draining soil is the key to good growth. It’s drought-tolerant. Keep the soil moist but never wet when grown indoors 

Sage - Best grown in full sun and moist, well-drained potting mix

Some plants to grow indoors:

Cactus - adapted to extremely arid and hot climates and have water conserving features

Orchid - most grow best when temperatures drop at night to between 50 and 65 degrees and rise during the day to 65 to 75 degrees

Hibiscus - For best results, keep hibiscus in bright light and warm temperatures near a south or west window. (( also is a bee saver if grown outside!))

African Violet - do better in lower light and will bloom year-round with a minimum of care.

These are just some of the herbs and plants grown indoors, but there are so many more online sources for growing herbs and plants indoors.

Websites that help a beginner with growing and starting: 

Here

here

Lists of magical herbs and plants:

Personal Fav

Another good one

Lists of poisonous herbs and plants:

Poisonous Plants

Common toxic house plants poisonous to pets

Toxic herbs to cats

Poison control for Dogs

Herbs and vitamins dangerous during pregnancy

IF AT ALL YOU FEEL UNSAFE USING A HERB OR PLANT, RESEARCH TO SEE IF THE PLANT IS TOXIC, AND EVEN THEN IF YOU FEEL UNSAFE, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO USE THE HERB OR PLANT!

Blessed the garden at Beltane, was able to gift my coven with a basket full of zucchini and summer squash. The next day I found these. I can’t wait for my tomatoes to turn.

Where earth meets sea...

by Kyle Bonallo (instagram)

manageable witch-things to do (almost) every day:

check your grimoire/book of shadows: you don’t have to necessarily add anything to it, but go through it. if yours is physical, run your hands over its pages. press your intentions for it with the tips of your fingers. if you have a digital copy, like i do, you can still press your intentions into it; it just may not be as literal as with a physical copy. just take a moment to appreciate all the work you’ve put into this thing that is entirely yours.

make a list of all the things you want to research. you don’t have to go ahead and research them. just keep a running list of things you may want to include in your grimoire or book of shadows at some point. my list includes adding a section on my god, angels, and saints, as well as fleshing out my correspondence tables and creating a section for prayers.

make a list of all the things you want to add to your witchcraft collection. this could be things that you want to buy, things you want to find, whatever. this could be tools you want to incorporate into your practice, that tarot deck you’ve been eyeing, plant clippings - whatever. make your witchy wish list and tuck it somewhere safe, but somewhere you’ll remember to check. 

make a list of your goals. where do you want to be in your practice? what do you want to achieve? what is the point you’re trying to reach? i like to set big goals and tiny goals and tiny goals that feel big. a tiny goal that felt big to me: writing my first spell. another goal could be making sigils on a regular basis. it could be adding something to your grimoire or book of shadows each week. give yourself tiny goals that work their way up to your bigger goals. 

do something to honor your god(s). light a candle, say a prayer, whatever. it doesn’t have to be big or elaborate. we don’t always have the energy for those types of things and that’s okay! 

do something kind for yourself. every list i ever write is going to include this. when you don’t have the energy for anything else, do something kind for yourself. take that bath. lay in that bed. take a nap. you can start again tomorrow, it’s okay. and if you still don’t have the energy tomorrow, don’t get down on yourself. you matter, you’re worth it. 

Transitions between the Wheel (For the four seasons)

This is from my personal practice with observing the wheel of the year and my focus on each transition between the sabbats. I honor the current seasons in between. Each transition has it’s importance to self care and managing the home and garden. I will probably add to this later cause some paragraphs I wrote I feel like are a bit vague. Some of these transitions are not meant to be 100% literal and static but I feel like they are good areas to focus on for that moment in the year.

Yule->Imbolc Resting

During the thick of winter when it’s too cold to do anything and always dark, it’s the perfect moment in the year to rest. The focus is on relaxing, taking extra time to sleep and care for the body especially to not get sick. Winter is also ‘spa’ season because the air is so dry and harsh it’s a good time to soak in hot baths and scrub away dead skin and moisturize with protective lotion. Do not try to make new plans, yet sit home, rest and reflect. 

Imbolc -> Ostara Cleansing

When winter thaws it’s a great time to clean the home and prepare for spring. Personally, I also like to do a body cleanse since I tend to eat a lot of processed (yet delicious ;-;) foods all year round. This also makes up for all the heavy foods I’ve been eating since Summer (all the BBQs) to Winter comfort foods. As I clean the home and get rid of stuff that has accumulated over the year, I clean the body. Also the focus is on cleaning the home as well. Breathing in the same air, especially if its full of dust, is really unhealthy and it’s good as the days are getting a little warmer to open up the windows for a few minutes to allow in fresh air to circulate. This is also the time of year I throw out old furniture, accumulated things and rearrange furniture in the room as well.

Ostara -> Beltane Sowing

Spring is a great time to germinate sprouts along with other seeds and clean the backyard or garden to grow plants. If you like to compost it’s a time to start mixing in the vegetable/fruit/plant scraps with the soil. Spring is also a great time to sow bigger changes in life as well. Something about the warm new season brings an air of flirtatiousness and ‘socialness’ that makes it perfect for making new friends or finding a partner. (Probably because people can finally come out of hibernation). It’s also a fantastic time to work on your image and portfolio and apply for long term jobs that begin in the summer or fall. Spring is the season for new beginnings and putting long term plans into action.

Beltane -> Litha Growing

A tradition I like to do on Beltane is repotting of plants and gardening. Repotting plants is a tradition I try to focus on every year because it’s very easy for house plants to die due to dead soil. Plus it makes the inside of the house super vibrant and lively to have fresh new soil in pots. From this point to summer solstice is the point of growth. Growth in the garden but also growth of personal goals. May and June feel like hectic months where there are so many events and opportunities to advance your work or change your social scene, that if I am not personally progressing, I focus all of my attention on my growth.

Litha -> Lughnasadh Thriving

Its the heat of summer! It’s time to get out and feel the intense hot energy and use its power to focus on goals and networking! Where I am there’s usually an exciting event every week where it’s an opportunity to make more connections and meet more friends but also since its warm and nature is so vibrant it’s time to take some days to relax and get away to enjoy the heat and life of nature. Go to the beach, go hiking, swim in a lake, sleep under the stars. Be active since the efforts will pay off. 

Lughnasadh -> Mabon Reaping

This is the time you earn what you’ve sowed both literally and metaphorically. If you have a garden its the time it will start giving back. If you are an active goer of a farmers market you will notice how beautifully abundant the stands are. If in Spring you’ve sent out tons of job applications, and in Summer got the job you’ve wanted and worked hard, then by now you should start seeing some results. If there are no results being seen it’s a time for reflection and re-strategizing. There is a second chance in this time to start again before the cold and the holiday season bulldozes through.

Mabon -> Samhain Harvesting/Gathering

This is the time to gather and harvest. Usually family tends to gather now since it’s the holiday season. There’s not much other than gathering to be done since family and holidays are bombarding you from all sides. Also there is an abundance of food. This is great to store for the next transition which is

Samhain -> Yule Preparation

This is the moment to prepare for winter. My warddrobe completely changes here, I take up knitting projects that were abandoned last Imbolc, and I store food and herbs for the winter to use. Also making preserves from things in the garden or hand knitting clothes make great presents for the winter holidays. This is also a time to prepare the garden for hibernation. Take in potted plants, harvest the last of the herbs and food (that are not potted). Make sure plants you do not want to die have a place to chill in the house.

by Kyle Bonallo (instagram)

Summer in South Texas.