Valparola Pass, Italy By Ales Krivec

And so it goes, every weekend this same party, I never go alone and I don't seem broken hearted, my friends all say they know, everything im going through, I drive down different roads but they all lead back to you.

They don't know about the night in hotel, they were riding in the car when we both fell, didn’t read the note on the polaroid picture, they don't know how much I miss you! I wish I could fly-y-y, I’d pick you up and we go back in time. I’d write this in the sky-y-y, i miss you like it was the very first night.

And so it was, we never saw it coming. not trying to fall in love but we did like children running, back then we didn’t know, we were built to fall apart, we broke the status quo then we broke each other’s hearts.

But don't forget about the night out in LA, danced in the kitchen, chased me down through the hallway, no one knows about the words that we whispered, no one knows how much I miss you.

Grimoire - Advice for New Witches

Getting Started and Going: “So, you want to be a witch?” Masterpost witchcraft masterpost Beginner Steps for Studying Witchcraft Basic research for beginner Witches “What Is My Path and How Do I Find It?” Tumblr as a resource When learning about witchcraft on Tumblr You're not going to find your spirituality on the internet Library Services for Witchcraft Research Setting Up An Altar Space Altar Building 101 A Beginners Guide to Spellwork 7 Ways to Strengthen Your Powers How to connect with your Spirit Guides Craft Names Magical Names Actually useful shit to have as a witch What to do when you first decide to start practicing witchcraft How you can subtly incorporate witchcraft into your daily life Misconceptions for beginner witches Witchy activities to strengthen your craft & relationship with yourself What Does It MEAN? Please read this if you practice witchcraft Witchy Things You Probably Did Before Learning/Realizing You Were A Witch Are you a natural witch? Ways to get closer to your craft Buying Your First Tarot Deck A beginner's guide to shadow work 20 ways to enhance your magic Focus - How to develop your Craft Things You Do Not Have to Be In Order to Be a Witch simple exercises for baby witches Grimoire Resources Use what you have at home Beginner Caution About Wicca Common Witch Misconceptions Pt. 1 Common Witch Misconceptions Pt. 2

Things to Beware of: The Dangers of the Perception of Witchcraft Why the “Law of Attraction” is actually a toxic mindset The Law of Attraction, Prosperity Gospel, and Other Ways of Controlling How People Think You Don't Need to do Shadow Work Witchy Mistakes to Avoid SPIRITUAL TRAPS Why Witchcraft Might Not Be Working For You practicing safe witchcraft Safety 101 in witchcraft Covens vs Cults: How to tell if its a harmful cult or a helpful coven! Cults? In my life? It’s more likely than you think. “Hey. Don’t join cults.” Example red flags.

Advice from Seasoned Witches: Practicing witchcraft when your religion tells you you’ll go to hell 101 Your Witchcraft Isn’t Ancient (and why that’s ok). What to do with your witchy motivation What to Do if Witchcraft Drains You When to take a break from witchcraft Why skepticism is important in witchcraft Fighting consumerism in magic How to be a functional witch Witchcraft, and all of its subcategories, is individualistic at heart Advice for the Beginner: You don't have to become a full-time witch Advice for the beginner: Start with the herbs you know Advice for the beginner: Don't get it until you need it Advice for the Beginner: Look for the Mundane before you assume it's Magical Advice for the Beginner: Know what you're going to do with your spell remains Advice for the Beginner: Be cautious, but don't live in fear How Correspondences Work The problem with correspondences Developing Your Own Correspondences Discipline in Witchcraft Covens How Find Safe Groups, Teachers, and Authors in the Pagan and Witch Community Tips for Discernment How to Become a More Confident Witch Doing Your Own Research

Just a Bunch of Tips: Big Compilation of Useful Witchy Tips Tips for baby witches, lazy witches, tired witches, or any witch really Witch Tips Basic Witch Tips & Advice 11 witchy tips for a healthy life "Ten witch tips I wish someone had given me before I started practicing magic" basic ass witch tips

Advice From Me: Books and websites to jumpstart your witchcraft journey We never have to be on our own Let me put your minds at ease You don't have to do it all Let's talk about fear Witchcraft "Rules" Not being a hereditary witch Anyone can be a witch Simple advice: start simple What I would tell my younger self So what do witches "look" like? Witchcraft is messy business.

🔞 Sex Magic 🔞

– This blog is sex positive and LGBTQ friendly. If you are feeling uncomfortable about this topic, feel free to skip this post. Please unfollow me if you are homophobic or transphobic. – 

Here is a list of witchy tips to enjoy magic in the bedroom… 

🔥 Practice solo, without shame, to learn what turns you on, what gets you off and what you find uncomfortable. 

🔥 Focus on specific mantras while taking pleasure. I like to use this one: “I am sexy. I am powerful. I am confident.” 

🔥 The porn industry can be particularly toxic and violent, especially against women. Educate yourself about it and find feminist videos or female-centric erotic stories for your own pleasure. 

🔥 Use sigils to draw magical symbols on your own body or your partner’s. You can draw with your fingers, oils, or even semen / sexual fluids for a powerful experience… 

🔥 Learn about tantric love to understand balance, focus on mind-body connections and increase intimacy. 

🔥 Orgasms and climaxes can be very powerful for spell-casting. With a consenting partner or on your own, channel this energy to use in your practice.

🔥 Beltane (May 1st) is the witch festival of love and sex magic. If your practice involves sabbaths, read my previous post on Beltane to celebrate it. 

All too well

Building a Magical Home

One of my favorite quotes about the magic of homemaking comes from Cory Hutcheson, host of the New World Witchery podcast. He says, “Home is a transformational act. It is the thing you do to turn a space into a space… that is full of ritual and significance and meaning. So there is sort of this ongoing relationship you have with the space that makes it a home.”

The act of creating a home, of making a space your own, is inherently magical. But if you want to make your space feel a little more witchy, here are some ideas to get you started.

Charms and Talismans

Making your own magical objects can be a powerful way to bring magic into your space. The best thing about making your own charms is that you can make them look however you want, so it’s easy to disguise them as ordinary household objects. You can make a charm for any intention by combining objects based on their magical correspondences.

I’ve talked about protective charms in previous posts, so I’m not gonna spend a lot of time on it here. The simplest protective charm is keeping a large piece of iron under your bed to keep away nightmares, evil spirits, and negative energy. You could also make your own protection charm, like a witch bottle.

You can create a “happy home” charm to bring peace, harmony, and happiness into your home. This charm could include herbs like basil, rosemary, lavender, peppermint, and/or bay leaves, as well as other items that you associate with peace and good fortune, like lucky coins, crystals, or black cat fur. Write your desires for a harmonious and happy home on a piece of paper, fold it up, and add it to the charm. You could store these items in a green bag, bury them in your backyard (in this case, make sure you’re only using biodegradable plant matter — leave out the coins and crystals), or place it inside a household object like a lamp or an end table.

If you suffer from insomnia or other sleep issues, try making a dream charm to help you sleep well and have sweet dreams. To make a simple dream charm, fill a blue or purple bag with lavender, chamomile, peppermint, and any other objects that you associate with peace, restfulness, and sleep. If you want to have lucid dreams or receive psychic messages in your dreams, include a bit of mugwort. Place the charm in your pillow or under your mattress. (I personally swear by this one, as it’s helped a lot with my insomnia.)

Charms are great for homemaking magic because you’re actually creating a magical object, which can then become a permanent fixture of the space.

Magical Decor

You can use magical items to decorate your home to bring certain qualities into that space.

Hanging or displaying a broom is said to bring good fortune, protection from evil, and good hospitality. Cauldrons are used to represent the Goddess, rebirth, and raw potential. Horseshoes hung above door frames bring safety and luck to all who cross under them, and keep unwanted guests away. If you can get them legally and ethically, animal bones, teeth, claws, and feathers can represent the spirit and energy of that animal. You can also put up images of spiritual and occult symbols — I have an image of the Sun tarot card hanging in my bedroom to promote positivity and growth.

If you need to be a little more subtle with your witchy decorations, working with the magic of color is a great way to do that. Gathering a lot of items of a single color in one room changes the energy of that room. Here’s a quick guide to give you some ideas:

Yellow is associated with divination, mental clarity, the element of air, success, communication, and inspiration.

Purple is associated with divine power, spiritual awareness, mystery, astral travel, magic, and authority.

Blue is associated with healing, psychic abilities, the element of water, peace, truth, and patience.

Red is associated with protection, the fire element, sex, power, vitality, and love.

Orange is associated with ambition, creativity, breaking through blockages, and career success.

Pink is associated with romantic love, friendship, self love, compassion, and emotional well-being.

Green is associated with nature, herbalism, the earth element, money, wealth, prosperity, and luck.

Brown is associated with grounding, animal magic, stability, and balance.

White is associated with purification, cleansing, the full moon, new beginnings, healing, and spiritual growth.

Black is associated with protection, truth, outer space, banishing, and transition.

Decorating your home with colors that are meaningful to you can create a powerful magical space. You may also have your own color associations (for example, yellow is a very “happy” color for me), so feel free to incorporate those into your decor as well!

Growing Magical Houseplants

Most witches feel a very deep connection to nature and draw power from the natural world, but we can’t all live in a cottage in the heart of the forest. Even if you live in a tiny apartment in the city, you can still bring nature into your space by keeping houseplants. Many popular houseplants have magical uses, and many popular magic herbs can be grown inside. Here are a few to get you started.

Aloe. This is one of my favorite plants. Aloe brings luck and protection, especially protection on an energetic/spiritual level. I like to keep aloe in my bedroom to protect me while I sleep, as well as to bring luck and inspiration while I’m working at my desk.

Basil. Basil is very popular in money spells, and will attract prosperity and luck to your home. However, it also has protective properties — both spiritual protection and protection from bugs, since basil is a natural insect repellent! Basil can also be used in love spells, and is just generally a good plant to have around for good vibes.

African Violet. This flowering plant attracts positive spiritual energy into your space. It has associations with the moon and the water element, and is very good for promoting spirituality and psychic power.

Rosemary. Rosemary is one of those herbs that every witch should have on hand. It’s so darn versatile, it can be used as a substitute for virtually any other herb, and can be used for almost any intention. Some of the most common magical associations for rosemary include: cleansing, purification, protection, healing, mental activity, and enhancing memory. According to author Deborah J. Martin, there’s an old English saying that, “Where rosemary grows, the woman rules the house.” Like basil, rosemary is a natural insect repellent.

Lavender. Lavender brings peace, love, and gentleness, which makes it a perfect addition to any home. It can be used in spells for cleansing and purification, enhancing psychic abilities, and stress relief. Lavender is also a powerful addition to love spells. Keeping lavender in the bedroom can aid in restful sleep, while lavender in the kitchen will bring harmony to the home.

Sage. Sage is the most talked about cleansing herb, and with good reason. Unfortunately, a lot of the sage bundles you can buy at metaphysical stores are made with white sage (Salvia apiana), which is sacred to Native American peoples and is endangered due to overharvesting. Instead of buying those, why not grow your own garden sage (Salvia officinalis), which has a lot of the same magical properties? Growing sage in your home will purify the space and protect those who live there. Sage also has an association with wisdom and mental prowess.

Hoya. Hoya is a common houseplant that you’ve probably seen even if you don’t know it by name. It has a distinctive appearance with waxy, dark green leaves and clusters of white, star-shaped flowers. Hoya aligns and balances the energy centers within your body, as well as in the surrounding space. It’s associated both with grounding and with spiritual openness, so it can be great for balancing the two.

Peppermint. Peppermint has a variety of magical uses, but my favorite way to use it is for gently opening up blockages and getting things moving. It’s great for cleansing, but is more gentle than rosemary or sage. Place it in any room where you tend to do a lot of healing work, or where you could use some peace and love. Peppermint is also used in dream magic, so growing it in the bedroom may bring on vivid or lucid dreams.

Orchid. Orchids are used in magic for love and lust. Historically, orchid has been used in folk medicine to promote male virility and “Jezebel root,” used in American folk magic to attract wealthy male lovers, is a type of orchid root. If you live with a significant other, try growing an orchid in the bedroom to promote passion in your sex life. Otherwise, grow orchids in your home to promote love or to attract romance.

Catnip. If you have cats, they’ll love this one. Catnip is actually a type of mint, and has strong lunar associations. It’s said to make one more charming and attractive, and is especially useful for attracting women. At the same time, catnip promotes courage and fierceness. It is also, of course, associated with cats and feline deities, so this is definitely a plant you’ll want to keep around if the cat is one of your animal guides.

If you have a yard space that you can turn into an outdoor garden, your magical plant options are limited only by your local ecosystem. Some outdoor plants that have magical uses include roses, sunflowers, rue, lemon balm, and strawberries.

Creating an Altar

Altars are focal points of magical and spiritual energy. Many people, both witches and non-witches, find that having a designated space for their spiritual practice creates a deeper sense of sacredness and purpose.

An altar can serve lots of different purposes. Many witches use their altar as a magical work space to prepare spells, meditate, and do divination. You may choose to dedicate your altar to a deity, your ancestors, or some other spirit(s) you work with. You can also build altars for specific intentions, such as a money altar or a love altar — performing rituals at this altar everyday is a powerful method for manifestation. You altar may be some or all of these things, or it may just be a place to sit and connect with the spiritual.

You can set up an altar on any flat surface, like a shelf or table, or inside a container like a jewelry box. Your setup can be as simple or as elaborate as you like. An altar can be huge and complex, with statues and candles and flowers, or it can be as simple as a tealight and an incense burner. It’s all about what appeals to you.

Resources:

New World Witchery pocast, “Episode 143 — The Magical Home”

Southern Cunning: Folkloric Witchcraft in the American South by Aaron Oberon

Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner by Scott Cunningham

“Candle colors and their meanings” by Michelle Gruben on the Grove and Grotto blog

Green Witchcraft by Paige Vanderbeck

A Green Witch’s Cupboard by Deborah J. Martin

“The Magic of Orchids in Wiccan Love Spells & Rituals” on the Art of the Root blog

The Elements and their correspondences

E A R T H

Earth represents strength, grounding, prosperity, the material, wealth, success, foundations, death and rebirth. Focus on this element if the goal of your spell is about fertility, prosperity, business or stability. Earth spells may take longer to work, but they’re also more firm and are good if you’re looking for long-term solutions.

GENDER: Feminine SEASON: Winter DIRECTION: North HOUR: Night

COLOURS: Green, Brown, Black ANIMALS: Bears, Deers, Wolves, Badgers HERBS/PLANTS: Ivy, Ash, Vetiver, Wheats, Oats INSTRUMENTS: Drums (Percussion instruments)

STAR SIGNS: Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn STONES/GEMS: Jade, Onyx, Emerald, Salt RITUAL TOOLS: Stones, Dirt, Bones, Pentacle, Salt, Crystals  RITUAL FORMS: Burying, Planting, Imprinting to soil or sand TAROT SUIT: Pentacles

A I R

Air represents intellect and the mind, wisdom, knowledge; logic as well as abstract thought, intuition and higher consciousness. If you’re seeking freedom, travels, or to enhance your memory and focus - focus on Air spells! Air is whimsical and amiable, personally I haven’t found it useful for more serious spells, but it does wonders for my studies. 

GENDER: Masculine SEASON: Spring DIRECTION: East HOUR: Dawn

COLOURS: Yellow, White, Sky Blue, Pastels ANIMALS: Birds, Spiders, Butterflies HERBS/PLANTS: Lavender, Birch, Vervain, Dill, Aspen INSTRUMENTS: Flute (Wind instruments)

STAR SIGNS: Gemini, Libra, Aquarius STONES/GEMS: Amethyst, Opal, Alexandrite, Beryl RITUAL TOOLS: Incense, Wand RITUAL FORMS: Fanning, Tossing into air, Suspending in a high place  TAROT SUIT: Swords

F I R E

Fire represents energy, passion, purification, love, inspiration, desire, will, courage, power, leadership, sexuality. In spellcraft, focusing on Fire is good for purification, healing and love spells; it’s the best element for quick, strong spells. Although, Fire is fierce in essence, and Fire spells are susceptible - they should be well thought out.

GENDER: Masculine SEASON: Summer DIRECTION: South HOUR: Noon

COLOURS: Red, Orange, Gold ANIMALS: Snakes, Lions, Horses HERBS/PLANTS: Cacti, Cinnamon, Pepper, Basil INSTRUMENTS: Guitar (Stringed instruments)

STAR SIGNS: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius STONES/GEMS: Amber, Citrine, Ruby, Tiger’s Eye RITUAL TOOLS: Athame, Candles RITUAL FORMS: Burning, Smouldering, Heating TAROT SUIT: Wands

W A T E R

Water represents purification as well; though it’s focused more on the soul and the subconscious rather than the physical, material world. Water stands for emotion, intuition, wisdom, eternal movement, reflection, lunar energy. Focusing on the Water element is good for psychic abilities, getting in tune with your inner self, mysteries, friendships, love, dreams and sleep.

GENDER: Feminine SEASON: Autumn DIRECTION: West HOUR: Dusk

COLOURS: Blue, Indigo, Silver ANIMALS: Otters, Fish, Sea Mammals, Frogs HERBS/PLANTS: Lotus, Water Lilies, Aloe, Gardenia INSTRUMENTS: Cymbal, Bell (Resonant instruments)

STAR SIGNS: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces STONES/GEMS: Moonstone, Aquamarine, Pearl RITUAL TOOLS: Cauldrons, Chalices, Seashells RITUAL FORMS: Diluting, Placing into water, washing away, bathing TAROT SUIT: Cups

~witch tip!~

do you knit or crochet? great! here are some things you could make to incorporate it in your craft

a small pouch to keep crystals in

a bag to keep your vials and bottles in

a small spell bag (fill with herbs, crystals, salt, etc to help with sleep, protection, luck, etc)

a blanket to sit on when you meditate

a cosy cover for your tea cup to keep your tea warm

a handmade poppet

a bag for your pendulum/runes/tarots

a little basket to put your crystals in while they charge outside

scarves with constellations stitched onto them

socks with sigils stitched on the bottom to help you move silently

a cover for your grimoire to help disguise it

a pillow for your furry friends to sleep on

a cover to place over your altar when you aren’t using it

a hat with sigils stitched in to help bring mental clarity

a cosy plant pot cover to keep plants warm during the cold months

and since you’re spending your own time and energy making these things, your power goes into them!