Having a blog for a whole month now is still something completely new to me. I´m just beginning my journey as a writer as well. So at the same time, I´m my own editor and my own webmaster.
Therefore, there will inevitably be some mistakes along the way. I´m not in a hurry, however. The purpose of this blog is not to earn money alone, nor is it only about witchcraft.
There have to be some space for me as a real person as well. It may well be that I thereby do not meet the demands of today about how to run a blog.
I need to be allowed to learn in my own pace, I need to write blog post without pictures as well as the beautiful ones. I want to learn this process step by step, not rushing in without thinking about what I really want for this blog.
Today it is a rainy day, both on the weather front and inside of me. Just one of those days, where I have to write even though I´m not comfortable physically.
As I have worked with blog posts every day during this last month, I´ve learned that it will be good to try to write less, but longer posts that are more trimmed for the sake of you, dear reader.
So to be expected in August 2019 are the following posts :
August 2 : Weekly Witchcraft, Lammas Sabbat and New Moon Ritual
August 9 : Waxing Quarter Moon Ritual
August 16 : Full Moon Ritual
August 23 : Waning Quarter Moon Ritual
August 30 : New Moon Ritual and what to expect in September 2019
I want to learn as long as I live. And with both witchcraft and this blog, I´m achieving just that.
It is so rewarding and life-affirming to try something new and choose the road not taken. And I need to be hungry as a writer, before I can write something worth reading.
So in order to achieve that I´ve decided only to write once a week for the next month. It is also, because I´m having my 81 years old father on a 5 day long visit the coming week, and I would like some offline time with him.
And because I need to study this blogging something. There are so many new things to learn, and to be as thorough as possible I need to prepare myself a little bit by achieving new knowledge and trying to make it work in the real world out here, where there is a thin line between subtlety and re-write, re-write, re-write.
Besides, studying how to blog, I´m also in a writer´s block situation. I need some inspiration from other sources. And I need my daily practice with witchcraft.
So for the rest of today, I´ll be preparing my Lammas Sabbat and my New Moon ritual for tomorrow night.
August is a month of many rituals, 5 to be specific, because rituals is so important to me in my daily work with witchcraft. It is here that I truly get to feel the magick close up.
Therefore, the big rituals will be the theme for the coming weeks. Later this fall I´ll post a series on mini rituals suited for working with witchcraft on a daily basis.
A Book of Shadows or a grimoire should never be static and just look nice. It is a personal tool meant for use.
Building it up can take some time, but then one day everything is in the right order, and even the decorative part is done.
What next ?
To work with it every day. But how ?
I am a witch with nearly 3 years of experience. I have a Book of Shadows in 3 ring binders, but nevertheless I´ll never finish it. It is an ongoing process and it is a daily joy to work with it.
Because even with everything on the right spot, I´ll always be curious to see what´s next to learn. Because there is magick everywhere in it, no matter what page I look at. And because now the true fun part has just begun.
Then to work with a Book of Shadows on a daily basis becomes as natural as getting out of bed in the morning.
The fun part of working with a Book of Shadows every day is that it is possible to use correspondences crisscrossing it, it is easy to plan a spell/a ritual, and it is a personal journal to care for.
I am inspired by the way The Witch of Lupine Hollow lists 100 prompts for working with your grimoire on a daily basis.
So at current moment, when I´m not writing on this blog, planning a ritual or living my mundane life as well, I work with the following 7 great ideas from the Witch of Lupine Hollow :
Zodiac signs during the year (Spring/Aries, Taurus and Gemini, Summer/Cancer, Leo and Virgo, Fall/Libra, Scorpio and Sagittarius, and Winter/Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces. I write down signs of energy from them in my Book of Shadows.
Researching the Maiden, the Mother and the Crone aspect of the Triple Goddess and associated goddesses and see, if and where they are represented in my Book of Shadows.
Plans for the new year concerning new ideas and new techniques to study.
How the Crone Goddess manifests in my life. I´m becoming a Crone, so this aspect has my keen interest at the moment.
Drawing my natal chart with planets, signs and houses.
List of music with magickal or spiritual atmosphere.
Exploring manifestation of the four elements in my life.
If not researching new ideas and collecting correspondences for my next ritual, then I occasionally decorate my Book of Shadows with drawings, envelopes with herbs, charm bags and amulets.
To me it is as essential a tool as can be. Here I keep my whole world of belief, my everyday joy about magick.
But it would not be so, were if not that I practice twice as much as I work with my Book of Shadows. And it is the mix between chosen guidelines and free practice that I love so much about magick and about witchcraft.
And last, but not least ; What to Expect in August 2019 will tomorrow be combined with my review of the first month with a blog. It has been a long journey, but I got there. And I plan to stay.
I call myself a grey witch, because life is not black and white. The shadows are everywhere. And to fully understand myself and my surroundings I believe that I need to be able to work with both the light and the darker side of things.
To me making a curse is not the intention for anything else but self protection. But I do try to push negative energy back to its sender, where it belongs. That´s typically when I´m doing jar spells with a pinch of hoodoo as well.
These sections of my Book of Shadows are yet to be organized, so that they also are incorporated in my work with witchcraft. I do it little by little, because I only work with this and shadow work in general, when I´m feeling really good.
143 Demons And Spirits
144 Hoodoo
Demons And Spirits : Although I try not to summon what I cannot dispel, I study demons and spirits. I like to know what I´m dealing with should a situation arise that I was not prepared for. It also makes me feel better with my own inner demons, because I dare to face them, especially when I´ve read about e.g. hellhounds. If the goddess Hecate can live with her dogs, so can I face my inner fears and stand up to them.
I have experienced a couple of times when there suddenly came a sort of cold in the house, and everything just felt wrong. Then I quickly light a candle and say a protection prayer, I toss salt around my house, and I make the atmosphere as positive as possible afterwards. Should I experience it during a ritual, I would immediately close the circle and make a full house cleansing.
Hoodoo : A pinch of a very old tradition is always neat. It spices up the work with witchcraft, and I only use it to strengthen a spell of protection or in shadow work.
I believe there are demons as well as there are angels. To me it is two sides of the same coin, as we as humans both have positive and negative traits. The key is to be able to live a balanced life and to avoid excess.
And I am used to work with spirits, since I do a lot of ancestor work in order to find my own path to walk.
I´m not foreign to the darker aspects of life, which means that I work with my inner demons instead of fighting them. I prefer to be able to handle things rather than living my life on other conditions than my own.
This concludes my series on my Book of Shadows.
Now it is time to something practical. One thing is to have tools, a huge amount of correspondences, texts, and knowledge. If not used to something, why keep it ?
So tomorrow will be a guided tour about how I work with a Book of Shadows on a daily basis.
Delays are to be expected in Mercury Retrograde. As with this post, yesterday was not a writing day for me, so I took the whole day out of the calendar and allowed myself some space and time to feel better.
Today, everything takes longer time, but I ascribe it to the period of heat wave that we have at the moment. Being creative, however, is a very good and strong cure for many things, also heat.
I love to make things myself with whatever materials I have at hand. There is something enriching about being creative. Things get a personal touch that cannot be bought.
136 Witchy Art On A Budget
137 Witchy Drawings
138 Decorative Witchy Stuff
139 Witchy Fun
140 The Brrrooommm
141 Magick Catch-All
142 When Everything Is Retrograde, Try This
Witchy Art On A Budget : Living on a budget means to be creative for as little as possible. I generally use what I have, but I also try to make my own glue, clay and other base materials. Recycling has a high value here.
Witchy Drawings : I like to draw myself, and I bought a colouring Book of Shadows. I also use free materials when available.
Decorative Witchy Stuff : Lists of ideas and inspiration. Everything with this special tingling feeling that this would do well in my next ritual. Preferably with a touch of patina, of something older than today´s trend.
Witchy Fun : There is unique kind of natural magick in a good laugh. It is healthy to laugh, and it relaxes the body, the mind and the soul. I try to write down the funny episodes in working with witchcraft. Suddenly, the elegance is dissolved by laughter, because I drop something on the floor or in the middle of a ritual or I stumble over my own words.
The Brrrooommm : Here I plan to make my own broom and place some pictures of the process of making a broom.
Magick Catch-All : What cannot be placed somewhere else. New things to research, ideas, my brainstorming area.
When Everything Is Retrograde, Try This : This is meant to be a inspirational resource when everything else does not seem to be effective. Here I collect good and strong quotes on how to get back on the feet again.
Some of my witchy creations
On the picture you can see my popsickle stick pentagram, my willow sprigs pentagram with beads and rhinestones, and my wooden element plate where I place candles that are lit when I´m casting a circle.
I have a broad collection of materials to combine to beautiful and practical things. I often use them more than the things I´ve bought. That tells me only to buy when it is necessary and to wait for the right material to turn up.
My current creative project is to make a dream catcher from a bicycle wheel. It is meant to protect my extended family.
I also try to learn new techniques such as working with wood and metal. Mostly, I work with drawings and paintings, because it gives me so much calm and inner peace. Occasionally, I try to craft items for my work with witchcraft. And my upcoming projects are to make my own wand and to create new altar cloths for my rituals.
To be creative is also to stop at the right moment. See you later for my last post about the content of My Book of Shadows.
Today has been too hot, too long and too much. This is an arthritis day, a bipolar day, a day for pain, inner stress and restlessness. No anxiety, thank you so very much, dear Universe, just worn physically and mentally out.
I´ve been busy doing as little as possible, including writing. Sometimes less is more. this is about tips and tricks in witchcraft. This is advice from a becoming Crone.
134 Magickal Tips
135 Advice
Magickal Tips : My collection of tips for working with witchcraft is simple, it contains my ideas for making the practical part about this special path possible on a strict budget. Will in the future play a much more active role, because I plan to make recurring post about the little tweaks and turns that a witch with time learn to be able to practice even with as little as a lit candle, a bowl of salt, a bowl of water, and a feather found on the ground.
That represents Fire, Earth, Water and Air, the four elements and is enough to call to the elements and cast a magickal circle.
Advice : My advice is always direct, simple and easy to understand. I use what I have at hand. I plan my way through my need for knowledge and practical experience, so I have something to compare my results with.
After all, a solitary witch walks his or her path alone. An ecclectic, solitary witch reads a lot, writes a lot. And an ecclectic, solitary, cottage witch needs some level of organization, and that is what kind of witch I am.
Third, but not least, I practice, practice, practice. If not used to something, what is knowledge then worth in itself ? Isn´t it what you really want to do ? To be a witch is also to discipline yourself and act with respect for what you are dealing with.
And this and no more is what I can empower myself to do today. I´ll light a healing white candle, be as comfortable as possible and turn in for the day.
This is the heart of witchcraft in my belief. It is a both sacred and life-affirming experience that cannot easily be described and certainly not without a huge amount of props and this and that…? Yes, it is a sacred thing, here the magick blossoms, indeed, it is something good.
But you don´t need to buy yourself poor. Begin with what you already have, and you will soon realize that true magick is not in material goods but in what magick is to you and what you do with it. The reason I love this part of witchcraft is that it changes my attitude towards life and the lessons I need to learn from it.
Try to make some tools yourself. Be creative. You will know from the inside of your heart what feels right to hold and to use. My dominant index finger is my most powerful athame that I´ll ever get.
Try to write something beautiful and relevant to you. Keep it simple to begin with, but do try to express your innermost feelings, make it a happy and positive experience, dress up for the big dinner as well. It all depends on what you want to gain from it. By making it yourself, you become the inner Goddess.
Be inspired, research, choose, make/do. That is my kind of freedom that I choose what I want, and I get what I need.
121 Practical Witchy Stuff
122 How To Write Rituals
123 The Magical Circle
124 Consecration, Enchanting, Charging
125 Cleansing
126 Invocations
127 Ritual Witch
128 Protection
129 Prayers
130 Nature Prayers
131 Blessings
132 Poems
133 Chants
Practical Witchy Stuff : Grounding techniques (how to relax and set the mind, body and soul up for ritual or closing down and center and ground residual energy), preparations before a ritual (creation of a sacred space), precautions (e.g I always have plenty of water at my rituals in case of a rebellious candle that goes bananas out of nowhere), and definitions of ritual components and glossary of terms.
This is like the base of a house, it is not worth building on a flowing foundation. Like everything else that require some sort of background knowledge, witchcraft has quite a few basics that should be implemented as soon as possible to make it both a wonderful journey and to avoid mistakes later on.
The most important thing to focus on, however is always the intention behind the idea of making a ritual. Magick don´t work by itself. And the most important person to make that magick work is you and what you want from the ritual.
I use this section to prepare my mind for writing a ritual or a spell, just to get the principles right. And if I begin with a grounding of myself, typically through a meditation of app. 5 minutes, I´m already well on the way to get the work done, because I always begin with the basics. To be relaxed, to be creative, to know my reasons for making a ritual and to stay focused during the work.
How To Write Rituals : I use my own work sheet as a main menu to remain organized and concentrated during rituals, and I plan to make a work sheet for each type of ritual, with the same main structure, because it is a reasonable thing to do, when you want to work in a sacred place with sensitive and often wild energy that makes a difference in your daily magickal life.
The intention behind the ritual should be as specific as possible, without too many statements of the obvious, like will I marry, if you are single and on the lookout for a new love. Life itself will show you what will happen, magick does not hold promises of a perfect tomorrow.
Next is to get the timing right, according to planetary/astrological times for specific magickal purposes, to choose correspondences, props and magickal workings that suit the purpose well, and to make a to do list before, during and after the ritual. Here I use my general ritual work sheet as a guide when planning rituals and spells.
Then you can create your sacred space/magickal circle and remember the importance of being undisturbed. However, I use my celIphone to play music or to listen to guided meditations or my own. I sometimes also pick my acoustic guitar and play at bit for meditation purposes during the ritual.
I always meditate at least for 5-10 minutes before beginning a ritual to clear my mind and to prepare myself for energy demand and the beauty of the ritual I have created.
The Magical Circle : To me to cast and to close a magickal circle is the moment of truth. Here I feel at once, if I missed something during my preparations or the day just isn´t the right one.
I call the elements and the quarters to join and to protect myself, participants and the ritual. I call on the powers of corresponding goddesses/gods, spirit, totem and power animals and those of my ancestors, and I cleanse my sacred space with white sage (ordinary sage or your preferred incense works fine as well) and a cleansing chant where I symbolically swipe the floor.
Then I do my readings, e.g. strengthening mantras/prayers (typically for Moon rituals and powerful rituals such as banishing or releasing negativity), often addressed to powerful Crone goddesses and the Horned God. After that I play some meditation music to create and preserve a mood of enchantment.
Thus prepared, the circle fully cast, I begin my magickal workings, such as spells, mini rituals, charm/amulet making, Tarot/Lenormand spreads, seed blessing. No limit but fantasy and creativity.
Consecration, Enchanting, Charging :
I use incense for spiritual cleansing, consecrate magickal tools for focused use with the elements through candle flames /Fire), sprinkling with salt and blessed water (Earth and Water), through incense with sage (Air). And I charge my magickal items with energy from the Sun and the Moon in the windowsill or outside (treat especially crystals with great care, because some of them are susceptible to damages from e.g. sun light, water and temperature)
Invocations : I call on goddesses and gods, spirit, totem and power animals, and ancestors to draw on their powers and energy in rituals. I´m careful to not do it too often, because it´s a bit energy demanding. This is for the special occasions, such as Drawing Down the Moon ritual, releasing spells and sabbats.
Cleansing : I typically cleanse myself, items and my house with white sage/sage and certain items like my pendulum under running water. I always take a ritual bath before my magickal workings, because I want to be as pure and relaxed as possible. I also want to actually feel and enjoy my journey with witchcraft, and what´s better than to be clean and in comfortable clothes before doing something you love ?
Ritual Witch : In this section I keep record of my ever-growing supply of rituals. I have inspirational texts and ideas, but I prefer to do the writing myself, because your personal energy will naturally be stronger than a copy of other people´s workings.
If I do use a copy, I also write down the credentials, because I want the same treatment for my writings. Feel free to copy here, but please do remember where it came from. And Blessed Be, hopefully it meets your needs, if you do ever come back, maybe you have something to share with me.
Protection : My list of herbs, crystals, symbols etc. with protective abilities. Protection in witchcraft is necessary, because when you bounce into energy, that energy will bounce back, and you don´t want any negative influences at all. So a protective blessing here includes humans and animals alike. I like the principle not to summon what you can´t dispel. In other words, protection is common sense.
Prayers : These include prayers relevant to my magickal workings in rituals, daily prayers and prayers related to the sabbats in the Wheel of the Year.
Nature Prayers : A call to Nature itself is often more tangible than a prayer to a Goddess/God, because you can go direct out in nature and experience the elements close-up. That feeling you can apply to your prayers in rituals.
Blessings : Protection of my loved ones.
Poems : Poetry can be appropriate to use in rituals, when you want to create a certain atmosphere, such as joy for happiness and growth spells, intuitive for Moon magick and relaxing for releasing rituals.
Chants : A new area to explore to me. At the moment, I read with stress on rhymes and rhythm, but I need to train my voice a lot more, if I one day should choose to chant myself. I prefer to read.
Love ritual February 14 2019Waxing Moon ritual July 9 2019
May the rest of this day be as blessed as when I woke up this morning and felt happiness, inner peace, a good health and kindness from the world. May this feeling also dwell in my family, my friends and other special people. So Mote It Be.
To cast a spell in order to gain something is not a new fling of the world. It´s an old and famous tradition that reaches far back in history. It is also something to treat with great care and respect.
By great care and respect I mean do practice casting spells, do try to write your own spells and do it always with a positive intention. If you do try old spells, do not use dangerous ingredients. They can easily be substituted by e.g. tobacco. When you practice you learn.
But you also need to do your research on spells. There are a lot of correspondences to keep track of, and it is an ever ongoing task with spells, because although similarities in setup, the intentions are often different, e.g. the drawing in of a new love in love spells and the push for business prosperity in spells for growth and abundance.
My respect for the art of casting spells comes from experience. They do work, and not only if you believe it hard enough. I´ve experienced enough to say that magick is a subtle tool with powerful consequences.
Casting spells has a whole section, because it involves a lot of research and planning. Timing is alfa and omega in a spell. I use the Moon phases as my spell time, and it works well with the process of following through with an idea from beginning to end. I´m at times extremely good at procrastination, so when i work with witchcraft, I carefully plan my workings, so that they are adaptable to a day with flowing deadlines.
116 Spellcasting
117 Positivity In A Spell
118 How To Write Spells
119 Spells
120 More Spells
Spellcasting : How many ingredients do you need to make a spell ? Well, to my experience to begin with what you already have is a good choice. I´ve build up my collection of spell ingredients over 3 years, so I have quite a few things to choose from. But it is not necessary to buy a whole lot before you make your spell. What often works best is the simplicity of things.
It is also my recommendation that you research thorough and use your common sense when casting spells. The intention behind is much more important than this or that ingredient, after all, the ingredients are only important because they may strengthen the spell and its intention.
A spell can consist of everything from a few spoken or written words to the whole setup with herbs, crystals, candles, incantations etc. It all depends on what you want with your spell. And why you feel a need to cast it.
I have a collection of notes on casting spells and plenty of correspondences to remain organized, but I did cast spells also when I was a total newbie to witchcraft. Because it is only due to practice that you truly learn what casting spells is like and how to learn by trial and error.
Positivity In A Spell : I always work with a positive outlook, especially when I´m doing banishing or releasing work. I want to draw positivity inøto all aspects of my life, so I´m not interested in attracting negative influences. As a Grey witch I do work with negativity as well. But again always with a positive attitude towards it.
How To Write Spells : The important thing is to be specific and direct when writing a spell. That goes for the intention, the timing (e.g. Moon phase, time of day/night/year, season) and the correspondences (e.g. colours, candles, crystals, herbs, oils, ribbons, feathers, charms).
I recommend not to write any spell, if you are in a bad mood or depressed. So the right mood is also an important factor. Yes, because who wants to draw unhappiness and bad luck, which thrive on a moody and absent-minded attitude. I do, however, write a quick spell, if I need some healing on a bad day. But I always keep it positive, and I only do it, because I know it works. If I´m not feeling good, I do not work any kind of magick besides that.
Spells : My collection is not so big yet, because I try to to be as specific as possible when writing spells, so I focus on the quality of the spell, not the quantity. I have, however, spells for many purposes, should a situation arise that needs spell work. So I make spells for healing, growth, protection, personal development and happiness. That includes spells for love, self-care, career/my blog, attracting luck and money and protection of my loved ones.
More Spells : This section is for the spells that cannot be placed in my collection for some reason. It could e.g. be a new Moon spell that I have not yet tried out, ideas for new spells and good examples.
Sometimes spells just does not work out the way you planned for, and there can be numerous reasons for that. Some spells like attracting luck and money may need extra work (also physical) during perhaps more than one Moon phase. And again, magick is always dependent on the intention behind it.
But when spells do work, you won´t be in doubt. It is not like a sudden flash, but more like a quiet and slowly improvement in whatever intent you made the spell from. If you want to change something, you need to do something active about it, and the best possible way to do that is to change your attitude towards both the needed change and the reason for changes in the first place.
Intentions may vary from time to time, and as we grow older, our perspectives also gets renewed now and then.
By practicing not only spells, but witchcraft in general, from your very first day of being a witch, you´ll soon learn to discern what to keep and what to let go.
When I began my journey into witchcraft, I read everything I could get my hands at, I tried to write spells and rituals like all the beautiful ones I saw online, and I was shaky and nervous every time I had to perform a spell during a ritual.
I still read, but know I´m critical of what I see and hear. I write my own spells, simply because I like to create them first in my native language, Danish, and then to translate them into some hopefully beautiful English. I like the sound of English better at rituals.
I´m no longer anxious that I don´t have the right ingredients, that I´m not a good enough writer or that I cannot this or that.
It all comes down to practice and to learn from your mistakes. A spell can of course backfire, like everything else in the world can go wrong, and it is not always possible to fix without a sort of closing to the problem.
If this happens, I quickly write a spell to cancel the one that did not work out. I politely ask the Universe to grant me the favour not to set the spell in more motion than it already has been and to hinder the spell from working at all. After this I typically do a cleansing ritual shortly after to ground and clear the energy.
Every time I make a spell, I burn the paper with the wording of my spell or I bury it away from my house. Unless it e.g. is a growth spell for a new project with several deadlines and challenges to solve along the way.
Tomorrow I plan to work with practical elements of rituals in general, the magickal circle and many of the other ingredients that are often mentioned in descriptions of witchcraft rituals.
Some spell ingredients and tea filters as charm bags
Today I´ve had one of those days, dear reader, when everything is Retrograde. It has been extremely hot today, so much of the day has been spent inside, and typing has just been uphill.
Which annoys me a bit, because I strive to write something interesting to read.
But that´s life. There are ups and downs all the way, And it is not an easy job making a blog about daily witchcraft. The crafting part is planned for the weekend, where I will work with my preparations for the upcoming Sabbat, Lammas.
I love working with the Moon as well. It is a special relationship. In my younger days, I always looked for the Moon in the evening and the night, but there is also great beauty in a Moon ritual on an early bright morning.
108 Phases Of The Moon
109 The Lunar Calendar
110 Esbats
111 Moon Signs
112 Moon Rituals
113 Moon Invocations
114 Moon Prayers And Blessings
115 Moon Spells
Phases of the Moon : The phases of the Moon are the New Moon, the Waxing Crescent Moon, the Waxing Quarter Moon, the Waxing Gibbous Moon, the Full Moon, The Waning Gibbous Moon, The Waning Quarter Moon and the Waning Crescent Moon. I usually follow the New Moon, the Waxing Quarter Moon, the Full Moon and the Waning Quarter Moon.
The Lunar Calendar : Normally, I follow the lunar calendar with the Full Moons, but occasionally I work quite a lot with timing spells for the right Moon phase. In order to get some balance in my workings, I work with spells in smaller parts, so there is a clear way from the beginning of a new idea (New Moon) to manifestation (Waxing Moon phases) and fulfillment (Full Moon). And I always try to remember to release what is no longer useful to me during the work with a spell/ritual.
Esbats : Celebration of the 13 Full Moons in a year. I try to celebrate as many as possible, but I´m a human being, so sometimes I have periods, where I cannot work with magick except for healing purposes, when my arthritis or my bipolar decide to take a toll on my behalf.
Moon Signs : I´m interested in astrology, so this sign is as important as the other planetary signs and the ascendant. Mine is by the way, Cancer Sun, Cancer Moon and Leo Rising.
Moon Rituals : I prefer to track my Moon rituals away from my other rituals, because the intensity of Moon magick is suitable to a lot of reflection, whereas some of my other rituals often are very intuitive and made in the moment, so to speak.
Moon Invocations : in the same way have I organized Moon invocations, prayers, blessings and spells. I often ask a Crone Goddess to assist my magickal workings, such as Hecate, Kali and Yemaya, because I´m becoming a Crone myself these years.
Moon Prayers And Blessings : Said out loud, then meditating to quiet music in order to raise the right amount of energy to let go with the spell.
Moon Spells : Used for the right timing of spells during the phases of the Moon.
This concludes my second Book of Shadows ring binder. The third and last present part of my Book of Shadows concerns spellcasting, rituals, witchy tips, creative magick and the Grey. The last being my definition of working with hoodoo and spirits.
And it concludes today´s post. My fingers hurt, and I need to light a healing candle, plain white, because it was the one at hand. To send a silent prayer to the Universe about getting better at handling my physical and mental health. So Mote It Be.
Or perhaps a better head line would be The Wheel of the Year, as I follow the changing seasons with Sabbats and the phases of the Moon.
The Sabbats are all special to me, Samhain, however, is my favourite, because it was on the night of Samhain, I almost 3 years ago initiated and dedicated myself as a witch.
98 Yule
99 Imbolc
100 Ostara
101 Beltane
102 Litha
103 Lammas/Lughnasad
104 Mabon
105 Samhain
106 Sabbat Altars
107 Cakes And Ale
Yule : Winter Solstice. The longest night of the year. The shortest day. The beginning of the new year. Celebration of the return of the Sun.
Imbolc : Candlemas. Planning, preparation of seeds to sow, literally. Celebration of light and the promise of Spring.
Ostara : Spring Equinox. Equal day and night. Balance workings. Fertility spells for the garden. Celebration of the beauty of Spring.
Beltane : Walpurgis Eve. Handfasting. Divination. The thinning of the Veil between the worlds. Celebration of the month of love.
Litha : Summer Solstice. The longest day of the year. The shortest night. Growth spells. Celebration of the Sun´s farewell.
Lammas/Lughnasad : Before Harvest. Prosperity rituals, cleansing spells and thanking Mother Earth. Celebration of the bounty of the Earth.
Mabon : Fall Equinox. Harvest festival. Equal day and night. Balance workings. To give thanks. And to let go. Celebration of the beauty of Fall.
Samhain : All Hollows Eve. Initiation and self-dedication. “New Years Eve” to me as a witch. The veil between the worlds is thinnest. Shadow work. Divination. Celebration of the Ancestors, the Crone and the witches.
Sabbat Altars : Here I keep track of my altar setups and plan to place photos of them as well.
My Beltane altar May 1 2019
Cakes And Ale : This is a new place to learn and to be creative. I research traditions, but I also plan to make my own recipes with a modern twist.
The reason I like the Sabbats so much is that they together with the phases of the Moon give me the pleasure of getting to work with a lot of different tools and ideas for altar setup and decorations.
However many tools I use, I always try to keep things simple. There may be quite a few ingredients in my magickal workings, but they all play an important part of my rituals. If not, I do not include them. With herbs, essential oils and flowers I use what I have at hand, because I´m living on a budget and don´t always have the money to buy these often pretty expensive items.
I also like the idea of following the changing seasons and to be in tune with Nature. Especially in this modern world of stress and millions of impressions to handle, I use the ritual part of the Sabbats to follow a more natural rhythm in my daily life around the year.
I have the opportunity to do it on a full time basis, because I´m early retired. But even if you don´t have much time, it´s still possible to have a magickal everyday life. The key is to make the small rituals even more important than the bigger ones and integrate them in everyday activities. It has a lot to do with self-care to e.g. light a candle and some incense before e.g. doing the dishes.
This I will post a series about in November 2019.
In the weekend I´ll be preparing for the Lammas Sabbat. And on August 1 2019 I´ll post before and after the ritual as I did with the New Moon ritual on July 2nd 2019.
Nobody can remember everything all the time. Therefore I need and use correspondences in my daily life as a witch. It is in combining the elements of e.g. a spell or a ritual that I find joy in learning about witchcraft. It speaks to every sense in body, mind and soul.
In my Book of Shadows I have an ever-growing part with correspondences for almost everything. I like to plan things and to be able to enjoy both the preparations before a ritual and the ritual itself.
79 The Elements and Akasha
80 The Planets
81 Magickal Days Of The Week
82 Magickal Months Of The Year
83 Magickal Timing
84 Magickal Colours
85 Magickal Candles
86 Magickal Ribbons
87 Crystals And Gem Stones
88 Magickal Oils
89 Magickal Trees
90 Magickal Flowers
91 Magickal Herbs
92 Other Magickal Plants
93 Spirit, Totem And Power Animals
94 Familiar Friends
95 Feathers
96 Symbols And Alphabets
97 Sigils
The Elements and Akasha : As a water sign (Cancer) I seek to be in balance with the other elements by meditating on the forces behind the elements by being close to the elements in my daily life and making rituals outside as well as inside my house, and by focusing on the corresponding cardinal directions so I can cast a circle everywhere I find a sacred place to do it.
The Planets : I´m learning about astrology and therefore the movements of the planets and their correspondences are important to me.
Magickal Days Of The Week : When making a spell there are quite a few things to consider when it comes to timing the spell. Every day has its own associations with deities, magickal intentions and types of spells.
Magickal Months Of The Year : I follow the Wheel of the Year and the Moon Esbats, so the months also hold special meaning to me.
Magickal Timing : In general, timing is everything, whether we speak of spells, rituals or any other magickal activity. As it is in the mundane world.
Magickal Colours : Amplifies intentions.
Magickal Candles : Colours, sizes, shapes, types. how to anoint and dress a candle.
Magickal Ribbons : For spellbinding purposes.
Crystals And Gem Stones : As a cottage witch I use many different crystals in meditation and healing work. A clear quartz crystal is always good as a substitute, if I don´t want to buy one for a spell/a ritual/a charm.
Magickal Oils : Here I plan to make my own recipes.
Magickal Trees : Relevant to my project of making my own broom of wood from the oak, the beech and the ash.
Magickal Flowers : I often use flowers in my rituals and as decoration.
Magickal Herbs : Herbs are an essential part of my daily magical practice. And there is always work to do with herbs, before they can be used in rituals, and there is also magick in gathering, drying and using them for e.g. charm bags.
Other Magickal Plants : Historical witch plants, for knowledge only , not to use. I never use dangerous plants.
Spirit, Totem And Power Animals : I follow part of the Native American traditions with this type of meditation and shadow work. I feel protected when I connect with them through walks in nature.
Familiar Friends : I live with 1 dog and 3 cats, so I´m interested in familiar friends. They choose themselves who to love, we take care of them because we choose to live with them. It is an unconditional bond that is life-affirming.
Feathers : Finding feathers is a sign from the spirit world. I use feathers when I make dream catchers.
Symbols And Alphabets : This is necessary in order to keep track of my many different areas of research. I use the Witches Alphabet for some secret parts of my Book of Shadows that I shall not speak more of.
Sigils : This is a new area to me, and it is a good way to be creative.
Often these preparations becomes part of the ritual thus understood that I often light candles and use incense, typically sage, before, during and after the ritual. And for that I need my correspondences.
It is a personal choice to attain a thorough knowledge of witchcraft and to use so many different ingredients and materials.
Less is often more, so at the moment I´m working with ideas for daily mini rituals that are easily adapted to a stressful everyday.
There is also a need for self-care when being an eclectic solitary witch with an open attitude. So for today, I´ll go offline and make some notes for tomorrow´s post about the 8 Sabbats in the Wheel of the Year.
As a daily cottage witch I use of a lot of tools and materials, but it is a big mix of everyday household utensils, homemade practical tools and bought items. It is not necessary to buy everything, and it is fun to craft something yourself. I have quite a long inventory list, but I´ve also collected a lot of it over time, long before I chose to follow the path of witchcraft.
Less can do, and being on a budget demands creativity. But it is fun to be creative and make ends meet at the same time. And there is only the imagination to set the limit. What speaks to you is the right choice for you. I choose after, how often I´m going to use the tool and how important it is to have it. Can it wait, or is is needed in a ritual ? Are there substitute ingredients already ? Is it something I can make myself ?
In the Northern Witch´s Den there is magick everywhere on a daily basis. In this part of my Book of Shadows I keep a lot of recipes and descriptions of techniques for e.g. meditation. Here I also keep my inventory list to always to be prepared for magick workings. I e.g. always have garlic, rosemary, thyme and sage for herbal purposes, whereas the detail level in my rituals depends upon what is at hand in my witchy kitchen cabinet and other areas of my home.
59 Weather Magick
60 Magickal Garden
61 The Apothecary
62 Ayurvedic Medicine
63 Kitchen Magick
64 Healing Magical Recipes
65 Meditation
66 Chakra And Healing
67 Witchy Walk-In
68 Charms And Jewelry
69 The Beauty Parlour
70 Aromatherapy
71 Handfasting 1
72 Pagan Children
73 The Boudoir
74 Magickal Tools
75 Altars
76 Brooms
77 Powders And Potions
78 Incense
Weather Magick : Weather lore, spells, prayers and rituals. I like to study nature´s magick and to use the energies from the many changes in the weather that direct the seasons. The weather has awesome powers, and to me it is always a feeling of renewal when working with weather magick.
Magickal Garden : My plans for and dreams about a witchy garden. It is an ongoing project, because this part is my husband´s area. He tries to accommodate my need for herbs and beautiful places to meditate, and he often inspires me with good ideas.
The Apothecary : Herbal recipes and remedies for homeopathy, practical folk remedies, medicine plants. This is very useful for the daily life with arthritis, bipolar and degenerated disc disease. But I consult my general practitioner about my general health, I only use remedies that are safe to use for minor problems and to soothe the pain from my back.
Ayurvedic Medicine : Old Indian medicine and healing system. It is always fascinating to learn about other cultures and their views upon life. This is ancient wisdom that I can use in both the mundane and the magickal world.
Kitchen Magick : Magickal correspondences, recipes, rituals, preparations before rituals. My kitchen is the place of the hearth, and magick here is many different things. It is also from here we get our cakes/food and “ale”/non-alcoholic beverages for rituals. For my rituals I plan in the future to make my own recipes according to seasons and the Sabbats.
Healing Magickal Recipes : My future plans include my own recipes here.
Meditation : Techniques and guided meditations are extremely useful when new to meditation. It is not an easy part of witchcraft, but with some good breathing exercises you´ll get far. Today I can easily sit for an hour, but it has also taken me a couple of years to get there. The most important thing is to be undisturbed by the mundane world during the meditation. I plan to write and record my own meditation guides on my cellphone. Yes, a mundane tool, but effective if controlled use.
Chakra And Healing : Root, Sacral, Solar Plexus, Heart, Throat, Third Eye/Brow, Crown, techniques and meditations. I often align my Chakras by meditation and with the help of crystal healing.
Witchy Walk-In : Outfits I would like to have, wearing magick enhances it. maybe some time my own designs.
Charms And Jewelry : Charms, amulet and jewelry are a big part of my daily practice as a witch. I use herbs, oils and crystals. A substitute for charm bags can e.g. be tea bags. Amulets is protection to me, so those I make when the need arises. I also use ordinary jewelry in my magickal workings, either by wearing it or include it in my altar designs.
The Beauty Parlour : Homemade remedies, how to make them on a budget. I love to make creams and lotions, because it is easy and fun, especially if I combine it with aromatherapy and magickal oils.
Aromatherapy : For healing purposes, beauty and rituals. I only use essential oils on the outside of the body, because most essential oils are not safe to digest.
Handfasting 1 : The old wedding rituals are simply fascinating and very beautiful. My husband and I plan to renew our vows with a handfasting ceremony when we have been married for 12,5 years. It is called a copper wedding, silver at 25 years and gold at 50 years. It´s a typical celebration in Denmark, we just want to add some magick to our upcoming anniversary. 3 days ago, we had been married for 10 years, and we are a happy couple.
Pagan Children : I don´t have children myself, but luckily there are 3 wonderful children in my life through my sweet neighbours and friends. The imaginative attitude of a child is magick itself, and when they show an interest themselves, I show them my den and we talk about what being a witch can be. But they must choose their own path, so I don´t search for any coven members. If they should choose witchcraft one day, I´ll help them along, but they still must walk their path on their own, as everybody must.
The Boudoir : Love and sensuality are a big part of my life, and of course this is a personal journey that I do not share with others than my husband. But love can mean many other things, and a new love can both be a new familiar or a new tool.
Magickal Tools : At the moment I´m on the lookout for an athame for my rituals and a boline knife for herb collection. I have quite a few tools, because I´m an ecclectic witch with many different ways of practicing witchcraft. I´m currently working on a expansion of the sections here with one section per tool.
Altars : Ideas and inspiration, how to set up altars and altar elements (often tools themselves).
Brooms : Ideas and inspiration. I plan to make my own broom with 3 kinds of wood as many old traditions speak of.
Powders And Potions : Recipes according to intentions.
Powders And Potions : Recipes according to intentions.
Some of my witchy suppliesRitual tools and decorative elements
After this closer look into my daily life as a witch, as it is in my Book of Shadows, it´s time to get to know some correspondences. This is the subject for tomorrow, but I can reveal that this is something I really do use a lot on a daily basis. Nobody can remember everything, and it is also a learning process to plan a ritual with the appropriate correspondences depending on the intention behind it.
Lenormand cards are different from Tarot cards in more than one way. First of all, there are only 36 cards, but in a Lenormand reading it is about pairing and combining with other cards in the deck, whereas the Tarot is more about the total meaning of a spread. Secondly, there is not a Major and Minor Arcana in Lenormand, and thirdly, the number of spreads is quite limited, where only fantasy sets the limits for Tarot spread design.
I´m in a big learning process with Lenormand cards because of the many possible combinations and I therefore only have a few keywords of my own to show you for each card.
58 Lenormand
The Rider : something is about to happen, take action, be alert.
The Clover : the little joys of everyday, gratitude, seize the day.
The Ship : a want to try new things, contemplation, choice of path.
The House : family life, to feel safe, building foundations.
The Tree : persistence, settling roots, personal health.
The Clouds : shadow issues, frustration, patience needed.
The Snake : watch out, hidden agendas, illusions.
The Coffin : repressed feelings, the end of a cycle, birth, death and rebirth.
The Bouquet : acknowledgement, presents, pay respect to others.
The Scythe : swift changes, be cautious, release.
The Whip : instability in surroundings, mental challenges, disagreement.
The Birds : social interactions, important to restore energy, work with concentration.
The Child : new possibilities, take care of inner child, transform weaknesses into strengths.
The Fox : delicate situations, make clever solutions, reflect upon choices.
The Bear : trust in yourself, maintain a personal budget, seek advice.
The Star : clarity, possible growth, personal development.
The Stork : acceptance of change, re-evaluate approaches, take responsibility.
The Dog : cooperation, commitment, trust.
The Tower : self-confidence, the bigger picture, solitary activities.
The Garden : community, gatherings, new impressions.
The Mountain : problem solving, hard work pays off, self-care necessary.
The Crossroads : decisive action, different perspectives, lessons to learn.
The Mice : unrest, relaxation necessary, bad habits.
The Heart : inner peace, caring, understanding.
The Ring : ongoing work with relationships, realistic plans, feeling of security.
The Book : learning process, shadow work, hidden knowledge.
The Letter : communication, the outer world, creating networks.
The Gentleman : male correspondences, influence from others, self-reliance.
The Lady : female correspondences, influence from others, self-reliance.
The Lily : passion, balance between desire and satisfaction, appreciate what I already have.
The Sun : inner happiness, success is a process, hard work pays off.
The Moon : shadow work, intuitive senses, personal credit.
The Key : important issues, new focus, determination.
The Fish : valuables and values, contentment, money matters.
The Anchor : build on solid foundations, personal boundaries.
The Cross : responsibilities, release negative patterns, forgiveness.
I have chosen a simple 3 card spread to show you how I work with Lenormand as a beginner. It will provide me with some quick answers to how I´m doing with this blog, which was my question today. And it is read from left to right, with card 2 as the main focus card, and with card 1 and 3 (and card 3 and 1) as each others´mirrors for some quick details.
Card 1 was the Rider, card 2 the Key and card 3 the Anchor.
My interpretation of today´s cards is that the blog is doing fine, as I´ve reached my goals for getting started. It is also time for hard work building up the blog, and I should be open to new opportunities, as I´ll learn along the way.
It has been quite difficult to write today. Maybe it´s because of this Mercury Retrograde, where communication can get a bit disrupted.
It has also been bad weather, with both heat and heavy rain. A thundering headache does not help either.
I´ll return stronger tomorrow with a view into my witch´s den, my daily life as a cottage witch.
I love the Tarot, because there are always so many possible ways to interpret a spread. It takes quite some time to get acquainted with all the different aspects of a Tarot deck, but it is worth the effort, when suddenly a day it feels like the most natural thing in the world to perform a Tarot reading.
I use a classic Rider Waite deck with lots of pictures and symbols to work with. To choose a Tarot deck is to feel inside that this is it. And my approach is to learn while I practice at the same time.
The cards will show me straight away, if something is going on that needs my attention, or if I´m having a bad day. If things don´t work somewhere in life, the cards will promptly respond. And if I ask the wrong kind of question, or I´m not concentrating on the reading, the cards will act accordingly.
So I only do a Tarot reading when I´m in the right mood for it. At Sabbats a Tarot reading is likely to be a part of the ritual, whereas my daily 1-3 card drawing is to get a quick view of what today might have to offer.
52 The Major Arcana
53 The Minor Arcana
54 Learning Tarot
55 Tarot Tips
56 Tarot Symbols
57 Tarot Spreads
The Major Arcana : 22 cards consisting of The Fool, the Magician, the High Priestess, the Empress, the Emperor, the Hierophant, the Lovers, the Chariot, Strength, the Hermit, the Wheel of Fortune, Justice, the Hanged Man, Death, Temperance, the Devil, the Tower, the Star, the Moon, the Sun, Judgement, and the World. Important life changes and how to work with the current situation as seen by the cards.
The Minor Arcana : 4 suits of each 14 cards consisting of the Suit of Swords/Air (intellect), the Suit of Wands/Fire (actions), the Suit of Cups/Water (emotions), and the Suit of Pentacles/Earth (physical matters). Each suit has ten pip cards (life experiences) and 4 court cards (influential people around you). Daily events and patterns of life.
Learning Tarot : To me it is an ongoing process, since I often experience new aspects when doing a Tarot reading for myself. And to me it is also important to write down such aspects in my Tarot journal that I keep in a simple Word-document on my laptop. I´ve also made a document with Tarot correspondences for easy and quick reference at a reading.
Tarot Tips : Here I write down useful tips when I experience them. There are a lot of ideas to learn from, but I mostly use my own tips, because they tend to turn up in unexpected moments, and I have had good results relying on them. For example, my chosen significator through my learning process has been the High Priestess, providing me with a stable foundation to build my readings upon.
Tarot Symbols : Part of the learning process with Tarot cards is getting to know the many symbols, depending on what sort of deck you´re using. I take one by the time and write down recurring symbols and signs and thereby get to know them over time.
Tarot Spreads : There are thousands of possibilities, all depending on your intention with a Tarot reading, It is not difficult to create your own spreads as long as you try to keep some sort of order in the design. I always try to break down the questions in smaller parts, like the status of the moment (past, present, future), core problems (strengths, weaknesses and tasks) and possible answers (what to let go of, where to move on and what to work further with).
I use the Tarot cards to get insight into my past, present and future by looking for inner answers to my questions. The important thing is to have both clear intentions behind the reading and to ask relevant and clear formulated questions to the cards. Otherwise it will be a big waste of time.
For my daily use of Tarot cards I pick 1-3 cards in random order to highlight the current situation of the day. I use spreads for more complex issues and life aspects when I celebrate the seasons with the Sabbats or at Moon rituals. So I get daily advice and regularly guidance to constructive self-development. But it does not impact the decisions I make in my daily life in a mundane world. And it is important to stress that Tarot to me is a divinatory tool, but not the only answer to everything.
When I make spreads, I typically use 12 cards + 1 significator card (most often the High Priestess with whom I feel comfortable and safe). I use both the Major and the Minor Arcana.
I ask card 1 to show me relevant facts about a current situation, and cards 2-4 then shows the past, present and future about the situation. Card 5 is asked to show me the core problems and challenges in the situation, and cards 6-8 show me my weaknesses, my strengths and my tasks for solving the problem/challenge. And finally card 9 is asked to show me the possible answers and where to focus, which cards 10-12 then show in what to let go of, where to move on and what to work further with.
But for today I promised you I would show one of my readings. And I´ve chosen a daily pick of 3 cards in random order to highlight this day here on the blog. At random card picking I don´t use a significator.
I asked how this new thing with a blog will affect me the coming week and picked the Knight of Swords, the High Priestess and the Two of Pentacles.
The Suit of Swords :
Element Air, communication, intellect, conflict, obstacles and blockages, truth, inner clarity, wisdom and understanding.
The Knight of Swords :
Think things through before acting, passion, confidence, creativity, positivity, strength, determination, cut through obstacles, responsibility, be patient.
The High Priestess :
Element Water, emotions, follow inner gut feeling, strong intuition as a guide, listen to dreams and inspiration, how I express myself in public, listen and act on inner guidance, spiritual growth important.
The Suit of Pentacles :
Earth, physical aspects of life, work, areas with need for stability, dealing with practicalities.
The Two of Pentacles :
Confidence and creativity, focus on goals, inner balance managing time and resources, up and downs are natural and necessary life changes, don´t be attached to a specific outcome.
My interpretation :
I need to communicate my obstacles and to seek more wisdom and understanding of what I want with this blog. It may take me a bit longer to achieve my goals, but if I continue to be creative and positive and work with determination and patience, the blog will be successful in time.
This concludes the first ring binder in my Book of Shadows. Tomorrow, I´ll continue with Lenormand cards, a similar, yet even more intriguing method of divination.
Divination is not only to ask questions about your future, but also to reflect upon certain patterns of behaviour. There are many different methods of divination, and here I only include those I either practice or would like to in the future.
I´ve not included Tarot and Lenormand divination, because they both have their own section due to their size (78 and 36 cards) and complexity.
36 Divination
37 Intuitive Senses
38 Scrying
39 Dowsing
40 Auras
41 Numerology
42 Cards
43Dices And Dominoes
44 Ouija Board
45 Western Zodiac
46 Chinese Zodiac
47 Other Zodiacs
48 Runes
49 Palmistry
50 Tasseography
51 Dreaming
Divination : To me it is to get guidance and new insight, interpret patterns and to seek hidden knowledge with the 6th sense. It takes regular practice to learn both symbols and methods, and the important thing is to choose what speaks to you, and as in every other aspect of witchcraft, it is not necessary to buy a lot of tools, if the budget is a bit low. There are lots of free material available for download of e.g. templates for Tarot cards.
Intuitive Senses : The various elements of the sixth sense are e.g. clear knowing/the inner gut feeling, clear hearing/the inner voice, clear seeing/e.g. seeing auras and clear feeling/the feelings of others. They are very useful in divination, because it typically is a personal experience, where you have to truly trust yourself in the moment of truth.
Scrying : I use a crystal ball to seek images and shapes, new ideas.
Dowsing : Crystal pendulum to seek advice and straight answers (Yes, No, Maybe, which Chakra needs to be aligned).
Auras : The energy fields around the body (Chakras inside the body) have different colours with a certain meaning.
Numerology : Numbers reduced to a single digit number between 1 and 9 and interpretation of the number.
Cards : Fortune telling with a deck of cards. Similar to Tarot cards in terms of pip cards and court cards and 4 suits, but with different interpretation. I occasionally use a deck of ordinary playing cards, but I prefer to do a Tarot or Lenormand reading for my divinatory purposes.
Dices And Dominoes : Interpretation of numbers.
Ouija Board : I study it, but I don´t use it, not because of its superstitions, but because I´ve tried once, and I´m just not into this.
Western Zodiac : Astrology, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer (I´m a Cancer), Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and Pisces.
Chinese Zodiac : 5 elements (Fire, Earth, Metal, Water and Wood), 12 animals (the Rat, the Ox, the Tiger, the Rabbit, the Dragon, the Snake, the Horse, the Goat, the Monkey, the Rooster, the Dog and the Pig).
Other Zodiac : Astrology from all over the world.
Runes : General guidance, advice and inspiration from the old Futhark rune alphabet. Typically I use them at the big sabbats like Samhain and Beltane, where the veil is thinnest between the realms of the mundane and the magickal world.
Palmistry : Divination reading hands. A project for future study.
Tasseography : To interpret patterns from tea leaves or coffee grounds is not as easy as it may seem at first glance. So I need some extra patience, before I try this.
Dreaming : Also a future project to keep a dream journal.
Currently, I´m working with Tarot and Lenormand cards, but occasionally I shift to another method of divination in order to learn as much as possible about this part of the Craft. It is a craft in itself to learn more than one method, but it is also practical, because it always depends on the intention behind the wish to know something.
I´m, however, not planning any part of my life from these methods. I only use them for general guidance on tangible aspects of life, like what to expect a week ahead. But my decisions lie in the mundane world, because witchcraft to me has a life of its own that need not getting mixed up with everyday challenges.
Likewise, I´m always careful when reading e.g. a Tarot spread. I read the positive traits in things, and I take negativity with a pinch of salt.
Does it work, then ? Well, I can only speak for myself. Many years ago, I went to a professional Tarot reader and used 2 hours of my life to see if that old method still worked. It did, because certain things happened, whether I looked for them or not. Fortunately, most of them were positive experiences. And the rest is life itself.
I also like to create tools myself, so my runes, the dices and the dominoes are made by me.
Tomorrow and the day after tomorrow will be longer posts, because both Tarot and Lenormand cards have a complexity that needs to be learned, both by studying and practicing. So I´ll include a personal spread on both days in order to show you how I use them in my daily life as a witch.
There are many definitions concerning spirituality. To me, spirituality is many different things, depending on the situation and the intention behind the concept.
It is a not only a deity collection, it´s also an inner walk down memory lane to clear up clutter along the way, as I find shadow work very spiritual. At the same time, it is the general feeling of well-being when I work with witchcraft.
32 Spiritual Guidance
33 Angels
34 Spirit Guides
35 Fairies And The Magick Of A Small World
Spiritual Guidance : Is the inner guidance and listening, using your intuition and noticing your surroundings (the silent signs of nature, animals, feathers, inner gut feeling, coincidences, people, music, words, numbers etc.).
Angels : On my wishing list are angel cards with daily affirmations to use in meditation (e.g. positivity, gratitude, clarity, communication, commitment, kindness), because I believe we all have a guardian angel in our lives. Personally, I´ve through life learned to deeply respect mine, because I´ve had quite a few close calls. Then you wake up and turn your life into a new direction. And that direction was witchcraft for me.
Spirit Guides : I contact them through dream work, scrying/ancestor work and meditation. I work with spirit, totem and power animals (see also section 93 in 79-97 Correspondences on July 22 2019), and my favourite totem animal is the cat. I asked to be allowed to meet my totem animal in a dream, and when I woke up after a good night´s sleep my black and white cat Milo was sitting close to me.
My cat Milo in a spiritual moment
Fairies And The Magick Of A Small World : Tiny magickal tricksters and mythical spirits, especially in Celtic folklore. There are many sources to learn from, so this is an ongoing project. I also work with the elementals connected to each element (sylphs/Air, salamanders/Fire, undines/Water and gnomes/Earth).
As a witch I follow the cycle of life, death and rebirth, I honour the seasons and practice ancestor work. All very spiritual elements of my daily life, where nature is my kind of “church”.
Through contemplation, prayer and meditation I´m happy today to leave all annoyances to Karma, because my life is too short to sit and obsess over the way of life´s problems. I have thereby accepted the past and acknowledged the possibility of a future tomorrow, only to live in the present moment.
So to me, spirituality is a personal experience that cannot easily be transformed into words for others to read.
But what I can do is to share my feelings about spirituality. It is something that makes me feel whole, happy and satisfied with what I already have.
And I know that there is always an inner place of peace and calm to turn to on a bad day.
That is the spiritual side to my kind of witchcraft. No matter what I work with, witchcraft is always rewarding in the sense that my spiritual needs are met on a daily basis, if I only dare to will it and know that words are silver but silence is gold.
I do not share the experience itself, but only the feelings I get from it, because everybody needs some space and time alone. Spirituality is my space and my time alone.
When I meditate, I keep silent about it, because I often work with my shadows and contemplate about the big concepts, such as the meaning of life in all its diversity and personal improvements on the mental plane. It´s a healing process as well. And in order to heal, I put the past behind me, not in front by discussing it all the time with everybody.
Spirituality can also mean a walk in the forest with my little wise old dog. Or a piece of music with special meaning to me. It is also to view photos of those in my family who have passed and crossed the Rainbow Bridge.
What is your kind of spirituality, dear reader ?
Now I have shown you my beliefs. Let´s get a look into something more tangible tomorrow. We begin with some divination over the next couple of days.
The Northern Witch' s Blog 