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.
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.
The Northern Witch' s Blog 