Witch Tip

Gemstone witchcraft

Moon Phases

New Moon- New Moon magick begins on the day of the new moon to three-and-a-half days after. Use the energy of the new moon for new ventures and new beginnings. Also use the new moon for love spells, job hunting, and healing.

Waxing Moon- The waxing moon begins seven to fourteen days after the new moon. Use the waxing moon for constructive magick, such as love spells, magick for wealth and success, courage, friendship, luck or good health.

Full Moon- A powerful energy for rituals of prophecy, divination and protection. Any spell work that requires  extra energy, such as finding a new job or healing serious conditions, is best begun during the full moon. Also for love, gaining sacred knowledge, legal matters, attracting money and prophetic dreams.

Waning Moon- Begin waning moon magick three-and-a-half to ten-and-a-half days after the full moon. The waning moon is used for banishing negativity, for curing addictions, and illness.

Dark Moon- The energy of the dark moon is useful for working magick against attackers, and for understanding your own angers and passions. Also for rituals designed to bring justice to bear in very negative situations.

GUIDE TO CHARM BAGS!

A charm bag is simply a magick spell inside a bag. They are spells in a bag and the most popular way of carrying power  items with you. To make a charm bag, simply fill with one or more magickally charged items. Magickally charged items may include herbs, stones, charms, drops of essential or magick oils, amulets, and crystals.

Charm bags may be as simple as a square of fabric tied together or they may be beautifully embroidered hand made works of art. They may be made of silk, leather, metal,or any fabric.  The choice is yours, but keep in mind that the container is part of the spell.

Bag Colours Gold: Wealth, protection, the God

Silver: Prosperity, the Moon, psychism, the Goddess

Yellow: Healing, finding employment

Orange: Communication, messages, travel

Green: Prosperity, abundance, friendship, growth, nature

Blue: Peace, calm, wisdom. benevolence,

Purple: Wisdom, mysteries, wealth, grandeur, justice

Red: Success, strength, romance, protection

Pink: Love, friendship, healing

Brown: Houses, home, justice, Earth, permanence

Black: Absorbs and dissolves baneful energy Bags with drawstring closures are useful because you can open and close them, adding materials as they are found or needed. A closed bag is called a “hand”.  

Here are a few examples of stones that you could place in your bag:

Aluminum: Travel, communication

Amethyst: Wisdom and psychic powers

Aventurine: Healing and prosperity.

Clear quartz: Good for any purpose

Copper: Love and healing

Gold: Prosperity and protection

Iron: Protection and strength

Moonstone: Emotions, peace and love

Rose quartz: Love and harmony

Silver: Protection, Lunar power, love, prosperity

Tiger’s eye : Wealth and protection

Tin: Wealth and honour

Here are a few examples of charms that you could place in your bag;

Acorn:  Luck, prosperity,protection from lightning, and sexual potency.

Broom: Brushes away negative influences, sweeps in luck, protection, wealth and good into the home.

Clover: Life, luck and abundance.

Hammer: Luck and a means of driving out evil.

Horn: Repel the"evil eye,“  a symbol of nature and fertility, sexuality.

Horseshoe: Luck.

Key: Power,  Luck, especially if it is found and the finder does not know which lock it opens. A symbol of access to hidden things

Lightning-struck wood: Protection against all harm.

Pine cone: Luck, favourable influences,protection from harm, and sexual power, repels baneful influences.

Religious symbol: Symbols of various religions are held to be protective.

Salt: Purification, repels evil, and attracts wealth.

Silver: Protection, wealth, and the blessing of all Goddesses.

Toadstone: Heal illnesses and to repel evil. Toadstone is a fossilized shark’s tooth.

Circle Casting

Magical Spells & Exercises Masterpost

Magic circles have two basic purposes: they are like fences, and they are like portals.

Magic circles function like fences because they raise a barrier to prevent certain things from coming in to your area. Works of magic can attract all manner of interested and parasitic spirits, as well as attracting unwanted energies. A circle can keep all of these things away while the magic is being worked. This not only keeps the magic “clean”, but it functions as a layer of protection.

Circles can also keep energy in, which is very useful. You can imagine a magic circle as being like a bowl which holds energy and prevents any from spilling away. Once you purposefully direct the energy, the rest can be grounded, and the circle can be removed.

Circles function as portals because they create a liminal space partway out of our physical world, and partway in to the astral world. This is what differentiates magic circles between other forms of barriers like shields and wards. If you have ever cast and worked inside of a circle, you may have experienced that very unusual “magical state” that can occur within. This liminal space is useful because here we can have more direct contact with the energies and forces we seek to manipulate. It can help us flip that switch from “everyday” to “magical”.

Another important function of circles is that they end, and removing ourselves from that liminal space is a really useful way to start getting back to “normal” after a spell is cast.

The casting of a magic circle can be extremely basic, and no more than a simple exercise, or it can be very complex and a full ritual in itself. If you like circle casting, try learning several techniques and using whichever one suits your best.

If you want to practice circle-casting, try casting a circle before engaging in another practice exercise like channeling or charging.

Often, spirits or entities are called to watch over the circle and ensure it remains protected.

Circles can be small, fitting on your desk or a piece of paper. Often, circles are made large enough to fit yourself, all your tools, and any other practitioners within it. Remember that circles are magical spaces, so the walls of the circle can pass through furniture, walls, floors, and ceilings, and remain unbroken.

Circles are generally meant to be temporary, so ensure that after your magical work is done, the circle is removed.

Hey space witches

do you have a telescope? Ever notice how when you point it at the moon, a beam of light shoots out the eyepiece? Congrats you just found a super concentrated way to charge shit with the moon.

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How to Harvest your Magical Herbs

Most plants used for cooking can be harvested at any time of day but if a herb is being harvested for medicinal use there are certain times of the day and certain weather conditions that are best for capturing the strength of the most active ingredients.  Also if herbs are being used for magikal works there are times that the plants energy is at its optimum and therefore aids the work being undertaken. The perfect conditions for gathering leaves flowers and fruit for drying and storing is a very dry day probably around mid to late morning as any moisture on the surface from rain, mist or dew can cause the plant material to degrade quickly and can induce fungal and bacterial growth.  Harvesting should also be avoided when the sun is high and hot as the essential elements of the active ingredients can be evaporated or lose strength.

Having said all this there are times that you may stumble on a particular plant that has been eluding you and you are totally unprepared for collecting it in the perfect weather conditions, moon phases or with the correct tools and in these situations it comes down to the two choices

come back when the conditions are right which I have done and then been unable to find the plant again

pick it anyway and hope that the active ingredients are not too diminished (I have been in this situation and have had good results anyway)

It is best not to harvest any herbs that have been growing close to the road as the leaves take in the carbon monoxide and poisonous fumes given out by the traffic and take it down into the plant to the root where it becomes stored.  Do not pick wild herbs and plants from verges or throughfares as this contravenes several laws and also the fact that most areas like these are open to our friendly dog and cat population.

If harvesting wild plants leave a large amount of flowers, seed and root as the plant population of that area will very quickly die out if you go in mob-handed and wrench up the only two plants for miles around.  Make sure you know what you’re picking this is very important when harvesting in the wild there are many pocket spotter books available that are invaluable when identifying plants, I try to carry one with photographs rather than drawings as sometimes they can be a little misleading.

When to harvest

Most herbs are harvested in the summer either before or during flowering.  Seeds and most types of bark are collected in early autumn and roots in early autumn and spring.  The leaves of evergreens are collected throughout the year but don’t collect large amounts before or during a heavy front as this will leave the plant vulnerable.

Early Spring: Collect Dandelion roots

Late Spring: Arial parts during flowering; Lungwort, Sweet Violet, Flowers: coltsfoot, cowslip, elder

Early to Mid-Summer: Arial parts/leaves before flowering; Agrimony, Angellica, Catmint, Cleavers, Dandelion, Dill, Fennel, Feverfew, Garlic, Hysop, Ladys Mantle, Lemonbalm, Motherwort, Parsley, Peppermint, Plantain, Sage, Stinging Nettles, White horehound, Yellow Dock.  Bark while flowering: Rose.  Flowers; Borage, Camomile, Honeeysuckle, Linden, Pot Marigold, St Johns Wort

Mid to Late Summer: Arial parts whilst flowering; Californian Poppy, Heartsease, Marjoram, Marshmallow, Meadowsweet, Mugwort, Shepherds Purse, Skullcap Thyme, Vervain, Wild Lettuce, Wood Bettony, Wormwood, Yarrow.  Flowers: Hops, Lavender, Mullain.     Leaves After Flowering: Borage, Colsfoot, Cowslip, Fenugreek, Lungwort, Sweet Violet.

Autumn: Roots/ bulbs when leaves have wilted: Angellica, Black Cohosh, Burdock, Comfrey, Cowslip, Elecanpane, Garlic, Goldenseal, Lovage, marshmallow, Soapwort, Valerian.  Seeds/ fruit: Celery, Elder, Howthrorn, Dill, Fennel, Lovage

N.B. When getting plants from the wild, respect the area and plant you are harvesting, never strip a plant bare, never pull it out by the roots to get a few leaves and always check if there are other plants of the same species around. Also be very sure that the plant you are about to pick is what you think it is, Mother Nature can be very tricky sometimes, and 2 seemingly identical plants can have very different effects when ingested. 

It is best to ask permission of the plant before taking it’s bounty, and remember, respect, respect, respect !

Transporting your herbs must be done carefully to retain their valuable powers. It’s best to take an open-topped basket or cotton bag with you and some layers of tissue so that herbs can be transported dry and safe back to home, it is pointless seeking out a special plant, than sticking it into a carrier bag in your pocket so it sweats, bruises and it unidentifiable mush by the time you get home.