Crystals Every Witch Should Have

Days of the Week and Witchcraft ✨

A good way to plan when to do your spells

Sunday - The Sun - Solar power, success, personal empowerment, material wealth, health, beginning anew. 

Monday - The Moon - Lunar power, purity, spiritual cleansing, astral work, divination, psychic ability.

Tuesday - Mars - Physical power, passion, sexuality, drive, ambition, achievement, masculine power, activate protective talismans, reverse hexes and psychic attacks.

Wednesday - Mercury - Knowledge, money, communication, the arts, change, acceptance, adaptability.

Thursday - Jupiter - Luck, growth, fulfillment, worldly power, justice, authority, health, and prosperity. (Mercury brings quick cash, but Jupiter governs the long term accumulation and preservation of wealth.)

Friday - Venus - Fertility, love, money, prosperity, healing, charm, goodness, blocking, glamour, self-care, feminine power.

Saturday - Saturn - Binding, banishing, stopping, ending, loss, renewing, transforming, protection.

— Just a thing from my grimoire

Lapiscat’s herbal 101   

I promised it, and finally, here it is. Feel free to submit any questions to my asks!! Since i know some people don’t agree with the use of “dark” magic… I include these intentions for the people who do, and no hate will be tolerated at all. you will be bLoCkEd girl. Not on my blog, not today.

 I’ve gathered this information over some time, and like on my songs&chants post, if you’d like to know the details on an exact source ask/message me! I’ll look through my books and let you know within 1-2 days. 

this is gonna be a long one its like 3 pages from my grimoire. DISCLAIMER; This is all information i have personally collected over time from studies and personal experience. it is by no means complete, there are many correspondences to each plant.

Contents:

Plants by Intent

Gardening by the Moon

Gardening by the Signs

A-Z Plant/Herb Correspondences 

Herb/Plants by Intent

Balance: basil, chamomile, comfrey, mullein, nettle, woodruff

Blessing: chamomile, dianthus, elder flowers, fennel, mint, oats, rosemary, rue, vervain

Cleansing/Purification: avens, betony, benzion, burdock, hyssop, clove, lavender, mistletoe, mugwort, rosemary, wormwood, yarrow

Consecration: acacia, anise, basil ,clover, dragons blood, hyssop, lavender, nettle, rue, sunflower, vervain

Courage: basil, borage, mullein, rosemary, thyme

Creativity: anise seed, basil, catnip, hawthorn, lavender, St Johnswort, vervain

Divination: basil, bay, cinquefoil, clover, damiana, dittany of crete, eyebright, honeysuckle, hops, lavender, marigold, moonwort, mugwort, mullein, orange peel, rowan, thyme, vervain, woodruff, woodworm, yarrow

Energy/Power/Strength- cinquefoil, dragon’s blood, elder flower, ginger root, fennel, St Johns Wort, vervain, woodruff 

Fortune/Justice: bay, bergamot, cinquefoil, lemon balm, orange peel, star anise

Happiness/Peace: fennel, lavender, rosemary, vervain, yarrow

Healing: cinquefoil, comfrey, coriander, hops, lavender, lemon balm, mullein, mustard, rosemary, rue, sage, tansy, thyme

Love: apple, avens, basil, cardamom, catnip, dill flowers, elm, marigold, marjoram, mustard seed, rose, red heather, vetivert, willow

Protection: betony, birch, burdock, cumin, dianthus, dill leaves, fennel, fern, marjoram, mint, mugwort, mustard, parsley, sage, white heather, wormwood, black pepper

Psychic Awareness: bay, cinnamon, elderflower, mugwort, mullein, basil, star anise

wisdom: elder, sage, willow, almond

Curses: cypress, dragon’s blood, wormwood, rowan wood, arrowroot.

Crone, Dark Moon, Death/Passages, Otherworld, Underworld: Absinthe, acacia, anise, apple, ash leaves/berries, dittany of crete, elder, myrrh, black currant, blackberries, pomegranate, valerian, woodruff, willow

Gardening by the Moon

New-1st Quarter: Plant flowers, Annuals, Above ground crops, crops with seeds outside

1st Quarter-Full: Plant above ground crops with seeds inside

Full-Last Quarter: Plant root crops, Bulbs, Perennials

Last Quarter-New: Don’t plant anything, Reap crops, Sing to plants

Gardening by the Signs

Moon in Aries: Gather/Store herbs/roots, Prune to reduce growth

Moon in Taurus: Plant root crops

Moon in Gemini: Harvest herbs/roots

Moon in Cancer: Plant leafy things, Plant above ground fruit 

Moon in Leo: kill weeds, cultivate/till

Moon in Virgo: plow, till, weed

Moon in Libra: Plant flowers and vines

Moon in Scorpio: Prune to encourage growth

Moon in Sagittarius: Prune to stop growth

Moon in Capricorn: prune to strengthen bulbs, roots, stalks growing

Moon in Aquarius: reap crops/herbs/roots, ground cultivation

Moon in Pisces: plant roots

Herbal A-Z

Acacia- Altar consecration, aids in psychic powers, meditation

Agrimony- protection, returns spells to sender, promotes sleep

Alder- Whistles entice the Elemental Air, Fairy Invocations

Allspice- prosperity, energy

Anise- purify/consecrate, protection, spirit aid in spells, divination, aids creativity

Apple- food for departing spirits, love, health, underworld

Ash- Wands, Protection, Leaves for prophetic dreams, prosperity

Avens- Purification, love, protection from negative energies 

Banana (Leaf/Flower)- Fertility, prosperity, Goddess and God as one divinity

Basil- Protection, courage,  wealth, love, protection, divination, creativity, repels negativity

Bay- psychic powers, purification, wishes, divination, justice, wisdom

Belladonna (Deadly Nightshade) (TOXIC)- Samhain, astral travel, psychics power, visions

Birch- wands, protection, purification, ward negativity, cleansing, the goddess 

Cardamom- love, romance

Carnation (Dianthus)- protection, strength, healing

Chamomile- Meditation, rest, calmness, purification, prosperity

Cinnamon- Spiritual, Psychic tool, protection, healing

Clove- Wealth, Purification, cleansing

Comfrey- Healing, Safe travel

Cornflower- Psychic Ability

Damiana- Divination, the goddess

Dill- Money, protection, love

Dittany of Crete- Divination, Psychic power

Dragons Blood- Consecration, Power, Life cycle, changes

Elder- wands, fairies, blessings (never burn the wood), magic power

Elm- Elves, Love

Eyebright- Aiding mental powers, divination

Fennel- Protection, the God, Deflect negative energies

Ferns- protection, wisdom, calling rain

Foxglove (TOXIC)- Grown to protect the house, source of digitalis

Frankincense- Blessing, Spirituality, Meditation, Power, Kepu 

Garlic- Protection, power

Ginger- love, success, money, power

Hawthorn- wands, fertility, protection, creativity/witchery skills

Heather- Red: Love White:protection Purple:spiritual development, beauty

Henbane (TOXIC): Underworld, Spirit contact

Hemlock (TOXIC): Power, Purification, protection, astral travel

Holly (TOXIC)- Balance, Dream magick, winter

Honeysuckle- Divination, dreams

Hyssop- Purification, Cleansing spiritual tools, Lifts spiritual vibrations

Jimsonweed (Datura) (TOXIC)- deflection, return-to-sender, ward negativity, protection

Iris- Wisdom

Ivy- Protection, friendship, healing, perseverance, friendship

Kelp- winds, protection, psychic

Lavender- Elves, purification, love, healing, dreams, psychic awareness

Lemon Balm- Success, health, love, justice, good luck

Lilac- Protecton, Underworld, otherworld, beauty, love 

Mandrake (TOXIC)- Calling on spirits, Spirit communication, offering, exorcism, protective watcher

Marigold- marriage, psychic powers, clairvoyant dreams

Marjoram- Love, Protection, Wealth

Mint- Protection, Prosperity

Mistletoe (TOXIC)- fertility, consecration, healing

Motherwort- Confidence, wards negative energies, imagination

Moonwort- Divination, love, prosperity

Mugwort- Divination, Consecration, Strength, Protection

Mullein- Protection, purification, divination

Mustard-good luck, health, protection, fertility

Myrrh- protection, ward negativity, purification/consecration

Nettle- Elves, fairies, consecration, restore balance, protection

Oak- Wands, purification, money, health, fertility

Oats- wealth, security, offering

Orange peel- Love, good fortune, divination

Parsley- purification, protection 

Pecan- Prosperity, Abundance

Pepper- Protection, ward negativity

Pine- Cleansing, money, courage

Rose- love, self love, beauty

Rosemary- blessing, protection, remembrance, love, health, ancestors

Rue (TOXIC)- blessing, consecration, protection, health, ward negative energy

Sage- protection, purification, health, wisdom

St Johns Wort- Good health, willpower, enhance creativity, banish negativity

Solomons Seal (Dropberry, Sealroot)- Elemental offering, Protection

Star anise- Psychic power, Protection

Sunflower- Consecration, Bright aspects, Sun

Tansy- Health, happiness 

Thyme- courage, healing, psychic poor, swift action

Vervain- Offering love, purification, riches, creativity, ward psychic attack, visions

Willow- Wands, divination, love, protection, the Goddess

Wormwood (Absinthe) (TOXIC)- evocation, divination, scrying, protection

Yarrow- Divination, Love, Happy Marriage, Defense, protection

xxx, will be adding to this overtime. feel free to submit any questions/post requests here

CIRCLE CASTING 101

A magickal circle is an energetic construct that you build or envision around yourself before working magick, doing a ritual, some like to cast a circle before meditating or reading tarots. For a solitary practitioner the circle is typically 5-6 ft in diameter, but the size expands based on the size of the group. It can be defined physically, energetically, or both.

Circles provide protection and serves as a container for your personal energy as well as the energy you conjure.

Please remember that this is just what i personally like to do when casting a circle, but that there are many methods.

Preparation for circle casting

1. Determine how much space you will need.

2. Cleanse your area. Vacuum, sweep, throw away any trash in the area.

3.Make sure you have everything you need for your ritual! Theres nothing more frustrating than having your circle casted and realizing you’ve forgotten an herb or any supplies you need for the work you’re about to do.

4. Purify your area. Light purifying incense, sage, sprinkle salt and holy 💧. Most importantly, Visualize the negative energy dispersing. If you don’t focus & visualize, your physical actions will have little effect. Visualization is hands down one of the most important things in any and all magickal workings!

5. Now its time to cast your circle!

Visualize protective energy coming from within you and direct it towards your casting arm. Focus it through a casting tool (Athame, wand, or ✋)  and visualize a beam of energy coming from it and settling on the ground. Trace your circle with this energy, 3 times in a clockwise direction. Once for protection, once for focus, and once for power.

Call the 4 quarters

Face North and say “I call to the North, to the element of Earth. Grant me (us if not practicing alone) your endurance, your strength.”                                  Sprinkle salt onto your altar or crumble soil into a bowl on your altar.

Face East and say “I call to the East, to the element of Air. Grant me your creativity and your intuition.”                                                                             Light incense, wave a fan,or drop feathers onto your altar.

Face south and say “I call to the South, to the element of Fire. Grant me your passion and your energy.”                                                                                 Light candles.

Face west and say “I call to the West, to the element of Water. Grant me your empathy and your emotion.”                                                                              Pour blessed/storm/moon/natural water into a bowl or into your chalice.

Now would be the time to call on any deities you’d wish to work with. You can call any Goddess or Angel by personalizing this to them. I typically do not personally work with deities, but if you were to want to, Call to them similar to how the Elements are called. Ex. “I call to Gaia, Mother Goddess, Spirit of Earth.” and then place an offering symbolizing them, so for Gaia you might place  grain on your altar as an offering.

If not solitary, now would be the time to invite others to the circle. The group leader typically invites others in by a series of phrases, although i know every coven has their own method fine tuned for themselves, This is just the method i’ve seen used and am familiar with.                                                                    Group leader:”Children of the Goddess, I now invite you to enter our circle.” Each member will be asked “How do you enter this circle?” The response should be “In perfect love and perfect trust.”

Now its time to raise energy. This is the most important part of this process. It is so important because when you open your circle at the end of spellwork, You release all of your energy you have filled with intent out into the universe to go manifest whatever it may be you have called to. You want as much energy as possible to be released carrying your intent!

Here are a few ways! There is no wrong way to do this part, and there are SO MANY ways. You can fine tune this all to you. Remember that this is your ritual, and you want your energy fully behind everything you are doing. This is all customizable, most of all the energy raising.

-Witches Rune Chant

“Darksome night and shining Moon,

East, then South, then West, then North,

Hearken to the witches’ rune;

Here i come to call thee forth.

Earth and Water, Air and Fire.

Wand and pentacle and sword,

Work ye unto my desire,

Hearken ye into my word.

Cords and censer, scourge and knife,

Power of the witches blade waken all ye unto life,

Come ye as the charm is made.

Queen of Heaven, Queen of Hell, Lend your power unto my spell,

and work my will by magic rite.

By all the power of Land and Sea, By all the might of Moon and Sun,

As I do will, So mote it be;

Chant the spell, and be it done.

Eko, Eko Azarak

Eko, Eko Zamilak

Eko, Eko Karnayna

Eko, Eko Aradia”

-Meditating to raise energy. Visualize energy building and building by visualizing warm, yellow light fill your body until its expanding out of your body and filling the dome above your circle. visualize it filling with energy until you are content.

-Music or Drumming, Dancing and Chanting.

Once you reach your desired energy level, it is time to get into whatever spellwork or ritual you desire to preform!

After your spellwork, its time for Cakes and Ale. I like to make little spirit cakes and have some red wine after a ritual. Expelling all of that energy from your body is draining, and you should take your time to enjoy this part of the ritual. Set a cake and some wine aside for the entities who have lent you their energy as thanks. Cakes can be anything, from saltine crackers to cupcakes. Ale can be water. Anything that works for you is ok. For my cakes, i bake a shortbread and mix whatever ingredients i want into the dough. This way, I can craft them with the intent for whatever ritual i may be doing.

ONCE YOU FINISH YOUR WORK SAY GOODBYE TO THE ELEMENTS AND THANK THEM FOR THE POWER THEY BROUGHT. ALWAYS SAY GOODBYE AND THANK ANY DEITIES CALLED ON. 

HERE IS HOW I DO IT:

-Farewell to Goddess. ex. “I thank you, Gaia, for gracing me with your glory. Farewell and Merry met.”

-Farewell to Quarters (Counterclockwise). 

“My thanks to the element of Water, Your compassion was a gift. Farewell & Blessed be.” Now cover your dish of water or pour it out, Physically say goodbye as well.

“My thanks to the element of Fire, Your fierceness was a gift. Farewell & Blessed be.” Douse your candle. 

“My thanks to the element of Air, Your wisdom was a gift. Farewell & Blessed be.” Douse incense/flip fan/turn over feather.

“My thanks to the element of Earth, Your protection was a gift. Farewell & Blessed be.” Cover earth with a cloth, or return it to ground.

I like to walk the circle the opposite way of its casting three times, and voila!

Keep in mind that this is just my method! There are many methods and this is just one of them.

I hope this is helpful to you! 

-Love and light, @lapiscat

Pages from my Grimoire

Knot magic and witches ladder

↟𝐋𝐀𝐏𝐈𝐒 𝐋𝐀𝐙𝐔𝐋𝐈

It has a powerful connection with the third eye, and has always been known as a stone of royalty and spirituality. In ancient Egypt, Lapis Lazuli was ground into a powder and used as medicine. Found mainly in Chile and Russia. Enhances ability to connect with the spirit element, find inner peace, perfect for manifestation and purification.

Chakras: third eye, throat

Zodiacs: libra, sagittarius, aquarius, pisces

Planets: Mercury, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune

Elements: Water, Air

Sacred numbers: 3

The Wiccans Glossary

WITCH TIPS: GOOD BOOKS

I linked all of these books from Amazon so you could all see the covers, authors, and prices!! As i’m looking up books i’ve bought in shops, i’m shocked at how overpriced they were :(

The Green Witch

A Witches’ Bible: The Complete Witches’ Handbook

A History of Witchcraft

Everyday Witchcraft

Grimoire for the Green Witch

The Witch’s Book of Shadows

Buckland’s Complete Book of Witchcraft

Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs

Quantum Sorcery Basics

Earth, Air, Fire & Water

Earth Power

Magical Herbalism: The Secret Craft of the Wise

The Crystal Bible

Crystal Grids Power

Moon Magic

Moonology

Raise Your Vibration

Astrology: A Guide to Understanding your birth chart

Woman Most Wild (submitted by anon)

Mrs. B’s guide to Household Witchery  (submitted by anon)

i’ll continue to edit this post as i come across new books!

feel free to pop in my asks with your favorite witchy books here

- @lapiscat 

I was wondering about your thoughts on familiars? 🐍🦍🐆🐺🦉🐈🦚🦔🐇😁

*Cracks knuckles…prepares for the shit storm* brace yourselves…loooong fucking post.

95% of people I’ve seen talk about familiars, post pictures of their familiars and talk about how their *insert animal companion* helps them with their spell work…aren’t familiars. They are animal companions, aka pets. They also insist that because they are a witch with and animal who sits on their tarot cards, that it’s automatically a familiar.

Familiars can come in different forms (not talking about cat vs dog vs snake) but it must be reminded that familiar is shortened of “spirit familiar”. It’s not that pets can’t be familiars, it’s that the people who talk about their pets as familiars take inspiration from pop culture of what a familiar is. It’s not just an animal that follows the witch around. A familiar actively assists with the witch’s work. 

Familiars that come in the shape of animals have been around for ages, and across cultures, but the things that ties them together is they appear of their own volition or in specific ways. They aren’t purchased from a pet store, they aren’t adopted from the shelter…is it possible? Sure I guess? Pet stores weren’t really around when most of the accounts of familiar came from. Oof. I need to organize my thoughts a bit.

Familiars Spirits are traditionally intangible/supernatural entities that may or may not choose to appear in physical form whether animal, entity’s “True Form”, or even under disguise, whether as something else or even as another person. Spirit familiars may also inhabit inanimate objects such as statues, spirit vessels (fetiche) such as roots, clay or earthen figures, empty boxes etc.

Familiars as Gifts

In some accounts, a familiar is given to a witch or cunning folk by another person. 

In these cases it’s usually given by a teacher or mentor, or a family member to assist the practitioner in their path. Traditionally it’s someone with a hand in the recipients magical practice.

The spirit passed down may be the witch (or cunningfolk, but for the remainder of this post, I will refer to them interchangeably) indefinitely. The implication there is that the familiar not only is connected to the witch, but to their specific practice and thus can be viewed as a guardian of the path with the assumption that eventually, the witch will pass the familiar onto the next generation.

It may also be a personal familiar that is passed down. Personal as in this is the first time the familiar is passed on, and could become the type mentioned above (guardian style of either the path or family line) or it may be a temporary contract. The familiar may be with the witch to protect it, and assist in place of the original practitioner and may leave/disappear/die when they are able to conjure their own and enter into a pact with a new familiar (or create a pact with the old familiar).

In the case of being passed on, the relationship between witch and familiar, in lieu of a teacher, may impart certain secrets of the path. IT may also not even give the option to continue the relationship if the previous witch only extended the contract to get the new practitioner to a certain point or through hardship. 

It should also be pointed out that specifically in european traditions and some north american lore, that the spirit familiar is given to the witch or magical practitioner by yet another spirit or entity who is more powerful. This could be a spirit mentor, Faery, or as a pact with “The Man in Black” Ol Scratch, or some iteration that has been interpreted as the devil or satan. In these cases, it is both a symbol of the relationship, a representative of the pact, a gift, and a tool.

 Familiars as Animals

As mentioned and popularized both in folklore and in pop culture, familiar spirits may appear in the form of animals.

In the overly popular example of the Salem Witch trials, we see through trial records the purported importance of a “Witch’s Mark”. The mark is some bodily anomaly that supposedly was where the witch could suckle their familiar. It could be a mole, a birthmark, skintag, and was instrumental in the conviction of the accused.

Certain animals are more likely to be the form of a familiar, and that also depends on the geography of the witch as well as the culture. Example, in the US, black cats are inherently associated with witches, but in Scottland, Britain and other countries, you’re may be more likely to find a connection through hares, toads, and ravens more commonly than the black cat.

One reason that they appear as more common animals is to maintain the secrecy that envelopes the witch.

In pop culture, it’s always obvious when a familiar is a familiar because the animal is represented in stark contrast between the other animals. You will notice if a black crow flies to the same person’s house day in and day out when there are no other crows around. You would also notice if you were in the dessert, and a toad is always standing guard outside a home. The animal forms match the surroundings so it would be conceivable for the witch to deny the familiar as what it is “I found this toad in the scullery, it’s so pesky living near that damnable pond. Please wait a moment while I put this outside.”

There is also a connection and interpretation of familiars as being body doubles, or as having room for 2 spirits. Many stories about the folkloric witch hold that the animal appears throughout the town, or visits neighbors etc and is in fact the witch. Some versions hold that the familiar takes the form of the specific animal because that’s the form the witch can assume (conversely, the familiar teaches the witch to transform into a copy of it). This again maintains the witch’s anonymity because if you see the same animal around for a long time, it’s less likely to raise suspicion. It has also been alluded to that the witch enters the body of the familiar or projects their conscious into the familiar to see what need be seen and do what need be done remotely.

Animal familiar spirits in other accounts assume that shape to better serve the witch whether as lookout, intelligence gatherer or collector of needed ingredients.

Familiars also can assume the shape of multiple animals at once, but usually will be the same one, and smaller such as a cloud of flies, grouping of spiders, several small frogs, and even flocks of birds such as starlings, magpies and sparrows. Again, this depends on both the area and the witch.

Familiar Pets

This is one exception that can easily fall into the category of mundane pets and animals being considered familiars (Please note I said this is the easy exception. There may be others, but those are individual cases.)

Some animals are kept as divinatory familiars. This falls under the branch of Zoomancy - divination done through interpretation of movements actions and reaction of animals.

Ailuromancy, coming from the greek ailouros meaning “cat” is divination through…cats. How this is done varies depending on the culture and time, but it’s done by interpreting the movements, and actions of cats. Noticing how cats jump, where they land, what they do with their tales, whiskers, how they curl up, wash their faces, intonations of their meows. 

Alectromancy is the process of using hens and or roosters for divination. Sometimes its observing their movements naturally, other times it’s done by placing the chicken in a circle with different symbols and placing feed on all the symbols, interpreting the actions and choices of the chicken as the answer to the question.

Arachnomancy is the process of divining knowledge past present and future through spiders. It’s been done in multiple cultures from the Inca who kept spiders to answer questions by placing them in bowls and reading how they moved the leaves around. In China, women would collect spiders at fortuitous times in incense boxes and determine events based on if they made webs or didn’t over night. In other cultures, the keeping of spiders was done to read their webs and habits. In other parts of the world, different type of leaves, or cards were moved by kept spiders to interpret omens and fortune.

The reason that these are considered familiars is because they are used directly in the witch’s work. They are kept and fed and cared for, but they have a separate purpose from just existing, and that is as a tool.

I have nothing against pets, I’ve got three myself. I love them, I care for them, they comfort me when I am sick, or tired, or stressed, but they are mundane animals. They were adopted, they were raised, and they do dog things. I joke when I refer to my black dog Arlo as a familiar because he brings me avocados. I don’t use avocados that often in my craft and there’s a tree in my backyard so it’s nothing spiritually enriching, just adorable.

Is it possible that your pet is a familiar? Yes. But most likely it’s just a treasured animal, and familiar in this definition: One who is often seen, and well known; synonym: Companion. Alt.: in close friendship; intimate. Synonyms: Casual, friendly, comfortable, informal.

The term “familiar”, the noun in regards to witches is a different definition: a spirit often embodied in an animal and held to attend and serve or guard a person.

There is precedent to referring to pets as familiars when it comes to having animals that are integral to your craft.

While it may not do anything inherently magical, if used for magic then it is sometimes referred to as a familiar.

Using an animal/pet for a working can also be referred to as using a familiar. Some people use their pets as a conduit or even as a spell holder to deliver the spell to someone else.

Paul Huson refers to these types of animals/familiars/magistelli as a power object

Yes, I mean you can put a hex on someone through your dog. Yes I also mean you can deliver a hex to someone by them petting your dog. or a blessing…that too

Additional note…If you’ve pissed off another witch and go to their home ask if they’ve read my blog before petting their dog. They may be using it to hex you…or bless you.

What does this mean?

If your pet doesn’t attend and serve you in your magical workings, or used in your magical workings on purpose it’s not a traditional witch’s spirit familiar.

If your pet gives you attention and happiness it is familiar to you.

A witch doesn’t need to have a familiar to be a witch. Yes, the 1648 law in Massachusetts defined a witch as one who “hath or consulteth with a familiar spirit.” But even that denotation of what makes a witch was repealed in 1682, ten years before the Salem witch trials. Even the puritans recognized that not all witches have familiars, and sometimes an animal is just an animal.

Familiar Spirits additionally

Some familiar spirits may appear and be subservient or loyal immediately. No pact or contract needs to be done, it’s more just…there.

Familiar spirits may be other spirits who enter into a pact with the witch. Either appearing spontaneously, or through a summons and communication.

This pact may be for a week, a month, several years, or a lifetime…even longer (see above, Familiars as gifts).

Familiars may not always be present. Some may have a resting place the witch must go to, some reside in a different realm, plane, dimension or whatever and need to be called forth to do work. Some may be around the witch at all times, but there is still the function of the familiar.

Familiars do what witches cannot. If that’s going out, gathering items, retrieving lost things, there is an air of purpose that familiars fulfill in assisting the witch in a real way.

This real way is often either physical or spiritual, and with the exception of popculture, most times it is not in an emotional sense like pets fulfill.

Familiars are spirits, and their forms may change, but they are spirits none the less. 

Plant familiars are a thing. Most famous is the Alraune/Alrune/Alruna made from a mandrake. Other plant familiars are grouped under the title of Magistellius Flora.

Magistelli is one title for familiars, and some historians denote that the term “familiar” was passed on from the church to further pass judgement on witches for becoming familiar with the devil (through demonic servants).

As mentioned previously, spirit familiars may inhabit objects and go forth from there. The physical tether is usually cared for and attended to by the witch.

Even though the vessel isn’t living, it is fed and tended to usually as part of the pact made with the spirit.

Familiars in Pop Culture That are More Accurate than Others…

The VVitch (Movie)- the hare that appear numerous times throughout the film is a familiar. It’s not made clear if it is there as a watcher for the witch either holding the witch’s conscious, or as the witch herself. Another possibility is that the hare is a harbinger, delivering an enchantment on behalf of the witch to go unnoticed (The musket backfiring while the hare is watching). Another iteration or possibility is that the familiar is taking on the stance of protector or guard. When deep in the woods the hare is seen, and as the location of where the witch(es) live in the woods, it could be implied that it stands guard to repel interlopers, or notify the witch(es) of the presence of the puritans. The hare also, while not as widely associated with witches in the United States currently, must be recognized as still being very intensely connected to witches during the time period. The puritans immigrated to the colonies from England, and it can be inferred that the witch(es) who are at work in the woods also came from England or another European country.

The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (TV) - Sabrina actively seeks a familiar and goes into the woods asking for a (hob)goblin to attend her as a partner. Though it’s also acknowledged that familiars can be subservient and chosen that way. Numerous times, the cat (Salem) acts as a protector for Sabrina. As mentioned above, familiars are sometimes called forth to guide and protect witches through trying times, or to be near the witch to assist with workings when other witches cannot. You also see the spirit form of the goblin before it chooses what shape to inhabit. It’s usual for the true nature of the familiar to only be visible by the witch it has a contract with, but accounts (and experience) of others being able to see flits of the spirit if not discernable details is exhibited by Salem only showing his true form to Sabrina when they enter into the pact.

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell (TV) - Being a prime example of the British and Scottish interpretations of Spirit familiars being Fae, Faery, or the Good Neighbors, the story line includes a Faery referred to as “The Gentleman” (Further example of the relationship between fae and witches relating to the importance of names) who wishes to be the assistant, teacher, mentor of Mr. Norrell. A “common” occurence in scottish witch lore is that either the faery that the witch/cunning folk learns from in some cases is a familiar, but in other accounts bestows a familiar (lesser faery, animal spirit etc) unto the practitioner. This also is a fair representation both of the care needed when working with the fae, but also with working with spirits in general as they have autonomy, and a familiar gained through a pact, needs to be respected.

Harry Potter (Movie And Book Series) - While there are plenty of animals, fantastic beasts and witches throughout the story lines, there are only 2 (kinda 3) animals that fulfill the traditional sense of the word “Familiar”. Mrs. Norris the cat and Argus Filch have a relationship that is a parody of who people would assume is a witch (the irony being that he has no magical powers, but lives among those who do). A curmudgeonly man with a bad attitude, snarl and distaste for interacting with the general populous and a craving for torturing children with a cat (reads like a stereotypical witch). Mrs. Norris is described as having an uncanny ability to find rule breakers and an unexplainable connection to her owner. Being able to notify him when there’s rukebreaking afoot with a yowl and also being able to recognize and see through enchantments (Harry’s cloak). Nagini also fits the bill as being an animal with whom only the witch/wizard can communicate who also is able to act independently of them. Also being sent out both as scout, guard and having a connection the owner can use to see through their eyes/inhabit (Voldemort in Nagini/ the department of mysteries. Also the shapeshifting into Bathilda Bagshot and notifying her owner of Harry’s prescience.) **BEFORE YALL TRY AND GO OFF. I realize that as of the newest film, nagini can’t be considered a familiar as she’s a cursed witch blah blah blah. Before it came out, the books representation of Nagini is textbook Familiar.** Speaking of Fantastic Beasts, the Matagat are described as familiar spirits and it’s a little nod to folklore. They appear for like 3 minutes.

Bell, Book, and Candle (movie)- this film is full of tropes. It lays on some pretty thick liberties loosely based on lore surrounding traditional witches mixing it with fairy tale lore about them, namely witches being unable to love etc. But, the cat familiar Pyewacket is an accurate representation of how a familiar can act and be used. Touching on the subject of working magic through the familiar who is more cat with magic, than imp/goblin/demon/fairy/brownie in animal form, the main character uses Pyewacket as both a conduit for her spells as well as sending it forth for her bidding. It also represents the familiars ability to have autonomy and choose whether or not to listen if the pact is broken (this is shown by Pyewacket’s rejection to the main character after she rejects her powers).

Salem(TV) - Another example of familiars, with the additional Witch’s Mark lore incorporated.

Pan’s Labyrinth (Movie) - The mandrake is a textbook magistellus flora root familiar alrune piece of delicious representation.

There are others too but this post is long enough.

So….there are some of my thoughts. Also keep in mind that this is focusing on familiars in North America and European lore. There’s additional context to be had and differences when including South America, Asia, Africa and Australia. Also keep in mind, this is my view and opinions, if you call your parakeet a familiar, I don’t really care. That’s your choice and your practice and as the world adjusts so do practices, but as a traditional witch and folkloric witch myself……I could go on and on and had to stop myself from talking about Greek Genius spirits, Animism, accounts and trial records of witches and familiars, the Allegory of the Cave and more.

TLDR: Familiars are real, I work with them and they are not my pet dogs. If the only reason you call a pet a familiar is because it’s in the room while you light incense and you’re a witch…it’s probably not a traditional familiar. You can call it that sure, but it’s a different definition than is widely accepted and assumed when you say Witch’s familiar. If you do include your pet for workings then that falls in line with some of the iterations of the classical familiar.

🦇Cheers, Barberwitch

💎Crystals 101💎

One of my favorite things to talk about (and shop for) is crystals. I know a lot of people are skeptical about them. I hear “ ThEy ArE jUsT rOcKs” a lot😆 Well they are so much more than that! I wanted to touch on some of the science on how they work in regards to healing and their metaphysical use.

So everything, living and non living, is made up of matter. Matter is 99.99% empty space! What makes up this empty space? ENERGY! This means that everything has an energetic frequency that is given off. 

As living beings our frequency and vibration is always up and down due to many factors. The higher your vibration is, the happier and healthier you are. I don't want to get into that too much now though as that will be another post of its own. Now, because crystals are nonliving and made up of set, geometric patterns of molecules, they vibrate at a constant level, unlike us.The more stable a crystal's energy is, the more powerful the vibration is that it gives off.

Basic chakra knowledge is a helpful place to start if you're new to crystals. Some basic ones I would recommend are:

-Quartz - it's considered the universal crystal, you can use it for anything! It can be used as an amplifier when paired with other gems

-Rose quartz - great for self-love and attracting love to you, if you're feeling down this is a good one to carry with you

-Amethyst - great for use when meditating, helps increase your consciousness and has a very high vibration

-Black tourmaline - repels negativity, great for empaths, helps keep you grounded

To get the best use out of a crystal, focus your intent of what you want the gem to do for you. Intent is an extremely powerful thing and when it is paired with a crystal it will strengthen your thoughts and positive energy. They are super easy to use. If you need help picking one out for a specific use or want to share your favorites, feel free to comment below!  

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