Witchy, occult, and magical folks who do a lot of research: what is your favorite or best research tip?
Bonus: How did you come about learning this tip?
I’m in love 🥺🌸
i am delighted to inform you of the existence of the Rosefinch, which is a real actual bird that exists!
Absolutely in LOVE with this color, Heart Throb đź’—
Sorry about the dust!
Book: Night Drives on amazon đź’–
In response to this ask I got earlier today, I decided to do a quick deep-dive into my research materials about divining with playing cards vs tarot cards. Here's the research I found in Old Tradition Crafte, translated by Robin Artissan (2005):
"Meanings may be assigned to a pack of playing cards, to be spread out and read as omens so a situation may be given clarity and direction as well as understanding." This style of reading is claimed to have been used by witches in the 18th-late 19th century, according to Old Tradition Crafte translated by Robin Artissan (2005). According to Artissan, "It has been taken from those who practice the North Berwick Style of Crafte, but is not old enough to be the original system. The cards used in this system are ordinary playing cards. There is no mention of Tarot cards in this system."
King - good-natured man, honest and inventive Queen - affectionate and loving woman Knave - loyal and trusting friend 10 - victory, gain, success, reward 9 - enterprise and money, good position 8 - physical pleasures (sex), affection, lust for life 7 - friendship, commerce, enterprise, successful business 6 - courtship, a generous person 5 - marriage, a gift, discovery 4 - trouble and jealousy, a friend who doubts you 3 - warning, sorrow, poverty and failure 2 - successful ideas that need plans and strategy Ace - home, comfort, celebration, but may turn to quarreling
King - a man who has ambitions without ethics Queen - a woman who intrigues but is a false friend Knave - a man of treacherous reputation; he may be a man of law or authority 10 - warning, grief, strife, trouble 9 - sickness and misfortune, ruin, failure, death 8 - danger, loss, obstacle 7 - bad luck, loss of friendship, money loss or problems 6 - unwanted problems, money gain if it's worked for 5 - trouble resulting from hasty action or bad council 4 - illness or an accident 3 - journey or travel 2 - loss Ace - back luck/omens, misfortune, slander
King - father, protector or parent Queen - a woman of a kind and generous nature; flirtatious girl or woman Knave - a sly and deceiving man, letters or news, discovery 10 - business success and enterprise, gain 9 - successful endeavors, wisdom and knowledge to reach goals 8 - late marriage, good luck 7 - scandal and unjust slander; for a business enterprise this card means more cucess 6 - early marriage or decisions 5 - unexpected news 4 - betrayal, or an enemy uncovered 3 - fighting or quarreling 2 - friends warn of a snare, take their advice Ace - good luck, marriage proposal, good news
King - a reliable man, but gets too free with advice and promises Queen - an intelligent and easy-to-trust woman Knave - a good friend 10 - legacy, children, good family 9 - money, gain and position 8 - caution, retribution 7 - caution against the wiles of the opposite sex, false hope 6 - success in enterprise, business or industry 5 - a comfortable marriage 4 - change 3 - three days, weeks, months or years 2 - a disappointment or let-down Ace - good news, success
I'm neurodivergent and i experience really intense burnout. I get to a point where I struggle to even get out of bed, take my meds, remember to drink water, let alone practice. But, when I want to practice i have a list of things i can usually do. Everyone's experiences with burn out/low energy are different so this list may not apply to you, and that's okay. Take what resonates, leave what doesn't and i hope you enjoy my silly little list :)
create a playlist and infuse it with an intention. eg, a money spell playlist filled with songs about wealth.
draw sigils with soap when in the shower. (you can also use a wet wipe if you can't shower)
found some juice? give it a little shake and use the ingredients as a spell.
have food that has grains as ingredients? wow! an abundance spell!
the classic add intention to your tea and coffee.
bind your hair. for me with is as simple as putting my hair in a ponytail.
watch a witchy video. while not technically practising witchcraft, sometimes all you need is to sit back and relax to connect with your practice.
when I have a decent amount of energy I'll grab a large pillar candle and carve sigils into it. I use it as a long-term spell; all I have to do to activate it is light the candle. I like to light one of these spell candles when I'm having a bad day.
if you're religious, pray. Even if you're lying in bed. Even if you haven't showered in a week. If it makes you happy and you can, do it
burn some insence! it smells good, you don't have to really worry about forgetting about it, it's good for cleansing. it's great!
take a nap with some crystals. any restorative crystals or calming crystals work great! just make sure that they aren't geodes or roughs. i'd hate for you to hurt yourself while sleeping.
if you don't have any crystals for your nap, set an intention instead. please let yourself rest.
It's important to remember that you're allowed to take breaks from your craft. If you're forcing yourself to practice when you have no energy because "that's what a good witch would do!" then you're probably going to make your situation worse. it's a great way to fall out of love with witchcraft. give yourself some grace. rest is infinitely more important than 1 full moon, 1 new moon, or missing your daily/weekly/monthly cleanse. You aren't a bad person if you don't pull your morning tarot card or check the astrology forecast for today. and you aren't a bad person if you miss your daily prayer. take care of yourself. your health is WAY more important than your craft. Go get a drink of water and take care of yourself <3
I drink water to try and remain hydrated and present in a situation, also touching stuff helps.
How do you stay grounded? ✨🥰
Acacia: Burned with sandalwood to stimulate the psychic powers.
African Violet: Protection and to promote spirituality within the home.
Allspice: Attract both good luck and money.
Aloes: Attract good fortune, love, spiritual vibrations, and strength.
Althea: Protection and to stimulate the psychic powers.
Amber: Love, comfort, happiness and healing
Ambergris: Burn for dreams and aphrodisiac
Angelica: Protection, harmony, integration, insight and understanding, stability and meditation
Anise seeds: Meditation and emotional balance incense.
Basil: exorcise and protect against evil entities such as demons and unfriendly ghosts, and to attract fidelity, love, good luck, sympathy, and wealth. This is also an excellent incense to use when performing love divinations. Also burn for concentration, assertiveness, decisiveness, trust, integrity, enthusiasm, mental clarity, cheerfulness, confidence and courage
Bay: Facilitate the psychic powers, and to induce prophetic dream-visions.
Bayberry: Attract money and also burned for protection, happiness and control
Benzoin: Purification, astral projection, clears negative energy, emotional balance, eases sadness, depression, weariness, grief, anger, anxiety and to attract prosperity
Bergamot: Money, prosperity, uplifting of spirits, joy, protection, concentration, alertness, confidence, balance, strength, courage, motivation and assertiveness
Bistort: Burned often with frankincense as a powerful incense to aid divination.
Bracken: Burned in outdoor fires to magickally produce rain.
Cardamom: Mental clarity, concentration, confidence, courage, enthusiasm and motivation
Carnation: protection, strength, healing, love and lust
Cedar: Purification, to stimulate or strengthen the psychic powers, attract love, prevent nightmares, and heal various ailments, including head colds.
Cedarwood: Healing, purification, protection, money, balance, grounding, clarity, insight and wisdom
Chamomile: Harmony, peace, calm, spiritual and inner peace
Cinnamon: Protection and to attract money, wealth, prosperity, business success, stimulate or strengthen the psychic powers, and aid in healing. Also burned for stimulation, strength and lust
Citron: Burned in rituals to aid healing and also to strengthen the psychic powers.
Citronella: Cleansing, warding off, healing and exorcism
Clove: Dispel negativity, purify sacred and magickal spaces, attract money, and stop or prevent the spread of gossip. Also burn for pain relief, intellectual stimulation, business success, wealth, prosperity, divination, exorcism, protection, eases fears, improves memory and focus
Coconut: Protection
Copal: Purification, uplifting spirits, protection, exorcism, spirituality and to attract love.
Cypress: Strength, comfort, healing, eases anxiety, stress, self-assurance, confidence, physical vitality, willpower and concentration
Damiana: Facilitate psychic visions.
Dittany of Crete: Conjure spirits and to aid in divination, astral projection, especially when mixed with equal parts of benzoin, sandalwood, and vanilla.
Dragon's Blood: Dispel negativity, exorcise evil supernatural entities, courage, purification, attract love, and restore male potency. Many Witches also burn dragon's blood for protection when spell casting and invoking. When added to other incenses, dragon's blood makes their magickal powers all the stronger.
Elecampane: Strengthen the clairvoyant powers and scrying abilities-divination by gazing.
Eucalyptus: Healing, purification and protection
Fern: Burned in outdoor fires to magickally produce rain. Also used to exorcise evil supernatural entities.
Frankincense: Dispel negativity, spirituality, purify magickal spaces, consecration, protect against evil, exorcism, aid meditation, astral strength, induce psychic visions, courage, protection, attract good luck, and honor Pagan deities.
Fumitory: Exorcise demons, poltergeists, and evil supernatural entities.
Galangal: Break the curses cast by sorcerers.
Gardenia: Peace, love and healing
Ginger: Wealth, lust, love and magical power
Ginseng root: keep wicked spirits at bay, and for protection against all forms of evil.
Gotu Kola: Burned to aid meditation.
Heather: Conjure beneficial spirits, and to magickally produce rain.
Hibiscus Flowers: Attract love, lust and also for divination.
Honey Suckle: Attract money, happiness, friendship and healing
Horehound: Burned as an offertory incense to the ancient Egyptian god Horus.
Hyacinth: Happiness and protection
Jasmine: Attract love and money, and also to induce dreams of a prophectic nature, purification, wisdom and astral projection
Juniper: stimulate or increase the psychic powers, and also to break curses, exorcism and hexes cast by evil sorcerers. It is also burned for calming, protection and healing.
Lavender: Induce rest and sleep, and to attract love-especially of a man. Also burned for cleansing, healing, happiness and relaxation
Lemon: Healing, love and purification
Lemongrass: Mental clarity
Lilac: Stimulate or increase the psychic powers, and to attract harmony into ones life.
Lotus: Elevate mood, protection, spirituality, healing and meditation
Mace: Stimulate or increase the psychic powers.
Mastic: Conjure beneficial spirits, stimulate or increase the psychic powers, and intensify sexual desires. The magickal powers of other incenses are greatly increased when a bit of mastic is added.
Mesquite: Magickal powers of all healing incenses are greatly increased when mesquite is added
Mint: Increase sexual desire, exorcise evil supernatural entities, conjure beneficial spirits, and attract money. Mint incense also possesses strong healing vibrations and protective powers.
Musk: Aphrodisiac, prosperity, courage
Myrrh: Burned (often with frankincense) for purification, consecration, healing, exorcism, and banishing evil. Myrrh is also aids meditation rituals, and was commonly burned on alters in ancient Egypt as an offering to deities Isis and Ra.
Nutmeg: Aid meditation, stimulate or increase the psychic powers, and to attract prosperity.
Oakmoss: Money and attraction
Orange: Divination, love, luck and money
Patchouli: Attract money, love, growth, mastery, sensuality and also to promote fertility.
Peppermint: Energy, mental stimulant, exorcism and healing
Pine: Purification, and to banish negative energies, exorcise evil supernatural entities, and attract money, as well as to break hexes and return them to their senders. Also burned for grounding, strength, cleansing and healing
Poppy seeds: Promote female fertility, and to attract love, good luck, and money.
Rose: Increase courage, induce prophetic dreams, house blessing, fertility, healing and attract love. Rose incense is used in all forms of love enchantment and possesses the strongest love vibration of any magickal incense.
Rose Geranium: Courage and protection
Rosemary: Purify, aid in healing, prevent nightmares, preserve youthfulness, dispel depression, attract fairy folk, and promote restful sleep and pleasant dreams.
Rue: Help restore health.
Sage: Protection against all forms of evil. It is also burned to purify sacred spaces and ritual tools. Plus it is great for promoting wisdom, clarity, attract money, and aid in the healing the body, mind, and soul.
Sage Brush: Aid healing, and to banish negative energies and evil supernatural entities.
Sandalwood: Exorcise demons and evil ghosts, conjure beneficial spirits, and promote spiritual awareness. Sandalwood incense is also used by many Witches for protection, astral projection, healing rituals and in wish-magick.
Solomon's Seal: Mainly as an offertory incense to ancient Pagan deities
Star Anise Seeds: Stimulate or increase the psychic powers
Strawberry: Attract love and for luck.
Sweetgrass: Conjure beneficial spirits prior to spell casting.
Sweet pea: Friendship, love and courage
Thyme: Purification of magickal spaces prior to rituals, to aid in healing, and to attract good health.
Vanilla: Attract love, increase sexual desire, and improve the powers of the mind.
Vervain: Exorcise evil supernatural entities.
Vetivert: Break curses, exorcism, for protection against black magick and thieves, money, peace and love.
Violet: Break curses, exorcism, for protection against black magick and thieves, money, peace and love.
Willow: Avert evil, attract love, and promote healing. It is also used by many Witches as an offertory incense for Pagan lunar deities.
Wisteria: Protection against all forms of evil.
Wormwood: Protection against all forms of evil.
Yarrow: Courage, exorcism
Ylang Ylang: Love, harmony and euphoria
A cat was in my yard today and my dog cried about it, idk really why he was so upset but he was. I ended up massaging him until he fell asleep đź’•
hey do you have these spiky guys lying around in your neighborhood?
they’re called sweet gum tree balls ((or witches burrs)) and they fall off of sweetgum trees that are native to eastern north america, the eastern mediterranean, and east/southeast asia!
these little guys can be used for witchcraft purposes in case you haven’t already guessed. they’re good for banishing negative energy, protection, making wards. etc. so next time you see some lying around outside grab em and use them in your practice!