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Kitchen Witch Recipe: Illness Protection Tea

This is a tea that I like during the fall and winter months because of the warmth, but it's also a helpful little potion for wellness.

Ingredients

Ginger tea for healing

Cinnamon sticks for cleansing

Lemon slices for purification

Cloves for protection

Honey for comfort and warmth

Instructions

Simply brew your tea. While it's steeping, add in the cinnamon, lemon and cloves (I didn't include quantities because the flavor profile comes down to preference). Before drinking, add a little honey and stir either clockwise to invite healing energies in or counterclockwise to banish illness.

As you stir, you may want to call upon any deities associated with healing. I usually invoke Apollo for this. If you don't work with deities, simply channeling your intention and working with the healing energies is also a good option.

Texas Ruins - Red and the Rebels (2022)🌞✨

—————————

Rolling hills and endless caverns

Got me all up in my head

Never knowing where I’m going

Crystal skies are up ahead

There’s orange sun on the horizon

I head south to Hidalgo

I’m gonna find myself in my father

In the deserts of Weslaco

I can hear you begging me

Release it all again

Put out the fire, set it free

Your dreams are heaven-sent

Haunting creeks and grassy plains

I head east down to Shiner

I’m gonna find myself in my mother

In the ruins of Moravia

I can hear you begging me

Release it all again

Put out the fire, set it free

Your dreams are heaven-sent

I can hear you begging me

Release it all again

Put out the fire, set it free

Your dreams are heaven-sent

“painted sunsets // white curtains” -Golden Hour by Red and the Rebels (2021) 🍒✨

"Chervona Ruta", 1971

🧄 // about me

My name is Barley, or Lee. I am seventeen and I use he/she/they pronouns.

I consider myself to be a dual-faith practitioner, as in I practice two faiths -- Christianity and Hellenic Polytheism. I am unsure which denomination I will be for Christianity, however my practice has Catholic and United Church of Canada influences.

I am the host of a DID system, and while I (Lee) mainly use this account, you may see Rue (she/they) showing up, too.

🧄 // q&a

Q: How can you be Christian AND a Hellenic Polytheist? What about Exodus 20:3?

A: Exodus 20:3 states that you should have no other gods before God, and I do it as just that. God comes first in prayer, devotion, etc. but I still include the Greek gods in my worship. Additionally, Exodus 20:4-5 states that you should not worship anything created in the natural world as a god. This simply means that you can't take a rock, for example, and say it is a god.

Q: You cant do witchcraft! Its against the Bible!

A: Most cases of witchcraft in the Bible are referring to very specific kinds of (usually) malevolent magic that simply did not have an accurate English translation other than "witchcraft". Additionally, I try to deter myself from the word 'witch' as a label. That isn't to say nobody should use it, if you do good for you for reclaiming it, I however am just uncomfortable with the historical connotations. I prefer the term "folk practitioner" or simply "magical practitioner". Additionally, magic is prevalent through pretty much every culture, whether it be prayers, incantations, physical charms, etc. It is there and it is beautiful.

🧄 // links

Palestine Masterlist

🧄 // my other blogs

@lee-hellenic-butch

@whimsical-butch-wizard

"Never cry for a magpie is always your guide "

There are many cultures that believe magpie and other corvids are guides, helpers, messages and always a friend.

I was raised no different. I was raised with the same beliefs, the same old superstitions that a magpie or well any corvids { most of them } are always a guide and friend.

Yes, they're grand tricksters of course but always a friend, always there to guide you down the right path.

They bring luck, mirth, tales of the future, protection and a sign from the divine that you're not alone.

I was never told crows, magpies and such were signs of death or illness but instead bluebirds/bluejays were signs of death and bad things on the horizon.

My community got approved teehee (a christowitch + folk magic community, non christowitches/folk practitioners welcome as long as you come in good faith!!!)

(also very queer friendly)

(join ussss join ussss)

Peculiar things that Happened ™️ in my life:

The 2019 snail omen

The various dreams I've had about discord conversations that were in fact, prophetic

The seagulls flying over my head after I asked for family protection

Will probably continue this list as I remember.

Pshh, hey. If you are in a budget or if you have to hide your practice, I have some witchy tips for you.

• You don’t need to have an altar. But if you want to, creating an altar on a wooden box is great; you can collect stuff to put in there and you can hide it under your bed.

• You don’t need crystals. Common rocks can be energised to act with a certain intention and they work just as well. You can also associate the place you got the stone/rock from with an intention, such as: a rock from a river or sea can be used for cleansing, purifying, taking energies away from you. A stone found at the property of a hospital can be used for health spells. These are vague examples, so I might make a list later on of all kinds of things you can do with mineral founding.

• Energised water is a great offering to most entities. Water holds memory and it’s easy to energise it with a certain intention if you concentrate.

• You don’t actually need candles. For many deities, an object that remembers you of them works as a taglock, an identification of the deity you’re worshipping. Besides, many spells do not need candles to work, such as: ritual baths, petitions, etc.

Have fun, and remember that your practice isn’t meant to look the same as other practitioners’. We are supposed to do things our own way, as long as it doesn’t harm anyone or anything.

LESSONS IN VISUALISATION.

Reupload from my old account but with some changes! I was @fangwitch before.

Part two here.

Visualisation is incredibly useful in witchcraft as it is the base of energy work. From this, you can do all kinds of practices.

You can use visualisation as a tool for meditation, astral travel, and wider spellwork such as sending energy into objects among other things.

So, how do I start?

Here’s a few basic exercises for you to practice. They're very simple and many of you will probably be able to pick it up easily if you’ve already done visualisation techniques!

Exercise One

1.  If you're new to visualisation, you’ll need a quiet area where you’ll be comfortable. Even lying in bed and putting white noise in your headphones works. Get rid of all distractions, put your phone on silent if you can.

2.  Close your eyes, and imagine a mountain. It's important to remember that not everyone is capable of picturing an exact image in their head - some people only conjure the idea of a mountain or a blurry image instead. Don't get frustrated with yourself, these techniques can be built on over time but should still be personalised to your abilities

3. Allow any passing thoughts to float by like clouds, inconsequential to the strength of your mountain. Breathe slow and deep as they pass you by. Bring your focus back to the mountain each time your mind drifts away.

4. You can use this technique as a way to ease yourself into practicing regular meditation too. Try it for five minutes a day, and you can even expand on what the mountain looks like, what animals might be there, and what it sounds and smells like, in time.

Exercise Two

1. Begin again by getting comfortable somewhere quiet and without distractions. Take some slow, deep breaths and close your eyes.

2. Imagine an apple, any old apple. Slowly, focus in on the details. Does it have leaves, more than one colour? Consider each tiny detail of the apple you’ve created.

3. Next, imagine a knife. Consider the size, the weight of the handle and what kind of metal it might be made of. Once you have an understanding of the details of your knife, take it and cut the apple in half. Focus on the detail inside:  the colour, how many seeds there are etc. The more detail, the better.

4. Now, use your senses. What does the apple feel like, smell like? Bite into it and taste it. You’re using visualisation to not only see the apple but understand everything about it, how it interacts with the world around it.

5. With regular practice, you should be able to visualise and interact with objects in your mind. Practice often with anything you like.

Thank you for reading. I am trying to write regular lessons again, so please reply or message with any witchy info you would be interested in learning!

tell me about any successful or unsuccessful spells you've done recently! what were they for, what did you do, how did they go right/wrong?

VISUALISATION, CONTINUED.

A continuation from lessons in visualisation.

In this lesson, we will explore further techniques, how to maintain regular practice, and alternatives for visualisation for those who might find it harder than others.

Alternatives to visualising

Some people will struggle to visualise, whether that is because of their mental or physical health, an inability to sit still or to focus, or they cannot picture an image in their mind.

It is important to remember that we have other senses. Visualisation doesn't rely on sight alone, and though it may sound that way, it instead makes the basics of spellcasting and meditation inaccessible.

☆ Forget trying to picture things, that's not the be-all end-all. Try to feel things. To smell and hear and taste, to love and hate. Consider raindrops falling on every inch of your body, moving slowly from your head down to your toes; let the water cleanse you as it rolls off your skin. Even if you cannot see them, your body knows the sensation and the smell of rain on your body.

☆ If any type of sensory imagination is too hard, play music in the background instead. It doesn't have to be calming music in particular, just something you can enjoy and zone out to. (I have been known to meditate and even nap to breakcore). Let the rest of the world fade away as you absorb the music fully, listening to every note individually and as part of the whole. Alternatively, you can try counting. Just start counting, out loud or in your head, up from 1 or down from 1000, and let that be the only thing your mind focuses on - the steady rhythm of the numbers.

☆ Consider using white, brown, pink or green noise to help you focus too. White noise doesn't sound good to everyone, and the various types use different frequencies which can be soothing for some.

The whole idea is to move away from the focus of seeing things in your head, while still allowing you to build up energy when concentrating on an end goal like meditation or a spell.

How do I practice regularly?

Methods of visualisation can very easily be simplified to make them faster and easier for regular practice.

☆ You could try seeing or feeling the energy around you or around an object such as a crystal or a tree, or the energy moving through your body.

☆ Try closing your eyes when it’s sunny and recalling the feeling, smell and sound of rain. Or the other way around. Feel the warm sun on you in the winter, or a cosy fire in your hands.

A good idea is to practice during meditation as often as you can. Remember, being able to visualise in some form is incredibly useful for energy manipulation. (Including but not limited to shielding, centering, grounding, manifestation and wider spellwork).

As always, thank you for reading. Please drop a message/ask if you want to see anything particular in future lessons.

Introduction to Shielding

If you haven’t already, check out my lessons on visualisation for the basic knowledge you’ll need to begin practicing shielding.

So what is shielding?

Shielding is a manipulation of energy, used to create a barrier between yourself and unwanted, usually negative or malicious energies. It’s a basic aspect of spellwork that everyone, beginner or experienced, should use to keep themselves safe.

What can I use shielding for?

Some beginner-level uses for shielding are drawing a circle, or casting a spell. A more experienced individual might use shielding in astral travel or spirit work, where there are a lot more malicious energies involved. Personally, I use shielding as often as possible, for instance when I do tarot readings, spells, spirit work, shadow work, and especially cursing. It gives that extra guarantee that you won't flood your personal space with unwanted energies.

Other uses include shielding against real-life dangers, to a certain degree. I often shield when I am walking through town at night for extra protection. But please remember to take other measures too! Call someone, pretend to be on the phone, plan your route, and even carry pepper spray if it's legal where you are.

An easy shielding method:

The easiest way to explain this is to think of your energy as a physical manifestation. Think how power attacks are shown in anime or cartoons - a streak of colour or light, or an element. Make it personable to you: fire signs (Leo/Aries/Sagittarius) might visualise fire, or a red energy or light etc.

Firstly, some people prefer to cleanse before shielding. I don't think its all that necessary but the choice is yours.

Begin by easing yourself into meditation. Get comfortable, and use whichever technique works for you. I have various methods for this in my visualisation lessons if you are struggling.

Attempt to visualise the energies surrounding you in your mind. It might be a swirling colour of light, almost like a cloud of dust. It could be flames, it could be water. Maybe try to see it held within your hand.

Now, attempt to shape this energy around your entire body. You might want to start with a bubble or a cube surrounding you. Feel this shape surrounding and protecting you. Visualise negative and unwanted energies being held back by it.

You can also layer shields, so if you are working with a particularly malicious energy you might want to have multiple shapes surrounding you, all within each other. You can also work with deities or spirits to ask them to shield you too.

Shielding Incantation

When I am shielding, I recite a spell as well as using visualisation techniques.

The shield of protection, I carry it strong, No ill wishes or trouble shall come along, You cannot harm me, or weaken my soul, My light is my weapon, and peace is my goal.

Try it out for yourself and let me know in the comments how it went! Thank you as always for reading. Please message for requests.

want a free tarot reading tomorrow? send me an ask, and include if you want a general reading or on a specific theme or topic. 1 card only <33

Grounding and Centering

If you haven't already, visit my visualisation lessons for the background info needed for this lesson.

Being able to ground and centre your energy is very useful in meditation and spell work. Using basic visualisation techniques, you can change and manipulate the energy you are putting out, raise your vibration, or bring yourself back to reality after spellwork. Let's go over the specifics and how to do them, but the TLDR is that grounding is connecting to the energy of the universe around you, and centering is aligning this energy with your intention.

Grounding

Grounding can be done before or after spellwork, and it depends on what feels right for you. The idea is to draw neutral energy from the earth and the universe, as the energy within ourselves can often be unstable because of our emotions or other external influences. It can also be used to send excess energy back into the earth, preventing feeling wired or unable to sleep after spellwork. Here are some easy ways to practice grounding.

Visualise tree roots spreading down from your legs, connecting you to the earth, and branches spreading up from your arms into the sky connecting you to the universe. Consider the energy of the universe being drawn into you through these roots and branches.

Consider your energy as running water, perhaps from a tap or a river. To prevent excess energy, visualise this tap being turned off, or the flow of the river being stopped.

When I practice divination or dreamwork, I sometimes visualise my third eye opening before and then closing again after to prevent using this energy constantly.

Eat something or take a shower after spellwork to quickly ground yourself.

You can try standing barefoot in the dirt or even rain as a quick and more literal way to ground.

Centering

Centering involves drawing energy inward before spellwork, allowing us to align this energy with our intention and the mentality needed to carry out magick. It prevents passing thoughts, feelings and distractions from making our energy and spellwork less effective. Where you feel your energy centering is different for everyone - it might be behind your third eye, in your heart, your stomach, or in the palms of your hands. Wherever it may be, the point is to draw this scattered energy inward. Here are some methods.

Visualise your energy fragmented around you, as shattered glass, water droplets, or whatever feels right. Consider drawing this energy towards your centre, as though you are a magnet pulling these fragmented pieces back into a whole.

As you are drawing your energy in, meditate on your intention and the end goal of your spellwork. Or why you are centering your energy - is it to have better control over the existing energy in your body, or to set an intention for the neutral energy drawn in through grounding? The aim is to have a concentration of energy with a specific intention.

Centering can be used for changing your vibration specifically for different kinds of spellwork - where a protection spell would require a different type of energy to that of cursing.

Note: Some people will use these terms interchangeably or to mean one overarching thing, and others will specify whether they mean centering or grounding as I have done here. The two practices are very similar and can overlap, so don't worry about getting them confused. The important thing is to do what feels right for your practice and whatever helps you.

As always, thanks for reading! If you have any questions or suggestions for future lessons, feel free to message or send an ask. Visit my tags for previous lessons!

devotee vs deity! with brigid

saw someone else do this and thought it would be cute <33 i don't necessarily know if devotee is the right word but i feel what i do is more than just work. ✴️

UK friends. Things are very very scary right now. Thoughts on any way we can give some energy to protecting ppl being targeted here? Like a group spell or prayer or anything? Could it be effective? idk how else to help at this point but I can't bear to see it get this bad.

Protect my siblings of muslim faith,

Shield from harm and keep them safe.

Let those opposed by religion or race,

Flourish unharmed within this space.

✴️🌟🔄🫂☪️🌟✴️

A spell to help protect your muslim and bipoc local communities during the islamophobic riots in the UK.

Likes charge, reblogs cast.

A big misconception I see come up a lot is that tarot can predict the future. In a sense, it might, but it's a lot more nuanced than that.

There is no 'THE future'. There are lots of different futures and lots of different paths you could be led down, but not all fates come to fruition based on the choices we make.

Tarot should be used to gain insight and reflect on your current and alternative paths. You can't necessarily predict how something is going to go, but you can use them to look within yourself and see what might need to change to get on the path you want to be on.

This is one of the earliest things I learnt when beginning tarot, and learning this can open you up to different paths and possibilities, as well as allowing you to ask the right questions to get where you want to be.

A Guide to Graveyard Work

One of the earliest introductions I had to spirit work as a baby witch was graveyard work. In short, this practice involves building relationships with the deceased spirits of a graveyard, by communicating, leaving offerings and being mindful of their space. It is part of a wider practice known as death work, but this focuses specifically on how to enter and respect what is essentially the 'home' of the spirits you are working with. You can further build on your practice from this.

This is a handy guide to the different aspects of the practice, looking into the appropriate offerings and etiquette, written with a lot of love.

⋆˖⁺‧₊☽◯☾₊‧⁺˖⋆

Graveyard Etiquette

There are rules you must follow in graveyards, whether for your personal safety, out of politeness, or following the law of your country. Sometimes these overlap. But sometimes, the rules you hear might be no more than baseless superstition, which there is a lot of concerning graveyards. There are way too many superstitions to list, however -

Some good rules to follow are:

Don't begin this work with the intention of taking from the graveyard or using the spirits in your practice. In the same way you wouldn't take from a stranger, it's important to build a relationship before you ask for things.

Try not to stand on graves where possible, out of respect for the dead but also those mourning them. Sometimes, graveyards are set up so that it is impossible to go anywhere without stepping on something, which is okay so long as you're not intending disrespect. However, do be wary that headstones can fall and the ground can shift.

Some people believe you shouldn't take any photos of the graves. I personally think that if the grave is old enough, it doesn't matter too much. If the grave is modern, it might be inappropriate for those in mourning to see you taking photos.

You can clean up trash, but be mindful of what might be considered trash. Obvious thrown-away food and drink packaging might be appropriate to clean up, but what if someone left a deceased one's favourite food at their grave? Or what if you decide to get rid of a toy or letter left there? Try to avoid cleaning up around the actual graves and focus on cleaning near the gates or in empty areas.

Don't trespass! If the cemetery has set entry times, enter and leave only within those times. Don't jump the fence, and don't enter any areas that are clearly gated or off-limits.

Leave an offering when asking to take something from the cemetery grounds. I don't feel it necessary to leave an offering each time you enter, especially if you plan on visiting often. But, if you want to take something like graveyard dirt or plants growing there, leave an offering for sure. And make sure to ASK. If you feel wrong, it's a no.

If you EVER find anything askew in a graveyard, such as vandalism, theft, or even dug up bones (it happens, I've found them before) PLEASE report it straight to the groundskeeper, associated church, or relevant authorities. It is not your responsibility to attempt to fix these things, or take things for yourself.

Offerings

You can leave offerings at the gate, or on specific graves if you want to work directly with that spirit. You don't always need to leave an offering, but it is a good thing to do when building a relationship and especially when asking to take from the site.

Some good offerings are:

Coins, especially two coins. There is a belief that the two coins are placed on the eyes of the deceased to pay the ferryman taking them over the river Styx. This has been maintained as a tradition.

Flowers. Even better if you look into Victorian flower symbolism for older grave sites and base your offering on this.

Origami. I would often fold multiple tiny cranes and leave them as offerings on individual graves. The best part is they are biodegradable.

I would be wary of leaving any kind of food or drink, as you might attract animals or even cause harm to the ecosystems living there. The same goes for anything made of plastic or that could hurt an animal.

Natural items such as seashells, feathers or stones are great, safe options for offerings.

You could also burn a candle or incense, but remember to stay with them while they burn and make sure they are extinguished when you leave.

Offerings don't have to be physical - you could say a few kind words, sing to them, or even just dedicating time to sit with the dead or talk with them can be an offering in itself.

Protection

I personally don't go into my practice thinking I could get possessed or followed by a demon at any given moment. However, I do think it's important to remember that graveyards can be full of a lot of upset, angry, and occasionally malevolent energies. Even if you don't intend to, these energies can attach to you or be taken home by you and can make you feel off.

Here are some ways you can protect yourself:

Cleanse yourself before and after entering a cemetery, even just by meditating and visualising or by using incense.

Check out my post on shielding techniques, and try to familiarise yourself with the visualisation techniques until you feel comfortable doing them.

Charm an item of clothing, such as a piece of jewellery, as an amulet to ward against negative energies that you can wear.

Find or create a protective sigil or rune that you can draw on something or on yourself.

You can pray to any deities you work with to ask for protection, especially if these deities are associated with death or spirits.

Communication

People who practice death work might communicate with the dead in different ways. They might be clairvoyant, use divination, feel energies or sometimes even just know what the spirits are saying. In any sense, spirit communication is a skill that is very much required in this practice. @koscheys-skull said it best here. You need good communication skills, in the sense that you are still talking to PEOPLE. And you need to go in with good intentions. If you are going in purely with the intention of using the dead for your own benefit, you won't get very far. If you can't talk to and actively listen with some semblance of empathy, you won't get very far. Death work is not an aesthetic, it is not for you to take your emo photos and be disrespectful. it is a serious, difficult and tolling practice that takes a lot of time and refining.

If you have gotten this far, I wish you all the best. It is a difficult but ultimately fulfilling part of spirit work, and if you are ready to dedicate the time and effort to it, you will get a lot out of it.

Thanks for reading! Please visit my tags for more guides, and feel free to reach out with requests for more information. Lots of love.