Lammas Resource Masterpost

Well, we stopped at a big used bookstore that weve never been to and found this baby. Only 5$ too which was great.

Gotta get a protective jacket on it before using. They had a copy with a jacket but it was 20$...

🌄Morning Witchcraft☀️: how to connect to the elements

These are some of my tips for connecting to the elements in the morning before school, work, busy days, or just a day at home. It’s also handy for witches like me who prefer to work in the morning and daytime 🌞

☁️Air-

💨wake up at dawn if you can (dawn is the time that correspondes with air)

💨pick a perfume that correspondes with your intent for the rest of the day

💨listen to some music to set intent for the day and energize yourself

💨get some fresh air and let the crisp morning air invigorate and center you

💨light incense that correspondences with your intent of the day

💨enjoy the morning bird chirping

💨do a daily divination reading to get a feel for what to expect for the rest of the day

💨incorporate almonds, honey, strong scented herbs like dill, or eggs in your breakfast

Water🌊-

💧have a cup of tea or some water when you wake up

💧take a shower or bath and let it cleanse you

💧take a morning swim if you can

💧moisturize with lotion that correspondes with your intent for the day

💧make a water bottle of infused water (with the herbs/fruits of your intent) to carry around and keep you hydrated for the day

💧collect morning dew

💧pick a seashell that correspondes with your intent for the day to carry around with you

💧sing! (to connect to mermaids and warm up your voice for the day)

💧incorporate apples, berries, salt, fish, or avocado in your breakfast

Earth🌳-

🌿take a walk or jog

🌿do some yoga

🌿pick a crystal that correspondes with your intent for the day to carry with you

🌿ground yourself

🌿take care of your plants (water them, talk to them, etc.)

🌿do a prosperity spell for the day

🌿spend time with your pets

🌿use plant based products or make your own if you can (like shampoo, soap, makeup, etc.)

🌿incorporate nuts, beans, roots (like ginger), and greens (like spinach and kale) in your breakfast

Fire🔥-

🕯light a candle to set your intent for the day

🕯enjoy the morning sunshine, feel it’s warmth

🕯do some makeup or fashion magic when you’re getting ready

🕯meditate with the Sun

🕯take vitamins and/or medications

🕯stay warm with hot teas, hot showers, blankets, etc. (the morning can be a bit chilly)

🕯use the sunshine as a positivity and happiness spell and let it charge you for the day

🕯carry a tealight with you (you never know when you’ll need one)

🕯incorporate citrus and spices (like cinnamon, peppers, etc) into your breakfast

Cheap Witches: Thrift Stores!

I have always loved thrift stores. When my family was poor-ish back in the day, I would often get one shopping trip a year for clothes at the thrift store and I would get all my halloween costume pieces there. Maybe it’s the nostalgia, maybe it’s that I myself am now poor-ish but either way I think we can all appreciate a good deal regardless. Especially on staple pieces that can be used for your practice. Now ON TO THE FINDS!

Books

Sometimes it takes a little luck but I’ve found a couple great useful books for 3$ or less each along the shelves of books in my local Value Village. The crystal healing ones I found were a huge deal to me back in the day when I was but a baby witch and they were dirt cheap.

Candle supplies

Every witch needs something to burn candles on/in. Now I’m not saying it needs to be fancy, for a long time I used a dollar store plate (psa, do not burn candles on surfaces you care about because scraping wax off things is not a delicate process) but picking up some candle holders for less than 2$ is going to help keep candles from falling over and lighting your house on fire. You can also find some wicked pretty ones.

Curtains/Tablecloths/Pillowcases

Yes, I buy thrift store curtains. As I mentioned in my previous post in this series, many things may require scrap fabric and although you can get the dollar store scarves I prefer using old curtains or tablecloths from the thrift store. Not only will you be getting WAY more fabric but it doesn’t cost too much more than the dollar store.

String and/or Ribbon

Some of my spells and my favorite hex require some kind of yarn/string/thread. If your local thrift establishment of choice has any kind of craft section, no matter how big, you are in business. Bags of embroidery thread, spools of twine or other string and skeins of yarn are all SUPER cheap and often great quality. (Note: I mean the yarn, the other two options are pretty standard) Sometimes I can even find ribbon spools but those are interchangeable with plain old coloured string.

Picture Frames

Are you setting up your altar? Do you wish you had something nice to put the picture of your deity(ies) in? Look no further than the thrift store for GORGEOUS frames of literally every size imaginable. 

Vases

You actually can not find nicer vases for cheaper than a thrift store. I don’t know what else you’d use them for, crystals maybe? Dried flowers waiting to be used? Candles? Either way, if you need one, there are virtually none cheaper or easier to find. Same goes for crystal or glass bowls. Besides, if you kill plants like yours truly, having flowers that are guaranteed to die is a nice way to enjoy plants without having to remember to water them.

JARS

That alone should be enough but I do want to chuck in one piece of advice. Do not forget about the cup aisle! I got a sweet glass skull that screws closed with your standard mason jar lid because it was donated with one of those lids with a hole and a straw. Hence it was a “cup” but NOT ANYMORE! It holds my dead flowers. I named him Herman.

As always, feel free to send me a message if you’d like/have more questions. Hopefully soon I’ll make a trip to IKEA for the next post in this series! If there’s something you’d like me to cover, let me know.

Much love ~ ♥

Sacred Places (Water)

These are places that could be considered sacred for someone who focuses on the element of Water in their craft.

Places In Nature

Hot Springs - Natural pools of energy, boiling up from deep in the earth. Warm, relaxing, and full of healing. 

The River - Always changing, full of strength. Powerful enough to carve through stone, gentle enough to dip your toes in.

The Ocean - Mysterious and welcoming, deep enough to hold your darkest secrets, and never let the light see them.

The Lake - Simple and homely, teeming with life. A place of forgiveness and rebirth.

Urban Places

Concrete Waterways - Found in almost every park, a place of refuge and shelter.

Water Parks - Full of laughter, fun, and families, all fueled by the power of water.

Hot Tubs - A man-made tribute to the power of hot springs, a place of relaxation and health.

Wells - Pulls wealth and prosperity from deep in the earth, homely and safe.

Pathworking and Astral Travel

In spirit work, we often connect with the spirits that have crossed over and are present in the physical world. However, there are also ways to cross over into the spirit world and connect with spirits in their home environment.

Pathworking

As I mentioned in a previous post, a pathworking is a specific type of meditation where you go on a psychic journey, but are still anchored to your physical body. It’s sort of like dipping your toes into the spirit world.

There are two important elements to a pathworking: a clear entrance/exit point and a way to retrace your steps. Pathworking journeys are typically cyclical — there is both a journey out and a return where you go back the way you came. This makes it easier to fully return your consciousness to your body, and failing to do so can cause you to feel disoriented upon the return.

Your entry/exit point can be absolutely anything, but common examples include a door, a gateway, a tree (or sometimes The World Tree), a cave/tunnel, or a natural landmark like a beach or mountaintop. What’s important is that it’s recognizable and easy to find your way back to.

If you want to try pathworking, make a rough “road map” of your journey beforehand. This doesn’t have to be super specific, but it should contain the following: a goal for the pathworking (such as to connect with a certain spirit), an entry/exit point, and a general idea for the route you’re going to take. If you’re worried about getting lost, author Thea Sabin recommends using “the Theseus trick.” Like in the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, you can tie a golden thread or rope to your entry point and the other end to your astral body. If you get lost, you can follow the thread back.

Pathworking is fairly beginner friendly, and I highly, highly, highly recommend starting with pathworking and becoming comfortable with this method before trying astral travel. Even for more advanced witches, pathworking is often a better option than astral travel because it’s less involved and requires a little bit less effort. I personally prefer pathworking for most situations.

Performing a Pathworking

Before you begin, establish a clear goal for your pathworking and write out a rough “road map.” At the very least, you should know what your purpose is, where your entry point is, and how to find your way back.

Begin in a dark, quiet room. Cleanse the room by burning incense, diffusing or spraying essential oils, or using a ritual broom to sweep out old energy.

Find a comfortable place to sit or lie down and begin meditating. You may want to play meditation music, practice breathing techniques, or use some other method to help you reach a meditative state.

Once you reach a meditative state (you should know what this feels like if you have experience with meditation), see yourself standing at your entry point. This is your entrance to the astral realm.

Set out on your pathworking.

When you are ready to leave the astral realm, you will need to find your way back to your entry point. Once you reach your entry point, it should be fairly easy to return to your body.

Once you’re fully present in your physical body, use your favorite method to ground yourself.

Write down everything you experienced during your pathworking in a journal.

Astral Travel

If pathworking is dipping your toes into the spirit world, astral travel is diving in the deep end. Also called spirit flight and hedge riding, astral travel includes actually sending your soul/consciousness out of your body and into the spirit world. As you might guess, this is more complicated and requires more effort than pathworking. For this reason, astral travel is not beginner-friendly. If you are completely new to meditation, witchcraft, and spirit work, it’s best to learn to pathwork before you attempt astral travel.

A word of warning: you may want to avoid astral travel at times when you’re in a very vulnerable or volatile emotional state. Some days you just aren’t up for it, and that’s okay. On those days, a pathworking or another form of spirit work may be a better option.

Triggering Spirit Flight

In astral travel, a trigger of some kind is used to help disconnect the soul from the physical body. Common triggers include drumming, special music, shaking a rattle, chanting, and dancing.

You can find shamanic drumming tracks on YouTube that can help you achieve astral travel. If you find that repetitive motion helps you trance out, you may look into getting a small drum or rattle to play.

Animal Guides

In many cultures, those who travel into the spirit world do so with the guidance and protection of an animal spirit. From the Norse fylgja, to the shamanic power animal, to the witch’s familiar, history is full of examples of these types of guides.

Before you begin astral travel, do a pathworking to meet your animal guide. It’s important to note that you aren’t choosing an animal guide — only meeting one that has always been with you. Your guide may be an animal that you like or identify with, or it may not. When I first began experimenting with astral travel, my guide was a coyote — an animal I had never identified with before, but who I learned was deeply connected to my inner self.

It’s important to always have your animal guide with you when going on astral journeys, as they are an important source of protection and power. They may also literally guide you to the things you need to see and the spirits you need to meet.

Flying Ointments

Historical accounts describe witches using “flying ointment” to help them achieve spirit flight. These traditional flying ointments contained toxic and/or hallucinogenic plants like belladonna, datura, henbane, mandrake, and opium poppies. For obvious reasons, most modern witches do not use these herbs.

Please do not try to create your own flying ointment with poisonous plants. If you’re a true traditionalist and feel like you just have to try a historically accurate flying ointment, Bane Folk Apothecary sells several. Bane Folk is run by Sarah Anne Lawless, a kickass witch who knows her stuff and produces safe, medicinal products inspired by traditional flying ointment formulas. I am usually very pro-DIY, especially when it comes to witchcraft, but this is one case where it really is best to defer to a professional.

To create a modern, non-toxic flying ointment: heat eight ounces (or one cup) of poppy seed oil over low heat on the stove. Once the oil is warm, add 2 ounces (or ¼ cup) of beeswax into the oil. (Use carnauba wax for a vegan alternative.) Take the mixture off the heat, and allow it to cool off a bit. Once it has cooled (but before it’s begun to solidify), add nine drops each of mugwort essential oil, star anise essential oil, and peppermint essential oil. Pour the mixture into a mason jar and seal tightly. To extend your ointment’s shelf life, add a few drops of Vitamin E oil and store in the refrigerator. If you don’t have access to essential oils or prefer a more traditional method, you can buy dry herbs and infuse them into your oil instead — to do this, crush up 2.5 ounces (or 1/3 cup) each of dried mugwort, star anise, and peppermint and add them to a mason jar; add enough oil to the jar to cover the herbs completely, with about an inch of oil above them; seal the jar and place it in a sunny window for 2-3 weeks to infuse; and finally, strain the herbs out of the oil with a mesh sieve or a cheesecloth. You can then add your Vitamin E oil and beeswax to create an ointment.

This modern recipe does not contain hallucinogens, but it does contain plants that are commonly used in magic to increase psychic abilities and aid in astral travel. You can say an incantation over this ointment while making it to add some extra magical potency. Applying the flying ointment can also become a sort of ritual that prepares you for spirit flight by helping you slip into a more spiritual head space.

Performing Astral Travel/Spirit Flight

Before you begin, know why you are journeying to the spirit world. You should always have a clear goal for your astral journeys.

Begin in a dark, quiet room. Cleanse the room by burning incense (mugwort incense aids in astral travel), diffusing or spraying essential oils, or using a ritual broom to sweep out old energy.

Use your favorite method to ground yourself.

If you are choosing to use a flying ointment, rub it on your skin now.

Hold a protective item in one of your hands. I like physical items for protection during spirit flight, because they can ground you and help you find your way back to your body. Examples of protective items include a sprig of rue, a piece of iron, or a protective crystal like black tourmaline. If you ever feel scared or uncomfortable during your journey, you can bring this object into the astral realm to protect you. It will also keep your body safe while your consciousness is occupied.

Start up your trigger, whether this is drumming, rattling, dancing, etc.

Allow yourself to drift into a trance state, and then to disconnect from your body.

Call your animal guide to you.

Set out on your journey in the spirit world.

When you are ready, feel yourself returning to your physical body. Allow yourself to come back slowly — don’t rush it.

Ground yourself. One good way to ground after astral travel is by eating a snack.

Write down your experiences in a journal.

Resources:

Wicca for Beginners by Thea Sabin

Southern Cunning: Folkloric Witchcraft in the American South by Aaron Oberon

Hedge Riding by Harmonia Saille

“How to Make Herb-Infused Oils for Culinary & Body Care Use” and “How to Make Herbal Salves” from the Mountain Rose Herbs blog

name aesthetic moodboard: aisha’s home

Grimoire - Magical Topics

Magic/Witchcraft Masterposts: An Leabhar na Draíochta (The Mori Witch’s Book of Magick) Witchcraft 102 Masterpost Gender Magic Rejuvenating Witchcraft witch self care masterpost! Love Magick Masterpost Beauty Magic Masterpost Valentine's Witchery Ultimate Protection Magic Masterpost; Part 1 Ultimate Protection Magic Masterpost, Part 2 coffee witchcraft Gentle Witchcraft Periods suck. Witchcraft helps. Travel Witchery Housewarming Magic Sick Witchery Witchcraft for the grieving Self-Care Tips Masterpost Energy Work Masterpost Energy Work Masterpost Protection Magick (A Masterpost) Tea Magic Drink Magic Masterpost

Some Types of Magic: Types of Magic Sympathetic Magic Knot, Thread & Cord Magic Sex Magic Witchcraft 101: Binding Magick Witchcraft 101: Uncrossing Hearth Witchery Ideas House Witch’s Chores and Witchy Home Quick Kitchen Witchcraft

Helpful Information: Liminal Spaces in Witchcraft Liminality & Liminal Spaces Consent vs Defending Sovereignty Law of Return Energy Work Terminology Energy Manipulation Guide: Sensing Energy Signs you may have been cursed/hexed Charms - Magic Without Tools Shadow Work 10 Prompts for Shadow Work A Long List of Ways to Spiritually Protect Yourself Localizing Your Practice Witchcraft 101: Veiling What to use when in witchcraft Some things you can keep track of as a witch Tapping Into Your Psychic Senses What are the Claires?

Witchcraft Practice in General: Grounding & Centering CENTERING Visualization Manifesting! Magical Journaling Gentle witch little things Manifest your dreams and desires Reconnecting with your craft Witchy Journal Prompts Become inspired again in your craft Come on, let's go for a walk and talk about Intuition Mindfulness Spiritual Burnout: Tips and Reminders What to do when you fell out with your practice Mundane Magic: Laundry Edition Mundane Magic: Office Edition Mundane Magic: Hand Washing Witchy “Planner” Magical Parenting Meditation: myths vs reality Write your Witchcraft Toxic Positivity Spiritual Bypassing & Why It’s Harmful Toxic positivity and spiritual bypassing in the witch and spiritual communities Racist Stereotypes About Magic witchcraft and the law Traditional Witchcraft is regional witchcraft How to make offerings to the Major Spirits (i.e. Gods), the Animal Familiar or the Household Fairy... with GIFs :)

Various Witchy Tips: Witch Tips for City Witches Magickal and Non-Magickal Tips for Writing Tips for the traveling witch Artsy Witch Ideas/Tips Glamour Witchcraft Tips

My Witchcraft Practice: Mentoring - something for experienced witches to consider Let's talk about ableism Let's talk about witchcraft and emotions The "advanced" witch The Empathic Witch Advice to witches and Pagans who wish to be allies Frequently Asked Questions For The Modern Day Witch Karma, what exactly is it? Meditation tips

𝑳𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒐𝒎𝒔 𝒆𝒏𝒋𝒐𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒖𝒎𝒏-𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕. 🍄

Sources: 🍁 🍁

Friendly reminder that the Hellenic Underworld is not the Christian Hell, and Hades is not the Devil.