Category: Discussions

How to Witchify and Clean Out Your Closet at the Same Time

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As you might imagine, I’ve been thinking about clothes. This is primarily because of my upcoming trip to New Orleans which is in, yikes less than two days. Thinking about what to bring and wear is kind of a big thing, especially since I’m going from the dawning of autumn weather here in Rhode Island to the 80s and rainy weather that’s down in New Orleans right now. Instead of packing up my summer gear, I’ve two seasons in my bag to deal with the weather.

Anyway! This has me thinking about clothes and other folks on the internet are thinking about cleaning out closets too. Over at the blog A Beautiful Mess (I love these folks!) Emma made a recent post on cleaning out her closet. And she linked to this amazing 7 questions to ask yourself when thinking of things to dump out of your closets. Now, since I’m a witch and always thinking in terms of witchcraft, here’s my additional tips to links above to help clear out your closet and witchify what’s left. And don’t just think of the following tips as useful only on your wardrobe. These tips can be used in any storage area. I clear out my herb and jar shelves in the same fashion so think of your supply closet when you read the following tips.

Clean and renew during autumn and spring.

Autumn and spring are transitional periods, the birthing and dying parts of the year. Do the same to your home. Changes in wardrobe, home decorations, or repairs should be done around these times. I tend to hang new curtains, add a new pillow, or rotate rugs to different rooms depending on what’s going on. Painting a room is a very common change but at $25/can with the need of at least two cans per room, that’s not exactly as cheap as making a pillow slip cover for $2 and calling it a day. Changing the layout of the furniture is another easy solution (I recently redid my entire flat and it looks great and showcased areas that I need to improve!) In the clothes front, I also tend to I prefer the autumn and spring rather than the winter and summer because of the weather extremes of those seasons – you’re more likely to think of things in a dual fashion “I can wear this most of the year” when it’s not a hundred thousand degrees outside in the dead of summer.”

So how do you witchify that? Chose color palettes that suit the room’s nature. This type of sympathetic magic is incredibly useful and is aided by color theory. My bedroom is the main room I work in. The walls are robin’s egg blue with natural woods. Books cover 60% of the walls and this is the only room with all of my electronics gear, TV and game centers included. I also have two kimonos hung on the wall primarily because they weren’t safely stored when in my closet (one was water damaged and I’m still seeking a proper way to repair it). This means I have a LOT going on in one room. I tied the room together fairly easily by using trees and birds as an ongoing theme throughout this room though and I used that to tie different areas together. Monsters and folklore is a theme of the apartment itself so pillows, a duvet, and one kimono are tied in there (the kimono has tengu on it. A beloved gift from my late mentor). The metallic gold in a huge orange kimono is tied in with throws (and my hair) and is similarly replicated in the pale woods. For rugs I have a few cheap felt rugs that I scatter in different rooms to cover the gray cement floor and a black dyed deer skin by the bed. This gives the room a tamed wildness to it which is pretty great since my greenhouse and large stick drying area is also in my bedroom. All these colors are more consequential but I can chose elements of things that are unmovable (such as the kimonos) to bring out. I chose the gold because it improves my self-image and gets me thinking of new ways to improve the shop. It also helps boost my mood and reminds me of the sun, which is incredibly important as I often suffer from vitamin D deficiency due to my sleeping disorder. If you want pops of color in a room, it could be as easy as picking a single element in something that’s important to you and running with it. If you want to increase the productivity of a room, pick cool whites, sunny yellows, or light reds. To lessen anxiety and stress, go with cool pale greens and blues (and reduce the number of colors and things that break up those serene colors!)

Alter what you’ve got.

We all have things that just don’t fit right and some of us keep those thing around because eventually we’ll be able to alter it so it can fit or be fixed right? Look at those items will a critical eye and decide if you’re actually going to alter that. If you are, remove the item to a “to-do” work pile in a place where you’ll see it all the time but is still out of the way. (Mine’s a laundry basket I see every time I leave my bedroom – but avoid doing this if anxiety is a concern for you.) If you’re not going to alter it, set it aside to give away, swap, or sell.

How do you witchify this? When altering things, it’s easy to personalize it to your needs. When sewing you can easily push energy and your intent into the fabric and thread. Add sigils to the lining of clothing or blankets to encourage things such as quitting smoking or boost moods. (You can even put sigils at the bottom of coffee cups using a sharpie on the outside of the mug.)

Remove your emotional connections to an item.

The reason why getting rid of things is so hard is two fold: one, it’s a waste and the item could be useful at some time, right? and two you’ve built an emotional connection to that item and you don’t want to get rid of that item because of those emotions. What I do is this: I get a box and sort through items and ask myself “What am I going to do with you? What purpose do you have? Where are you from?” Often I don’t have a good answer for that so into the box it goes. Depending on what the box contains, I either donate or sell the items. Craft supplies go to after-school clubs, schools, or local kids I know where clothes are either sold or donated.

This is going to be absolutely the most difficult step to get over. I recommend liberal use of coffee or a similar beverage and just doing it. Another idea that I use is putting this treasured item in a box in some far-off corner of the house. Leave it there until the next season. Does it still hold the same emotional connection? Did you even remember or miss it? Did you look for it? If yes then keep it. If not away it goes.

So you’ve done the thing, now what?

Once you’ve gone through your closet, now you have to evaluate what your closet needs. Does it need shelf liners? New changers? A light source? Do those physical changes first.

Now decide what items should go where and how it should be organized. My closet was custom-made for me when my flat was torn down and rebuilt after a flood destroyed, well, everything. It’s a double depth closet so there’s two clothing bars instead of one. Dresses and special occasional wear or costumes are on the back hook with a few hanging sorters to put pants away and undergarments (I don’t have a dresser). Socks go in a basket on top of a hat box, bags go in a tote, jewelry on a hanging rack or on a top basket of a three tiered rolling basket (the other two tiers hold cardigans). Pajamas and tied skirts are in another three tier shelf. My laundry basket (a tall round wheeling thing) fits in there nicely. This sounds like a lot but it all fits in a four by five by six foot space and that’s pretty good considering I use to make clothes and costumes for a living. That organization system works somewhat well.

My under the stairs closet is far better. This closet holds coats, cloaks, bags, shoes, non-fashion scarfs, and hats hung on walls or tucked in rope tension or hooks. It works fabulously well, is incredibly organized, and still leaves two hooks available for guests to put their stuff in. I can now walk into the closet which is a revolutionary idea. I witchcraft’d the hell out of the system by coating the screws in a tisane for protection, let the dry, and then screwed them in.

Organization doesn’t have to be physical like that. It can simply be organizing by brand, type, or purpose. All your work clothes in one area and your date clothes in another. I have my herbs in alphabetical order on four shelves with a book to ensure I can rapid find out what I have in stock (useful when you have 100+ herbs. My fabric closet is arranged by color first and material type second.

It’s not all about organization either. Once you know what you’ve got, you can decide what you need. Do you need tall brown boots? Are you shockingly out of chamomile and skullcap? I manage these needs by keeping a list on my phone and computer with Evernote but I also keep a list on my fridge with a white board. This isn’t just about refilling what you have but keeps you from buying things you already have. For example, I’ve scraped a crocheting project just last week because I discovered I had arm warmers exactly like I wanted already but I had forgotten existed. Surprise!

How to upkeep it.

Use the Unfuck Your Habitat method of cleaning to keep things neat. Laundry, for example, is a four step process: sort, washer, dryer, put away. It doesn’t seem like it but it is. Using the UFYH method helps keep things organized quickly.

If you bought an item to boost your self esteem and to look fantastic while wearing it but are concerned about safety (heels are great for fashion terrible for running), use sigils and symbols to help yourself out. I wash my laundry with a mixture that helps with protection and encouraging creativity. Just ensure that whatever you add doesn’t dye your clothes. That would be awful.

I use Google Calendar religiously and I schedule in when I put a spell into place that I will want to renew in six months. (That’s a good time period estimate for renewing spells, by the way.) The calendar texts me to remind me to renew the spell and off I go. It works out beautifully.

Here’s some other tips for you witchcraft needs:

Do you have a lot of spell jars you need to keep and no room for them? Add a shelf to an unused wall in your closet and set them up there. For extra security, put two screws halfway along the jar’s heights and tie a piece of twine between them. This will serve as a security net.

Sharpies are the greatest but can and do wash off. Try fabric paint for a long-lasting sigil.

Sigils and symbols don’t have to be hidden! Alter a plain tee into an art piece by drawing a sigil or symbol as the main image on the shirt or along the sleeves.

The ceiling is an oft forgotten section of the house. Use hooks to hang things easily and use that forlorn place. Great for drying herbs. Similarly, you can put a shelf up high along the wall to keep your spell jars, herbs, or tools out of the way of children’s curiosity.

That’s it for this post! I really adore clever storage solutions and I’m a big DIYer so I have to ask: what clever storage solutions do you have?

Where to Start?

“Where do I start if I want to practice witchcraft/magic?” I get that question all the time, especially over on tumblr.

My first questions to them are as follow:

  • What are you looking for?
  • What are you interested in?
  • Are you looking for a religion?
  • Are you looking for a path to follow?
  • Are you looking for guidance?
  • Are you looking to affect the world around you?
  • What do you believe?
  • Do you want to work with others or in a group?
  • Do you want to make up things yourself or would you prefer to follow someone else’s lead?
  • How much academic studying do you want to do?
  • Are you looking for something with historical precedent or something more modern?

The last question is especially important. Knowing, or at least exploring, how the world works and how you believe the world works is incredibly important to to establishing UPG – unverified personal gnosis. Now UPG is commonly misused within the community. Most people take it as UPE – unverified personal experience. The mistake is easy to make but the difference is incredibly important: gnosis refers to something that is a foundation belief, something critical to your worldview. An example would be the knowledge that your deity is masculine rather than feminine. I use knowledge because UPG is often a knowledge, absolute faith. You KNOW that the UPG is true. It is the very basis of your world-view. It’s canon to you. UPE is you have this experience that you’re certain is real and happened but it’s not essential to you. [1]

Now that’s a lot of technical jargon that boils down to this: you don’t have to know what it is that you believe but you almost certainly believe something and you need to be willing to explore that.

Now I believe in magic. I KNOW it to be real. I’ve seen it work, I’ve used it. I’ts part of the heart of my UPG. What magic is, precisely, is an entirely different topic I won’t get into, primarily because we don’t know. My answer is different than others and their answer is different too. Various paths define it somewhat differently. [2]

All of the above isn’t the point and most certainly isn’t exactly what you’re here for. You’re here for a how to of where to start and what “rules” there are for it. And here they are:

“Rules” or the stuff you need to know about before you begin:

  • Practicing magic or witchcraft is a personal choice.
  • There are NO qualifying markers to decide who is an isn’t a witch or who is or isn’t practicing magic. If you define your practice as such, then it is. Similarly, do NOT label someone a title such as witch unless they identify as one. It’s rude at least and deeply offensive at worst. [3]
  • You have NO right to information. You have NO right to appropriate from native cultures or religions, especially if those cultures or religions have requested otherwise.
  • Cultural appropriation is a thing and you should know about it. [4]
  • Sexism, transphobia, homophobia, misogyny, racism, agism, predators, pedophiles, rapists, crepes, criminals, and sex offenders absolutely DOES exist in the community. They exist in ALL communities. Ignoring the issues because you want to promote a good image is negligent at best and criminal at worst.
  • Critical thinking is absolutely critical. So is critical reading. For many practices and paths, research and proper research is important and even necessary. Don’t trust everything you read and question everything. [5, 6, 7]
  • There is no Pope of witchcraft or magic. There are NO rules. There is no ONE deity or pantheon “we” must follow.
  • The Rede and Karma does not work the way you probably think it does. And they are not universal but specific to traditional Wiccan and Hinduism, respectively.
  • Wicca does not equal witchcraft and witchcraft does not equal Wicca. Witchcraft is an art, science, and technical skill of a witch while Wicca is a religion. One necessitates a religious foundation and and the other is entirely secular from it. Witchcraft can be added to most, if not all, religious practices. Witchcraft and magic are not nature-religions. They can be incorporated into a nature religion, however.
  • Books on history, superstitions, folklore, mythology, and anthropology are often keystones to many researchers. Those people who write those accessible 101 books? Those topics are the ones they gleam their information from.
  • Many practitioners takes years to develop their practice, some even take decades. Others can develop their practice in a few months. Progress as fast as you need to.
  • Remember while you may have a divine, known UPG truth of the world, it is RELATIVE. Your truth is not my truth and thus you don’t get to force your beliefs on others.

That’s the basic information you’ll want to know before you begin. This is the basis of how we generate conversation and how to start separating the bullshit from the good stuff.

Now, got that covered? Here’s what you need to do to start practicing witchcraft or magic:

  • Ask questions. Even if you have a stupid sounding one, ask it. Ask it to different people. Ask it of yourself.
  • Read everything. Well, not everything but go ahead and read topics that interest you and articles that are in opposition of what you believe. It can at least let you know what other people are talking about and at most will inspire you to new things.
  • Explore. Do you like the ocean? Ask sea witches what they do and read fisherman’s superstitions. Like cooking? Explore kitchen magic. You don’t need to focus on one thing. Witchcraft can very much be defined into separate categories like sea witchery or kitchen magic but it doesn’t have to be (and, likewise, you can absolutely just focus on one aspect and ignore everything else.)
  • If you want rules, restrictions, or a specific THING to follow, try a define tradition such as Wicca or another religion.
  • You can absolutely make up your own path. I’ve been doing it for close to twenty years.
  • Be afraid to make mistakes. Misspeaking a word in a spell will 99.9999999999% of the time result is absolutely no changes from the original intent.
  • Gods, spirits, guides, and people lie. They can be malicious. They can hurt you. And they can do it just for the fun of it. Don’t trust anyone just because they say they have your best interest at heart. They almost certainly have a game plan. Also, you don’t need them to practice witchcraft or magic and you can worship deities without magic or writchcraft.
  • Don’t buy things in one go. Witch kits are often useful but I’ve seen far too many practitioners going into stores with lists of things and you end up not needing half of it. Start small and cheap and pick up things as you go. In addition to being gentler on the wallet, each new piece added to you practice will mean that much more to you. You don’t need an altar or a work space or tools, but many find them useful or important to their practice.
  • Find a teacher. There are absolutely people out there that teach witchcraft or magic. i’m one of them. Most often they require payment of some kind or another in return for their time. This isn’t an option for everyone and sometimes not one you’ll want. I, for example, never wanted a teacher. I wanted to learn and hone my craft myself.
  • Find a coven, community, or group. This, again, might not be for everyone but it could be for some. You can learn things from one another and can always leave if you don’t like it.
  • Go ahead and jump right in. You don’t have to be serious business about it all right now. Just try your hand at it and see what happens.

Yeah, yeah, but that’s not STUFF. That’s not spells and shit. There’s no magic there.

Here’s the magic how to:

  • Starting with a protection spell is probably the safest way to start… but money spells are the way to go to prove it works. Do both and enjoy the outcome!
  • Energy manipulation is an easy way to learn a lot about what people talk about with energy.
  • Offerings of water, clear alcohol like vodka, incense, bread, or honey are good for a basic offering to any deity or spirit.

That’s it? Yeah, that’s it. If you want to do spells, just jump the hell in. There’s more background information to be known than anything else.

Other things you really should read that will help (besides my resources)

Now, as mentioned in a previous post, I am working on getting up online classes for witchcraft. It’s a slow process as I’m a rather spontaneous teacher that prefers to adapt to a singular student rather than a unknown group but it’s still happening. Also, beginners can always ask me question here or on any media form I’m in.

Sources:

  1. What does UPG mean? http://thiscrookedcrown.tumblr.com/post/56115685958/what-does-upg-mean-ive-never-heard-the-term-except-on
  2. Rambling on This Crooked Crown’s personal belief on what magic is: http://thiscrookedcrown.tumblr.com/post/67771760381/what-would-you-say-makes-spells-work-youve-said-its
  3. Scroll down to read my breakdown of this post: http://thiscrookedcrown.tumblr.com/post/26522396392/deep-within-your-belly-come-all-witches-be-one
  4. Rant on Cultural Appropriation: http://thiscrookedcrown.tumblr.com/post/18294572929/a-pseudo-rant-on-appropriation-in-paganism-and-research (check the notes).
  5. On critical thinking and reading: http://thiscrookedcrown.tumblr.com/post/39901394182/okay-this-may-sound-really-really-dumb-but-how-do
  6. Hellboundwitch’s how to read a fucking book: http://blog.hellboundwitch.com/post/27502384651/how-to-read-a-fucking-book-i-cant-teach-you-how-to
  7. Spiritscraft’s how to read a 101 pagan book: http://spiritscraft.tumblr.com/post/27508266438/how-to-read-a-101-pagan-wicca-witchcraft-book

Uncrossing Oneself

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Rootandrock’s musing post got me thinking. I have several clients that come to me in need of an unhexing, counter-curse, or exorcism. I almost always recommend a cleansing because that helps open oneself up and clears out the muck. Sometimes though that isn’t enough and an uncrossing is needed.

What is an uncrossing?

Rootandrock said it best but essentially sometimes we are so use to living with the bad stuff that even when it’s going we don’t know how to live without that bad stuff so we keep repeating the same patterns and behaviors we were doing before – and essentially creating our own bad stuff all over again. This cycle must break. This is what an uncrossing does.

I tend to like to combine unblocking spells and techniques as well, as many of my clients want to be able to reconnect with the spiritual. Unblocking is just like it sounds – breaking the blockages are typically caused by too much negative crap in your life weighing you down and making you feel fuzzy. Sometimes they’re caused by curses or spirits. Realistically, unblocking spells are a subcategory of uncrossing techniques but that’s not really the point here.

So how do you do the thing?

Mundane measures:

Cleaning.

I always recommend a deep cleaning of the house and your living and working spaces (including your car!) during deep cleansings. The same goes for uncrossings. This isn’t just sweeping and mopping the floor. Change the atmosphere of your living and working arrangements as best you can to help yourself.

This doesn’t have to be an expensive process.  Just burning a scented candle, baking a delicious dessert, opening up the curtains and letting in a lot of natural light would help. Rearrange rugs, art on the walls, and/or furniture. Clean out your cupboards and get rid of anything you don’t routinely use (especially if it’s unhealthy) if you can. Focus on areas that you first see when you walk into a room – counter tops, tables, chairs, the floor.  Sort though your closet and donate what you don’t need (or refashion it).

For those of you who want a more permanent solution or can purchase things, add mirrors opposite of windows to extend and expand the natural light of the room and increase the size of the room. Have a different set of curtains, blankets, rugs, and even pictures to rotate in and out seasonally.

Why do this? It shakes up the energy of the room. Many magical practitioners don’t do this often if they can help it because it messes with the energy of a room. I did it just the other day – rearranged every corner of my house – and my servitors and spirits grumped about it for half of the next day. It also breaks up routine and adds something new to your life without having to do something.

I’m stuck! Having trouble doing this? Is your house too cluttered? Afraid that it would take too long or is a hopeless cause? Are you simply not able to get up the energy to do this? Check out Unfuck Your Habitat (especially if you don’t have the energy or your home is too cluttered) and HabitRPG (for you gaming type).

How do you do it? I use to be a huge mess until I was seriously shamed by an aunt as a kid. It made me want to show her I could be better than she expected. Since then I’ve been pretty neat. That being said the UFYH method of 20/10 (20 minutes of cleaning and ten minutes of rest) is a heralded miracle. I tend to do 20 minutes of one thing and then 10 minutes of something else and then start the next 20 minutes on the original thing (which is excellent for those who HAVE to keep at it or have ADD/ADHD) or I do 10 minutes of cleaning, 5 minutes on the internet, etc. I burn incense and candles to change the smells of the room. In the summer I put away my rugs and comforters and leave the windows open to let air in. In the winter, I put down lots of area rugs (mine were rescued  and repurposed), double up on curtains to keep the warmth in (and let the act of pushing those curtains aside to let in precious light feel all the more important), and lay on blankets in both size, warmth, and texture to give the room a better feel. I also find getting things off the ground helps with cleaning. IKEA is a great inspiration for this. Things feel less dirty when done this way. I recently did that with my under-the-stairs closet with a simple screwdriver and it was brilliant. It was customized, creative, organized, and really let me use every square inch of the space. Another huge thing I do is Do-It-Yourself projects. I’m a big DIYer and I love repurposing things. I find creating and making things for yourself lets me learn new skills, build a solid connection with whatever I’m making, and learn to love it (and myself) more. Every time I get a compliment on something I’ve made, I feel awesome.

Take a vacation

I don’t just mean book a cruise to Bermuda. Even taking a Sunday afternoon to sit or walk through a large park and breath in the fresh air is enough. Leave your cellphone on silent and maybe bring a sketchbook or a book to read. Combined with a spa day (even at home spa treatments) and a luxurious breakfast, fresh and crisp lunch, and satisfying dinner this can replenish you. The most important bit is to break your cycle.

If you’re a super busy officer worker and you live your life by a strict schedule, don’t schedule a thing during your vacation – go with the flow. If you’re the opposite, keep a strict schedule and have some sort of reason to keep to that schedule. Breaking your cycle of bad behavior is key. It will not be easy. You’ve formed habits and connections with these bad behaviors. You’ll have to actively work to change them.

Why do this? Routine is easy to follow. When the routine is broken, we begin to look at the whys, hows, and whats of things. This is important. If you continually have no energy and change your diet accordingly, but never do anything with the potential new energy, you’ll feel restless and caged. Similarly, if you do the same workout routine three days a week, you’ll never work out or strengthen other parts of your body. Change things up and inspire yourself. Decompress and stretch your body and spirit.

I’m stuck! Set up a reward/punishment system. For example, I use HabitRPG for a reward/punishment system to keep myself on track. If I’ve done something really good, I’ll make a special dessert for myself or buy myself something. If I’ve done something bad, I do something I don’t like such as weeding the garden, an hour at the gym, etc. (Although, this means I cement the idea that those activities are “bad” – so there’s inherent flaws in the system.) If the reward/punishment system doesn’t work for you, or you can’t think of a good enough threat, rope in a friend or set up alarms on your computer/cell phone to pester you to break the routine.

How do you do it? I take a roadtrip. This happen every couple of years but a roadtrip gives me hours of just me by myself and lets me decompress. If that doesn’t work or isn’t available, I go to the ocean. It’s an instant fix. I don’t live by a schedule or routine so forcing myself to adhere to one, even if only for a few weeks, is a huge change.

Stop buying things/start buying things

This obviously will only apply to some of you.

I know when I’m broke, I spent absolutely zero money on anything. That keeps me home and stressed due to lack of money. To break this cycle I save even as little as 50 cents a week and buy myself something – a new shirt, a coffee, whatever. It brings a little bit of pleasure and makes everything that much more special.

When you’re a materialistic person and buy a lot of stuff – stop. There will always be sales and you’ll probably be able to find whatever you want to buy on Amazon or eBay at a later date. Stop trying to fill the hole in yourself with stuff. If you go out a lot, stay in and try a new recipe or bake a frozen pizza or something. Change up your life.

Why do this? We live in a very instant, very demanding, very materialistic world. Switching off your impulse to buy things (or to hoard what little money you have and have the lack of ability to buy and keep up with the impulse buys) creates a new change in behavior at what is now a fundamental level of society – money and how we spend it. As mentioned above, it creates the break in behavior and allows you to evaluate how, what, what, and when you’re doing something.

How do you do it? I hoard money. When I have it, I spend it. I’m not a saver. However, because I am my own source of income, I hoard my money now and dislike spending it unless I have a cushion to fall back on – which is rare in this economy. So every couple of months I buy something new. New fabric or yarn for a piece of clothing I want to make, a new pair of shoes, pick up a new hobby, or join a club or event.

Change you.

This one’s a bit harder and would be if you seriously need some uncrossing. Changing you is the hardest part. There will always be bits of you that will never change. However, it can be a superficial change. Get a new haircut, buy, make, or restyle a new wardrobe, toss clutter that has sentimental value but things you wouldn’t miss (let’s be honest, there’s stuff most of us keep that might remind us of an event or thing but isn’t the only thing we have from great grandma – that’s what I’m talking about). If you can’t toss it, box it up and stick it in a closet. If you don’t miss it or think of it by the time you rediscover the box again, get rid of it. I pretty much only keep awards, yearbooks, etc or things I can use again (theatre programs I’ve designed as a part my resume). Change your style, if possible, or the way you walk, talk, or act in public. Again, this will not be easy and will be a difficult choice to make.

Why do this? If you’re so caught up in muck that you can’t break free, shed your skin and start anew. It sounds as harsh as it’s meant to be. This potentially is the most difficult advice I could offer because it requires you to discover a new you. It’s more than a breaking of the cycle – it’s breaking the old your and birthing a new one.

How do you do it? I’ve only done this a few times and each time it was making a truly difficult choice to modify my behavior. One time it gained me friends and a whole new lifestyle. Another time was to break the toxicity that lifestyle contained. I regret neither but it was hard at the time to deal with the overwhelming new situation – breaking through my shyness and expressing my opinions to strangers and then to break away from fair-weather friends and toxic situations. (And no, I know not everyone can remove themselves from toxic people or situations but it you can do so.)

Magical and spiritual measures:

Petition an entity, join a new religion, or become a follower of a new deity.

Sometimes we need help. Petitioning  a deity or joining a new religion is a great way of getting a helping hand. It’s not just deities but also spirits, saints, and other beings. This is a very common practice but if you aren’t doing it or haven’t in a  while, it may be time to give it a try.

Working with these beings can be as simple as asking for a blessing or sign and then receiving it. Ask for guidance or a path to follow, the power and strength to succeed on that path and finally the physical, mental, and spiritual health and will to do so.

Any deity or spirit can be a source of help but the following are especially known as potential sources of unblocking and uncrossing assistance or to see a better way of dealing with the problem (just be wary of cultural appropriation):

  • Papa Legba (source 1)
  • Ganesha (source 1)
  • Hecate (source 1)
  • Ogun (source 1)
  • Yemaya (source 1)
  • Anubis (source 2)
  • Dosojin (source 2)
  • Akasagarbha or Kokuzo (source 2)
  • Lubana (source 2)
  • Sarutahiko (source 2)
  • Amaterasu
  • Uzume
  • Amatsumara

Why do this? As mentioned, sometimes help is needed. Perhaps you need someone to throw you a floating device when you’re drowning. It’s not weakness to ask for help.

I’m stuck! If you’re not getting answers when petitioning a specific deity, send out a general, universal distress call but be VERY sure to read all the fine print before agreeing to anything. Please also remember that a deity can be communication with you without you directly hearing their voices or receiving a obvious sign. Deities can live within the everyday – you just have to find something that strikes you as meaningful.

What do you do? I’ve worked with a malevolent spirit before as well as two Norse deities indirectly and pop culture entities. The deities and pop culture entities were gentle guidance in an off-hand manner – I found solace in their stories than them as beings. The spirit and I came to an agreement of sorts but that’s not really a story I want to tell. I don’t tend to turn to deities when I’m in trouble. I’m independent however I’ve taken a lot of inspiration and guidance from the aforementioned. I literally could not say where I would be without the pop culture entities. I never worked with them as spirits or deities but their stories helped create the person I am today.

Divination.

Typically divination is used to diagnose a problem but it can also be used for insight to figure out way around a problem. Meditating with the meaning of a card or using the card’s deep meaning to help you understand a way out of or through your problem. Some cards can be used to progress through the problem (the Tower for example is a personal favorite). Some people even use cards in spells. If you do you can literally choose cards from your current status moving in realistic steps towards your uncrossed goal.

Why do this? Primarily, it helps identify and offers solutions to the problem. As a secondary measure it can be used directly to affect change on yourself as a spell.

I’m stuck! Get a reader to do a reading for you. In fact, ask a few different readers for advice, if you can. There are plenty of people that will give a free reading.  Try it yourself, if you’re able. Find people use use different techniques if you’re only selecting tarot cards.

What do you do? I’m a seer so I do divination daily. However, I’ve used the aforementioned spread to work through a problem and help write a spell for change. (I personally don’t like using my cards in spells as it adds energy the cards don’t need.)

Chakras and Reiki

I’m not trained in Reiki (although I know the basic principles, premises, and techniques) and there’s a lot of information out there. I recommend seeking out a certified practitioner. I can name a few very good ones for you. Otherwise, Google is your friend. Reiki is a defined practice with a specific education, rankings, and certified teachers and practitioners. The theory of of Reiki is more widespread but actual Reiki is pretty defined.

You can also cleanse your chakras and enable you to move forward. There’s a variety of ways to do that and, again, I recommend a certified Reiki practitioner or taking a Reiki class.

Why do this? Cleansing the body and chakras is a good way of resetting and refreshing the body. Reiki can also heal you which would be ideal for those with bodily afflictions.

I’m stuck! Please seek a certified Reiki master.

What do you do? As mentioned I’m familiar with Reiki as a practice so I usually do a session for myself. If I really needed a cleansing or assistance, I would contact one of the Reiki masters I know and have them assist.

Astral Uncrossing and/or Spiritual Uncrossing or Meditation or Shadow Work

This is especially useful it you’re being afflicted by a spirit or entity. You must first cross into the astral/fade/spirit realms, find the source of the negative muckery, and destroy it. Sometimes this will involve diving deep into the afflicted person’s psyche and spirit to rid them of the affliction. If you’re doing this on yourself, you’ll have to either lucid dream or meditation to achieve a deep enough state to rend yourself apart, rid yourself of the negativity, and patch yourself up. This is similar to Reiki’s techniques and . It’s not unlike Reiki in a cleansing but instead of energy, it’s more forceful and takes place either in your mind or in the astral. it can be very harsh and cautious must be made of clearing out too much negativity too soon as you’ll need to recover.

For meditation and shadow work, you’ll need to dive into yourself in a deep meditation state an discover the parts of you that are “bad” or “negative” and either come to terms with them or change them in ways to better yourself.

Why do this? This is, as mentioned, useful for when this is a state afflicted on you or it has set deep inside of you. This is excellent for people who are powerful spirit workers or are more powerful in their mind or in the astral than elsewhere.

I’m stuck! Some practitioners may assist you in this. Guided meditation may also be useful.

What do you do? Depending on the circumstances I either tear into the issue in the spirit realms or use my Mind Room (read: Mind Palace) to clear out the junk and fix myself.

Select Spells and Techniques

These are spells and techniques used specifically for uncrossing and unblocking. If you haven’t already tried a  cleansing spell or technique, try that first.

Uncrossing Oil (source 1, page 1056-1057)

  • Essential oil of hyssop
  • Essential oil of angelica
  • Essential oil of frankincense
  • Pinch of sea salt
  • Pinch of black pepper
  • Pinch of cayenne pepper
  • Sprig of rue
  • Sliver of fresh garlic
  • Section of broken chain
  • Castor oil and jojoba oil base

Add ingredients. The chain and angelica are the most important elements. Angelica has photosensitive properties so be careful of the sun if you use it on the body.

[Crown’s Notes: You can absolutely mix this spell up. I use different oil bases and herbs in my recipe.]

Crown’s Too Heavy a Cross Spell

Make a cross with two sticks and some twine. If you’re really burdened, add more sticks. Really pour your problems into the sticks as you make it. Douse is in Uncrossing Oil (recipe above). If there’s a specific area being affected, brush the over the area. Envision your negative energy and experiences as you set it on fire and watch it burn.

Uncrossing Spell: Rosemary (source 1, page 614)

This spell breaks a curse and will also lift the Evil Eye.

  1. Put nine drops of essential oil of rosemary in a glass of rainwater
  2. Add nine drops of Uncrossing Oil.
  3. Stir it up and place it in the window. Leave it there for three days.
  4. On the fourth day, sprinkle this water throughout the house, concentrating on corner, dark spots, and any areas that feel “creepy”.
  5. At the same time, add rosemary essential oil and Uncrossing Oil to your bath water.

[Crown’s Note: Be sure to only use a few drops of essential oil and Uncrossing Oil. If undiluted, most essential oils can be damaging to the body.]

Unblocking Spells (2) (Source 1, page 1014)

When your cross is too heavy to bear and you’re sick of being in such misery.

  1. Collect a bowl of rainwater or seawater. You can keep it in reserve. it’s hard to plan to do this spell: you will know if and when the right time arrives.
  2. Cry into the bowl of living water.
  3. When you can’t cry anymore, take the water and feed a plant with it.
  4. Nurture this plant; tell it your desires and dreams.
  5. Write your wishes on a piece of paper and bury them together with a small crystal beside the plant’s roots.

[Crown’s Notes: It could be a local tree if houseplants aren’t your thing. Pick something strong so it can carry and share your burdens.]

Scents and materials to use:

  • Benzoin (burn as needed to remove blockages)
  • Citrus (as described in the cleansing post, but all the citrus scented or flavored things! watch for the sun and photosensitivity)
  • Vetiver (boil, steep, let cool, add to bathwater for nine consecutive days)
  • Devil’s Shoestring (boil, strain, let cool, pour over yourself, air dry, for seven days)
  • Larch (burn to unblock yourself)
  • Peridot (charge and carry)
  • Sardonyx (charge and carry)
  • Quartz crystal (charge and carry)
  • Frankincense (burn as needed)
  • Rosemary (charge and carry or burn as needed or add steeped liquid to bath water)
  • Wahoo bark (infusion)

OK! I’ve done an uncrossing. Now what?

How do you feel? Better? No different? Either can be true and if you feel don’t feel different that doesn’t mean it isn’t working. Your next steps could be any of the following:

  • Healing spells
  • Protection and warding spells (for you and your home)
  • Luck spells
  • Financial assistance spells
  • Binding and banish spells (if a person or entity is involved)

Sources:

  1. The Encyclopedia of 5000 Spells.  Judika Illes.
  2. The Encyclopedia of Spirits. Judika Illes.

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Cleansing Yourself

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Cleansing yourself (or other people or your home) is the spiritual equivalent of “did you try turning it off?” (Meditation, of course, being the equivalent of “is it plugged in?”)

Even though it is such a common remedy for so many things, it is often one of the things people just don’t know how to do or only know one method of. This intent of this particular post is to list and describe a few common cleansing practices. For some folks, this will be basic 101 stuff and others may find revelation in this. Wherever you fall in that spectrum, hopefully this is an interesting read and it helps you some.

First, safety tips: Don’t use anything you’re allergic to. It’s very likely a quick 40 seconds google search will give you an idea whether the mixtures suggested elsewhere or even here will be harmful for you. Use common sense and be safe.

Secondly, before you do anything. Stop. Just stop. Stop checking your phone, reading this sentence, or listening to music. Just stop everything. Now breathe. Drawn in a deep breath. Yes, good. Now hold it for a few seconds. Great. And release. Feels better, doesn’t it? Do this a couple of times. These few moments will mentally break you from whatever chaos is around you and help you re-evaluate what needs to be done.

Now, onto the cleansing methods.

The Water Method

The easiest method by far is taking a shower. Take a few minutes to soak in the hot water and get a steam going before dialing the water temperature down to as cool as you can stand, close your eyes (feel free to lean on the wall if you’re worried about falling), and clear your mind as best you can. Take a few deep breaths and start to envision all the black muck and problems you’re facing falling away like the water. Start this at the top of your head and envision it slipping down your body, gaining more muck as it goes. Envisioning the water going black as you do this and that black water going down the drain. Keep doing this until you feel light and can breath easier.

This method historically is used in many cultures. In Japan, there are specific rites of cleansing and purification that require the person to stand under a waterfall. Most of us don’t have a waterfall handy, so the shower works. I personally use the shower method most often but the best way for me to be cleansed is to go to the ocean and just stand in the water. I don’t have to swim, precisely, but just soak my feet (and maybe splash about in the incoming waves) and I am instantly and enormously better. A cousin of mine uses a specific lake. Many users like to do this with a bath but I don’t often recommend because you’re sitting in the sullied water without something to counter the taint. Essentially, bathing and allowing the water to take the problems from you is a strong spiritual cleanse.

If you’re using a shower or bath, the water method is very easily combined with herbs and bathing salts for cleansing. Even bathing in salt water (which you can make by dissolving sea salt into water) will be extremely helpful. Adding essential oils or herbs to the bathing salts, or just alone will help enormously. (Don’t put essential oils directly on your skin without diluting them first.)

My favorite combination is using citrus essential oils, juices, or dried zest to this effect. A drop of two of lemon juice or bergamot essential oil in a bath or among bath salts will do wonders. A quick warning though is that most citrus is photosensitive. So bathing in lemony water will cause the skin to burn more easily. In short: Don’t bath in citrus anything and then go spend a day in the sun. You’ll burn and dehydrate your skin which will cause even more problems.

Mints, like spearmint, peppermint, or common mint, or even eucalyptus can be used in a similar fashion for a cooling bath. This bath is actually really great if you have an upset stomach or headache so I use it when getting over being sick.

Some people go so far as to bath in sage or other cleansing associated salts or herbs. I find these tend to be very startling spiritually when used in this manner so I recommend them only when there’s a serious problem at hand.

There’s about a hundred thousand different recipes out there. For herbal books based on beauty care Rosemary Gladstar’s Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Health or Stephanie Torres’ Organic Body Care Recipes are recommended. For those interested in cleansing salts or scrubs and don’t want to make them, I offer them in my shop on and off again.

If you want to use herbs in the shower, take a mesh bag or cheese cloth 1/4-1/2 stuffed with herbs and tie it on the shower head. Wash as usual. Just be careful as some herbs have dyeing, drying, or irritating properties on the skin and eyes. Talk to your licensed herbalist. Keep a bowl of clean water beside the shower in case you get irritants in your eye so you can do an eyewash. Alternatively, you can steep the herbs in warm water and cool it, leaving it aside in a bowl. Take that bowl into the shower with you and use it with a shower sponge (bath scrubbie or bath puff) or wash cloth.

This can also be used to clean the house. I tend to use these herbal salt water recipes for my cleaning buckets, floor washes, window cleaning, and so on. Works beautifully. I even toss salt and a drop or two of essential oil in my washing machine to encourage various things.

The Egg Method

Eggs are spiritually powerful. Not only are they unbirthed young, they contain a lot of healthy materials for us. Since they are unbirthed animals, they can be used to absorb hexes, curses, or just general negative energy. Roll the egg over every part of your body that you can reach. Once done, take the egg to a crossroads far away from where you live (an intersection will work, just don’t get hit by a car) and break the egg. Really throw the egg with some force away from you. Leave a different way you came and go home. I generally recommend following this method up with a luxurious bath or shower.

This can also be done with a stone. Alternatively, you can toss the egg or rock into live water (ocean, river, etc.)

The Smoke Method

This is your smudging or herbal stick burning. Burning incense also falls into this category. In general, you pick up cleansing herbs or incense and burn it, carrying the burning whatever throughout the house  and over your body. Leave a door open so if there’s a spirit that’s being chased out, it can leave.

Similarly, candles can be made with cleansing properties and burned for the same results.

This obviously isn’t recommended if you can’t burn candles in the house, have sensitive smoke alarms, or are allergic to or sensitive to smoke.

Detoxification

There’s a lot of bad information out there for detoxification. Talk to your doctor or licensed herbalist for information on how to detoxify yourself. This is less cleansing of the spirit and more of the body. Still, you would be amazed at how detoxifying your body helps the spirit. Be careful and vet each and every recipe you try since there’s so much bad information out there.

One recipe I use fairly often. I tend to drink this between breakfast and lunch every couple of days. Generally people make this recipe in warm water as a tea. I don’t bother. I just pour a cup of room temperature filtered water and call it a day. And yes, the pepper and cinnamon is really necessary. Capsaicin and cinnamon have a lot of great properties when used in small doses so I highly recommend them both.

  • 3 tbsp lemon juice or 1 lemon
  • 1 tbsp honey (raw is better but whatever works best for you)
  • 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
  • 1/8 tsp of cayenne pepper (optional)
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
  • 1 cup water

Drinking a tea of nettle and green tea is another method.

All of the above being said, you’ll find when googling that a lot of detoxing recipes can also be used as weight loss treatments. Please don’t do it. The above has some evidence of assisting in weight loss but when combined with a balanced diet and exercise. You’ll lose weight by only consuming the above for how ever many days but you’ll gain it all back afterwards. It’s really hard on your system. Additionally, if you begin to experience or are prone to acid reflux, stop taking it and switch to milk or cream to calm the reflux. Vinegar, in large quantities, will be acidic on your system without something to counter it (hence why I use so little apple cider vinegar.)

You could also bathe in the above, but as previously mentioned, lemon juice can make someone photosensitive. The recipe, if used on the hair and skin topically often, can even be used as a dyeing method. Yes, really. I use lemon juice in my hair oil recipe and it has lightened my hair over time (which I’m fine with). Something to note.

So these are just some of the methods you can use to cleanse yourself.

For more reading, you can go to the following links over on tumblr:

 

Musings on Research

Research comes in two forms. What is consumed by the public and what is consumed by the private sector – the experts and niche interests.

Now, to be clear, note that I am not discussing sources. I’m talking about methods of research and how that research is consumed.

When we read information, it comes from somewhere, right? Someone did a thing and someone, maybe even the original person, wrote about doing it and what those actions and results mean. Someone else will take those results and simplify them for the public consumption. The public, in general, doesn’t care about the details. Not the nitty, gritty details but they do want the facts. People’s attentions are short and their time is precious. If they can’t consume the information in less than ten minutes, they don’t want it.

This extends to research you do when looking into a new topic. If you want to study something new, starting with the public sources is a fine idea – gives you an idea of what others around you may know and what the experts expect you to know -what is the basics of their knowledge and what might be considered true.

When I begin research for a story, I tackle the topic two fold. I consume media on the topic while simultaneously digging into JSTOR and other academic resources for niche details. By consuming media, I’m not just reading what National Geographic or the New York Times has written about a topic but I’ll also watch popular and well-received shows and read similar books.

Because that’s how information works. Media takes facts and turns them into a story, twisting what’s real into alternative perspectives, what-ifs, and maybes. That’s OK. That’s how writing works.

It’s not, however, how true research works. Research should strive to be unbias. It’s a near impossibility, of course, because we’re people and by our very nature incredibly bias creatures but it should be something we strive for.

This comes into play when researching for our pagan and witchcraft practices. What sort of audience was that information gathered and written for? The tone and point of the article matters.  An article written on Heathenism for neo-Nazi sympathizers is going to be very different if intended for liberal modern Heathens who aren’t interested in revitalization or reconstruction. Remembering the intended audience can help determine what purpose the writer is writing the information for and if any information has been ignored or left out to further their point- essentially, what kind of bias they already have.

What kind of research you do, and prefer to do, is entirely up to you. There’s a lot of ways to do research but remember that there are absolute facts – and those facts are interpreted by writers with their own bias writing for specific audiences and niche interests. Just remember this when reading information you intend to use.

Play the Fool

April Fool’s Day is April first as my readers well know and a simple cursory Google search will reveal that April Fool’s Day is amazingly older than many imagine. While it surged back into popularity in the 1950s, scholars believe that the core theme of the festival is  far older and may be linked to the Roman festival of Hilaria or the Feast of Fools.  In my own anthropological and folkloric studies, I find that a feast or festival during which merry-making and playing the fool is actually fairly common world-wide, although the dates and purpose varies as wildly as the methods of which the festival is celebrated.

Running on that linked topic, I bring up the court jester. The often motley dressed entertainer of royals, nobles, and common folk alike. In Medieval Days and Ways by Gertude Hartman(1) writes the following:

Nobles were also in the habit of keeping a fool – or jester – to provide entertainment. He wore a cap and bells and a costume, half of one color and half of another. During meals he told jokes to amuse the company, and his antics and capers were a source of much merriment.

Telling jokes was not the only thing jesters might do. They often could juggle, perform acrobatics, told or made up stories, sing or play an instrument, sleight of hand or magic tricks, or perform a myriad of other entertainer’s roles. Such jesters were widely sought after and were regarded like prized pets. Even jesters with a limited repertoire were sought for as entertainment was hard to come by and travel was not something many attempted to do.

While the court jester was an entertainer and did play the fool for the amusement of their audience, the court jester often had a deeper, more involved role. Many of the best or most cunning of jesters only played at being a fool and instead could criticize the court (but not too much or risk punishment) and were sometimes used to deliver news others feared to do so. Some scholars go so far as to separate fools into the natural fool or licensed fool. Natural fools were often people with deformities or mental challenges whereas licensed fools were a profession, skilled entertainers and clever men who tread the line to mock nobles, court policies, or general politics. Early political satire, so to speak.

I could keep going, there’s a great history for jesters and fools and there’s several guilds of jesters out there for those folks who are looking to get into a new trade. (And it’s serious business competition, just like any other entertainment field). Jesters are a common literature troupe, having appeared in all sorts of media including the book series A Song of Fire and Ice, the TV show Game of Thrones (2), and the video game The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (3).

Of course, I have to mention the Tarot. The first card in the Tarot is The Fool and often the Fool is represented not only as the beginning of a journey (often a journey or plunge they’re unaware of) but also the careless naivety of youth, an escape of the real world or responsibilities, foolish bravery (or not knowing to be afraid), and even the beginning or the end of everything. This last interpretation actually has historical relevance as the Fool card is set something apart of the rest of the Arcana, given the number zero but often mixed up when in discussion. Waite talks about the Fool between Judgement and the World. (4) In addition, some version of the Tarot give the Fool other card numbers.

Death also is sometimes seen dressed as a Fool in some Tarot decks. This heralds back to the idea that death is the ultimate equalizer and Death always gets the last laugh. The Death card is one of the most varied in appearance in the Tarot deck so this shouldn’t come as a surprise to some. Additionally, Death’s way of clearing the field or humbling everyone is akin to the jesters role in being able to mock everyone accordingly.

When I was determining and designing my calendar, I wanted to set aside a special time for the Fool. My festival, simply called The Fool, takes in all of the above into account. The festival, starting March 30th and running until April 3rd, is a time set aside to be the fool. While fun and games likely will be taken into account, so are acts of wild and foolish bravery. This festival is a time to break out and try something new, ride that nervous thrill of something something so stupid and yet amazing. It’s also a time to set up and consider the world around me and the politics and relationships that affect me. While taking stock, I might even take a few pot shots at people, in the name of satire (not that calling people out on their shit is something I’m accustomed to doing but I make a point of it during these days to try and pass it off as both criticism and a joke).

During this time, entertainment is the highest order of the day, mixing media at will. As a symbol of the medieval origins of the festival, I often accompany this with ‘hidden’ foods like pies, ravioli, or tuck into surprising flavors into what appears to be a normal dish. Food that appears as something else like cupcakes or cakes decorated as fast food or something else is another favorite of mine. I also wear colorful clothing, often in bright or contrasting color as well as don on jingling jewelry in addition to my normal bell jewelry. On occasion, I’ll even put my hair into unique styles to create an illusion or just for the look of it.

Specifically, it’s a time to also play the fool. During these days I endeavor feign ignorance or innocence, if only to see where it gets me, or to behave in a foolish way (such as doing something I wouldn’t normally do). In company, during these days I make it a priority to entertain as needed.

This kind of festival is not only a huge stress reliever but also somewhat necessary now that spring’s come to the Northern Hemisphere. People want to shake out the cobwebs of both their homes and their spirits and my The Fool festival is perfectly designed for just that.

  1. Hartman, Gertude. Medieval Days and Ways. Macmillan Publishing Company. New York. Original publication: 1937. Edition publication: 1965. Pages 48-49.
  2. There are several jesters in George R.R. Martin’s works and other characters who are forced into the role of a fool. I won’t say much since case of spoilers but it’s a total THING.
  3. Circeo anyone?
  4. Waite, Arthur Edward (Waite, A.E.). The Pictorial Key to the Tarot. U.S. Games Systems, Inc. Stamford, Connecticut. Original publication: 1910.  Edition publication: 2000. Pages 152-155.

I would also like to apologize for the silence around here. My shop had a sudden burst of complicated orders and it was hard to keep up and not drop other things at the same time. As of this posting, I’m currently several states away from home serving as priest, healer, confident, and spiritual balm to a client and their family. It’s very high stress but it seems the worse has passed and I’m now ready to publish the above piece which I wrote a while back. Thanks for your understanding in this.

 

Why I Hate the Current Usage of the Word “Godphone”

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I wrote the following post a while back and never published it. Since I was recently asked about godphones so I’m posting it here so I can link it then I’m heading off the internet for my Silence Festival until Monday. Warning for cuss words which are abundant. Continue reading →

New Year’s Resolutions and You: Witchcraft version

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Every New Year’s Day there’s about a million posts online that tell you how to make good resolutions and/or keep them. The most popular are saving money, read more, quit something (smoking, drinking, a hated job, etc), learn something new, and exercise/eat healthier1. However the most common ones are also the easiest to break2. However, magic practitioners have a leg up on every else.

How? How don’t you?

The following will inform you just how very easy it can be to keep that New Year’s resolution – or at least have a better chance at keeping it.

  • Knot spells – Trying to quit a bad habit? Get an elastic band and braid over the elastic with thread or ribbon. As you braid, make your confirmations that this is what you’re going to do and how you’re going to do it. Pro-tip: use elastic made for clothing makers or crafters and tie or tape it together. The elastic will last far longer than any other. Put it on your wrist and every time you go to do that habit, snap it.
  • Cast a spell – Write and cast a spell for your purpose. Want to lose weight? Print out a picture of yourself, now draw the shape you want to me. On the waning moon (yeah, that’s right, moon phases, I don’t use them for anything but this sort of stuff) cast a spell to encourage your body to change. Don’t forget to actually exercise and adjust your diet as needed to achieve the weight loss in a healthy way.
  • Money jar – This is great for just about every resolution. Get a nice clear jar with a lid. Write (or tape on a note) your resolution on it. If you’re making a few resolutions, just write “resolutions”. Now every time you do whatever your resolution is, put money in the jar. I tend to put pocket change in mine so it might be a few pennies one day and a handful of coins the next. Keep that money to help fund next year’s New Year’s Eve drinking or to help pay for Christmas presents or whatever. But how is this witchy? Enchant that money jar to WANT money. Every time you pass that money jar, you’re going to want to put money in it. And to put money in it, you need to do one of your resolutions. (So, read a book, exercise for fifteen minutes, Google up a new craft to learn, whatever)
  • Reminders! Use your phone and computer for reminders. I log everything into my Google calender. I’d be lost without it. Schedule your workout or time to read or whatever. That’s not really witchy but it can be! Color code each of your resolutions with a color that will make you want to do it. Now print out that color and use that as a spell to encourage you to do whatever it is you need to do.

Why are New Year’s resolutions helpful for witchcraft? They totally can be. I know some folks who make resolutions like “I want to do 30 spells this year.” “I want to divine more.” “I want to start worshiping a god”. With resolutions like that, how could they not be witchy? And yes, creating object that want or encourage you to do your resolution helps.

Other reasons why to keep your resolutions may vary, and all of them can be useful in your witchcraft, spiritual, or religious practices. Let’s take the top ten resolutions according to Digital Spy from 2013 3:

  1. Read more books – Hey, why not read books on topics you want to study? Kindle is free to download on the computer and smart phones and there are lots of free books on just about every subject. Many libraries also have online e-book libraries as well to borrow from. If you spend a lot of time reading blogs, try to keep track of how many pages you read and count that towards a book.
  2. Save more money – Copy bills and put them in your freezer to stop them from increasing. Do every money spell you can get your hands on and, if spending is an issue, enchant a jar or savings book to WANT that money and enchant your debit card and wallet to be less attractive for you. Want to reward yourself at the end of the year for saving so much? Buy yourself an expensive book or tool for your practice.
  3. Lose weight – I’ve described above how to do this but another good reason is some people feel more in tuned with their energy and have more energy after they’ve exercise. I know that when I actually keep my exercise regiment, I feel much healthier, sleep better, and slip more easily into trances. Spirit work and astral travel also seems easier, but that’s my personal experiences. Yours may very well vary.
  4. Redecorate – This is the perfect opportunity to witchcraft your house and put up new protection spells! If you’re painting, don’t be afraid to write on the old paint spells, symbols, sigils, etc to protect you house and paint over them. Buying curtains? Draw or stitch sigils or symbols onto them to protect. You don’t have to just protect! You can also stuff or buy pillows for your couch or bed to help heal or sleep better.
  5. Take better photos – Photography seems odd but actually can be really interesting. You can protect your photography by putting an invisible sigil watermark on them. Want to use your photography in your witchcraft? If you’re working on a witchy garden, use photographs to document it. If you’re doing spirit work with local spirits attached to a tree, photograph the tree each week or month to see the growth and changes as you’ve built a relationship. It can be very affirming.
  6. Go traveling – Travel doesn’t have to be far or overseas! Look around to see if there’s any Pagan Pride Days nearby or if someone’s hosting an event or workshop you want to attend. Do money spells to earn up the cash to go and spells to encourage travel.
  7. Sell old unwanted stuff on eBayIf you can sell them, look to trade. Think of all the new shiny witchy stuff you could have it you do sell it! Use money spells to encourage sales.
  8. Buy a tablet – Money spells are your friend here.
  9. Organize photos – While organizing your photos, keep a photograph of each person you want to do a spell for. Want to heal your aunt? Help your brother get a job? Want to curse that ex of yours? Organizing your photos is the perfect excuse to find the best photos for spellwork.
  10. Do something for charity – This can be used as a sacrifice for your gods, depending on which deities you serve.

So you see, there’s a lot of reasons beyond the regular or obvious ones why you should want to keep your New Year’s resolutions.

My New Year’s resolutions for 2014 will be the following:

  • Exercise for at least 10 minutes once a day to improve flexibility, energy, and strengthened previously injured limbs – can be stretches, heavy house cleaning, going for a walk, or full workouts. Pro goal: 30 minutes at night and 10 in the morning.
  • Write more – at least non-blog related 1500 words a day. Pro goal: finish a book and be published.
  • List one new item a week in the shop. Pro goal: 5+ items a month

I intend to accomplish this by implementing the above tips. A money jar has been selected and constructed and will be used for all three resolutions. I have a yoga mat I will be enchanting to encourage me to use it more often and I’m putting a glamour on the fridge and cupboards to seem less attractive – no more snacking just because it’s there. Writing’s a bit trickier as I use my computer for it but I’m going to enchant my rug next to my bed (which serves as my desk) so that every time I step on it I will want to write. And for the shop, I’m going to hang a “siren’s call” type charm bag in my workshop to encourage me to work.

There’s a lot of ways to witchify your New Year’s resolutions even if the resolutions themselves aren’t terribly witchy. I find that thinking of ways to make your not-witchy stuff work better through witchcraft makes doing that stuff a little more special and fun.

The Ladd School

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The Ladd School. Taken from [http://www.theladdschool.com/history/history-of-the-ladd-school-ri.asp].

This morning the Providence Journal reported that Rhode Island’s Supreme Court upholds the state’s decision that it can’t be liable for injuries gained on Ladd School. [x]

Which is really interesting because Ladd School is a famous abandoned mental institute.  Built as an annex of the Templeton Colony and in association with the Massachusetts School for the Feeble-Minded in 1908, it was suppose to be progressive. [The States newest institution”. The Providence Journal. 21 February 1909. pp. S4, 7.] It wasn’t. Originally known as the Rhode Island School for the Feeble-Minded. Dr. Joesph Ladd later changed the name in 1918 to the Exeter School due to the controversy with the term “feeble-minded”. [Ladd , M.D., Joseph H. (1916) Report of the Exeter School to the RI Board of Education, p.20] Whatever it’s intentions was, by the 1940s it served as a place to put people, usually women, who were unwanted. The mentally ill, women pregnant with illegitimate children, prostitutes, and so on. It was a eugenics program run by Dr. Ladd who was Fernald’s protege. (Ferald being Dr. Walter Fernald, a eugenicist who decided these schools were a good idea and compounded such ideology.)

Up until the 1940s or so it was a nightmare. Varying degrees of how terrible it was depends on your source but overcrowding, untrained staff (Dr. Ladd was the only trained staff, supposedly, but that’s just local legend. However, there was a great shortage of trained staff. That much has been historically confirmed.), with few releases, being sent to the Ladd School was a literal death sentence – you didn’t leave until you were dead or unable to reproduce. This, by the way, was encouraged by the state as the School had become something akin to a penal colony.

In ’47, Dr. Ladd released nearly a third of the school’s population (about 900 people!) and made changes to improve the school. This was not because a change of heart but financial troubles. [Ladd, M.D., Joseph H. (1945) Report of the Exeter School to the Department of Social Welfare, p.2] However, although the number of buildings and patients grew, the conditions did not overmuch. There was anew focus, however, in taking the severely disabled rather than just the criminal or shunned women. Because there were so few trained staff, the situation kept getting worse until 1955 when a 20 year old “defective delinquent” was implicated in the murder of a severely disabled child. [“3 Years In Exeter Death”. The Providence Journal Bulletin. 1 March 1956. p.1] Dr. Ladd quickly resigned.

In ’56 Dr. John Smith took over [Greenberg, Selig (3 July 1956). “New Exeter Head Spend Hours On Planning”. The Providence Journal Bulletin.] and in a renamed the school Dr. Joseph H. Ladd’s School in 1958. Dr. Smith was a breath of fresh air even if the air did have it’s own stench a bit. Dr. Smith came from Connecticut’s Training School for the Feeble-Minded and put in a few series of new buildings, state-of-the-art, including small cottages which would become the model for group homes. However, in the late 60s, employees began picketing the working condition and wages. [“Ladd Pickets for More Help”. The Providence Evening Bulletin. 21 March 1973.]

In November 1977 a state inspection at the hospital building found multiple health and human rights violations, including several deaths from negligence and medical malpractice. [Perl, Peter (28 September 1977). “‘Deplorable’ situation closes Ladd clinic”. The Providence Evening Bulletin. p.1.] Dr. Smith was fired by the governor who demanded changes. [Gariepy, Tom (25 January 1978). “Dr. Smith fired at Ladd; Garrahy orders changes”. The Providence Evening Bulletin. p.1.] George Gunther took over but made no waves. The 1980s arrived quietly but changes in policy and revision, plus denationalization movement had the governor order the closing of Ladd in 1986,  although the last patients wouldn’t leave the building until 1993. [Fitzparick, C. (1 March 1986). “Reaction to Ladd closing: cheers”. The Providence Journal Bulletin. p.1.; Miller, G.W. (31 July 1986). “Ladd Center shuts down”. The Providence Journal Bulletin. p.A3.] At the end, it compromised some 30 buildings and even had it’s own named roads. There’s even a map from the 1970s that shows how large the School was. [http://www.theladdschool.com/map/the-ladd-school-buildings.asp]

You can read more about the Ladd School at The Ladd School Virtual Museum, although watch out for some misinformation and writer’s prose. I found at least one instance of inaccurate information and the writer has a tendency to backhandedly insult the state. This is a great little blurb on Ladd School, with a lot of detail but zip sources. Read the comments for personal stories. The facebook group  The Ladd School Museum has a TON of information, including documentation. There have been at least four books published on Ladd as well as a documentary. The Ladd School was the filming location for the movie Blackmask. [http://www.theladdschool.com/research/the-ladd-school-links.asp]

Over the years, heading up to the Ladd School was something of a teenager’s right of passage, but it was not without risk as the state’s decision indicates. That was a lawsuit from ’05 when a 17 year old boy accidentally spilled sulfuric acid he found on site over himself. I personally knew a classmate of mine who was hit by a car on site but he survived with a broken arm and a new story to tell. (Ladd School was a popular place to drink and get high). Another friend of mine fell from the second floor but wasn’t injured outside of bruises. The buildings always felt cold, even in the bright heat of midsummer. Friends who frequented the site more than I (because Exeter is across the state from me), report phantom footsteps, shadow figures, voices, and singing when no one else was around. However, with the site being so very large, it would have been impossible to actually confirm that they were alone every time.

In 2006, heavy rains revealed more than 70 human remains out on route 37  were discovered. Archaeological research discovered that exits 2 and 3 were built over the State Farm Cemetery which is the name of the Ladd School’s cemetery back in the ’60s. Later the bodies were re-interred in the State Institute Cemetery in Warwick later that year. In 2009 there was a memorial service for those re-interred. [“RIDOT Hosts Memorial Service for 71 Men, Women and Children Re-interred at State Institution Cemetery”. RI.gov. Rhode Island Department of Transportation. 2009-07-14.] The building of the highway occurred because the wooden grave markers had been worn away over time and no environmental studies were done before the building occurred. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhode_Island_Route_37. Retreieved 12/21/2013.] The whole building over graveyards and not checking the environment isn’t even surprising. There’s no law in Rhode Island that says they can’t, so long as it isn’t a Native American graveyard. This is from personal experience working with the Historical Cemetery Commission of Rhode Island. Trust me. No one bats an eye at building over graveyards in this state. In fact, according to the state registry, there’s something like 3100 cemeteries in Rhode Island. And at least a third of them are missing. We either had no data to find them outside of comparing family cemetery names to landowners of the period or we have information from 40-60 years ago telling you how to find the cemetery – often using landmarks that no longer exist. There is a current movement to place each cemetery on GPS so they can be added to maps and claimed as historical landmarks. Ladd School and State Farm Cemetery, at this point in time, have not been declared a historical landmark.

Most of the buildings of the Ladd School were demolished August, 2012. [I can’t find the original post but here’s some photos of the demolition: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.579697698743021.1073741828.419338814778911&type=1] Located in Exeter, Rhode Island on state property, it is famously known by locals as a haunted place with hundreds if not thousands of reporting sightings. For those looking to wandered through Ladd, know that police do routinely stop there, there’s cameras on the grounds of nearby office parks (a popular route to get there), and to watch your step as the grounds can be tricky. In fact, seven people were arrested for trespassing in August 2012 so you might want to give it a pass. [http://cranston.patch.com/groups/police-and-fire/p/cranston-teens-charged-for-trespassing-at-former-ladd-school]If you’re in Exeter, don’t forget to check out the gravesite of Mercy Brown, an accused vampire.

Most importantly, don’t damage anything in Ladd or Mercy Brown’s cemetery. Not only is it beyond fucking rude, it’s a crime. Also, I’m watching and I consider all graveyards and cemeteries in Rhode Island under my protection. Fuck with one and I’ll curse you. Friendly warning.

Crown’s Usage of Bones and a Pondering on the Community

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Unpopular opinion below. You’ve been warned.

There’s this new surge in lots of folks (read as pagan, witches, and other like folk) wanting to start bone collections. I’m totally for collecting bones just as a collector but I’m at the same time confused. Because I’m seeing a lot of witches and pagans expressing the desire to collect bones to put on their altars, shrines, walls, etc but not stating WHY. Obviously, what’s stated below’s my opinion and might not make me popular. Oh well.

I like bones. I went to school for archaeology and I intend to write my thesis, when I go back, on death rituals. I know bones. However, I don’t have a huge collection and here’s why:

  • It’s expensive. Bones are often costly, especially when their ethically sourced, and need to be properly cared for. This is especially true of human bones because it’s disrespectful to possess human bones and not treat them properly.
  • Space. That ox skull might seem awesome now but where are you going to store it? Where are you going to put it where you can clean it regularly from dust, put it somewhere it won’t get damaged accidentally, be away from the element, such as water and heat, and also be decorative? Do you realize how big an ox skull is? How about a ram skull with horns intact? Or a horse’s femur? Bones, like all things, take up space and when you start looking into deer bones (which seems to be a gateway to bone collecting) you’re going to quickly realize how big these bones are.
  • Cleaning bones of the flesh is a time consuming, dirty, space-taking, and sometimes dangerous work. It’s really very disgusting and can’t be done around children or pets. In fact, there’s a long list of things you should be doing and wearing when you clean bones. You can also very easily get sick when trying to clean bones, especially the bones of roadkill. This can be from flesh-eating bacteria to bone dust in your lungs.
  • No need for them. I don’t need bones. I don’t need to showcase a dead person’s bones when I didn’t know that person and have no connection to said person. This is a personal opinion, obviously, but why collect or display bones of a person or animal when I have no connection to them? If you feel a particular affinity towards cats, then I could see why you’d collect them. But just randomly having a bunch of bones for no purpose other than they’re bones and they feel “witchy” is playing to the stereotype of witchcraft (which is totally cool to do but admit that’s what you’re doing)
  • I personally find using the bodies of the dead as decoration without any other purpose outside of that decoration is bordering on disrespectful of the dead. Again, personal opinion, but there it is.
  • Local sources are hard to find and require a lot of searching. Representing your local forest which you work with spiritually by using a deer skull is actually really neat. But wouldn’t it be far more meaningful to scour the woods for a deer skull or ask for/buy/commission it from local hunters. You help out a local hunter and you get a skull from your area.

Now, I use bones for a wide variety of purposes in my witchcraft. For example, let’s say a family bought a roast chicken with the last of their money. Take a bone from the roasted chicken, clean it, break it chanting that with the breaking of this bone so are the sorrows from lack of money (or whatever), and then bury it at a crossroad. Small bones collected for various purposes are kept and tucked into charm bags. A coyote’s toe for cunning and intelligence, to help someone thrive with a new promotion or moving to a new urban city. Bones from Christmas ham and Thanksgiving turkey are cleaned and kept to use in spells to benefit the household and those that have eaten off those bones. Animal symbolism can be attributed to those bones and bones themselves are great as a “foundation” in spell work, a good starting point.

There’s a lot you can do with bones and the bones I collect for witchcraft aren’t, however, for display. They’re used almost immediately for a specific purpose or kept for specific purposes for the future. That being said, that doesn’t mean I don’t have bones in “decorative” places. I keep three cow bones hanging above my trash – to always keep the wolves at bay, to ensure that there’s always a place to start from and that the foundation of my life won’t be rubbish, will never go so low that I need to start entirely from scratch, from nothing. They appear very decorative but they’re there for a specific reason.

Ancestor worship is entirely different and falls well into the realm of “doing your own thing”. For example, I’m looking into acquiring a stag’s skull from Wales, as a tribute to my ancestors. It would be blessed, cleansed, and hung with care as a method of honoring my ancestors. Again, decorative, but serving the purpose of necrolatry.

Now, I’m not saying bones shouldn’t be used in art or education. There’s some gorgeous artwork that have been made with bones, but I always question whether those bones have been treated with respect and ethically sourced before really giving in to admiring them. And, outside of writing, I’m not an artist so I can’t really express a thorough opinion on that topic. I know it’s somewhat controversial but a ridiculously ancient practice. Seriously, bone art’s been around forever.

As for education and reference, that’s obviously an aside and still falls into the questions “do you really need bones or would a plastic anatomical skeleton be cheaper? (Most time they’re not). Often, people learn off skeletons that are older than their professors. A lemur skeleton at one of my old universities was seriously older than half of the buildings we were taught in. And sometimes you need to the real thing to reference for art or education purposes. They’re, again, not decorative. They’re there for a very specific reason: to help you learn. Because you intend to learn off of them, you’re likely going to treat them with the respect the dead deserve.

There’s no need to work with bones if you don’t want to. I feel like the community, especially on tumblr, has this thing where they go through fads of things that “everyone does” that sounds super cool and, in fact, not everyone does, even wants to do, or is particular safe to do, especially for beginners. For a while it was flying ointments, then astral travel, and now bones (at least, from what I’ve seen. YMMV.). Necromancy, necrolatry, and other like gramarye practices are specific fields that bones can be useful for but most people that I see on tumblr do not express their practices as such. I just don’t understand why people want to start collecting the dead when they don’t intend to use them in any manner other than to sit on a shelf. Again, that’s probably just me but I often see witches expressing how badly they want bones but don’t say WHY. Once someone said they wanted beaver bones because beavers they had a great affinity for them. They didn’t want other bones, just beavers. That totally makes sense to me. But I’ve had conversations with people that turn out like this:

Me: Why do you want bones?

Them: For witchcraft!

Me: Yeah, OK. But what are you going to DO with them?

And they never have an answer for that. They just kind of stare at me or abandon the post entirely. Some folks do say “to worship” or “represent X” X being a deity, spirit, or ancestor but more and more are just picking up collecting bones because it’s cool and witchy. I’m sorry but that’s not a good enough reason, in my opinion, to use the bones, the very foundation of a person or animal. I find that’s disrespectful. Again, my opinion but there it stands.

So I ask you: For what purpose do you want bones? What do you intend to do with them? Honor them? Worship them? Use them as representations of your deities or in spells? To create art and an artistic statement? Or is it just to look cool?