Category: Spells, Workings, & Charms

You Shall Not Pass! A Defensive Protection Spell

If you read the title in Gandalf’s voice, you’re doing it right. You Shall Not Pass! is what I call an “active defensive spell”. It’s a security system. Essentially, it’s a passive, dormant spell that sits an only activates when someone or something happens outside of what you’ve programmed. It’s one of my favorite and most used protection spells ever.

This spell can be cast on any object, but it’s best used for a stationary object, like a doormat, door threshold, or fence. Check the notes for an incomplete list of ideal enchant-able objects for this spell.

Shout out to one of my tumblr followers for the doormat idea and the reminder that this is a spell I haven’t shared yet. I didn’t name you, in case you want anonymity for safety reasons, but if you want full credit, just let me know and I’ll happily add you.

You Shall Not Pass by This Crooked Crown

What you’ll need:

  • An object to enchant
  • General active defense (spell base):
    • Black pepper
    • Cayenne pepper
    • Paprika
    • Ivy (or any climbing vines or vine plant)
    • Rose thorns
    • Rose petals
    • Rue
    • Hydrangea
    • Your finger or toe nails
    • Your hair or blood
    • Plant from the property
    • Salt
    • Sand
  • Against thieves, theft or trespassing:
    • Rosemary
    • Thistle
    • Heliotrope
    • Juniper
    • Cactus
  • Against jealousy, envy, or gossip (ie nosy neighbors)
    • Rue
    • Pepper
    • Hydrangea
    • Heliotrope
    • Clove
    • Slippery elm
  • Against deception or for the truth: (ie, solicitors)
    • Snapdragon
    • St. John’s Wort
    • Calla lily
  • Against bad luck, negativity, evil, or malevolent spells, witches, spirits, or witchcraft:
    • Bay laurel
    • Betony
    • Cyclamen
    • Dill
    • Garlic
    • Juniper
    • Patchouli
    • Rue
    • Snapdragon
    • St. John’s Wort
    • Thyme
    • Vervain
    • Yarrow
    • Chives
    • Roses
    • Rosemary
    • White birch bark

 

Select ingredients from each list above. You can have as many or as few as you’d like. Try doubling up (like snapdragon or roses). The flowers of petals may be the easiest to procure but try to get the vines or stems of the plants too.

This spell does call for finger/toe nails, blood or hair, and plants from your home. This is totally up to you but the nails are your own strength and magic for the spell. The blood or hair is the “alarm” part of the spell. And the plants from your home are to connect the spell to the location itself. If live in an apartment without plants, maybe grab some dirt or a stone from the property. If that’s not doable, try to get a bit of dust from your home.

Mix the ingredients together and reduce to as fine as a powder as you’re able to get.

If the object to be enchanted is a vertical object, like a door, skip the powdering. Just mix the ingredients together and add 2 cups of hot tap water to the ingredients. Let steep 1 hour and strain. You’ve now got a concoction.

Either way, while you powder or steep your ingredients, stand over the ingredients and think of the people you want “allowed” into your space – friends, loved ones, neighbors, church folks, mail carrier, girl scouts selling cookies, etc. Also think of people you do NOT want, like door to door salesman, thieves, ex-lovers, and so on.

Sprinkle your concoction or powder across the object to be enchanted and say,

 

None shall pass

this [object] unwanted or unbidden

Trip the trespassers, track the thieves

Ban the disdained, dismiss the shifty

None shall cross my [object]

That I do not want to pass

 

Sweep or brush the object off, as desired and toss the rest of the ingredients in the garbage or compost. You could bury the remaining ingredients on your property, if you desire.

For the spell to work, you should feel a sudden awareness or conscious thinking about the object when something unwanted it coming near it. That’s the “trigger” to let you know something’s nearby. It doesn’t matter if the spell “alerts” you through this trigger, because the spell will automatically register those you don’t want and go to defend against them.

 

Notes:

Here’s an incomplete list of objects you can enchant using this spell:

  • Doors
  • Door frames
  • Windows
  • Windowsills
  • Porches
  • Fences
  • Property lines
  • Doormats
  • Windchimes
  • Mailboxes
  • Yard decoration like statuary
  • Yard furniture like chairs or tables
  • Cars or vehicles
  • Driveway stakes (like the reflective ones to mark the end of a driveway)
  • Outdoor lights
  • Doorbells
  • Sidewalks or walkways
  • Driveways
  • Gates
  • Railings

The Stars’ Invitation

This is a very adaptable spell. It’s used to increase the things you want more of in your life. So if you want love, you’ll add that component. If you want money, you add that. It’s used for what you want. Unlike the full moon or sun variations of this spell, this one can be used to invite things you do not currently possess into your life.

That being said, this can be a tricky spell to pull off in some people’s home environments. You need complete darkness on a new moon night.

Stars' Invitation by This Crooked Crown

What you’ll need:

  • Items you want to increase in your life
  • Full Moon Water
  • A starry night
  • Quartz crystal charged by a new moon.

 

Charge a quartz crystal on a new moon. Before you go to bed (or before the sun rises) , take the crystal away and wrap it up in a cloth until the next new moon.

On a starry night of the new moon, collect together items that represents the things you want in your life. You might have a handful of cash, a picture of a college diploma, a love letter written to a dream lover, or anything else. Think creatively and simply. If you want to travel to Aruba, put in a picture of Aruba. Don’t make things hard for yourself.

Once you have together your items, take them and place them on a table next to a window where no light will shine from outside on it. You can also leave it on the windowsill itself. Be smart about this. Don’t leave a wad of cash on your windowsill and expect it to not get stolen if you live on the ground floor and leave the window open. Be as discreet as possible with your items but don’t cover them up.

Unwrap your charged quartz crystal and wave it over the items slowly, making circular passes from east to west. Make as many passes as you’d like, using a sacred, magical, or favorite number, if you like. When done, place the crystal in the middle of the collected items.

Place a drop of full moon water on each item then leave them overnight. You can leave the items there until the full moon or you can take the items away immediately. You may wish to avoid spending any money used in this spell until after the full moon.

You can repeat this spell as often as you like.

 

Notes: 

  • If you’re charging water, crystals, or anything else by the new moon’s light, do this in a separate location than this spell.
  • We avoid putting the items in a bag or container so the lack of moonlight can touch them. A good middle ground is a big glass mason jar.
  • Quartz crystal is selected because it’s a good neutral stone. If you have a moon related stone you’d prefer to use, use that.

Happy casting!

7 Magical Things to Do When You Want Love (But Don’t Want Romance)

Valentine’s Day is almost upon us. Even if you don’t pay any attention to this couple-centic holiday, many pagan related festivals also focus on love (or sex). But what about the times in between?

Have any of you ever been at a point in your life when you’re ready to encourage new love into your life but you don’t quite know how to do that? Or you’re not really ready to dip your toes into the dating pool? It could also be that you just don’t have a ton of love in your life and you want more of it. You could be single and actually really love being single but that doesn’t mean you don’t get lonely occasionally. Or you might be asexual but that doesn’t mean that you don’t want love or cuddles sometimes. Love is not a singular thing but a many branched tree and many times there’s lots of branches that are forgotten or ignored.

Whatever your reason may be, there’s a lot of reasons why people may want love but aren’t willing to ready to dive into the big stuff like formal spells or dating apps. This is a list for people in those in between places that’s not here or there.

 

7 Magical Things to Do When You Want Love (But Don't Want Romance)

 

01 Take a luxurious bath with all the works

This is commonly seen as a self-care or self-love tactic (and you’ll be seeing a lot of those as well here) but it’s also super good when you want to attract something to you.

Specifically, this would be the reason you break out the fancy candles and the soaps that you never use. Make up some salt or sugar scrubs or buy some. Make sure that you’re alone, if possible, and you’re ready to dedicate some time to this.

You may also want to find some music or white noise soundscapes to add in. This is a personal choice. Maybe you want some sexy musics or your favorite tunes. Maybe you want to set the mood for yourself with music that reflects the kind of love you want to experience or you feel a spiritual connection to a song or type of sound and want that to play while you’re bathing. Reading a book or scrolling through your feed or watching a movie while you’re in the bath is always an option.

Before you set up the bath, however, take a shower. Wash off the old you before you set up the bath. During that time, focus on cleansing and rejuvenation techniques and spells. Meditation is also a good choice during the shower portion. Then ready the bath right after that.

The purpose of taking a bath like this is to not only give yourself some primping and care, but also to wash away all the old gunk that might be attached to you. The bath gives you a chance to bring up a little luxury, glamour, and more positive aspects of yourself that you’ve forgotten. You might not ever remember or need to wear your jasmine perfume but you can bath in jasmine scented soap and get the same effect, even if all you do is crawl into a pair of sweats afterward and binge watch Netflix.

 

02 Keep some of your hair

People have a thing about hair. Some people find it really gross. Others find it extremely attractive. And some folks don’t care either way. Only some hair is considered socially unacceptable on certain bodies and some hair is considered unacceptable at all times, even though it naturally grows?

It’s kind of weird to me since our hair is typically some of the cleanest parts of the body because we often use very harsh chemicals on it. (Plus, so long as you have access to a good diet and water, your hair often maintain itself in non-extreme temperatures without any chemical cleaning agents at all.) The hair on your head is probably cleaner than your hands, for example. It’s weird.

Hair, however, is an incredibly traditional ingredient in magic, especially love magic. Next time to get a haircut or trim, keep some of your hair if you can. Wrap it in a red cloth and put the whole bundle in a box. Keep the box somewhere safe where no one else may run across it but it’s still close and accessible (under the bed or in a bedside table is a good place)

Before you tuck that box away though, put in some love-drawing ingredients. It may be rose quartz or dried rose petals. (Some coins wouldn’t go amiss either, I’m sure.) The idea is that the box holds a part of you. It’s you, so treat it carefully and with love. Add items to the box that you want to bring into your life and keep it safe.

 

03 Tell the birds

Do you live near trees or often see birds nearby? Tell the birds what you’re looking for when it comes to love.

This can definitely be something that makes the neighbors think you’re an odd duck, but it’s definitely something that will work. Tell the birds, who are often chatterboxes and knowledgeable in folklore, about what you’re looking for. Afterwards, look for that same bird species as a sign or omen of potential love.

 

04 Tell the wind

Telling the birds might give you omens and signs of when potential lovers are nearby, but telling the wind can bring you even more peculiar things.

On a windy day, go outside and whisper the kind of love you’re looking for. Be specific as you’d like. Tell the wind how you’d like to spend a windy day with the love you’d like to have. For example, if you want a platonic cuddle buddy, then describe how on a windy day you’d curl up together and watch Practical Magic and eat brownies.

The thing with telling the wind what you’re looking for versus the birds is that birds only bring local and potential love. The wind may bring you a best friend that lives across the world that you’ll only ever get to have video chats with.

 

05 Pick your love song

Have you ever heard a song that’s just exactly the kind of love you want to experience? Or maybe it’s a song used during a scene where the characters share the exact kind of love or relationship you want to have. It might be a song classic or it could be something a Disney song. It could be instrumental or it might be from a musical. Whatever your song is, you probably have on in mind.

Use that! Pick your song and play it whenever you feel lonely. Make a whole playlist if you want. Play the song or songs before you head on when you’re feeling up to meeting new people or want to find love.

Love songs are often used for just couples. Pick a song that represents the love you want to feel and use that like a blanket of comfort and warmth. This is officially permission to listen to cheesy love songs just because you like them.

Can’t think of a song? You can write one or use a poem which you stick to music.

 

06 Grow a Plant

Flowers are often gifted as presents during this season but buying yourself a plant and reading up on how to love and care for it is pretty amazing. It’s saying, “I want you to live and be happy so I can live and be happy.”

The more you care for a plant, the more it cares for you. Tell your plant what you want from a lover (or your life in general) and care for the plant as best you can.

It can be any kind of plant you want, from a big leafy palm to a delicate orchid. It’s up to you. Pick something that you find interesting or pretty and just pick one. Focus on learning everything you can to take care of that plant.

As it grows, it should allow you to share some of the love bottled up inside of you. Sometimes we have too much love in our bodies for the amount of love we are allowed to share. This is an excellent way of sharing that love without getting weird looks.

 

07 Carry your tears and heartache

This one is tricky but it’s really good for when you’ve been hurt a lot by love and want someone who understands.

Get a small bottle or locket that you can carry with you. Whenever you cry or feel terrible because you’re lonely or want love, hold the bottle or locket, open it up, and let your tears fall onto it. Tell your hurts to the charm, pouring your heart out. Be as honest as you’d like to be. Cry over your ex. Complain about how you can never find someone who wants what you want. Express yourself.

Just be sure to tell the bottle or locket not just how sad and cruel the world is, but also what you want to feel when it comes to love. Add in some self-love for yourself too. Go ahead and flatter yourself. Tell all those things to this object and carry it with you everyone. You’ve poured out your heart and soul to this thing and and it will look for someone who will mimics what you want in life.

This doesn’t have to be a bottle or locket but it could be a necklace, pair of earrings, a handbag, a journal, etc. It should be something you can hold.

 

There’s lots of other things you can do. The thing is to think about what you want to be feeling and experiencing. If you want someone to come over and hang out, cuddle and play video games, then look for that. Adapt spells for that. Love doesn’t just have to be about sex or romance. It can be a lot of things. Allow yourself to feel love, in whatever form you need.

 

 

 

Introvert’s Love Spell

3 Comments

Meeting people when you’re an introvert is hard. Being introverted doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re socially awkward but rather than you have a limited amount of energy to use on social interactions. Even small interactions like answering an email or saying hi to the neighbor as you walk to your door can be tiring. Talking to clerks at the store or going out to run errands in general can be exhausting. When you run out of energy to socialize, you need to recuperate. Alone time, even if you’re not actually alone physically, to rest your mind and nerves.

Or, at least, that’s how it is for me. I’m a hermit and quite happily an introvert.

Anyway, being introverted means that you’re probably not visiting crowded places often so you’re not likely to meet new people as often. This makes it hard, especially as an adult, to make new friends or lovers.

This spell was designed to do two things: 1) gently offer energy and nudge you to meet new people. 2) To bring new people into your routine. This means that you don’t have to break out of your mold quite as much as you normally would to meet new people.

I highly recommend reading the notes as there’s a lot of tips about this spell in there.

 

Introvert's Love Spell by This Crooked Crown

 

What you’ll need:

  • Your favorite flower or plant
  • Caffeinated coffee grounds
  • Granulated honey or granulated sugar
  • Carnation petals, borage, nettle, rosemary, or yarrow
  • A largeish paper bag
  • A small bell on red ribbon
  • Your shoes
  • Your keys

 

First, gather up your flower and ingredients. This spell can be done at any time but a new moon may be the best for a more celestial connection.

Sprinkle the sugar or granulated honey, herbs and/or flowers, and coffee grounds in the paper bag. As you do this, you can say or think of the kind of love you want to experience. Don’t focus on the person. Focus on the feelings you want to feel.

Assemble the bell. If you’re using ribbon to attach it, then string it. If you’re not and plan on attaching it to your keys or bag in some other way, make sure you can do that. Ring the bell once, over the bag, then place it inside the bag and say,

 

“When the bell chimes and rings,

Love will come near me.

I see them and they see me.”

 

Next, place the shoes inside the bag. As you do this, say.

 

“Where I walk,

Love will walk beside me.

I will go where they may go and they will go where I may go. “

 

If you have any other items you’d like to add, such as a wallet or cellphone, put that in now. These should be items you love and use most often in public. Think carefully before selecting the items and what you say. For example, if you use your wallet in the spell, you may find that you’ll only meet new potential lovers when you’re spending money. If you only use your phone, you may only run into people you know in your contacts list, people you use your phone to contact (which might be a good thing), or you may only meet interesting people when they’re bothering you while you’re using your phone.

Finally, add in your keys, jingling them before you put them in, saying.

 

“What my keys open is also my heart,

Love will become open to me.

I am brave enough to love them and they are brave enough to love me.”

 

Close the bag up and shake it. You can shake it as many time as you want, such as a sacred or favorite number. While you do this, think about the kind of love that you want to experience. Remember to think of all facets of the relationship, not just the meeting of your potential new lovers but also any relationship that might take place. Be sure that you include your own power and thoughts in this – you want to be able to say no or choose the lover just as much as they choose you, for example. You want the potential love and attraction to be reciprocated by both of you.

When you’re ready, open the bag up and pull out your items. Start with non-essential items like a wallet, then pull out your keys, shoes, and finally the bell. When you pull the bell out, ring it again, over the items you’ve pulled out.

Clean off your items from the flower, coffee, and sugar. The remaining flowers, coffee, and sugar in the bag can be put in a charm bag or bottle to carry and give you an extra little boost.

 

Notes:

  • Some flowers might not be in season for you right now or cannot be purchased at a local florist (or would be too expensive to do so). Try tea stores as they often have dried version of many plants in a mix of tea leaves.
  • You can pick something that is scented by your favorite flower, if you really can’t find any locally.
  • If you don’t have a favorite flower or plant. Use meadowsweet, lovage, or majoram. You can use rose petals as a last resort (assuming it isn’t your favorite flower). Also, maybe consider getting a favorite flower? Even the most macho men or anti-nature folks can have a favorite flower!
  • You can use any sweeter of choice but pick one that is dry. Honey, for example, is actually better for this sort of spell, but it’s a typically a wet ingredient.
  • Carnations, borage, nettle, yarrow, and rosemary are traditionally used to offer courage. If you have another courage-related plant you’d prefer, use that.
  • The bell can be any size or shape. It doesn’t have to be on a ribbon. You can just attach it to your keys through your key ring, if you prefer.
  • The paper bag can be a box or any kind of bag you have but it should be big enough to put your stuff in.
  • The shoesshould be the ones you use most commonly or are your absolute favorite.
  • You can use other items as well such as a favorite coat, hand bag, wallet, headphones you always wear, cellphone, etc.

Pop Culture Spells Are Real Spells

1 Comment

I’m sure you’ve heard it before. “That’s not a real spell” or “You can’t use that spell from Charmed” or my personal favorite “You need to use a spell from a real spell book not one that you made up or stole from TV.”

Some of my followers are laughing. You should be. The sad part is I’ve actually been told these things by other witches. I’ve heard them from actual people actually saying and believing this.

So I’m going to say this straight: this kind of thinking is illogical, infuriating, and bullshit.

Candle Smoke

Someone had to write those spells. Even in your precious “real spell book” (whatever that means because what separates a spell book from other books except intent and instructions?). I’m not even going to touch the fact that some actually people believe you shouldn’t write your own spells (or that you need a particular skill level or talent for it). Nope, I’m not going there. But I will go to that place where I can rant about the other stuff.

I’ve used spells from all sorts of places. TV shows, movies, books, poetry, video games, songs, instrumental music, even humming. I’ve used it all. None of the spells have failed because they were written for a video game. None. If they failed it was because a) Turning into a dragon is a bit out of reach at the moment (but who knows in the future?) b) I didn’t actually put effort into the spell and/or was just fooling around c) I didn’t power or empower the spell properly (look, unicorn horn and dragon teeth are kind of hard to come by, OK?) d) spells sometimes fail.

Let me give some examples of the cool shit I’ve done with spells from media forms:

  • Hair support spell – TV, slightly altered to turn from a curse into something more useable on myself
  • Attraction spell – a mix up of two songs with selected and slightly altered verses.
  • Short-term construct (created familiar) – song, verbatim
  • Mirror scrying spell – children’s book
  • Curse – based on a curse from a spell book, re-adapted for my novel, then re-adapted to be less vicious and used in real life.
  • Protection spells – general idea used by thousands of media forms AND witches
  • Harvesting spell – humming
  • Blessing for the dead – movie
  • Water boiling – a play
  • Annual festival ritual opening – poems
  • Annual festival ritual closing – anime / manga
  • Healing spell – Disney movie
  • Faerie conversation opener / spell – video game

All of these, by the way, worked as they were intended to. All of these were used in the same year.

Spell and Herb Candle by This Crooked Crown

Why is a spell written for a video game is less… whatever than one written by a magical practitioner from a hundred years ago? Why are words of a dead person considered more valid? They aren’t casting the damn spell. You are. So it doesn’t really matter where the spell came from because you’re casting it. You. You can turn anything into a spell. Even humming.

(The only exception I’ll make is if the spell itself is a living spell that gains power the more you use it. But that’s the only exception and I’ve never actually seen a spell like that in any books or ever used as an argument so we’ll put that exception aside.)

I really don’t understand the logic of a person who says “that’s not a real spell”. When they are asked to explain why that example isn’t a real spell they never say “because there’s no vocalizations, so it’s really just a working” (which, in my opinion, would be a valid argument and then the word choices would change for the rest of the discussion appropriately). They never say that. They just say “you can’t use a spell from Final Fantasy! You just can’t.” When asked to further explain, they’ll simply keep saying “Because it’s not a real spell.” It’s a circle of fallacy.

What people mean when they say something’s not a real spell is that it was not written by a practitioner for a practitioner to be used as a spell. That’s what they’re saying. And that’s bullshit. It’s also poisonous thinking.

No spell is valid until you do the spell and verify it for yourself. I don’t care that Sparkly Pony Butt the Greatest Witch There Is says the spell works. You. Didn’t. Do. The. Spell. If you didn’t test it, then there’s no it’ll work just because Sparkly Pony Butt says so. If you do the spell and it does work? Great! Even if the spell doesn’t work, that doesn’t mean the spell still isn’t valid just because it didn’t work for you. You are one person. You can’t invalidate an entire body of work just because it didn’t work for you. You might not like Game of Thrones but that doesn’t mean it isn’t valid entertainment to other people, right?

For All Sorts of Money Powder by This Crooked Crown

On that idea, you can’t invalidate a spell from some media form just because it was written for a character. The character used it, didn’t they? The spell most likely worked for them too. So… why can’t it work for you? What? Because magic is different from their fictional world? The results might be less flashy and different but you’ll probably still get results. Using media forms for spells is brilliant. I’ll give you some example:

You broke up with your now ex-lover. You really still hate that asshole. They cheated on you, kicked your dog, shit in your cornflakes, called your art ugly, whatever. You want to curse them. Your ex-lover once charmed you by reading their favorite poem to you. Use that poem against them. Curse them by turning that poem into a weapon. Don’t change the words, change the intent of the words. Make it so every time that ex-lover utters a line from that poem they become entangled further in the curse. Make it so their shoelaces are never tied, their bread will always spoil, they’ll develop an uncontrollable bladder, or they’ll feel your heartbreak every time they read that poem. Every. Time.

Another example: You ran across an amazing healing spell in a video game. It is literally the most beautiful thing you’ve read and it strikes you in ways you can’t quite articulate. Use it. You feel a connection to it. That person you’re healing doesn’t care where you’re getting that spell from. All they care about is their flu going elsewhere.

Example Three: You’re watching Doctor Who and the Doctor said something that struck a cord. After thinking about it a little, you realize you can make it a spell. You’re excited and tell your Whovian friend who says you can’t use it (the the snarkiest way possible). The Doctor doesn’t believe in magic and blah blah blah. Now you’re a little heartbroken. Re-watch a couple of your favorite episodes (I’d avoid Doomsday) and do it anyway. Also yes, your Sonic Screwdriver can be your wand. Ignore anyone who says otherwise.

Example Four: Harry Potter. Use it. Love it. Ignore assholes who make snide comments. They aren’t on the Quidditch team and they’re just jealous. Seriously though, Harry Potter is often cited as an inspiration for many. Some of you probably came to magical practices from Harry Potter. Why shouldn’t a spell from the series be used as well? You might not be able to make something float as well as Hermoine, but you could probably use Wingardium Leviosa to lighten a heavy bag or box.

Pop Culture Spells Are REAL Spells by This Crooked Crown

Words are just words until they are given meaning. Given intent. We are the ones that ascribe emotional meaning and intent to words. Because words are just words, you can give them any intent you want. Turn that blessing into a curse, if you want to. It doesn’t matter what others say. Your spells are valid for you. They don’t need to work for anyone else. They just need to work for you. Tweak that song verse to fit your desires. Make it your own. And use it.

You’re a witch. Manipulating shit to our wishes is what we do.

Adapted from my original tumblr post here.

Solar Ritual to Bring Hope

2 Comments

Everyone has moments where they are staggered and lose hope. It happens to everyone. Some people bounce back easier from such blows and others have more difficulty. This spell is designed to give you a sense of hope once again. To lighten the load spiritually, so to speak.

Since this ritual is based on the sunrise, you’ll have to get up rather early (or stay up), so make sure that you plan accordingly.

Solar Ritual to Bring Hope by This Crooked Crown

What you’ll need:

Clear bottle or glass of water

A drink of something you consider soothing and comforting

A jacket, shawl, shirt, or something that you love to wear and you feel comforted by, bonus if it has a hood.

A bell (optional)

Meditation, affirmations, prayers, or something that provides you strength and hope (optional)

 

First, google when the sunrise is on the day you want to cast the spell. I usually type “sunrise is at” and google provides the exact time of the sunrise for my location. Keep in mind this time is for the sunrise. The lightening of the sky and dawn itself lasts longer and starts earlier so set your alarm about fifteen or more minutes before so you can get up and watch the whole sunrise.

You’ll also need a location so you can watch the sunrise. A convenient parking lot, for example, a roof, beach, or a garden are good. A window that gets lots of sunlight will probably have a view of the sunrise (and possible even the sunset) as well. Make sure you can get to this space in time for the sunrise.

Once you’ve determined your location and time, you can prep the spell ahead of time so you don’t have to scramble in the morning.  You may need to prep your drink ahead of time or grab other essentials like a chair or shoes and set them out so you can go right away.

To cast the ritual, stand or sit in the pre-dawn light. Bow your head once to the sun as it rises. Now thank the sun for rising.

The sun is a constant source for us. We know that it will rise. We know this. That’s why people use the sun as a sense of renewal and hope. The sun is here, unimpressed by our turmoil. It rises, despite us cursing it for sunburns or being too bright on tired eyes. It’s time to pay respect for the sun’s existence and it’s strength.

Raise your water glass to the sun as it rises, trying to angle the growing light so it shines through the cup and water and finally onto you. Once you manage this angle, raise it higher to salute the sun and drink the glass.

Put the empty cup aside and bow your head once more to the sun, a subtle thanks for giving you her strength in a cup.

Now pray or petition the sun to give you strength, hope, guidance, or whatever else you may need. This is the time to pour out your heart to the sun. Once you feel empty or ready to move on, wrap yourself up in the jacket or whatever you brought with you for comfort. Drink your drink and take a moment to gather your internal strength. When ready, move onto the next part.

Stand up and/or straighten up as best you can and square your shoulders like you’re about to enter a room and own that space or prepare yourself for battle. Take a deep breath and release it, at your own pace. Bow your head to the sun again, in thanks for listening.

Now gather up any energy or magical strength you can currently muster. Don’t worry if you don’t feel like you have a good grasp on it or you feel like you’re not getting anything at all. You’re aiming to remove any remaining traces of hopelessness at this time. Again, don’t worry if you don’t feel like you managed this or can sense this energy. Just going through the motions with this ritual is enough.

Place your hand on your heart and then fling your arm out, as if ripping something away from you.  Make a grabbing motion with that flung out hand, as if snatching something out of the air. Press the close fist to your heart. Ideally, this should be a smooth motion and done while saying something like the following,

 

I cast aside this hopelessness, this fear, this uselessness.

I am myself. I am enough. I will always be enough. 

I will take my power into my hands and conquer what I put myself to.

 

Now, you can go about your way if you feel like you’re ready to get shit done.

If you still  aren’t ready, that’s OK. Try out the rest of the ritual. Break out your meditation, affirmations, or prayers. Go through a session with these things to provide additional guidance. Take as long as you need. When you’re finally ready to start your day, clear the space by ringing the bell.

This ritual can be repeated as often as you like, with whatever personal variations you need to make so it feels right to you.

 

Notes:

  • The bell does not have to be a physical bell. It can be a bell phone app, the ringing of a singing bowl, or some other ringing cleansing sound.
  • You don’t have to fill the glass of water completely. Just fill it enough so you can comfortably drink it in one go. If all you can manage is an ounce of water, than use that.
  • If you plan well ahead, you can even use solar water as the drinking water for a double charge of solar energy.

7 Tips to Get Your Life Under Control So You Can Get Back to the Magic

We’re all busy, right? We’ve all got a ton of things on our minds and it gets to be so hard to keep track of stuff. It’s even harder to fit in spiritual practices and make time for witchcraft.

I recently experienced this myself. I took on a lot of projects for This Crooked Crown on top of some personal projects for my own practice. Then Life reared its head. Family needed medical procedures or were sick (everyone’s OK! No worries), birthdays kept on coming, and the upcoming spring’s always a busy time with the ongoing Secret Future Plan project we’ve got going. Plus there’s the regular stuff to do too – readings, writing posts, taking photos, answering questions, and so on. There’s just a lot of stuff happening. I couldn’t keep up. It happens. Who’s got energy to cast a spell when you’ve been go-go-go all day?

I started going to bed with stress headaches and woke up with them too. That’s when I decided enough was enough and I was going to start managing my shit better. Here’s what I did.

7 Tips to Get Your Life Under Control So You Can Get Back to the Magic

01 Write down everything you’ve got going on 

This is absolutely the number one thing I recommend. It really drives home how busy you are and lets you see what’s happening so you can start prioritizing better. You may even decide to put something on hold for a while until some other project or situation can be finalized before taking up the reins again.

I wrote down everything I was thinking, doing, and feeling. It included little stuff like a mobile game I super enjoy playing daily to big years long projects that move slowly but surely. I also included stuff like stress about politics, birthdays, and personal worries or frustrations.

Then I numbered them three times. The first time, I numbered how important they were to me. This is kind of eye opening. You’ll really begin to see what’s important to you right now. Then I numbered them according to due dates – what needs to be done when – so bills or shop orders. The final time, I numbered them in order of priority to me or others I actually care about – a friend’s birthday, for example, might be more important to me than some due date for a thing I don’t really want to do.

Now do a comparison of the numbers. You can get as mathy as you’d like with this and figure out averages or whatever. I kind of just looked for similar numbers. If I listed a lack of spiritual connectivity as personal importance to as five but on the priority/due dates they were eleven or twelve, then that’s an area I need to focus on temporarily to feel personally satisfied but not dive into a major project for. So I might do a longer meditation session to help balance that out and get some more immediate results.

Make sure you look at how important stuff is to you and how you rate it as a priority. It might be that you’re ignoring your health or self-care in order to get shit done. it could also be that you want to accomplish something because you’re excited about it but it’s not actually all that important. Could your attention and energy be spent elsewhere or do you want to follow that excitement and allocate whatever time and energy you have left after you do that?

Also look at what numbers keep coming up or coincide with those items, especially if you’re into numerology. See if there’s a correlation with your divination readings in what cards keep coming up or if there’s some numerical importance attached to those numbers. Look at numbers that have huge discrepancies – or items you forgot to number. Those things may need some attention.

Now go through that list one last time and number how you want to proceed, taking in all that data. Using those numbers, write out a to do list with at least one actionable step you can take to start on that immediately. So if a birthday is your number one concern, write something like “research birthday gift” or “go out on Tuesday and buy present”.

It’s kind of a pain but this process can be really eye opening, especially if you remember to include things that aren’t just your daily to do or mundane but spiritual stuff as well. Maybe replacing that broken altar bowl doesn’t seem important but it might be weighing on your mind more than you know.

How to make this magic: Honestly, this technique is pretty eye-opening. I would use magical ink or paper or a language to write the list one last time in order of how you want to proceed, like a to do list, to ensure that you can accomplish what you want to accomplish.

 

02 Turned off the electronics early

I’ll be honest. I’m definitely one of those “turn off tablet/phone/computer/TV, roll over, go to sleep” kind of people. I don’t necessarily want to be. In a dream world and life, I wouldn’t even have a TV or computer in my bedroom. But since this isn’t a dream world, I have a ton of electronics in my sleeping area. And it’s a bummer.

Once I started going to bed with stress headaches – and waking up with them, I immediately stopped using electronics actively before going to sleep. Instead, I turned everything off but my tablet and read an fiction-based e-book until I found a physical book I wanted to read. I still woke up with stress headaches but I felt immediately less stressed and slept better.

There’s some scientific data to back this up but I know personally that turning my brain off from TV and instead letting my brain imagine stories before going to bed is better for me personally. Also look into blue light filters. I noticed my eyes hurt far less when I use blue light filters at nighttime.

It’s hard, I know. But give turning off your electronics ten minutes before you go to sleep a try.

How to make this magic: Putting sigils on your phone case for energy boosting is a great idea during the day to give both you and the phone a helping hand. Removing that phone from your hand at night allows you to have less energy and, thus, sleep much easier.

Aroma stimulation may also be useful. For example, I know it’s “no electronics time” and/or bedtime when I use lavender scented products. For me, lavender is used for quiet time. You might have a different scent that triggers this so do a little research to figure your own “shut off” scent.

 

03 Changed your rooms’ atmosphere and energy

Our rooms have their own atmospheres and energy. Right now, I’ve stacks and stacks of books everywhere for research projects. It reminds me of my college days where I was super stressed and sick all the time. Once I identified that as a contributing factor, I swapped out some things to shift the room’s energy – and my associations – to something else.

I picked fire, wind, and light as an energy to focus on. I used citrus scents, made sure to work in brightly lite rooms, and put on wind and bell soundscapes. My stressful associations shifted away and I felt far more productive and accomplished.

I also changed out my bedding, picked up lightly about the room, and rotated some decorative pillows and throw blankets to give a subtle change. I also throw open a window for a little while to air the place out.

As a bonus, changing up the lighting, scents, and sounds can immediately affect your mood.

How to make this magic: Color symbolism helps here, but so do scents and so on. Magical correspondences are your friend here. Ringing a bell can also dissipate clustered energies.

 

04 Dressed to boost your mood

Ten years ago, I scoffed at wearing sweats and casual tees on a daily basis. Now it’s my go-to when I’m in a time crunch and spending the day typing on a computer.

It makes sense. Ten years ago I was super active and busy – places to go, things to do, out before the sun rises and home at the witching hour. So I had to dress appropriately for those things. Since I work from home and my only co-worker is a cat, wearing sweats and a worn tee isn’t going to make a difference in what I do.

Except it kind of does. I started to put on non-lounge clothes in the mornings. It helped, most of the time, and kept me from glancing longingly at my video game consoles. Did it make me more productive? I don’t think so, but I felt more productive and put together. I felt more of a person and less like a cat pretending to be a person, so it has to count for something.

How to make this magic: Color symbolism and recognizing what outfits make you feel good about yourself is a huge bonus here so keep an eye on that. You can also individually enchant your clothing or other items for magical boosts as well.

 

05 Started work before you’re actually awake

The first thing I usually do in the morning depends on whether or not I woke up with or without an alarm. If I work up with an alarm, the first thing I’m doing is turning off that alarm on my phone which inevitably means I’ll check my notifications. If I woke up without an alarm, I’ll meditation for a few minutes, do some light yoga, and grab some breakfast.

But when I’m in a crunch, the first thing I do is crawl over to my desk and start typing. Usually, this happens when I have a reading queue a mile long and a post needing to be published in three hours. If I start working the moment I’m conscious but not yet awake, then I’m less likely to get distracted before half finishing whatever I needed to do.

When I do get distracted, I’m way more likely to want to finish whatever I was doing because, well, it’s probably almost done anyway.

Don’t get me wrong – this is a terrible thing to do routinely to yourself. It may start you associating work with lack of sleep (even if it’s true) and get you thinking bitter, dark thoughts against your work. It also doesn’t guarantee good work, especially with less intuitive projects. Remember to edit and review before you hit that send button if you work in this state. A metaphor that made sense at five a.m. might not make sense at eleven a.m.

How to make this magic: Cast a magnetic-style charm to one of your desk items, like your computer mouse or a sticker on your laptop. This allows you to feel “drawn” to use an item, even subconsciously.

 

06 White noise generators or instrumental music

I love white noise generators. I use them ALL. THE. TIME. Literally, all the time.

White noise is a great way to get your brain to productive mode without dealing with silence or hearing too much conversation and becoming distracted. I found that if I changed out what kind of sounds I listened to, I could get shit down. When I want to work, I put on video game instrumental soundtracks (no joke! Try the Skyrim soundtrack next time you’re knocking out a boring typing project).

White noise is not a one-size fits all kind of thing. Once you get into it you realize different people find different white noise better than others. For example “brown noise” rather than “white noise” is more comforting to me – think thunder rolling over the roaring ocean rather than rain. So if you’ve tried white noise generators before, try it again but try different tones and pitches to see what works best for you.

I highly recommend the free website mynoise.net. I’m not an affiliate of the website. I just really, really love it. I also use a playlist on Spotify (I have a premium membership I share with other folks so no ads) and the app Insight Timer which is a meditation app with a community who offer white noise meditation tracks for free.

How to make this magic: Use the sounds to your advantage. I’m spiritually attached to the ocean and water in general. So my go-to sounds are all water based. If you’re attracted to the wind, they have generators and soundscapes like that too. Fire? Done.  Earth? Yup, that can be handled too (forest sounds, cave sounds, farmland sounds, etc). More urban? Crowded cafe sounds are really popular. Use what makes you feel rooted and at home.

 

07 Meditation

When I was younger, I never meditated. It just wasn’t me and not something I wanted or needed to do. I knew what I wanted to do and I usually had a schedule of things to do in my head. As an adult, I have a ton of stuff going on too but now I’m often pulled in so many directions I can fail to prioritize what’s actually important to me. Meditation helps me ease that.

Meditation is also my go to when I have a super long to do list and I want to figure out what I actually want to do that day. My to do list might be twenty items long but meditation gives me a moment to breath and think “OK. What’s actually important here? What can I do now for others, now that I’ve done something for myself?”

Guided meditation can be really helpful for folks who have brains that don’t like to shut up or want to achieve a particular goal. Others may do better with simple quiet meditation. It’s a personal taste sort of thing. Even a few minutes helps.

How to make this magic: Meditation is often used in magical practices but there’s a lot of guided meditations out there that can be used to achieve particular goals or help you release a lot of negative emotions. Try out some and see what proves to be helpful to you.

 

So that’s what I did to get my to do list down to a minimal amount. They’re simple techniques, to be sure, and you’ve probably heard them all before. That’s kind of the point. They’re stuff you’ve heard before because they work. Don’t knock them until you try them.

I know January was really hard for a lot of people. I saw a lot of people struggling with some drama and nonsense during all of that time. It can be really difficult to dig yourself out of a hole spiritually in order to really get back on track so early on in the year. Just remember that each day is a chance to start fresh. Each month is a new beginning. You can always start again. Don’t give up and remember to give yourself a chance to breathe!

Fire Protection Spell

1 Comment

Fir e protection and fire safety is huge for me during this season. There’s tons of forest fires right now and there’s increased household fires due to people cooking more and Christmas light issues. Heaters can go wrong, fireplaces can be blocked, and people can put items too close to fire and heat sources. Essentially, fire safety and protection is really impotant during the winter months because we rely on it so much.

This spell is not about preventing fires. It’s not about fire safety. It is about protecting items from being on fire. So this spell is ideal for the rug that’s nearby the fireplace or the chair closest to the room heater. Use this spell in conjunction with fire safety and fire prevention spells to really shine.

What you’ll need:

  • Paper
  • Paintbrush
  • Ash or lampblack
  • Water
  • Colorants (optional)

First cut a piece of paper down to five inches by five inches or less. You cna make the shape or size whatever you want by five by five is a good size.

Next, lightly brush water over the paper on both sides and let air dry. The paper shouldn’t be soaked or sopping by rather lightly damp. Make sure it is dry completely before moving onto the next step.

Take your ash or lampblack and mix it with a little water so it’s a paste with paint-like thickness. Do a little at a time so you can control the consistency.

With the paintbrush, paint the following sigil or your own sigil style for fire protection. Let the sigil dry in between if there’s multiple layers to the sigil (like the X over the fire, for example).

My sigil is based loosely the Gylph of Warding from Dragon Age: Origins. I do many different styles of sigils so feel free to alternate to a sigil design that you prefer. Your sigil will not have color unless you add colorants like paint, mica, dried herbs, or other coloring ingredients.

Once the sigil is drawn, let it dry completely. When dry, place the sigil under, on, or near the item you want to protect. If you want to protect the rug from the fireplace, for example, then place this sigil under the rug.

Notes:

  • You can use a fixant spray, if you like, or put the sigil in a plastic bag to keep the sigil from damage.

Pepper Discord Spell [Spell Saturday #71]

Pepper Discord Spell by This Crooked Crown

This hex is designed to cause trouble between two people. Why would you do this? There’s lots of reasons; I’m sure you can think of a few. The spell isn’t designed to hurt anyone. It’s merely there to cause trouble between two or more people.

What you’ll need:

  • A pepper (red preferred, but up to you)
  • Black pepper
  • Cayenne pepper
  • Paprika
  • Salt
  • Lemon juice
  • Twine
  • Knife and spoon
  • Slips of paper and writing utensil
  • Your targets’ names
  • A place to bury the pepper

First, cut your pepper in two and scoop out the seeds. Wash it clean. You don’t want any of the seed left behind. If you’re using more than two names, cut the pepper in quarters.

Write your targets’ names on a slip of paper, one name per a piece of paper. Place the paper on each side of the pepper. Now sprinkle the black pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper, lemon juice, and salt over the names. As you do this say,

 

“Your words burn your tongues

Fire banks your friendship

Your relationship turns to dead ash.”

 

Now place the pieces back together, like a puzzle, so it looks as whole again as possible. Tie the twine around the pepper to keep the pieces together. Take it somewhere and bury it.

 

Notes:

  • You can definitely put your own name into this spell. Maybe you want to break up with a lover or friend and don’t know how to do it. This spell should help that along. Remember to be safe though.
  • Peppers aren’t always safe to handle. Remember to wash your hands so you don’t get any capsicum into your eyes or other sensitive body parts.
  • You can toss the pepper into the compost or garbage, if you want, but burying is a better choice for this spell.

79 Tips, Tricks, & Spells for Halloween 2017 + Sale!

Bonfire by This Crooked Crown

Happy Halloween! Happy Samhain!

I hope you have some amazing plans this Halloween! I don’t personally celebrate Samhain but Halloween is my household’s favorite holiday, hands down. We have as much stuff to decorate for Halloween as we do Yule and it’s not enough.

I’m having a pretty low-key holiday myself. A fabulous witchy dress and hat, of course, but otherwise it’ll be filled with baking, some woo stuff, and passing out candy. It’s sort of a relief to have a quiet holiday. It’s been a crazy couple months and I just got back from a work vacation this weekend. I’m actually super happy to simply have electricity as many people nearby don’t.

Side story: I thank the dead for the fact that I usually have power when my neighborhood doesn’t. My house is, for some reason, on the same power grid as the funeral home across the street and no one else is? So while our power flickered, we didn’t lose it despite the massive storm that took out power for a good portion of our city.

Anyway, what I love about blogging around this time is EVERYONE is posting about spirits. It’s great. I can pick up all sorts of new tips and folklore that way. It’s also prime time for magical rituals and spells. This roundup guide offers tips, tricks, and links on what you can do to to make your night a little more magical.

 

Halloween 2017 Pin

Before you start

Before you get started with your spooky or woo related shenanigans, there’s probably some steps you need to take. My top seven tips and tricks for making contact or dealing with serious spell casting follow.

  1. Make a snack or meal to consume after your working. Carb-y food or sugar-y food is ideal. I typically grab a thick slice of hearty bread or some pasta when I need carbs and a big bowl of fruit and chocolate bits when I need sugar. Make both ahead of time.
  2. Drink water on hand. Getting thirsty during a working is the worst, especially if you’re chanting. Be well-hydrated before you start and make sure you hydrate afterwards. If you’re using alcohol to induce a trance, make sure you have water on hand after your session to hydrate.
  3. If it gets weird, get out. If you’re ghost hunting, contacting a spirit, or any other activity, you can probably leave right away. Thank any spirits for their attention and get out. If you’re in the middle of a spell, quickly but thoroughly finish it and leave the area immediately. Drink some water, take a bath, cleanse yourself, then go do something totally and completely mundane.
  4. Trance safely. Before you use any entheogens, psychedelics, or other trancing method, make sure that you write down what you’re taking and how much. Write down why you’re taking it. Leave a small sample of the consumable along with these notes. This allows emergency medical services to treat you quickly and accordingly if something goes wrong. It also allows you to recreate the circumstances again if you have a good experience that you want to replicate.
  5. Don’t go alone. If you’re doing an outside ritual, traveling, or ghost hunting, go with someone else. Bring a friend who can chill while you do your thing nearby if they’re not willing to lend a hand. Solitude more of your thing? Then make sure to text a friend where you’re going or when you’ve left. There’s a lot of people out there on Halloween and accidents are very common. Be safe.
  6. Practice fire safety. Candle magic is incredibly popular and common. However, practitioners can get carried away. Make sure that you’re practicing fire safety. If you have more than 5-7 candles going at once, keep a fire extinguisher or similar items on hand.
  7. Keep pets indoors. This is more of a Halloween-centric tip than a general one but with so many people out and about on Halloween, it’s a really good idea to keep your pets indoors during this time. I recommend keeping pets inside during outdoor rituals anyway – a dog barking during your chant can really break the mood.

Following those tips can help you out immensely, especially if things get weird and/or powerful. Another good idea is to go armed with lots of information. Here’s a bunch of posts that can help. I’ve also added some posts geared towards “new year” because for some people, they start or end their magical year on Samhain.

 

 

Hearth by This Crooked Crown

Constant vigilance!

Protecting yourself from dangers while cast spells or contacting spirits is important – but it can also be a hindrance. If you’re protected from spirits, then spirits will have a more difficult time communicating with you.

I do recommend protection spells but it’s not a requirement. I don’t use them on myself personally 99% of the time and never when I’m working with spirits or casting spells unless I feel like I’m in danger from something. But, uh, I’m reckless so it’s probably best to not be me and to cast some protection spells before you go out and about with your shenanigans tonight.

Candle Smoke

Getting in touch with a spirit

Getting in touch with spirits can be difficult, especially if you’re not use to it. Samhain often is said to be a thinning of the veil between the spirit realms and the physical world. While the veil between the worlds happens multiple times a year, this one’s pretty consistent.

The following posts should give you some tips to make contact to a wide variety of spirits and beings. They’ll also help you have a good experience and offer some pretty good advice too.

 

Spell and Herb Candle by This Crooked Crown

Spells to cast

You can cast any spell you want any time you want, according to my practice. Here’s a good long list of spells you can give a try.

 

For All Sorts of Money Powder by This Crooked Crown

Cleansing time!

Cleansing yourself after powerful magic or spirit contact is recommended but, again, not a requirement. I often recommend it especially if you’re dealing with multiple energies, like doing group tarot card readings or going to a haunted place with many spirits. It’s also just a good idea in general.

A Cleansing Ritual For House & Home (Spell Saturday #35) – A walking cleansing ritual for your house and physical spaces.

The Curse & Blessing of the Sun (Spell Saturday #49) – A spell that can be used as a curse or as a blessing, using the power of the sun.

 

Cleansing & Cleaning 101 – Because cleaning is a form of cleansing too!

Cleansing Yourself – Post on various methods to cleanse yourself from baneful energy, static energy, or other unwanted things.

Crown’s “Fuck All the Things!” Cleansing and Banishment [tumblr repost] (Spell Saturday #14) – Two spell variations used for cleansing and banishing both spirits and humans.

Simple Water Glass Cleansing for the Witch on the Run – A very simple but effective way to calm and cleanse the self with just a glass of water.

Uncrossing Oneself – Sometimes we repeat baneful or static patterns that are harmful to ourselves. Uncrossing is breaking that cycle.

 

Wheel of the Year wikipedia

Whew! That was a lot of links. I should be back to regular blogging in November. My burn out has abated so I’m back to writing, full-steam ahead. Which is good because NaNoWriMo is less than 24 hours away.

Speaking of writing, if you haven’t, go pick up my novel Spirit Walker. It’s about astral travel and revenge.

One last thing before I let you get back to your candy and binge-watching Hocus Pocus, This Crooked Crown is having a 10% off flash sale. Today (10/31) only. All readings and items in the shop are on sale, including the new reading Taming Your Inner Demons.

Happy Halloween & Samhain!