Category: Spells, Workings, & Charms

Happy Home Jar Spell (Spell Saturday #10)

With the winter holidays fast approaching, we’re pushed to have a lot of holiday cheer. For some people, that’s very easy and for others, the winter holidays are nightmarish. I wrote this spell to help out everyone in those situations.

arsp 01

The purpose of this spell is to bring happiness and joy into the household. Ideally, people won’t get up in arms about life choices made and old arguments. and maybe wounds may begin to heal.

What you need:

  • Jar or bottle of plastic or glass. Size, shape, and color up to you.
  • Water, pot to boil water in, and salt
  • Herbs or flora: Basil, blue hydrangea, sea holly (erynogo), lavender, angelica root, chamomile, bay laurel, flax seed, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, ginger, motherwort, garlic, citrus zest (orange, lemon, lime, etc peels), vervain, vanilla, vetiver, yarrow, or rosemary.
  • Sugar: golden sugar preferred but brown sugar or just regular white cane sugar, or sugar alternatives will certainly do.
  • Other: myrrh, dragon’s blood, benzoin, regular table salt, sea salt, pink salt, cascarilla (powdered eggshell), citrine, amethyst, chrysoprase, pink or blue tourmaline, turquoise, rose quartz, aquamarine, chalcedony, malachite, sodalite, or calcite.
  • Personal items from each target person or pet: hair, nails, etc. Alternatively, you can have a list of names instead. Dirt, ashes, or rocks from the family home or fireplace can also be used.

Note: You don’t have to have everything on the list above. Just pick out what you have or want to add in. Family items such as dirt from the family home might not be useful if you live in an apartment building or move a lot and personal items of the family could be omitted if you want a more general happy home spell.

arsp 03

  1. Select a jar or bottle. Ideally, the bottle should be glass but plastic will work as well.The size, color, and shape it up to you but consider any traveling the bottle might do or where it’s going to sit. Small plastic bottles would be useful if you travel for the holidays but a larger more decorative jar can be put out on the counter during cooking to keep things copacetic.
  2. Wash the jar in boiling hot salt water. This can be done by getting pot larger than your jar and filling it with water and adding a few pinches of salt in. Make sure the salt dissolves and put the jar in before letting the water boil. Once the water boils, turn off the water and let it cool before removing it from the water. If you’re worried about the jar melting, just wash it in very hot salt water.
  3. Let the jar cool and dry completely before attempting to use. Now would be a good time to consider painting or otherwise decorating the jar or jar lid if applicable.
  4. Now layer in the heavier items like salt, resin pieces, ashes, dirt, or even the stones. Personal items should be also mixed in here but shouldn’t be seen through the glass or plastic so put down a layer of something else first and keep those personal items towards the middle. When you add them say “This is the foundation of my family, strong. We are unified.“
  5. Next add in the botanical materials. You can mix this however you want. When you add them in say “This brings peace to our home. We are happy and unified.“
  6. Now add a thin layer of sugar to the top. You can put your stones or other items on top as decoration, if you like. When you set up this layer say “This brings us kindness. We are happy and joyful.”
  7. Now seal the jar up. You can do this with tape, paint, glue, or wax. Blue’s a good chosen color. However, you can simply just cork or screw the jar shut if that’s easier for you. Hold the jar in your hands and imagine or say aloud how you want the home to be like. People enjoying each other’s company, sharing a meal, going home safely, no arguments or crying, etc. Dream of the perfect family environment. Push your energy into the jar as you do this.
  8. You can now set the jar somewhere where it can be seen in a busy place in your household (a high shelf or tucked into a corner on the counter will work nicely. Or you can carry the jar as needed. Shake or add more energy to give the spell a boost as needed.

arsp 04

Tips:

  • This jar spells can be very easily adapted for your personal usage and can even be made travel size. All that you need to do is to select a jar or bottle that suits your needs and go from there.
  • If you’re using a jar that has labels on it, the boiling water trick will remove it. If the adhesive is still on, rubbing it with some baking soda will take it off. If you do this however, boil it a second time in clean salt water.
  • If you can’t avoid the personal items being seen in the jar, don’t worry about it too much. It’s more for decorative purposes and peace of mind than anything else. The spell won’t suffer from it.
  • Normally jar spells have wet items it in. I skipped this because I wanted the jar to be decorative for a long time. If you want to add liquids, I recommend the following: honey, sugar water, sunflower oil, Four Thieves Vinegar, or even salt water.
  • This is a long-term spell so it can sit out or be added to as needed. If the spell seems to be fading, you can swap out the ingredients for fresh material, give the jar a little shake, or push more energy and magic into the jar.
  • In order to get rid of the spell, pour out the ingredients into a dug hold on your family’s yard or garden. Alternatively, you can bury it at a park or even toss it in the trash.

That’s it! Happy casting!

The Sand Trap (Spell Saturday #9)

Welcome to Spell Saturday #9!

This time I’m taking a spell from Scott Cunningham’s Earth, Air, Fire, & Water. People are very opinionated on Cunningham’s work. I find that so long as you remember that Cunningham was writing for an audience that was, at the time, conflating Wicca and witchcraft and that the material is largely 20+ years old, you’re just find. I do have issues with some of his herbalism and general statements but honestly, you’re going to find issues with anything if you look hard enough.

“The Sand Trap” is a lengthy ritual starting on page 46 and continuing to page 48 of Earth, Air, Fire, & Water. I’m going to paraphrase some due to lengthiness and unnecessary wordiness.

The Sand Trap

This [is] a simple ritual designed to “trap” negative energies before they enter your home.

  • Small glass jar, cleaned and dried. Must be glass for this spell. (1)
  • Equal quantities of two different colors of sand (2) (Enough to fill half the jar of each if possible)
  • Spoon (3)
  • Two small bowls to hold sand (4)

Visualize the sand “protective, projective energy.” and “emitting sparks of bright white light that ensnares negativity and draw it inward.” (5)

Now pour a spoonful or the first sand into the jar saying this:

Trap of sand

Trap the ill.

Trap the bane and

Evil will.

Now pour a spoonful of the second color/type of sand in saying the above charm again. Keep laying the sand in alternative bands until you’re out of sand or the jar’s filled.

Once filled, visualize the sand protecting you once again and say the above charm  once more. And you’re done.

Crown’s note:

(1) I find jam jars are great for this but so are small canning jars. Due to the nature of the spell, this is the kind of thing you don’t have to bury in the yard so it’s excellent for apartment and dorm dwellers to keep in a window. It also serves as decoration so it’s literally perfect for stealth protection for those in the woods (6).

(1) Colored sand would be really good for this. You can buy some at craft stores or even aquarium stores. Cunningham says for them to not be artificially colored but I don’t see why that should be? Cunningham does come from a crowd where artificial=bad to some extent and I can’t see a reason why colored sand wouldn’t work so I say use what appeals to you. Picking colored sand can also help add color association to the spell. You can also use as many types or colors of sand as you want or have. I’m not really seeing an explicit reason why two types of sand are necessary here.

(3) The spoons here I think make the process longer. I’d just pour the sand at will and eyeball the amounts. If you want even amounts of sand for aesthetic or whatever purposes, a spoon or scoop probably would be easier. It would take longer though.

(4) I’m not sure I understand the point of the bowls here. I’d just use whatever you’re using to hold the sand originally if that’s easier for you.

(5) There is a very wordy description on how charging the sand and enchanting it in the book. Use whatever method works for you here. You don’t need to do exactly what he describes. Honestly, use whatever visualization or wording you need to use to get the sane to absorb negativity coming your way.

(4) “in/out of the woods” is a term put forward by a member of the witchcraft community on tumblr. It’s intended to take the place of “in/out of the broom closet” which may be offensive to other members of minority groups. Plus, it’s absolutely adorable.

Happy casting!

Good Luck Knot Spell (tumblr repost) (Spell Saturday #8)

A super fast knot spell for good luck.

  1. Find yourself some red, white, yellow/gold, blue, and green string (or ribbon, yarn, embroidery thread, whatever).
  2. Cut them into about 10 inch pieces. Ideally, the string should wrap around your wrist or ankle plus 2-3 inches, depending on the thickness of your knotting material. So 10 inches might be too much. Try to overestimate rather than underestimate.
  3. Hold the threads together and make a knot with all of them saying/thinking/etc. “With this knot the spell’s begun”
  4. Make a knot in the red string. “This knot is for luck.”
  5. Make a knot in the yellow/gold string. “This knot is for wealth and prosperity.”
  6. Make a knot in the blue string “This knot is for protection”
  7. Make a knot in the green string. “This knot is for growth.”
  8. Make a knot in the white string. “This knot is for preservation.”
  9. Knot all the threads together. “And this knot is to bring it all together and bring this lucky boon to me.”
  10. Then tie the cord around your wrist or ankle. Or you can carry it with you.

Ideally, you should be envisioning your intent while doing the spell but I’ve done this spell drunk at a bar with zero envisioning and only white packing twine and it worked great.

Happy casting!

Originally posted over on tumblr here.

Ouija Boards 101 or “Are Ouija Boards Dangerous?”

2 Comments

Every couple of months I get this question “are Ouija boards dangerous?”. The answer, in short, is no. Not any more than any other tool at least. Then I get a whole slue of questions on how to use a Ouija board safely or properly. If you’ve ever asked those questions yourself, this is the post for you.

I use Ouija boards on occasion. I find they’re tools and that they are no more dangerous than anything else and like anything else they may become dangerous when used improperly or foolishly.

Ouija boards were originally designed as a toy, a game. (Not that something being a game originally means anything. Tarot it based off the game tarrochi after all.) And I find that the excessive fear of Ouija comes from the media or passed along stories rather than first hand accounts. And I do mean fear. People are afraid of these things which seems silly as most buy them in the toy section of Wal-Mart. I’ve come into possession of several Ouija boards simply by the previous owners being too scared of the boards and worried that they couldn’t get rid of it properly or that it wouldn’t burn or would come back if thrown away. (And these are learned individuals in the science and medical field). It’s fear-mongering, pushed by people who prefer to see tools as evil or to continue to parrot information without thinking on what that tool could mean or actually do. I often find people who say such things have never even touched a Ouija board in their life so I question their information and fear or demonizing of something they’ve never used or touched.

Honestly though. What the fuck makes people think Ouija boards are dangerous? What? Do you think Hasbro has spirits locked in a room somewhere that influenced the creation? Or they sandwich the spirits in between the paper and the cardboard?

Any tool can be used to contact a spirit. Any tool has the danger of being used to contact a “negative” or “bad” spirit. Any tool.

The whole idea that the board can be possessed by a spirit is legitimate, as spirits can possess things, but why bother with a piece of cardboard instead of say, a doll which had the capability to be mobile? I think the fear of Ouija stems from the very point of the board – to pass messages along from the spirit world. And to that I have to ask why anyone who claims or wants to work with spirits would fear such a thing. Isn’t that the point? If you get guidance from a spirit or deity, this is the exact same thing. The only difference is that there is no visual representation for you to converse with – which may actually work in your favor because there is no reason a spirit can’t fool your eyes and appear as something else, as this is traditionally an ability many spirits possess in folklore and mythology.

Realistically speaking, pendulums are more dangerous than Ouija boards. One method of using pendulums is to have spirits influence the pendulum and follow where that leads (if using it as a searching device) which is infinitely more dangerous than sitting in your living room with another person and sliding a plachette across a piece of cardboard. The implied information here is that a spirit would be more powerful to physically push or influence the pendulum (or the human hand holding the pendulum) than one influencing two humans to push the plachette around (and humans are, as science has proven, incredibly susceptible to suggestion).

It the end it comes to this: Ouija boards are misunderstood and demonized for truly bewildering and contrary reasons that makes me instantly suspect the speaker, especially if said speaker claims to or has worked with or is working with spirits. Claims that the boards aren’t useful in witchcraft, are extraordinarily dangerous, or evil are often employed by the uneducated or fearmongers.

Now that we have that covered, let’s move onto actually using an Ouija board!

Ouija boards spells out things by have a plachette (pointer) move around the letters. Each person participating should lay a hand or at least a finger on the plachette and focus during the moment the question is being asked on the question itself. In theory, the plachette spells out the answers to the questions.

Make no mistake: the plachette is moved around by people. Each person slightly moves the plachette around without noticing and another person responds. It’s OK to totally admit this. In fact, I find going into the procedure knowing that actually helps determine whether someone’s just messing around or if they’re channeling something. It also helps because it can calm you down when you start to get worked up (because groups of people can get worked up very easily when scared or excited.) Now, the question that should be asked is this: are they moving the plachette that way because a spirit suggests it or they intuitively know the answer? That’s something you’ll have to determine for yourself.

Here’s some tips to get the best enjoyment out of your Ouija board session:

Take breaks often. A lot of getting spooked happens when people build on experiences – it all rolls together and excitement builds to a point that anything’s possible. It especially happens when using it with other people and I believe is related to mob mentality – which creates a us vs them dichotomy, paranoia, and is often aggressive (which will chase away milder spirits). Taking breaks gives you a moment to pause and consider what’s happened before starting up again.

Eat and drink something but avoid excessive amounts of refined sugar, caffeine, alcohol, or stimulating drugs as these substances can create a sense of paranoia and in extreme amounts, hallucinations. Foods like bread and pasta are good but whatever works best for you is good.

Keep notes and write down information and responses given. Go back through those notes and repeat those same questions at a later date to help verification. Asking questions where you think you already know the answer will help from getting too excited because nothing new’s been added.

Atmosphere is fun and all but can create a sense of false importance of a situation. So lighting the candles and holding session in a darkened room may be part of your process but shake it up sometimes if you feel like that might be contributing to getting spooked.

Put some music on. I’d recommend music without lyrics as lyrics may be able to subconsciously influence your answers and create interference.

Putting out an offering, even just a glass of water, may add a sobering effect to your sessions but that depends on your particular perspective. An offering is polite though so it may attract more of whom you’re looking to speak to.

Time your sessions. If something goes on for a long time, it can build until you’re spooked out. Maybe only ask five questions at a time or ask questions for twenty minutes then take a break.

To end a session, go ahead and thank anyone that showed up (both humans and spirits alike), even if some scary stuff happened. It’s only polite. You may wish to cleanse the room and check protection wards afterward.

As mentioned above, eat something after the session and chat among yourself. Give everyone time to calm down before they go home or whatever. Again, it reduces the fear factor.

There you go! A quick 101 on ouija boards. Have fun!

This post is based on these tumblr posts here, here, and here.

How to Make a Poppet (tumblr repost)

Now, I’m going to be upfront:

  • This post was written during the process of making a poppet for cursing. While this post can be used for ANY poppet for ANY purpose.
  • Is image heavy; many of the photos are shaky. This is common when I photograph my spell work. I don’t know why but I have my suspicions.
  • Features photographs of charged ingredients, sigils, and spells.
  • Talks about curses
  • Features a mini how-to break glass safely.
  • This is an attempt to be traditionally neutral. I do things different than others and thus my own methods bleed through. Remember to work within and adapt to your own cultural background, paradigm, and practice.
  • Trigger warnings: blood, glass, curses, poppets, sigils, spells, energy, charged items, etc. I’m sure there are others I’m missing but there you go.

This is a follow along using simple ingredients. It starts with how to make the poppet, talks about filling it, making the face and personalizing it, and then finishing it up. Away we go.

First step is to get your materials.

image

I really like using felt for poppets. It’s thick, comes in a wide variety of colors, comes in a pretty good size, is easily found, and cheap.

So grab two pieces of felt (I know there’s only one here but I had two), scissors, writing utensil (chalk or pen), sewing needle, thread (maybe different colors, maybe not), pins, a piece of cardboard (this one’s from the bottom of a shopping bag but any piece of cardboard, like one from food cartons), and your filling (more on that, later).

Now that you’ve gotten your materials, pull out your cardboard and sketch half of your poppet’s design. You can skip this step and just sketch on fabric but I like making a template to use in case I want to make more poppets this size and shape. But if you do want to make the template, sketch it out like so:

image

Now mine’s pretty stylized, but that’s set for my particular practice. I sketched mine in chalk then again in pen. We sketch only half because of how we’ll cut the fabric. Go ahead and make it a bit bigger than you want it to be because of seam allowance.

Once your happy with the design, cut it out and lay the template on the folded edge of your folded felt (both sheets). See in the photo how the fabric is folded over? There you go. Now trace the template out on the felt. I used chalk.

image

image

Since I’m happy with how it came out on the felt, go ahead and cut it out. Remember to not cut the folded edge and to cut all sheets of felt. You want two sides of the poppet.

image

Ta-da! Pretty cute right? I like making my poppets big and fat. There are reasons I do this, but those reasons are specific to my practice.

Now put those pieces together as evenly as you can, pin them, and sew the edges. How you sew them depends on your practice and preference. Some folks like to sew with intent and purpose, literally sewing the spell in. I sometimes will hand sew them then machine sew over the hand sewing to strengthen the seams. Sometimes I machine sew first then hand sew. Other times I’ll do one or the other. With this particular poppet, because I was working quickly, I simply machine sewed it.

Make sure you leave space for you to stuff the poppet with!

image

And here he is sewn together but for the head, which is where I’m going to stuff him. Where I stuff the poppet varies. Again, this might be a personal practice thing, but I leave open the spaces I want to effect first. With his poppet, I want to affect the mind, thoughts, and actions so I left the head open. If I wanted to make  a fertility doll, I would leave the legs and crotch area open and fill from there.

image

Don’t forget to have someone help you if you need it! Having someone skilled in sewing can help out or answer questions. Any familiars, spirit guides, etc. can help as well. Also, don’t forget to eat and drink. Sometimes making a poppet is an all day affair. Kiki here decided she wanted to watch me work.

Now that break time is over, take a moment to feel proud of yourself. You made a poppet.

image

Look at this guy! Now, you can either decorate first or stuff ’em first. Let’s talk about decorating.

Decorating can happen in all sorts of different ways. Painting, drawing, embroidering, etc. I chose to embroider. Here I used white to make a pair of eyes and a smile which is fitting for my target. I also embroidered a red star that represents my target.

image

Stuffing is a huge part of poppets and what you put in your poppet depends on your purpose, practice, and preference.

Now the purpose of this poppet is to curse someone. My cursing base is red pepper, paprika, cayenne pepper, and black pepper. On top of that I added poison ivy (to poison, irritate, and annoy), deer’s tongue (to control the tongue), peppermint (to cool the passions), broken glass (to make him feel as sick as his behavior makes me feel), and blood (my own, to give it life and power). I dripped anise empowering oil over it to boost the power.

image

image

Other ingredients you can use follows:

Herbs, plants, and spices – the more exotic and everyday:

image

image

image

You can also use things like infused oils.

Depending on how much time you have, you can soak and dry your fabric, ingredients, stuffing, thread, needles, etc in oils for extra power. You can also drip oils over the fabric as I did with this poppet to empower it.

image

Other ingredients can be leftover candle wax. This is especially useful it you did a spell on the target previously and now you want to continue or enhance your work. Take that left over candle wax and put it in the poppet.

I keep my left over candle wax in a mug on a shelf.

image

Sigils are also common, popular choices. You can write on the inside of the poppet or the outside. Making up new sigils for each poppet is time consuming but usually worth it.

This particular poppet doesn’t have any sigils on it, but here’s an example of the Necromancer’s house protection sigils:

image

Now you can also include dirt, metal bits, sandpaper, sand, wood, and broken glass. I recommend with these items to wrap them separately in a piece of fabric then putting them inside the poppet.

Keep in mind what you’re putting in there and be careful! You don’t want to cut yourself.

I keep my broken glass in paper bags in my storage room, like so:

image

A note on working with glass. Let’s say you have half a cup or bowl left from dropping it and you want to use it in spell work. Here’s how you can safely break the glass.

Put your glass on a rag then the rag on a thick folded towel. Don’t use your favorite or best ones as the glass might cut. Also, have a plastic bag or bucket nearby.

image

Get another rag and put that on top. Double it up if you can but make sure all the edges of the rag touch the other rag and have a good clearance on all sides. Now fetch a hammer.

image

Now smash. Be concise about it. Don’t just go to town. Make controlled strikes. Once you’re satisfied with the breakage, carefully transfer your glass to where-ever you intend to put or store it then take all the rags and towels and shake them over the trash. Then put them in the plastic bag or bucket and carry them to the laundry room to wash them clear. The other option is to toss them out.

So you’ve made your filling decisions but there’s still so much space! I typically stuff my poppets with scraps of material color coded to my own symbolism. This poppet’s limbs where stuffed with black felt coated with the herbs listed above.

Here’s an image of the poppet mostly stuffed:

image

Once I was happy with the stuffing, I left enough space to finish my spell. I threaded red thread and outlined the eyes of the poppet (so my target can see the harm he’s done and open his eyes) and crossed over the mouth (to silence him). Like so:

image

Then I finished stuffing his head, folded the fabric over, stitched up his head as shown above.

And this is what he looks like complete!

image

Hope this helps some folks!

Original post is here.

SEA SALT! Why salt scrubs needs more (witchy) love.

One of those things that I LOVE to make for the shop but rarely sells is bath salts. And it makes me sad because not only does one of my favorite things not sell as well as I’d like them to but it makes me feel like no one really gets the true power of salt.

Evoke the Sea salt scrub

Evoke the Sea salt scrub

First, let me wax prose about salt. I love salt. If I was a dragon, my hoard would have salt in it. I use it all the time. Salt water is my absolute friend and the ocean is where I go when I need to cleanse myself and double check if I’m on the right path still. Seriously, a quick wading into the ocean and ten minutes later I’m ready to conquer worlds. Salt carries much of those connotations with me, especially combined with water. But that’s not all salt can do. As truly magical salt can be, salt can also do a lot physically for you.

I’m going to tell you a true, personal story. I hit the growth stage of my puberty early and my face broke out into acne often. It made me self-conscious and despite my mother (a medical professional) giving me various medications and remedies to calm my skin down, nothing worked for long. I was a ridiculously shy child too so the combination gave me social anxiety. I spent 98% of my time alone and preferred it that way. I found my skin ugly and didn’t look like the other girls. I knew I could be pretty, logically. I had modeled in several pageants as a young child and was constantly told I was pretty as a girl. Puberty ruined that for me, I felt. By the time middle school rolled around, I had accepted that acne and I would never be parted and grew resigned around it. I even stopped actively trying to fight it. My mother, you see, had breakouts of acne still so I knew it could and did persist into adulthood. When my face broke out I sighed and vowed to duck my head lower.

My third year of high school I was given an opportunity to study abroad in Cape Verde which I snapped up in a heartbeat. Even then I wanted to be an archaeologist so I knew studying people and anthropology was something I’d have to study en-route to my goal. While in Cape Verde we were taken up to the salt mine, specifically the salt pond there to bathe (and learn about a major economy export of that specific island). The teacher chaperoning us said something about how salt was good for the skin and used in spas. And then one of my classmates reiterated it a bit later. And sure enough, my skin did feel softer after the dip in the water. I didn’t think on it much however given some tragic events that had happened and that tidbit of information slipped to the back of my mind.

A few months later I got my license and after that I was beach bound most days I had a car, could afford gas, and it was warm enough. I didn’t care for the sand or the half-naked men or the calm it gave me – I was there to swim, to embrace the power of the ocean and love it. My skin got better, slowly but surely. But I had psychologically written my skin off so while I noticed less breakouts and redness, I didn’t really make the connection. This pattern continued in college and in the winter where I couldn’t go to the beach, my skin got worse but once it was warm enough and I hit the beach again, it’d clear right up. I still didn’t make the connection, almost certainly due to other medical issues and double majoring taking most of my thoughts. Even without my paying attention to it, my skin got better.

Lorelei Salt Scrub without petals

Lorelei Salt Scrub without petals

Shit went down and I eventually transferred to Harvard than to University of Hawai’i to finish up my schooling. I lived across the street from the ocean in Hawai’i. I stepped outside and I could see the ocean and I fell asleep to the roaring of the waves. To be fair, most houses are within walking distance to the ocean that unless you like in the middle of the island and in order to get that view I lived in the farthest town I could get on the island, one inhabited mostly by native Hawaiians and considered the worst part of the island. (And I’ll let you draw your own conclusions as to why the native Hawaiian people lived primarily in the most run-down and ignored towns in Hawai’i.) Anyway, I spent everyday at the beach swimming. And then while talking to one of my non-native friends she said something that changed by world:

“I’m so jealous of you. You have great skin.”

I was so floored I could only smile and thank her but inside I was shocked. People are jealous of MY skin???? Why? I’m acne-face! I had enough bumps to be able to throw on green makeup and go as a lizard. But I didn’t. I got inside my flat and took a good, long look in the dingy lighting of my bathroom and saw that no, she was right. My skin was clear. Pale, sure, but acne? GONE.

And it came back to me, nearly a six years later “sea salt is good for the skin”. To be fair, it wasn’t entirely salt’s doing. A fast food free diet helped as did reducing my stress level and using my panacea salve any time a breakout threatened but they happen significantly less often. But I started to think of all the cycles of where my skin would flare up and the pattern appeared. Salt is why I looked amazing.

So while sugar scrubs sell phenomenally well and are super popular, I will always promote salt scrubs. Using salt scrubs is easy – dump a bit in a wet wash cloth, rub it between your hands and use the cloth on your body. When the salt is mostly gone, use it on your face. NEVER put raw salt on your face. Salt is so sharp it’s recommended to pour on things to cut fleas in half so don’t do it. I even save a jug from orange juice and poured a little sea salt in with the gallon or so of water and shook it until the salt dissolved. When I feel my skin getting rougher or I need a cleansing, I dump the salt over my body. Be wary – salt water is always going to be noticeably colder than non-salt water (which is why you should also dump some salt in coolers to keep the cooler ice and water colder, longer).

What other uses does salt have?

Here’s a dozen mundane purposes I have personally used salt for (there’s well over a hundred I know of, especially in regards to food):

  • Poured on mattresses/blankets/pet beds/furniture to cut fleas in half – noticed a significant decrease in fleas when left on for 12 hours during fumigation after Noelle the cat brought home unwanted friends despite her anti-flea medication. Vacuum up salt when through.
  • A bit of salt with some water can be used in the garden to get rid of pest, similar to above. Be cautious as plants with delicate roots or specific soil needs can suffer from this. Similarly, over-salting a plant like poison ivy will kill it. (This is an excellent way to keep poisonous plants in one area of the garden for your witchy needs while making sure they don’t take over the garden entirely. Poison oak I’m looking at you.)
  • Melting ice and snow – works great but it’s cheaper to use road salt and you get better grip with cheap kitty litter.
  • Making soap – you can use it in soap making but I tend to leave it out.
  • Can be used to put out grease fires (or any fire, really). You’re smothering the fire with the salt. Don’t use sugar as a replacement since sugar can melt. Dirt can also be used.
  • Mordant in textile and paper dying. Also, throw a pinch or two in the wash when washing new towels to keep the color from running.
  • Salt and water can be used to clean cast iron without ruining the seasoning. (Don’t overdo it) And hey, if you keep the salt afterwards, you’ll have a good start to black salt.
  • Shine chrome with a salt + vinegar base. Can also be used to get rid of stubborn tea or coffee stains (CRUCIAL around here) and rust. Be prepared for a workout with this.
  • Problems with the drain? Add salt. Especially good when you have hair, worms, or maggots in the drains. Follow up with boiling water or oil. Remember to stand back when pouring so you don’t get scalded by steam.
  • Whiten faded or yellowed cloth or linens by adding 1/4c cup baking soda, 5 tbsp borax or oxiclean, and 2 tbsp salt and boiling for up to 1/2 hour. Rinse in cold water. I use this with bleach just isn’t cutting it sometimes. I’ve also used this to get rid of sweat stains. I would not recommend it for antique cloth given the sharpness of salt. YMMV. Similarly, using this mixture gets up stains on carpets and such.
  • Soaking newly made candles in a salt water solution for a few hours will make them drip-proof. Be absolutely sure to dry them before burning though. Water inside candle wax can cause explosions.
  • Rub slightly damp salt over windows to keep them frost-free (ish). (Make a cloth bag with salt in it, spritz some water, and go to town).
  • Adding salt to shoes and gym bags will help absorb moisture and odors.
  • Soak your straw brooms in hot salt water for 1/2 hour to give them a longer life. Let dry, bristle up. This is for the brooms you use to clean with although the witchy applications are easily visible.
  • Tossing salt in the fire isn’t just a spell to bring back lovers, nope. My aunt use to throw salt in the fire at the end of the night to kill it quickly and to have less soot (since it doesn’t smolder). She said it was to help clean up the ashes easier.
DuRose Salt Scrub with petals

DuRose Salt Scrub with petals

Now for some witchy purposes for one of my all-time favorite ingredients ever:

  • Salt water is a great offering to oceanic deities and spirits. Many time salt water can also be used as an offering to moon spirits. Making your own salt water at home is especially helpful if you live inland.
  • Some theories state that Christian holy water was originally salt water. I have zero Christian background but some sects may still use this? Some Roman Catholics I think? Either way, salt water is used as a holy water recipe in various religions. YMMV depending on your deities’ associations.
  • I know “get the salt” is often ascribed to being used too much by witches but it’s actually REALLY common in various other religions such as Shintoism, Hinduism, Jainism (I believe?), and certain types of Buddhism. And, of course, Judaism have their own specific importance to salt. These are used as cleansing, purifying, or blessings, religion depending. (So if people are telling you it’s not a thing, remind them of this.)
  • Again, not a Christian background but I know Lot’s wife was turned to a pillar of salt and that was a punishment – a curse. As mentioned above, salt can be used to get rid of a lot of things and “salting the land” is an excellent way to forever ruin the ground. Salt in the wounds is another phrase that comes to mind. Add salt in your curses to let them fester and ache more, to cut the wounds deeper. Plus, you can die from too much salt so there’s that. Add in some peppers to make a hot foot powder.
  • Salt is commonly associated with earth in (Neo?) Wicca although I’m not sure if this is true for closed initiation Wicca. So if you’re the kind of person that uses the four or five element paradigm, there you go.
  • Protection is, as mentioned above, the most common use for salt. Making a ring of salt around an object you want to protect or at the windows and doors will not only keep bugs from whatever but also spirits. I have a witch ladder of glass bottles and one of those bottles is filled with – you guessed it – salt.  As a warning and active protection.
  • Lots of spells use salt, such as the aforementioned throwing salt in the fire to bring back a lover. You’re suppose to do this for seven or nine night consecutively, beckoning them back to you.
  • Salt divination is totally a thing I do. It’s similar to tassomancy (tea reading) in the sense that you see the patterns that are there. There’s two methods I use: either I throw down the salt, and read the patterns or I go into a trance, close my eyes, and let my fingers trace out messages and symbols until the moment passes. Depends on my mood and needs, to be honest.
  • Salt is a HEAVILY traded item and I’m all about using items that are popularly traded for wealth and prosperity. I infuse salt with my desire to bring more business or good wealth or something and leave it in an offering bowl by the door or stairs. Laborers were at times paid in salt all the way back to the Roman Army.
  • Huixtochiuatl is associated with salt and salt water, if I recall correctly and salt was not an unknown offering in the Egyptian, Greek, and Roman rituals. (Although how much of that is a scholarly supposition versus evidence I will freely admit to not knowing.)
  • Salt can be submerged in water and dissolved, right? Salt water can also be left out to evaporate, making salt once again. This could be construed as loyalty or an eternal cycle if you’re of a mind to think of it that way.
  • Anglo-Saxon farmers kept a piece of salt by their plows to ward off spirits from ruining the crops. As mentioned above, it also kept pests away and soaking crops in brine wasn’t unheard of during the middle ages.
  • I never travel anywhere without a dash of salt, earth from my garden, and a handful of coins on the bottom of my luggage. It keeps everything protected, wards it all away, ensures I’ll return home (and always have home at hand), and will keep money in my pocket.
  • Salt absorbs things so use a sprinkle of it to absorb negative energy off an item. Be sure the item won’t be damaged by the salt.
  • Remember that long list of mundane uses? Throw a little magic in that and you’re good to go.

So, we’ve covered salt’s amazing right? Now imagine a salt scrub, luxurious for your skin, scented by carefully selected oils and botanicals, and churned into being by a witch pouring magic and energy into each turn of a carved wooden spoon just to make you look beautiful and healthy. Head over to my shop to pick up your own salt scrubs!

Lirenne’s Hex (tumblr repost) (Spell Saturday #6)

This one is firmly planted in the realm of pop culture magic, specifically the Dragon Age universe. Taken from Dragon Age: The Masked Empire. So if you haven’t read the book and/or don’t want to be spoiled, skip this post (although, this spoiler is so out place you don’t really know the context without reading it). If you’re not into practicing pop culture magic or paganism, just past this one by.

As a character, I both like and dislike Lirenne. I might have liked her more if I knew more about her but she’s kind of archetype more than a fully fleshed out character which saddens me. She’s also a mid-book entrance character, an apostate mage that specializes in entropy with a bit of creation on the side. Despite this working against uneven characterization, she does have a fantastic hex on page 338 which she uses against a varterral.

For those who don’t know or don’t remember, the varterral is a guardian of elven ruins. You fight one in DA2 and read about one in DA: The Masked Empire. It looks similar to a praying mantis, but blind, venomous, and bound by magic. In The Masked Empire, the varterral “feels our movements through the ground, like a snake, and it tastes the guilt of those who dishonor this place.” (Felassan, page 332) This should bring back memories for DA2 players and readers of The Masked Empire alike.

Onto the spell. First, to quote the book:

Lirenne smiled, even as the varterral turned to Gaspard. “Spirit born of wood and stone and air, you were created to protect those now dead. You have failed in your duty.” She raised her hand, and her staff flared with pale light. “Fail again.” (page 338)

Now, how can we recreate this fantastic little hex in real life?

To defeat an enemy that is more powerful than you, especially someone in a position of authority, this spell would be perfect. This spell would be even better if followed up with a secondary curse. Here’s what you’ll need to complete this hex:

  • A substitute for your enemy. Poppet, picture, piece of hair/skin/nail/object they own.
  • What they’ve done against you or what they do
  • String of some kind

Get your substitute and center yourself. Rage is probably the emotion you’re feeling right now but it doesn’t have to be to rock this spell. Just be absolutely dead set on destroying them.

Pointing or death glaring at the substitute, really focus on the idea that your target will stumble, that for a moment their world will pause, shift, and in that moment, you will strike (that strike could be a second curse or a more mundane method of deposing them.) If you use visualization and/or energy manipulation, visualize the moment where your target will slip up and push your energy out in a sharp flash to cut at the knees, so to speak. (If they rely on their car for example, their knees might be their car’s health).

Now say,

“Creature of spite, ignorance, and hate, you were (trained/taught/granted/born,etc) to (what they’re suppose to be doing). You have failed at this.”

Wrap the substitute with the string, binding it. Focus on the legs but don’t forget the torso. You can also cross out/sew shut the face, eyes, mouth.

Finish up by saying “Now fail again.” Really push that idea of what you want to happen. Take the substitute and bury it at a graveyard or crossroads.

Want some examples? Here you go:

Here’s one for a cop on administrative leave after being a racist dick:

“Creature born of spite, ignorance, and hate, you were trained to protect. You have failed in your duty. Now fail again.”

Another one for a teacher who goes out of their way to harass girls who do not comply to the misogynist school dress code.

“Creature born of spite, ignorance, and hate, you were suppose to educate. You have failed in your duty. Now fail again.”

A third one for an ex-friend who fucked someone over.

“Creature born of spite, ignorance, and hate, you were suppose to stay loyal at my side. You have failed. Now fail again.”

And so on. Really, the uses for this simple spell are endless, to be honest, especially if you pair it up with a curse.
Happy hexing! See the original tumblr post here.

Basil, King of Herbs, Continuous Money Spell (Spell Saturday #4)

This is an original spell of my own creation. I don’t know where I first heard basil is the king of herbs but it’s an incredibly common plant used in money spells.

Some of the ideas you’ll see in this spell do appear in other works. They’re scattered like rambling thoughts throughout European spells. Just a glance through the money spells section in Judika Illes’ Encyclopedia of 5000 Spells would reveal this. I’ve combined some of the best ideas into one mega spell for continuous wealth and money.

The idea behind the spell:

Ideally, this spell will “grow” your money. As long as the basil plant lives and is cherished, money will continue to grow and come into the home. If the basil dies or is destroyed, cleanse the home and start again.

What you’ll need:

  • Flower pot (any is good but it should be well-draining)
  • A sunny place in your kitchen, near the front door, or the heart of the home
  • Dirt. Can be bought but put at least a small handful of dirt from the property should also be added.
  • Small slip of paper and a writing utensil
  • Coins with the year of your birth. Find additional coins for each member of your household with the years of their birth. You may also want to add a coin from the year your family or business moved in.
  • A basil plant. You can buy one, transplant one, or grow from seed.
  1. Write down your desire for the spell. If you want a certain amount to come in each week, then write that. If you want money to just come in steadily, write that instead. Example: Every full moon this plant see will double my bank account or As this plant grows so does my money and wealth and when this plant dies, my debts die with it.
  2. Layer some dirt in the bottom of the flower pot. Then intermittently layer dirt and coins until about 1/3 of the pot is full.
  3. Fold up the piece of paper and put it in the center of the pot. Place the plant on top of the paper. Fill in with soil. Place the plant in that sunny spot and enjoy!

What results to expect:

As long as the plant grows, so will your money. You’ll probably begin to see a slow but steady increase of work hours, customers, or just extra money. Random checks from miscalculated bills in your favor may appear or a really sweet coupon or you could even find $20 in an old pair of shoes. This should be a steady stream and will continue to grow so be sure you can handle the extra hours of work being thrown at you if necessary. I noticed the proximity of the basil to my work desk would increase the chances of more clients. When I’m booked, I’ll move the basil plant somewhere else for a little while and the pressure seems to wear off a bit.

Notes for the ingredients:

Flower pot: I tend to prefer terracotta flower pots but that’s mostly aesthetic. Smaller pots are better for windowsills but really, it depends on where you’re growing your plant. Remember that you can always add symbols, sigils, and other magical drawings or written spells to both the inside and outside of the flower pot to help the plant and your money grow.

A sunny place: I specifically say places such as the kitchen, front door, and the heart of the home. The heart of the home will be the center of the home or the place where the family is most often. (Or where you do the most work if you’re a business). The kitchen is often considered the heart of the home but this may not be true for you. Near the front door is a great place to put a basil plant for a business but if you most commonly come in through the back door, then that location isn’t very useful in the home. Pick a spot that is the most powerful and yet undisturbed in your home. For me, I grow several plants, one in my office area, one in my green house, one on my front steps, and one in my mother’s kitchen. I’d put one in my own but I don’t get enough light. So pick your spot with both the power of the home and the plant’s needs in mind.

Dirt: I have crappy soil in my current home so I buy soil in 50 pound bags. When I do this spell however, I add a handful of dirt from the richest, most lush part of my yard. When I lived in an apartment, I added some dirt I snagged some the apartment’s driveway as there was no grass on the property. Similar spells sometimes ask for graveyard dirt or crossroads dirt. These requirements puzzle me as they don’t explain why you would need that earth. Tradition maybe. The graveyard dirt might be useful if you want to encourage spirits to aid your home’s wealth or if you want to ask ancestor’s to bless your home financially. Crossroads dirt might be useful if you want to scatter debts to the wind (but that’s kind of a different direction to take this spell), to borrow the power of the crossroad, or if you work with crossroads spirits. I’d pick a crossroads where businesses sit on all four roads if only so you can draw in the energy and wealth from their businesses too. I also add some used coffee grounds to the flower pot to give the spell a kick of energy and to speed along the process.

Small scrap of paper and writing utensil: You might want to use organic paper and magical ink. I usually use scrap paper and a sharpie. Sometimes I’ll write my spell in blood. It depends on my mood. Using blood or magical inks would give the spell and extra kick but the spell works just as well if you use a crayon and notebook paper, to be honest. Just avoid putting post it notes in the soil. The adhesive usually isn’t good for the plant.

Coins with the year of your birth: This is an older tradition from where I don’t know. Maybe it’s just one of those things that crop up. I tend to pick coins that are the largest denomination with my birth year that I can find, or even add a handful of coins. Then I select the same for anyone living in my house (or your employees). I might even toss in some coins for friends, depending on my exact purpose and mood at the time. You could even use paper money, if you want but searching the couch for coins is probably easier than watching a $20 be buried under soil. Add as many coins as you want but don’t cover the bottom entirely as the flower pot won’t drain. You may also want to dress the coins with money-drawing powder, oils, or herbs.

A basil plant: I’ve transplanted basil, bought it, and grown it from seed. I’ve been given it by friends. Basil is known as the king of herbs traditionally and it’s well known for prosperity and increasing things. It’s also used for fertility, romance, and to increase wealth. It’s been used in funerary rites and is sacred to a few deities. You don’t have to grow just basil though. You can add other plants like marigolds (for sunny wealth), thyme (another traditional money plant), cactus (because it doesn’t die), or whatever else you’d want to use.

Other suggestions:

Bless, cleanse, and consecrate your tools as needed. You might want to bless the coins or cleanse them for example. You can enchant each tool and ingredient to bring in wealth and money.

You may also want to meditate with the plant to see if you can speak to it’s spirit and tell it the purpose of the spell and ask for it’s aid. This is especially true if you’re an animist. I tend to talk to the plant while casting this spell, especially when messing with the soil. Dialogue usually sounds like this: “You’re going to be the biggest, best basil plant ever and each leaf you grow will bring me so much money. It’s going to be great. You get water and love and I get to pay all my bills comfortably AND buy stuff AND save money. Fuck yeah, you’re the bestest basil plant ever.” It might not be the witchiest verse ever but it works for me. Do what works best for you.

I didn’t mention intent above but if you use purposefully intent in your spells you’ll want to see yourself comfortably paying your bills, stopping off for a luxurious coffee, buying something you want in a store without worrying about bills, and being pleased with money in your savings account. For businesses, you’ll want to see that you’re in the black and a steady stream of customers. You’ll also want to envision this happening immediately, in the season you’re in and with the way things are now.

You may want to wait for the right astrological correspondence. For this spell, I believe it’s Wednesday and the full moon.

Watering the plant? Every so often steep basil in water like a tea and once cool use that to water the plant. Don’t do this every time as plants prefer clear, clean water but it can give the spell a kick.

Google up some basil plant care instructions so you know how to best handle your basil plant.

Happy casting!

Anti-Nightmare Workings, Spells, and Cures (repost) (Spell Saturday #3)

Happy Spell Saturday!

Today’s spell is a collection of anti-nightmare fixes reposted from my original tumblr blog. I think nightmares tend to start up more often since we’re moving into the Halloween and horror movie season. Enjoy and sweet dreams!

_____________________

Firstly, as much as we’d like to say that dream dictionaries help, they really don’t. I check them occasionally just to see what they say out of curiosity but I don’t hold much stock with them. No one can really tell you what your dreams mean besides you. You know your mind best and you know whether you view a specific symbol as one of warning or joy. You’ll have to figure it out for yourself. But, maybe this will give you something to think about. Check with your symbology, folklore, superstitions, mythology, favorite books, movies, video games, etc. Anything that has meaning to you might give some insight to the dreams.

As for anti-nightmares… I usually find throwing together a quick sachet and hiding it in my pillow works great. I’ve also hung it nearby or put it on a table. Works great. I’ve also heard under the bed works well too.

For anti-nightmares or nightmare cures…

From Scott Cunningham’s Magical Herbalism

NOTE: Scott Cunningham sometimes is on the ball with his shit and sometimes he is absolutely horribly fucking WRONG or doesn’t explain why the fuck he does what he does (And it’s hard to ask now, since he’s dead). Example: He considers comfrey a protective herb only which is really fucking weird since comfrey is known by herbalists as a healing herb. It’s even used in medications. Consider this with the information I now give you.

Anise (Cunningham, Magical Herbalism, pg 138) – “A good, general cleansing bath is made with a handful of anise seed and a few bay leaves. This is especially effective if you have (accidentally or intentionally) killed something. A pillow of anise keeps away all nightmares”

Betony (Cunningham, Magical Herbalism, pg 143-144) – “… Stuff a pillow with the herb and sleep on it to prevent nightmares.”

Hyacinth (Cunningham, Magical Herbalism, pg 169) – “Sachets to ease childbirth, protection and a guard against nightmares.”

Thyme (Cunningham, Magical Herbalism, pg 202) – “A pillow stuffed with thyme cures nightmares.” [Crown’s note: he claims thyme is used for clairvoyance but doesn’t list any uses for it as such.]

Vervain (Cunningham, Magical Herbalism, pg 205) – “Hang up o the bed to keep you free of nightmares.”

From Judika Illes’ Encyclopedia of 5000 Spells

NOTE: Illes collected her stuff from all over the place and doesn’t source it (bibliography but each speck of information isn’t directly sourced) so it’s hard to trace. And her history is shoddy beside the culturally based spells and workings taken out of context…. Anyway, she’s got a whole section (pg 380-388) but I’ve selected a few of them for various reasons.

“Nightmare Spell (2) Anti-Nightmare Garden” (pg 382)

… The Primary botanical nightmare-repellant is rosemary. Given the opportunity it flourishes and grows wildly. Other suggestions include:
Mimosa
Mint
Mugwort
Poppies
Roses
Rowan
Saint John’s Wort
Snake Plant
Wormwood

[Crown’s Note: I think this is a lesson is what not to use? Most of these plants are used in clairvoyance and divination. If you’re hoping to prevent nightmares or dreaming in general, I’d say avoid these. YMMV though.]

___________________________________________

“Nightmare Spell (6) Betony” (pg 382)

“Gather betony in August without the use of iron. Dry the plants and then grind the leaves and roots. Cast a circle around your bed with this powder to protect against nightmares.” [Crown’s note: Or make a sachet or pillow, hang the plant, grow it next to you….]

___________________________________________

“Nightmare Spell (9) Crystals” (pg 383)

Certain crystal gemstones repel and relieve nightmares:
– Blue crystals in general, especially angelite, lapis lazuli, and turquoise
– Black crystals, with the possible exception of onyx
– Chysolite
– Citrine
– Topaz”

______________________________________________

“Nightmare Spell (11) Silver Bell Dispersal” (pg 383)

Keep a bell made from real silver on the nightstand, and ring as needed to dispel a nightmare and cleanse the atmosphere.

[Crown’s note: I love bells. I don’t see why a silver one’s necessary. Any bell with a clear sound should suffice. I like using brass bells because of the sound they make.]

________________________________________________

“Nightmare Spell (32) Water Absorption” (pg 388)

1. Leave a glass of water by your bedside.
2. For extra strength, add camphor, but be sure not to drink the water!
3. In the morning, flush the water down the toilet.
4. Reserve the glass for this use only and repeat as needed.“

__________________________________________________________

Illes also lists the following herbs on pages 386-388 in separate spells. Since I’m not going to type out the whole section of the book, I’ve listed them with their page numbers and spell titles so you can look them up yourself.

– Amaranthus (“Nightmare Spell (18) Flower of Essence Relief” pg 386)
– Gray Spider Flower (“Nightmare Spell (18) Flower of Essence Relief” pg 386)
– Saint John’s Wort (“Nightmare Spell (18) Flower of Essence Relief” pg 386)
– Juniper Berries on yucca thread (“Nightmare Spell (19) Ghost Beads” pg 386 *watch for cultural appropriation!)
– Peony Roots (“Nightmare Spell (24) Peony Roots” pg 387 and “Nighmare Spell 25 Peony Root Beads” pg 387)
– Agrimony (“Nightmare Spell (26) Protection (1)” pg 387)
– Betony (“Nightmare Spell (27) Protection (2)” pg 387)
– Purslane (“Nightmare Spell (28) Purslane Protection” pg 387)
– Vervain (“Nightmare Spell (31) Vervain” pg 388)

Crown’s Additions:
– Iron. Iron anything under the bed, pillow, between the mattresses, next to you, whatever.
– I love the idea of the bell as written above.
– Betony is a good keep-away for spirits, dreams, and generally everything as far as I’ve seen. YYMV.
– I personally use rosemary and thyme or rosemary and chamomile when I want to be left dreamless.

Original post from my tumblr blog here.

Protection Wreaths (Spell Saturday #2)

Happy Spell Saturday!

Wreaths are fussy things aren’t they? I use to dislike them. They felt old, fussy, and traditional. I didn’t understand the point of them so I never had them around. Until I fell in love with a black feather wreath. The feathers were small, but soft, shiny, and elegant. I adored it and brought it home and hung it on my door immediately.

Since then I’ve changed my mind. I still don’t tend to like many wreaths but I do find some beautiful and I even have one hanging on my wall right now made from vines from my garden and a twine.

Purpose: To create a magic wreath to protect the home.

Ingredients:

  • Base wreath form and any covering for the wreath form if necessary
  • Any protective plants such as the following: Peony, cinquefoil (five finger grass), fennel, garlic flowers, geranium, mugwort, parsley, hydrangea, roses, sunflowers, yarrow, rosemary, juniper, dill, bay laurel, angelica, Saint John’s wort, caraway, cumin, rowan, elder, ash, oak, purslane, rue
  • Iron nails, crystals, holey stones, bone and wood beads, feathers, fabric, and shells
  • Twine, ribbon, or wire

Select your wreath form and add any covering to it by wrapping or tying your covering around it.

Carefully arrange your base material in an aesthetically pleasing way. Depending on your design, your base material might be feathers, plants, wood, or whatever else. You should also consider adding other ingredients such as shells, iron nails, crystals, beads, stones and crystals, fabric, or whatever else to add to your design. As you tie, twist, or wrap the ingredients to your wreath, say the following:

With each element I add

I protect my home, my business, my loved ones, and my life

With each element I add

Protection from all who would wish harm to me

Be warned those who would do harm

You are not welcome here – be gone

I am protected so be gone

Once done, bless your wreath and dab it with holy or blessed water or protective oils/waters and hang it on your front door or walls.

Notes:

  • This is an art project so mix and match your ingredients to match your aesthetic, desire, and available ingredients.
  • Base form can be vines, a store-bought foam, cardboard, wicker, metal wreath form frame or even twist the plants into crown form. You can even use a thin pool noodle if you want! Rowan, elder, ash, and oak branches could make excellent forms. I like to use local vines from my garden to form my wreath frame.
  • Select any plants that you think of as protective. There are thousands upon thousands of plants that serve as protective guardians. Pick whatever works for you.
  • I like to use white cotton twine, leather straps, or red thread for my wreaths. Use whatever works best for you. Florist wire is certainly worth consideration if you’re working with especially large or tough materials.

Happy casting!