Tag: a day in the life

Blessing & Ensorcelling Your Plants

Earth day is here. Some practitioners will even have rituals to renew the environment, praise mother nature, or volunteer to help clean up pollution. Others will spend their day adding or tending their garden or houseplants. And then there’s some who don’t care or have “oh shit!” moments ten minutes to midnight and light a candle and dust off their cactus. To each their own.

 

Nature tends to be a very large portion of a great many people’s practices and growing the plants used in your practice is kind of assumed at times. But gardening isn’t easy. Some plants are notoriously difficult to grow like mandrake and others like mint can go wildly out of control if caution isn’t taken. You have to decide what’s better for you to grow versus what’s better for you to buy when needed. Then you add in your climate, local laws, and just how much space you even need to grow plants. Gardening is a huge endeavor and can get expensive very quickly.

I’m no green thumb. I kill plants all the time. I blame this largely because of space issues – I have too much space in the Crossroads House. House plants are far-flung so it becomes a hassle to care for them in a timely manner and when conveniently or aesthetically placed, there’s little sun for the plants to grow. Outside, the soil’s not great but it’s the layout of the property itself that makes it a gardening challenge. And let me tell you: It is a major annoyance of mine. My neighbors have this palatial garden next door and it irks me so much.

My number one gardening tip is to take it slow. Pick two or three plants a growing season and focus on them. Read up about their care and see how that does. Then pick up another few the next year. Over time you’ll have all the plants you want and you’ll know how to care for them without sinking a big chunk of cash into it. Plus, you’ll develop gardening habits so six weeks in you don’t slack off and kill hundreds of dollars worth of plants.

But what do you do with them? Outside of caring for them and using the bits in your practice, how do you work magic with living plants? There’s numerous ways to do it.

 

Plant with a blessing. For my 21st birthday I asked for a tree and a cat. I got Kiki and a cherry blossom tree. My tree is now huge and beautiful but it didn’t grow that way without help. When I planted my tree, I layered clean water on blessed herbal water on clean water, then murmured numerous beneficial inspiration and motivation as I planted it. I layered in spells for protection and health. Make the entire act of planting a spell and ritual.

Add enchanted decoration. Hanging a crystal from a tree branch or adding quartz to a flower pot not only adds an aesthetic beauty but also can add energy to the plant itself. Crystals aren’t the only thing you can use though! I enchant a very large number of wind chimes to my purposes and hang them up.  I’ve also used pinwheels, tiny statues, and wooden signs.

 

Placement and pots. Adding a fun or funny pot can make or break a “boring” plant. Planting flowers with interesting color combinations can really make your garden stunning. Enchant those things. When you add soil to your garden or water the grow before planting, mutter your spells and send energy towards it. I write in chalk or water sigils or spells inside and outside the pot to encourage growth, strength, and health.

Work with what you got. Look to see what already grows naturally around you. The Crossroads House came with grapevines so I had a crash course in how to care for them. To my delight, poke weed and bittersweet nightshade all grow naturally in my yard (but so does poison ivy and poison sumac. Oops.) But don’t be afraid to ditch what you got. I’m not a fan of hostas but there were over a dozen of them when we bought the house. I ended up re-homing a bunch of them to friends back in college and I’m still finding more of them half a decade later. Just because you have plants you didn’t super want doesn’t mean you can’t enchant them too. When I cut back or rearrange the creeping jenny and grapevines, I put spells on them.

Ask the plant! If you’re an animist, then you’re probably of the school of thought that plants have spirits. So simply ask the plant what spells they should be used in. I tend to plop down somewhere sunny and meditate with the plant for a little while until I get a sense of what I should do. Sometimes it follows along with folklore and sometimes it’s out of left field. For example, I have a climbing rose bush that I only use for curses or vengeful bindings because the plant is mean and vindictive. I never come away working with that rose bush without several new wounds. No other rose bush gives me that trouble. My bittersweet nightshade is a sweetie though and super laid back. My hydrangeas are perfectly happy to protect, encourage, or connect to the spiritual world – in exchange for a a gallon or so of water. Maybe I’m projecting but my spells work and the plants are alive still so I give it the benefit of a doubt.

 

But what kind of spells can you use? Anything. Growth, protection, and health spells are the easiest to pull off. But money or job spells? Sure. I grow basil as a money spell. Curses? Yup. My creeping jenny will stop any enemy or thief in their tracks. It’ll take care of curses too. And that’s just from telling it what I want it to do while taking care of it. I find plants to be a really great alternative to positive jar spells. Plant some sunflowers or marigolds in soil mixed with a few pinches of other herbs can really boost household happiness.

Heads up though. Unless killing the plant is the purpose, be careful with what you add to your plant. You might want to toss in a bunch of ingredients to have a living spell but the weird additions to the soil ends up killing your plant – and your spell.

 

As for myself, this Earth Day I’ll spend my day picking up one of the local beaches, painting a few clever sayings on some pots, and getting to know my new plant friends.

A Rambling About Curses

As a witch who is (somewhat) active in the community, I’m always prepared to deal with being hexed or cursed. It’s inevitable that I say something that someone somewhere doesn’t like or just my mere existence annoys them.

By and large, curses do nothing to me. I set up active protections against them with various fail safes and often the curses don’t even touch me.

But sometimes I let them.

Why the hell would I do that? That’s easy. I want to see what they’ll do. I want to see how far someone is actually going to go. I want to see how my protections alter, break, or mutilate the curse from it’s original form to what it actually does. I want to test my skills and meet somewhat head-on the person who wants to ruin my life.

The most honest answer is because they usually aren’t worth my time. Why would I go out of my way to answer what is, essentially, a minor inconvenience? Annoying, sure, but not worth me devoting time and energy to. There are always assholes in the world and most of them aren’t worth the time they think they’re worth.

If a curse slips through one of the openings I leave then I usually notice in a day or two that the effects have started. The effects are usually very minimal – shit breaking randomly, inability to get anything done despite attempts otherwise, and so on. It’s the kind of day where you say fuck it and go back to bed. It’s the magical equivalent of having to drive someone to the airport on short notice. You’re not mad about having to drive said person but you’d rather stay in your sweats and watch the last three episodes of your Netflix marathon.

I do have lines that I don’t allow to be crossed. For example, a curse might be more insidious than expected – often because the caster is a malicious piece of shit rather than doing something they feel is right or just. If a curse begins to act in a more serious manner or begins to hurt other people in my family rather than simply mildly inconveniencing me, then I destroy them. Just bouncing the spells back at them isn’t enough. I might actually break out the cursing materials and give them a taste of their own spells. And my curses rarely miss.

Keep in mind this: I actually would do considerable mundane harm to an enemy if there weren’t legal restrictions otherwise. I’m not afraid to say that. So when the debate “you shouldn’t cast a spell to do something you wouldn’t do without magic” I can actually answer, “but I actually would.” I am aware of that less-attractive side of myself. I acknowledge it and use it as needed.

It’s something to consider though. Why are you being cursed and how would you deal with those curses without your protections? How would you deal with that person if they decided to use non-magical means to hurt you? Don’t you want to see what they attempted to do? Sure, you can use divination but curses can be written to not be divined.

Curses are most often weakest after they’ve taken effect. People don’t think to protect the curse from being dismantled. They assume the curse will cause enough damage without taking that step. It’s like sending out heavy artillery without having ground troops to protect it – foolish and once destroyed, you’re fucked because you’ve pulled out the big guns and lost.

Maybe I’m just not a nice person or maybe I’m more combat-willing than other practitioners. I’m willing to use my magic to harm as much as I am to heal. I know that goes against many people’s practices but I think it’s certainly an option and point of view people should be aware of. We’re not all nice here. And we need to protect ourselves with that in mind.

Boiling Water

Last night a friend came down from Boston to visit. We did a little shopping and spent the rest of the day making cookies and hanging out, watching dumb Disney movies. Now my friend is not entirely a skeptic. They believe in the paranormal because they’ve experienced it but they don’t entirely buy into the whole magic thing. However, they’re really nice about it, open-minded but rational. Essentially, they’re not a dick.

So Friend is manning the stove as we make dinner, waiting impatiently for the water to boil. It’s been well over twenty minutes and it’s just starting to simmer.

“How fucking long does water take to boil on your stove?”

I shrug, dicing carrots. “The electric coils are dying. The back burners are a bit better but not much.”

They look over their shoulder at me, annoyed. “And you can’t magically fix it?”

I half-laugh and dump the carrots into the salad, switching to shredding a block of cheese. “No. When I use my magic on technology it does revive the item for a while but when it dies again it dies permanently. That’s why I have to replace all my electronics all the time. Why else do you think I need a new cell phone every year? And have you ever heard an Xbox make the noise mine makes?”

My friend is quiet for a long moment and the silence isn’t exactly uncomfortable but it’s considering. Feeling the need to add in a qualifier, I say,

“Well, that’s my theory at least. For me personally. Other witches have better luck. Anyway, that’s why I don’t use more magic on my Jeep. I can’t afford for it to die forever. Besides, I love that damn thing.”

We work silently for several minutes. Finally the water boils and my friend dumps the homemade pasta in the water, stirring expertly. Their voice is slightly resentful but at the situation at large rather than me, “I don’t know why you don’t land yourself a sugar daddy.”

I throw back my head and laugh. “Because I’m worse at love magic for myself than anything else. Really though, I can’t seem to do rubbish for me.” Done with the cheese, I go over to the stove and stir the bubbling pasta sauce.

“Aren’t you the one who said that it’s important for magic practitioners to use their magic for themselves first, then others?”

I shrug, moving the sauce off the other burner. “Oh yes. But I understand why it works that way for me. It’s a personal hang-up, rather psychological in nature. I have a hard time accepting that I’m worth something outside of helping people and my writing. In turn, that means I’m my own worse enemy when I do magic for purely selfish reasons. Money magic is easy for me because it helps pay bills, fulfulling responsibilities. But love? That’s just selfishness.” My tone is matter-of-fact as I pour the wine.  “I’m aware of my flaws. Now, which movie shall we watch?”

The next morning we both grumpily crawl out from our blanket cocoons and tea, toast, and eggs are in demand. My friend take the toaster out and sets out toast enough bread for an army. I fill the kettle, switch on the burner, and dump it on. My friend groans.

“Tea will take forever.”

I make a noise, because it’s too cold to form sentences, and pull the lid off the kettle, dip my finger in the water, then spin it clockwise to speed up the boiling process. I work my magic and, as always, when the power is raised my arm twitches uncontrollably for a moment before, satisfied, I clamp the lid back on and get to heating the pan for eggs.

“Get out the tea you want. Tea boxes are right in front of you.” I wave at the cigar boxes that hold my tea bags and small amounts of loose-leaf tea. “I have herbs if you’re looking for something that isn’t there.”

“Earl is fine with me. I know it’s your favorite.”

I reach over the frying eggs to pick up the kettle, and set to warm up the teapot.

“That water isn’t boiled yet-” My friend says, because it hasn’t even been five minutes yet, and yet the water comes out just boiling. It heats the teapot quickly.

“How-”

“Magic. How else?” I dump the water into the dirty dishes, plop the tea leaves inside the teapot, and pour the rest of the water in the kettle over the tea leaves.

“You can magically heat water.”

“I can speed up the heating process. Whether I can actually heat the water or it’s a trick of the mind is up for theoretically debate.” I tuck the kettle away.

“Why the hell didn’t you use it last night?”

I hand over an empty mug, “I wasn’t done making the salad yet.”

A Day In the Life

I was asked by a student to give a general summary of my day. Well, I’m not exactly good with the brief and succinct posts so I rambled. Here’s what I wrote:

Hello!

Well, my day in the life might not be like others’ because, frankly, this is all I do.

 

I’m a witch professionally (trying to finish a novel to become a writer professionally too). But I’ll give you a rundown.

I usually wake up between eight and ten in the morning. I open up my home to clients at ten, so I’m definitely up by then but I don’t tend to bother with alarm clocks unless I have to. The first thing I do is check my cellphone while I boot up my laptop. Since I run my business and life from my cellphone, I spend the first five minutes making tea, brushing my teeth, that sort of thing one handed while checking my email, calendar, texts, and asks on tumblr. Then I’ll turn on the music, hop in the shower, and dress.

While I’m doing these mundane things, I’ve also done little witchy things too. I’ll check any sigils, protections, and wards I’ve set up and pass. I’ll flip or shake jars of infusing oils. I’ll pet the cats and send my servitor on any assignments I need xe to attend to. I take the first random song of the day I hear as a possible divination and I’ll bath with some sort of enchanted or herbal bath products. Even dressing is somewhat witchy. If I have plans for the day, I’ll dress in colors that suit my needs – red for power, blue for healing or truth, gray for invisibility. Jewelry added is never just for decoration, as each has been bewitched with various purposes. If I intend to go out of the house and meet clinics, I’ll swipe on some makeup which I also enchant for witchcraft – lip balm might be for sweeten word, eyeshadow or liner for protection, perfume to mask intent, that sort of thing.

Depending on how early I wake up, I’ll spent the next few minutes or hours writing until ten in the morning. The writing might be fictional or might be a witchy post for one of my blogs, fine-tuning an essay or workshop. It’s writing of some kind.

Then I’ll open up the “shop”. It should be noted that by “shop” I mean I open up my home for potential clients. It’s never a flood of people. Some days I don’t get a client at all – not in person or online. But once I flip the “I’m open” sign on the front door, I’ll start my day. Any orders that need to be sent out will be packaged up, enchanted for a quick and safe journey, and set out for the mailperson. I’m pretty restless, so I tend to do a lot of things at the same time throughout the day.  I’ll bake if I had nothing in the house to snack on (as I offer these to clients) and then I’ll start some new project that needs doing. It might be making a clay charm, writing a sigil, casting a spell, sewing, embroidering, making new witchy products for the shop, whatever. I’ll check on experiments I’ve running or clean and sanitize equipment from past experiments. I’ll go ahead and record spells or herbal concoctions in lab books and grimoires. I might head out into the garden or plunk down for a video game to pass the time. I’m almost always reading some book – every room has at least one book I’m actively reading – but I might watch a TV show too while tumblring or writing.  A lot of the time I’ll sprinkle in everyday tasks too – set the laundry to go, sweep the floors, put dishes away, eat, etc. These might have a little witchcraft in them too – I might toss a pinch of herbs in the wash to help protect or bring money and prosperity. Sweeping might be done alongside a cleansing or straightening and checking other household protections. Often, I stop to do a tarot or oracle reading or to throw together a charm bag for a client, or answer ask, emails, texts, and phone calls from friends and clients alike. I keep an ear open for the door during all of this. The day is pretty varied, depending on my mood, the weather and current season, and any plans made.

If I have errands to run, friends visiting, or just need some time to do something less easily put aside, I’ll turn my sign saying I’m not taking clients and for any potential clients to call the shop’s number. Some afternoons I’ll spend with friends chatting over religion, spirituality, and witchcraft but it’ll be sprinkled with gossip and shenanigans too. Errands might be as simple as running to the corner store for milk and bread but it might also be popping into the city to purchase rarer herbs from a witch shop. I might swing by to tend to family grave sites or wild harvest plants.

I run my shop until 10 p.m. and I’ll wrap up the evening writing and debating on tumblr before bed.

I don’t have an altar space or work space and I’m very folk magic more than ceremonial, so my witchcraft tends to be easily meshed into everyday life. I’m just as likely to cast a spell on my kitchen counter as I am in the garden or my bedroom.

Sorry. That was probably pretty specific but I don’t tend to have a really typical day. Does that help you some?

So that’s how a normal day runs for me. I’ll give an example by giving you a rundown of today so far (it’s not noon yet but shh)

I woke up about eight thirty, check my cell, turned the laptop on for music, and put tea on. Then I wrote that response until my uncle texted me about quarter to nine. His car broke down so I quick dressed and ran to the next state over (three towns away) to give him a jump. Once done I scampered home just in time to open up the shop. I flipped my sign, swept the porch and communal living and dining room (as a favor for my mother more than anything) before heading down to my flat. I left some bread dough out to rise overnight and make them into some really fabulous buns. While they baked, I tumblred a bit, listened to Welcome to Night Vale, pet the cat, and think about my day.

Tomorrow’s my shop’s one year anniversary so today I’m going to be REALLY busy making sure everything set for the BIG sale at midnight. I’ve new items to make, package, and set up. I’ve a few emails from Witchvox to answer as well. The rest of the day will be spent doing a lot of witchy stuff rather than by reading, playing video games, or hanging out with friends. If I’ve the time, I’ll work on the workshop outline for RIPPD.

So that’s how I spend my day as a pro witch and struggling writer.

The Oncoming Storm – Preparations for the Dying Summer Festivals

The last few days I’ve blogged over on tumblr about some weird events. Tugging on my dress, hearing voices that simply are not there, moving of a mirror, etc. Now, my house isn’t haunted but being between two crossroads (and down the road from several more) puts us smack down in Grand Central. Sometimes literally.

But what I haven’t blogged about is the ridiculous amount of glass breaking. No less than four glass items have been broken in the last 72 hours. Four. At different times, in different ways, but broken all the same. To the point where tossing away glass in the rubbish bin ended with the sound of glass breaking on more glass.

This tells me the goblins have arrived.

The goblins appear always before the rest of the spirits that show up for the Dying Summer Festivals. These Festivals are personal for me and start the first of August and run to mid November. Offerings and general mischief is par for the course. Spirits and fae have the run of the place and I attend to them.

This is pretty cloaked in mystery for others, so let it be known now that I’m not telling anyone everything. Always hold something back. It’s more like hold everything back and reveal only a little bit.

Anyway, the next month or so is go-time for prep work. Not only do I have the shop’s first anniversary to worry about directly before the festivals begin, but I have alcohols to lay in. Tucking away glass objects and doubling up basic protections and “do not pass” zones are necessary.  Incense needs to be made and this year I’m going to attempt coil incense. The well needs to be cleaned up and I’m thinking of planting lemongrass near it to ward off bugs for my workings. Plants also need to be wildcrafted and harvested from the local area and there’s a period where everything blooms at once it seems. As is, I have to go out and collect poisons for curses.

The busy season is about to begin. I can’t wait.