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lil-rosequartz-princess · 4 years

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I decided to grab a couple articles on cultural appropriation of smudging as well as ethical issues. Please feel free to discuss your feelings on this if you are of a tribe that uses smudging.

Smudging

Smudging, or saging, has become a trendy wellness practice that some people use to cleanse "bad energy" from their homes or their space. Smudging is an important ritual for many indigenous people: An article by Indigenous Corporate Training, Inc., a Canadian organization that delivers anti-bias trainings, says that “Smudging is traditionally a ceremony for purifying or cleansing the soul of negative thoughts of a person or place,” and that it is a term mostly originating from indigenous tribes in North America. So when non-native people burn sage to "smudge" their homes or other spaces, it can minimize the cultural importance of this ritual, and have a negative impact on how the herbs are grown. Instead, advocates say non-native people can learn to cleanse their spaces in ways that are culturally and ecologically sensitive. There are lots of ways to achieve the benefits of smudging by using more ethical practices, terminology, and materials.

“It was illegal for Natives to practice their religion until 1978 in the U.S., and many were jailed and killed just for keeping our ways alive, including my great-great grandfather,” Ruth Hopkins, a Dakota/Lakota Sioux writer, tells Bustle. Smudging is part of those practices. It’s so important to certain indigenous cultures, that Native people are fighting to be able to perform it in hospitals. Smudging, therefore, is not to be taken lightly.

Because white sage is in such high demand, thanks to this recent trendiness, the Chumash people (of what is now called Southern California) are concerned that the plant is being overharvested. The United States Department of Agriculture says that white sage has important medical benefits — it is used to cure colds and aid postpartum healing — and it’s a crucial part of the surrounding ecosystem. But some brands continue to sell white sage, despite Native communities speaking out against it. Hopkins says that this behavior is unacceptable. “It’s exploitative and amounts to silencing Native voices and erasing our cultural heritage,” she says.

For Hopkins, the appropriation of sage is made worse because the plant is often not being harvested correctly. “When using medicinal plants, it’s important that the plant is used sustainably. When we pick sage, we always leave the root and say a prayer of thanks for our harvest. This is as much a part of smudging (or saging) as burning the plant is,” Hopkins says. To explain further, it’s important to leave the root, because that’s how the plant grows back. If someone is harvesting white sage and doesn’t know to leave the root, they’re preventing more plants from growing.

If you have used herbs to cleanse your space in the past and enjoy the ritual, you don't have to give it up in order to so in a culturally conscious way. Smudging refers to a specific healing cultural spiritual practice, but smoke cleansing can look a lot like smudging, but it’s just the simple act of burning herbs, wood, incense, or other safe-to-burn materials that possess unique cleansing properties. The smoke is then waved over the area you want to cleanse. You can smoke cleanse whatever you want, as much as you want. Some cultures may have spiritual practices connected to smoke cleansing, but the act of smoke cleansing is not inherently spiritual or specific to a certain culture, like smudging is.

Personally, I like to smoke cleanse with a cinnamon stick. It leaves me feeling spiritually focused and relaxed. And there are other materials, including lavender, pine, and cloves, that can be burned safely. Palo Santo ("holy wood” in Spanish) sticks have been getting more popular as an alternative to sage, but buying this Central and South American tree used by Amazonian tribes can also be harmful, in similar ways to sage. Palo Santo has been added to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) list, because its overharvesting can lead to extinction, although the tree is not nearing extinction currently.

If smoke cleansing is something that makes you feel calm, then go for it! It's important, however, that in the process, you're respecting Indigenous cultures and the land's ecosystem. That may mean harvesting your own sage or other herbs sustainably, contacting brands to ask them to stop selling white sage without giving due to Native cultures, or using another material. Ultimately, being intentional about how you implement this practice in your life — and being mindful about its origins and significance — is helpful for everyone.

Source: https://www.bustle.com/p/is-burning-sage-cultural-appropriation-heres-how-to-smoke-cleanse-in-sensitive-ways-18208360

Sage

This year it was evident due to the social media reaction that people were expressing anger and concern over the increase in commercialization of white sage (Salvia apiana) and the cultural appropriation and offensive marketing that overlooks ethics and ecological, cultural awareness of a deeply sacred and spiritual plant.

The rumblings on social media in regards to those who claimed to wildcraft white sage, along with selling the wildcrafted material that was being gathered from public lands, were clues that the balance between respectful wildcrafting and the use of terms like “ethical wildcrafting and sustainable wildcrafting” for personal use versus commercial gain was being pushed to its limit.

In October of 2018, “Cleaning Space Kits” including white sage bundles appeared on the shelves of Anthropologie, and with the collective social media outcry they were removed from the stores almost immediately—thank you, Anthropologie. At this time white sage can be purchased on Amazon and Walmart websites and on the shelves of stores such as Urban Outfitters in pre-packaged new aged kits. This is a serious indicator of alarm for many who know and respect the ecological and cultural fragility of this plant.

One of the most active voices in the social media outcry is the IG @Meztliprojects. Meztli Projects is an Indigenous based arts and culture collaborative, based in Los Angeles. Meztli Projects brilliantly updated the Wikipedia page on white sage to provide information on the recent controversy, citing the illegal harvest arrests and current press on this issue over the last two years.

Commercial harvest of wild white sage populations is a concern held by many Native American groups, herbalists, and conservationists. In June 2018, four people were arrested for the illegal harvest of 400 pounds of white sage in North Etiwanda Preserve in California.

It is very difficult when companies make claims of sustainable harvest when we have no accountability within a very secretive trade. In some cases permits are given on public lands for commercial harvest of economically valued plants, but in the case of white sage no such permit exists. The only way this would be legal is if harvesting took place on private land with permission. What I learned when I was in California and visited the Etiwanda Preserve was that it is the epicenter of the current commercial harvest. The rangers that I spoke with described a very difficult situation in that it is mostly undocumented individuals that are desperate for the work, putting themselves in danger, sneaking into the Etiwanda Preserve to harvest. The residents living near the preserve, working with law enforcement to help coordinate efforts to address the issue were responsible for the recent arrest in June of 2018. This came about when four undocumented individuals were arrested with over 400 pounds of white sage harvested from the preserve.

The North Etiwanda Preserve is a unique Riversidean Alluvial Fan Sage Scrub plant community that provides protection for a number of sensitive plant and wildlife species, several of which are Federal or State listed threatened or endangered. Listed endangered species that may occur on the Preserve include the least Bell’s vireo, California gnatcatcher, the southwestern willow flycatcher, and San Bernardino Merriam’s kangaroo rat. Sensitive species include Los Angeles pocket mouse, San Diego black-tailed jackrabbit, American badger, coastal cactus wren, San Diego horned lizard, coastal western whiptail, Southern sagebrush lizard, San Bernardino ring-necked snake, coastal rosy boa, Coast patch-nosed snake, mountain yellow-legged frog, two-striped garter snake, Parry’s spineflower, and Plummer’s mariposa lily.

The Management Plan for the preserve acknowledges that the area is considered to be a sacred site by the Gabrielino-Shoshoni Nation and Serrano people and is currently being used for cultural purposes. It further states in the management plan their priority actions of conducting historical research, coordinating with tribes to facilitate access for ceremonies, and collection of white sage. When I spoke to a preserve manager, she confirmed the Preserve’s efforts to provide permits to tribal members for collection of sage for ceremonial use.

The San Bernardino associated governments along with multiple state agencies, federal/USFWS, local universities, and non-profits manage the preserve, which was first established in 1998 and expanded with highway mitigation funds in 2009. Working together the management plan establishes its principle goals.

Management Plan principal goals:

Preservation of Native Species, Habitats, and Ecosystem Processes;

Protection and preservation of Cultural Resources;

Monitoring Existing Habitats, Species, and Physical Conditions;

Restoration of Disturbed On-Site Habitats;

Develop and Maintain an Informational Database

What is important to stress is that this underground sage mafia is not ethical or sustainable wildcrafting as it is portrayed in hipster IG accounts and stores! The scale of white sage commercial trade on the Internet and demand in China is alarming. United Plant Savers is working with agents at the USFWS and at the State level to provide as much insight as possible into the trade so that law enforcement can be informed to protect the preserve. I was invited by the owner of a white sage company to meet at the Etiwanda Preserve in March of 2019; he wanted to show his sustainable harvesting methods. I quickly pulled out my phone to show him that it was against the law to do so, and that recent arrests had been made. He carried on as if that was not the case, and fortunately law enforcement arrived and I was able to get confirmation of the laws in regards to the preserve from the officer on the spot. His story quickly changed, and he claimed he no longer wildharvested but had a farm where he is now growing sage for his company. I tried to convey why the preserve did not allow commercial harvest permits and the level of community engagement that goes into ensuring safe haven for threatened and endangered species. Certainly he was proud to show off his harvesting technique and make claims to be a former student of Michael Moore, but he lacked ecological knowledge of the diversity of species in the habitat he claimed to sustainably harvest, not to mention basic laws surrounding wild harvest of plants on state and federal lands.

It can be frustrating when attempts to inform stores who sell sage bundles respond that they are getting their sage from those that claim sustainable harvesting techniques and have all the right verbiage on their social media and websites. Consumers and retailers need to understand laws in regards to wild plants because even if one’s techniques are sustainable, if it is not permitted, then it is illegal. A first step for a buyer or consumer is to ask to see a permit.

White sage is abundant in its local habitat as a keystone species of its plant community, but that habitat is under threat due to development and it is fragile, apparent by the many endangered and threatened species that rely on its habitat. Most important to note is that it can be grown, and if it is to be in any form of commercial trade and certainly on the scale it is now, the only sustainability claims should be that it is coming from a cultivated source, and a buyer should always visit the farm to verify the claim.

Traveling throughout California to understand the state of sage habitats and the cultural teachings of white sage, I came across the recently published book Kumeyaay Ethnobotany at the Anza Borrego Visitors Center. The photograph by Rose Ramirez caught my attention and through a Google search I was able to locate her and ask permission to use the image for the cover of this year’s journal.

We then began a dialogue on the issues and concerns over its recent popularity and I asked if she would provide me a quote to share from the perspective of an indigenous elder. Here is the quote she provided me.

“We do not sell white sage. If you need it as a medicine and we have it, we’re going to give it to you. We discourage selling medicine plants, spiritual plants, because we don’t know if the person collected them in a good way, with a good heart. But if you have white sage growing in your own back yard, you would know because you would be taking care of it.” – Barbara Drake, Tongva Elder

I found the quote she shared from Barbara Drake that speaks to why they discourage selling of spiritual plants on a commercial scale because one does not know if the person who is collecting them is doing so in a good way, with a good heart as very profound. Wildharvesting can be detrimental to the plant and/or the species that relies on the plant, but often it is most harmful to those who are harvesting, when they are forced into doing so for very little because they are in a desperate situation. This is why programs like fair wild are important because they address the fair treatment of those communities of harvesters and the plants, and this is important. If we the consumers want to be healed by the plants, then should we not want those who are harvesting to be treated fairly? Conversely harvesting wild plants when regulated and when harvesters are treated fairly can result in beneficial relationships, for both consumer and harvester, and the harvester and the plants, as well as for the plants and their habitat. It seemed serendipitous that my year would be filled with two impactful sage encounters, when I learned about the wild sage native to Albania facing overharvesting in the wild due to unregulated trade and the herbal companies working towards a solution by transitioning to cultivated sage and support to small scale farmers. The Ethnobotany Project is a collaboration among Rose Ramirez, Deborah Small, and the Malki Baliena Press, working together to document southern California and northern Baja California’s Native people’s contemporary uses of native plants. The primary goal is to create a resource for Native people in this region to share and learn traditional knowledge about native plant uses and gathering practices. The project began in 2007. Two publications have resulted so far: a 2010 large-scale calendar and a book in 2015. The Malki Museum, founded in 1965 by Native Americans (Dr. Katherine Siva Saubel and Jane Penn) on a California Indian Reservation, is the oldest non-profit museum and has been the inspiration for several other museums. My journey to understand the complexity of white sage has been a learning journey to the many state and federal recognized tribes and the diverse projects and museums working hard to revive and celebrate cultural and ecological diversity that is more beautiful and powerful. I would encourage those who are drawn to white sage to spend time researching the cultures that have tended its habitat and choose a smudge that you build a personal relationship with and question the idea of ethical wild crafting, considering the habitat, the harvester, the laws, the cultures, and the medicinal teachings. Source: https://unitedplantsavers.org/what-is-going-on-with-white-sage/

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thelocaldamien · 5 years

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31 Days of Spiritual Journaling, Day 6

Prompts courtesy of @tea-rabbits. I’ve been really excited to write this one; I’m so glad to share this with y’all!

Day 6: Delve into your relationship with a deity, or why you don’t honor deities.

As I’ve mentioned, Loki is my patron deity. I’ve written about how he became my patron before, so I’ll just give the condensed version here. Basically, I’ve struggled with my mother pretty much my whole life--she’s narcissistic and subjected me and my sister to emotional abuse as we grew up. To unpack and work through all of that, I decided to write a novel about it. This is about the time that Loki came to me, showing up in subtle signs until I finally got the irresistible urge to research him. We clicked almost immediately--it really did feel like coming home somehow, and I knew that working with him would help me, not just with my mother, but also with my spiritual growth.

Loki is a trickster god, and, to me, that means that he incites change and forces people to deal with truths even if they’re painful, which results in a lot of backlash directed at him from his fellow gods as well as humans. I think he’s been very misunderstood for a long time. For me, Loki insists that I dig up my past hurt rather than leave it buried so that I can look at it honestly and deal with it because he and I both know that this is the only way I can heal. Leaving unresolved issues to fester will harm me, and forgetting the ways that people have hurt or taken advantage of me will only cause it to happen again and again. I can’t learn from my experiences if I leave them buried and forgotten. Thus, Loki insists that I face the truth of my pain in order to learn and heal from it, and that’s why I’ve agreed to work with him. Loki inspires me to continue writing my novel even though it’s very difficult for me, not only to believe that my writing is good, but also to believe that my emotions and reactions are valid, and that what I’m writing is valid, too. He comforts me when I have to face what has happened and is always there to take my hand and pull me through while I’m trying to work through my trauma and its effects on me.

Loki also helps me let go of the past and walk boldly into the future. I’ve always been a sort of timid person when it comes to taking risks--if I’m secure, then why should I go out on a limb to take a risky opportunity? The truth is these risky opportunities would often help me in the future, whether they lead to happiness, spiritual growth, or whatever other benefits they may bring. I recently changed majors at university, and that was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make even though I knew it was what had to be done. It took me three years (and thousands upon thousands of dollars) to admit that the path I was on wasn’t for me; I was on my way to a job in computer programming that would pay well, but I knew that I would hate it. I didn’t want to hate going to work my entire life--I knew that would lead to deep unhappiness and dissatisfaction. I watched my dad do this my entire life, and I knew it would be terrible, but I dragged my feet anyway and didn’t want to take the risk of going into a field where I wouldn’t be financially secure. In the end, however, I changed my major to English, which has always been my passion in life, and it’s already improved my mental and emotional health and wellbeing. The future may be less secure, but I’m being true to myself and my passions, and that matters more than money in the end.

I’m facing this situation again this week: I’ve been at my current job at a local grocery store for almost five years. I’ve worked there since I was sixteen years old, and I’ve always hated it. I got through it by telling myself it’s just a job--it’s just a stepping stone so I can pay for college and get a job I like. Recently, however, I’ve been offered an interview at Starbucks, and I’ve always wanted to work in a coffee shop. I love coffee, coffee shops are always so inviting and comforting, and I’ve always wanted to be a barista. Leaving my current job would mean giving up the security and respect I’ve earned at my current job, and possibly the flexibility of the hours they offer me. It’s a risk, and I’m scared to leave my current job even though I hate it. Working in that grocery store has been terrible for my mental health, but it pays well. I’m a manager. They offer me great hours and always work with my school schedule. Still, Loki keeps telling me that I need to take that leap. I need to take risks and do what will bring me happiness, not security. I’m going to go for the interview and take the job if they offer it to me, and I’m putting my faith in Loki that this is what I need to do to be happy and grow spiritually.

Loki also helps me speak my mind more. I’m getting braver and braver with speaking up if I’m upset or standing up for someone being treated unfairly. Loki teaches me that I don’t deserve to be talked down to or treated disrespectfully--I deserve respect, and Loki helps me be bold enough to demand it if I’m being treated unfairly. Often, I feel his presence when someone else is struggling with this, too, and I encourage them to speak up and demand respect as well. Or, if someone isn’t looking honestly at a situation, Loki helps me be brave enough to tell them that, even if they’ll be upset or mad at me as a result.

I’ve also gotten braver with being open about my identity as a result of working with Loki. I’m a genderfluid lesbian, and, as much as I’ve been open about the lesbian part, I haven’t told anyone about my gender identity since I tried to talk to my mom and sister about it when I was fifteen. I felt like my identity wasn’t valid--perhaps it was just a phase, or I was making a big deal out of nothing. Who cared about my identity if I presented female anyway? Wouldn’t that just make it inconvenient for people? Loki has encouraged me to treat my feeling and identity as valid, to research identities and choose labels and language that matches how I feel and want to express myself. Not only that, but Loki has encouraged me to be open about my identity as well as my opinions on gender and how society regards it. I’ve begun binding in public after having been too scared or shy to for six years straight. I’m saving up for a new binder after having not wanted to invest the money in one since I wasn’t treating my identity as valid. I’m genderfluid, and that’s fucking valid! I should bind if I want, cut my hair if I want, paint my nails if I want, and present myself in any way I want, and Loki has given me the courage to start doing exactly that.

This is why, when people ask me if I really think polytheism is real, I say it doesn’t matter. Yes, I think it is. Could I be wrong? Yes, of course. Does it matter? No! Even if there’s really nothing magical at all about the universe, if existence really does just boil down to this life and nothing more, working with the concept of deity has helped me improve my life, so why should I stop? Just because something may not be physically or tangibly real doesn’t mean that its effects are invalid or meaningless. Either way, I do believe in deities, and I do believe in the inherent divinity and magic of the universe, as I mentioned in my previous journal entry. Working with Loki has been an immense pleasure and has improved my life in so many ways just in the short time we’ve been working together, and I love him for that.

I try to give my thanks and repay Loki for how he’s helped me and cared for me in different ways. First and foremost, I try to follow his advice and do what I know would make him proud. Even if I fail, I know he’ll give me the opportunity to try again. It’s a journey, not an event, and I know that Loki understands that and wants me to keep going. I face the consequences of my actions (or inactions, mostly) and let him help me back up and get back on the path. In addition, I’ve set up an altar for him and do various devotional acts to honor him and thank him for being a part of my life and spiritual journey.

The altar I’ve made for him is in an Altoids tin; I try to be discrete since I’m still living with my very Christian mother. Inside is a candle, a stick of cinnamon, the nail that he gave me, a tiny star with the word “Dare” on it that he gave me, a jet stone (which I associate with Loki as jet is good for dealing with past hurts and traumas), a tiger’s eye stone (which is good for self-preservation--another one of Loki’s specialties as I live with my mother--and creativity), and a small vial of Fireball whiskey. I burn incense in front of it often--mostly dragon’s blood, but sometimes sage to cleanse the space. I offer him Fireball and drink it with him, and when I smoke, I offer that to him, too. I also devote any crochet crafts to him as he invented the net, and I associate him with knotworking crafts. I also wear a devotional ring that I bought the week after he came to me--it was a silver ring with one green gem and one clear gem, and I knew instantly that he wanted me to have it. I also put cinnamon in my coffee to honor him, as I’ve mentioned before, and it really helps me feel close to him.

I love Loki, love him not only for how he’s helped me change and grow, but also for who he is--he’s a brilliant inventor, a clever trickster, and a brave, kind, and caring god. He cares for the beaten and the broken, and incites the oppressed to demand rights and respect. He walks among the homeless and embraces the cast out, and he brings merriment, light, and warmth to those who were never given it. God of the queer children, god of the abused, god of the oppressed, god of the creators and inventors, and god of the free-thinkers. He tears down the walls of lies and deceit and brings the downfall of the greedy and the power-hungry. He is the god of freedom and change, who dances with the flames and spits fire from his tongue. I love him, and I consider it a great honor to be called by him, to be his devotee.

#31 days of spiritual journaling #tea-rabbits #witch #witchcraft #witchblr #norse pagan #norse paganism #deity #norse deity #norse polytheism #lokean #lokideity #loki devotee #patron #patron deity #magic #spirituality #spiritual journey

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thefatfeministwitch · 7 years

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It's Kushcraft! Weed in Witchcraft

Today is 420 – the official weed holiday for people who love weed. Thanks to a group of teens (bless ’em) in San Rafael California who used to meet up after school to get baked, April 20th has become a day for stoners every where to partake in and brag about illicit drug use. No, it’s not in any way related to Bob Marley and the fact that it’s Hitler’s birthday has nothing to do with weed.

It’s not just fun and games for everyone, though, many cannabis activists use today to fight for their right to medicate or fully enjoy cartoons made for grown ups and considering the Canadian government has recently released a first look at the legislation for the upcoming legalization of cannabis in Canada I’d say weed is really getting shit done these days.

I wrote, and podcasted, about this subject once before – check out Weed, Women & Witches here

This is because, all jokes aside, Cannabis is an incredibly powerful and magickal plant that could be worked into your witchcraft, whether you smoke it or not.

Magickal Mystical Marijuana!

Cannabis has been used as a medicine and in ritual and religion for thousands of years. Archeological sites in Romania from 5000 years ago point to the people there using cannabis as a religious incense for generations even before that point. It found its way into Chinese herbal medicine via Emperor Shen-Nung and was prescribed for everything from menstrual problems, to constipation and even malaria. A Taoist priest also once described its spiritual uses in divination and necromancy. An ancient european tribal people, the Scythians, also heavily featured Cannabis in their death rituals by throwing stalks of the plant onto a fire after the funeral to pay homage and honour their fallen leaders. In ancient Mesopotamia the aroma of cannabis or hemp was believed to be pleasing to the gods. In ancient Egypt, it was featured in death rituals and was believed to have been a creation of the sun god Ra. Topical healing salves made from Cannabis were popular all over the ancient world, and some scholars believe that Jesus’s healing miracles can actually be attributed to weed!

Why is this important? Look, I’m not going to tell you what you should believe or feel about weed and legalization, or that smoking a joint and watching cartoons is an inherently spiritual experience, but there is ton of historical evidence that cannabis is magickal and powerful. As with any kind of herb or spell though, it’s all about intent.

The Sketchiest Herb of All!

Planets: Saturn, Venus, Jupiter

Zodiac Signs: Capricorn, Gemini

Elements: Earth and Water

Deities: Ra, Pan, Dionysus, Osiris, Shiva, Isis, Bastet, Hestia, Venus, Freyja

Uses: Magickal magnification, manifestation, programming, healing, money and abundance, clearing negative energy, love and sex, protection, sleep, death, communication with spirits, cursing and binding, meditation

Cannabis, magickally speaking, is like an herbal quartz crystal. It can serve multiple purposes based on your intent and “programming” of it. It also serves as a magickal amplifier and catalyst to beef up regular spells and energy! You can add the dried leaves or flowers to incense blends, mojo bags, herbal sachets, salts and other powders to amplify your intent and help you manifest your goals more quickly. Burn the herb on its own or along with things like sage, lavender, sweetgrass, or palo santo to help cleanse the area of negative energy.

Of course, you can’t ignore weed’s psychoactive properties! If you don’t want to smoke or ingest drugs that is totally up to you and you should never feel like you have to be a witch, but if you are already a regular user I’m sure you’re aware of the physical side effects. Cannabis can put you into a very relaxed state, physically and/or mentally, and is great for use right before meditation and divination. It’s psychoactive properties plus it’s long history as a ritual and magickal aid will help you truly relax and open up spiritually, if that’s your intention.

Smoke ‘Em if You Get ‘Em

The most popular use of Cannabis, by far, is smoking. The psychoactive chemical in weed that gets you high, THC, is activated by heat and fat and alcohol soluable. That makes smoking one of the easiest ways to use it. Anything you do in your mundane life can be a magickal act if you want it to be, and smoking is no different. Use weed’s calming and relaxing effect as part of your meditation ritual, before divination or spellwork, to initiate ritual, or with other members of your coven. (I swear to god if you call it a peace pipe and you’re not native I will astral project there and cuss you out though). Here are a few ways to incorporate a little kushcraft into the simple act of smoking a bowl.

💚 Pay attention to the strain! I know not everyone who buys and smokes weed knows exactly what strain they’re buying, and that’s ok! Most of the time the person selling it can at least tell you if it’s “heady” or gives a “body buzz”, which means it’s either and Indica or a Sativa. Indica is the body buzz, and tends to me much more calming and sedative. This is great for healing, self love, protection, meditation, and psychic work. Sativa strains are great for high energy spells and magick like love and lust, luck and money, creativity, curses, and hexes.

💚 Mix in other magickal herbs! This seems like a fairly simple idea, but if you think about it do you actually know other herbs you can smoke? Always be careful when smoking or ingesting ANY herb or plant and if you are in any way unsure about its safety, bail out immediately. Lots of herbs used for magick and witchcraft are safe to smoke and even eat, but just as many can have negative effects when smoked or are just outright poisonous. Some can also interfere with medications you’re taking (St John’s Wort interferes with many anti-depressants!), and some are only harmful if you’re pregnant or nursing (like mugwort, which is otherwise safe to consume) so don’t go forward without knowing what herb you’re using and how it works.

Smoking magickal herbs is much like burning them in incense or in a smoke cleansing ceremony, but you’re also taking that energy directly into yourself. Most of the herbs I recommend trying won’t actually make you high or affect how the weed makes you feel at all, but they will change the taste and smell of your smoke.

Lavender is good for healing, relaxation, and sleep

Rose petals are included in magick for love and beauty

Damiana will increase the calming and relaxing effects of the weed, and magickally is a strong inducer of lust and passionate love

Mullein is used for communicating with spirits and protecting oneself from evil spirits

Blue Lotus petals again will increase the euphoric feeling of the weed and is used for lunar magick, divination, connections with deities and opening (your mind, doors, the way, etc)

Wormwood and Mugwort can both be used for divination, magick, protection and psychic powers

Mint and peppermint are incredibly useful! Not only do they lend a refreshing minty flavour to the smoke, but mint is used for everything from good luck, money, energy, love, protection, travel, and clearing negativity

Ground cloves smell amazing, clear negative energy, attract money, stop gossip and have sexy vibes (to me anyways).

Red raspberry leaves are a common ingredient in tea for people with uteri to help ease symptoms of PMS and facilitate birth. Magickally, they lend power to those who identify as women, offer protection, and bring on feelings of love for the women in your life.

Catnip is good if you’re working with a familiar. Be sure to share it with them, though! This herb will help make the energy in the space more welcoming to your familiar, make you more open to communicating with them, and attracts goodness and happiness. Special bonus: smoking catnip relieves period cramps super quick

Motherwort can be used to help induce astral travel, channeling, and increasing psychic awareness. It’s also a protective herb that helps you feel confident and trust in the universe. It’s great before ritual to help with both anxiety and getting in a magickal head space.

When it comes to actually blending it together, I like the instructions given HERE, but even if you take a small amount of your cannabis and add in small portions of your chosen herbs you should be able to smoke it just fine. If you want to roll your herbal mixture into joint or cigarettes I suggest following the formula with the cannabis as your base herb. As you mix your blend focus on your intent and infuse that energy and intent into the mixture. When you light it, treat it with the same reverence you would a magickal candle. Feel or visualize the energy of the herbs you’re smoking surrounding you and filling your space and lungs with their energy.

💚 Cast your circle with weed! You’ll have to ask your other coven mates if this is ok, and be completely honest. Tricking anyone into ingesting drugs is illegal and unethical to the max. Get comfortable in a circle and bring your weed, any herbs you want to include, and everything you need to smoke as a group. I like adding blue lotus, mugwort, damiana, and motherwort for these purposes as they all help with opening, magick, and psychic energy. Pass the pipe/joint around clockwise/deosil to each member of the coven as you call the quarters or open the circle. Be sure to surround yourselves with the smoke to cleanse yourself and the space. (If you’ve never cast a circle before, here’s a simple little guide!)

💚 Draw sigils on rolling papers! Start with a natural and NON-TOXIC ink and draw your sigils and magickal symbols onto your papers before rolling them and smoking them. Burning the paper a sigil is drawn on is the number one way of activating them, which makes them perfect for this. As you smoke your joint visualize your wish or intent being released into the world/universe/god’s hands/whatever and cunt on cannabis’s powerful energy or manifestation to bring that to you.

💚 Channel your inner kitchen witch! Did you know that apples are a common ingredient in love spells and love magick? Making a pipe out of an apple just got a little more magickal didn’t it? You can also work your kitchen witchery into magickal and medicinal edible foods. Though it won’t get you high, you can also get the magickal effects of cannabis in teas and salads. Smoking out of an apple would be especially appropriate around Mabon and Samhain, since the apple is associated with this time and it’s a popular time for spirit communication.

Magic Rocks to pair with your Sketchy Herb!

What’s a sketchy herb without a magic rock to back it up, am I right? There are a couple of ways to use what you already know and do with crystals to make your smoking experience more pleasant, and also infuse it with some truly magical energy.

💚 First you can create crystal grids, or even just charge your weed with crystals while you’re not smoking it. If you grow the plants yourself you can stick certain crystals in the pot it’s growing in, the soil around it, or add crystal elixirs to its water supply. Avoid anything like malachite, which can be toxic to humans, or anything that might leave debris in your herb if it’s something you’re going to smoke or eat. Charging or clearing your weed with a crystal ensures that any negativity attached to herb from either the dealer or the production (which can be rife with corruption, greed, and human exploitation depending on where it comes from) and also injects whatever vibe you’re trying to get out of the weed into it. The weed also will cleanse and clear your crystals in return. If you want to clear your crystals and there’s no full moon coming, mindfully exhale over your crystals next time you’re smoking.

A few good candidates to charge your weed are:

Clear quartz – the crystal version of weed. It can be used for any purpose and is the ultimate healer and cleanser

Amethyst – divination or psychic work, or reducing anxiety and promoting restful sleep

Citrine – happiness, confidence and good luck

Rose Quartz – love, self-love, gentle affection

Moonstone – full moon magick, goddess connection, safety while traveling

Fluorite – mental clarity, psychic work, and calming anxiety

Obsidian – protection, scrying, working with spirits, absorbing negativity

Green aventurine – good luck, money, success

Garnet – depression, suicidal ideation, self confidence

Carnelian – fire, energy, passion, creativity, sex

💚 Now I want you to take all of those reasons it’s great to combine your weed with crystals and times them by a thousand when you learn CRYSTAL PIPES EXIST. Not only will the pipe have the benefits you see above, but because they’re often carved into points these crystals make excellent wands and energy conductors! If you like the circle casting idea above, imagine how great it would be with a ceremonial amethyst pipe? One that’s only used in ritual and blessed for that purpose! If you regularly do love or money spells for others, look into using a rose quartz or aventurine pipe. I also like the idea of a moonstone pipe for use during special cosmic occasions.

Plus they’re so pretty!

Hemp

The distinction between hemp and Mary Jane is a line that tends to get blurred, indeed it’s a little hazy. It’s really just semantics. Hemp and Marijuana are both Cannabis, but hemp has been bred and grown (yes, genetically modified) specifically for fibers and food and other uses but not to be an intoxicant. Basically the difference is legality and THC. If you’re not into breaking the law where you are, or aren’t into weed’s psychoactive benefits legal hemp can be used in its place.

I will say that, in my own opinion, hemp tends to have a more earthy and stable energy than its flighty counterpart. while weed definitely has earth vibes, it’s mysticism and tendencies for mayhem make it better for more metaphysical pursuits while I like hemp for more mundane things. Though both versions of cannabis can help attract wealth and abundance, I find hemp more appropriate for this purpose since it’s an incredibly profitable cash crop. I also find eating hemp hearts very nurturing and stabilizing, as opposed to mind altering.

💚 Hemp twine has a number of uses like knotwork or a witch’s ladder, it can be used in binding spells and rituals, and are great for wrapping your herb bundles for burning. You can also get hemp twine specifically for lighting pipes, cigarettes, and bongs so your magickal smoking ritual can do double duty.

💚 Use hemp paper for writing spells, activating sigils, and in your book of shadows. Use that magickal manifestation power!

💚 Put hemp oil in baths or on your skin, include it in flying ointments, room sprays, and floor washes. You can use this in all the same ways you’d use any other magickal oil.

💚 Use hemp cord and fabric to wrap and protect your magickal items, increase the potency of a sachet or mojo bag, create handles for your brooms or wands, create dream pillows, and even cleanse your body before ritual.

💚 Of course, dried hemp leaves can also be added to incenses and herbal smoking blends but are fully legal and do not contain THC

Other Fun Things

When it comes to working weed into your modern witchcraft, it’s a lot of trial and error and spontaneous internet finds. I regularly find great ideas for weed witchcraft on Twitter, Tumblr (especially!), and Pinterest.

💚 Bongs that have water are generally thought to symbolize the elements with the water inside, the smoke for air, the lighting for fire, and the herb for earth with you as the spirit.

💚 Speaking of bongs, try adding magickal water to yours! I don’t recommend anything with artificial perfumes but flower essences and crystal elixirs only require a few drops and I love the idea of using full moon water.

💚 The water in a bong that’s been used a few too many times is truly putrid and is an excellent addition to curses and hexes. Even just splashing that nasty stuff on someone’s house could be a curse if you will it. This is honestly one of my favourite tips.

💚 Orgonite is an interesting metaphysical tool that combines organic materials like crystals, or in this case a cannabis leaf, with inorganic materials like resin and metal, to create a cleansing tool that rids yourself or an object of negative energy. It often comes in the form of a pyramid or a plate, like mine. If you’re a fan of beat writers like Jack Kerouac or William S Burroughs you might have heard of it before in a mainly sexual context with some sketchy overtones. Orgonite can include any crystals or materials and be for any purpose! This one is used for cleansing or charging items and magnifying the energy of any spells I think need it.

💚 Save the ashes from your smoke to include in black salt, and other spells that include ashes. You might also find the ashes to be a better way to include cannabis in things like mojo bags, since they don’t have such an incriminating smell. Finally, you can put the ashes into your garden to bless your plants and accelerate growth!

I bet you thought you wouldn’t learn anything today, didn’t you?

So smoke up, witches! Maybe if we all get high and cast a pizza delivery spell at the same time we can all avoid the munchies!

sources

Using Weed in Witchcraft – Tumblr

Making Herbal Smoking Blends

Herbal Smoking Blend Recipe

Magickal Properties of Hemp by AarTiana from Llewellyn Wiccan Almanac 2007

Cunningham’s Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs by Scott Cunningham

The Pot Book: The Complete Guide to Cannabis by Julie Holland M.D.

#Cannabis #drugs #Herb Magick #herbal #herbs #magick #marijuana #pot #Sketchy Herbs #stoner witch #weed #wicca #Witchcraft #420

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allwicca · 7 years

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Practicing Witchcraft: What You Should Know about Blood Magic

By: Mackenzie Sage Wright

Blood Magic

‘Blood magic’. conjures up all kinds of gothic images, doesn’t it? The very word ‘blood’ is a real attention-grabber. Combine it with words like ‘magic’, ‘ritual’, ‘spell’ or ‘rite’, and usually thoughts fly to human sacrifices on a stone altar dripping with dark red and other images that look like something straight out of a horror movie.

As usual, the fiction is much darker and more stirring than the reality of it. Yes, blood can be dangerous— both magically and mundanely. But fire can also be dangerous, no one would think to tell you not to use it to cook your meals. You just have to learn how to use it safely and properly.

The truth is, blood magic can be quite potent if you’re inclined to do it, and if you know what you’re doing. It should not be undertaken lightly, or carelessly; but it doesn’t deserve the ‘taboo’ stamp that many are quick to give it.

Using Blood in Magic and Spells

The Power of Blood

I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that blood is a powerful thing. This is something that is so embedded in us that we all understand it. Fear and awe of blood goes way back to our earliest human ancestors. The sight of that bright red fluid — whether it was coming from an enemy or friend, your prey or yourself – got immediate attention. Blood is associated with such powerful concepts that some people can’t stand the sight of it, and might faint away if presented with too much. Homophobia is the fear of blood.

Blood is associated with death: the slain warriors on the field, the victim of violence, the hunter’s prey all lay bloody in their final state. Blood is also associated with life: it’s part of the cycle of fertility that perpetuates life. If you lost too much blood, you would grow weak and die. If your blood is tainted, you will wither.

Blood is associated with pain: you see it when you stumble and fall, have an accident, or fight. Blood is also associated with passion: when you love doing something, when you are good at it, it’s ‘in your blood’. Someone you love, particularly family members, are your ‘blood’. Blood connects you to things, or others. Even if you don’t know someone, you can empathize with them, your ‘heart bleeds for them’. Blood is passion, it’s connection, it’s raw emotion.

Blood is life. It courses through your body delivering oxygen and nutrients to every part of you. Blood is energy—when you push yourself, your heart pounds and your pulse races as your blood flows even faster. A woman bleeds during her menstrual cycle, she bleeds when her hymen breaks, there’s blood at childbirth. If you donate blood you might be saving someone’s life.

Whatever little microscopic bits are floating around in there contain the very essence for all that you are. A scientists can (illegally) clone you if they had just a drop of your blood. Your blood contains your DNA—a blueprint not just for you, but your complete ancestral line.

Something that contains this much power is naturally powerful in magic. Perhaps some would say it’s too powerful.

Blood Magic is Not Blood Sacrifice

Blood Magic: No Harm Necessary

Blood magic is not magic that involves killing people or animals in ritual sacrifice. Let’s just make that clear. We’re not talking about laying some innocent creature out on an altar or in the center of a pentagram and killing it, or wounding it. This would be all kinds of wrong, not to mention illegal, and is not at all what I mean when I talk about blood magic.

Blood magic is the use of a few drops of blood during a spell or ritual—usually your own blood, but if you are casting for someone else you could use theirs (with caution and permission, of course). Those few drops can add power to a magical working in any number of ways.

Is Blood Magic Evil?

The first thing you need to learn about blood magic is that it’s not inherently evil. Blood isn’t evil, is it? Does it make you ‘evil’ or desire to do malicious deeds just because it’s currently inside your body? If not, why do you think it would it become ‘evil’ outside of your body? Some people mistakenly think that using blood in magic is ‘dark’ or somehow only associated with malevolent intentions. This is simply not true.

The negative connotations stem back to that fear of blood I spoke about earlier: fear of our own mortality, fear of power, etc., are the kind of driving factors behind a fear of blood. Indeed, if you are homophobic, you might want to avoid blood altogether. It’s not for everyone.

A good implement to have for blood magic is the prickers that diabetics use to test their blood sugar. I use these.

But I come from a more objective perspective. I see blood – like any object or component you would use in magic – as simply a tool. It’s a very powerful tool, but a tool nonetheless. It’s neither benevolent nor malevolent in its own right. You could use it for any number of purposes, though like any other tool it’s not advised to use it for unethical purposes.

Going back to the fire analogy—I could use fire to burn down my neighbor’s home when they piss me off. I have access to fire, which can be a very powerful destructive choice if I choose. So what stops me? The fact that I am an ethical person who has no interest in hurting others. Just because I don’t want to hurt someone with fire doesn’t mean I shouldn’t use it. By the same logic, I don’t want to hurt someone with blood magic; just because I don’t want to cause harm with it doesn’t mean I shouldn’t feel free to utilize this powerful tool.

Practicing Safe Blood Magic

Before I begin discussing ways to use blood in magic, let’s discuss ways to use it safely. First, there are a few don’ts to keep in mind:

Don’t ever take more than a few drops

Don’t ever take blood from an unwilling participant (this includes animals because they cannot give consent)

Do not smear your blood on people, let people smear blood on you, or try to exchange blood in any way; remember that many diseases can be transferred through blood

Do not ever consume blood, either directly or by putting it into a drink; aside from the fact that you can catch diseases, blood itself is toxic to human beings. More than a couple of teaspoons can cause haemochromatosis and potentially do some serious organ damage.

Don’t let others drink your blood, either directly raw or by putting it into food or drinks; this is essentially giving your power over to that person, and not in a good way.

The correct way to perform blood magic safely would be:

Sanitize the area of skin with an alcohol pad or sanitizing gel.

Sanitize a small poking implement, such as a pin.

Poke only enough to break the skin.

Squeeze out your few drops to collect for your use

Clean the wound immediately and put some antibiotic ointment on it. If it’s still bleeding, put a bandage on it.

Handle and dispose of anything that has been touched with blood with extreme caution until the end of your ritual or spell.

Disinfect surfaces (of your skin and your work space), implements and any other tools after performing blood magic.

Keep the wound clean as it heals.

If you are a woman and you prefer, you can use your menstrual blood rather than pricking yourself. You can catch menstrual blood easily with a diva cup if you need to temporarily preserve it for ritual—just don’t hang onto it very long, and all the same sanitary practices regarding care and clean-up also applies.

A Little Goes a Long Way

Photo by Alden Chadwick

When (and When Not) to Use Blood Magic

I can’t tell you exactly when and where blood magic is your best option, but I can tell you my reasoning: I use it only in extreme need for the most important circumstances.

I’ll use it for protection— not minor protection, such as if my co-worker is a nuisance I’m not going to use blood magic to keep her out way; but major protection, when there is a potential for serious life-changing threats (accident, crime, etc.)

I’ll use it for health and wellness—not minor issues like sore throats or skinned knees, but big health issues like disease, injuries, surgery or breaking unhealthy addictions.

I’ll use it for desperate needs—not minor things like saving money for a Disney trip, but big things like if I were on the verge of being homeless or starving I would use it to draw what I need to survive.

That’s about it. I have more rules about when to never use it:

I never use blood magic unless I’m (or the person I’m doing it on behalf of is) fully prepared to accept whatever the consequences may be (which means thinking them through very carefully).

I never use it to target other people without their permission (unless, of course, it’s deadly necessary for protection; I had no issue banishing a violent family member who refused to leave my mother’s home and threatened my life with a gun)

I never use it in love or relationship magic; bonds between people need to be naturally developed, not forced. Blood magic turns a potential bond into a chain: emotional slavery.

I never use it to gain power; if you can’t earn it naturally, you don’t deserve it and probably won’t know how to wield it.

I never use it to bring harm to anyone or anything.

I never use it for vengeance or retaliation

Spell Casting with Blood

Using Blood in Magic

Now that you know the correct way to safely use blood in magic, let’s talk about how you might put it to use. There are countless ways, actually, limited only by your imagination. But here are a few ideas to get you started.

In candle magic, mix blood drops with oil to dress and charge your candle.

Use a small drop or two to anoint and charge any talisman or amulet.

In jar or container magic, add a few drops of blood to the container.

In petition magic, smear some blood on the paper the petition is written on.

Place a drop of blood in a mojo bag before tying it up.

Alternatives to Blood

Though not entirely as powerful as blood, there are other things you can use to personalize a spell and lend it a boost: urine, saliva, semen, nail and hair clippings, for example. These are all effective options that will lend power to minor workings, or workings when blood magic wouldn’t be appropriate or advised.

When you’re first learning magic, it’s advised that you work with these first before graduating on to blood. Take some time, experiment with these things. You’ll begin to get a sense of how much putting ‘part of yourself’ into a spell affects your magic.

Once again, nothing is inherently good or bad—it all depends on how you choose to utilize it. So practice ‘safe magic’ and you’ll be okay.

The post Practicing Witchcraft: What You Should Know about Blood Magic appeared first on Familiar Territory.

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