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thegreywitch-onyx · 2 years

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current state of my altar, been thinking about revamping it

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thegreywitch-onyx · 2 years

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Let’s talk about grounding

To be grounded and centered is necessary to be mindful in your daily activities. It is also crucial, as we know, after a spiritual practice or after magick working. And in an overall view, to be grounded is good for you, as you can be a better version of yourself. So let’s tap in. Here are some grounding techniques which works for me:

The basic grounding technique is mindful deep breading.

Wherever you are, preferably in a quiet place, close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Feel the fresh air filling your abdomen, your lungs, and your throat, then exhale slowly. Repeat until you feel connected.

If you’d like to deepen the effect, add a visualization.

Sit or lay down comfortably, eyes closed, and imagine that you are on the ground. Feel the soil beneath you, and imagine a flow of energy coming down your body and connects with Earth’s depths. The element you’ll be working with is obviously earth, so you may imagine yourself as a tree, deepening its roots into the ground.

Another option is using crystals.

Basically, any black, brown, or red crystal will do the work, as they refer to our first, root chakra which connects us to the physical plane of being. Personally, I prefer tiger’s eye, black onyx, and red jasper in my practice. As you meditate, place the crystal of your choice in your left hand (the ‘energy receptive’ hand), take deep breaths, and sense the crystal’s energy, let it ground you.

Note – make sure you’ve cleansed the crystal before use.

Foods and herbs for grounding:

Grains and their products.

Vegetables and berries.

Basil, oregano, thyme, cinnamon, ginger, black pepper, and rosemary.

Bonus –

Grounding herbal tea recipe:

1 cup of boiled water

1 cinnamon stick

3-4 slices of ginger

1 lemon slice

1-2 tsp. of honey

Mix the ingredients (except the honey) and leave it under a cover for 5 min. (so the essential oils won’t evaporate). Add the honey and enjoy your tea.

Stay centered and blessed be! ✨🌟✨

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thegreywitch-onyx · 2 years

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The Mortar and Pestle

I can think of no tool in a witches’ arsenal which requires more finesse than the mortar and pestle. So often people will pick one up, looking forward to pounding and grinding, not realizing it takes so much more than brute force. Resins will gum up, herbs will be stirred with little to no effect, roots will refuse to powder, all causing a great deal of frustration to those who so looked forward to using this marvelous set. But here’s the secret to using a mortar and pestle: brute force is rarely ever needed, and will not work well in most cases.

Working with resins, herbs, spices, flowers, and more can be maddening with a mortar and pestle, as each of these requires different ways of grinding and working. You cannot approach each the same, as each is entirely different. Simply pounding away at everything will not produce the fine powders so often hoped for. In some cases, a powder is simply not attainable. But, with a little patience and cunning, the tool will serve you well. But before we get to any of that, it’s important to note that if you’re having excessive trouble with working with a mortar and pestle, and the set came from a specialty occult shop, it might just be best to toss it aside. Most of the time these sets are too smooth, not having what it takes to actually grind the materials down. A mortar and pestle made for culinary use is usually the best way to go. Such sets are generally not expensive, and will last you a lifetime.

With that in mind, left’s get right to it! Below are a few examples of the different grinding methods I use.

Resins- Resins can be notoriously difficult to powder properly, often succumbing to the friction between the mortar and pestle and gumming up. Even pounding the resinous chunks too hard will result in sticky pieces. When it comes to tree resins, you must consider what it is you are grinding. Don’t pound the chunks with all your might, or try to grind them with force. No, resins require a delicate touch. Use the pestle to gently hit the chunks until they crack apart. Then use the pestle smoothly, gently, with patience. Resins will take time to powder, giving you plenty of chance to focus your will as you work. Before you know, the gently circular grinding motion will produce a fine powder for any use. Be aware, though, that you cannot use one technique for all resins. Copal powders easier than Dragon’s Blood, which powders far easier than Myrrh.

Dried Herbs and Flowers- Another example of a place where brute force will not serve you, though dried herbs and flowers are much more forgiving. Rosemary, jasmine, lavender, and vervain are all good examples here. Simply stamping at these will not be enough. Often times it takes a gentle grinding of these ti create a suitable material for a powder. Some dried herbs, like mugwort, simply will not powder, whereas Jasmine flowers will be reduced to a fine powder in mere seconds. As with resins, take your time. Be gentle. When you grind dried herbs, you’re either working with botanicals you have dried yourself, or that come prepackaged. If you’ve dried them yourself, you’ll have a much easier time. Prepackaged herbs, while useful at times, are very difficult to grind down any further than the state in which they are purchased. It’s possible to do though with yet more patience.

Dried Roots, Barks, and Berries- Don’t let anyone tell you these are easy to grind because holy mother, that is a lie. Dried roots, bark, and berries are prbably the hardest thing I’ve ever had to grind in my life, and these botanicals are some of the only ones where brute force is your friend. Each of them requires a great deal of power to break down. However, once you’ve pounded them apart, the force is no longer needed. You’ll still have to give it some welly, but it won’t require near as much effort once you’ve broken the materials down. Mandrake root is a good example of this. When dried, mandrake becomes wood-like. It’s very difficult to break down. However, once you’ve got it worked down, you can powder it as you would anything else. Other roots are not so forgiving which is why, if you pull your iwn roots, I encourage you to slice the root pieces into disks. These are much more managable than even small pieces, as the larger surface area gives you more to work with. Bark should be handled much the same. As far as berries, you have to be sure they’re comoletely dry before attempting to work then down. Some berries are far easier to powder than others. Juniper berries (not being real berries) will give you hell. But, as always, keep your patience. It will serve you well.

Fresh Botanicals- This is where you’ll want to forget about powdering. When it comes to fresh botanicals, it’s often only feasable to draw out the juices via stamping and bruising of leaves and flowers, or making a paste by the addition of warm water. Roots will create a paste of their own, as will mucilagenous plants like aloe-vera and marshmallow. Berries will simply muddle down. If you’re trying to get seeds from fruits or berries, you can use a mortar and pestle to (gently) muddle the materials, then add water. After some time, the seeds will sink to the bottom while the body of the fruit/berry floats. Using fresh botanicals in a mortar and pestle can create a great poultice, as well as helping release the volatile oils and constituents of a plants for an infusion or decoction.

However you choose to use your mortar and pestle, remember that it will take time to really understand the tool, and longer to get the hang of it. However, the nortar and pestle is, I feel, and integral part of witchcraft practice. One can learn so much from working their botanicals down, smelling them, hearing them, feong what it takes to break them down, and more. While the mortar and pestle have a great deal of uses beyond just grinding, it’s a great place to start. Happy grinding!

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thegreywitch-onyx · 2 years

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Paganism, Spirituality, and Witchcraft

These terms are often used interchangeably, but they actually have very different meanings. Here is how I define each of them:

Paganism: following a minority religion that usually focuses on connection with nature and/or is polytheistic. Norse, Hellenic, and Kemetic paganism are some examples of different pantheons

Spirituality: connecting with the self and environment by way of meditation, mindfulness, and other relaxation techniques. It is becoming synonymous with people who use traditional medicines but do not call themselves witches or practice witchcraft

Witchcraft: any practice or belief system that includes some kind of manipulation of outcomes. For example, making a spell jar for protection from disease

Anybody can include any combination of these in their practice to make a system that matches their goals and belief system!

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thegreywitch-onyx · 2 years

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Blackberries & the Devil

Quoting Corinne Boyer's "Plants of the Devil", chapter 2 "A Blackened crown of Thorns and Spines"

"One of the Plants associated with the Devil that falls into the category of having physically painful attribuites is the Blackberry, Rubus Fruticosus (and related species). Blackberry, or as it is commonly called Bramble, is a well-known wayside plant. [...] The Devil's linkage with Blackberries came from a story about how when he was expelled from heaven, he fell into a Blackberry patch on his way to hell. In one version, he was a toad that was flung from heaven, and after landing in a Blackberry patch, urinated on the plant, thus cursing it. [...] As this plant belonged to the Devil, much of the lore surrounds harvesting taboos in regards to picking the berries. One belief was that the Devil places his cloven hoof on the Blackberries after September 29, and that was he who colored the berries black. From Scotland comes the belief that the Devil covered Brambles with his cloak after this time. He was known to spit on them or even posses the berries after this date. In related lore, he possessed them after November first. It was believed that the Blackberries became poisonous in October. Cessation of harvesting became like an offering to the Devil, so that he could have his share." Picture taken by me in my Grandma's garden. Her Bramble is flourishing this year!

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thegreywitch-onyx · 2 years

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Magick: Guide To learning

This post is not entirely completed but it is a rough outline of how I would go about setting up this system. It will be added to as I find more information.

This is a general guide for magick based on my understandings and practices and what I have found to be helpful at each level of development. This scale starts at absolute no knowledge, and goes up to an individual with a practice that can now expand outwards learning everything. This is not done with any other form of tradition rather than mine, and is based on the general understanding of magick, and is to better help with understanding the question of where do I start. you do not need to finish everything in one stage before moving onto another one. what is recommended that you finish as much as possible, because one stage feeds on to the next one. This post is also broken up into my categories of magic. These being Pyrosophic, geosophic, hydrosophic, and aerosophic.

Pyrosophic:

Pyrosophic is associated to the element of fire. Pyrosophic forms of magick, and understanding are fundamental, and active. They are sources that emanate outwards, and act as axioms, and supports for other knowledge, and practices. They are simple, but effective, and are the first things I believe a practitioner should know when they are starting out learning magick. Pyrosophic is very knowledge-based, and energetically based, and it is the foundation that we build upon all other knowledge. It is the first emanation of any particular knowledge, before it incorporates any other advanced features. It contains a lot of beginner information, and energy work.

Geosophic:

Geosophic is associated to the element of earth. Geosophic are things that are a little bit more complicated, and work off the understandings that are figured out in pyrosophic. It takes the fundamental understandings, and gives you tools in order to advance what you already have. Geosophic builds upon the foundation that was solidified by pyrosophic, and makes it a little bit more complicated bringing in object, symbols, and correspondences to work with. A lot of forms of folk magic, and thaumaturgy are going to be here in this category, because of its incorporation of tools, and symbols to manifest it’s desires.

Hydrosophic:

Hydrosophic is associated to the element of water. Hydrosophic focuses on internal knowledge through the acts of meditation, and altered states of consciousness. It allows you to learn more about yourself, and the inner workings of you through the practices, and understandings that it holds. This encompasses everything that takes place within, and that interacts with the inner being that is you.

Aerosophic:

Aerosophic is associated to the element of air. Aerosophic encompasses understandings, and the practices of theurgy, and the higher knowledge of the universe, and source. It is focused on understanding the outer world beyond the practitioner. This encompasses everything that takes place without, and looks for the higher meaning in the whole of reality.

Once you reach the final level of adept you are able to go out, and begin staying in learning even more knowing that you have the foundations of a practice. Other things you may also want to learn about that may help you on your path are Philosophy, Science, History, Psychology, Religious Studies, language, and culture.

There are three stages to this process, and they are known as seekers, student, and adapt.

Keep reading

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thegreywitch-onyx · 2 years

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‘Autumn ghosts’ by 13_con

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thegreywitch-onyx · 2 years

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2022 Witch's Calendar

For all my witches out there, here's a handy list of the 2022 dates for the major holidays, full and new moons, and special events. I've listed my sources at the bottom. Dates and times for all events are calculated for Eastern Standard Time, USA, Northern Hemisphere. Adjust for your location as needed. Enjoy!

WOTY Holidays and Solstices

February 1-2 - Imbolc

March 20 - Spring Equinox / Ostara

May 1 - Beltane

June 21 - Summer Solstice / Midsummer

August 1 - Lughnasadh

September 22 - Autumn Equinox / Mabon

October 31 - Samhain

December 21 - Winter Solstice / Yule

Full Moons

January 17 - Wolf Moon ♋️

February 16 - Snow Moon ♌️

March 18 - Worm Moon ♍️

April 16 - Pink Moon ♎️

May 16 - Flower Moon ♏️

June 14 - Strawberry Moon ♐️

July 13 - Thunder Moon (aka Buck Moon) ♑️

August 11 - Sturgeon Moon ♒️

September 10 - Harvest Moon ♓️

October 9 - Hunter's Moon (aka Blood Moon) ♈️

November 8 - Frost Moon ♉️

December 7 - Cold Moon ♊️

Fun Fact: The title of Harvest Moon is given to either the September or October full moon, whichever falls closest to the autumn equinox. In 2022, that month will be September.

New Moons

January 2 ♑️

February 1 ♒️

March 2 ♓️

April 1 ♈️

April 30 ♉️

May 30 ♊️

June 29 ♋️

July 28 ♌️

August 27 ♍️

September 25 ♎️

October 25 ♏️

November 23 ♐️

December 23 ♑️

Special Events

April 30 - Black Moon & Partial Solar Eclipse (10:42pm EST)

May 16 - Total Lunar Eclipe (12:11am EST, coinciding with zenith)

June 14 - Supermoon

July 13 - Supermoon

October 25 - Partial Solar Eclipe (11:01am EST)

November 8 - Total Lunar Eclipse (5:59am EST, coinciding with zenith)

SOURCES:

Inverse - Full Moon 2022 calendar: Dates, times, schedule, and names for the brightest nights all year

Astroseek - Full Moons 2022 & New Moons

The Pagan Grimoire - The Wheel of the Year: The 8 Festivals in the Wiccan Calendar

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thegreywitch-onyx · 2 years

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Hekate’s candle ~ do you see it? 👁

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thegreywitch-onyx · 2 years

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Forest gifts von Tina Sosna Über Flickr: Blog/ Facebook / Print Shop/ Envelope Shop /Instagram

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thegreywitch-onyx · 2 years

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Becoming a more active practitioner through everyday magic

Four years ago if you asked me what it took to be an active magical practitioner, I would have told you that it took spells upon spells cast, rituals every weekend, elaborate offering ceremonies, and so on. If you had told me about “everyday” magic, I would have pouted and complained that it wasn’t “real” enough. Shame on me!!

But the truth is, you can be a “practitioner” without formal spells, rituals, and ceremonies. What makes us practitioners, seekers, whatever you like to call it isn’t the activities, but the beliefs. I also don’t want to make it seem like you must be cramming lots of magic in to your daily life to be a proper practitioner; it is quite alright to be a nonpracticing practitioner, and that is a completely valid path.

However, some of us would like a little more active practice in our daily lives. After all, we have been given a magic wand. What is the fun in letting it collect dust in the cabinet? I think doing practical, everyday magic is loads of fun. It also has the added benefit of giving you practice and experience outside of big spells and rituals which many people don’t have the time, energy, or supplies for.

What do I mean when I say everyday magic? I mean putting small amounts of magical energy behind mundane actions to turn them in to magical actions. When done regularly throughout the day this can turn a regular day in to a very magical one. This kind of everyday magic can be done again and again in any situation that you like, to help support you, ease your burdens, and improve your quality of life.

Any situation can be made magical, from drinking your morning juice to taking a walk down the sidewalk. It is up to you, as a practitioner, to decide when and where you are going to take “everyday” and add the magic. I will give several generalized spells below that you can adapt to everyday situations.

Stirring Magic in to Liquids

Useful for tea, coffee, beverages, soups, elixirs, etc.

This magic will take effect once the liquid is consumed. Or, the liquid may passively give off the effect in to the room.

Take a wooden or metal spoon; metal conducts energies more easily. You may also use your pointer finger on your right hand if you prefer.

Strongly imagine what magical effect you would like to occur. In my morning coffee I like to stir bravery and boldness. For you, perhaps you would like to stir in peace or calmness (the opposite of anxiety). In a hearty soup you may wish to stir happiness and coziness. In a brew meant to affect the ambiance of a room, perhaps a general positive energy or cleansing vibration is best.

Take the spoon or your finger and stir the brew clockwise, while vividly imagining the effect you want to take place. Imagine that this effect is literally being stirred in to your liquid, just as if you were stirring cream in to it. At a certain point you will feel as if this magic is complete, but if you doubt yourself, rest assured the spell is complete after nine stirs.

Then, you must seal the spell. You can say “so mote it be.” I like to clap or snap my fingers. Immediately consume the beverage or set it aside to allow its ambient effects to take place.

If you prefer your liquid to take something away, stir it counter-clockwise. For example, to cure anxiety, stir clockwise for peace, or counter-clockwise to reduce anxiety itself. Do not combine clockwise and counter-clockwise stirring in the same liquid.

Exhaling Energies

Releasing energies to either fill a room or be dissipated.

Inhale deeply and be acutely aware of what energies are inside of you. Maybe you are filled with beautiful energies that you want to share with the world. Maybe you are filled with negative energies that need to be released so you will feel better.

If you are filled with negative energies, try going outside if possible or in to an open space where the air and winds can help dissipate your energies.

Inhale again. As you inhale with focus, energies will be drawn towards your lungs where they can be naturally expelled. Inhale until you feel very certain that the energies are in your lungs and ready to be moved away.

When you are prepared, take a final deep breath and imagine the energies are scooped up on the air in your lungs, ready for transport. As you exhale, do so deeply, so that there is not one trace of air left in your lungs.

If you are exhaling negative energies send a wish on your breath that the winds dissipate your energies and neutralize and purify them. If you are exhaling beautiful energies for others to enjoy, just let them sit.

Inhale and exhale several more times until you feel clean and purified.

Another excellent way of dispelling negative energy is to exhale through pursed lips, like how people do when they’re pissed off. That is a real magical technique of releasing negative energies and stress. I do it often at work, and it really helps.

If you want to try something more advanced, this technique also works with talking and singing.

Applying Substances to Your Body

Add energies directly to your body or clean away negativity.

If you are using soap, lotion, makeup, or any substance that is added to your body, try this brand of magic.

First, intensely visualize what you want to occur. It could be a beauty spell to clear skin and make it soft and delicate. It could be war paint to make you stronger, or a mask to glamour yourself. As you hold your cleanser/lotion/etc., you must simply believe that when you apply it, the effects you desire will take place.

Rub in clockwise circles to bring things (beauty, power, grace, protection) and counter-clockwise circle to take things away (blemishes, fear, clumsiness). If circles do not apply to what you are doing (as is the case with spritzing on perfume or applying eyeliner) do not worry about it, just do your thing along with visualization.

Once you are done applying your substance, seal this spell by saying “so mote it be” or any other closer you use. If the substance requires rinsing off, as is the case with soaps, do so after the closing.

This type of magic can be used when applying lotion, soap, cleansers, hair products, makeup, perfume, cologne, body sprays, etc.

Quick Object Enchantments

Good to make an everyday object magical in the short term.

This quick enchantment won’t last long but depending on your level of skill it should be good for an hour or two. Remember that the magical enchantment should reflect the mundane uses for the object. Use your glasses for an enchantment to see lies, or your shoes for an enchantment to stand strong.

Hold the object and vividly imagine what you want to happen. Find a center of power within yourself – for many it is the solar plexus or spine.

Using your imagination, visualize that some of that energy comes out through your hands and in to the object you are holding. Wildly and with an iron-clad will, truly believe that the object you are holding is being infused with magical intent. Absolutely see within your mind that what you desire to occur will occur when you use the item. There is no question about it – your enchantment will work.

As soon as you feel the true faith that your object is enchanted, seal the spell by saying “so mote it be” or your preferred method of sealing. Wear, use, or otherwise interact with the object as normal and its enchantments will take effect immediately.

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thegreywitch-onyx · 3 years

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