The Domestic Garden Witch: Living In The Gutter

The Domestic Garden Witch: Living in the Gutter

So maybe you’re a college witch with limited space and money, limited to the one window in your dorm. Or, maybe you’re a witch without extensive backyard space who wants to start up a magical garden. Perhaps you’re a kitchen witch who wants the freshest herbs right at her fingertips.

For many witches, having a garden seems to be a bit of a no-brainer. After all, plants and magic go hand-in-hand. Plus, when thinking of a witch, it’s hard not to think of a cottage in the woods with a little vegetable garden out front. Unfortunately for the majority of us, our cottage in the woods is a tiny flat, and our garden out front is a windowsill with limited space.

This is when it comes time to embrace your craftiness and bring your garden indoors! Not only does it place your garden in a convenient location, it also allows you to freshen the air, recycle what would otherwise harm the earth, and embrace your witchy green thumb!

Get Your Head Out of the Gutter! Now Get Dirty!

Growing up, my family had always been about thinking creatively when it comes to home improvement. After all, my mom’s family used to flip houses, and my dad’s family encourages frugality. After a while, certain projects just happen to crop up where you least expect it.

So it should come as no surprise that eventually it came time to change the rain gutters. By the time Dad was finished, we still had a few extra feet of unused gutter, so Mom decided to put it to good use. I still wish I had taken pictures of her gutter garden! Regardless, it’s a simple project, and if you’re an engineering student, you can easily adapt this same project for PVC or other materials that are used for your university projects!

The concept is fairly easy. Cap off the ends of the gutters, drill drainage holes, lay down a layer of gravel to encourage drainage, add soil, and add plants. Voila! Your very own gutter garden! It’s also a cost effective project, as gutters aren’t overly expensive and can often be picked up or repurposed from other home improvement projects. But the nifty thing here is what these gardens can be used for.

In the home, they can be hung up on the walls for decoration, or they can be hung up in the kitchen to provide an easy-access herb garden. If hung closer to the ground, catnip can be planted for your feline’s drug-induced pleasure. The possibilities are near-endless!

Because rain gutters are designed to run along roof edges, they can be set up in ways where they curve or turn at an angle. Consider ways in which you can wrap the garden around corners or along walls to create a visually stimulating indoor garden!

How Can I Witch This?

As usual with container gardens, think of ways in which you can bring some magic to the container. Correspond your color with intent, or decorate with sigils, symbols, and crystals! In the gravel layer, add a crystal or two to promote growth, health, and prosperity. Select plants that correspond to your intentions, and place the planters strategically in the home.

Rain gutters are particularly useful for a bit of magic, too! How? Well, consider their purpose. The movement of water around the home to avoid stagnation, and the draining away of excess. Use your rain gutter garden to encourage energy movement in the home, draining away negative energy and encouraging a fresh flow of positive intention!

May Your Harvests Always Be Bountiful! )O(

✴️️ To Nullify a Spell ✴️️

sometimes spells just flop, and you want to redo them. but before you do that, you should nullify the first attempt, to prevent the first attempt creates conflicts with the second attempt of the spell. 

⚫ TO NULLIFY ONE OF YOUR OWN SPELLS ⚫

WITH SPELL INGREDIENTS:

✴️️ gather the contents/ingredients of the spell you first cast it with

✴️️ separate the burnable and non-burning contents of the spell

✴️️ salt the burnable ingredients lightly (such as paper, herbs, etc)

✴️️ burn the ingredients, and cover the non-burning pieces with the ash.

✴️️ rinse the non-burning pieces clean and cleanse them. 

WITHOUT THE ORIGINAL INGREDIENTS:

✴️️ gather as many of the same spell components as you used to cast it

✴️️ perform the spell backwards, speak any chants used backwards. 

however, sometimes it isn’t a spell you cast, and things can get a little trickier. how do you nullify a spell you didn’t cast?

⚫ A SPELL YOU BELIEVE HAS BEEN CAST ON YOU ⚫

✴️️ gather a bowl of salt water and a black candle

✴️️ place the candle in the center of the bowl

✴️️ burn a hair of fingernail clipping of yours on the flame

✴️️ let the flame burn down until it is extinguished by the water

⚫ A CURSE YOU BELIEVE HAS BEEN CAST ON YOU ⚫

✴️️ make black salt but combining ash and salt

✴️️ burn it safely. ward and cleanse your area. 

From this kitchen witch’s cabinet:

Warming tea infusions for when your stomach is not feeling particularly well. Apples, blackberries, chamomile, and mint all help to ease nausea and other forms of digestive unease.

Apple and Ginger Infusion: Warm chopped apples, a knob of peeled ginger, and two bags of chamomile tea in a pot of water until hot but not boiling. Let steep for ten to fifteen minutes, then drink.

Blackberry Mint Infusion: Warm smashed blackberries and two bags of chamomile in a pot of water until hot but not boiling. Take off the heat, add a spring of mint, and let steep for ten to fifteen minutes. Drink.

efflorescence 

Find your name with the gif button and add the one that is the most relatable

It’s almost here! Samhain is next week, can you believe it? Time is flying on my end. I’ve been meaning to post this for over a week now, but am just now finding the time! Samhain is seen by some as the end of the “witch’s year” and bring this year to an end means letting go of this year and embracing the new! This jar focuses on letting go and making peace with your year and setting up your new intentions and preparing for your year to come.

ground ginger - welcoming adventure and new experiences

black pepper - banishing and releasing negativity from this year

sage - self purification for a blank slate 

anise - aide in finding happiness

cloves - for help in gaining what is sought

Like any of my jars, I recommend starting out with meditation, lighting the candle you will seal the jar with and taking time to clear your head and focus as much as you can on this. If it helps, I would also write down all of what you want to let go of, you can burn this or bury it if you want to. I also would recommend (witch or not!) to write out your intent and goals for the year to come so you have a physical reminder to meditate with and look at daily to keep yourself focused. Visualize these things while you assemble your jar and take as much time as you need! Seal your jar up (I have a tutorial here if you need help!) and meditate with it when you can to refocus your goals!

I know Samhain is usually associated with the fact that the veil is thin during this time, so spirit work is popular, but for those of us who don’t work with spirits, I wanted to bring something else to the table! (But I do have a divination spell jar if you do!)

I would LOVE (as always) to see your recreations, just tag me as a mention or a regular tag. All my other jars and originals can be found here. I hope this is helpful, and I would love to hear what you let go of/or your goals for the coming year if you want to share! 

Love you, little witches! Happy Samhain, and stay safe! 

xox

Witchy-Woman