Sweet Relaxation Nervine Tincture

Sweet Relaxation Nervine Tincture

Take your jar and fill half of it with dry herb. Fill up rest of the jar with 100 proof vodka all the way to the top. Let it sit for a moon cycle (or 30 days), agitating it a bit every few days. When ready, separate herbs from alcohol using cheesecloth (being sure to squeeze everything out of the herbs – that’s the good stuff). You now have your tincture. Store in a cool, dark area, and shelf life is up to 3 years. Take as needed.

The nervine herbs I used for this tincture are the following:

Skullcap

Skullcap has a calming and relaxing effect on the body and can be used to promote sleep.

Kava Kava

Kava kava is a powerful plant whose root is used for its sedative properties.

Oatstraw

Oatstraw is known to nourish the nervous system.

Damiana

Damiana, an ancient aphrodisiac of the Mayan people, is known to tone and restore the reproductive organs – increasing blood flow and relaxing the muscles.

Lemon Balm

Aromatic lemon balm is a calming agent for reducing stress and anxiety.

Places where reality is a bit altered:

• any target • churches in texas • abandoned 7/11’s • your bedroom at 5 am • hospitals at midnight • warehouses that smell like dust • lighthouses with lights that don’t work anymore • empty parking lots • ponds and lakes in suburban neighborhoods • rooftops in the early morning • inside a dark cabinet

“My crystals are charged.”

Requested by @theflannelchick

Public Sigils for the Urban Witch

One great way to add protection or an enchantment to your home when you live in a city is through sigils. On the sidewalk, near the doors, in alleys, by the mailboxes, on the gates… there are countless places you may need to place a spell and don’t feel like you have to use a sharpie and just hope you don’t get caught. There are lots of stealth/cheap alternatives to spray paint or paint markers. 

1. Chalk - cheap and cute, this may only work in a dry climate where you don’t experience much rain, or you will have to refresh it quite often. But if you live in a neighborhood with a lot of children, chalk can be a great stealth option.

2. Oil/chapstick/wax - especially w/ a meaningful scent, these greasy markers can last a lot longer and be almost undetectable. Depending on where you put it, it may only need to be refreshed every 6 months which is a LOT better than the chalk. 

3. Paste-ups - Sugar+flour+water painted over a printed graphic will stick to an outdoor surface for a very long time. If small, this street art technique an be utilized without angering landlords or residents. Especially when placed under the mailbox, or on top of a gate or the like. Keep in mind if you live in a neighborhood with snails, they will eat the paste. Also some water-based inks will run when applying the paste, so be mindful of the ink you are using. 

4. Duct tape/Electrical tape -  w/ sharpied sigil can be placed in unseen locations and blend in easily. 

5. Chewing gum - Stealth as hell, as no one will suspect a wad of chewed gum as witchcraft, and very unlikely anyone will want to try to pry it off, this may be an option depending on the kind of place you live in. I don’t suggest sticking your nasty gum on the side of your building, but in the alley, on the sidewalk, road, or parking lot may be a perfectly reasonable option. Just be sure to remove it when you move out because otherwise, that’s kinda just like litter, dude. Chewing gum can be extra powerful since it is saturated w/ your personal saliva and can have extra empowerment from color or flavor (cinnamon being great for banishing/empowerment, mint for good fortune, bubble gum for happiness etc…) Once stuck, you can press your magic mark into it, or just say/think your spell into the gum with each chew before sealing it to an object. 

Tips:  1. Take some time and scope out your location before you decide where exactly you are going to place your spell. It is going to be doing an important job and it is worth your time to consider all the various factors that may result in its failure or success. Be sure to consider: sun, wind, rain, if it is at eye level or not, if it is at the level of kid’s hands, in the way of the mail worker, or maintenance worker, behavior of neighborhood wildlife, bike or car traffic, what is visible from windows near by…. 

2. Practice. Practice your sigil with any incantation at home with nonmagic* materials over and over before you go out to place your spell. It will come out better and you will feel more confident in it. Practicing will also help build power in the spell before it is unleashed. Try setting a specific number of times to practice. Is your magical number 7? Do you associate the number 4 with protection and you are going to place a protection sigil? Explore numerical meanings even if you aren’t used to using them, as you may find them empowering. 

3. Place your spell during the day. I know it may feel exciting and more stealthy to do it at night but if someone DOES see you, you’ll look suspicious as hell. Also in the light of day, it’s easier for YOU to see if someone noticed you or not, and you can always pretend to have dropped something and walk away if need be. Where as at night, if you don’t notice someone is watching, you are a bit more likely to get caught. 

4. Keep an eye on the mark. You will likely need to give it a refreshing to keep it working and don’t forget to thank it for its service when you pass by.  *Lol I mean like what object is even mundane, right? One that YOU know to be mundane or at least not empowered with the same level of purpose as your more “official” tools.

Magickal Bathing for the Broom Closet Witchlings. (Lush B.Bombs)

Alright witchlings by now you have seen the Lush bath bomb crap all over the internet and I figured it would be an easy and pleasant way for any of you to have a magickal bath without anyone being the wiser. 

*Not all ingredients are listed only herbals ingredients are listed for their magickal properties.

Secret Garden: Contains rose oil, rose buds, rose petals, and  marigold.

Magickal Uses: Love, friendship, luck, protections, clairvoyance, dreams,and  legal matters.

Rose Bomb: Contains sea salt, rose petals, rose oil, and rose buds.

Magickal Uses: Cleansing, love, friendship, luck, and protection.

Sex Bomb: Contains jasmine.

Magickal Uses: Love and seduction.

Phoenix Rising: Contains cinnamon sticks.

Magickal Uses: Power, love, success, healing, cleansing, and possible male aphrodisiac.

Big Blue: Contains  sea salt, lemon oil, and lavender oil. Magickal Uses: Cleansing, purification, love, blessings, sleep, peace, protection, visions, and clarity.

Dragon Egg: Contains lemon  oil and jasmine.

Magickal Uses:  Purification, love, blessings, and seduction.

Granny Takes A Dip: Contains lemon oil and ginger oil.

Magickal uses:  Purification, love, blessings, power, success, and money matters.

Avobath: Contains: Gardenia extract.

Magickal Uses: To attract love.

Sakura: Contains sea salt, lemon oil, jasmine, and gardenia extract.

Magickal Uses: Cleansing, purification, love, blessings, seduction and attraction of love.

Pink: Contains lavender oil and vanilla.

Magickal Uses: sleep, peace, wishes, visions, clarity, love and possible aphrodisiac.

Honey Bee: Contains honey, aloe, and gardenia extract.

Magickal Uses:  Happiness, healing, love, lust, wisdom, beauty, protection, success, peace, and attract love.

From infusions and tinctures to oils and salves: The basics of herbal healing and the beginnings of any potion. 

Decoction: A decoction is needed to extract the deeper essence from harder substances such as barks, roots and stems. Place the raw materials in a pot and fill it with fresh water. Simmer uncovered until the water lever is reduced by 1/3. Strain the resulting liquid to remove particulates then drink or use as needed. Infusion: Pour freshly boiled water over the desired herb or planar matter, roughly 8 ounces of water per teaspoon of dried plant parts. When using fresh herbs roughly 3 times as much is required. 

Oil: Place flowers, herbs or other plant parts in a sealed glass container. Fill the container with an organic oil (ex: Olive, sesame, etc…) until it is an inch above the material being used. Place the bottle somewhere warm for 2 weeks, next to a stove while cooking, on the mantle, a sunny window sill, etc. Upend the container daily to ensure the oil saturates the material. 

Ointment: Heat 2 cups of pure lard to frying temperature. Add 4 handfuls of crumbled dry herbs or 6 handfuls of chopped fresh herb to the lard. Stir to to blend and let simmer for 1 minute. Remove from heat, cover and let sit over night. Reheat until liquid then mix in 4 tablespoons of an organic oil, this will prevent it hardening to much. Squeeze through a cheese clothe to remove solids and store in a crockery or glass container. 

Salve: Mix 3 ounces of finely pulped plant parts, 7 ounces of lard and 1 ounce of beeswax. When thoroughly mixed simmer over low heat in active red pot for 1-2 hours. Remove from eat and allow to cool. 

 Tincture: A tincture uses alcohol to extract the properties of a herb or plant. Loosely fill a glass container with fresh or dried herbs and add some sort of food grade spirit (ex: vodka), vinegar can also be used for certain ingredients. Cork or otherwise seal the container and leave somewhere warm for 2 or more weeks. 

 *Information from “Healing Teas - How to prepare and use read to maximize your health” by Marie Nadine Antol. 

**images from google.