I Havent Posted Here In Ages So Hello

I haven’t posted here in ages so hello

I’m going off to college next year and I’m dorming, so I have to take a lot of stuff with me

How can I practice when I’m in my dorm? What should I take with me?

Hello! Do you have resources on beginning witchcraft? I'm latinx and my grandma practiced brujeria, but I'm no longer in contact with her.

I AM SO SORRY, I DID NOT REALIZE THIS WAS SITTING IN MY ASKBOX STILL!! Please forgive me T_T

Okay, so I'm going to recommend you handle this two headed beast from both sides: 1, general accessible witchcraft, and 2, connecting to an ancestral practice.

Firstly, and foremost, I do have a post on what I recommend for newbies, as found in my larger research post. Hint hint: it always starts with a trip to the library. It's only even a little bit outdated too. (Goodbye, Witchvox!)

It is easier now than ever to find a path to a spiritually-driven path forged of your own hands and research. Of course, not all sources are equal, but still, there is treasure in trash and fool's gold in glittering mines. My two recommended books to start are @orriculum's Witchcraft and Whimsy, and then later, after a time settling into a routine, @breelandwalker's Grovedaughter Witchery. I have wondered if I wanted to change these recommendations up a bunch of times, but they consistently are the only two books that I know of that are not only beginner/seeker friendly, but have a very sturdy stance against cultural appropriation. The books are also in a very reasonable price range and available on Amazon. If you're looking for something free, I recommend not only the dubiously illustrious witchblr blogs at the bottom of this linked post but also Bree NicGarran's Free Books post! Hope you like Middle English!

(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

Secondly, however, comes connecting to a culture you're not presently in the domain of, and that is a completely separate pickle to juice. Presuming the metaphor here is the pickle juice. Anyway. You got two options. I suggest taking them both because only one leads to an imbalance of the sort of information you find...you’ll see what I mean. 

Social media is a help and a hindrance, but there are likely brujería social media accounts and instagrams and facebook groups and all the like just like there are for other groups of diasporic practitioners looking to connect with each other. Some networking and speaking to lots of people, checking out the appropriate tags etc. will net you people to follow online. Other humans will be invaluable in this scenario. Not everything in a practice is written down. Culture is passed from hand to mouth to hand to hand to mouth... It won’t all be in a book. Network. Reach out. Unfortunately I personally do not know too much about brujería (being non-latine), but you can probably get a boost from @witches-ofcolor if you ask nicely. Visibility is what it is.

But BOOKS! Books are good for you too! If you know the approximate location where your grandmother grew up, you can look up books on her local superstitions and culture. Anthropology and sociology books will be your bestest friends in the whole world. This post goes into the process more effectively, but basically, you’re going to want to avoid more contemporary “witchcraft” books and focus more on nonfiction aimed at a more academic crowd. It’s good to have practitioner’s voices, sure, but there’s a kind of...sameification that can happen if you’re in the general witchcraft crowd sometimes. It’s not amazing.

Other than that...yeah. I’ve had Mesa Blanca by Florencio Guevara recommended to me as well as Luz y Progreso by Sancista Brujo Luis, both books that...I believe were in English when they were recommended to me? But Mesa Blanca has some bizarrely racist stuff in it that I was not expecting at ALL which made me majorly suspicious about the perspective of the author. I never read the other. Anyway. I want to emphasize that you have a lot of opportunities available to you, and a lot of places to look towards. Don’t worry. You’ll make it somewhere as long as you keep walking.

I hope this finds you well! Sorry it took me so long, but once you open the ask to see it the notification goes away, and I knew this needed a really thorough answer...yadda yadda. Before I knew it this ask was new to me again.

Best of luck on your journey, and my blessings!

tips from the merciful haha

marie antoinette, 2006 (sofia coppola)

Living Magically With Roommates

I received a lot of requests for tips on being a witch/practicing witchcraft with roommates. I’m fairly lucky, because this is the first year in 4 years that I’m living without a roommate, but I know how difficult things can be. 

This is a post specifically for closeted witches/witches who don’t feel comfortable talking to their roommate about their practice yet. If there’s a lot of interest in tips for bringing this up to your roommates, I’ll do one for that. 

Tip #1: Intent is Everything

No matter where you are, you have the ability to practice. As a witch, you are magical. Our body is made up of the elements and the energy of the universe. A whispered word of intent is all you need. 

Tip #2: Be a Walmart Witch

What I mean by “Walmart witch” is use things that don’t look “witchy” in your craft. Use herbs from the store in spells, cleaned out sauce jars, candles from the dollar store, beads or rocks. When I’m home, I use regular playing cards in place of tarot cards. I can carry pocket altars in altoid tins or charm my keys and necklaces for pendulums or talismans. Because intent matters the most, things don’t have to look fancy to be powerful. Get creative! 

Tip #3: Sigils! 

Sigils are your friend. They can be put anywhere. On your skin, underneath posters, painted with saltwater on doors for protection, in your shoes, the corners of notebooks. If your roommates ask? They’re doodles, plain and simple. 

Tip #4: Meditation and Music

Meditation is a great way to practice magic. With a pair of headphones, you can find tons of guided spells/practices on YouTube to listen to, not to mention a lot of witchy music. Your roommates will likely not bother you while you’re meditating, or at least they shouldn’t. 

Tip #5: Kitchen spells! 

Kitchen witchery is awesome for dorm/tiny apartment witches. Even making coffee can be a magical event. Add various spices to meals for different intents, stir clockwise or counterclockwise for summoning and banishing spells. Plus, it’s hard for your roommates to be suspicious if you’re sharing your delicious food. 

Tip #6: Bath magic!

Unless you and your roommates have a very unique arrangement, you likely have at least a few minutes of alone time when you take a shower/bath. Use bath bombs or shower scrubs with intent, draw sigils on the walls and let the hot water charge them, do cleansing and grounding spells. 100% discreet, and a great way to treat yo’ self. 

If you have any other tips for discreet witches with roommates, feel free to add them here! I hope this helps you continue to live magically. 

Many blessings! - Kate

Types of Water Divination

Hydromancy: divination using water

The flow of water speaks to the intensity of current and/or upcoming events. To practice this method, dip a metal ring in water and gauge the movements like using a pendulum for "yes/no," or interpret the answer from the number of ripples that arise.

Acultomancy: divination with needles

Using needles in water or flour, the diviner would interpret shapes and patterns created by the needles in the substance. 21 or 7 needles would be used following the question being asked. The broken line may mean traveling or heading on a new journey. The parallel lines may mean money in the future, either given or taken away. The vertical lines are meant as guided roads to take. The horizontal lines may mean what the fate will be.

Ceroscopy: divination with molten wax in water

Light the candle with your question in mind and allow the wax to drop into the bowl of water. As the wax forms shapes and pattens, use these to interpret an answer to your question.

Quercusmancy: divination with acorns and oak trees

Lovers can drop acorns into the corner of a body of water. If the acorns touch, the lovers are meant to be. Acorns were also carried as lucky charms. If an oak tree shed its leaves, an oath was said to be broken.

Lecanomancy: divination with oil and water

Drop oil or rocks into a bowl of water and interpret the shapes and ripples in answer to your question.

Manifestation - My Digital Grimoire Series

*these are my pages, please do not repost as your own!*