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Daily Tarot Draw: Sept. 6, 2020

Today I had to get up earlier than usual to go to the daily grind so today’s draw is posted delayed but those Sunday morning sunrises are always a perk. Greet the sun and start your day!

Looks like today is the Three of Wands!

Three of Wands

Today we have this absolutely vibrant card, from my Sante Muete deck. I love how bright the colors are in this deck, they’re so eyecatching and brillinat.

But we’re not here to study color theory. Well, not entirely at least. In this card, we see a bird, skeletal, holding a book. He sits atop three red skulls, from which stems have sprouted.

Wands represent action. Commonly, Wands are assocaited with fire, but I always feel like Wands more closely coincide with wind. That’s the cool part about reading intuitively; you can assign meaning to cards besides the historical meaning to give your readings a deeper connection to yourself and your experience. Threes commonly refer to growth or relationships.

In the White Book included, we are told that the Three of Wands is a push of positive energy towards new goals, new business ventures, new relatuonships, as well as a reminded that we hold our destinies in our own hands and do not need ti rely on others to further our goals. (Honestly, this White Book has so much amazing content besides just giving the cards meaning!)

We can take away from this that today is a good day to push towards our goals or to forge new friendships. And considering today is Sunday, and the beginning of the week, for the Western world at least, today is a good day to start our week right and strive to make our lives better; whether that means working on your start-up, starting a difficult project, or making a new friend in time for the holiday season.

Hopefully, you can take something away from this card today. If not, hopefuly I can pull a card that resonates with you soon! Leave a comment about how you feel like tou can seize the day today so to speak, or if you feel something else about this card.

I’m also going to start keeping track down here about all the cards I’ve drawn so far, and when I finally draw all of them… well, I’ll figure that out when we get. Maybe a giveaway or something? Tell me what you want to see!

Two of Swords
Three of Wands

Witchcraft 101: Candle Correspondences and Magic

bitchcraft

For all my baby witchlings, candles are some of the easiest to come-by witch supplies.

Candles are easily found at most stores, affordable, and good to keep around for emergencies (power outages, for instance). And good news, if you begin hoarding candles, no one will judge you because a lot people hoard candles. For instance, my mother loves receiving candles for any occasion, and has a half of a coat closet full of them.

So let’s go over the basics of candles, candle magic, and spells involving candles.

Candle colors and scents can correspond with the type of spell or intention you have in mind.

Red	Courage, Love, Passion,
Orange	Success, legal actions, concentration
Yellow	Happiness, travel, intelligence
Green	Growth, wealth, prosperity, fertility
Blue	healing, peace, loyalty, spirituatlity
Purple	meditation, psychic abilities, connecting to higher self and higher beings
Pink	femininity, beauty, compassion, innocent or romantic love
Brown	abundance, stability, gardening, family and friends
Grey	Loneliness, wisdom, neutralizing energies and spells
Black	Absorbing energy, banishing, protection, self-defense
White	cleansing, purification, reflecting energy, can be used as substitute for all other colors

Colors and Correspondences

Below, I’ve listed some of the more common candle scents that you’re bound.

Cinnamon	Protection, inflame passion, counter love spells, can be used in place of sage for cleansing when sage is unavailable
Citrus	Lemon is good for confidence, good luck and adding extra energy for spells Orange is good for joy, good fortune, and prosperity
Evergreen	Wisdom, cleansing, protection, and money spells
Lavender	healing, meditation, and cleansing and refreshing the body, soul, and mind (use with caution around cats)
Rain	cleansing, healing, and relaxing, calming anger, and bringing about new begingings
Sandlewood	Can only be used in benevolent magics. use for consecrating, healing, wishes, peace, removing negativity, and blessing ritual space and altars
Vanilla	calming, promoting mental and physical arousal, good luck, happiness, prosperity and knowledge seeking
Fresh Linen	Can be used in place of Rain scent

Scents and Correspondences

So depending on the color of your candle, as well as the scent, you can craft a spell to suite all of your needs.

And sometimes the spell calls for something other than a scented candle. Sometimes, you have to ANOINT!

I know, big steps in our spellwork here, but just stay with me here.

So what does it mean when you anoint a candle?

Anointing a candle means giving the candle the intention you need for the spell. When you anoint a candle you use oils, herbs, and symbols to give a blank candle your intention.

Oils that can be used can be things like essential oils, which will give plain candles a nice scent as you burn them, or ‘natural’ oils, like olive oil and such. Dilute your essential oils in natural oils to use more of them.

Some natural oils that have the highest smoke point (how hot they can get before burning) are avocado oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil, coconut oil, canola oil, then olive oil (in order of highest to lowest smoke point).

Anoint your candles by massaging them with oils, herbs and inscribing symbols or sigils. Rub your candles in one direction, depending on what your spells is doing; personally, I feel that rubbing from bottom to top banishes, and top to bottom attracts.

When burning anointed candles, ad regular candles too, just be careful and remember fire safety. Especially with hot oils near open flames.

So candles are the vectors of setting things in motions for spells. the energy from the flame interacts with your intentions and set your intentions into motion.

Witchcraft 101: Starting out…

bitchcraft

Are you a little witchling, much like myself, who is ready to jump into the deep end?

You’ve done a bunch of reading, followed a bunch of accounts across social media, you’ve saved a bunch of memes and such.

You are so ready for this.

But you don’t know where to even start.

Sure, you have an idea of how pretty your book of shadows is going to look, or how artful you’ll arrange your altar, or how many amazing spells you’ll perform surrounded by candles and herbs and spirit.

But you’re still a baby witch, you don’t where to begin.

So where do you even begin? Where do you even go?

Well, let’s start with gathering supplies!

I know what you’re thinking, ‘Excuse me, we just went over how I am brand spanking new at this whole witchcraft thing and I have no idea where to start!’

So I’m here to talk some sense into you!

You have supplies! You got junk all over the place you can lose! Think about how all the ancestors and witches from the previous times were able to do so much with what they had on hand! You are not starting off from scratch!

Look through your house! I’m sure you can find at least one (1) of the following some where in a junk drawer or under a couch.

Candle(s)
a pen
a solitary scrap of paper
An herb
A spice

How many did you find? I bet you found things like:

a pen
a half-melted candle
a pad of sticky notes
or a half-used notebook from grade school
Some salt or pepper, maybe both

See, you aren’t completely bad off. Just take it slow, and go at your own pace. It’ll all come in time. No one is a master overnight.

And don’t worry about having a beautiful Book of Shadows yet, or even having an organized one. Books are hard to write and organize. So just start a folder or a binder or a notebook. I’ll even write a post about how to write up your Book of Shadows.

Keep learning and growing, little witchlings!

Witchcraft 101: Do’s and Don’t’s of love spells

bitchcraft

Today is the day for all things love, lust, and romantic.

But what they don’t talk about for Valentine’s day, is the requests for love spells. And you know the ones we’re talking about; the Hollywood movie magic where with a special incantation(in Latin, obviously) the one you desire will be utterly obsessed with you.

But we have to lay down some ground rules.

Do… define what kind of love someone is looking for. There’s all kind of safe, effective rituals and spells for self-love and selfless caring for an individual. These kinds of spells are good regardless of belief system, because spreading love to yourself and others is healthy.

Don’t… perform spellwork for unrealistic requests. Some boundaries cannot be crossed and manipulated, such as one-sided love or bringing the dead back. So if you get a hankering to work some spells on your crush, or get a request for conjuring a dead relative, maybe just say no until your more comfortable in your practice.

Do… work some spells for yourself. Today is about love. Work some spells and rituals to show yourself some love. Cleansing bath with herbs and crystals, buying yourself a box of chocolates, tending your garden (if applicable), stargazing, or even a break from witchiness. Whatever you feel you need.

Don’t… feel pressured to lie about love. Maybe you’re doing a reading for someone and the signs aren’t there. Don’t feel like you have to lie to your friends or clients about love being in their future when it’s not. The truth may hurt, but it hurts less than lies that lead people on.

But most importantly…

Do… remember to have fun! Do so safely, of course, using proper spiritual and physical safety precautions (wrap it before you tap it). But today is a day of having fun and spreading love.

Witch 101: Finding your passion/direction/gift…

bitchcraft

Some of the time I’ve been taking off, while away from school and my blog, I’ve been revisiting some of my old hobbies and new loves.

So for all my baby witches, myself included, how do you know when you’ve found your… focus, direction, gift?

I know when you start out as a witch, you see all these classifications of witchiness, like hedge witches, kitchen witches, green witches, white witches, dark witches…

And that’s not including all the religions and beliefs that go with the practice itself.

So how do you find what your type of witchiness is? How do you sift through all the history and beliefs and practices to find where you fit?

First things first, go slow. Dont rush through something unless it feels off.

For example, work with divination and gardening and cooking, unless you get a weird feeling in your intuition that says, ‘Hey, this just isn’t a good fit.’ Maybe you aren’t familiar with that intuition yet, so here’s a quick tip.

When you try on clothes before buying them, you know if something feels good or if it doesn’t. You don’t have to have a rational reason, sometimes that shirt just doesn’t feel right. Same thing with your intuition, you just know if something fits or doesn’t.

So try everything safely. Try gardening, try scrying, try baking bread, try divining via candles, try binding and healing spells. Don’t do anything you aren’t comfortable with

When you find a good fit, you’ll know it. It’ll come easy as riding a bike, or it’ll feel like a new pair of shoes, stiff and strange, but comfortable enough.

But now, you’re thinking about how your supposed to be classified. Are you supposed to be a green witch cause you’re a green thumb even though you love candle spell work and fire? Are you supposed to call yourself a white witch because you love healing magic and breaking through traumas, but you also love divination? Are you supposed to call yourself an eclectic witch just because you can’t pin down what you want to be called?

Good news, witchlings!

There’s no rules!

You can call yourself whatever you want. You can give yourself a title or not. You can give yourself a classification or not. You can invent your own if you’d like. And if anyone says anything, you have the most powerful banishing spell at the palm of your hands. Literally. Just flip off your nay-sayers and do your thing.

Witch 101: Candle burning tips…

bitchcraft, Tarot

My dear little witches, I’m sure you’ve been chomping at the bit to start spell work. And the easiest spells to start with is candle magic.

But let’s pump the brakes for a minute. Before we dive headlong into lighting shit on fire (I mean don’t get me wrong, I’m all for lighting shit on fire), we should go over some concerns.

Safety concerns.

The three things you need to consider before striking those matches:

Candle size
Time constraints
Fire safety

I know what you’re thinking Ugh, this isn’t the first time I’ve played with candles. Which I know. But this is the first time you’ve played with fire, literally, for other intentions than making a space smell nice or lighting your way during a blackout.

So let’s take candle size into consideration first.

One of the top social media witch tips is to use birthday candles is you’re worried about time, since they burn down fast.

But what about some old fashioned taper candles(like for a dinner party) or a votive candle or pillar candles? All of these bigger candles pack a bigger punch than a birthday candle or even a tealight candle.

But you have to be present with the flame burning otherwise you are compromising your own safety.

So rule of the thumb, the bigger the candle, the longer it burns. Duh.

But this pairs with our time constraints.

Any spell should be thought out, and you shouldn’t be doing a candle spell 20 minutes before you have to leave for work.

So you have to plan for a night in or something to work big candle magic, like burning a pillar candle or your big ass Yankee candle you got on sale.

I’m sure at this point you’re blindly scrolling, rolling your eyes like I’m your mom giving you a lecture about the dirty dishes.

But I say this with love. And concern.

But what about some of your bigger candles? Do you have an idea of how to keep your tables safe from wax drip or heat marks? Do you have an idea of where in your space you can safely burn candles?

Here’s where I have some cheap witch tips for you baby witchlings.

To catch wax drippings…

Use a spare aluminum foil pan! A pie dish or a roasting pan, whatever you have available, will catch your drippings safely since the edges are raised. And when the pan is used up, you can get rid of the wax appropriately (recycle, reuse, dispose of correctly per city waste rules), and then recycle the pan.

You can also use an old plate or bowl you have sitting in the back of the cabinet. You know the one, it matches the set but the edges are busted from one too many upsets in the dish mountain in the sink, or theres a whole missing piece from an accident, but because it matches the set, you won’t just dump it. The plate is heat safe, since it holds hot food, and can protect your tabletops from heat damage from a low-burning candle.

Just remember basic candle safety anytime you want to do a candle spell:

Light candles on a sturdy surface, to reduce risk of knock overs and resulting fires.
Keep candles, especially open flames like on votive, taper, tealight, and even birthday candles, away from pets and children, even your familiar
Don’t leave candles unattended for periods of time, since fire is unpredictable and can cause problems when not properly contained or monitored.
And keep a safe method of putting fire out on hand. A fire extinguisher is always a good thing to keep on hand, whether to stop kitchen fires or candles that got out of control. If you’re worried about the flame getting out of control, keep calm, try to put you candle out safely with water first or an extinguisher, and remove the hot candle to a cool and safe location until the candle is completely cool to touch, such as a cement driveway, sidewalk or patio, or a bathtub/shower where more water is readily on hand. Always call the proper emergency response agency if an emergency occurs, whether fire or burns.

Daily Draw November 11th

bitchcraft, Tarot

Another Monday! With every day winter gets closer, as well as Thanksgiving (and my personal retail hell of Black Friday). As the world gets closer to the winter solstice and the new year, we should all be thinking about what we want to change in our lives and how we can start changing, day by day.

Because change doesn’t happen overnight.

Unless you’re a superhero.

So let’s see what the cards have in store today.

Justice Reversed

Here we have Justice reversed.

Now, most Major Arcana cards can be scary, but luckily, this is one of the nicer cards, in my book.

Most Major Arcana cards are upfront about what they represent, like the Lovers, Strength, the Sun.

Some like the character cards are harder to interpret because they are usually particular to the question or subject, such as how the High Priestess can be interprettted differently depending on whether the the question is about a person or a situation.

So Justice Reversed means a unbalance or dishonesty.

We can see in the card that the scales are balanced, but reversed can mean that we should be aware of scales that are not balanced. Justice is commonly referred to as being ‘blind’ because Justice acts on the facts and therefore has the scale to weight the facts.

I feel that today I should just be aware of the unfairness or dishonesty in my life, especially with myself and those in my close circle.

Daily Reading November 9th

bitchcraft, Tarot

Oh man, we’re almost a third of the way through November! Better start getting those Yule presents ready! Or at least, start making your list now so you don’t forget anyone by Yule.

So what does the fabulous Santa Muerte hold for us today…

Seven of Swords Reversed

The Seven of Swords Reversed. Ooh, interesting…

I’ve been getting a lot of Swords over the last few days, which is mildly concerning considering I have a very methodical way of shuffling my deck so that it becomes very improbable that all the Swords are still stuck together. Which means…

MY DECK IS CALLING MY ASS OUT FOR CONSTANTLY OVERTHINKING LITERALLY EVERYTHING!

Swords coincide with thoughts. Sevens are linked with those ‘keep going’ attitudes; discipline, faith in the process, working hard.

In the card, we see a man sitting on the edge of his coffin. It’s reminiscent of the coffin from the Four of Swords I drew earlier this week. He seems lost, unsure of where to go. In the top of the coffin, we can see the words Hope and Reflection carved into the fabric/wood.

Considering the Four of Swords I drew earlier, I believe he is getting out of the coffin, instead of going into it. So perhaps he has broken through some kind of thought process that had him trapped or held him back in some way.

But what about the card being reversed? I think it represents that his world has, literally, been turned upside-down. Perhaps with overcoming this thought process, he finds himself lost to what he could now become, what he could’ve been, and what lays in front of him. So what does this mean today?

I think it’s warning, for like the 20th time this week, to quit overthinking, I also think it’s trying to guide me into overcoming my usually ‘worst thing possible’ thought process. Knowing how bad I am at overthinking and leading myself down those thought-rabbitholes, I think this card is trying to get me to stop thinking so much about what might happen and enjoy what I can make happen in today.

So we’ll see how many more times I have to draw a Sword card to get this message across. Place your bets in the comments!

Are you needing some guidance yourself? Are you lost, looking for some answers that just seem out of reach? Want to know something about your day before your day begins? Order a monthly pack of Daily Tarot Readings!

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Daily Draw November 8th

bitchcraft, Tarot

Man, we’re already a week into this month! Before I know it, the year will be over and I still have some much left to do!

Queen of Swords

QUEEN OF SWORDS! I love this card! I love the queen cards in general; a strong female leader, each with her own strengths and values… Who doesn’t love a strong female character that doesn’t reject traditional feminine values to put others down.

Sorry, getting side tracked.

So Swords coincide with thoughts. And Queens coincide, usually with mother figures. But Queens can also women or feminine figures in your life.

I think this card is representing me today; the Queen of Swords is a strong feminine figure, ushering in new thoughts and growing the thought process. Considering I’m in school, trying to grow mentally and intellectually, I think this card is supposed to remind me why I’m doing this. Why I’m going to school, why I’m trying to better myself.

Are you lost day to day? Want some advice or direction? Order a whole month of Daily Tarot readings to get some direction every day!

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Daily Draw November 7th

bitchcraft, Tarot

So we’re a bit late today with our drawing, because school and such have kept me busy all morning (yay, group projects!)

So we’ll use today’s draw as a reflection piece and see how it applies to what I have done today.

Ace of Cups

Oh man, let’s jump right into this one!

The Ace of Cups is a great card for a single reading.

Aces mean beginnings, the start of the story. Cups coincide with emotion. If you look at this card, there is so much going on. A rainstorm is filling up the cup, a dragonfly sits on the rim. A little frog sits in the back. If you look closely, you can see a preying mantis in the foreground, near the base of the cup.

So what does this mean? How does this apply to my day?

Well, when you have a full cup, it usually means prosperity or excess. Cups coincide with emotion, so I’m probably full of emotion.

And knowing how my day has gone, yeah I am full of emotion. It’s getting close to the end of the semester, so I’m stressed out and I’m still dealing with a lot on my plate between work, school, maintaining a romantic relationship, and helping my family through some tough times.

When you draw a card for the day and you can’t figure out the meaning, or connect it to a message for the day, save it and reflect on it; maybe something will be revealed to you throughout the day!

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Tarot: What to do when you Break the ‘Cardinal’ Rules…

bitchcraft, Tarot

So you’re brand new to Tarot. You’ve done your research, you’ve memorized this and that for all the rules.

You start practicing, and reading for yourself, maybe a friend or family member… until.

Oh no.

You broke one of the Rules.

What do you do now? Are the Tarot police going to come for you? Are your ancestors and spirit guides going to kick your ass from the spirit plane?

No, probably not, (depending on who your ancestors are).

So I’ll break down the ins and outs of the Rules.

Someone touched your deck.

If someone else touches your deck, it’s not something to get crazy about. Unless they touched it without permission, it’s a fixable issue. While everyone and their mother will preach about not letting someone touch your deck, it is up to you. I personally don’t mind, especially if it’s a reading for someone because you need their energy in the reading to get a good answer for the question. And shuffling will dispel all the energy from a reading.

If it is an issue where someone handled your deck, maybe unintentionally, such as, your mother-in-law moves your deck in the office to look for some documents, then a heavy shuffle and a moon bathe won’t hurt.

This is also why many preach about crystals in addition to your reading, to help balance energies, as well as storing decks with crystals to help recharge the deck and ward off unwanted energies.

You dropped your deck on the ground

It’s okay, take a second. Now pick up your cards one by one and brush each one off and give each dropped card a quick cleanse. Then shuffle the whole deck together again.

If you drop a couple cards on the ground during a shuffle, it’s no big deal. Some say that those cards that fly out of your hand even have a message for you. And when you’re still learning how to handle the size of a Tarot deck, both in card volume and size of the deck itself, you will inevitably drop a few here and there.

If some of the cards get damaged, then that’s okay too. Things happen, and decks will come and go in your life. If you’re not ready to give up the deck, or can’t afford a new deck yet, use this deck as your home-copy until you can get a new deck. Then you can re-purpose the damaged deck into art work, a show deck (you know, you leave it out on the coffee table for those more conservative relatives to bitch about), or as a reference deck if you get lost in your Tarot studies.

You have to get up in the middle a reading/meditation.

It’s okay. Tarot is a gentle tool; you won’t be penalized if something happens and you have to move away from the reading for a moment.

If you have to get up because the weather suddenly changes (during an outdoor read), an urgent call comes through on your or your client’s phone, an emergency like a fire or earthquake, or your pet/familiar/child is being naughty and you have to step in immediately to prevent loss or injury, then get up.

After the issue is dealt with, if an issue that can be rectified like moving inside from the rain or preventing your baby from eating your crystals, then just take a moment to meditate and reset the energy of the reading. Clear your mind and return to the reading.

If this is an issue where you cannot immediately return to the reading, such as a life emergency you or the client must attend to, a fire destroyed the cards, or another emergency where the reading must be abandoned, then don’t worry. If possible, shuffle the cards together and store properly. If the cards are gone, then meditate for a moment and let go of the energy from the reading.

If there is a client and an emergency occurs, make every effort to help the client let go of the reading energy, then attempt to either reschedule with the client, or send good energy to the client.

You asked a bad question and got a weird answer.

When you’re learning still, you’re going to make mistakes. It’s okay, as long as you’re willing to learn how to do it the right way. Think of all the things you couldn’t do as a child, but can now because you asked questions.

So maybe, you asked a bad question, but didn’t think it was a bad question. And I’m not talking about one of the questions like ‘will I win the lotto’ bs. I’m talking about the ‘what can you tell me about this too-specific topic’ questions.

When you get weird answers, sometimes you need to analyze the question. Think about how many times you asked Google what you thought was a good question, only for Google to give you all sorts of weird and unrelated topics in response.

So take a moment and analyze whether the question is too specific or if you have something else on your mind when you think about the question.

For first-timers, think about writing down your question first to help you focus on it.

Don’t stress so much about if you mix things up when you’re learning. Don’t worry about it too much. You’re learning, and honestly, if you get lost there are so many people out in the witchy community that are willing to help and guide.

Good luck!

Daily Draw November 6th

bitchcraft, Tarot

Oh man, I was so busy yesterday I forgot to post everything! But oh well, onto today!

That’s my advice for the day (without the cards lol): accomplish what you can in one day, and start fresh the next.

Now onto our daily reading!

I’m using my deck Santa Muerte by Fabio Listrani.

Four of Pentacles

Oh man, I have been waiting for this card to show up! It’s been stuck in the back of my mind for awhile now, because it’s just so striking and well-composed.

It honestly just shouts GREED at me, like a toddler screaming.

Pentacles represent material wealth, and Fours are usually a more conservative number; Fours in most decks (regardless of suit) represent things like planning, stability, and reevaluation.

The scene playing out shows a bride, larger than life (almost literally), plucking a man from the town. Other townspeople, all women, continue about their day, unaffected by the giantess taking their neighbor. The bride, in her stark white gown, is at contrast of the green of the roofs and the greenery behind her. She wears an almost angry growl, like she is mad at her groom, but also bitterly victorious in taking her pick.

So does this card really mean greed, or being greedy? Traditonally, it means financial stability, but even looking at the Rider-Waite deck, I feel more draw to it exuding greed or hoarding wealth.

For me, this card represents greed; in the Rider-Waite deck, the Four of Pentacles depicts a man clutching coins tightly to his chest. So I believe my lesson for today is to not be greedy, or to watch myself for signs of greed.

Maybe this card resonates differently for you. Let me know in the comments!

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Daily Tarot Draw November 4th

bitchcraft, Tarot

Today is a special day! It’s a two card day!

During my shuffle, an extra card popped out, so I figured, why not put it to side and see what we can divine.

For our two cards today, the actual draw was the Knight of Swords and our extra card that has some message is the Four of Swords.

Knight of Swords, Four of Swords

Let’s start with the Knight of Swords. Swords coincide with thought and the mind. Knights usually refer to young adults.

The knight is a soldier, sitting on his horse. He is pulling his sword from his own throat, or maybe he’s sheathing the sword in his throat? However, there doesn’t seem to be anything volatile or provoking, so he, must be sheathing his sword. The background is actually bright and cheery, with bright yellow flowers and a bright background.

So what is he trying to say, or maybe convey, since there’s a sword hindering his mouth?

Knowing myself, and how sharp-tounged I can be, I think this is saying I need to quit being so quick to anger and snap at others and ‘sheathe’ the sword I usually wield. And maybe this is a warning to not speak to myself so harshly.

But what about our second card, the Four of Swords?

Fours can represent stability. For this card, we can see a figure with a coffin, carving away with a chisel. Nails rest on the top of the coffin. It is dark, as though it was late at night, the scene illuminated by a single lit candle, the other three waiting to be used.

So what does this mean?

Coffins usually refer to the final resting spot, to being dead and resting after a long life. I’m drawn to the nails, like the phrase, ‘the last nail in the coffin’, which usually refers to the fact that ends an argument or a piece of evidence which disproves or proves something.

Traditionally, the Four of Swords also represents resting and recuperation.

So maybe this card is trying to urge me to rest, considering the stress load I’m putting on myself between working and school. But I also feel a strong pull towards the coffin and the final rest; I feel that this card is urging me to take the time and acknowledge a recent passing in my family, and acknowledge they are resting, peaceful now.

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Daily Draw November 3rd

bitchcraft, Tarot

Already the third day of the month! What does this day hold in store me?

This is my Santa Muerte deck, by Fabio Listrani.

King of Wands

Finally, an upright card! After the last two days, I was getting worried my deck was messing with me (or I shuffled like an idiot).

The King of Wands. Wands coincide with actions.

The king is a formal figure, with his large mustache, and mysterious sack of things. He’s cloaked in red and stands in a field of roses. He points to something unseen, in the sky maybe.

What can we draw from this card? What do we need to know about today?

Well, it looks like the king is hard at work, carrying his sack and standing in a field. With Wands being tied to action, perhaps this is urging us to do the work we need to do today. Maybe that means the prep work for our upcoming week, homework we’ve been putting off, or those dishes we let pile up this week.

This card could also be urging me to seek out some of the male figures in my life. Kings can represent father figures sometimes. I think in this case, it might be referring to a boss or supervisor, since this King is hard at work, or maybe some of the male figures I know who work hard.

This card could be urging me to keep working hard, and not give up hope yet. You don’t get to be the ‘king’ of your kingdom without hard work.

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Daily Draw November 2nd

bitchcraft, Tarot

Today, for those who are in a part of the world that is not North, Central, or South America, today is Dia de los Muertos.

Growing up in a region of the US where it’s not uncommon to see or hear about Dia do los Muertos, it makes the spooky season stretch just a little bit longer and provides a nice contrast to the usual spooky. For those unfamiliar with this holiday, it’s a holiday that revolves around honoring your dead relatives and ancestors by leaving gifts and offerings, reminiscing about their time on this plane with you, and celebrating life.

This deck is the Santa Muerte deck by Fabio Listrani.

So what card do we have today?

Page of Wands Reversed

The Page of Wands Reversed. This one is a bit of a doozy. Wands coincide with action. The Page card relates to youth, or a young person.

However, the thing sticking with me right this second, and I will probably get too stuck on it, is the Page is holding a scroll. To me, it looks like it could be a diploma, but that’s probably me just projecting, being a college student.

The Page is dressed in red, sitting on a swing. He is barefoot. There is something almost carefree about how he is sitting on the swing, barefoot like a child, while also holding this scroll or diploma. He is gazing right at you.

Maybe this card is trying to tell me to balance my life better, the balance between my goals and my youth. To enjoy life and slow down. That could be the reason why the card is reversed; you can’t really swing upside down.

But what does this have to do with actions? Red coincides with power, courage, and health in witchcraft. The action I feel I need to take based off what is hitting me is that I need to take the time to analyze my own actions and decide what will be more beneficial for my health, youth, and goals.

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Daily Tarot Reading November 1st

bitchcraft, Daily Draw 2019 Archive, Tarot

To showcase my absolutely beautiful deck, I’m going to start doing a daily Tarot draw. Once I get my camera set up properly, I’ll start posting little daily videos of the draw. Until then…

This deck is Santa Muerte by Fabio Listrani.

https://videopress.com/v/oJiLiyaL?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&autoPlay=true&loop=true&muted=true&persistVolume=false&posterUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fliterallytiredaf.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2019%2F11%2F20191101_102509.jpg&preloadContent=metadata

November 1st: 9 of Swords Reversed

It looks like today’s draw is going to be the 9 of Swords Reversed.

I zoomed in a little there so you can get a peek at the wonderful colors and details.

So let’s break this down.

A man is standing in the boat, loaded with other figures and swords. The man is aged, with a long grey beard and hunched shoulders. The boat is moving towards the horizon, without a clear destination in mind. The wind is blowing leaves and petals around. None of the figures are looking at a clear target. The blue and yellow colors are distinct against the dark clothes of the man.

So what can this all mean?

Swords coincide with the mind and thought. The feel of card is very lost, very hopeless. There is no clear target, no clear destination in mind for the boat and its passengers. The man steering the boat is reminiscent of the Ferryman, ferrying souls across the River Styx.

But this isn’t a card saying ‘abandon hope, all who enter…”. I feel this card is more of a warning to stay out of my head. Since Swords are connected to thoughts, I feel that the Ferryman figure is warning that going down certain paths of thought can be detrimental.

So today, we’re going to try to be more optimistic, more forgiving, and more understanding, not only with myself but with my coworkers and classmates.

And with Mercury in retrograde again for the next few weeks, this is also probably a warning to be forgiving with myself and not to be too rash in making decisions.

My advice for the day? TGIF, so don’t beat yourself up too hard over a late project today or because dinner got burned. Just make it through today and have a cold drink tonight (or a hot one, if you’re in a warmer region of the world) and maybe order takeout as a reward for making it through the week.

Witchcraft: palm reading…

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Palm reading is literally the coolest thing I can imagine when it comes to secret witchcraft.

It’s like no one knows you’re a witch until bam! You look at their palm and tell their future. Then they’re shaken, they’re like, whoa you were a witch this whole time. Then you slip into the shadows with an eerie cackle, never to be seen again.

But what is palm reading exactly? What do witches see on the palms?

Well, buckle up kiddos, cause this is about to get spooky.

Palm reading is the art of looking at someone’s palm and reading the lines. Which lines you ask? Well, every palm is different, of course, just like everyone has unique fingerprints. But we all have some things in common, exactly like how fingerprints can be classified by shape even though we’re all unique.

Each palm, while unique, has certain lines that can be ‘read’ so to speak. These lines cross the palm in certain ways and are read in specific ways.

Just Google palmistry (the art of palm reading) and look at the image results. SO many results pop up and honestly, I won’t try to find one for you to look at because, depending on how in depth you want to get, that will depend on how detailed of an image you want.

So what’s the point of palm reading then? Why bother to learn it besides it being a cool party trick?

Well, you can tell a lot about a person from their palms and it doesn’t even have to be anything about their future.

Use palmistry as a way to determine if someone is a good vibe. Check their palms for callouses, scars, burns, and healing wounds. These things can tell you all about a person; their career, their work ethic, their carefulness or carelessness… And this doesn’t even cover the lines in their palms.

When you do get to their palms, take a look at how the lines cross over their palms. Take into account if the lines are long or short, continuous or broken.

The Life line runs from the heel of the hand across towards the thumb.

The Heart line runs from the edge of the palm, by the pinkie, just under the fingers.

The Head line is the longest line between the Heart (on top) and the Life (bottom).

The Fate line runs perpendicular to the Head and Life line, creating a triangle-like shape in the middle of the palm.

These four lines can help you divine someone’s destiny.

The length can tell you how long their life may be, when they may meet their love, how their fate and their life are intertwined.

Don’t be afraid to look up all the crazy posts out there telling you how to read a palm. Most of these posts go in depth about their character based on hand shape, how the shape of their fingers can influence their destiny, how the lines interacting can mean different things, what it means if the lines are broken, what it means if the lines are present…

Because after all…

Your destiny is in your hands.

Witchcraft: full moon spellwork…

bitchcraft

With the full moon, so much should be done. As a new witch, it’s overwhelming how much you hear about what needs to be done on the night of the full moon. Crystals this, moon water that, charging this, spellwork that…

So how do you actually get anything done on the night of a full moon? Especially if you’re a closeted witch?

When I know a full moon is coming, I set a reminder in my phone. If you’re following a couple witchy accounts on any form of social media, they will definitely remind you as well when a full moon is coming.

So, now that a full moon is coming, what are you supposed to do? There’s so much that everyone else is telling you to do and you’re honestly a little lost. Take a deep breath. Depending on what kind of witch you’ve aligned yourself to be, that can help narrow down what you’ll want to do a full moon night.

Three things you’ll want to do, no matter what kind of witchcraft you practice are…

Leave things out to charge. Anything you can’t leave in sunlight, like certain crystals, or tools, sigils,Tarot cards, etc.
Leave out water to charge for some moon water.
Appreciate the full moon and meditate underneath it’s light (outside is recommended but not required, if conditions are not feasible)

See? You’ve already done three things of what everyone is freaking out about. Personally, I leave what I can out all night. However, my cats do like to cause mischief, so if I’m charging water, Tarot, or crystals (if I had any), I leave them out for just a few hours under the moonlight on a windowsill where the cats can’t bother them, then pack them up before I go to bed so I don’t end up with a pool of water on my kitchen floor in the morning or playing 78-Tarot-card pick-up.

So what else can you do on a full moon night? Well, look into what other kinds of witches in your field of witchiness do.

If you perform mostly fire magic, maybe you’ll anoint and light some candles to supercharge a spell under the full moon.

If you do divination, maybe tonight is a good night to just charge your crystals in advance for a new moon divination spell.

Maybe you’re a kitchen witch, so you can do something special like make a moon-themed dish or recharge your cooking tools, or charge oils (cooking kind, not essential) for future recipes. I know there are a couple awesome moon cookie recipes out there and I’m if you ask, someone will share.

Maybe you’re so new you don’t know what you are witch-wise, or maybe you’re an eclectic/grey/hedge witch and have no idea what else you can do on a full moon night.

Some things I do that no body talks about…

Write in my Book of Shadows/Grimoire about upcoming works or things I tried earlier that week that I’m waiting for it to manifest
Shuffle through all my Tarot decks and shift their energy to release the old energy and take in the full moon energy
Clean up my space; the full moon works wonders for my energy and I use that energy to clean all the weird nooks and crannies that I normally ignore, like the old cobwebs in the corner of my laundry room, or scrubbing that weird stain in the bottom of my sink in my bathroom.
Sometimes I dye my hair or just try a new makeup look, just to see what it looks like.
Self-care bitches! Do a face mask, take a bath (with or without moon water), treat yourself to a special treat for making it through the month, paint your nails, moisturize, pop that back pimple, knock over your ex’s mailbox, watch a rom-com, get laid… Just treat yourself.
Dance naked under the moon light. Can’t go wrong there. Not only are you honoring those who came before but damn, who doesn’t want to be a stereotypical witch every now and then.
Go gather some supplies. Full moon light is great for nightly excursions. Find some cool rocks or sticks, or gather stuff from your garden.
Have a cup of tea. Whether made with moon water or not, just relax with a cup of tea (or a glass of iced tea if its too hot outside).
Prepare things you need to get rid up in the coming waning moon, like old clothes and documents that need to be shredded.
Prepare anything coming in your life like laundry, dishes, finances, appointments. Use the full moon energy to make sure you have everything on track.

Don’t be afraid to look into all the neat stuff you can do during the full moon. If nothing else, just chill in the moon light for 10 minutes and appreciate your place in the world.

If you are new at witchcraft and wickedry, then don’t sweat trying to do a big spell or whatever. You have time to get there and right now, you just need to work on yourself before diving into a prosperity spell for your aunt’s coworker’s niece.

Full moons are meant to be a time to recharge and be thankful for all around you. So charge yourself and your charms and your sigils and your spells to make it through the month.

If you still feel overwhelmed, then remember to use this time to chill. Soak in some moonlight and breathe. You’ll figure it all out before you know it.

Tarot 101: New deck…

bitchcraft, Tarot

So if you’ve seen my older posts about the Tarot deck, you’ve seen the kinda rinky deck I’ve been using.

So I thought I’d splurge and get a nicer deck.

Here are some shots of the brand new deck I got. I love it.

The deck is named Santa Muerte and was designed by Fabio Listrani.

And it’s absolutely gorgeous.

I don’t want to give all the neat things away about this deck. Consider this a teaser.

What I absolutely love about this deck is how it feels in your hands. It doesn’t have a cheap finish like my other deck, the cards slide together so smoothly and nicely. The cards are a traditional Tarot size and feel so nice to shuffle. Of course, the size is something I’m still adjusting to, but it fits nicely in my dainty hands.

Yes, I have dainty, girly hands. But if anything, I have to tell you all if a deck doesn’t fit nicely in my hands because then, maybe I can save the rest of you with dainty hands from investing in a deck that your heart loves but your hands can’t hold. A sadder love story never told.

But the colors are so bright and vibrant. The characters are depicted as skeletons (just in time for the spookiest season of the year). But the color correspondences in relation to certain numbers and suits… It makes my little witchy heart sing and my scholarly mind race. The characters are depicted in a much more unique way in comparison to the Rider-Waite deck and I feel much more easier to connect to this deck and its subtle meanings than in a traditional Tarot deck.

The characters depicted have such wonderful portrayals and emotions which is insane considering that the characters are skeletons, but the emotions and stories they portray are intense and just capture your attention.

And the book that comes with the deck? AMAZING! It takes a new look at the traditional cards and I love seeing the different meanings and different perspectives from this deck.

I’m planning on using this deck exclusively for online readings and such.

Let me know if you would like to see more, or if you would like more than a peek, let me know in the comments.

Intro to Witchcraft: balancing science and witchcraft….

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Are you just starting out in witchcraft and freaking out about how science fits into all of it?

Are you worried that you’ll have to give up your belief in evolution and physics just to fit in with all the other witches?

I struggled myself with this; as a biological science major in school, with aspirations of being a veterinarian, how could I ever justify, even to myself, my belief in witchcraft and magic. How was I supposed to explain to my (eventual) children that I was a doctor and a witch (ha, a witch doctor)?

Well fear no more fellow witchling. Because I have some great news for you.

You can do whatever you want.

Witchcraft is literally without rules. There’s no one way of doing anything.

But how do you reconcile your scientific beliefs with your newfound spiritual beliefs?

Well…

Witchcraft and science overlap in multitudinous ways.

For both disciplines, you have to conduct research. You should look deeper at every claim you come across, whether it’s crystals or the use of new pesticides on corn crops.

Both disciplines rely on building on the knowledge that came before. For example, we’ve been building on how solar energy can be used for decades now. Similarly, witches have been building on the knowledge of the past in areas of horticulture, psychology, and spirituality. Both use claims from the past and investigate how to either dispel or improve on previous research.

Both disciplines keep records in some way. Most sciences rely on mathematics for their record keeping, whereas witchcraft journals about personal experiences. However, both are necessary to understand fully whether something was repeatable and testable.

So it should be easy to reconcile scientific beliefs with witchcraft because both have the same underlying purpose; understanding the universe and our place in it.

But I can hear you saying, ‘how can these make sense? How do these fit together?’

So think of witchcraft as a new form of science. Think of it as a melding of psychology and biology in an attempt to understand things we have yet to fully study. Think of spells and spell work as testing psychological boundaries and you are the Guinea pig, testing how best to help yourself and others. Think of the aspects of appreciating nature as biology and geology and you are simply documenting your experience in the world for future scientists/witches to use and grow from. Think of studying the celestial bodies as what it is, astrology, a real discipline of science.

There’s no real reason to segregate witchcraft and science, especially since witchcraft was a precursor to science.

So moral of my story is, that sometimes you have to put all the questions into a different science machine to get some kind of answer. While we as a society may have a vast understanding of how the planets work and how rain falls and why the sky is blue and why trees grow, there are still so many questions we as a species have about our world; like, how can I find happiness in the darkest times? Where can I find peace with the passing of a loved one? What can I do to help someone when I feel utterly lost and powerless?

And if you look at witchcraft with a critical eye, you can see that many aspects of witchcraft are even currently being studied by science to see why it works; things like mindfulness, meditation, manifesting (fake it till you make it), homeopathic options for illness treatment (lavender anyone?), and even just the psychology behind putting your belief that something will work (commonly called the placebo in an experiment, where you believe in something to a degree where your brain actually believes it can work). And that’s not even counting all the disciplines that have grown from witchcraft practice; baking, home-brewing (what hipsters every where are going crazy over), horticulture, astronomy, psychology, midwifery, natural medicine techinques that actually have some scientific proofs (cold-compression on swelling, the effects a cup of tea can have on your mood, aromatherapy to help calm and relax, color psychology, the effects of the outdoors and sunlight on your mood) (not you, anti-vaxxing bullshit.).

So while witchcraft may seem scary and mystical, just remember that so much of what is revered in witchcraft has become sciences and disciplines of their own and have scientific backing. So there’s no reason to ditch one set of beliefs for another.