Surprise Tarot Reading!

Well folks I just did a suppose reading for myself, the first in a very long time and oh boy. I completely understand those memes about how putting off shadow work comes back to bite you in the ass.

I pulled several cards as I asked my deck questions tonight and the answers honestly shocked me, but in the same way you get shocked when something bad happens because of something you could have easily prevented, like keeping a glass from falling from the edge of your counter.

I didn’t get any pictures in the moment so this post will be sadly pictureless. As a notice to anyone who is startled by the cards I describe, I’m using the Santa Muerte deck.

I started with asking what I needed to now at this moment.

I drew the 2 of Pentacles, 6 of Cups, and 5 of Cups.

The 2 of Pentacles represents the issues we are having with money; and that while we are better than where we’ve been, we are not comfortable yet. The 6 of Cups represents my current overwhelm with my emotions and internal monologue. And the 5 of Cups represents the depression I’ve been suffering from; the image on this card in particular is of a figure in a pond with water rising around them, almost to chest level as they pleakly stand. I remember this card clearly because all I could hear in my head was I’m drowning.

I then asked what I can do to fix it, being the situation itself?

I drew the 8 of Wands and the Knight of Cups. This particular 8 of Wands is very vibrant and features shafts of wood coming out the undergrowth around a skull that is seemingly yelling. I understood this combination to mean that I must work through with my internal conflict to become the champion of my emotions.

I then asked if I was on the right path, asking as a yes/no answer.

I drew the Star next.

While I understand the place the Star holds in a traditional journey, it is different in response to a yes/no question; as a yes/no you have to ask how you feel about the card and what it means to you.

I took the Star to mean yes, but an iffy yes, the kind where you’re not quite sure but anything can influence the decision.

I then asked if I take the next step I had been considering, will my path be right? (I know this one is almost too specific, but I wanted to see what I could pull?)

I received the 3 of Pentacles in response. This card shows a farmer watering three spouts with love and care.

I take it to mean that by taking the time to grow my garden first, then the next step will be prosperous.

I felt like this is one of the longest organic readings I’ve had in a long time and it was great. I guess sometimes when you stop and listen, you can actually learn things.

Have you ever had an experience like this? Let me know in the comments.

Daily Tarot Draw: Nov. 2, 2020

I think the hardest part about reading Tarot on any given day is when you have the days where you just can’t get the words to work. You can look at the card and know what it’s supposed to mean, but you’re a little stuck on how it’s supposed to translate into the words we speak and write.

Today’s card is the Five of Swords.

Swords represent thoughts and mentality. Fives represent challenges. Has anyone else noticed that as we move through a Suit, every other card is basically something like ‘challenge’ or ‘conflict’ or ‘setbacks’? I think it’s a great reminder that on any journey there will be setbacks and challenges as you move closer and closer to your goal.

While we should always challenge our own mentalities, this card is calling out that we need to challenge others’. With America looming on the presidential election, we need to remember to stand against those who are prejudiced against justice, peace, and equality. We need to vote, we need to start these hard conversations with our friends and families, we need to work harder to preserve what future may be left for the human race. For many of us, this is the first step we can take to make a difference in the world and to be the type of people we want to see in the world.

Please remember to vote, even if you’re not American; voting is the best way you as a citizen can influence the changes you want to see in your country, your city, your community.

Daily Tarot Draw: Sept. 8 2020

Today is the first snow storm of the season, so it’s a welcome chang from the blazing 90 degree days we’ve been having for the last 3 months. Finally feels like fall is around the corner and that means everyone’s most favorite holiday: Halloween!

But that’s still over a month away so let’s get to it today!

The Four of Penatacles! I love pulling this card in this deck because I love the detail and the composition of the scene. Sorry for the shadows, I don’t have much natural light to work with today so my overhead kitchen light is casting some wack shadows.

Pentacles referes to material wealth and the material world in general. Fours represent stability and foundations. Most of the time this card is very positive, representing stability and financial wealth coming our way. However, whether this deck or the Rider-Waite version, this deck always makes me feel like I should be wary of greediness or hoarding of wealth.

Even in this card, all I can see is a greedy bride terrorizing a town (bridezilla, anyone?). In the Rider-Waite illustrations, you can see a man holding tightly to large gold coins.

But that’s the cool thing about reading Tarot, especially intuitive reading; you may see something else in this card that I don’t and that can give a much different insight. But that means we both have something to bring to the table to discuss and foster and grow on. And that’s how we grow: we discuss and disagree and learn! Always call me out if you see something different than me! I want to grow!

Today, I take away that I should be wary of greed, from myself and from others and I should remember to be thankful for all that I’ve already been given and recieved.

So our current running tally of the cards we’ve pulled so far:

  • Four of Pentacles
  • Strength
  • Three of Wands
  • Two of Swords

Witchcratf 101: Quick coffee spells for witches on the go

I live off coffee. Like, if I needed to do a blood test it would be Dark Roast.

So how do you combine your love of all things witchy with your chemical dependecy on caffeine?

Herbs and Spices!

If you’re thinking I’m crazy, just remembe that a Pumpkin Spice Latte is a thing and people are crazy for it.

The actual point I’m making though is that a good way to start learning how to use herbs in witchcraft is to start small and focus on just a few before you dive right in. And a great way to start small is just the herbs you use regulary or the ones already sitting in your cabinet. Cooking is a great way to learn to!

But we’re going to focus on what you can add to your coffee first, because coffee is many peoples’ first thing they have in the day. So here’s a list of some of the more common herbs you probably have in your spice rack right now (unless you’re a poor college kid, but that’s okay).

  • Basil – use in soells to attract love and luck in journeys
  • Cinnamon – abundance and wealth, as well as can be used for healing and cleansing as incense
  • Cloves – protection, money, luck, strengthen friendships
  • Fennel – focus, as well as protection from outside interfereance
  • Garlic – OMG SO MUCH! warding, protection, strengthens other energies, luck
  • Ginger – Speeds things up
  • Lemon – purifying and cleansing
  • Mint – warding, protection, build personal strength,
  • Nutmeg – can enhace clairvoyance when added to beverages, money drawing spells
  • Oregano – happiness, health, luck, protection
  • Parsley – when eating can increase strength and passion (used in incense to commune with the dead)
  • Rosemary – enhance memory, fidelity
  • SAGE – the big cleaner! you know, sage your space and such
  • Sugar – attraction (used with other herbs for purpose)
  • Thyme – spells for strength and courage

Now everything I listed isn’t exactly something you want to put in your morning coffee. I don’t think there’s anyone out there who wants to drink some garlic in their mocha latte. But there’s still a lot we can work with to add to our coffee to give ourselves a tasy morning kickstart. So here are some of my favorite little coffee add-ins to make every morning more magical.

Simple Cinnamon Coffee

Used to attract money and abundance.

With your coffee, before pouring the coffee, add sugar and cinnamon to taste (however much you would like or your cup can handle). Pour your coffee and meditate for a moment, giving your coffee the intention of attracting wealth and abundance to you. Doctor with creamer or milk and down the hatch.

Better than a PSL coffee

This one you will need cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger. (I like the way allspice tastes better than cloves in the whole mix).

Used to quickly draw money and wealth.

In your cup, before the coffee, add two shakes of ground cinnamon, 1 shake each of ground allspice, ginger, and nutmeg. Add a bit of sugar to taste (before or after coffee, which ever you prefer). After you add the coffee and any creamer, if you like, take a moment to stir clockwise (attracts) and meditate on attracting wealth into your life.

Feel free to tweak and experiment! Find what works for you! Maybe you’ll find a crazy combination that does taste good and works well. If you have a special recipe you use, comment below so we all can try it!

Daily Tarot Draw: Sept. 7, 2020

I think once we get through the whole deck, I’ll do a Tarot kit giveaway, like a deck, some candles, some tea, a tapestry or something to read the cards on. Let me know in the comments if that sounds cool or if you have a better idea. Gods know I need some. But I’m mostly always available and would love to hear what you’re thinking. But now onto our card today.

Today we get a Major Arcana card! Today looks like Strength. Unlike some Major Arcana cards, Strength is one of the few that means what is says (looking at you, Devil and Tower). I love the Strength card even in the Rider-Waite decks. Something about it is just, well, magic.

But let’s dive in before I lose myself in self-reflection.

Strength is a great card, it’s powerful, it means what it says; it’s Strength. It tells you to be strong, to be courageous. The advice from the White Book is mostly this: act with conviction, without hestiation, and trust yourself to know what do.

This honestly the first time I’ve pulled Strength for myself in a reading, but just seeing it makes me want to punch a bear and climb a skyscraper. The colors alone in any deck are usually so bright and eyecatching, strong is almost an understatement.

For today, I believe we must remember we have been strong enough to get to this point and we are strong enough to persevere. We are strong enough to change the future to better serve us and those after us. We are strong.

Here’s running tally of the card’s we’ve pulled:

  • Strength
  • Three of Wands
  • Two of Swords

So there’s about 75 cards we have to get through!

Witchcraft101: Witchy Items You Can Hide In Plain Site

For those just getting into witchcraft or are closeted witches, you might be thinking what are some things you can get that won’t advertise that you are a witch. Maybe if you’re a closeted witch and living in a situation you don’t want to reveal your background, you might be looking for a couple things that you can keep out and use periodically without your roommates/parents/landlord finding out.

So here is a list of items that you can keep out in plain sight.

A Journal!

A journal is one of the things that you can totally keep in plain sight. Unless you know a journal will be gone through by say, a nosy parent, you can leave your journal out, albeit maybe closed to ward off wandering eyes.

Herbs!

Herbs are commonplace in every house. Even in a dorm room, you can keep cooking supplies so you don’t have to share them with fellow dorm mates. Herbs are commonplace in witchcraft and are easy to store, procure, and use.

Coffee Grinder!

Still on the subject of herbs, get yourself a coffee grinder! Sometimes you need to grind up your herbs finely to use in anointing or in satchels; while most traditional witches use a mortar and pestle, you may not have the space or need for such a tool. But a coffee grinder is multi-purpose and if a guest sees it sitting on a counter near a coffeepot, then no one will be the wiser!

Essential Oils!

With the popularity of essential oils on the rise, keeping some of these around shouldn’t be too out-of-the-norm. Even just using essential oils for aromatherapy and to create a space for you for mediation, they are common to find and keep, and no one will bat an eye at them. If the local Karens haven’t bought out the whole supply, that is.

A Deck of Cards!

Coming from someone who loves looking and feeling Tarot decks, I also know that sometimes it’s not realistic to keep a real deck around. But you can keep a regular old deck of cards around to still learn the minor arcana of a Tarot deck. It’s a bit tricky, but with practice you can learn anything.

Your own lucky charm!

You can assign luck to an item and not tell anyone about it. Or maybe you gave a more traditional luck charm like a horseshoe or dreamcatcher. But items like these are usually unnoticed or disregarded by others. They may think you superstitious but not exactly a witch. Lucky charms or charms in general can be made in a variety ways, including enchanting sentimental items or by finding traditional luck charms (four leaf clovers, anyone?).

Jewelry!

Jewelry and lucky charms are some of the easiest to hide in plain sight as many people aren’t going to look that closely at your jewelry unless its extremely shiny or eyecatching. Jewelry is a great way to always have a specific crystal on you, or to wear sigils and charms.

Windchimes!

Windchimes are so common and many would never suspect you of witchcraft by keeping them around. Not only do they look pretty and sound lovely, they can help with the vibes in your space. The chimes can help clear out old and bad energy from your space. If my extremely Christian grandmother can have tons of windchimes without fear, you can too!

Last but not least… Salt!

I know what you’re thinking; shouldn’t salt be an herb? Techincally, if we’re talking about culinary classifications, salt is a spice, but salt is special for its own reasons. While many herbs hace many purposes and are used in many different working, salt is the granddaddy of all the herbs witches use; salt is the single best protection and warding ingredient a witch could ask for. And you can carry salt wherever you go and no one will bat an eye. Well, they might be a little concerned for your blood pressure but they definitely won’t be thinking ‘hey, I think Martha is a witch’. Carry a little bit of salt with you everywhere you go to protect against bad spirits and bad energies. Spread salt in you house to ward against unwanted eneregies or to cast a circle for spellwork (please only do this inside to protect the earth from salt). Keep salt in your day bag to protect against bad energies and to liven up any shitty resturant food you come across. Keep salt in your night out bag to protecr against spirits and to throw at attackers (no one wants salt in their eyes and a crazy move like that will take them off-guard so you can get away).

Hopefully, you can take this list and run with it to your nearest pantry and supermarket. If you’re still in the broom closet, don’t worry so much about hiding your identity; focus on honoring your truth and working towards the future you want; whether that means being brave enough to come out of the broom closet or whether that means being in a place where you can be you openly.

I’m going to do a whole post about salt and what to do with is as well as alternatives for using salt, such as when you’re outside or when you have no salt in hand (it happens to the best of us when we go shopping, can’t tell you how many times I’ve forgotten salt or toilet paper or dish soap.)

Comment below some of the things you used when you were first coming out as a witch, or what you want featured in a new post! I thrive on feedback otherwise I don’t know what to write!

Daily Tarot Draw: Sept. 5, 2020

Today’s card of the day is…

Two of Swords

The Two of Swords! Using my Santa Muete deck, we draw the card of the day.

Swords represent thoughts, and in tradition, wind. However I always see Swords as representing fire. Twos represent choices and balance.

According to the White Book for the deck, the Two of Swords means conflicting ideas, and the need to reconcile these ideas together. We can see how the blades of teh scissors are opposite of each other, instead of towards each other; image how hard it would be to use scissors like this in reality.

What can we divine about that for today?

Well, knowing we should be anazlying our thoughts and finding our conflicting ideas is a good start. I know I feel like I can either only work or only be in college, so maybe I need to work on coninciding these ideas into a coheisive idea about myself. With the coming elections in America, maybe we need to start anazlying our thought patterns and finding peace between all the information we’ve recieved about all the political issues ane candidates to make the best informed deision for ourselves and our communities. Maybe we need to take two conflicting ideas we have about others and reconcile them to see the truth of the matter.

While it seems like this card is asking a lot of us, perhaps insteads of diving in head first and clearing our mind-clutter, we should start small and focus on the most pressing issues that keep us up every night and take the peace from our mind before diving into the harder seated ideas.

If you feel something about this card, leave a comment! Reach out and let’s talk about all there is happening in this card.

Tarot 101: Numbers in Tarot

When it comes to learning Tarot, something every beginner needs to take into account is how numbers play into a reading.

Now, I know, I know; you don’t want to have to learn math or formulas! But you just have to bear with me. The numbers in Tarot don’t relate to math, which is a good thing most of the time. Mostly, the numbers relate to the cycle of the story.

Every suit follows a kind of story, broken down into chapters represented by the numbers of the suits. So the Aces are chapter 1 and Tens are the last chapter. Unless you get further into Numerology, for most beginner Tarot readers should focus just on how the story progresses through each suit. Then, after you get a little more comfortable with reading the cards, you should dive into Numerology and see if it fits with how you read.

So what do the numbers mean then?

Aces

Aces represent the beginning. Simple, right? They’re the first card in the Minor Arcana suits, therefore kicking off our Tarot numbers. Of course, between different suits, Aces can represent more; such as new business ventures in Pentacles or potential actions in Wands.

Twos

Twos represent either choices or balance. Twos are where we can start to see the multiple aspects of the numbers in Tarot. If we look at a Two of Swords and Two of Cups, we can see how the Twos in Tarot can differ; the Two of Swords represents choices and the Two of Cups represents romantic emotion.

Threes

Threes represent growth and relationships. Most Threes represent growth in either your wallet, your thoughts, or your social circle. With the exception of the Three of Swords, which depicts three swords through a heart, these cards are mostly positive and celebrate growth and friendships. But this is also where the story takes a turn.

Fours

Fours are where the story plateaus for just a moment. It’s as though we take a step back from the action to see the characters happy and stable. Which is what Fours represent; stability and structure. But the stability and structure see throughout the Fours is only leading up to the drama Fives bring to the table.

Fives

Fives are where the stories take a turn; Fives are conflict and loss, change. Five of Wands represent conflict and Five of Pentacles represent poverty. So the stability, celebration, and wealth seen earlier in the cards are now gone.

Sixes

But don’t get depressed over this story quite yet! Sixes are were things begin getting good again! Sixes represent problem-solving and compassion. So the issues that Fives have brought up, are now getting solved! Six of Cups shows fertility and celebration and the Six of Wands show victory! But the story isn’t over yet!

Sevens

Sevens are where we can see some of the personal growth that has come from the Fives’ conflicts. Sevens represent wisdom, faith, and understanding. Although not every Seven represents an immediate resolution of the conflicts beforehand, it does show personal growth in the characters and how conflict brings changes for the better.

Eights

Eights represent movement and change. Now, I know what you’re thinking; omg, more change, haven’t we had enough yet! But hold your horses, it’s a different kind of change! The Five of Wands represents conflict and fighting, and the changes that come with that, whereas the Eight of Wands represents the growth from change and how things have changed since conflict.

I think of the difference between Fives and Eights are Fives represent external change: changes brought about by forces you cannot control. Eights represent internal change: the change you can do in response to your life changing, the changes you can make to your own actions or thoughts.

Nines

Nines are where the story starts to come to an end. Nines represent fulfillment and completion. Now I know what you’re thinking; If Nines are the end then what do Tens have to do with anything! Slow down, kiddo! I’m getting there! Nines show the completion of the cycle, how everything ends up immediately after the changes and growth.

Tens

Now, how do Tens play into all of this? While Tens represent completion and transformation, there is a difference between Nines’ completion and Tens’ completion.

I like to think that Tens are the epilogue to the story, whereas Nines are the final chapter that finishes up the action of the story. If you compare the difference in the Nine of Pentacles and Ten of Pentacles, you’ll see that the Nine represents personal wealth and Ten shows community wealth; so in the short term, personally, you will experience wealth, and in the long-term, your community will experience wealth.

Now I can see your wheels turning; what about court cards? What about the Major arcana? What about-

Slow down and take a breath! We’ll get into the court cards soon and the Major arcana and the story of the Major arcana. There’s time to learn and there’s time to discover. Just be patient until I get everything written!

AcesBeginnings, Potential
TwosBalance, Choices
ThreesGrowth, Relationships
FoursFoundations, Stability, Structure
FivesConflict, Loss, Change
SixesCompassion, Problem-Solving, Harmony
SevensFaith, Wisdom, Understanding
EightsMovement, Change
NinesFulfillment, Completion
TensCompletion, Transformation

Tarot 101: Reading for Others for the First Time

So you’ve been reading for yourself for a while now, you’re ready to take the next step.

But what is the next step? How could you possibly do more than drawing a card every day and reading your own spreads? How could you grow even more as a Tarot reader?

Naturally, the reason you’re here, the reason I made this post, the reason you already came up with, is reading Tarot for others.

One of the first things that stopped me dead in my tracks before I even asked any of my friends or family for practice, was… How do I arrange the cards? You know how in the movies, the reader lays the cards out so the cards face the client, then interprets them. But when you’re a still new(ish) reader, it would be hard to try to remember what a card means for the upright interpretation, while looking at the upside-down card, while READING FOR SOMEONE ELSE for the first time!

That scenario alone gave me anxiety for a week about if I was ready or not to actually read for someone else.

After I came to terms with the fact that even the pros began somewhere and even if I mess up a couple readings, it doesn’t mean I suck at reading Tarot, I had to come to terms with what I would do when I sat face to face with a person.

So I hit the blogs and forums, searching out if any of those gracious pros had any advice for baby readers like me. And there was advice aplenty.

And it ranged from who to start reading for to how to arrange you cards to what you should offer to read. So I decided to make a quick post about all the advice that I’ve read about.

Who to read for

To begin with, read for someone who is 1. receptive and open-minded to a reading, and 2. someone who you can ask to spend the time it will take to read for them. This can be your sibling, your crazy witchy aunt, your eclectic coworker, you significant other, your best friend. Just someone who will be comfortable sitting with you for a while you get some practice.

Reading for someone you know first before moving onto strangers (which is also a good way to get better at Tarot), will let you get a handle on your first-time nervousness, how you want to conduct a reading, how you want to work with your cards.

Cards and your readings

Without a doubt, the number one rule you will get is ‘Don’t let anyone else touch your cards!’

But with reading for someone else, you need to remember that they need to contribute some of their energy to the reading for it to be accurate. Otherwise, stuff will pop up for you in their reading!

If you have two decks (I know, fancy), you can dedicate one deck for personal use and one for ‘public’ use. If you only have one deck, just remember to cleanse and charge your deck regularly, to help negate using it for multiple people and multiple energies.

Next is how you want to arrange your cards.

I, personally, like to have the client cut the deck, then I shuffle the cards and then spread them across the table so the client can get a feel for which card they vibe with. You may feel better having the client shuffle the deck themselves. Maybe you don’t want the client to touch the deck at all! That’s completely fine! Whatever you feel works best.

But when you go to lay the spread out, take into account how you want to read. For the first time, try to sit next to your client so you can both see what’s going in the card at the same angle. With practice you can do things like sitting across from the client, and even reading the cards from the client’s point of view (like in the movies). But don’t rush yourself just yet.

Spreads

This is the biggest advice I got from countless bloggers and forum posts: DON’T START WITH A COMPLICATED SPREAD!!! Even a traditional Celtic Cross spread can be intimidating when reading for a client for the first time.

Even if you’re comfortable doing big spreads for yourself, you have to remember that for a client, they have limited time, limited patience, and limited comfort in the situation. And you’re going to go into this first reading nervous, and when you’re nervous, you’ll make mistakes.

So do a simple spread, 5 cards or less, that you can whip out at any location and know like the back of your hand. Then, when you get stuck on the reading (because you will the first time), you don’t have to interpret many cards and make the interpretations work together. It’s like a built in safety net, to keep you on track and able to process the reading and able to process the reading for the client.

What to do when you mess it up

You’re going to freeze the first time. You’re going to misinterpret a card and it will haunt you for a few days after the reading. You’re going to get sweaty and nervous and your hands may shake a little. Your first practice client, hopefully a person close to you, may laugh a little, may even denounce what you say. But just remember, all beginners fail and all pros were once nervously failing their first reading, just like you.

And even if you bunk up your first practice reading, it’ll all turn out okay, because you can practice more, you can still talk to your practice client, you can still learn and grow and discover new tricks and interpretations.

How to make your first reading go right

  1. Choose somewhere comfy for both you and your practice client, to sit and read the cards
  2. If possible, get some drinks. If you’re meeting somewhere grab coffee or a smoothie with your practice client before sitting down to read. If you’re at a house, offer to make a pot of tea or some lemonade.
  3. Go over the rules of your deck, let them know whether it’s okay or not to touch the cards, just so everyone is aware of the boundaries before starting
  4. Also go over the ‘common misconception’ cards, like Death and The Devil. Explain that if these cards pop up, there is another meaning and you’ll answer any questions they have about card
  5. During your reading, just keep calm and remember that you are knowledgeable about Tarot and your practice client is there to support you
  6. Answer any questions you can. And if you can’t answer the right away, let them know! You can always send them a follow-up text or email and let them know that you did more research and wanted to give them a follow-up. While not standard practice, you’re still learning how to give a comprehensive reading to someone else.
  7. AND ABOVE ALL ELSE, THANK YOUR PRACTICE CLIENT!!! Thank them for letting you practice with them and thank them for taking the time out of their day to be with you, thank them for their patience while you learn, and thank them for being open-minded enough to have a Tarot reading done.

When is all is said and done, you’ll feel that you’re a better Tarot reader, no matter what. Even if you stumble and fail. But now that you’re taking that next leap into Tarot reading, keep practicing and keep working.

Tarot 101: How to Shuffle your Deck

If you’re new to Tarot reading, I bet you have the same question I did when I first started:

How in the world do you shuffle a Tarot deck?

Experienced readers kind of shrug at this question and just say, ‘well, you shuffle them?’

But that’s not what we’re asking as baby witches with our first deck! We’re not asking how to shuffle in general! We’re asking how we’re supposed to shuffle these larger cards that have SIGNIFICANCE!

So I’m here to help you out! Because I had anxiety for the first few weeks after I bought my first deck, of just how in the world I’m supposed to shuffle the deck?

Some of the things that hung me up for those first few weeks were how was I supposed to handle the deck in general. I was used to playing deck cards and just beating those decks up with playing. But a Tarot deck is special. You can’t quite use and abuse them like you would with a little ol’ playing card deck. These are cards you have to give a little extra energy and time and TLC.

Besides the reverence you should show your deck, Tarot decks are larger in size, which makes them difficult to handle the first few times you pick them up!

So after you get a little used to the feel of the deck, how do you shuffle them? How do you get so good at shuffling you look like one of those movie witches who can throw the cards all gracefully and artfully?

Handling a Tarot deck is going to take time and practice. For the first couple of months, I recommend one of two methods:

  • Good old fashioned kiddie shuffle, where you let be in a big messy pile and (GENTLY!) move the cards about. When you feel that they’re shuffled, you just scoop them back into a cohesive deck.
  • Or separate the cards into smaller decks and then gently shuffle the decks together by sliding a card off the top of each deck into a new new.

While these methods are not the fastest of shuffling, they will be gentle on the deck and help you get a feel of the card size and even the feel of the cards themselves.

You can always start with a smaller deck as well, as micro and travel sized decks are available and a good segway into a full-size deck.

Once you get a little bit more comfortable with the deck size you can get more into different types of shuffling. I personally shuffle by pulling chunks out of the deck and either putting them on top or on bottom of the remaining deck. Then, I shuffle the cards by bumping the top card into my right hand in various quantities; so with a full deck in my left hand, I swipe with my thumb a couple cards into my right hand, then I swipe a couple more cards under the new baby deck, then a couple more onto the top of the baby deck. I keep going until the whole deck is transferred from my left hand to the right. I’ll do that a couple of times until I feel like the deck is ‘ready’.

Don’t worry too much if the cards still feel a little unwieldy, you’ll get more comfortable in time. And don’t worry too much about if you’re shuffling is unsightly, ungraceful, or messy; grace and ease come with practice and time.

So don’t beat yourself up over being a beginner. Remember when you were first learning how to ride a bike and it was probably a little awkward, but as you practiced more and more, you became so much more good at riding a bike? Just let yourself learn and grow and before you know it, you’ll be able to handle whatever deck comes your way and shuffle like a queen/king/monarch (whatever you feel!)

While you’re still trying to figure out your style, watch Youtube videos and even practice different styles or whatever your hands feel like doing!

Witchcraft 101: Candle Correspondences and Magic

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.

RedCourage, Love, Passion,
OrangeSuccess, legal actions, concentration
YellowHappiness, travel, intelligence
GreenGrowth, wealth, prosperity, fertility
Bluehealing, peace, loyalty, spirituatlity
Purplemeditation, psychic abilities, connecting to higher self and higher beings
Pinkfemininity, beauty, compassion, innocent or romantic love
Brownabundance, stability, gardening, family and friends
GreyLoneliness, wisdom, neutralizing energies and spells
BlackAbsorbing energy, banishing, protection, self-defense
Whitecleansing, 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.

CinnamonProtection, inflame passion, counter love spells, can be used in place of sage for cleansing when sage is unavailable
CitrusLemon is good for confidence, good luck and adding extra energy for spells
Orange is good for joy, good fortune, and prosperity
EvergreenWisdom, cleansing, protection, and money spells
Lavenderhealing, meditation, and cleansing and refreshing the body, soul, and mind (use with caution around cats)
Raincleansing, healing, and relaxing, calming anger, and bringing about new begingings
SandlewoodCan only be used in benevolent magics. use for consecrating, healing, wishes, peace, removing negativity, and blessing ritual space and altars
Vanillacalming, promoting mental and physical arousal, good luck, happiness, prosperity and knowledge seeking
Fresh LinenCan 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…

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: Spells for closet witches

Are you closeted? And not in the LGBT+ plus way (live your best life though).

I mean like, are you in the witch closet? Do you still want to participate in all the spooky happening and witchy going-ons?

Well do I have some neat little spells for you! Just 3 basic little spells to do when you need to recharge those batteries.

Simple Space Cleansing Spell

Are you worried about doing a cleansing spell, but can’t burn things because of where you are, such as living in a dorm (where you can’t usually burn things like candles or incense or have a hotplate)?

Here’s a little spell you can do during your usual cleaning.

Salt is also good for cleansing spaces, bringing in an element of earth into your space, which is also good for grounding yourself and your space.

Any kind of salt will do, so whether your stealing salt packets from the dining hall or just the kosher salt from your cabinet in the kitchen, you can do this.

So depending on the type of flooring you have, you’ll need a broom or vacuum (to clean up).

Items:

  • Salt (any kind)
  • Broom for hardwood/tile floors
  • Vacuum for carpet floors

Start by scatting the salt around the border of the room, where the walls and floor meet. Focus on the salt absorbing everything negative in the room, like chaos, negativity, and energy blocks.

If it’s hard to image the energy getting sucked up, think of the bad energies like a juice spill and the salt is a magic (hehe, magic pun) paper towel soaking it all up.

Then just sweep/ vacuum up the salt.

And boom! Space cleansed! No burning/ endangered sage necessary. And if you share the space with a roommate/dorm-mate, they’ll be none the wiser and probably even thank you for doing some chores.

Simple Self Cleansing Spell

Now that your space is cleansed, you gotta cleans your own energy.

Besides meditation, which is easy enough to do and so many people are doing it these days, that nobody would bat an eye at you, but maybe you need some a little more intense.

All you need is your shower.

When you stand in the shower, letting the water wash over you, image the water taking all the bad energy from you, from head to toe. Let the bad energy wash down your body, across your fingers and toes.

Stand in the shower after you turn to water off, waiting until the water drains away.

Then step out feeling refreshed, lighter and ready for the day (or to sleep, whenever you decide to shower).

Bonus points, you can do this with a bath as well, if a bathtub is available. Just sit in your tub until all the water drains away at the end.

Simple Self Care Spell

So you’re space is cleansed, you are cleansed (and clean :)), so now what should you do? What else can you do while you’re trying to stay under the radar?

Get into some self-care! Everybody does self-care these days and your roomies won’t bat an eye at a face mask, a mani-pedi session, or some fuzzy socks and a soft sweater after a long day.

So add some witchiness to your self care with a little something extra.

I suggest teas! Teas of all kinds! A nice cup of tea is great for any day of the week, and relaxing too!

It can also help you get into learning herbs and their associations.

Don’t get disheartened by being a closeted witch, or that you can’t always do big, extravagant spells. Even experienced witches need to do simple things, like cleansing their space and giving their selves a little self-care.

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

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…

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…

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

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

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!


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Daily Draw November 8th

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.


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Daily Draw November 7th

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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