How To Find Your Path As A Witch (Or Not)

A Detailed Guide to Cleansing Your Tarot Deck

How often should I cleanse my deck and why?

Between every in-depth reading you do: they require a lot of energy and focus and can heavily impact the energy around your deck

When you get a new deck: you don’t know who has handled the deck before you or what energies surrounded it

If someone touches your deck: their energy can be easily transmitted through physical contact (which you could potentially use to your advantage if you’re reading for them)

When you see multiple cards from a recent previous reading appear in your current reading: a sign that the energies of the people you are reading for a becoming muddled

At different times of the year - equinoxes, full moons, first day of a season: routine cleansing is a great way to keep your cards in good shape

If you haven’t used it in a while: old, built up energies need to be cleared to help “wake up” your deck after it’s been sitting unused

How can I clean my deck?

With a cleansing sigil: place the deck in the on top to the sigil and write “Negative energy” or “Old energy” for removal

Passing through some sage smoke: sage is a great all around cleanser!

Shuffling while focusing on cleansing: shuffling reorganizes the cards and is a quick method for cleansing in between consecutive readings

Place a clear quartz on top: quartz, especially when charged with light from a full moon, absorbs negative and foreign energy really well

With the light of a full moon: the full moon represents new beginnings and holds strong cleansing power, place on a window sill overnight 

Meditation with a focus on cleansing: sit near or hold your deck, close your eyes, focus on your breathing (count your inhale as 1, exhale 2, inhale 3, etc until 30), then imagine a white, cleansing light enveloping your deck

Make a salt circle around your deck: can get kind of messy, but the salt will absorb negative energy, make sure to dispose of it after!

Put the cards in order (by suit, element, number, or astrology): sorting your deck will give it a fresh start, make sure all the cards are upright as well!

Knock three times: another quick way to cleanse or “wake up” your deck, especially great for after you haven’t used your deck in a while

Common plants and their uses in Magick

Belladonna (Deadly Nightshade)- Poisonous, so do not ingest. Used for flight (on a broom and astral projection), for youth and beauty spells, and to summon the dead.

Betony- For purification and protection. Prevents nightmares.

Caraway- Good for love spells and as an aphrodisiac 

Cinquefoil- Prosperity, purification and protection

Clover- cures madness, also useful in youth and beauty spells.

Cowslip- Invites those who have passed to visit in dreams.

Dragons Blood- Cures impotency, good for love spells

Elecampane- Aids in raising spirits.

Eyebright- Make a tincture and anoint your eyelids to induce visions.

Frankincense- Powerful aid to meditation.

Garlic- protection, healing, courage, and of course exorcism.

Hawthorn- Protects against evil spirits, good for marital happiness.

Hellebore- Can make you invisible. Useful in exorcisms.

Henbane- Aids in flight (on a broom, but also astral projection.

Holly- Powerful protection against evil. Enhances masculinity, Invites prophetic dreams.

Honeysuckle- Useful for prosperity and love charms

Hyssop- Purifies. Useful in preparing for astral projection and for banishing evil spirits.

Juniper- Protects against accidents and theft.

Lavender- Provides clarity of thought, aids in having visions. Good for peace and protection.

Lemon Balm- Aphrodisiac, also soothes a broken heart.

Mandrake- Powerful protective charm. Increases strength and courage, as well as virility and fertility.

Marigold- Useful in prophesying. Helps you see magickal creatures. 

Majoram- Helps overcome grief.

Mistletoe- Mainly used in love spells and to aid in conception, also provides protection.

Mugwort- Aids in astral projection, enhances psychic abilities, prevents fatigue.

Myrtle- Long history of use in love spells.

Pimpernel- Helps detect lies and deceit.

Rosemary- “Rosemary for remembrance”. Improves memory and mental function, useful in youth spells.

Sage- Good for fertility and wisdom, also aids in health and longevity.

St Johns Wort- Increases courage and willpower, good for banishing evil spirits.

Thyme- Renews energy, purifies the spirit

Vervain- Cleanses ritual spaces. Good for prosperity and creativity.

Wormwood- Releases the wandering dead so they may rest. Useful in divination.

Yarrow- Enhances perception and psychic abilities.

GRIMOIRE TIPS&IDEAS

I’ve heard from quite a few of you that you don’t know what to put in your grimoire, or that you were having a hard time filling it! Here is a jumble of Lapis Cat’s tips & ideas for your grimoire!

Getting started can be hard, for a lot of reasons! I think it took me so incredibly long to do mine because i was so nervous about messing it up.

Different ways to keep your grimoire

- Spiral notebooks

- Composition books

- Binders

- Flash drive/SD card

- In google drive, notes on your phone/computer, online

- I’ve seen a $5 hardback sketchbook from michaels used

I will add, Don’t go off and buy a $65 grimoire that is beautiful for your first one, unless you really just must. You will have many grimoires after this one, and they will get more organized and beautiful as you establish your style over time.

Once you’ve selected your personal book, Its time to gather information to put in it! This is the part i’m often asked about. Nothing is mandatory in a grimoire, and you should add only information that is important to you. The one thing i will suggest you add is a blessing as one of your first pages. I’ve posted a book of shadows blessing in the past <3 Everything listed under this are just ideas for things you can add in! 

Witches Rune

Sacred Traditions

Blessing

Salt Blessing

Water blessing

Cleansing methods

Sabbats

All about your goddess(es) and god(s)

Grounding

Alphabets

Runes

Symbols 

Circle Casting

Songs for the goddess 

Songs and methods to raise power within a circle

Elemental Powers

Moon Phases/Correspondences

Hour correspondences

Celestial Bodies & Correspondences

Color Correspondences

Herb Correspondences

Crystal Correspondences

Daily Influences

Planetary Influences

Incense correspondences

Astrology/Planetary Spirits

Numbers & their correspondences

Names of power

One word spells

Spell crafting table

Consecration methods for your sacred items

Crystal Cleansing & Programming

Meditations

Teas and associations with magick

Kitchen witchery 

Divination

Your personal spells

Sigils

Your rituals

Reactions & Experiences

I hope this helps you get started on your grimoire and gives you plenty of ideas on how to fill the pages!!

Bisan's recent post. I think it's important for you to read it. Tonight 03.12.23, journalists in gaza share their last messages. There are no words to describe the horrors unfolding in gaza right now.

I no longer have any hope of survival like I had at the beginning of this genocide, and I am certain that I will die in the next few weeks or maybe days. I have been sick with severe viral infection for days and cannot move from the mattress!

I suffer from nightmares that are so closely resemble reality that I no longer differentiate between reality and dream.

I live in a world other than the one I claimed to be building! I am a community activist who lived on the fantasy that the world was free and just, and I sought to bring rights not only to my people, but to many men and women in third world countries!

I was shocked that I was not from the third world! Indeed, we are the most humane and moral! Yes, because the world approves, supports, and finances the genocide we are being subjected to, legislates it, and gives reasons for for 58 days! While we are a people who have been living on occupied land for 75 years and are still searching for our rights and communicating our voice to the world!

My message to the world: You are not innocent of what is happening to us, you as governments or peoples that support Israel’s annihilation of my people. We will not forgive you, we will not forgive you, humanity will not forgive you, we will not forget, even if we die, the history will never forget .

A Message to friends: Thank you and the supporters around the world. You have been compassionate and very strong. We ask you not to lose hope, even if the world seems completely unfair and your efforts have not yet resulted in a ceasefire.

Grounding Stones Bowl

This may not look like much, but it’s actually one of the most helpful and incredible magickal things I have ever created, and I wanted to share it with all of you.

Essentially what the bowl of rocks does is sucks up negative energy and grounds you when you put your hands in the bowl. Basically, it’ll help you with anxiety, depression, anger, or any other negative emotion you might experience.

I’ve even had it completely calm a full blown panic attack.

Yeah, it’s that good.

Procuring the items to go in the bowl is easy. I just went to Walmart and got a glass bowl for like $3, and then 2 bags of decorative rocks for like $2. All in, this is about $5. And, you can always just go out and collect the stones yourself.

And, the spell is simple:

Cast your circle and call upon any spirits or dieties you normally work with.

Cleanse the rocks. I like to cleanse my items with all four elements, starting with incense and working my way around: candle, water, and then salt. I also like to say something to the effect of, “cleanse these (in this case) stones of all negativity and set them to the purpose of grounding energies and riding negativity.”

Create a sigil. I used a sigil that I actually created for another spell.

4. Charge and activate that shit and put it at the bottom of the bowl. This sigil I feel is the quintessential aspect of the entire spell. This sigil will act as basically a black hole for all negativity. It literally banishes and vanishes that energy.

5. Put your rocks in there. Hold the bowl in your hand and, while visualizing the stones sucking up negativity and making them vanish, solidify the bowls purpose by saying something like, “May this bowl of stones suck up and banish negative energies when anyone puts their fingers or hands in the bowl. So mote it be.”

And you’re done! Now, any time you feel like… Bleh- just shove your fingers in the bowl and allow it to suck up and banish that negativity from you. This can also be a great meditation tool as well.

Let me know your thoughts!!

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥 𝐍𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐧🤍

000 -  The universe is letting you know that new beginnings will help you elevate your vibration and connect with your full potential 

111 - You’re on the right path to abundance, alignment, and creating your dream reality. You’re manifesting things with ease. 

222 - Trust you are on the right path. Stay focused on the things you want in your life rather than what you don’t want. 

333 - The Universe is working with you on making your dreams a reality. Belive in yourself and trust your intuition.

444 - Your being guided and supported through whatever you’re focusing on at the moment. Don’t stop, continue and keep going.

555 - A quantum leap is ahead, Embrace yourself for massive shifts. Be open to new opportunities in all areas of your life. 

666 - You’re distracted and need refocusing on your goals. The Universe is telling you to wake up to your higher self

777 - You’re in the frequency of manifesting your dreams. Good things are coming your way, let it flow your way. 

888 - Financial abundance is on it’s way to you. The Universe is letting you know you’re successful.

999 - You’re being told to embrace change and step into alignment with your soul purpose and higher self 

Spirits & Working with them

We are souls temporarily in bodies on earth. Our natural home is in the spirit world, often known as the “Other side”. Whether you realize it or not, We are constantly surrounded by spirits. They may be in human bodies (like ourselves) or “in spirit” form. Just like we have family and friends in this life, We have had other lives with relationships we have deeply cherished and nurtured. Certainly, there are other spirits we have known and loved in other lives that are “in spirit” here on earth. A spirit is nothing more or less than another person, They just don’t have a body. They really aren’t as mysterious or strange as they’re made out to be, I feel like spirits are really misunderstood. 

PROTECTION Ok guys, when i say they’re misunderstood i don’t mean every spirit out there is fluffy and sweet. Protection is absolutely the MOST IMPORTANT PART of working with spirits. Like i said, they’re nothing more or less than another person. They are beings, they have their own personalities. Just like with people, Don’t give out your information or be too trusting. Spirits can lie, Spirits can have malicious motives, Spirits can be tricksters and just yank your chain (ever gotten on a Ouija and seen ZOZO or MAMA or freaked bc it was doing something you thought was demonic or enabling the spirit to escape the board? Yeah, you were part of a big joke buddy. Spirits cannot escape the board, they aren’t in the board in the first place.). 

Ways to protect yourself:

-Wards, Physically or in the Astral Plane, where spirits typically reside or come from. Astral Projection is not something for beginners to attempt, You really need to know how to deal with and protect yourself from the beings in that plane. 

-Protection spells, amulets or talismans

-Sigils

-I have a special tea i brew for myself before spirit workings that is my blend of herbs to protect me and get me in the mindset for spirit work. I also suggest cleansing your energy, Maybe a cleansing bath and a smudge session and some meditation, Clean your energy so no spirits leech off of your negative energy or sense any mental weakness to attack.

-If you are scared, don’t do it. Spirits can smell it from 30 miles away, and will use it against you. Be mentally prepared, protect yourself. (I want to add i have never had any run ins with malicious spirits, But they DO EXIST. Most spirits are kind in my experience.)

COMMUNICATION

You are probably not gonna just be able to sit down and speak to spirits. (They can hear you, But thats listening and not communication.) I suggest picking up a form of divination, like pendulum, dice, or a ouija board to start. Do not Ouija alone if it is your first time and you are unexperienced. You will receive fragmented bits of conversation likely, and this is normal. Start out with simple yes and no questions, and eventually you will work your way up to normal conversation with spirits. It takes time to grow these skills. When i first started i was pulling out my Ouija nonstop!!! Spirits mostly communicate in tattered words, pictures and emotions. Its good to practice energy work, Sensing the kind of energy spirits are bringing in. This way you’ll eventually be able to tell the difference between a malicious spirit and a kind spirit just by the energy its giving off. PRACTICE, Keep growing your skills. 

INTERACTING WITH SPIRITS

Communicating and meeting with local spirits is the easiest way to start off. 

A lot of people start off with nature spirits, they are much more patient than other beings. I suggest sitting in a forest or by a creek and seeing who wants to talk, but sitting on your back porch with your plants can be equally as successful. I didn’t start with nature spirits specifically, but they likely were the ones who came thru. Very patient and kind, even noting that my dog (who was wanting to come outside with me, but my patios very small and she’s very big) was being loud. 

I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO TALK ABOUT!!

Don’t worry, Here are all the ideas. Its nice to let the spirit share experiences with you, Keep in mind spirits have been around for a very long time, some since the beginning of time, and have experienced many things. I’ve heard some very cool stories.

Let me hear a love story

Show me a song from your people

Tell me something you’ve done that you are proud of

Tell me a little about your culture

Tell me your story

Do you have any jokes you can share with me?

What is your advice for me?

Who is the your peoples leader?(this can help you distinguish a timeline on when they were alive/where as well)

Is there anything about Human Culture you have questions about?

Do you speak more than one language?

SPIRIT WORK TIPS

Don’t give out the name that is the most important to you.

The ‘color’ of an energy doesn’t mean it will align with your own color meanings.

Don’t share how you’re protecting yourself, It is not wise and can help malicious spirits find points of weakness.

Don’t expect to hear voices or see spirits clear as day. The stories told on tumblr may be embellished to add understanding, or might receive messages in a less clear way than presented

If you ever feel threatened by a spirits energy or sense a negative spirit, Tell it to leave loudly and clearly. Do not show fear, Do not back down. Repeat and increase your intensity if it doesn’t stop.

This post is all based on my opinion of spirit work, and is not fact. I love spirits and spirit work so much, and i hope you do as well. Enjoy the spirits, Make some new friends! Love & Light, @lapiscat

I made a career/job spell jar

Jar:

Basil- money, success

Mint- luck, money, prosperity

Bay leaf- wish, motivation, success

Coffee- grounding, protection, energy

Fennel seed- money, strength, protection

Mustard- courage, faith, success, luck

Parsley- money, luck, success

Rosemary- focus

Sesame seed- money

Sugar- drawing, attraction

Carnation- protection, strength, energy, luck

Pieces of my cats claws that I found around the house- my own intention of "climb to the top"

Candle Wax Seal:

Green- money, prosperity, luck

Orange- ambition, creativity, attraction

Red- ambition, passion

Btw the candle holders aren't glass. I read somewhere that it can explode with heat. I forget what they're made from but I bought it on Amazon and they're not supposed to explode.

hey don't cry. 7,401 species of frog in the world, ok?

Witchy Tips: Meditation

Meditation IS:

✔️ A way to improve your focus and concentration

✔️ An excellent way to ground yourself

✔️ A good way to raise energy

✔️ An effective calming exercise

✔️ A method of strengthening your empathetic abilities

Meditation is NOT:

🚫 Thinking of nothing

🚫 Clearing your mind completely

Things you need to meditate:

✔️ Yourself

That’s it. You don’t need candles or crystals or a mantra or a yoga mat or a special outfit or anything.

You don’t even need to be able to do the thing where you cross your legs with your feet up on your thighs. You can meditate lying down, sitting up, kneeling, regular cross legged, or even standing. Just so you’re not in a position where you’ll lose circulation, you’ll be fine.

Kinds of meditation

Yup, there’s kinds. Lots of kinds. Way too many to list in this post. Do your research, find a kind that works for your needs. Practice a bunch of different ones! The kind I recommend for a beginner is called Mindfulness Meditation.

Mindful meditation is about staying in the present moment, rather than ruminating on the past or worrying about the future. Like any kind of meditation, it improves your focus and concentration. It’s also been shown to increase your empathic connection with the world around you. Once you achieve a mindful state, you can move into any other kind of meditation you want.

The guide below is for mindful meditation.

How to Meditate

Go to a quiet place and find a comfortable position that you can keep up for a few minutes without getting sore or losing your balance.

Close your eyes and begin breathing steadily through your nose.

Focus on your breath as it moves through your nose. Try to follow it from moment to moment, rather than lingering on a past sensation or anticipating a future one. The breath is dynamic; it moves with you through time. Try to synchronize your focus with your breath so that they both exist in the present moment.

When you have a feeling, an emotion, or a thought, acknowledge it, accept it, and then go back to focusing on your breath.

If you find you have become distracted, bring back your focus by counting to 10: each odd number is an inhale, while evens are exhales.

Do not be discouraged if you become distracted often; meditation is not something that comes naturally: it has to be practiced. The present moment is hard to hang on to, because it requires not hanging on to anything. The present moment is always slipping by, and it will take practice to teach your mind to acknowledge and dismiss each moment rather than trying to linger. Try aiming for one minute of focused meditation, and increase the time little by little as your concentration improves.

Eventually, you’ll be able to meditate in noisy places, with your eyes open, using focus tools like candles or crystals, you can start employing visualization or mantras if you want; the sky is the limit. But before you can do any of that, you have to be able to concentrate. Simple quiet, eyes-closed meditation that focuses on the breath is a good way to get you there.

Happy meditating!