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Some herbs and their magical properties from Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs 🌿

＊*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚　sun and moon　˚*•̩̩͙✩•̩̩͙*˚＊

A guide by gumnutmagic on Instagram

I thought it could be useful in spells and knot magic !

In the Celtic tradition, nettles are great to ward off spirits when worn, protect your home and may also boost your sexual performances if placed under the mattress.

I’ve been doing a lot of things with beads lately, and I wanted to make something for my Hermes altar. So here’s a necklace I made, this one fits over my head too, so it’s actually wearable ʕ •ᴥ•ʔb⋆·₊˚☆

I used tiger’s eye beads, because I asscoiate it with luck and prosperity and Hermes is considered a bringer of good luck and fortune. I also made some of the tiger’s eye beads into the pupils of four eye charms with wire and string. 

The eyes are meant to represent Argos, the many-eyed giant that Hermes slew. They also represent an epithet of Hermes I’ve read about that I really like, which is Euskopos (Ευσκοπος), meaning watchful or keen-sighted. (There are also so many other epithets of his that I like a lot, but this one was easier to represent in this project.) 

I used some black agate beads too, mostly because I like how they brought some contrast to the whole look. The alternation actually kinda reminds me of the stripes of a bee, a very active and always-moving creature which reminds me of another one of his epithets, Poneomenos (Πονεομενος), which means busy one ｡⋆·₊˚ᕕ( ─ v ─)ᕗ

I also incorporated the number four in this necklace as much as I could, since that’s a symbol if his as well. With four eyes in total and four smaller beads in between the bigger ones. 

To finish it off and add more of a central point, I made a tassel out of black string, added some beads onto the top string and attatched it at the middle point with two eyes on each side. 

I am very pleased with the overall look of this necklace, I’m epsecially happy with how the eyes turned out since they were kinda fiddly to make. I terms of shape and how I built the necklace, I kinda just went with what I felt like and didn’t really base it off of much else. But yeah, I really like how it turned out! <|:^)

Reading Candles for Yes/No Answers

High, steady flame: Yes

Low, steady flame: No

Short, weak flame: No

Dancing flame:Needs more focus. Reground and try again.

Violent flickering flame: Strong no. Take this as a warning if you are certain this isn’t caused by an outside force or natural defect in candle.

Sputtering/Cracking flame: There is more to your answer than a simple yes or no,

Dual flame: Thinking, wait for answer.

Flame leaning to left: Yes

Flame leaning to right: No

Candle will not light: Ask later

Candle will not go out: You are not done yet. There is more you need to hear.

Candle goes out during session: Now is not the time to ask.

magickal properties of moss: luck, money, protection & safety ♡

Green witch tip

When planting mint in your garden, plant it in its own pot rather than in the ground itself or it will quickly spread and take over the flower bed

HOW TO CLONE YOUR HERBS

Ever seen another person’s herb garden and wanted one exactly like it? Want to buy loads of lovely herbs but don’t have the money? Or want to start a plant business don’t know where to start?

Well my friend, I have two words for you. Plant cloning. It’s natural, free and very easy to do.  

This method works best for herbs such as

Basil

Broadleaf Thyme/Cuban Oregano

Mint

Oregano

Basically, what it does is allow you to take a cutting from one plant, and grow an entirely separate plant from it. This means that you could have an endless supply of herbs - you can take 20 cuttings from a single plant, and when they’ve all grown you’ll be able to take another 20 cutting from each of those plants! 

So how do you do it? Well it’s deceptively simple. Here’s how:

1. Start with your parent plant. Due to my recent obsession with basil, that’s the herb I’ve decided to go for.

2. Take a cutting - about 4-5 inches long. Make sure you do it just below a node (the place where the leaves join the stem, just like above in the picture)

3. If possible, try and cut the stem diagonally. This gives it a greater surface area to suck up water with.

4. OK, so this is pretty much what your cutting should look like. Make sure you’ve removed at least the bottom pair of leaves, but it’s good to remove a few sets as the plant can then concentrate on growing roots. 

5. Place the cutting in some water so that the stem is comletley submerged. I found old plastic shot glasses worked great for this, but you can also use pretty bottles or cups or whatever. 

6. Make sure you’ve picked the bottom leaves off, and that the nodes are in the water. This is because the new roots are going to grow out of these nodes, so obviously they’re going to need to be in the water. 

7. Put them in a sunny place where you can keep an eye on them. Above is a picture of the babies with their mummy! After about a week, roots should have grown out of the nodes. 

8. That’s it, you’re done! Once the roots are well developed, you can plant your herbs in to pots. Keep the soil moist and the herb in a sunny place, and soon it’ll be as big as the parent plant. 

You can use this method to get free herbs - instead of buying them all, why not just take cuttings from a friend or family member’s herbs and use them for your own garden? (with their permission of course) 

Or, take a lot of cuttings like I’ve done, pot them up and sell them for a profit!

Good luck and happy planting! ^-^

🌙Lunar Cycle Witchcraft

Here’s some of my personally gathered information on moon phases, eclipses and some other witchy moon stuff, feel free to incorporate this information into your craft/blog/etc! I may add onto this post occasionally, we’ll see :)

Phases:

New Moon: Set intentions, New beginnings, deconstructive magic, curses, banishing, soul searching, divination, beauty, health, money, decision making & midnight magick. First Quarter: Grounding, building & channeling energy, creativity, divination, motivation, calming, strength & growing. Full Moon: Peak energy, full bloom, releasing, love magic, banishing, charging, cleansing, healing & clarity. Last quarter: Acceptance, forgiveness, transformation, breaking bad habit, relinquishing, breaking curses & banishing. Waxing Crescent: Taking actions, aligning focus, gaining energy, constructive magic, attraction, wealth/success, luck & friendship. Waxing gibbous: Taking stock, tuning in, listening & motivation. Waning gibbous: Releasing control, receiving, opening space, relinquishing, undoing bindings, cleansing & undoing curses. Waning crescent: Reflection, renewal, rest & restoration, balance, success, attaining wisdom, atonement & illness.

Eclipses & Other Rare Occurrences: 

Blue Moon: Rituals, Protection, Guidance, Power Boost, Divination, Light magic, Obtaining Goals & Positive change. Super Moon: increase in moon’s energy  Blood Moon: Ridding oneself of bad habits, prophecy, spirit conjurations, healing, protection, manifestation, balance & transformation. Lunar eclipse/solar eclipse: renewal,, moon showing all phases due to earth blocking sun from the moon 

1 Year of Full Moons

January: The Wolf Moon Relationships & Protection February: The Snow Moon Nearing the End of Winter & Gaining Focus March: The Worm Moon Rebirth & Spring April: The Pink Moon Abundance, Fertility & Growth May: The Flower Moon Blooming & Positive Relationships June: The Strawberry Moon Summer, Exploration & Expansion July: The Buck Moon Reflection, Cleansing & Growth August: The Sturgeon Moon Things Coming Into Being & Changes September: The Harvest/Corn Moon Reaping What You’ve Sown & Changes October: The Hunter Moon Honoring the Dead & Exposing Hidden Things  November: The Beaver Moon Settling In, Rest & Rejuvenation December: The Cold Moon Long-Term Goals, Strength & Winter 

Major Arcana Tarot Meanings

The Fool  – 0

Upright: Innocence, freedom, originality, adventure, travel, foolishness, carelessness, idealism, youth, spontaneity, lack of commitment, new beginnings Reversed: Recklessness, carelessness, negligence, stupidity, distraction, apathy, irrationality, lack of fun, hope or faith

The Magician  –  I

Upright: Power, influence, willpower, resourcefulness, skill, ability, logic, intellect, concentration and psychic powers Reversed: Manipulation, greed, unused ability, untrustworthiness, trickery, conniving, cunning, lack of mental clarity

The High Priestess  – II

Upright: Desirability, unattainability, mystery, sensuality, spirituality, thirst for knowledge, mystery, subconscious, higher power, creativity, fertility Reversed: Repression of intuition, blocked psychic powers, unwanted attention, uncontrolled outbursts and sexual tension, lack of self-belief, fertility issues

The Empress  –  III

Upright: Pregnancy, fertility, motherhood, sensuality, nurturing, creativity, beauty, femininity, nature, harmony, art Reversed: Insecurity, infertility, lack of confidence, lack of growth, overbearing tendencies, disharmony, negligence

The Emperor  –  IV

Upright: Older man, stability, dependability, fatherhood, father-figure, structure, protectiveness, authority, logical, practical Reversed: Abuse of power, excessively controlling, rigidity, stubbornness, lack of discipline, lack of control, absentee father, paternity issues

The Hierophant  –  V

Upright: Traditional institutions, traditional values, conventional, conformity, marriage, commitment, religion, beliefs, knowledge sharing Reversed: Challenging tradition, unconventional lifestyles, unconventional relationships, reversed roles, non-conformity

The Lovers  –  VI

Upright: Love, soulmates, kindred spirits, perfect unions, partnerships, relationships, major choices, romance, desire, sexual connections, shared values Reversed: Disharmony, trust issues, imbalance, conflict, disconnection, lack of accountability, disunion, detachment

The Chariot  –  VII

Upright: Victory, overcoming obstacles, success, ambition, determination, willpower, control, self-discipline, hard work and focus Reversed: Forcefulness, lack of direction, lack of self-control, powerlessness, aggression, coercion, being blocked by obstacles

Strength  –  VIII

Upright: Inner strength, courage, bravery, confidence, compassion, taming, control, overcoming self-doubt Reversed: Vulnerability, self-doubt, weakness, low self-esteem, lack of confidence, feeling inadequate

The  Hermit  –  IX

Upright: Spiritual enlightenment, soul searching, self-reflection, introspection, contemplation, inner guidance, solitude Reversed: Loneliness, paranoia, isolation, reclusiveness, withdrawal, anti-social, restrictive, paralyzed by fear.

The Wheel of Fortune  –  X

Upright: Good luck, destiny, change, karma, soulmates, decisive moments, cycles of life, fate, fortune, upheaval, chance Reversed: Bad luck, upheaval, disorder, external forces, lack of control, disruption, unwelcome change, delays, set backs, karma

Justice  –  XI

Upright: Justice, karmic justice, consequences, legal disputes, law, truth, honesty, integrity, cause and effect, life lessons Reversed: Injustice, karmic retribution, dishonesty, corruption, lack of accountability, dishonesty, unfairness, karmic avoidance

The Hanged Man  –  XII

Upright: Feeling trapped, confined, self-limiting, uncertainty, lack of direction, needing release, letting go Reversed: Discontentment, apathy, disinterest, stagnation, impulsiveness, negative patterns, detachment

Death  –  XIII

Upright: Spiritual transformation, new beginnings, letting go, endings, change, transition, sudden or unexpected upheaval Reversed: Inability to move forward, fear of beginnings, repeating negative patterns, resisting change, dependency

Temperance  –  XIV

Upright: Balance, peace, patience, moderation, inner calm, perspective, tranquillity, harmonious relationships, soulmates Reversed: Imbalance, self-indulgence, excess, clashing, lack of perspective, discord, antagonism, recklessness, hastiness

The Devil  –  XV

Upright: Addiction, depression, mental health issues, secrecy, obsession, cheating, dependency, bondage, materialism, sexuality, powerlessness, hopelessness, abuse, violence, assault Reversed: Detachment, independence, overcoming addiction, freedom, revelation, reclaiming power, reasserting control

The Tower  –  XVI

Upright: Chaos, destruction, sudden upheaval, trauma, unexpected change, disaster, loss, tragedy, revelations, confusion, pain, divorce, abuse, violence, bankruptcy, natural disasters, inevitable endings Reversed: Resisting change, averting disaster, avoiding tragedy, delaying the inevitable, avoiding loss, lack of insight, codependence

The Star  –  XVII

Upright: Hope, inspiration, creativity, calm, contentment, renewal, serenity, spirituality, healing, positivity Reversed: Hopelessness, despair, focusing on the negative, lack of faith, lack of inspiration, lack of creativity, boredom, monotony

The Moon  –  XVIII

Upright: Intuition, illusion, dreams, vagueness, instability, deception, anxiety, fear, misconception, subconscious, insecurity, clouded Reversed: Releasing fear, unveiling secrets, subsiding anxiety, truth, regaining composure, self-deception, blocked intuition

The Sun  –  XIX

Upright: Positivity, freedom, fun, success, optimism, vitality, joy, confidence, self-expression, good luck, enthusiasm, happiness, truth, openness, pregnancy Reversed: Lack of enthusiasm, excessive enthusiasm, sadness, pessimism, unrealistic expectations, ego, conceitedness, oppression, infertility

Judgement  – XX

Upright: Judgement, self-evaluation, awakening, renewal, composure, decisiveness, homesickness, snap judgements, apportioning blame, forgiveness, judgemental Reversed: Indecisiveness, self-doubt, malicious gossip, lack of self-awareness, unwillingness to learn karmic lessons, unfair blame, false accusations

The World  –  XXI

Upright: Success, achievement, accomplishment, travel, completion, fulfillment, sense of belonging, wholeness Reversed: Lack of success, stagnation, lack of achievement, disappointment, burden, lack of completion