magick

How to Discover Your Inner Wiccan

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discover-inner-wiccan

If you’re reading this article because you feel a connection to nature and are interested in learning more about Wicca, then you’ve come to the right place.

Modern Wicca is a religion that consists of witchcraft and the worship of nature. It was created by Gerald Gardner in the 1950s, and in recent years it has been able to thrive. Gardner’s main goal was to create a religion that would allow people to return to nature. It is a religion that is based on ancient pagan beliefs. It involves the belief in a divine force that is both male and female and focuses on the act of worshiping nature and living in harmony with its cycles.

Do you feel attracted to the Wiccan religion, but don’t know where to start?… In this post, we’ll show you how you can discover your true Wiccan self and become the empowered person you are meant to be.

Discover your power

Each person has his or her own unique powers and the only way to find them is by listening to what your inner self tells you. The power that is inside of everyone is impossible to measure, but the only way to make it stronger is to tap into it. A Wiccan can do this by focusing on finding their own power and using it to achieve their goals.

Wiccans believe that there are seven basic elements: earth, air, fire, water, ether, life, and death. Listen to your inner self, your intuition is the only way you can find out what you can do and how to do it.

By reading, learning, and applying your Wiccan knowledge, you’ll be able to “clear your mind” and discover magical affinities.

Find your spiritual identity

Many people are searching for a spiritual path that resonates with them. It may be that Wicca is your answer. Wicca is a nature-based religion that focuses on the ancient goddess and the god. Wiccans believe that all forms of worship should be personal and private, and they do not engage in public rituals or ceremonies. Wicca is a very simple religion with a sacred history that can be traced back to the early Celts.

You may find your spiritual path by looking into the Wiccan Rede, or the Law of Threefold Return. This is a great way to understand the relationship between yourself and your gods, and what you can do to build a strong relationship with them.

Wicca offers a wide variety of rituals, such as the Sacred Fires and Moon Spells. For example, you may find yourself in need of these rituals at different times in your life. Wicca rituals can be celebrated to increase energy or balance, depending on the needs of the practitioner.

By meditating and practicing the right rituals, you will get the needed guidance to find your spiritual journey. To be honest, there is no right or wrong path here, just “go with the flow” and let your spiritual path reveal itself. It may also help to learn some magick rituals and use witch tools (like tarot reads), e.g. like a moon ritual that you may practice on a full moon. This will help you get in the right state of mind to discover your spiritual identity.

Find your true self

Wicca will help you find your true self and your purpose in life. It is a way to help you find out who you are and what you want to do in life, by connecting with your true spirit and soul. Wicca will help you make the most of life. It is a way to make life meaningful and give it purpose.

Finding your true self is a process of self-discovery. It requires finding what you like and don’t like, what you are good at and not good at, what makes you happy, and what makes you sad. This is because each person has their own way of thinking and feeling, and without understanding who you are, it is hard to find what makes you happy.

Some people can find themselves quickly by looking at what they do for work, where they live, what their favorite color is, or what their favorite band is. But if you don’t know who you are, it is hard to make choices and decisions because you may find that you don’t have anything in common with the people around you.

You need to feed your brain, learn all you can about the Wiccan religion and make sure it is your right path, and then move accordingly.

Find a Wiccan Mentor

Although you may read and learn a lot on your own, nothing beats learning from a mentor. It is extremely helpful to have someone you trust along your enlightenment path, taking you by the hand and always available to assist you. So try to find witches that will help you discover magick.

We know it may be hard finding a Wiccan mentor when you’re just starting out. Luckily, the Wiccan community as a whole tends to be very helpful and willing to assist. Look for reputable Wiccan communities (either online or local) and start learning and meeting other fellow witches. Once you’ve found your Wiccan Mentor, you will both know it.

Just be careful of not-so-reputable communities that may just try to take advantage of you (unfortunately, there are some out there). But once again, you’ll probably notice it if this is the case.

Conclusion

Finding your Wiccan path is a very important process for many reasons. It can help you find the right “fit” for your religious beliefs. It can also help you find a community that shares your values. Lastly, it can help you find a new spiritual home. All of these are very important and can provide a lot of meaning to your life.

Bless be.

Mirror Magick For Beginner Witches

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As a witch, there are many tools you can use for spells and rituals. A not-so-common but still very effective tool of the craft is a mirror.

In this article Emma Kyteler from Eclectic Witchcraft tells us about mirror magick. Feel free to share your opinions in the comments section below.

How do you perform mirror magick or scry with mirrors?

Can mirror magick reveal your future?

Do you love looking in mirrors, or do you avoid them at all cost? How many times have you broken a mirror, and dreaded the years of bad luck? What really makes reflective surfaces so enticing to us?

Humans love to look at themselves, preening and perfecting their outward appearance. Sometimes, some people become so caught up with their outer appearance that they completely forget about cultivating their inner beauty!

So, why do mirrors draw us in, or revolt us, so much?

Mirrors were originally just dark pools on sunny days. Their views distorted everything we saw, and no doubt accounted for a few strange details in stories passed down through the generations. Almost from the beginning, these reflective surfaces were used for mirror magick.

Eventually shiny stones took over for those deep, dark pools of water. It took a long time before our reflections weren’t distorted by waves or defects in stones.

Modern mirrors can distort us, too. Sometimes we won’t even know that a minor imperfection in the glass is making us hate our bodies.

As far as inanimate objects go, mirrors might be the most powerful of them all. They symbolism self reflection, self obsession, beauty, and are sometimes seen as portals to other dimensions.

There is so much folklore and so many fairy tales with references to mirrors that it would be impossible to recount them all! Most people remember Snow White’s nemesis and her obsession with being the fairest of them all. Vanity, of course, is closely associated with mirrors.

One of the first tricks I learned as a child was to stare at a mirror, unblinking, for as long as possible.

Over time, the room will seem to dim, and your own face will take on a more grotesque, sinister form. Try it for yourself. Maybe you won’t see something terrifying on the other side, but testing this when I was younger led me to fear mirrors, especially in the dark.

I didn’t know at the time that I was performing mirror magick, but that’s just more evidence that mirrors are innately magical objects.

So what do you see in the mirror? Do you want to learn how to use the mirror to reflect a better life back into the real world? How about diving the future or learning the answers to your questions? Do you want to perform mirror magick?

Mirrors can help us to remember things, to see past lives and divine the future. They may let us contact the dead or other forms of spirits, and travel through different planes of reality.

What kind of mirror magick happens when you place a mirror in your home? A mirror in your office or place of work can multiply the amount of work put on your shoulders, and near a bed a mirror can draw in new lovers. Drawing in new lovers can be either good or bad, depending on your relationship status!

Don’t place a mirror in front of a door, since it can push people out of the room as well as keep energy from flowing into it. Two mirrors near each other can cause feelings of anxiety, stress, and insomnia. A blessed mirror placed over a doorway can bring blessings to those who enter the room.

So You Broke A Mirror

So why does the superstition about broken mirrors leading to seven years bad luck exist?

It might be because people once thought their reflection was their actual soul, reflected up to them from those dark pools of water thousands of years ago. You don’t want to crack your soul into a million pieces, do you?

Mirrors were also once thought to be tools of the gods. Breaking one would break that link between the owner and the gods, thus losing a huge source of power and the ability to foresee the future.

Or, the soul might stray from the body if a mirror is broken. Souls are clumsy, okay? They’ll probably get hurt without a body with them.

The original superstition of broken mirrors leading to seven years bad luck comes from the Romans. They thought that it took seven years for life to renew itself. If you looked into a mirror while unhealthy, you would break the mirror and thus have bad luck and ill health for seven years until your life renewed.

So you broke a mirror. Whoops! Do you want to avoid that bad luck? There are a few ways to counter the bad luck that broken mirror may cause! Just take all of the pieces of the mirror, try not to miss a single piece, and bury it under a full moon.

Another choice is to pound the shards into a fine dust that simply cannot reflect anything again.

Still, you don’t hear of people dying because of their bad luck, so it can’t be all that bad right? You can simply counter the bad luck of a broken mirror by carrying a four-leaf clover, or doing a number of good luck spells.

Mirror magick can be dangerous, scary, and strange, but it doesn’t have to be.

Here’s an easy luck spell

Face a mirror and think of all the misfortune that has befallen you since breaking the mirror. Think of how those things could have gone better, and then clasp your hands together and shut your eyes tight.

Beg Fortuna or another luck deity for forgiveness, and tell her that you never meant to break a mirror or cause her any trouble. Kneel on the floor in front of the mirror and beg for her blessing so that your life may return to normal.

When you are finished speaking with Fortuna or your luck deity, thank them for their time, kiss the mirror, stand up, and turn to the right and walk away starting with your right foot.

Try not to break another mirror anytime soon!

Crystallomancy, Catoxtromancy, or Scrying

Scrying with mirrors has been a popular method of divination since the time of Helena Blavatsky and theosophy. Scrying was once the realm of water, but now it’s as simple as taking a pocket mirror.

Many famous people have used crystallomancy for divination. John Dee for Queen Elizabeth I, Catherine de Medici, and Pythagoras are notable. Ancient Greece has the witches of Thessaly, who wrote what they saw in human blood onto mirrors.

Nostradamus used a bowl of water as a mirror to write has famous, prophetic quatrains while in a trance.

Pierre Coton, a French Jesuit and confessor to the French King Henri IV, used a mirror that revealed plots against the king. The Achaeans used mirrors to divine ill will, diseases, and sudden death.

Crystallomancy is more popular in the East than it ever was in the West, however. It’s still very popular in India, where you would fast, pray and perfume the mirrors before use. Some see the reflection in the mirror as the reflection of the soul, and seeing your soul in the mirror makes it vulnerable to danger and death.

Catoxtromancy / crystallomancy involves looking into glass to divine the future. You generally don’t want to see yourself in the mirror, so it should be angled in a way to show no human or living reflection.

Either a silver or black mirror will do for scrying, though black of course absorbs more energy and can be a more powerful tool. Older mirrors are generally better, unless the oldest mirror seems “off” to you. It isn’t hard to curse a mirror, and you don’t want to use a cursed mirror in a spell.

To do your first mirror divination, take a mirror into the bathroom and allow the steam to build up. Once it is steamy enough, visions should form through the fog on the mirror, and may then be interpreted.

You can also wait for enough water to condense on the surface that it begins to drip, and divine from the shapes that those drips make.

In the 20th century, women would take a mirror into a dark room on Halloween. They hoped to catch a glimpse of their husband’s face. You can see similar visions by simply going into a very dark room where a mirror hangs, holding a flashlight pointed to the ground or a candle low in your hands.

What might you see in the mirror? Almost anything! It depends on your desires, your thoughts, your movements. Make note of anything strange, and write it down once you’re finished scrying. Half of divination takes place after the ritual is finished, and is in deciphering what you saw, felt, experienced, heard, and thought.

How to teach kids about Magick?

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Blessed be!

While I was reading this article from Wiccan Spells, I decided to share it with all of you but thinking in all the kids from my family and friends in mind. Specially Liah my niece, Ian my nephew and Naomi, a sister from other life’s daughter. Their mothers are doing a great job maintaining and nurturing their natural magick, i have noticed they do some of the tips from this article so I hope it works for everyone.

Introducing children to the practices of Wicca and Paganism can be tricky, especially if you’re unsure where to start. I know many people that were drawn to the faith due to their interest in living in harmony with nature, and having a religion that they can practice by themselves, or a religion that really focuses on the feminine side of life.

Let Them Participate in Rituals

While you’re doing magickal workings, either spells or rituals for different Sabbats, why not include your children in these practices? Kids LOVE to be involved in anything that adults are doing, and this is no different. Just like kids learn basic skills from their parents and other adults in their lives, magickal practice is no different. When you’re performing your next ritual, pull up a stool and let your child join in. Talk them through what you’re doing, answer their questions with patience and understanding, and if you feel it is safe enough, even let them join in by helping to light candles or place things around an altar!

They will love being involved, and you can explain to them step by step what you’re doing and why – all the while opening their eyes to the wonder that is Wicca!

Spells and Craftwork

Here’s where your children’s imagination can really shine. Why not allow your kids to join in with a few different spells and craftwork? Let them create their own wand! Go through the woods on a nature hike, and allow them to find a fallen branch that speaks to them. Grab some discarded stones, feathers, anything that your child is drawn to, and start walking them through how to craft their own supplies and tools.

This is also a great lesson in respecting nature and everything that the earth decides to give us. Once back at home from your hike, start crafting! Break out the glue, glitter, markers – anything your child would like to use – and let them go crazy crafting away! Explain to them the symbolism of having their own wand, and what a wand does in Wicca practices. Then you can even help your child perform a spell – and have them start watching for the effects! If you’re looking for inspiration, check out these simple spells for children.

Incorporate Your Deities

During bedtime make a teaching lesson as well! Instead of turning to the same fairytales (which are fantastic!), why not tell your children a few stories about the deities that you worship? Greek and Roman goddesses and gods have many myths written about them, and some are GREAT for children. You can even find books specifically geared to children in this genre. Then incorporate the deities in your rituals. You’d be surprised at how quickly your children start to pick up on which god/goddess to work with! The biggest thing to remember is simply to talk to your children about the religion as openly as possible. Children will pick up on your love for Wicca, and want to be as involved as you are!

Witchy Definition: Energy

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To make it simple, I will be doing research of few words we usually use. At this moment, let define the word Energy.

You may also think in energy like vibration, vibes or aura. Most likely to hear this used in reference to how someone or something else makes you feel (this happens all the time to me). For example, maybe a place has “good” or “bad” energy. Basically, “energy” is an essential quality you can’t quite put your finger on, but you intuitively know exists.

Energy can also refer to your physical vitality. Spirituality is a great way to practice self-care, especially if you’re feeling drained. Many people use mystical tools like tarot cards or crystals to help them focus their physical energy during meditation. Is like the wind and it always changes direction.

But because it always change and your energy can be influenced by externals, you must keep it clean. Read my other post: How to clean yourself, gems, crystals, objects and more. this will help you to understand how to keep all your circle clean and pure.

What It Means to Be a Witch

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Many people has make me this question: How to be a witch? But, really…. do you know what means to be one?

Sure, we’ve heard of Wicca, but not every witch we’ve know identifies as Wiccan . This article by Veva Papisola in TeenVouge explains why the majority of witches we know today aren’t Wiccan at all.

Depending on your religious background, there may be a little or a lot of information about your beliefs floating around in the world. When you’re a witch, there is a lot of information, but a lot if it isn’t necessarily accurate. Most of us have some idea of what a fictional witch might be, and that idea likely comes from stories we heard when we were kids and various depictions in pop culture.

Melissa Madaras, a witch and the owner of Brooklyn’s metaphysical shop and space Catland, to help us learn more. One of the first things she told Teen Vogue was that she can’t speak for all witches, because every witch is a witch for their own reason, and every witch practices in their own way. That’s why this video, created by bicephaly pictures for Teen Vogue, explains just that.

Animal Familiars and Witchcraft

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animal-familiars

Ok, let’s talk about animal familiars. From conversations with social media followers, I’ve noticed there is some confusion on this subject. First, your pet is not an animal familiar (well, it could be… but it probably isn’t). Second, your animal familiar does not have to be the common choices like a black cat, an owl or a frog… it could be any kind of animal. And third, it doesn’t even need to be a physical animal, it could be in the spiritual realm.

The following article by Stacey from tarotpugs.com (I love that combination, as a pug owner myself) gives a detailed description about animal familiars. Do you have an animal familiar?… let us know in the comments section!

Animal familiars are viewed as having an spiritual connection or bond with a witch.

A physical familiar will often come into a witch’s life when least expected or when they are most needed.

This can be through an adoption program, as a gift or as a stray animal that is taken in by the witch.

Some witches believe that an animal familiar chooses their witch to live and work with.

It can sometimes feel like a reunion between a witch and familiar from a past life or past lives.

For other witches, it may feel as though after months or years or wanting a particular animal (specie or breed), that the animal manifests into reality at the right time or opportunity.

A witch may or may not be ready or prepared to welcome the familiar into their life, but there may be a feeling or sense that it’s meant to be.

Familiars can be physical and real in life and/or they can be a familiar spirit in the astral/spirit realm.

Animal Familiars and Witchcraft

Let’s look at physical familiars first as they are the most commonly talked about:

Physical Animal Familiars

Physical animal familiars are different than the usual or typical household pet.

While many witches call their pets familiars, the true sense of the word goes deeper than simply as a “pet” and not all pets belonging to a witch will be familiars.

Historically, the concept of animal familiars was written in texts such as Malleus Maleficarum as a way to identify and prosecute witches during the Middle Ages.

Familiars in the physical form often have a deep psychological and psychic bond with a witch and will often be drawn to the witch while performing spells, rituals, magick or divination.

Some witches may strongly feel that their familiar has been with them in past life times and will continue to be with the in future lifetimes.

There’s a mind-to-mind, spirit-to-spirit connection between the physical familiar and the witch.

Animal Spirit Familiars

Witches can have both a physical animal familiar and animal spirit familiar or just one or the other.

While many witches are familiar with the concept of physical familiars, there can also be spirit familiars.

A physical familiar is an animal that lives with the witch as a pet offering companionship and assisting with physical magickal workings such as crafting, spell work, rituals and more.

A spirit familiar is an animal spirit that works with the witch to do magick, spells and rituals in the astral/spirit realm and can act as a companion and/or protector during astral travel.

A spirit familiar shouldn’t be confused with the terms “spirit animal”, animal spirit guide or “fetch.”*

*A fetch is often in the form of an animal spirit used in hedge witchcraft and hedge riding.

To know more about hedge witchcraft and hedge riding, check out the book To Fly By Night: An Anthology of Hedgewitchery.

For many reasons, it may be probable that a witch is unable to have a physical familiar due to circumstances, finances or living situations, so having a spirit familiar is the best or only option.

For some witches, their familiars are animals that aren’t allowed to be kept legally as pets so meeting the familiar in the astral realm is the only possible way to work with the familiar.

While spirit guides in animal form provide guidance, advice and counsel, a spirit familiar works with the witch in magickal and spiritual workings in the astral realm, for example such as astral spells.

Animal spirit guides will often have more communication intelligence in the terms of spoken thought and language, while spirit familiars are more closely connected to their animal instincts and nature.

Spirit familiars speak more through simple ideas, body language in the same ways as a physical pet or animal communicates.

To know more about animal spirit guides, check out Connect and Work with Animal Spirit Guides.

How to Meet an Animal Spirit Familiar

If you feel drawn to work with a spirit familiar, you can do astral work to invite the familiar to introduce themselves and make an appearance.

Here are a few ways you can send out an invite to meet your familiar in spirit:

Meditation

To begin to meet your spirit familiar, create an “astral temple” or a scenery – some place in the astral realm that you will call “home”.

This can be any place that you can create or imagine, where you feel safe, secure and at ease.

Send out a thought that you want to meet your familiar spirit and ask them to come forward.

Allow the image of one animal or several to come to your mind.

You may see many animals which all may have meaning to you at some point, eventually, you may find your mind narrows the animals down to just one.

If you feel several animals are coming forward, ask them if they are your familiar and listen to what they say or see how they respond.

Feel with your gut to know if the answers you receive and judge for yourself if it’s truthful or not.

When you meet an animal that says they are your familiar or respond in a positive way that confirms it, spend time with the animal and observe them.

Ask yourself in the meditation or afterwards how the animal makes you feel, if you feel an instant connection, if you like the animal specie or breed or not, and if the answers are yes or no, ask yourself why.

When you’re ready to finish the meditation, thank your familiar spirit and let them know you will be back soon.

Follow up with astral visits regularly to strengthen your connection with the spirit familiar then over the course of a few weeks, you can start to do astral magickal workings and see how they work.

Ritual

Another way to meet your astral familiar is to create a ritual to call forth and invite the familiar to come to you.

The ritual can be choreographed / planned or it can be semi-improvisational (depending on how you work with rituals.)

Items that can be used for a ritual to invite your spirit familiar can be a white or brown candle, a petition / small letter or invitation, and crystals such as fluorite, selenite or clear quartz.

When doing a ritual to invite your spirit familiar, don’t become focused on expecting a certain animal to come forth and be your familiar.

Although cats, dogs and wolves are top on the list of physical and spiritual familiars, stay open to the possibility of other animals that may be your spirit familiar.

While a ritual is just one of the first possible steps to inviting a spirit familiar to introduce themselves to you, it will be astral travel and meditations where the real work will happen.

Divination

Tarot and oracle cards can help to open channels to communication and get a better idea of who your spirit familiar is.

However, to work with a spirit familiar, you will have to go beyond tarot, oracle cards and divination and work with the familiar in the astral realm.

To assist with a meditation before meeting your spirit familiar, you can draw a single tarot or oracle card as a meditation focal point to help you go deeper into the meditation.

Any tarot or oracle deck that you resonate can work well for the purpose of finding your animal spirit familiar.

Animal-themed tarot or oracle decks can also be used for the same purpose.

Psychic Connection between a Physical Familiar and a Witch

The bond and psychic connection between a witch and an animal familiar is usually strong and often will strengthen over time.

For some witches, this connection may be instantaneous while for other witches, it may be relationship connection that has to be worked on to improve and strengthen.

Either way, the bond between the witch and the familiar can’t often be explained in words or logically.

There can be an affinity and often a feeling of being reunited with each other again on a spirit level.

The bond of a familiar and a witch may be centuries-old, reuniting lifetime after lifetime, possibly again within the same lifetime of the witch considering animals have a shorter lifespan than humans.

There’s a special bond and connection with a familiar that’s different than with other pets or animals.

Magick and Animal Familiars

Many familiars are attracted to magickal items and divination tools.

Some animals (even if not a familiar) will like to sleep on magickal/witchcraft books, grimoires, tarot/oracle cards, under altars, on meditation cushions or in places that are designated for ritual, spells or meditation.

The energy of these places and items is often positive and calming to animals that are more sensitive to energy.

While most witches won’t allow others to touch their magickal items or divination tools that belong to them, animals are often the exception to this rule as their energy is pure and untainted.

Some familiars will be drawn to magickal workings such as rituals or spell work, and will want to be near the witch while performing these tasks.

In Wiccan practice, while working in a cast/magick circle the witch can’t leave the circle unless the circle is taken down or a doorway is “cut” in the circle to allow passage out and back into the cast/magick circle.

However, cats can enter and leave cast circles as folk tales associate cats with the spirit world, as well as other animals can pass in and out of the circle also.

Animals are more closely connected to the spirit world and some animals can sense or see spirits, so it’s natural that they can pass in or out of a cast magick circle without any consequences.

How to Work with an Animal Familiar

When working with an animal familiar (physical or spirit) be sure to respect their needs for personal space and to take care of their physical and emotional needs first.

Here are a few ways that you can work with your animal familiar, but are by no means the only way or limited to these suggestions:

Spells, magick and/or rituals with your animal familiar

For physical animal familiars that can mean working with them while doing spells, magick, herb or wild crafting or rituals.

For animal spirit familiars, this can mean doing the same with a physical familiar but in the astral realm instead such as astral spells and magick.

This can mean also using things like whiskers, hair, nails or fur in spells – as long as they are humanely gathered which preferably are found rather than taken or removed from the animal.

Never forcibly remove, cut or take whiskers or fur/hair unnecessarily from a living animal for magickal or spell purposes.

Nail clippings can be used after doing necessary routine nail trims. Fur or hair can be gathered from regular brushings or grooming.

Communicate with your animal familiar

Spend time practicing your animal communication – this can help to improve communication with other physical animals and pets.

This means thinking outside the terms of spoken language and words and instead with emotions, feelings and imagery.

Tune into the sounds that your familiar makes.

Learn what each meow, each chirp, each squeak, each bark means.

Pay attention to body language, ear positioning and tail movements.

Try to see the world from their perspective – they work hard to communicate with you on your terms, meet your familiar halfway.

Books and online resources are available about animal communication and what body moments mean, however, tune into how your familiar communicates to you and others.

Sigil Magick / Binding Runes / Amulets / Talismans

Create or purchase a protective amulet or talisman for your physical animal familiar to wear or keep near their sleeping area (as long as it is safe to do so that the animal won’t eat or destroy it.)

A sigil or binding rune can be drawn on the inside of your familiar’s collar or near their sleeping area or in their cage/habitat for protection, safety and/or good health.

Astral Travel

Some witches (and even non-witches) believe that animals can astral travel and that their body and facial movements during sleep is triggered by what they experience during astral travel.

Animals are more closely connected to the spirit world and more attuned to energy than most humans, which is why some animals can see, hear and/or sense the presence of ghosts and spirits.

Join your physical familiar on an astral journey during meditation while they sleep or meet up with your spirit familiar often to travel, study or do workings.

Your physical or spirit familiar can accompany you in the astral realm to keep you company or to offer protection while you’re there.

If you have an astral temple or home that you’ve created in the astral realm, you can let your spirit familiar guard and protect your astral temple or home.

A Witch’s Familiar

Have an animal familiar?

Share a photo of your animal familiar (physical or spirit) on Twitter or Instagram and tag TarotPugs to show off your familiars!

Share an image, drawing or anything that represents your animal familiar and tag TarotPugs.

Show everyone your familiars and we’ll do our best to share your post or tweet on Twitter or in our Instagram Story!

Until next time,

Stacey and the Tarot Pugs

How To Use Rune Stones

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how-to-use-rune-stones

We are blessed to receive many questions and comments on social media (thank you all for your support, btw!). Many of the questions we get are related to the different types of divination. So I decided to add more articles related to this subject.

In this article, Jen from wiccadaily.com describes in detail what are runes and their uses in witchcraft/magick.

Runes

Runes are what you call the ancient alphabet used by the Germanic countries that are used by Pagans in magick and divination. The best way to work with them is to ask a specific question, whatever it may be and however it may apply to your current situation. Although you don’t have to be of Norse ancestry to use and understand the rune scripts, you’ll have a far better sense of how to use them based on the meaning of their symbols. Having some knowledge of the mythology and history of the Germanic peoples goes a long way in incorporating rune stones into your magickal workings.

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Magick Runes

Magick Runes are used in divination and charms. They have been used since the ancient times for these purposes. You might not know where to start when it comes to knowing how to use magick runes. It does take a little getting used to to seamlessly incorporate them in your magickal workings.  Magick runes comes in two forms: magick rune cards and rune stones.

Rune Stones

Rune stones have been used for centuries as a tool for divination. Today, they are still  used in magic and divination by many Pagans. They fall into the same category such as the tarot. Each rune stone is inscribed with a symbol, and each symbol holds a special meaning. Each and every runic alphabet possesses a special kind of power and can be used to invoke deities who can help you in dealing with your problems. You may use your own interpretations for the symbols, based on your studies and beliefs, or you may take the more traditional approach, which is going by the traditional meaning of each. Whichever way you may go about using the rune stones, it is still best to at least have some idea of their meanings.

Different Ways To Use Rune Stones

Rune stone divination should not be used to predict the future. That is not its function. Look at it as a tool for guidance. It allows you to work with the subconscious and focus on the questions that have been bothering you and those which you just need the answers to.

As with other tools of divination, always cleanse and charge your rune stones before and after each use.

Before doing any reading, it is best to ask a Spirit, or whichever Deity you feel most comfortable working with, to guide you in your reading. When you are done with the reading session, don’t forget to thank the Deity you asked guidance from.

Single Stone Reading-

This type of reading is the simpler version and requires just a single rune stone for a reading. You should place all rune stones in a bag. And here’s what you should do:

  • Clear your mind.
  • Focus on the questions you want answers to.
  • Hold the bag of rune stones in your receptive hand.
  • With the fingers of your receptive hand, mix up the stones in the bag.
  • Whichever way you wish to ask the question, go ahead and do it. It should go like this, ask your question and take a rune stone from the bag.
  • Read the symbol written on the stone. That answers your question.
  • If you need further clarification, take another stone from the bag and read the symbol on it.
  • If you find that you still need clarification, it might be time to place the stone back in the bag and reshuffle them as you rephrase your question.

Four Stone Reading-

This type of reading is the more complicated one and is better left to those who have advanced in their rune stone reading knowledge. This requires you to read a combination of four rune stones. Here’s what you should do:

  • Clear your mind.
  • Focus on the questions you want answers to.
  • Hold the bag of rune stones in your receptive hand.
  • With the fingers of your receptive hand, mix up the stones in the bag.
  • Whichever way you wish to ask the question, go ahead and do it.
  • This time, remove four stones from the bag, one at a time.
  • Read each stone’s inscription and place them in front of you.
  • The first stone represents the past influences.
  • The second stone represents the present influences.
  • The third stone represents the future influences.
  • The fourth stone represents the behaviors and energies that remain the same.

Once you have reached a certain level of comfort working with the runes stones, you can experiment with different types of layouts that will come to you naturally as you advance in your rune reading experience. This way, you will also discover what works best for you.

Many people believe that the selections made within the runes stones drawn are not random at all, they are actually the choices made by your subconscious. And some believe that the rune stones drawn hold the answers provided by the Divine to affirm what we have long known in our hearts.

rune-stones

How do you use rune stones in your magick? We’d love to hear your stories! 🙂

7 Things ALL Witches Do

Spells
wiccan-spell-protection

And yes, there are some things that all witches do. Probably in different levels, but I think all we do.

When I read this article from The Alchemist published in The Witchcraft, I realized, many of my “things” are witch related and not just me as a maniatic. For example I like to sleep 8 hours as least. Many of my friends make jokes about this, and sometimes is difficult to do it while traveling for business, but for me is sacred and is part of “have time for me and quality time”.

Please read all this 7 “things” and let me know if you do more or less. Let’s see what we have in common between us!

1. Feel and Move like Witches

Some may call this Vanity but it’s actually self-confidence. Knowing that you are Witch gives you power. And this power is noticed by others. As we’ve already seen above, witches usually lead normal lives. They work – and work hard – they make families (this is why all these hereditary Witches are born) and in general live like all the others. In fact, many of the current or ancient leaders, politicians and famous people used to be witches!

It is not easy to tell who is a Witch because of the former (and unfortunately even present-day) Witch-huntings. However, a Witch always knows who s/he is. They realise their power even if they are occupied by mundane activities. Deep inside they still feel connected with the Spirits and always keep an eye on synchronicities and omens.

2. They Never Ignore an Omen

Witches don’t actually believe in ‘random events’. They know that the World is built on patterns of cosmic Wisdom. Anything can be traced back to numbers and energy. Hence, they never ignore an Omen.

However, they usually don’t get crazy trying to find out the meaning of it. They know how to keep calm and they try to decipher it. Omens is the Language of Spirits. This is how they try to communicate with us.

3. Witches Always Write Down their Progress and Experiences

This is how the ‘Book of Shadows‘ started. Although many believe its an anthology of spells and incantations, the real ‘Books of Shadows’ are actually journals of solitary Witches of Covens.

Some witches may have been born with some knowledge or awareness of Magic due to their past incarnations, yet all Witches are here to learn more. This is why ‘Books of Shadows’ exist. To keep track of what they’ve learned and what they did. It’s actually a way to check their progress.

This World has a weird way of holding us down, making us forget our true nature. This is why Books of Shadows help us remember who we truly are and what we’ve succeeded so far.

4. Witches Keep in touch with their Roots & Nature

Witches know that this is not their only life. They have awareness that Soul is immortal transcending planes of existence. Although many witches may not be able to recall their past lives in this or other worlds, they most certainly know that during Sabbats and powerful days, they can actually get a glimpse or magical feedback of their past incarnations and probably their powers.

Another very important thing for Witches is Mother Nature. They usually take some time to enjoy the Sunlight or the Moon beams and the stars. Playing with animals or keeping some close to them. Witches do love to be accompanied by animals while nurturing and protecting them like their children. As Judika Illes said in The Big Book of Practical Spells: Everyday Magic That Works, “The bottom line is that magic is communication: communication between yourself, Earth and all the other life forms with whom we share our Earth Mother.“

5. Dreams and Premonitions are taken seriously

Witches know that Dreams have powers. Energy doesn’t lie. This is why they keep track of their dream via a Dream Journal. Know that magic is sometimes presented via dreams. Spirits can also communicate via dreams and premonitions. This is why Witches know the power of their dreams and take them seriously. Witches listen to their guts.

6. Quality time is frequently needed

Witches may indeed lead normal lives but there is a time they know they have to withdraw from the madness and noise of the Material World. Although they are not irresponsible, they just need some time for themselves. Witches are wise and know that money is the way this World works. However, there should be some quality time for themselves and their Craft.

Even if this is just a day off or some hours prior sleep, they need this isolation in order to attune with the Spirit World and their magic. Although, there are some witches who live like hermits, completely withdrawn from the Material World, most Witches just ask for a couple of Hours or in some cases a day (especially in Sabbats) in order to recharge their magic and cast their spells.

7. Witches Know when to let go

They previous points were things about witches do regularly. This final one is about what witches don’t do. Witches know when it’s time to let go. They try not be attached with material belongings. Although they sometimes may even lose themselves, they attune back to the Source of Magic and become brave enough to let things go.

Witches know that loss is part of the Material World. However, they also know that what is lost may again be found, in this or another life. Witches know that there is no such thing as a real end. Sometimes this relieving wisdom, brings them back on track. In other words, they know when it’s time to Let Go.