Cleansing Your Stones and Why it's Important

A lot of the time us Pagan, Witchy, etc. mineral lovers will get a stone and forget to do one crucial thing... cleanse the stone. We are just so excited that we want to automatically start working with it, creating crystal grids, creating things with it, etc. The thing is, we need to take to take the time to stop and cleanse. You honestly don't know who has held the stone before you, what day they may have been having, the energy the could have accidentally poured in the stone- good or bad. Heck, even if you think that no one has touched the stone before you, someone actually had. The person who mined it, the person who is selling it, etc. It goes through many hands before your own. (Unless you mined it yourself!)

Which brings us back to the importance of cleansing the stone of any previous unwanted energy. If you want your energy workings to go the way you want them to, the stones should start off with a fresh energy palette. So there are several simple ways you can cleanse your stones:

1. Smoke Cleansing- by far the most popular, and often used with White Sage. Just do your best to make sure the Sage is responsibly harvested. However, you can always burn Frankincense and Myrrh resin (and other herbs/resins) to help purify your stones. Simply run your stone through the smoke stating your positive intentions.
2. **Sea Salt Cleanse- Salt is at the core of purification, healing and blessings. It is one of the few substances that can enhance, transform, and neutralize substances. So there are 2 ways you can go about using it:

A. Sea Salt by itself- bury the stone point down into the salt (in a glass dish), allow any negative energy to flow out into the salt, which neutralizes it. (Let it sit for as long as you feel necessary.)

B. Sea Salt with Water- Mix about a tablespoon of salt into a small glass dish of water. Let the stone soak in the water for 24 hours. Rinse off and dry with a soft towel.

**Keep in mind not all stones react well to salt or water. Research your stone before you do so.

3. Moonlit Cleanse/ Charge- moonlight helps cleanse a stone, so, simply let your stones sit in a windowsill or outside to soak it all up! Don't let them sit out past noon to limit sun exposure (and possible damage.)
4. Earth Cleanse- like the Salt, the earth helps bring the stone back to it's original natural state. So place fresh dirt into a glass container and set your stone in the center (or you can bury it outside.) Let it sit for as long as necessary. Just make sure your dirt doesn't have many extra stones or water that could scratch or damage your stone.
5. Running Water Cleanse- place the stone under running water (in a sink or a stream) and visualize all the negative energy going down the drain.

So those are just a few quick cleansing methods! All of these can be adapted for even stronger cleanses just by adding herbs into the procedure. Not to mention it always make you feel good too because half the time when you cleanse your items you end up purifying yourself!

I hope this helps some of you!! Bright Blessings!

~Brittany 

Creating an Altar

Altars are as unique as a person is. They reflect our spirituality, personality and mental state. It can become our sacred space where we leave the mundane behind to create something magical. But it also is an important place of worship for our Gods as well as our Ancestors.

So how to create one? Like I stated before, altars are very individual but here are several common features of modern Pagan ones:

- Figurines or Art- representations your patron deities, ancestors, etc.
- Spell Book or Spiritual Journal- other names depending on your path are: Book of Shadows, Grimoires, etc.
-  Elemental Representations: like Candles (for fire), Feathers (for air), Shells (for water), Soil (for earth).
- Wand- this can be made of anything, mine for instance is made of a long white antler tip with a quartz on the end. The point is that the wand is used to focus and channel your energy.
-Crystals- these are used in spell work by enhancing it; giving your energy a boost or grounding yourself.
-Divination tools-  such as: Tarot cards, scrying bowls, crystal ball, scrying mirror, ogham staves, runes, rods,  pendulums, etc.
-A Small Cauldron- great for spell work of all types where you need to burn things. Also it can be used as a scrying bowl.
-Chalice or Drinking Horn-  used symbolically or ritualistically, used to toast to the Gods etc.
-Incense or smudge stick- Used to cleanse/ purify your sacred space. Incense can also be used as a divination tool or aid.
-Offerings-  this can include anything you deem to be fit to give your deities. I happen to use different herbs as my offerings, but you can use food products, handmade gifts etc.
-Altar Cloth- a great item to liven up your altar, which also can have practical uses.

Now where in the world are you going to find this stuff- especially when your'e on a budget? A lot of the items on your altar you'll find are handmade by yourself- like your spell books/ journals, wands, offerings, and some divination tools. But what about Cauldrons? Chalices? Altar Cloths, etc? Well, a lot of the things I mentioned can be found out Garage sales. I have found sooo much stuff while out and about that work as great ritual items! Also check thrift stores and consignment shops,  a local shop of mine that sells mostly consignment clothing has some home items and I found a great mortar and pestle there! Check GoodWill as well,  I have found dozens upon dozens of cauldrons there. The one I currently use is actually from there! As for an altar cloth, you can use scarves or tapestries!
Next, CHECK YOUR PARENTS KITCHEN. You would not believe the stuff that you'll find there, like old glass goblets that can be used as a ritual item. Also you can find great small offering plates! All of which were tucked away in the back of a cabinet. Just don't forget to ask if you can have them!

But, hey, what if your thinking: "I want an altar, but I'm still in the broom closet!!! What should I do????GAHHH!"
Well here is what you can do, as much as it is a hassle to do, you can get a large old wooden travel trunk to hold all your altar supplies. Then, when you need to do a ritual or just meditate you can set it all up on the top of the trunk like a table. When you are finished, just place the items back inside and slide the trunk under your bed. Another option is that you can set up a small altar in the corner of your closet. This way it is out of sight, but you can still have it permanently set up.

So I hoped I helped some, and if there is something that I missed that you would like me to address, leave me a comment below!

Bright Blessings,
~Brittany

P.S. The picture above is a photo of  my own Altar! :D

One Witch's Way- Incorporating Paganism or Witchcraft in your daily life!

Hello my Pagan and Witchy Friends!
It's been far too long since I have last written, even though this blog is constantly on my mind! This latest entry is going to be about incorporating your faith and practice into your daily life!

As a college student, there is simply never enough hours in the day it seems for anything but homework. Not to mention having a job on top of that! And when there is a brief free moment all we really want to do is just take a deep breath and just... relax.
The problem with this is, we are so physically invested that we neglect our spiritual selves. Quickly, we begin to forget to live our faith. Whether it be to call upon our Gods and Goddesses for inner guidance, seasonal festivals, meditation and reflection, and the reasons WHY we are Pagan and (or) Witches.

I will freely admit where there has been times in my life that I had been slacking in some departments of my faith, but how I got eventually out of it was by creating art.

Art to me is a reflection of my spirituality. My art is the deepest part of me. Whether is be painting, beading, wood-burnishing, sewing and bookbinding, my blood hums with the energy that I pour into that object.

With the opening of my online pagan store, it allowed to reach depths of my faith that was unexpected. My creations forced me to further research each Pagan or Witchy object- symbols, spells, history, herb lore, crystals, everything.

I found myself doing more guided meditations and talking to and calling upon my patron Goddess, Danu. I became more active in my spiritual practice. So what I learned is that you need to find something that you are passionate about and weave faith within that action.

For example, say you are passionate about gardening. Start growing a small herb garden! With each herb you will learn their name, their magical and medicinal properties. You can harvest the herbs and use them in your spellwork~ and they will have even more meaning because you nurtured them to fruition.

Say you are not sure what exactly your passionate about but you do want to start being more active in your faith but time is a huge factor for you. There are a few things you can do while on "the go" or incorporate into your daily practice.

1. Incorporate Nighttime magic- create your own anti-nightmare spells, peaceful sleeping, healing, herbal sachets or magical pillows, rituals etc...
Two useful resources for this sort of thing can be found in:

A.) Wiccan Spell a Night by Sirona Knight.
For those of you who are all like "HEY, I'm not Wiccan I'm (insert a Pagan branch here)!" Well, neither am I, but it is a handy resource for nighttime magic. You can always adjust and adapt the spells to suit your needs or make your own!

B.) The Element Encyclopedia of 5,000 Spells by Judika Illes
This book is truly invaluable, and  be on any Witch's shelf. This is probably my favorite books because there is so much information in it! This book can help spark magical crafty ideas! 

C. Make your own magical teas and sleep herbal blends! Pretty self explanatory!

2. Start Chanting.
Learning chants are beyond handy!! You can compose your own, find them in books or on the internet.  Most importantly, you can do them anywhere- on the bus or in a car, as you walk, you can do them when you are about to do something important. Eg. I always chant to the Goddess to guide my fingers right before I an about to perform a piece on my harp, because I get nervous playing in front of people. This allows me to have the Goddess calm me down and center myself.

3. Wear a symbol of your faith- 
This doesn't need to be some gaudy pentacle or anything, just something that is important to you that you can directly link to your faith as an affirmation of your spirituality. You can make a bracelet braided from yarn that are the colors of the phases of the goddess- maiden, mother, crone. Be creative, and it will mostly have more meaning!


4. Start a Pagan Journal- 
This doesn't need to be a Grimoire or a Book of Shadows. What you would do is go about in your daily life and collect fallen leaves, flowers. Write about what you find and what drew you to them. If you happen to know what the object's name is (like an oak leaf or maple leaf) do a bit of research about it and write it down. 


5. Start Scrying- 
You would be surprised to find how helpful and relaxing it is. To make it time efficient before (or after) you eat your lunch (breakfast, dinner etc.) Fill a dark cup (or a coffee mug) with water. Relax and let the world melt away, if you so desire you can chant! Allow images to rise to the surface of the water and fade away. This is a great way to develop your "sight" and gain greater insight about yourself.


6. Hit the Books-
The best thing about a book is that you can take it virtually anywhere. If you are still in the broom closet and don't want the world to know what you are reading, you can get a stretchy textbook book cover to put over the book. You can learn wonderful things while in line at a convenience store, in a doctors office, or if you are in school~ between classes.

A great book to read for everyday magic is a book literally called: "Every Day Magic: Spells and Rituals for Modern Living" by Dorothy Morrison.

7. Make Sigils!
To learn how to, see my video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MaLnrntjHeA


These are just a tiny bit of what you can do to. There is always meditation, beading, knitting and more. Create practices that work best for you!

~*~ I really hope that I have been able to spark a few ideas with this post! So I would love to know what all of your thoughts are, and would love to know how you incorporate Paganism or Witchcraft in your daily life!

Bright Blessings!
~Brittany

Determination-I WILL write Damn it! :D

Hi my lovely Witchy friends!

So, I have been really procrastinating on this whole blog thing- eg. I have only managed to do the "Huge Book list" under the main headings, and a welcoming message. Bad, I know, BUT I am now super determined to start writing EVERY DAY. I want this blog to be a great resource and a bit of fun!

Thus, as I somewhat absently watch Saturday Night Live as I type this, here is what I have been up to in my magical life this past week-ish! )O(

1. Currently Reading:


The Rebirth of Witchcraft by Doreen Valiente: 
OH. MY. GODDESS. I loooooove this book so far (and I am only on pg 56!) If you haven't read it you are beyond missing out. This book is just so fascinating! It explores the history of witchcraft (yet more pertaining to Wiccan history); also,Valiente's earliest experiences with Gerald Gardner (who I learned so much about from this book besides the general facts we all know). She has a amazing list of must read books in the back! 
You know how sometimes pagan or witchy history books can be a bit of a "dry?" Somehow she manages to keep you simply enthralled with all her life experiences. It's not gossipy, genuine studies and research went into this book. It's so refreshing! Can you believe I managed to find my copy in a used book store?! Yay!

2. "Quicky" Spell for: Calmness, Levelhead, and (of course) Strength! 


So last week, I met my boyfriend's parents for the first time. I was so beyond nervous (as some of you may know from my twitter). You see, they are hardcore Baptists and obviously I am Pagan. Sooo, I was absolutely dreading them bringing up the whole religion thing. Which led me to post a tweet asking the pagan community for luck/support! Turns out I then met a great woman on twitter who asked me to carry a shell, so she could send prayers/ and support.

Soooo after all that I created a "Spell Anklet" What I did was:
1. Gathered: 3 strands per 3 colors ( so total 9 strings) : Cobalt Blue (strength of the sea), White (for clear headedness), Light Blue, (for tranquility/calm). Then added a gold button with an anchor design (representing keeping myself steady and "anchored") Lastly, a white sea shell I had gathered from a previous beach trip.

2. Then began to braid- The entire time I braided, I weaved the spell that would brace me for my bf's parents. I thought of all the meanings and results that I hoped for and when I felt it was "right" to stop, I placed the anchor button on the end.

3. Next I placed the shell on: through the other end and centered it. I created a loop at the very end to create the clasp part.

4. Lastly, I wrapped it around my ankle while chanting: "Strength, Tranquil, Peace." I procceeded to wear it for the rest of the day!


Results:  They liked me a lot (according to my bf) ! I was able to keep a level head (I was actually ironically too tranquil to the point of being overly quiet) religion was not brought up either! Shocking right!? LOLOLOL! Way to be overly prepared huh? :D

3. Created Pagan Jewelry- Of Course!:

(From Left to right)

1. Enchanted Garden Necklace (Up for Sale on Etsy! See Link!)
2. Strength of Artemis Charm Bracelet (This is now SOLD, but another should be up soon on Etsy!)
3. Tree of Life Bracelet (Up for Sale on Etsy! See Link!)


There is a bunch more jewelry that I added to my etsy shop, so if your interested check it out! I really love making jewelry and to have people that love my work and have been so encouraging has been truly a blessing!


So, I appreciate you guys reading and I'm off to bed now! Goddess Bless!
     )O(
~Brittany