Witchcraft Exercise - Spring Cleaning

There’s a marked tradition of cleaning and airing out the house in the springtime when the weather warms. As you’re dusting and tidying and getting rid of winter stagnation, take some time to do the same with your craft.

Clean and organize your workspace. If you have an altar space or a shelf where you keep bottles and jars and the like, remove everything from the surface and give it a good dusting. Take the opportunity to rearrange things or swap out pieces if it suits you. If you have ritual tools that don’t often get cleaned, check them for signs or rust or wear and give them a bit of love. Repair things that need fixing, if you can. If you have an iron cauldron that you use for fire magic, get a wire brush or some steel wool and gently remove any burnt residue left inside.

Sort through your supplies. If you have lots of candles and crystals and small items laying about, consider getting some small totes or craft organizers to keep things tidy. Divided storage boxes for beads or scrapbooking supplies are great for small items, and shoebox-sized caddies are perfect for taper, chime, and votive candles. Organizing things will make your space easier to navigate and also gives you a proper idea of what you have on hand. Which might help you resist impulse purchases the next time you’re out shopping for witchcraft supplies. While you’re tidying, be sure to discard any rubbish, candle stubs, wax blobs, herb scraps, bits of string, incense bases, and so forth that might be cluttering up the place.

Discard things that are too old or worn to be useful. Dried plants and seasonings can usually be kept for 1-3 years if they remain in sealed containers. If they have no scent anymore or smell musty or mildewy, discard them and sanitize the container. If you’re using supermarket spices, you can use the expiration date on the container as a guide. Powdered material will likely last longer than whole herbs or cut-and-sifted material. One helpful tip is to put a purchase date on packets or bags of herbs when you buy them, or to put a little date sticker on your jars of herbs when you refill them. (Anyone who’s worked in food service will probably be familiar with the concept of container dating or day-dotting.)

If you make oils or tinctures or suchlike in your practice, check on these as well. Make sure nothing has gone off or lost its’ potency. Day-dotting your potion containers will help with this as well. A simple sticker with the name of the brew and the date it was bottled will help you keep track of your supplies and know when something needs to be tossed and replaced. (You can also print labels with the ingredients and purpose of the brew if you’re feeling super organized.)

Reorganize your books and resources. Review what's there and see if there are any materials that need to be weeded out, donated, or discarded. Remember that as you grow and progress, some things will become obsolete or may show themselves to be unhelpful or inaccurate. It's okay to remove things from your resource library that no longer serve you if you want to make some space on the shelves.

You can also cleanse your workspace and/or components while you’re tidying if you wish. It doesn’t have to be a full clean-slate-everything-must-go cleansing, but it can be helpful to just clear out stagnation or bring in some freshness and vitality.

Happy Witching!

Words on how (and why!) I combined numerology and astrology

The Basics

Numerology and astrology already coexist. Each sign is assigned a number they share in common with their native house starting at 1 with Aries and going counterclockwise around the horoscope wheel until you get to 12 and Pisces. This is why you will always look a bit off if you start talking about the signs with Capricorn which is sign 10 - the horoscope wheel does not begin in January.

Additionally, each month has an intrinsic number. I know that you already know this part. We use these numbers to denote dates in shorthand. But in case it's not clear, our calendar year begins with January as month 1 and ends with December as month 12.

All numerology combines these intrinsic numbers in a particular way. Numerology deals almost exclusively with numbers 1-9 - with a given number, you continue to add the digits together until you have a single-digit number. In this way, our tenth month is also a 1 month because 1+0 = 1.

As another example, each year has a number that can be determined by adding all the numbers in the year together and then doing so again until you have reduced that number to a single digit.

2023 is a number 7 because 2+0+2+3=7.

The above are both easy examples because you add the numbers together only once - so let's focus instead on 1999. 1+9+9+9=28. We would then add 2+8 together, equaling 10, and then 1+0 to equal 1.

Each number from 1-9 in numerology is considered to have an energetic feeling that is part of a circular story. 1 is the beginning and 9 is the ending of this story but remember that number 10 is actually a number 1 meaning that after 9 comes 1 all over again. In this way, numerology acknowledges the cyclical nature of life and the shedding/renewal stages that we all undergo.

Month Based Numerology

Actual dates don't exist in a vacuum. Though all Novembers carry some "11" (and 2 because that's 1+1) energy, the numerology of the year it takes place in is also combined to create a more unique numerological energy.

To get the number of a specific month you add the number of the month to the number of the year and then reduce until you have a single digit.

November 2023 is a number 9 because 11+7=18=1+8=9.

Technically we could denote September as an 11/2/9 if we wanted to but we are assuming that everybody knows the energy that is November/11/2 already. We could say that the energy of 2023 modifies November's energy from a pure 11/2 to that of an 11/2/9.

It is worth noting that in each year, January (as month 1) will always be one number higher than the numerological value of the year. (January 2023 was an 8-month because 2023 is a 7-year). The month of the numerological return - where the number of the month matches the number of the year (in 2023, September is the 7-month in a 7-year) - should be considered highly significant.

Moon Based Numerology

Each full and new moon has an intrinsic numerology based on the number of the Sun and the number of the Moon added together and reduced to a single digit. In the case of a full moon, the Sun and Moon are in opposite signs and in the case of a new moon, the Sun and Moon are in the same sign.

All full moons in Gemini carry 3 energy. (Sun in Sagittarius (9) + Moon in Gemini (3) = 12 = 1+2 = 3). Our upcoming full moon on 11/27 combines that 3 energy with the 9 energy of November. 9+3 = 12. 1+2 =3. This Gemini full moon carries the energy of 3/3 which shows that it is supercharged with 3 energy.

All Sagittarius new moons carry 9 energy. (Sun in Sagittarius (9) + Moon in Sagittarius (9) = 18 = 1+8 =9) Our upcoming new moon on 12/12 combines that 9 energy with the 1 energy of December. 9+1=10. 1+0 =1. This Sagittarius new money carries the energy of 9/1 which shows that it is an ending and a beginning.

Natal Birth Date Numerology

You have a number, too, based on the date that you were born. In numerology, this is often referred to as your Life Path Number.

To find this, add the month, date, and year numbers and reduce until you get to a single-digit number.

A baby born today on 11/18/2023 would have a 9 lifepath number as 1+1+1+8+2+0+2+3=18 and 1+8=9.

I have found that your life path number will show you what numerological energy you are the most comfortable with. I am an 8 lifepath and I really enjoy 8 months and 8 energy, in general.

You may find yourself particularly empowered in months, years, or on lunar events that share your life-path number.

Using Numerology in Your Life

As always, you don't have to use numerology if you don't want. (Why do I have to say that?....)

Most cultures and magical practices acknowledge some type of superstition or attributions to numbers. Some examples are:

1 is the loneliest number. 3 is a crowd. Mommy, Daddy, and Baby Make 3! 7 is lucky/unlucky. These associations are often very cultural and you should use your own cultural perceptions of numbers over strictly following what pop-numerology sites say (IMO). With the notable exception that the increase in numbers in numerology should always be viewed as further along a path. 1 is the start and 9 is the end. Keep in mind that numerology is cyclical - a nine-month leads into a 10/1 month and so forth.

You will notice the use of numerology in the stories told through the suit cards in the tarot with, in this case, Ace/1 being a new beginning and 10 being the completion.

A very basic look at the numbers is as follows:

1 - a beginning, something new 2 - the first steps, connections being made 3 - creation, birth, a "party" 4 - the creation of structure, solidity 5 - first changes, challenges, sometimes strife 6 - resolutions, understanding 7 - enlightenment, changes of opinions, refinements 8 - repeated challenges, the learning curve 9 - completions, endings, lessons

These numbers are often baked into magical traditions and you might not even have realized it. The magic of the number 3 as a creation number is a good example as is the belief that something repeated 9x (3x3) can be especially sacred and "complete".

There are many instances where you are instructed to repeat a certain prayer for a particular number of days or burn a candle for a number of days. All of this carries the energy of that number into your magical working. You can also use numberology by choosing a particular number of ingredients to put into a spell or by burning a specific number of candles, or in any other way where you can use a numerical value.

You can do that regardless of the numerical value of the date or amp up your spellwork by using the date to your advantage.

For example, since we know that the upcoming Gemini full Moon carries a double "3" energy, we could choose to incorporate the number 3 into any magic we did on that day. Likewise, our Sagittarius new moon will be a 9/1 day so we could combine the energy of the 9 for endings while setting a singular intention with the number "1" for beginnings.

Many people find that doing this type of magic requires less personal effort as you are working with the energy of the day rather than against it. This can be especially useful for low-energy witches or "spoonies" of all kinds.

This is really just a start - you can use the magic of numerology in any way that you can think of! Do you use numerology in your magic? I'd love to hear about it - feel free to send me an ask telling me how you use it!

Part Two: Using Numerology in Spellwork

Do you like my work? You can support me by tipping me on Kofi or purchasing an astrology report written just for you.

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tatatatia88

1 year ago

Tips for Decorating your Altar for Ostara

The spring equinox is approaching, so here’s some tips on how to get your altar and house ready for the Sabbat!

🌸Decorate with pastel colors like lavender, baby blue, and light yellow

🌸Use a woven basket or nest to place offerings

🌸Decorate with statues of fertility Goddesses

🌸Amethyst, quartz, moonstone, citrine, and aquaramarine crystals

🌸Potted plants

🌸Tealights placed in eggshells

🌸Colored eggs

🌸Seeds to represent new beginnings

🌸 Statues or pictures of bunnies

U.S. people, if you bought cinnamon from Dollar Tree, Dollar General, or other discount stores, throw it out. It's got lead

AP News

Ground cinnamon sold at discount stores is tainted with lead, FDA warns

Ground cinnamon sold in U.S. discount stores is contaminated with high levels of lead and should be discarded. The U.S.

daily practice ⋆·˚ ༘ *

❃゜・。. ・°゜✼ ゜°・ . 。・゜❃・。. ・°゜✼ ゜°・ . 。・゜❃

the act of daily practice if often very misunderstood. a daily practice does not mean to do spells and rituals every single day in order to be a witch. it is not necessary for a daily practice to be huge or something specifically special.

you may even find yourself so distant from your craft that you put it on pause for weeks, yeah even months. does this make you any less of a witch? does this make you any less powerful? no, absolutely not!

we are human beings. it is absolutely normal to put certain things last, especially when there are more important things for you at the time. perhaps you can't practice witchcraft while studying for exams or during stressful and difficult times. or you just can't bring yourself to practice it for no specific reason at all.

just know that this is so damn normal. you should never feel bad about yourself for pausing your craft. there might be a reason for that you don't yet understand! so don't push yourself too hard.

a way to keep the magic in your life, even after pausing your craft for a while, is by incorporating daily practices into your everyday-routine, even when you're still practicing actively at the moment.

now what does daily practice mean?

daily practices are the things you do on a daily basis, regularly. we'll soon get to how some of these practices can look like.

it can help you to stay in touch with your craft, with your power, you spirit guides, deities, etc. even on days you're not drawn to do actual magical rituals—which is NORMAL and absolutely OKAY.

a few examples of daily practices:

1. stirring intentions in your drinks and foods

2. wearing crystals

3. enchant your jewelry and wear it

4. dress according to today's planet ruler

5. put spell oils on your body or clothes

6. use glamour magic (this can be as simple as drawing sigils or runes on your face with your moisturizer or makeup)

7. light an ancestor, deity or spirit guide candle (if you have one)

8. divination

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