Introduction To Shielding

This is your friendly reminder that herbs aren't inherently safe.

Natural doesn't mean Safe.

Lightning is natural. Opium, therefore heroin and opiate drugs are derived from poppies. Cinnamon oil will burn your skin. Lilies are toxic to cats and will cause organ failure. Activated charcoal will neutralize your prescription medications and literally anything else in your system. St. John's Wort will destroy your serotonin production and mess with your happiness threshold if it DOESNT KILL YOU FIRST.

So anyway.

Do some damn good research every time you go to eat, breathe, bring around your pets, bathe in, or smoke something. Be safe please.

“What do I do if I want to—“

Go into the woods.

“How do I—“

Go into the woods.

“I am going through—“

Go into the woods.

Or if you live next to the sea, to the sea.

Or a desert, into the desert.

Or a grassland, into the grassland.

Or a park with as much treecover as you can scrounge- better yet, make a day of it, leave the city, and go into the woods/the sea/the desert/the grassland then.

Any answer to your question won’t come from another person, but from going into the wilderness. So stop talking, stop asking and babbling, and go.

Witchcraft is queer Witchcraft is queer Witchcraft is the struggle of the oppressed Witchcraft is the power of those who don't have power Witchcraft is women who have lost their agency in the land enclosure Witchcraft is people bringing their cultures and religions with them as they are taken to slavery Witchcraft is practices that cling on under colonisation Witchcraft is for those who are marginalised oppressed and otherwise powerless Witchcraft is reversal of power and changing status quo Witchcraft is queer

Witches of Tumblr, what are your go to books about herbs/plants/flowers?

Yesterday I learned my backyard is home to purple ground ivy and its place within herbal witchcraft and herbal medicine was fascinating so I want to continue this journey. Obviously I know a few herbs and plants that are good for certain things but I really want to educate myself deeply!

I was looking into the Green Witch but really all and any suggestions are welcome for a beginner such as myself.

I can't believe in the year 2024 we are still having to remind people not to put essential oils on their skin without diluting it with a carrier oil first

A reminder that Robert Graves is not a reliable source, and if you are relying on any books by him, including The White Goddess, to double check everything you incorporate into your practice!

ETA: If you're happy to include things like that anyway, the choice is (obviously) your own, and I don't mean to judge that :). Just to be aware that a lot of Robert Graves' theories are unfounded and based somewhat on poetic license.

One of the first things I've crocheted in ages. I love the way so many things can be brought into witchcraft, it really motivates me to keep at them.

@natureaestheticdreams for more 🍃

The Mundane Beside the Magical:

You want to learn magic and witchcraft, awesome! Go you! You wanna know what's important though? Learning the mundane at the same time as the magical.

I'm a firm believer in learning as much as you can about the things you're working with. To know a paintbrush, you have to paint. To learn an instrument, you have to play it. Anything you work with is a tool that, in an ideal scenario, will become an extension of yourself. You want to be in tune with your tools, you want to understand them as much as possible. It's learning how the tools respond to your interference. When you know these things inside and out, that, to me, is when you become an expert. Don't just learn the meanings of things, learn the reasons behind the meanings. Look up the etymology of that magic word you saw before you do the spell. Learn the historical uses of that herb and connect that to whatever its correspondence is. Learn why things are the way they are.

You want to learn ocean magic? Learn about the tides while you're at it. Learn how the ocean behaves, understand the sheer power behind the waves, the creatures of the ocean and all of the treasures you can find on the seashore.

Thinking about getting into green craft? Don't just learn about the magical uses of plants, learn about botany, and how to identify plants, understand how plants grow and thrive, and how different plants exist in nature.

Considering animal magic? Learn the Latin name of the species, maybe check out their anatomy while you're at it. Where does this animal find its niche? What does it eat, where does it sleep?

Getting into forest witchcraft? Learn about your local forests and trees. What kinds of forests there are, what preserving a forest can look like. Can you identify any trees of your own? How do different trees propagate?

How about weather magic? Learn meteorology, how to identify storm clouds, what atmospheric pressure does. Start to observe changes in the weather daily, how weather affects the wildlife around you.

Cosmic witchcraft more your vibe? Learn a little about space, study a map of the stars, learn the constellations in your night sky. Branch off into learning astronomy and cosmology, learn about planetary systems other than our own. If you want to keep it basic, learn the time it takes each planet to complete a rotation and revolution.

Crystals seem to be up your alley? Don't stop at the metaphysical properties, learn their scientific properties as well. Where can these crystals be mined? How rare are they? Can you tell the difference between imitations and the real deal? What's their number on the Mohs hardness scale?

Whatever you want to learn, branch out further than the magical. The mundane is just as, if not more important.

~Wander

For the witches and pagans who need to hear it, connecting with nature is supposed to be about like, actually observing nature over long periods of time, not doing stuff like hoarding endangered bird feathers and beach sand, or just meditating out in aesthetically-pleasing locations. Can you tell me exactly when your wildflowers and weeds start blooming? When do your bugs come out of hibernation? When do migratory birds come and go? How does the air feel during different times of year? If you can't do stuff like that, you aren't connecting with nature.