Beginner-witch-blog

🏹 Artemis 🏹

The True Value of Tools in Magic (It’s Not What You See Online)

When you’ve spent enough time looking at the occult and witchcraft communities online, you begin to notice patterns that repeat themselves. The type of tools people use, the way people set up their altars, how much money people put towards their craft… I feel like it is important to talk about the true value of these things, because ultimately the tools aren’t what matter the most.

Before I go any deeper into this post, I want to put out a little disclaimer. There is no shame in spending a lot of money to buy fancy tools and such. This is all a matter of personal preference. This is not a post meant to shame people with expensive tools. This post is meant to reassure those who don’t have the luxury of buying expensive tools for their craft.

There seems to be a growing number of people online who talk about why you absolutely need this or that in order to do a little spellwork or honor some sort of entity. You need to buy this expensive candle to honor a deity. You need to use a cauldron of some sort to burn things. You need to be using this herb because it is the best thing you’ll ever use. I’m here to tell you: you don’t need anything that you cannot afford or do not want. Although I do believe they are the minority, I have seen some individuals who will drag others through the mud because they aren’t seeing a reflection of their personal craft in other people’s personal crafts. I feel like some people in the occult and witchcraft communities need to humble themselves and accept that some people simply cannot afford to buy expensive tools, or they just simply do not want to buy them.

I grew up asking my parents “can we afford this” instead of “can you buy this for me”. I was always aware that my family wasn’t as financially well-off as others. I often saved my begging for Christmas because at least that was the time of year when people would go out of their way to please their families. Even today, now that I am an adult, I still pay extra attention to my finances. I don’t buy myself expensive things for my craft often. When I do, it is because something was on sale. I prefer to grow my own herbs, make my own tools and create things by myself. That’s just my preference and it is also more affordable to me. I wasn’t like this when I first started practicing witchcraft, though. No, I was pretty set on buying all kinds of things when I first started. I saw all the pretty things other people were using and thought that I was going to need it. It took me over two years to figure out that all I needed was what I wanted. Two years is how long it took for me to realize that my passions beyond witchcraft could also be applied to my craft.

So, what is truly valuable in magick if not tools? If intention is what you are expecting me to say, sorry. That ain’t it. I’m not a believer in “intention is everything”. I feel like intention is similar to tools, in a way. You can have them, but that doesn’t mean they will make the magick on their own. What I find to be most valuable, beyond intention and tools, is the ability of the individual.

I’m sure many of us have failed when doing spells and rituals, especially when we first started to actively perform spells and rituals. We didn’t get the results we were seeking. Some of us may have gotten the exact opposite. I know that was the case for me. I believe that is because our abilities were only just beginning to grow. You see, I like to think of the individual’s ability to perform magic like a tree. It starts off as a seed. It has potential, but that potential needs a few things in order to grow. In the case of an individual’s ability to use magick, what they need is energy, practice and patience. The individual may not see any results for a while, and if they do see results it may not be anything impressive. After some time, though, the individual will see their abilities grow. They will find what works for them. They will find their path. The individual’s ability grows from that one, little seed into a sprout, then into a sapling and eventually, it grows into a magnificent tree.

Tools and intentions are only two parts of the formula to success in magic. The final, and most important thing, is the individual’s abilities.

You don’t have to have fancy crystals and herbs for spell jars btw. You can use sugar, coffee grounds, leaves, acorns, etc. Don’t fall victim to witchcraft consumerism.

STRENGTH

8 trans women of color have been killed in 2017. This card pays homage to their strength, and to that of others that continue to strive to live their lives as their authentic selves.

Alphonza Watson Jaquarrius Holland Chyna Gibson Ciara McElveen Mesha Caldwell Jamie Lee Wounded Arrow Keke Collier Jojo Striker

#DeltaEnduringTarot

Something I feel like people getting into folk magic need to understand, for many people of many backgrounds, is folk magic started as a means of survival. It was struggle magic, and it is still struggle magic.

Where I'm living now and where I'm from, people planted by the signs to ensure their crops wouldn't go bad before harvesting. People used ocean water to soothe joint and muscle pains when they got old. People studied the native plants for medicine and were mindful to only take what was needed. People did little rituals and minded their grannies' words to keep their good luck. If they didn't know how to do something (or couldn't), they went to people who did.

Learning folk magic to reconnect with ancestral traditions from before your time is valid. Learning folk magic to connect with and work with the land is valid. There are many valid reasons to take up folk magic. Still, understand that folk magic is survival, and folk magic is community.

A big misconception I see come up a lot is that tarot can predict the future. In a sense, it might, but it's a lot more nuanced than that.

There is no 'THE future'. There are lots of different futures and lots of different paths you could be led down, but not all fates come to fruition based on the choices we make.

Tarot should be used to gain insight and reflect on your current and alternative paths. You can't necessarily predict how something is going to go, but you can use them to look within yourself and see what might need to change to get on the path you want to be on.

This is one of the earliest things I learnt when beginning tarot, and learning this can open you up to different paths and possibilities, as well as allowing you to ask the right questions to get where you want to be.

When I say "connect with nature" I don't just mean the aesthetic forests with deer and beautiful flowers.

I mean the weeds growing through concrete, the fungus that grows on the rotten shed, the nettles that always seem to return and the scary, spindly cellar spider in the corner of the bathroom.

Nature is not always pretty or magical - the pigeons and seagulls you swat at are nature too, the wasps and flies that hover by your meals are animals too, store-bought strawberries and the leaves that fall from your neighbour's tree are not all that different from the Giant Sequoias and it's seeds.

If you want to connect and understand nature, I mean *really* connect to it, in it's entirety, you have to seek out and learn about the ugly, scary and mundane things as well. You don't have to like it, just don't forget that it's there.

How to incorporate yarn crafts into your cottage magic journey!

If you are a witch that likes to journal or keep a book of shadows, you can use this to help plan out your crafts. You can write down what you want to make, your goals, the colors, and what hooks you are using. This allows you to focus your intentions, your goals, and even color magic into the craft! Crocheting and knitting can also be calming and possibly meditative! It can help you get ready for a different spell as well, if you are not using the yarn for the spell itself!

This can also be a form of knot magic, and you can focus protection or any other outcome as you work and make your stitches/knots in the yarn/string! You are most likely zoning out anyway while working, so thinking about your intentions should be easy to do in the moment. If knot (:3) then you can write your intentions in a journal to help you!

You can also burn incense or a candle while you work to help calm yourself, breathe life into the craft, and help set your intentions. 

Did you know that you can make a familiar out of yarn? They obviously behave differently from a living familiar but they are still used for protection and companionship! 

Yarn can also be used for jinxing and hexing. You can weave your intentions into the yarn and then burn it at the end of the project. Please make sure you are being careful and practicing proper fire safety!

You can also make offerings with the objects you’ve made. Remember, deities often prefer handmade offerings than store bought offerings!

Whoa there, pardner! What have you done to make sure that belief or practice actually originates in ancient times and didn't come from the imagination of a repressed Victorian romantic?