Putting The Craft In Witchcraft By Making A Hole In A Coin To Make A Charm But The Coin Is Refusing To

Besides card reading, do you shadow work? I may have some issues and I really don't want anyone to be aware of it...

I'm afraid not. Shadow work is really something you do on your own and at your own pace. It's a long and hard journey of self discovery and awareness that takes you into the depths of who you are.

I can only suggest you look up some shadow work prompts regarding your situation specifically and start from there.

I hope it all goes well for you 🔮

Alchemy, the untouched friend of Witchcraft

If there is something interesting that is nearly not used on mostly of the witch community, is Alchemy, and is something from which we could take some few useful stuffs.

As always, disclaimer first, I’m not an expert on the subject and I barely if I read a couple of books about the topic (from another 10 untouched ones lol), so as always in life, take what I say with tweezers. This is meant to be a light superficial view to open a door of possibilities in a mix of Witchcraft and Alchemy, is not a thesis. Saying that, to the core of the question.

Alchemy use elements. A lot of them.

The three primes or Tria Prima (the basic 3 materials): Sulfur (Related to the Soul and the principle of combustibility, so it has volatility, can burn, explode, combust), Mercury (Related to the Spirit, the principle of fusibility so the material can be fused together and volatility so a substance vaporizes), and Salt (Relate to the Body, the principle of non-combustibility and non-volatility).

Our beloved Four basic Elements: Air, Earth, Fire, Water.

The Seven Metals associated with the seven classical planets: Lead, corresponding with Saturn. Tin, corresponding with Jupiter. Iron, corresponding with Mars. Gold, corresponding with the Sun. Copper, corresponding with Venus. Mercury, corresponding with Mercury. Silver, corresponding with the Moon.

The 13 Mundane Elements and Later Metals: Antimony, Arsenic, Bismuth, Cobalt, Magnesium, Manganese, Nickel, Oxygen, Phlogiston, Phosphorus, Platinum, Sulfur, Zinc (All of them with a lot of interesting properties and functions, in and out the alchemy world).

The 10 Alchemical Compounds: Acid, Sal ammoniac, Aqua fortis, Aqua regia, Aqua vitae, Amalgam, Cinnabar, Vinegar, Vitriol, Brimstone (All of them also with amazing properties).

And what interesting me the most (at least to my way to do witchcraft), The 12 Alchemical Processes:

Calcination (Aries): The thermal treatment of a solid to removing impurities or volatile substances.

Congelation (Taurus): Term used in medieval and early modern alchemy for the process known today as crystallization. Process by which a solid form into a structure known as a crystal, by precipitating from a solution or freezing.

Fixation (Gemini): Process by which a previously volatile substance is "transformed" into a form (often solid) that is not affected by fire.

Solution (Cancer): Homogeneous mixture composed of two or more substances. In such a mixture, a solute is a substance dissolved in another substance, known as a solvent.

Digestion (Leo): A process in which gentle heat is applied to a substance over a period of several weeks.

Distillation (Virgo): Separating the components or substances from a liquid mixture by using selective boiling and condensation.

Sublimation (Libra): The transition of a substance directly from the solid to the gas state, without passing through the liquid state.

Separation (Scorpio): Converts a mixture or solution of chemical substances into two or more distinct product mixtures. Process of distinguishing to two or more substance in order to obtain purity.

Ceration (Sagittarius): Chemical process, by continuously adding a liquid by imbibition to a hard, dry substance while it is heated. Typically, this treatment makes the substance softer.

Fermentation/ Putrefaction (Capricorn): A metabolic process that produces chemical changes in organic substrates through the action of enzymes/ Decomposition of organic matter by bacterial or fungal digestion.

Multiplication (Aquarius): Process to increase the potency of the elixir or projection powder, in order to increase the gains in the subsequent projection.

Projection (Pisces): Process to transmute a lesser substance into a higher form; often lead into gold.

Damn, alchemy even have symbols to Units: Month, Day, Hour, Dram (Unit of mass between 1 and 3 grams), Half Dram, Ounce (Unit of mass, weight or volume of 28 grams, Half Ounce, Scruple (1 grams), Pound (500 grams).

So just with this simple 2 pages of basic Wikipedia info, we have a ton of new things to use. Everything here has specific properties, some more physical and chemical oriented, but others (like the 3 Tria Prima and The 12 Alchemical Processes) have a lot of correspondences with the witch life itself.

The 12 Alchemical Processes could be absolutely used to represent an desired outcome.

Calcination uses thermal treatment, so it can boost the Fire element of a spell. It also “removing impurities or volatile substances”, so can be applied to generate a mild fever to get rid off the flu, or to boost the organs that clean the body (kidneys and liver mostly)

Congelation turns a solid by freezing, can boost the Water element, so all the “freezer spells” can be boosted with this.

Fixation? A volatile substance is transformed into a solid form? Sound pretty much to grounding, or to help to focus an ADHD head as mine, or to put down to earth someone who is VOLATILE AND VIOLENT. Also, Earth element.

Solution? Homogeneous mixture of two or more substances? It sounds like an aid to make two people on conflict to get into an agreement, or to boost a new business by mixing the opportunities with the action. Air element.

Digestion. A process in which gentle heat is applied to a substance over a period of several weeks? It sounds like something that can help any process that need digestion (bad news must be “digested”, hard choices must be “consulted with the pillow”), and the “gentle heat” sounds comforting. Someone is grieving? Maybe Digestion can help them to overcome the awful times.

Distillation. Separating the components or substances. Anything that need to be separated can be helped with this. Relationships that must end, breakups, cut the ties with older things or habits.

Sublimation. The transition of a substance. I heard trans rights? Can this maybe help with your hormones? Or even to transition from what you previously left behind with the distillation, to focus in a new better future.

Separation. Process of distinguishing to two or more substance in order to obtain purity. How to choose from two or more choices? How to pick the better one? The one with purity? Separation maid aid.

Ceration. A hard, dry is heated to make it softer. Make that person less frigid, make the boss less bitchy, make your chronic pain less hurtful, make your bills less heavy, all that you can think in make softer.

Fermentation/ Putrefaction. I personally love this one. Produces changes in organic substrates and decomposition of organic matter by bacterial or fungal digestion. Prime element to curses. All what you want to rid off in the most disgusting way. May their flesh get rotten under a car in a hot summer.

Multiplication. Process to increase the potency of the elixir in order to increase the gains in the subsequent projection. MONEY MONEY MAKE MORE MONEY, all what need to be increased and all what you want to multiply, go go go!

Projection. Transmute a lesser substance into a higher form “lead into gold”. Perfect to get better as a person, to learn to adapt, accept, to grow compassion, love, etc.

At this you can add the Units, the metals and mundane elements, the 4 elements, the tria prima, your crystals and herbs and sigils and all. And your spells will be filled with components and correspondences.

What’s better, a lot of the physical elements are not too hard to get (some yes, they are, but you are not here to make lead into gold with a full set of chemistry), but alchemy use a lot of symbology, so even if you don’t have the physical element, you can use their properties with the symbol, just as any other sigil.

Salt is easy. Tin in a food can. Antimony in mostly all the rocks. Arsenic in apple seeds (technically no but still). Cobalt and Manganese basically everywhere. Magnesium in your own body. Nickel in coins. Oxygen in the air., Phosphorus, Zinc and Sulfur in food. Acid in anything acid lol. Aqua vitae in alcohol (especially Whisky). Vinegar in vinegars.

Long story short, if you feel that maybe you are lacking something, check some books about alchemy would maybe help. Don’t pick super chemical specific pro books and don’t be discouraged by the terms, pick what can be useful to you, and I hope this open some doors and bring more curiosity about this amazing topic.

In order to have you do a reading for me do I need to pay (sorry if it’s a dumb question)

No dumb questions here!

I do pay-what-you-want readings, using Kofi (linked in my bio as "Buy me a coffee") as a virtual tip jar. Basically, you tip any amount and get a full reading regardless of how much you paid. So you can get one for like 1€.

Mental illness is a permanent mana debuff. How is a witch to thrive if I only feel recharged for 5 seconds every whenever

hello!! if you don’t mind me asking, how do you undo a spell?

If you were the caster and you have spell remnants (the thread that was knotted, the wax of the candle that was burned, etc.):

Bring the spell remnant back into Magical Space (whatever space, mindset, or rituals you require in order for your mundane actions to become magical).

Perform Undoing actions on the spell remnants. Cut or untie a knot, melt or pulverize wax, mix ashes with magically nullifying substances such as salt and iron, etc.

While performing Undoing actions, also give clear linguistic Instructions on what you expect to happen. These instructions may be spoken, thought, signed, written, read, or be imposed upon your Magical Space in any way you prefer.

Tie your instructions to your physical actions, such as:

This spell is undone as this cord is cut, the magic binds no longer

This spell is melted and reduced as I melt and reduce this wax; the magic dwindles into nothing

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust; my spell is consumed by this iron rust - the magic no longer functions

I highly recommend using clear and direct sentences to the effect of "I am undoing this spell and I don't want the magic to work any more" (for those who only use present-tense intents: "this spell is undone, the magic has stopped working."

Dispose of the remnants in a permanent way.

If you were the caster and you do not have spell remnants:

Consecrate a new object (new thread to be knotted, new candle, new piece of paper) to represent the old spell. Ideally, this object will be chosen or modified to resemble the vibes of the old spell as closely as possible.

Any consecration ritual will do. The goal is to give a new physical body to your old spell; you are making an "poppet" of the spell.

Once the new physical object has become synonymous with the old spell, perform the Undoing and Instruction method that was described above.

(New candles should probably be snapped in half or burned upside down; burning them normally is more likely to empower the old spell).

If you were not the caster:

The "poppet" method above will tend to work if you know what you're doing with things. However, one of these might be more reliable:

Method One: Bless a thread with binding, limiting energies (Saturn is ideal) and trap the unwanted spell by tying it in a knot. Then burn the thread, ideally while Instructing what is supposed to happen.

Method Two: Carve the end of a taper candle so that the wick is visible on the bottom. Treat this bottom as your new "active" end, and draw correspondences from the new active end, downwards.

Coat the candle with a pepper-infused oil, score the surface lengthwise with iron nails, or otherwise mark the candle with destructive and banishing correspondences.

While doing this, Instruct the candle that its job is to banish, burn away, and destroy the unwanted spell. Light the candle. (A temporary holder may be obtained for the awkward shape by filling a deep dish with sand, soil, or salt).

Notes and Bits (Beyond 101):

It is generally wise to construct all spells with "kill codes" in case you need to undo them. This is essentially a special sort of intent that you build into the spell which undoes the spell on your command.

To avoid intrusive thought anxiety, it is almost always best to have this "code" require a specific set of physical actions, such as writing "Spell Cast on [date], be undone and begone" seven times over on a piece of paper.

Undoing a spell does not teleport you back in time to before it was ever cast. Imagine a valley with a river. A spell is cast that dams up the river. The entire ecosystem of the valley changes because the river was stopped.

Later on we can dismantle the dam and let the water flow again. But the valley will not "magically" go back to what it used to be. The spell may be undone but there will also still be significant changes already affected on this valley.

Record keeping is one of your best allies in knowing how to undo your own spells. The more you know about your spell (or anyone else's), the easier it is for you to undo or counter.

Once a spell is undone, you may still have more work to do. Suppose someone hexes me. Even if I undo the hex, my house may still be filled with nasty energy and I can still have anxiety. I will have to do a good self-cleansing and home-clearing before the effects are fully erased. Undoing a spell is not the same thing as cleaning up after it.

In sticky situations, you may also want to cast additional spells to protect against the effects of the unwanted spell.

I wasn’t really resonating with any of the full deck spreads I was finding so I’ve ended up making my own. It’s intended to be a big check in for yourself, your life, and the next 12 months. Ideally, you would only do it at most every few months. But without further ado, here are the card positions.

Full Deck Spread

1-5 Positive things in your life right now

6-10 Things you can currently improve

Self Check In

11-13 Spiritual

14-15 Emotional

17-19 Mental

20-22 Physical

Life Check In

23-24 Home

25-26 Family

27-28 Work/School

29-20 Relationships

Monthly Forecast

31-34 January

35-38 February

39-42 March

43-46 April

47-50 May

51-54 June

55-58 July

59-62 August

63-66 September

67-70 October

71-74 November

75-78 December

**If you want to add an oracle card in the middle, go wild. I feel like it could provide a nice little overall message for the reading.**

Witch Tip 109

Music.

Makes.

Everything.

Better.

Wanna hex someone? Play [insert some sort of rap/angry/music that makes you wanna fight here]

Wanna banish a demon? The only acceptional music is the Doom Ethernal soundtrack babyyyyy [or cocomelon...]

Want some self love or happiness? Play some hyperpop or that pop music from the 2010s [jessie j is specifically good for this]

Need some protection? Play some boss music from your favorite video game [or whatever makes you feel less vulnerable]

See, music can fix everything!

devotional jewelry is my favorite thing ever!!

just throw some charms that make you think of your deities onto a necklace cord and you’re good to go!!

my charms/pendants from left to right are:

dragon for my dragon guide, sword for ares, uruz rune for myself/kind of cernunnos ((i’ve had it and worn it for a long time)), ring is from my partner, the cage of crystals is for all of my deities, lego is matching with my partner that makes a heart when they’re put together, key for janus, moon and star for nyx, and ship wheel for fortuna!!

Witchy tip ~ The “me” candle

If you get tired easily when doing your workings, consecrate a candle to yourself and light it every time you are doing something witchy/pagany. The goal here is to use the candle as a power bank, raising its energy so your own doesn’t run low. 

Differently than working candles, commonly used to improve your magick’s potency, the “me” candle is programmed to improve *your* energy while you are working on your magick. It can become a precious piece for practitioners that, as me, have more often than not low spoons days. 

Extra tip: dress your candle with essential oils that boost your energy. Bergamot and lemongrass are my favorite ones for this use!

How to Do the Major Arcana Grand Tableau

This spread uses all the Major Arcana to give you an overview of your whole year ahead. It is best performed on your birthday or on New Year’s Eve.

STEP 1: Lay out the Major Arcana in order.

Line 1: The Fool to The Lovers Line 2: The Chariot to The Hanged Man Line 3: Death to The Star Line 4: The Moon to The World

STEP 2: Shuffle the Minor Arcana.

As you do this, ask your higher power to show you a glimpse of your destiny for the upcoming year.

STEP 3: Draw a Minor for each Major.

One by one, take 21 cards from the top of the deck and place them over the Major Arcana, starting with The Fool. Then take the card at the bottom of the deck, and place it over The World.

STEP 4: Read the Minor against the Major.

The Major Arcana represent the important aspects of your life. The Minor Arcana reveal what will take place within these aspects.

The Fool – What will begin in your life?

The Magician – What dream will manifest?

The High Priestess – What secret will be uncovered?

The Empress – What will you harvest?

The Emperor – What will you have control over?

The Hierophant – What will remain unchanged?

The Lovers – How will your love life be?

The Chariot – What will make you victorious?

Strength – Where will you find strength?

The Hermit – What will you need to reflect on?

Wheel of Fortune – Where will you find luck?

Justice – Who will avenge you?

The Hanged Man – What will you have to sacrifice?

Death – What will be reborn?

Temperance – What will bring balance into your life?

The Devil – What will you be most passionate about?

The Tower – What will trigger a profound change?

The Star – Where will you find hope?

The Moon – What will stay clouded?

The Sun – What will bring you joy?

Judgement – Which of your oppressors will be punished?

The World – What will give you a sense of accomplishment?

Sample Interpretation:

The Four of Pentacles on The Lovers – “Your romantic partner will be very protective of you, maybe even to the point of being possessive.”

The Ace of Wands on The Hanged Man – “You will need to sacrifice a part of your career or pause a project you are passionate about.”

The Ten of Cups on The Devil – “You will be focusing all your attention and energy on starting or expanding your family.”

If we tie it all together, we arrive at: “You will get pregnant this year, prompting you to leave your stressful though fulfilling job, so you could focus instead on ensuring you have optimal health to carry the baby to term. During your pregnancy, your spouse will be taking care of you even more than before.”

STEP 5: Identify the court cards.

The Kings, Queens and Knights are the people who will play a vital role in your life, positively or otherwise.

King of Wands – Leo (Fixed Fire)

Queen of Wands – Aries (Cardinal Fire)

Knight of Wands – Sagittarius (Mutable Fire)

King of Cups – Scorpio (Fixed Water)

Queen of Cups – Cancer (Cardinal Water)

Knight of Cups – Pisces (Mutable Water)

King of Swords – Aquarius (Fixed Air)

Queen of Swords – Libra (Cardinal Air)

Knight of Swords – Gemini (Mutable Air)

King of Pentacles – Taurus (Fixed Earth)

Queen of Pentacles – Capricorn (Cardinal Earth)

Knight of Pentacles – Virgo (Mutable Earth)

Sample Interpretation:

There are two couples here — the King and Queen of Wands and the King and Queen of Pentacles: “You and your other half will be highly supportive of each other. You could be a Taurus and they could be an Aries, or vice versa. Either way, you will strongly feel the love and passion in your relationship.”

STEP 6: Notice the dominant suit.

Wands – Passion will overflow.

Cups – Emotions run the show.

Swords – The battle is in your mind.

Pentacles – Finances will be bright.

Sample Interpretation:

There are nine Wands and nine Pentacles each: “Your year will definitely not be lacking in passion and stability — materially and emotionally.”

STEP 7: Note the numbers that appear at least thrice.

Aces – A year of beginnings

Twos – A year of dilemmas

Threes – A year of affairs

Fours – A year of stability

Fives – A year of changes

Sixes – A year of harmony

Sevens – A year of challenges

Eights – A year of labor

Nines – A year of completion

Tens – A year of harvest

Sample Interpretation:

No number appeared more than twice. There is no discernible theme, numerology-wise.

STEP 8: Observe the ruling colors.

Black – Loneliness, regret, obstacles, purging

Red, Yellow, Orange – Passion, love, happiness, power

Blue, White, Green – Spirituality, logic, innocence, intuition

Sample Interpretation:

Red, yellow and orange are the ruling colors: “Your year will be filled with a passionate love that will bring you joy and a strong sense of control over your life.”

STEP 9: Record your grand tableau.

Take a photograph of your spread, and write down your interpretations of it.

STEP 10: Review your grand tableau.

At the end of each quarter, note which predictions have come true. By the end of the year, compare your interpretations to how the spread manifested. Doing so allows you to reflect on your past year, and improves your divination skills.