bunnypudding

Everyday Witchcraft – Tea Magick Supplies: Rose Tea Sets.

Due to popular demand, here is where Bunnypudding gets her teaware from…

Well hello there Coven, I’ve been pretty active over on my Tiktok and Instagram recently making lots of fabulous everyday witchcraft and lifestyle content and well, I hate to say this but the breakout star of my labour isn’t me. Oh no, it’s my bloody Rose Enamel Glass Tea Pot that I treated myself to as a moving in present.

Here she is in all of her glory. I call her Roseline after my grandmother and well, it has a bloody rose on it and some days I am more creative than others.

**Red Rose Tea Pot: Store:https://amzn.to/3LGtaQy**

I’ve been asked about where I get my supplies and homewares on my videos and DMs so here is the list of kitchenware items used in my April Social Videos below. Some of the items are from different stores so if you are looking for a specific colour click the link below the picture 🙂

Of course, I will also be sharing recipes and how to’s for my tea blends in another post so watch this space (or check out my social media!)

Please note that there are some affiliate links on the copy on this page, this means that I get a commission for any purchases made via this post.

Tea Pots and Tea Pots Sets:

You can get my stunning rose tea pot in either red (Picture above) or blue. I am not going to lie, I want them all. It’s an issue, it really is.

One thing I need to stress though is that the tea pot is pretty small, so great for those who want to make one or two cups for tea or herbal spellwork but not so good if you are want to pour for several people at the same time. Great excuse to get two, otherwise, pay heed!

Blue Rose Tea Pot Page: https://amzn.to/3OUUxYX

Price: £19.95

Brand Store: https://amzn.to/3OUUxYX

Blue Rose Tea Pot Set (Tea pot+ 6 cups): https://amzn.to/3LDt1gC

Price: £24.99

Brand Store: https://amzn.to/3LGtaQy

This is a rare set to get cheap, thus why I haven’t had it yet as these weren’t on offer when I was getting mine. I am truly gutted about this fact but it is also why I have two links below as I am sure they will be gone pretty quick.

Red Rose Tea Pot Set (Tea pot + 6 cups): https://amzn.to/3KH6

Price: £26.99

Otherwise,

Brand store: https://amzn.to/3vGz7HE

Has another set for £34.99

Red Rose Tea Pot Page: https://amzn.to/3F5tsxT

Price: £19.99

Brand Store: https://amzn.to/3LGtaQy

Rose Enamel Kitchenware:

Now if you really cannot help yourself, and I clearly cannot, you can also get the matching cups, and mugs (and there are even wine glasses but that is another post!) So I have listed the options for the blue and red designs below. They are honestly so beautiful and so much fun. Leave me to my life of staying at home drinking tea out of my fancy cups.

Rose Enamel Rose Flower Glass Tea Cup with Spoon Set Page: https://amzn.to/3OUUxYX

Price: £7.99

Brand Store: https://amzn.to/3y9CCYA

Blue Enamel Rose Flower Glass Tea Cup with Spoon Set:

https://amzn.to/3LBeNN3

Price: £8.99

Brand Store: https://amzn.to/3LBeNN3

and it’s bigger counterpart

Blue Enamel Rose Flower Glass Tea Mug with Spoon Set

https://amzn.to/3LBeNN3

Price: £9.98

Brand Store: https://amzn.to/3OPUrBY

Blue Enamel Rose Flower Glass Tea Mug with Spoon Set, lid and placemat set

Price: £26.99

Brand Store: https://amzn.to/38HJCkK

Phew! Be still my beating heart….Let me know if you have taken up any team making or decided to treat yourself to some new magick tea brewing kit below or via our social channels as we love to hear from you:

Tiktok

Instagram

Until next time, Stay dazzling!

Love,

Emma

Witchcraft Around The World: 30th April -Walpurgis Night

Witchcraft Around The World: The fabulous Tanja, shares her insight into Walpurgis Night.

We love learning about all different type of Witchcraft here at Digital Coven and today we have the fabulous Tanja, sharing her insight into Walpurgis Night.

Take it away, Tanja!

Greetings fellow witches! You may or may not be prepping to celebrate Beltane this weekend, so I thought I would make you familiar with what I like to call its “German goth counterpart”, – Walpurgisnacht, or the Night of the Witches, which takes place on the night of the 30^th of April.

About Beltane

As you may know, Beltane is the pagan festival held halfway between the spring and summer equinox, celebrating the blossoming of trees and flowers and the days getting warmer. It takes place between 30^th of April and 1^st of May and therefore traditionally includes May Day celebrations which span across many different cultures – Celtic, German, Hawaiian and Greek, to name a few. They include dancing around a May Pole, making flower crowns and crowning a May queen (not to be confused with the customs of Midsommar – neither the Swedish festival nor Ari Aster’s horror masterpiece).

“Children perform the Maypole Dance at the 2010 Downton Cuckoo Festival, Wiltshire” by Anguskirk is marked with CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.

The Fire Festival

Beltane, from the Gaelic Bealtaine, can be roughly translated to “bright fire”. On the eve of May 1st, Pagans would gather to light bonfires and dance around them – since fire typically stands for purification and new beginnings, this ties in with Beltane’s themes of renewal and summer returning.

Like on Halloween (Samheim) and Midsummer, the veil between the realms of the living, dead and spirits is supposed to be especially thin this time of year. It is therefore no wonder the night became associated with witchcraft, its literal Dutch translation being “Heksennacht”, the night of the witches, which in German folklore became associated with a night where evil witches gather to plan their mischievous schemes.

“File:Edinburgh Beltane Fire Festival 2012 – Procession.JPG” by Stefan Schäfer, Lich is marked with CC BY-SA 3.0.

The History of Walpurgis Night

For this negative association, we can thank the Catholic Church – as pagan beliefs did not fit in with the Christian religious ideals, during the Middle Ages they attempted to stamp out any other religion’s customs, including those of Beltane, throughout Europe. Walpurgisnacht i.e. “Walpurgis Night” derives its name from the Catholic missionary turned Saint Walpurga, who was celebrated for succeeding at putting an end to “pagan sorcery”.

Ironically, the image I associated with Walpurga until researching this date stems from a popular German children’s cartoon about a teenage witch – In this, she is the leader of the coven and looks like this:

Walpurgia | Bibi Blocksberg Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia — Image Souce

As someone who grew up Catholic, that doesn’t look very pious to me, which goes to show that Walpurga today is associated way more with witches than she would have liked. Sorry, gal!

To give her credit, Walpurga actually did see to it that the pagan rituals didn’t completely die out: She was canonised on the 1^st of May, and therefore, likely by accident, Christian and Pagan customs became entwined. Pagans could continue their celebrations without fear of being condemned, by doing it under the guise of honouring Saint Walpurga (article).

So, these practices could be continued quite freely in Medieval Germany, until the 16^th century, which saw a massive hysteria about witchcraft followed by one of the most gruesome and bloody witch hunts in history taking place in Germany.

During that time, hysteria led people to believe that witches would gather on Mount Brocken, the highest peak in Germany’s Harz Mountains, to have orgies, dance, and meet with Satan to discuss how they could bring the most mischief and evil to the coming year (no, really).

Ein Bild, das Text, Zeichnung enthält.

Automatisch generierte Beschreibung — The actual Saint Walpurga

According to some legends, witches would gather in the valley and then ride up to the mountain’s peak – not just on broomsticks, but even on cats or goats!

In an attempt to protect themselves from evil spirits and witches, locals would gather on April 30^th to light bonfires, burn straw men and make loud noises to chase away evil. The joyous pagan rituals for fertility and summer returning therefore morphed into a gathering driven by fear. Well done, Catholic Church!

Die Nacht, in der Hexen auf Besen reiten — “Witches going to their Sabbath” (1878) by Luis Ricardo Falero

Luckily, those superstitions began to gradually die out and Walpurgis Night celebrations carried on but became more light-hearted, as people would gather around the fire, celebrate, and sing folk songs. The festival might not still be part of the German Zeitgeist today had it not been for Goethe’s famous poem Faust, published in the 19^th century, which sees the protagonist travelling to Mount Brocken and taking part in the witches’ celebrations.

This poem, loathed by German highschoolers throughout the country, re-popularised Walpurgisnacht and is likely to thank for why it is still popular today.

Modern Day celebrations

Today, Walpurgisnacht remains part of German popular culture, with many other stories about the Witches’ mountain gatherings having sprung up in the century following Goethe’s Faust.

As for the celebrations, most that remains of them is the lighting of and gathering around bonfires, although this is now being celebrated under the new motto of Tanz in den Mai – “Dance into May”. Turns out, pagans, legendary witches and normal human beings alike love a bit of revelry and dancing around a fire! Due to the first of May being a bank holiday, Labour Day, people still traditionally like to go dancing at clubs which do “Tanz in den Mai” themed nights. I have taken part in many of these club nights and regardless of alcohol levels, the night has always felt special to me. Maybe there is something to the veil between the worlds being more permeable. Or maybe I just feel very seen as a witch on this holiday which is, in a way, dedicated to us.

Thanks, Tanja!

You can stay in touch with Tanja and find her shitposting and creating other digital content about drag, queer and witchy stuff on Instagram @tanjaktx and Tiktok @tanjatix

If you wish to write an article for Digital Coven please get in touch on our contact page or just pop an email over to us on digitalcovenuk@gmail.com or you can always reach out via our social channels:

Tiktok

Instagram

Until next time,

Love,

Featured Image: “File:Edinburgh Beltane Fire Festival 2012 – Bonfire.JPG” by Stefan Schäfer, Lich is marked with CC BY-SA 3.0.

Witchcraft at work: Interview with The Word Witch

We speak to the fabulous ‘Witchy Freelancer’ and Word Witch, Emma Cownley in todays Working Witches interview!

We love everyday witchcraft here at Digital Coven and we know you do too, so we partnered with some fabulous real life witchy types to dicuss how they bring witchcraft into their daily lives. Today’s interview is with the fabulous Emma Cownley, or as we like to refer to her, The Word Witch! She is not only kicking ass in life but also in the business word, we love a Witch who means business!

Let’s get started shall we?

First, tell us about yourself!

My name’s Emma, and I’m a freelance writer from London. When I’m not busy being a pen monkey, you’ll find me playing the drums, riding horses, turning dead animals into works of art, or sitting in seat J13 at The Prince Charles Cinema.

And now…what you do and your career journey up until now

I’m a freelance writer for B2C brands in the music, fashion, and lifestyle space. I mostly write for alternative brands or super luxe brands. If I’m lucky, I’ll get a client who’s a mix of the two!

I started in a customer service role for an online aquatic retailer, and I slowly edged my way into the copywriting side of the business. Once I got a taste for writing, I went for my first proper copywriting job at printed.com.

After about four years, I realised I’d gone as far as I could with that company, and I decided to go solo. I’m a bit of a wimp and don’t have a lot of confidence, so I thought freelance life would help me own my power a bit more. And boy, has it. Trial by fire!

I’ve been freelance for five years now, and it’s been a real journey. In the best way, of course. One look at my website will show you how much of a hoot I’m having.

What is witchcraft to you?

It’s a grounding force and a guide. I’m a real dreamer — a romantic prone to floating away into space like an untethered balloon! I’m also a worrier. My practice gives me a sense of control and helps keep me rooted in the here and now. By reconnecting with nature, the cycle of the moon, and the turn of the seasons, I find firm and tangible grounding. It’s real, and it’s right there to enjoy.

Witchcraft is also a great lens for self-growth and self-examination. By moving with the seasons, journaling with tarot cards, and meditating with spirit guides, I can look at myself truthfully and gently course-correct towards being happier, kinder, and more content.

How do you use witchcraft in your day to day life?

I start the day by setting my intentions with a daily devotion (always gotta be walking in love and light!). I usually write in my dream journal each morning and I like to draw an oracle card for the day before I start work (I use The Literary Witches Oracle Deck). I also draw a tarot card at the full moon each month.

I’ll finish my day with a gratitude devotion where I think about how fucking lucky I am. I think about all the small delights I enjoyed during the day, the things that tested me and what I learned, and I take a minute to think about all my loved ones. It helps me decompress and unpack everything that happened, rather than letting each day slip past without a second thought.

My practice is mostly rooted in the practical, day-to-day side of things. I’d probably call myself a hearth witch — I’m very invested in cultivating good energy in my home and using it to help others.

And professional life?

When I’m writing, I work with a muse spirit, and I sometimes light a candle for her. Whenever I sit down to work, I take a quick minute to think about how it feels when I’m struck by the excitement of a cool idea — your heart flips, and you get a sudden flush of energy. That’s the spirit of my muse! By making that small connection with the spirit of inspiration, I’ve ‘invoked’ her, and I’m ready to work.

I also use sigils for everything. As a writer, they’re my favourite magickal tool. I have sigils for my Filofax, for client jobs, and one that I use to ‘activate’ my home office. I’ve carved the office sigil into the side of an orange pillar candle, and I light it each morning to open up my office energies. I also smudge my office with sage once a week to clear out the nasties — I see my desk as a writing altar, so I like to keep it sacred.

How have you used witchcraft to support in shaping your career?

Tarot cards have played a huge part in shaping my career. I do a full yearly spread every Samhain and pay special attention to my business during that.

I also use Esbats and Sabbats to perform any magickal nudges needed to get me back on track. As a freelancer, a huge part of my business success comes directly from my own mindset and confidence levels. If I’m stuck in a pit of self-doubt or trapped in a scarcity mindset, I can really hurt my own progress. Magick helps me refocus and tap back into my personal power.

Does your work know about your practice?

Absolutely. It’s become part of my brand at this point! Last year I came out of the broom closet by launching an mini eBook called The Witchy Freelancer and, to my delight, the freelance community rallied to support me. I was surprised by some of the people who bought it, too — people I’d never have suspected would be into all this ‘woo-woo’ stuff.

A few freelance colleagues recently called me out on Twitter asking for a witchy newsletter. After giving it some thought, I realised there actually was a lot of interest and a gap in the market for something like that. So I launched a monthly newsletter called The Copy Coven. It’s packed with writing exercises, creativity boosting ideas, and a section on the moon cycle of the month and how to work with it. I’d never have thought of the idea without my colleagues!

I’d love to make my practice a bigger part of my work life by joining forces with Wiccan and new age brands. It’s actually one of my goals for the year! Someone like Witchy would be great. I adore their products and their brand tone of voice.

How do colleagues/clients respond?

Really bloody well, actually! I try not to be preachy with my beliefs because I understand they’re not everyone’s cup of tea. I’d never want to make anyone feel uncomfortable. But, to be fair, I don’t think anyone was surprised when I ‘came out’! I even had two of my clients download my eBook — that’s how you know you’re working with the right people!

Where can people find you?

You’ll find me over on my website, Jot Jot Boom or on Twitter. If you’d like to hear more from me, check out my newsletter or grab a copy of The Witchy Freelancer. Come and say hi — I don’t bite (not all the time, anyway).

Ah, thank’s Emma, you super star!

Let’s us know any qustions that you may have for Emma in the comment below or via our channels, as we do love chatting with you!

Until Next time!

The Witchy Type Book Club Launch

Well hello there, Coven!

How art thou? I know we’ve been quiet for a ‘wee’ bit as our beloved North London Witch would say but we assure you it’s because we’ve been manifesting some fabulous projects to share with you.

Our first project, Witchy Type, is very close to our hearts as we are both avid readers and learned the majority of our knowledge about the craft via books. Both of us have curated extensive libraries of Witch related material throughout the years and these are available for loan to Digital Coven Followers over on the Witchy Type Book Depository along with our Witchy Type Book Club List.

“Book witch” by mkhall is marked with CC BY 2.0.

Witchy Type Book Reviews

We will be performing regular book reviews on titles that we simply love and recommend that you read alongside newer releases. We will make sure to highlight when these books are gifted or if there are any affiliation links featured.

Will we be reviewing anything else? Of course, Tarot and Oracles decks will be featured alongside other fabulous printed witch products. If you have any recommendations, let us know!

Find out more about our Witchy Book Reviews here

Witchy Type Book Club

Well, this is a Coven after all and we don’t want to be doing this on our own as that would be rather boring! So we will be holding regular book clubs on zoom for selected titles where we can all discuss the book and share ideas. Want to take part? Just fill in this form and we will email you details we will of course be sharing all dates via our digital coven social channels.

Find out more about our WitchyType Book Club here

Want to submit a book for review? Simply email us the details to digitalcovenuk@gmail.com or leave a comment below.

We’re super excited to share this with you and make sure to let us know your thoughts and ideas below in the comments or you can always reach out via our social channels:

Tiktok

Instagram

Babies in Halloween Costumes? Haunted Manors? Oh, we’re in.

WIN A STAY IN A HAUNTED MANSION WITH BLUEBELL BABY MONITOR THIS HALLOWEEN #bluebellbabyboos

Bluebell, the award-winning smart baby monitor brand, has been in touch to let us know that they are launching a Halloween Competition but with an adorable twist this Spooky Season. The entrants won’t make you go ‘Agrh!’ and are more likely to make you go ‘Awwww’’ as the theme is ‘Babies First Halloween Costume’. OMG. What can we say…at Digital Coven, if it crawls or has paws we 100% agree with dressing them in adorable Halloween costumes. Especially, when the lil ‘uns and I have such a beautiful rapport with each other…

Entrants can win several prizes with the top prize being a stay in a haunted manor, The Manor Country House Hotel but don’t worry the ghosts are very family-friendly! To find out more about the Manor check out (My) Emma’s AKA Bunnypuddings Tiktok to see videos and tours of the grounds.

The applicants will be Judged by the Tiktok Mum and Witch Influencer Deborah Munroe AKA lunar.witch_deborah and the Bluebell team.

Parents can also get in on the action as well with a prize also being on offer for ‘Best Group Costume’ for those wanting to elevate their babies Halloween costume concept. Nice.

Prizes:

Enriched in history and drenched in style, top first prize winners will receive a stay for a family of 4 at the Manor on the Green which comes complete with it’s very own haunted history. Step into a bygone era with the opulence that you would expect from one of the finest country houses in Oxfordshire. Miles apart from other hotels, the Manor House is a unique experience like no other. Their staff will attend to the winners as their guests and leave them with a lasting memory of having stayed at a very special location.

Please note that we cannot promise that any ghosts will make an appearance upon the prize winners stay but the staff are more than happy to reveal all of the spooky stories surrounding the manor upon request. What we can promise is that there are peacocks on site living in the grounds.

Runners Up will win an award-winning Bluebell Smart Baby Monitor

Romi Mathew of Bluebell comments “Halloween has become an increasingly popular festival for families to celebrate. A perfect opportunity to dress up and have some fun. Retailers have jumped on the trend offering fancy dress costumes, Halloween themed treats and plenty of pumpkins! After the last 18 months, everyone is looking for a reason to have fun and treat the kids and why not? Especially when you stand to win a fabulous weekend away at The Manor, country house hotel”.

How to enter:

All you need to do to enter the competition is to share your favourite photo of your little ones/group Halloween costumes using the hashtag #bluebellbabyboos on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram and making sure to tag in Bluebell Baby Monitor when you do so using their social handle @Bluebellfamily

Categories:

Best Baby Halloween Costume – Wins Manor Prize
Best Group Halloween Costume (As we know all the family can like to join in!) – £50 Amazon Voucher

Entries and Winner announcement:

Entries must be received by 9 pm Monday 1st November 2021

Winners will be announced on the 5th November 2021

Full information can be found over on the Bluebell Website:

https://bluebellbabymonitor.com/learn/win-stay-haunted-mansion

Eiii, are you going to enter? If so make sure to use the hashtag ##bluebellbabyboos and of course, share your thoughts about the manor if you do win! We want all of the tea…

Until next time,

#Witchywednesdays Meet The Digital Coven Witches!

Come and meet us in person and get a free tarot reading at one of our #Witchywednesday events this Spooky season

Free Tarot Readings and Witch Workshops at the Old White Lion This October!

The Old White Lion (OWL), East Finchley is celebrating Halloween in style by offering free Tarot readings and witch workshops every Wednesday throughout October.

The pub has invited the ‘Witches of East Finchley’ AKA Digital-coven’s Emma Carney (Bunnypudding) and AJ O’Connell (North London Witch) to host the free events for their customers.

#WitchyWednesdays will be hosted from 6pm every Wednesday and all events will involve the opportunity for Old White Lion clientele to have their questions answered via free tarot card and pendulum readings. Nice.

On October 6th 2021 the OWL will be celebrating the New Moon as the Witches will host a New Moon Ritual workshop where you will be taught how to set your intentions and to work with candles, teas and herbs.

13th October will involve free divination readings and visitors will also be able to enter a spooky Halloween pub quiz with just £2 per person entry. All entry money will be going straight into the OWL Tip jar in support of the hard-working bar staff who have brought the public houses spirit back in spades post-lockdown. There will be plenty of prizes to give away so do make sure to revise everything Halloween related in order to win!

For the 20th of October, the witches will be continuing their Moon workshops by teaching everyone how to release their intentions and work with the all-powerful full Moon. They sure do like that Silvery Orb and so will you after these magickal workshops!

It’s preparation time on the 27th of October where pumpkin carving will be the main event with the winning pumpkin on the night getting a spooktacular prize. The Digital Coven gals will also be teaching those taking part about traditional Halloween decorations and their history including the opportunity for people to make their very own ‘Witch Trees’….

The finale of the Spooky season is on Saturday the 30th of October where there will be a Halloween party and costume competition along with live music from Luke Carey and others. So make sure to get your spookiest outfit on in order to win big.

Venue Manager, Mike King states “What better way to enjoy the aesthetic of Autumn than to invite people into our old majestic pub and garden, to enjoy great food, drink and company under the moonlit garden & candlelit interiors. Now that we can celebrate Halloween again, let’s do so in proper style”.

Not into the spiritual stuff? No worries, the Old White Lion has plenty to offer on top of the #WitchyWednesday workshops with its fantastic selection of beverages including extensive real ale and spirit selections as well as its delicious food menu. Get in.

Digital-coven.com’s Emma Carney states “We adore our local The Old White Lion and can often be found in our favourite spot in one of the huts in their beer garden, now christened ‘Witchy Corner’ pulling Tarot cards. So when we were invited to share our knowledge and educate on modern witchcraft with the Old White Lion customers we jumped at the chance. Come down, with an open mind and a few questions for the tarot cards and we promise you’re going to have a very magickal time!”

All events start at 6pm, with the quiz starting at 8pm

Event Dates:

6th October: New Moon Workshop and Tarot readings
13th October: £2 Entry Halloween Pub Quiz and Tarot readings – Quiz Starts at 8pm
20th October: Full Moon Ritual Workshop and Tarot readings
27th October: Pumpkin Carving, Halloween decoration making and Tarot readings
30th October: Live Music and costume competition

Location:

The Old White Lion
121 Great N Rd,
London
N2 0NW

Press for more information please email Emma on : hello@emfluence.co.uk

Witchcraft Apps for the Digital Witch

The best Witch craft apps for the modern Digital Witch

Hello Digital Coven!

So sorry for the lack of updates over the past few weeks, I am in the middle of some of the most creative professional work I have ever been able to do so I am sure you’ll understand! More on that in another post but top level – I am producing a documentary. In-between the production and on top of my day job (Digital marketing and PR) I wrote this, I’d love to hear your recommendations and feedback on on the apps:

One of the greatest aspects of the digital age for me is the impact that it has had on the Witchcraft community. Social media has been a fantastic way for Witches and baby Witches to find like minded people and build communities *Ahem* Such as this blog and my social channels *Ahem*

What it’s also created is the availability of information that is just a Google search away – though I would always recommend researching everything as deeply as possible.There is a lot of bullshit online, especially on Facebook groups and Tiktok – such as that Tarot is a closed practice *Groans in tired and eyerolls in ‘a quick google search would show this to be false’* Spoiler alert – it isn’t. The best part of Witchcraft is the personal connection that you develop as you learn and manifest through trial and error. Below are some free apps that you can use to help you learn more about specific areas of the craft from the palm of your hand and which I have used myself.

Apps For Moon Work

If there is one thing that we can agree on as Witches it’s that we bloody adore that silvery ever changing orb that is the Moon. Sigh. She’s just so beautiful. Now, I am not going to lie to you, I do not have a photographic memory of every phase of the Moon so I like to have an app that helps me keep track of where we are at each phase so I can really super charge my spells and manifestations. Check out NorthLondon Witches article for more info on the phases of the moon and when is best to manifest.

Moonly app

The Moonly app is great at keeping track of the Moon via its calendar and it also has extra features which educates you on runes and has a fabulous knowledge base on various areas of the craft and spirituality for those starting out. The app is free and most of the features are free as well but you can upgrade for a paid version to block further features if you’d like.

App Location:

IOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/moonly-moon-calendar-runes/id1489889871

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.moonly.android

Website: https://moonly.app/

Apps For Tarot

Tarot is a craft where you are always learning and gaining insight into how you relate to the cards. Having an app in your phone to help you log your feelings towards a card and allow you reference their meaning is always useful. I swear by the below two tarot apps below. Check out this article for a beginners guide to Tarot.

Trusted Tarot is a great app, and their free account allows for a daily tarot card to be pulled, a weekly spread and a celtic cross reading is available every 72 hours – which I think is fabulous. Their insights into the cards is really useful and they also have a library of the card meanings. Nice. My favourite Tarot app for sure!

App Location:

IOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/trusted-tarot/id1441553118

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.trustedtarot.app&hl=en

Website: https://www.trustedtarot.com/app/

Gold Thread Tarot is fantastic for those just starting out and wanting to learn about reading Tarot and the card meanings. You can pull a card a day and they have a great feature where you can record your feeling towards a card when it appears in a reading so that you can go back and see how you have engaged with that card historically. Amazing if you find keeping a paper Tarot diary hard.

App store location:

IOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/golden-thread-tarot-learn-tarot-for-self-insight/id1063058990

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ionicframework.tarot371308&hl=en_GB&gl=US

Website: https://goldenthreadtarot.com/

Apps For Astrology

The Pattern was recommended to me by a Friend as ‘Astrology without the Astrology’ and to be honest, I am finding the insights on myself very useful indeed. It has a great compatibility feature and offers top-level overviews on upcoming ‘patterns’ that may be coming your way as well as allowing you to explore them more in depth. Certainly, an app to recommend to your friend who ‘aren’t into Astrology’ but curious about sites such as 16personalites etc (Which whilst we are here…is based on Astrology..but that is another post…)

App store location:

Ios:https://apps.apple.com/us/app/the-pattern/id1071085727?ls=1

Android:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.thepattern.app&hl=en

Website:https://thepattern.com/

Sanctuary World Is a new astrology app on my phone but my what a great addition it is. I love how interactive it is and it’s great for beginners to learn about astrology with their 101 guides on all areas of Astrology. It certainly doesn’t take itself too seriously in the chat either, which is always appreciated by myself and I am partial to a good gif.

It also offers human to human readings for those who wish to delve a little deeper into your birth chart or have questions, but please note that these need to be paid for.

App store location:

Ios:https://apps.apple.com/app/id1417411962?mt=8

Android:https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sanctuaryworld.sanctuaryandroid

Website:https://www.sanctuaryworld.co/

Of course, there are plenty more apps out there so make sure to let me know below or on my social channels about some of the best witch apps that you have been using as I always like to discover new ways to practice what I love. I can be found over at:

Tiktok

Instagram

So make sure to come say hi and listen to my random videos and appreciate witchy memes with me.

Until next time, darlings!

Why Bayleaf is Bae – The Magickal properties of Bayleaf

Bayleaf is one of the ultimate Magickal herbs, find out why!

My mother was obsessed with Bay leaf – it was put into everything she made when and it was quite common for me as a child to accidentally eat it whenever I ate her cooking. This didn’t put me off, although I certainly don’t recommend eating it! This early introduction created a strong bond between me and bay leaf and it’s one of the most common herbs that I use when it comes to magick and Kitchen Witchery. Below are some really useful insights into how you can use Bay leaf in your Witchcraft and spell work.

Wet aand Dry Bay leaf — Wet and dry Bay leaf

Bayleaf magickal properties:

Bayleaf is one of those core magickal herbs that has so many uses and works well when used with other ingredients but it can also be extremely powerful when just used on it own. It would certainly be top of the list in my Baby Witch beginner stock cupboard recommendations. Some of it’s key attributes are:

Victory and success – Bayleaf laurel was used in victory crowns and also by deities such as Apollo

Love

Wealth and Abundance

Protection

Creativity

Psychic abilities

Wishing and manifestation

Good health and healing

When doing deeper spell work here is some key info on Bay leafs other associations:

Zodiac: Bay laurel is governed by the planet Sun and under the dominion of the sign Leo

Deities: Apollo, Daphne, Gaia and Peneus (Greek)

Planet: Sun

M/F: Whilst I don’t really follow this in my craft (Queer Witch right here, honey!) traditionally it’s associated with the divine Male.

Bayleaf in Kitchen Witchery

As previously mentioned on this blog, Kitchen Witchcraft is one of the simplest ways to bring the craft into your everyday life. I mean, we all have to eat right? So making sure that you add your herbs with intent when you are making your daily meals can be incredibly powerful, as you are literally taking the magic within you. Nice!

Quick Kitchen Witch Spells:

Want to Cleanse yourself- Boiling anything such as veg or pasta? Add salt and Bay leaf to the water with intent and stir anti-clockwise to banish negative energies and stir clockwise to bring positive energies towards yourself. It’s that simple!

Sauces, stocks and gravies – I don’t know about you but I add a lot of herbs to my cooking so when I am making anything sauce-based I like to make sure that I include some herbs with magickal intent to help me with whatever spell or thing I am manifesting. I always make sure to add an intent for each Bayleaf that I add. Making sure to stir and visualise what I am working towards.

Mulled Wine and Cider – A lovely way to get some extra magick into your life with an added boozy kick. I like to add Bay leaf to any mulled wine or hot toddies that I make and the smell is devine!

Quick Spells to use Bayleaf:

Cleansing your space: Add Bay leaf to your mix of cleansing herbs depending on your practice. Personally, like to use Bay leaf, Lavender and Rosemary to cleanse my space as it smells lovely. Just roll them into a bunch that you can burn safely, or in a fireproof bowl and burn as a magickal Potpourri. Never leave unattended, ever. Trust me on this one 😉

Manifesting Money:

Get a Bay leaf and hold it close, envision the money that you wish to attract and how soon you need it by.

You have to visualise this as if it has already happened making sure to really envision how you will feel when you receive this money and all the things that you will do with it.

Then write your intent and the financial amount onto the Bay leaf and burn. You can use any colour pen but if you have Silver or Gold marker I would recommend using this to further highlight your goals.

Success: The ancient Greeks used to use Laurels and ay leaves on crowns for sports winners as they were associated with success. Bay leaves can also be great for protection, so I like to carry one around with me in my purse wherever I go.

Protection: Ground up alongside eggshells, Bay leaf can be used as protection dust to be sprinkled by your windows and door frames or when casting a circle. I’ve also been working on a project with Thatdressupmood where we add this dust to jewellery to give it extra protection properties. You can add salt to it for extra protection properties but make sure not to use it on the ground if you do as Salt can damage the soil.

Simple connection cutting spell: If you wish to cut the cord with someone a great spells which you can do daily if required is to take a Bay leaf, visualise the person you wish to cut the cord with, set the intent into the leaf and then break up the leaf to signify the breaking up of the connection with this person and then burn the Bayleaf to release the energy. I personally love doing this when I am anxious as well, envisioning having that power over the negative feelings really helps me feel empowered.

Sleep time Psychic enhancement: I like to use a Bayleaf under my pillow to help with my dreams and with astral projection. I mix it with lavender and put it in a little pouch that is stored in my pillowcase. Sweet dreams, indeed!

In conclusion:

So, have I inspired you in the powers of Bayleaf – or have you always been using it in your spellwork? Let me know below or on the digital coven social channels as we’d love to keep the conversation going!

Facebook

Instagram

Tiktok

Next time,

Ems

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is screen-shot-2021-01-07-at-14.25.01.png

Creative comms:

Victors crown: https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/b6cb924c-ba98-40e7-8056-d8e9a8b705ce

Magickal Herbs: https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/b1a99402-add0-4735-b6d3-96dd7ea0c31c

Burning Herbs for cleansing: https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/e6063443-4ac9-4df4-9c2f-ad8af1b318a2

Bayleaf in wine: https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/78f326d7-8921-46d7-98ff-be53909d4944

Bayleaf in stock : https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/10d0b976-61bb-4e56-a00a-56373873add6

Use! Bayleaf wet and dried: https://search.creativecommons.org/photos/8ccd6339-df00-4bc3-ae88-7b9f53c9b420

Is Tarot a closed practice? A Concise History of Tarot and Cartomancy

Come on an adventure with us into the history of Tarot and Cartomancy

Well hello there, Coven!

Today we are going to discuss the actual history of Tarot. The reason I am doing this is because I am seeing a lot of arguments on social media about the origins of Tarot and if it is a closed practice or not. So worry not, I deep dived and am sharing the knowledge below…

Top Level Overview:

Tarot reading is not a closed practice and open to everyone who has a calling to learn divination

“Dukkering” or ‘Bocht’ which is the Romany style of ‘future telling’ Cartomancy is closed. As this is only taught Romany to Romany via word of mouth and actually living the Romany life. Therefore, it is highly unlikely that you will ever come across the knowledge or life experience to appropriate this. (See below quote)

You do not need to be gifted Tarot cards to begin practicing

There is no initiation into Tarot but you can make it ceremonial

The Origins of Tarot

The Tarot actually started in Europe and was considered a parlor game for the first few hundred years. The 78 card deck that we now and love today originated in Renaissance Italy around the 1430’s when they added a 5th deck to the standard 4 deck playing cards. This new 5th deck was called ‘Triumphs’ but we know it as the ‘Higher Arcana’ in modern day. The 4 other decks are commonly known as the ‘Lower Arcana’. Translated into the modern standard playing card decks (also known as the French Deck) these are:

Tarot	Standard Playing Cards	Element
Wands	Clubs	Fire (or Air)
Cups	Hearts	Water
Swords	Spades	Air (Or Fire)
Pentacles	Diamond	Earth

These Italian “carte da trionfi” or “cards of triumph” were played like you would play bridge and wealthy families would commission artists to create their own decks so the illustrations differed widely.

Oracle cards were also gaining in popularity over the 18th century onwards for divination and these were commonly known as Lenormand cards until recently due to celebrity card-reader Mademoiselle Marie Anne Lenormand, making them so popular in the 19th Century – although her 36 card deck wasn’t published in her name until after her death.

I recently acquired some Lenormand cards and they are simply beautiful to look at and I will do a full post on them as well….but for now, let’s focus on the history of Tarot!

The move from Tarot as a game, to Tarot as Divination

As the game moved on from it’s Italian origins into the courts of France, Teacher and publisher Jean-Baptiste Alliette wrote his first book on the tarot in 1791, called “Etteilla, ou L’art de lire dans les cartes,” meaning “Etteilla, or the Art of Reading Cards.”. This book implied incorrectly that the art had come from ancient Egypt but he introduced to the masses the concept that the cards can be used for divination.

The modern standard Tarot deck that we widely use today is called the Rider Waite Colman Smith deck – but is often abbreviated as just the ‘Rider Waite’. William Rider was the publisher, and popular mystic A.E. Waite, who commissioned Pamela Colman Smith to illustrate the deck wrote a book to accompany the cards. This was released in 1909 and hasn’t been out of print since.

What Pamela Colman Smith did to revolutionise the deck was to create scenes for every card in the lower Arcana, so that a narrative could be easily picked up from each card. Now, rest assured I am working on her blog post as I type this. As a Female and person of Colour, she certainly deserves her name to be known widely within the Tarot Community as the history of most occult topics tends to be a bit of a pale sausage fest and doesn’t reflect the women who also helped develop the craft.

Tarot really took off in the late 1970’s when Stuart Kaplan obtained the publishing rights and released his 1977 book, Tarot Cards for Fun and Fortune Telling. He has since written several more books on the subject of Tarot and that audience has grown and shared their love for Tarot with others…and I guess the rest is history? But there is one last thing that we need to clear up on the history of Tarot…

The Romany Traveller Tarot Connection

The Romany are a beautiful community of travellers who have become deeply connected with Tarot. This is because in the 18th Century onwards the Roma people people took Tarot into their hearts and offered readings as they travelled around Europe and beyond. The Roma are fans of Cartomancy in general and in fact, often used the traditional French standard deck that we use for playing cards for their readings rather than the 78 card Tarot deck that is most commonly used today.

The Roma have two words when referring to their style of Cartomancy and they are:

“Dukkering” – modification of a Wallaco-Sclavonian word meaning something spiritual, other worldly or ghostly

‘Bocht’ – a Persian word meaning or connected to the Sanskrit bhagya, which means fate

Regarding the closed practice question, the fabulous Lisa Boswell, a Romany Tarot reader explains this very well on her blog Divinerisim (Do check her out!)

‘Only someone who was raised in a traditional manner will be able to read your fortune in ‘Gypsy’ style. Anyone advertising as a Gypsy and advertising chakra cleansing, aura sprays, yoga, or anything similar (I can confidently say) does not read in the traditional Gypsy manner. I know this because their reading style is clearly influenced by Gorger (Non Romany) culture and only a tiny percentage of Gypsies know what these things are….Like I said before, it is not sufficient to be 100% Romany; you have to be raised like us, to be one of us.
It is possible for Gorgers to, hypothetically, learn how to read like a Romany person through an understanding of our symbolism. However, our spirituality is tied mostly to the way which we live which, in turn, is tied to our upbringing. This worldview is not something you can learn from a book; we live this way from when we wake in the morning to when we go to sleep at night, and our laws and rules affect every area of our life.’
Lisa Boswell

Fabulous resources here for more on the history of Tarot, the Romany Tarot spread and Romany Cartomancy history:

Ah, that was a lovely lesson wasn’t it? Just knowing the history of Tarot makes me love it even more. Hopefully, you enjoyed it too and maybe learned something you didn’t know before? I’d love to hear your thoughts below and on my social channels.

Until next time, Darlings!

Top Image: “Tarot” by kpishdadi is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Easy ‘Kitchen Witchery’ for beginner baby witches

Some simple spells to get you started in your kitchen witch journey!

One of my favourite types of witchcraft that I like to do and is great for beginners is kitchen witchery.

It’s something that can be done everyday and that you can share with your loved ones. Below are some simple spells you can do with everyday items that can be found in your kitchen. Nice.

Make Moon Water

This is a great place to start learning intent and working with the moon and it is so simple to get started. Moon water is a great ingredient for all magick spell work that you may be planning in the future but you can just do it as a monthly exercise to start.

What you will need:

A clear container for water
Water

You can add herbs and crystals etc into the mix later but let’s keep it simple for the purpose of this post

When?

Full Moon. (Next one January 28th ‘The Wolf Moon”)

On the Full Moon, fill your container with water and think of your intentions which you wish to receive for the next month – maybe to find new job opportunities or to attract love or wealth. When you fill the container take another few minutes to really visualise this intent as if it was fact. Literally manifest it into reality. Once you have set your intentions you can then place the water outside to bask in the Moonlight until the next morning.

This water can then be consumed there and then, or saved to be used for recipes and spells when required. It is also great to use for cleansing sprays and beauty magic as well.

I’ll do a larger posts on Moon Water in the next few weeks as you can really make the ceremony super charged – any areas you want me to cover, let me know!

Bay Leaf intention setting and banishing

Bayleaf is one of my favourite herbs, it’s so versatile an ingredient and has amazing magickal properties as well. In fact, as well as putting in food and for manifesting like mentioned below you can also put it under your pillow to help with your dreams and connect with your psychic abilities. Nice!

For intention setting and negativity banishing it’s also packs a punch and here is a quick spell:

You will need:

Bayleaf
Pen
A fire proof bowl
Matches

When?

Can be done any time but I usually use certain moon phases to help empower my magic. It’s great to set intentions on the New Moon and to ‘let go’ or “banish’ certain energies on the Full Moon.

How?

Write what you wish to gain/banish on the bay leaf and then once ready, burn the bayleaf in the fireproof bowl. The smoke will release the intent into the ether and et voila! Your intent has been given to the universe. The universe has your back, daring!

Dinner Magick

I love cooking and I adore cooking for others which is why this is the most common type of magic I do. The main dishes that I make which are:

Stews
Curries
Pasta sauces such as Ragu and Bolognese
Chillies
Soups

But honestly you can use any recipe and tweak it to suit, and that is what I love about witchcraft, as you practice more you develop your own spells and processes.

chillie garlic bayleaf cumin pepper and spices

The reasons I like these recipes (Other than the fact that the are tasty) is that they naturally involve a lot of herbs and ingredients which witches use in their non kitchen spells:

Basil
Oregano
Bay leaf
Cinnamon
Chilli
Thyme
Rosemary
Garlic
Salt
Pepper
etc….

As you add each item to the dish make sure to imagine your intent for each ingredient and as you stir make sure to visualise your goals for the spell. Leave it to simmer – I like to stew all my recipes for several hours to really add depth of flavour and of course so it works it’s magick at same the time. Continue to regularly stir it making sure to stir anti clock wise to banish energy and stir clock wise to bring forward energy that you wish to bring towards you, always making sure to keep your intent clear as you do so. Once it’s ready (And I am the sort of cook where it is never truly ready but people have got to eat!) I dish it up and share out. A great way to self care and bring some magick literally inside you at the same time.

Now, I don’t about you but I am hungry! Do you do any kitchen witchery, if so what sort? I’d love to exchange spells and recipes so make sure to let me know below or on our social channels.

Instagram

Twitter

Tiktok

Until next time, Digital Coven!