Witchcraft – Page 3 – Digital Coven

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!

Image creative comms:

“Bayleaf, Dried Oregano, Crushed Chilies, Fresh Thyme” by Jason Sandeman is licensed under CC BY 2.0

“Lorbeerblätter & Pfeffer” by Mario Spann is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

“spaghetti and turkey sausage marinara” by Michael W. May is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

“Multi-colored spices for healthy and tasty cooking on a black background” by wuestenigel is licensed under CC BY 2.0

“Adding Water Elements to my altar — and more to come! — for my Full Moon Water Release tonight. I love working with Water in the Autumn and when the Full Moon is in a Water-associated sign. 💦 For tonight’s Water Release Ritual, join our Facebo” by innerjourneyevents is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

“Southern Witch” by ksunderman is licensed under CC BY 2.0

North London Witch: Beginners guide to Witchcraft #babywitch101

Digtal Coven contributor the fabulous ‘North London Witch’ shares her insights for baby witches who are just starting out ❤

Well, Hello there my Darlings!

I hope that you are doing well and are coping with the eclipse season..ekkk! 2020 huh? What a rollercoaster!

I have a little treat for you as my good Friend, AJ AKA North London Witch over on Instagram and TikTok is doing a guest post today for ya’ll baby witches. Make sure to let us know your thoughts below in the comments or to continue the conversation over on our social channels. Take it away, AJ!

North London Witch :

So you found yourself on ‘witchtok’. It’s beautiful, it’s satisfying, it’s full of badass Queens and you want to join them…

Well, first of all, welcome! Second of all, slow down a smidge…

A lot of what you have seen may be heavily romanticised, under researched and just done for the aesthetic and the views. Sometimes you really have to scroll for hours before you find accurate info. Only today I had a DM from someone who had done a Hoodoo Honey Jar spell and needed help reversing it because, spoiler alert, everything comes with consequences.

I mean… that poor person. More on that another day.

Now, we’re not here to gatekeep so please don’t think that. If anything, we just want you to grow into the fabulous witches we know you can be. It just takes a bit of time.

I know, the spell jars look easy enough and what’s the harm in lighting a black candle during an eclipse… right?

*laughs in tired*

Closed and open practices

Hoodoo, Voodoo, Brujeria, smudging with white sage… I could go on.

They sound fucking cool, i know but unless you were born into that practice or have been invited into that practice by an Elder, it doens’t belong to you.

I am a white half English, half Scottish witch. I wouldn’t dare to start practicing Voodoo as it’s not my culture. Just as I wouldn’t use white sage in cleansing but I can use Garden sage as it grows locally and is open to me.

Basically, there is far too much to unpack here so take a look at yourself and speak to elders where you can and find out what is open to you. In short:

Crystals
Working with the moon
Celtic Craft
Paganism
Wicca

All open practices and many with lots of available resources for you to learn.

All that energy

Before you even think about doing any spell work it’s important you *know* yourself. Know your energies, your emotions, how to ground yourself when you feel like you’re losing control. Spell work is drawn from your power so you need to control that power. If you don’t, spells can backfire, bounce around or come with consequences you couldn’t possibly imagine.

Examples of ways I ground myself and balance my energies:

Watering my plants
Yoga practice
Salt /ritual baths
Morning meditation
‘Pottering’ around my house (doing the dishes, sweeping the floors)
Take grounding walks in nature
Breathe

Let’s notice how none of those things even need supplies… Sure you can introduce crystals and candles later down the line but, for now, there is no need. If you really want to be a witch, you will legit enjoy all of the above without all the pomp and circumstance.

Moon Work

This is one of my favourite things about my witchy ways and is also an excellent way to work out if this path is really for you. You can use the cycle of the moon to set intentions and goals each month and work with each different phase of the moon to achieve them. Many witches just use the Full moon or the eclips to make their moon water or to do spell work but they forget about the rest of the phases. The moon is always there and is there to guide us beyond when it’s full so the other phases really shouldn’t be forgotten.

As a little intro, here are the upcoming moon phases for the rest of November (and some December) so you know when is the peak time for certain activities:

14th December: New Moon In Saggitarius and Total Solar Eclipse

A new beginning

Think of the New Moon as the beginning of a new chapter. Start to think of what your intention can be for this cycle. It can be something as simple as ‘i will get to the bottom of the laundry basket’ or ‘I will learn the magical properties of at least 3 herbs’. OR you can go bigger like, ‘i will let go of stress’ or even ‘I will step up at work. These things don’t have to be life changing when you first start out so don’t put too much pressure on yourself.

I also use this time to cleanse my home for the new cycle (more on that below).

15th December: Waxing first Crescent Moon

The Planning Phase

This is the time to work out whether your intention is right for you right now. Spend this time to really think about it. Meditate. Write a list of every action you can take to achieve your intention, but also a list of everything you shouldn’t do.

21st December: Waxing first quarter moon AND the Winter Solstice

The Action Phase

And here we are at the ACTION moon. Start putting all your energies into working towards your intention / goal. Work through your lists, manifest. Basically, Do the Thing.

25th December: Waxing Gibbous Moon

The Review Phase

This is where you check in with yourself. How is it going, are there any obstacles between you and your intention / goal, is there anything you’re doing that needs refining a bit more? Is there something completely not working that you can just let go of so it doesn’t take your energy away when you could be putting it towards something else?

30th December: Full Moon in Cancer

The Party Phase

And then we celebrate… if you have achieved your intention for the cycle, it’s party time. If you haven’t, it’s OK! You can simply just thank the universe for giving you the time and energy to try. You may have succeeded but you can always try later, clearly *this* period was just not the right time for that intention.

Work on your gratitude list, everything that brought your joy during this cycle (even simple things like Festive Coffees are now available)

You can also use this time for ritual baths, simple spell work, charge your crystals in the moonlight, make your moon water, honour your ancestors, drink wine, make a banging dinner. It’s basically an opportunity to have your own little party every month and who wouldn’t want that?

2nd January: Waning Gibbous moon

What comes next

The waning gibbous reminds us all that although we may have made progress in some areas, there is always still more work to be done. Identify one area of your life that needs more of your attention and let go of anything that is getting in your way.

6th January: Last Quarter Moon

The let go and release phase

Ah, the ‘let go’ moon. Always a nice one. This is a good time to purge. Get rid of anything that isn’t giving you purpose. I always use this moon phase to start getting ready for my intention phase and use three days to do a deep clean of my house so i have no other energies affecting mine. But also so you have space in yourself to receive something new. Think about what your intention for the next cycle would be and use this time to make the physical and mental space for it.

If your goal would be to ‘keep on top of the laundry basket’, maybe use this time to purge your wardrobe and donate any clothes you don’t wear. It’ll be much more manageable with fewer things.

13th January: New Moon in Capricorn

And we start the cycle again.

Cleansing

All of the above requires a cleansed and safe space. No, I don’t just mean cracking open the Zoflora (although that totally counts) as there is a difference between clean and cleansed.

When you’re entering the path, it’s all about how you work with energy so surely the energies around you need to be balanced.

Cleansing your space (and your tools) essentially gives you a blank yet charged slate. You can remove negativity, heavy energies, discourage spirits and more by simply cleansing.

Simple ways to cleanse:

burn dried garden or blue sage (basically any variety that grows locally to you, not white sage)
Burn dried rosemary
Burn incense – sandalwood is my favourite
Create a cleansing spray (shall share a recipe another day)
Make your zoflora concoction with moon water

Aaand *breathes*

This post was meant to be short but it really wasn’t! It may seem like a lot, but a lot of it is very simple, it just requires dedication. And remember, we are all still learning, regardless of how long we have been practicing. Buy some books (or use google, witchipedia is excellent and free) and start researching.

If you’d like more tips on how to get started with witchcraft, you can follow me at @NorthLondonWitch on TikTok and Instagram.

Image creative comms:

“Smudging” by Cornelia Kopp is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0

“Moon Phase Collage” by StephenGA is marked with CC0 1.0

“creativecommons | incense burner” by *AndrewYoungPhoto* (writing_with_glass) is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Witch Craft on a budget

Don’t let poverty prevent your work! Witchcraft on a budget doesn’t mean budget results…

Hello Coven,

One can be easily swayed when trawling through the cesspit of shame – or ‘Instagram’ as it likes to refer to itself, that to be a Witch one needs to have a shit load of money for crystals, candles and for a Monthly manicure. You know the ones, the Black Taloned witchy hands that make one question ‘just how do they wipe their arse?’* The truth is dear reader, that you need jack shit to be a Witch and to do Witchcraft. The magic is in you. It’s really that simple. All these tools that you talk about are just that, tools to help you connect with your magic better.

You’d never say just because someone can’t afford a paint set doesn’t mean they are not an artist or creative and of course, that old saying ‘A workman never blames their tools’ is a very apt one here.

Now as someone who properly got practising from the age of about 12, I had very little money to work with and worse, I had very little access to the internet in those days… so anything remotely witchy was expensive!

So here are some of my little witchy hacks to do Witchcraft without whacking the wallet too much

White Candles

White candles can substitute for any other colour candle. Setting your intentions, and dressing them in a highly focused way (Oils, Sigils, carving, GLITTER etc) can be just as effective as getting the recommended colour. We often use colours in magic to help us tune into the energy.

So if you are short on pounds or dollars just get a pack of white candles as they can be universally used.

Quartz is Queen

Like with white candles, clear quartz can be used in replacement for other types of crystals. If you can only invest in one crystal, I’d recommend this. The key point here is that crystals do vibrate and have different makeups, which is why they are so useful to work with, so if you can get the right crystal for that vibe you need to do so but if you can’t, clear quartz will help as much as they can. Thanks, Quartz! ❤

That being said my first was rose quartz but my heart demanded I get it so you know, so do go with your intuition as well.

Kitchen herbs are fine.

Look, we’d all love to be able to forage for fresh herbs and spend several days gathering our spell ingredients in the meadow barefoot whilst we hum along to the sound sounds of the bees but life gets in the way for most of us. Also, in the UK a sprig of fresh basil is about 80p when I was stateside it was insanely expensive….Basically, what I am trying to say is if your parents, housemate or you have some herbs dried at home, they are A-ok to use and you shouldn’t be Witch shamed for using them.

Useful all Kitchen spell ingredients

Sea salt (Cleansing and purification)
Onion chopped (Protection)
Basil (Love)
Garlic (Protection)
Thyme (Money Drawing/Health)
Cinnamon (Love/Protection)
Allspice (Health)
Bay leaf (Protection)
Rosemary (Love/Healing)

Jar spells?

Oh a pasta sauce jar will do. In fact, any jar will do. For real, if you can seal it then you can make a spell with it. Trust me, some of my best spells have come from inside an empty jar of Ragu original or a glass soda bottle.

Cauldron calling you?

Before I brought my cast little iron cauldron, I used to burn my bay leaves etc in a saucepan. Works perfectly fine 😉

Paper and pen are pros!

My goodness, the things you can do with just a piece of paper and a pen, if you really want to go to town then throw in a white candle and you have the tools to create something really special. From developing sigils, or just writing wishes and burning them at the new moon, these two have unending power. Also, don’t worry about getting a fancy Grimore or book of shadows – most of my written work is done in a bog-standard £1 notebook…I am yet to find the Grimoire which will be lifelong collection of my work so don’t pressure yourself.

Find your digital coven!

Facebook is full of witchy communities that are happy to swap surplus items or help other witches out if they need something. I am the Queen of giving old books away, as I’d rather they get a second life elsewhere. DM and I will happily send through some great group links based on your location.

So what are you witchcraft on a budget hacks? Let me know below, I love to hear about them.

Love, Love.

Ems x

*Oh come, we’ve all asked it. All of us.

**And if you do have one of those manicures, please DM as I sincerely wish to know the technique as I can hardly type with short nails as it is! No shade, only respect!

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