probably my favorite thing about witchcraft is how diy it is. like, I used to be catholic and it was like “this has power because it was anointed by a priest” and witchcraft is like “fuck that. anoint it yourself. you have all the power of the universe in your little hands” and I love it.
A lot of this may seem like common sense, but it needs to be repeated, because Hi, I’m the Mom Friend. Stay safe, friends.
Don’t leave candles burning unattended. Do you want to burn your house down? That’s how you burn your house down. Get a candle snuffer if you’re uncomfortable blowing out your candles or you can use LED candles instead.
If you get a strange reaction to your incense, oils, or herbs, please talk to your doctor. There’s a lot of stuff that you might not realize you’re allergic to. Some people refuse to admit when they have an adverse reaction to their supplies. Don’t be silly. You can swap out any of your supplies for something else that won’t affect your health.
If you practice blood magic, always sanitize your instruments and wounds, or wait to use the blood from accidental wounds. Study first aid until it’s as fluent as a strongly studied second language if you practice blood magic. Stay safe medically, the same goes for sex magic.
Are you foraging for things to use in your craft at a local park or beach? Buy a field guide from your local book shop or borrow one from your local library. It’ll help you discern what’s safe to touch, take, and use from what could potentially result in hives, illness, or worse. I find it also helps to photocopy the images and add them to my grimoire or BoS for reference later on.
Don’t burn anything you have not fully researched. If you’re not sure if that leaf you found could cause your dog to have a seizure or cause you to go blind, find out what it is first. Research is a witch’s best friend.
Pet-safe your practice. If you have pets that may wander into your space, make sure that nothing you’re using can make them sick. This applies to small pets like hamsters and the like who may be restricted to cages and can’t be away from your space while you’re practicing as well.
Watch where you go. If you’re going to practice outside, make sure you’re not trespassing on anyone’s property. Safety includes keeping yourself safe from the law too, pals.
Use common sense and intuition. If something doesn’t feel right, don’t do it.
I hope you guys don’t mind if I go off on a tangent here for a second.
For anyone who doesn’t know about Slippy the magical wonder horse, you probably should. Sleipnir (roughly translated to “Slippy” or “the slipper”) is a mythical eight-legged horse who serves as Odin’s faithful mount in Norse mythology. But how did Sleipnir come to be, you ask? What is his origin story? Well sit your asses down, dear readers, and I will tell you. As the story goes, some guy and his horse were commissioned to build a wall around Valhalla, except the gods didn’t want to pay him for it. In response to this issue, Loki decided it was a good idea to turn INTO A HORSE and seduce the guy’s workhorse in order to prevent him from finishing the wall in time. After running around and doing horse things all night, Loki – as a FEMALE HORSE, mind you – became pregnant and gave birth to a gray horse foal, who just so happened to have eight legs for some reason. So here we have Slippy the horse, who is described as “the best of all horses” due to the fact that he has eight legs and can run SUPER FAST. Because, you know, the more legs the better. I just want to clarify that this is all canon in Norse mythology, by the way. You can read about it in the wikipedia article here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleipnir. So know that this is real, and I am not making it up.
Loki’s son, Slippy. Slippy the horse. Slippy the F**KING HORSE.
Anyway, thank you for reading this important public service announcement. In appreciation, I have provided you with an animated depiction of what Slippy might look like while running. This majestic creature wears an expression marked by blind jubilation, as I imagine it is the only emotion Slippy knows.
I’m also doing readings for donation. If you can’t buy a full spread, I can pull a card for a suggested donation of 1$ for a tarot card, 5$ for an oracle card, or 5$ for a pendulum reading!
Donate what you can, and if you cant donate or buy a reading please spread this and my other post around! I really need to get my meds asap! thank you!!!
Quit asking witch blogs for medical advice and go see a doctor
Unless someone explicitly states they are a doctor do not ask people across the internet for medical advice. Essential oils are NOT substitutes for actual medicine. It makes witches really uncomfortable when we get asks like this in our inbox.
When you ask a non doctor medical questions you are willfully denying yourself accurate medicinal treatments, doing that could end up harming you further. The witch blogger on the other side of the screen doesn’t know if the advice they give is going to interact with your current medication. If anything goes wrong they could be held liable and that’s not fair since they are not a doctor.
Don’t be those asshole who ask non doctors for medical advice. Go see a trained professional and get that proper diagnosis.
GO TO THE DOCTOR
I’d like to add that as a witch who works in a shop that is specifically for essential oils and topicals AND is a bio major, I still recommend to customers that consulting with a doctor FIRST is very important. Essential oils act as a way to suppress pain or distressed emotions, not get rid of them completely. Just because peppermint is good for my migraines doesn’t mean I still don’t need a pill to get rid of it entirely. If you are currently on a specified medication, SEE A DOCTOR FIRST. If you have high or low blood pressure, SEE A DOCTOR FIRST. If you get epilepsy or seizures, SEE A DOCTOR FIRST.
Also PLEASE refrain from using essential oils on children and animals, especially oils like peppermint, eucalyptus, and birch as those can mess with their respiratory system.
Just please trust your doctors, they went through extensive training and school to be certified to specifically help you.
Some things of note, because I’ve seen some tear off people’s heads over this :
You can see a doctor first And still use witchcraft as a supplement/compliment, just make sure nothing you’re doing interacts with your treatment
I think there’s two conversations here. Serious medical conditions vs mild common every day symptoms (headache) or just not feeling well. If you come to a witch complaining of a sore throat and a headache, I see no problem/issue with the witch recommending some teas or a general healing spell or some shit. Like I don’t think anyone’s trying to say tea and a healing spell will cure cancer, but it’s perfectly acceptable for minor ass every day shit.
I feel like people forget witches are the Original Healers. This isn’t trying to say that we’re superior to medicine, I just feel like a lot of times people request witchy advice for very innocent reasons and then the witch attacks them and it’s really just a miscommunication—they’re not asking you to cure them of a legit disease. I think it’s more “I have these minor common symptoms” or “I saw a doctor and taking treatment, but what crystals/candles/visualization can I use to speed the healing process” or “I took cold medicine but what can I also do to get over the cold quicker” or “I’m just not feeling/sleeping well”. Witchcraft may not be able to cure, but it can Help in some specific cases.
The above matters because of the placebo affect. A lot of times you have to believe you can/are get/getting better in order to get better. Studies show people who believe in something whether it’s religious faith or spirituality, they heal faster with less complications. Faith matters, and witchcraft can help in this regard. If nothing else it provides comfort and control in a situation where there originally was no comfort or control.
Let’s not forget not everyone in America can afford or has access to health care.
I am open to correction and this may or may not be an unpopular opinion, and obviously we can agree to disagree. Shits just not as black and white as people would like it to be.
Okay since we’re apparently still talking about this:
Do Not Ask Witches Over The God Damn Internet For Medical Advice. GO TO THE GOD DAMN DOCTOR
1.) I agree completely. Go to the Doctor first. Period. Talk about Other Options and What other Alternatives you can think of with your Doctor first
2.) You can use Google the exact same way I can to say: here have some _____ Tea to help with ____ Symptoms. Google Is Free And Easy To Use.
3.) Original Healers or Not: You’re trying to equate NOW A DAYS witches to BACK THEN herbologists who studied and trained under that stuff for many years. YOU CANNOT EQUATE THE TWO!!!!! I have ABSOLUTELY ZERO KNOWELDGE of that stuff! In regards to looking to cure small issues Again See Point 2.
4.) See Points 2 & 3
5.) How the fuck am I, a single person over the internet who cannot even afford their own health care coverage, supposed to do for someone else who cannot afford their own coverage? I get it that not everyone can afford a doctor. But You should ABSOLUTELY NOT seek out witchcraft as a DIRECT MEDICAL ALTERNATIVE. The Advice that is given out from a “Well intention-ed witch” has ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA OF A PERSONS MEDICAL HISTORY OR WHAT EFFECTS MIXING WITCH WISDOM WITH ACTUAL MEDICINAL PILLS WILL DO OR HOW IT WILL EFFECT SAID PERSON. Everyone wants a quick Cheap and Free cure for shit. I GET IT I REALLY FUCKING DO. I don’t make the shit ass laws that govern medicinal practices and its not fair that im expected to stick my neck out over this.
Do Not Ask Witches Over The God Damn Internet For Medical Advice. GO TO THE GOD DAMN DOCTOR
You Risk Your Own Personal HEALTH and SAFETY by doing that and you can get that person into a lot of trouble should ANYTHING go wrong. A person over the internet is NOT a substitute for ACTUAL PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL CARE.
I am really fed up with this topic and really cannot comprehend why its so hard for people to just NOT ASK WITCHES FOR MEDICAL ADVICE. JUST FUCKING DON’T GUYS.
Do Not Ask Witches Over The God Damn Internet For Medical Advice. GO TO THE GOD DAMN DOCTOR
Next person who brings this up is getting blocked. I’m Completely and UTTERLY DONE WITH THIS BULLSHIT.
USE YOUR GOD DAMN COMMON SENSE GUYS. GO SEE A FUCKING DOCTOR.
I’m getting REAL tired of the witch community telling: trans-witches, male witches, nonbinary witches, genderfluid witches and everyone else who is not cis female they can’t be witches.
NEWSFLASH
They can. Anyone can be a witch. Stop your gatekeeping bullshit. If I see you saying that they cannot be, I will block you. End of story.
as we approach the anniversary of “the bone incident” i thought this was important. not an expert in law, but throughout my practice this is a list i have gathered of things that may conflict with things you may want to do in your craft
there are just some things that are straight up against the law. this isn’t aimed at your religious freedoms, this is about following the laws of the land you live in. while your religion/spiritual beliefs may allow and encourage it, that may not be coincide with what is legal in your area.
🐦 bird feathers – some species of birds and animals are endangered and collecting their feathers or remains is against the law. this varies from state to state, so you should check the laws of your area before collecting things you find in the wild. (x)
📩 plants/animal parts in the mail – there are a number of restrictions on what can and cannot be safely mailed in a sanitary method, and they need to be followed. (x)
📖 teaching witchcraft to minors – in many places, it is the parents who get first and only say in what religion is taught to their child, until they reach the age of majority. legal action can often be brought against those who teach a minor witchcraft without the parent’s consent. (x)
💀 digging up bones – just no. collecting bones that somehow come out of the graves is off the table too. the selling and buying and overall collection of human bones is often illegal, if not entirely. (x)
🌍 littering – spells that tell you to bury a glass jar somewhere, or to throw it in the ocean are not only harmful to the environment, they’re illegal, and subject to fines and prison time. you need to find a decompose-able method or a different spell (x)
🍷 tampering with someone’s food or drink – no matter what your intentions are, giving someone a love potion or something for their benefit, this is illegal in every state. not to mention, you don’t know if they’re allergic to what you put in. (x)
🔪 human sacrifice – i’m not even going to source this. you should know better.
💉 improper disposal of spell remains – be very careful on how you dispose of a spell, and make sure you aren’t introducing mercury or other toxic chemicals into the ecosystem. it’s bad for your surroundings, and it’s illegal (x)
🐕 animal abuse – it does not matter how sacred animal sacrifice and abuse it to your craft, if it breaks the laws, you should rethink it. (x)
🚷 trespassing – no matter how much you may want to pick some herbs that grow on someone else’s property, doing so without permission is trespassing and stealing. not to mention dangerous, as there are states with laws that allow the owner to bare arms against trespassers. (x)
🔥 fire safety – so you go out into the woods to set up a ritual, cool. but you dont pay attention to the fire alert that day and a stray spark from your ritual candles could start a forest fire and endanger countless people. it does not matter what stars are in position, if smokey the bear says no, do it a different day. (x)
this is not about dictating your beliefs or repressing your religious freedom. this is about public safety and respecting other people’s rights. practicing magic does not put you above the law, and it does not make your whims more important than the safety and rights of other people. if you do any of these, you’re not expressing your beliefs, you’re putting those around you in danger.
this is based on my experience in america and in reference to american law. if you have any more to add or other countries’ law restrictions, feel free to add.
may the bridges I burn light the way 