So, fellow cat owners, you have a problem. And that problem is that your cats won’t stop utterly destroying your carefully-curated shrines. Well, I can’t offer a magical cure-all, but here’s a little tip my boyfriend @foxesandflames figured out for his Loki shrine, and I’ve since adopted for the house spirits:
Get a crate. I got mine for $10 at Walmart, but you can check out your local craft store, or probably even the local dollar store if you’re not opposed to plastic crates. Heck, you could probably use a cardboard box. We use wooden crates because they’re a little heavier, reducing the risk that our cats will just push the entire thing over.
Ever since we set our house spirit shrine up in a crate, the most the cats do is sit next to it and poke their little heads in to drink out of the offering water (protip: if you have pets, DO NOT leave out offerings that are unsafe for said pets to consume–just don’t). They’ve yet to knock anything over. They’ve left my boyfriend’s Loki shrine alone entirely.
I also recommend using plastic or otherwise hard-to-break dishes for offerings, and using statues or other entity representations that you wouldn’t be devastated to lose. I also don’t recommend burning candles or incense inside one of these–candle flames especially need a few feet of clearance so you don’t scorch whatever’s above them.
But if you need a simple fix to help discourage cats from climbing all over your shrines, get yourself a crate. Works wonders. You can even decorate the crate.
I swear by this trick. Not only has it kept the cats off my altar, but it’s also given my whole altar more of a spirit house vibe and it means I can put decorations along the back and sides of it.
(my altar is so cluttered right now, don’t judge me)
“I Need A Fucking Job!!” Spell Jar
pictured with selenite, aventurine, and citrine
Stuff
A jar
Green wax (candle, crayon, etc)
*Green feather -abundance, money
Allspice- money
Almond- luck, money
Bay leaf-success, prosperity
Cedar- money, strength
Basil- luck
Chili/cayenne pepper- speed this bitch up
Steps
1. Cast circle/cleanse workspace/whatever you normally do at the beginning of a spell. I just put peppermint in my diffuser and drank some water tbh
2. Layer the ingredients as you wish. Repeat your intent as you go. Mine was “I get the job I need asap” I recommend writing this on the bay leave and crushing it up with a mortar and pestle (I also ground up the almond bc it wouldn’t fit into the tiny jar whole)
3. Seal that bitch with some wax. I chose green bc money
4. Charge with crystals or moonlight or whatever you want
5. Keep it somewhere. I’m gonna put mine in my bag with my wallet
*I used feathers I got from my girlfriend’s bird. He’s molting a bit and these feather got stuck to my shirt. DO NOT PLUCK BIRBS FOR FEATHERS OR USE FEATHERS FROM ENDANGERED SPECIES. CHECK LAWS IN YOUR AREA CONCERNING PICKING UP FEATHERS. PLZ BE NICE TO BIRBS
Loki: Hi there people, just wanted to stop by to say hi.
But also I wanna speak directly to that person reading this who is in search of that connection. That connection, humans crave of being wanted and desired by someone else. To be needed by somebody else. This connection doesn’t necessarily have to be out of something intimate like love or affection, it can be one of mutual benefit or of practicality.
What I want to say to you reading this is, I know how you feel, that nagging feeling of shame/regret/anxiety eats away at you. Wherever you are, whoever you are, it doesn’t matter what led you to this point. This is me saying it’s ok to cry, it’s ok to be pissed, it’s ok to laugh in the face of a world crashing down around you.
I’m here for you in ways that may seem unconventional and albeit kinda roundabout/idiotic at times. But it’s all in the interest of the long term plan. It may hurt now, it may hurt tomorrow, but eventually you’ll wake up and the pain will be behind you.
It’s ok to be skeptical or confused about the obstacles that crop up, life is one great long path made up of obstacles. Seek out that second or third opinion, no one is completely infallible or can’t get something wrong.
Ultimately what you should strive for is to be true to yourself above all else. Lying can be useful when done to others in some circumstances, however don’t lie to yourself. When we do that, we are only blinding ourselves to the path we must face, even if it hurts us.
I hope my rambling words helped someone, even if it was just one person. Good luck with that path of yours.
may the bridges I burn light the way 