TOOL SERIES - The Besom

 Merry Meet, friends!

Thank you for your patience last week. My husband and I celebrated our forty-first anniversary yesterday. Since I was setting up posts for the week on Sunday, I wasn't sure this post was going to happen on time. I have an amazing husband. He is cleaning up the kitchen so I can be here for you. 

Growing up, I knew I was a witch but I didn't know anything about tools. A broom was something I used on Saturday mornings during my housekeeping duties.

Unlike what television and movies show us, unless you can levitate you are not going to be riding a broom any time soon. But it would be cool, yes?

Spiritual besoms are used for sweeping. Not for everyday use but as a spiritual tool for ridding a space of negativity. They don't need to be a full-sized 'house' broom. While I do have a favorite broom I purchased once for a gathering, you can use any size or style. I also have a small broom from a child's housekeeping set. 

THE HOME DEPOT

Another great option, with other properties, is the cinnamon broom. This particular style is easy to find around the fall months. While I've always purchased a couple for their scent, and have a couple of old ones that have lost their cent to create smaller brooms, I just learned there's more to this broom than meets the eye. 

According to Art of the Root LINK the cinnamon has protective energy (which I knew but never thought of in this particular case). Aside from cleansing a space, you can also BRING IN positive energy to a space. 

While I'm not a fan of AI information, I do believe the following is an accurate description. The handle up/ handle down reminds me of the meanings behind horseshoes. Please leave your thoughts in the comments below. 

How to hang a broom:

Handle Up invites in positive energy and a symbol of welcome

Handle Down wards off negativity

You can also place a small broom on your altar, decorate them with charms, crystals, colorful ribbons, or twine. 

Some sources for you:

Everyday Witch A to Z by Deborah Blake

     Page 14 

       You'll find information and instructions for making your own Besom

Kitchen Witch's Guide to Magickal Tools by Patricia Telesco

    Pages 89-94 

      She talks about the history as well as construction and a lengthy list of spells using the besom

Witchcraft on a Shoestring by Deborah Blake

    There are two sections - Pages 19-20, 104-106 as well as Witch's Herbal besom - Page 104

If you're really feeling crafty, check out the youtube video below.

Remember, any tool you make is influenced with your energy and energy. 

Blessed Be!

~ Rain

MINDFUL MONDAY

 Merry Meet, friends!

Blessed Be!

~ Rain

TOOLS SERIES - Delayed

 Merry Meet, friends!

I had to leave the house unexpectedly yesterday, for the entire day. No tools post this week. 

Instead, I invite you to check out this video ahead of next week's Tool post. Do  you have a besom?

Blessed Be!

~ Rain

MINDFUL MONDAY

 Merry Meet, friends!

Blessed Be!

~ Rain

TOOLS FOR WITCHES SERIES - Herbs/ Plants/ Garden

 Merry Meet, friends. Happy Tuesday!

Another essential tool in any witch's cabinet are the herbs. Plants on a window sill or an entire garden, Their medicinal properties as well as their connection to the elements are important in our practice.

Courtesy of Cristina Ferringno - Pixabay

I want a real witch's garden at some point. I intend to make it happen next spring after I revamp the garden this fall. I have three books on my shelf that have been there for years. Two of my favorites are by Kate West. The Real Witches' Garden and The Real Witches' Kitchen. I'll link everything down below with both Llwellyn and Amazon links where available. The other is Garden Witchery by Ellen Dugan (Book 1 in a series).That one also includes a gardening journal. I'd probably photocopy those and put in my garden planner. I'm not a fan of writing in the actual books. I think it would have been nice if she'd printed a gardening journal companion. I did notice she has an entire series dedicated to Garden Witchery so be sure to check out her page on Amazon.

One of the best things, for me, is the patience required to nurture plants and put my own energy into the plants. Whether I intend them for spells or for cooking, I like knowing where the plant came from and that the energy I've infused into its growth will further empower the use. 

You'll often find fresh herb plants at a local farmer's market or even in a big box store. For dried herbs, there are several options both in the big box store, natural food stores and on-line. When shopping on-line, please pay attention to any reviews. Sometimes, at the very bottom of the website home page, you can see how long they've been in business. Also try Etsy or Ebay and look at the reviews. Just type 'dried herbs' in the search bar of any of those last two for a plethora of options. My only concern with purchased dried as opposed to growing my own I'm not always sure how 'fresh' the ingredients are. That said, I do understand that we may not always have the ability to grow our own. 

Keep in mind... your herb garden can be as small as a few pots on your window sill, pots on the deck, or table in front of a sunny window. You don't need a large plot of ground to have an herb garden.

I plan to do an entire series on the individual herbs so stay tuned. I just wanted to get you thinking. If you have herbs you keep on hand, please leave them in the comments below and I'll be sure to include them in the Gardening series this fall.

Here are those promised links:

Ellen Dugan Amazon Page - LINK  (Note: she also writes witchy fiction!)

Garden Witchery by Ellen Dugan - LINK  - Llewellyn Link        

Kate West Amazon Page - LINK

The Real Witches' Kitchen - LINK 

The Real Witches' Garden - LINK 

Blessed Be!

~ Rain

MINDFUL MONDAY

Merry Meet, friends!

Our thought for the day:

Blessed Be!

~ Rain

TOOLS SERIES - Journals and Book of Shadows

 Merry Meet, friends!

Today we're talking about journals as well as our Book of Shadows.

Photo courtesy of garten-gg

Pixabay

I've kept journals in some form since I was young. I think I got my first lock & key diary about the age of ten. I still have that journal. I also have journals that I have made and written in off and on over the years. Journals are an important way to track the changes in our lives but also for keeping notes about spell work. What the conditions were during the spell work, tools used, notes of what did (or did not) work, and thoughts on the over-all process.  These journals are not your book of shadows, though you could keep some of the same information in them. They are more for education, and even sometimes, venting. Places to let out your thoughts no one else needs to know. 

 

You can use anything for your journals. They can be notebook paper in a binder, a composition notebook, a plain journal from the store or one you've made. They can be permanently bound or put together like a traveler's notebook where you have one cover but can add in new pages as you fill them up.

While you can do the same for a Book of Shadows (BOS for short), or Grimoire, when I think of a BOS as more of a recipe book. I have a couple of videos to share from witches I follow on YouTube. They both have great videos on starting a Book of Shadows.

Natural Witchery - Grimoire Making Books, Materials, and Resources.

The Way of the Witch - Starting A New Book of Shadows

If you're really in to creating a junk journal style, check out the following video from Priscilla 

@Releasethecraftin. I believe this is one she made/ sold but you'll get some ideas.

Junk Journal Grimoire

For the longest time I didn't think I could make beautifully artistic pages then I saw a video where a witch uses one of those tracer projectors and blends different images into a cohesive page design. That may be in the second link. I've not watched them in awhile.

I've not watched all of this video but looks interesting. We can discover this one together.

SpiritSpellsMagick - Book Binding a Book of Shadows For Beginners

That should keep you busy. In the mean time, please let me know in the comments if you have a Book of Shadows, a Grimoire, or have you held off starting one for some reason.  Let's inspire and encourage one another.

Blessed Be!

~ Rain

MINDFUL MONDAY

 Merry Meet, friends!

A new month full of promise. Like each day, each month and each phase of the wheel can be a new beginning. 

Blessed Be!

~ Rain