TOOL SERIES -Runes

 Merry Meet, friends!

Thank you so much for your patience. Today's New Moon seems like the perfect time to get caught up.

Courtesy of Earth_Magic on Pixabay

The New Moon today is the perfect time to do a little divination work. Whether you use Tarot, Runes, or other forms, now is the time to think about what you want to attract over the next twenty-one days. Since we're focusing on the Runes as our tool this week, let's dive a little deeper.

Runes are an ancient Northern European system consisting of twenty-five runes, including a blank one. You can find the basic meaning of each one in the Appendix of Deborah Blake's Witchcraft On A Shoestring as well as other reputable sources. If you purchase runes, often they come with a guide to help you identify and interpret their meanings. Each stone has a unique property that makes them effective tools in divination or meditation.

Runes began as a sacred writing system from Scandinavia and Germany, as well as Great Britain. Each sign of the runic alphabet holds it's own energy property which can be used to restore harmony with the natural world. This is why the best stones are inscribed/ engraved on stone, wood, or metal. 

When used as divination, like Tarot, Runes provide fresh perspective of the situation in question. You may also choose a single stone from the bag to become your personal rune. By researching that symbol, you can apply the meaning to your life situation and state of mind.  A single rune may provide an overview of a specific question or situation. 

Another way to use the runes is to select three stones and create a triad to represent your personal hopes and ambitions. Place in a triad, they become a sigil you can place on your altar or area of your home where you will always be rooted in your mind's eye and focusing mental energy on your desires. You can even use runes to chart your future.

EBAY

You can either purchase or make your own runes. I purchased the above set from Spirit Halloween on a trip into the city last week. I may need to get another as a gift for a friend. Her birthday is on Halloween.

In the past I've painted mine on glass stones from $Tree as well as stamped in clay using a metal stamp set for decorating leather. You can use either of these two methods as well as purchasing or harvesting sliced discs from wood and use a permanent marker or a wood burning tool. 

One last tip. When you choose your personal rune, consider making it into a keychain or something you can keep on your person to guide you on your life journey.

Blessed Be!

~ Rain

TOOLS SERIES - Delayed A Week Due To Tech Issues

 Merry Meet, friends!

I wound up last minute tacking on a few extra days to spend with my sister. I am not kidding when I say there was not a single clear surface for me to work at her house! I couldn't work the laptop on my lap because I have to use an external keyboard. Trust me, it's a thing LOL.

We will be talkin RUNES next Tuesday. I promise. 

I'm headed home today.

Blessed Be!

~ Rain

TOOL SERIES - Cleansing

 Merry Meet, friends!

Cleansing is the topic for this week. I thought this was appropriate as we begin Fall cleaning for Mabon. I hope you took time to enjoy Mabon however you chose to celebrate.

Mabon is all about balance. No wonder we Libran's thrive during this time! This is also the time to think about finding balance and cleansing your spaces. But what is cleansing? Why is the ritual important?

While a cleansing can help us center ourselves in preparation for spell work, cleansing of our tools and space is also important. The last thing you want to do is bring tools into a space full of negative energy. Keep that in mind when you purchase items for your space at thrift stores or estate/ yard sales.  Eee gads! 

Think of cleansing as preparing for company, but on a more relaxed scale. 

First, you want to use your besom to clean your space from top to bottom. Hearthwitch just posted a great video for this.

Once your space is cleared, use a smudge stick bundled with Sage or Rosemary. If you're not sure what a smudge stick is, it is a bundle of herbs used to create smoke for spiritual cleansing, healing, protection and purification of spaces, objects and people from negative energy. You can tire your bundle with coordinating colors of fabric strips, or string to match your intention.

Some also refer to this as SMUDGING. The practice has been around for centuries. The Native Americans as well as Egyptians and other countries have been smudging their entire existence and often cleanse themselves by using a sweat lodge with a center fire consisting of woods and herbs.

After using your besom, you can walk from room to room, letting the smoke get into corners and over objects. If smoke of any kind bothers you, a bowl of the herbs sat in the room can also help though IMO not as affective. You can also light incense, such as Myrrh, then walk away. The smoke will do the work and dissipate. Better Homes & Gardens  has Sea Salt & Sage wax melts. I also purchase 'back flow' incense cones in White Sage from Walmart. 

Cleansing tools such as athames, charms, singing bowls, chimes, cups, etc can also be cleansed in the same way. Stones, too, though I prefer to put them out on Full Moon nights. They'll cleanse then absorb all the good energy.  Remember, from Full Moon to New Moon is the perfect time to cleanse anything you don't want the negativity to return or re-attach. Then, use the New Moon to Full Moon period to attract all the positive energy into your tools. I do this with my crystals.

AMAZON

This takes some planning. If you know what workings you're going to want to do, which tools/ crystals you'll want to use then cleanse them ahead of a New Moon then let the Full Moon charge them for your spell work. I'm still working on my book connecting to this planning but you can use the Llewellyn Calendar, the Farmer's Almanac or The Real Witches' Year by Kate West.

By the way, that link to the Llewellyn calendar is for the 2026. Order your copy then spend some time thinking ahead to rituals in the new year. Remember, our New Year is Samhain... just over a month away. Where does the time go?!

Also, there may not be a post on the 30th. I will just be home from a 3 day crafting retreat, followed by a 6 day writing retreat. Trying to finish Book 2 in my Planned to perfection series. If you like Hallmark movies and sweet contemporary romance then I think you'll enjoy An Ozarks Christmas - set in Eureka Springs Arkansas. 

Blessed Be!

~ Rain

TOOL SERIES - Athames

 Merry Meet, friends!

Thank you for your patience yesterday. By the time I found my pillow, the storm front had passed through. Leaving me without the migraine but tired. I'm used to the pattern by now but when I want to accomplish stuff, it really irritates me.

This week, we're taking a look at athames and their uses. First off, what is an athame? Well, an athame by any other name is still an important tool in your supplies. Whether it's a knife, a boline or an athame, you still need one. The athame symbolizes the god or masculinity. Any style will work, as long as it fits your needs and budget. 

The key to finding one (or several) is to look for one that you feel a connection to, has a personal string to someone or something in your life or that just feels 'right' when you hold it. 

For example, I have a couple that my husband gave me. I told him what I wanted a knife for and explain their uses in my practice, he brought out a wooden box full of all styles, shapes, and sizes and told me to pick what I wanted. That is the 'personal string'. For the connection, I have one that was given to my by a police officer over forty-five years ago. He wanted to make sure when I was walking alone at night, I had protection when he couldn't be there. He taught me how to use it if I had to. Then I have one that just feels right, comfortable in my hand. That one is a smaller version of this one:

While not a fan of the handle itself, which we'll talk about next, I do love a double-edged athame. Just seems so sleek to me; elegant even. While I don't like the open-air handle, you could incorporate wraps of some type; particularly if you are using it for a specific purpose where ribbon/ cloth colors could bring more ump to your workings.

This one is a great utilitarian style. You can use a single blade for any spell work.  

So, what do we use an athame for?

As I mentioned earlier, they can be carried for protection. Careful of the 'harm non', factor. But if you are in mortal danger, know how to use one correctly. 

They can be used as a wand - an extension of yourself in any ritual. Remember, the power of any tool comes from within you. You can use an athame to open or close or circle, to draw and point. Whatever you would use a wand for, an athame is a perfect substitution. As Melanie Marquis points out in her book, The Witch's Bag of Tricks, often times the athame is preferred over a wand for cutting negative energy. You can also use it in the kitchen when doing a little kitchen witchery.

In her book, Everyday Witch A to Z, Deborah Blake offers up fun info from the web on why you should have a black athame. She also has the Everyday Witch Book of Rituals where the athame is used.

So tell me in the comments. Do you have an athame? Do you have more than one; one you favor over another for certain things? Inquiring minds. 

In the mean time, I invite you to check out this beautiful Selenite athame at 13moons

Blessed Be!

~ Rain

TOOL SERIES - Delayed to Wednesday

 Merry Meet, friends!

I have been battling a migraine since Sunday evening. I think it's weather related. The front should move through tonight and I can write the post later today and have it posted on Wednesday.

Thank you for your patience.

Blessed Be!

~Rain

TOOL SERIES - Charms

 Merry Meet, friends!

Seems Tuesdays roll around more frequently. I thought today's topic fell right in line with Besoms and Ribbons/ Threads/ Yarns.

I love to add charms to all of my junk journals as well as my besom, wands, and anything else I can attach them to, adding significance to how I intend to use the tool or art piece.

For this post, when referring to charms, I'm talking about pieces of metal (usually) that are either in a representative shape of something or have inscriptions on them. You'll find a wide variety in jewelry making supplies. I usually shop for  mine in either Hobby Lobby, Amazon or Etsy. Even Pandora charms hold a significance for the person wearing the bracelet; each chosen to represent a memory.

THIS particular 100 pack bulk charm set has a wide variety of charms representing all kinds of things from eye glasses to musical notes. 

If your tastes run more to the 'fun' aspects of Halloween, then you might like THIS SET from NIHAO Jewelry.

The Charmed Hare on Etsy

But when it comes to all things witchy, one of my favorite shops on Etsy is TheCharmedHare. I've purchased from them a couple of times. You might also check out TwinCharms66 on Etsy.

So, what do you do with charms?

*Add to your besom twinning

*Add to wands (either by permanent attachment or dangle with fibers)

*Add to a spell bag

*Create your own pendants

*Small windchimes for your altar

Select a charm that best matches your intention, whether it be a protection spell, money spell, etc. 

I do want to caution that anything you purchase, please cleanse before adding to your magic. Impart your intention into the charm by holding it in your hand and envisioning what you want the charm to represent and it's purpose. 

Blessed Be!

~ Rain

TOOL SERIES - Color

 Merry Meet, friends!

Welcome to a new installment of the Tool Series. Today, I want to talk about color.

For as far back as I can remember, I've been in love with color - all colors of the spectrum. I didn't understand the passion until I realized I was a witch. As I began my study of the craft, color melted into every aspect of the practice. 

My favorite way to spend a Saturday was to wander the isles of JoAnns Fabrics looking at all the colors of fabric, yarns, ribbon, papers, inks, and threads. The colors drew me in. I have a warehouse of fabrics and a studio full of yarns, ribbon, and fibers to attest to my addiction. 

When I learned that those colors had correspondences to magic and the things I could create, I was enamored with the concept that color and energy created a strength, a binding, for my spell work. 

If you're new to the craft, colors have different meanings and correlate with whatever intention you want to impart into a spell or candle magic. I purchased THIS digital from Etsy to include in my Book of Shadows as a quick reference guide. The cool thing with purchasing digitals, is I can print this as an entire sheet to put in the BOS, and I can also print a copy to punch out each color individually for single pages.

Here is a great article from Witch and Wand on different ways to use color magic. 

To incorporate colors into your magic, you can use ribbon, yarn or thread into a binding spell, decorate a besom handle, braid a bracelet (remember those friendship braids?), or bind a smudge bundle. You can use specific colors of candles for whatever your intention is for a spell. 

Ms Deborah Blake uses colors in various spells in her Everyday Witch A to Z , Everyday Witch A to Z Spellbook, as well as her Witchcraft on a Shoestring. The Witch's Bag of Tricks by Melanie Marquis also has a substantial amount of information. One last reference is Sew Witchy: Tools, Techniques & Projects for Sewing Magic by Rachel Henderson. I've not read this one but it is available on Kindle Unlimited so I'll be checking this book out soon. 

Another great thing about working with fibers and ribbons is if you are not yet out of the broom closet, you can incorporate intentions to anything without anyone around you being the wiser! Who knew something as simple as color could pack such a punch?

I hope you're finding this series helpful and if you have thoughts to add, please leave them in the comments.

Blessed Be!

~ Rain

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

TOOL SERIES - Tarot

 Merry meet, friends.

Image from RosieLea - Pixabay

The tarot is an ancient art of laying out and interpreting illustrated cards to gain insight into your past, present, and future. (Mind, Body, Spirit)

According to the dictionary - 

1. playing cards, traditionally a pack of 78 with five suits, used for fortune-telling and (especially in Europe) in certain games. The suits are typically swords, cups, coins (or pentacles), batons (or wands), and a permanent suit of trump.

   "tarot is a powerful way of revealing the truth about your life"

There are many different tarot deck designs. Browse the shop on Llewellyn.com and you'll be scrolling for some time, so pour yourself a drink and enjoy the view. 

When I was about twelve, my (step) mom gave me an interesting little pocket book by Dell Purse Books called Your Destiny in 36 cards. (published in 1969)  You'll find a copy at Abe Books . This book uses a standard deck of cards. I haven't used this in many years but I did dig it off my cluttered bookshelf this morning to share with you.

I have two decks that I really love working with. One is the Everyday Witch Tarot by Deborah Blake with beautiful artistry by Elisabeth Alba. There is a standard size deck (complete with guide book) as well as a mini set I have my eye on. 

I also have a Color Your Own Tarot Deck I picked up several  years ago at Barnes & Noble. I love this set because when I draw a card, I can use colored pencils to color in the image as I focus on the message the card wants me to receive while infusing my energy into the card - making it my own. 

There are many ways to read Tarot. You could choose to pull just one card every day. I like to keep a journal of my cards. For this I use the journal pages from MyLifeMyPlans on Etsy.  With this digital, I was able to print the pages out in any size. I chose a personal planner size.  Keeping a journal of your readings allows you to look back and see if there've been any changes in your tarot practice. 

Don't think you can read Tarot or interpret the cards? No problem. A lot of decks come with guide books or there is a wide variety of books available. One of my favorites is Illustrated Tarot Spreads. Also, as I was collecting links I found this one on Amazon. The price $11.11 - you know the numbers had my attention! The book is called Tarot Spreads Workbook.

Whether you have a deck you love or want to test the reading waters, check out the article on Llewellyn about Reading and Ceremony for Charging A Tarot Deck.

If you don't own a tarot deck or haven't pulled yours out in awhile, I encourage you to become familiar with this medium in your practice.

Blessed Be!

~ Rain

SHARING THURSDAY - Witchy Haul - Leap Taken

 Merry Meet, friends.

While chilling with YouTube the other night I came across a LIVE from Leap Taken. She was talking about her witchy tool haul from Dollar Tree, Five Below and Amazon. I really like the kit she shares that she got from Amazon. The link for that is in the description box of her video.  I hope you'll check out her channel.

Here are links to Mika's social media. Note that she no longer writes on the blog but there is a lot of great content on there.

BLOG   YOUTUBE   IG   FACEBOOK   VLOG

Blessed Be

~ Rain

WITCHY BOOKS & TOOLS - Planners

Good morning!

We're to have a beautiful day in the Ozarks. I need pretty days if I'm to get the garden in. 

I didn't get the onions planted yesterday. I started when the temps were still too warm outside for me. I managed to get one of the soaker hoses stretched out but that was it. The rocky ground really needs amended if onions are to grow. That is part of my project for today.

At the risk of not keeping up once Bob gets home, I want to try kicking the BOOKS series off again.  The best way for me to keep up is to get as many of my posts done while Bob is gone, scheduling through his next trip home so I'm not dropping the crystal ball. 

I thought I'd start the series again with planners. I got the idea after watching Teia Kennedy's videos of her planner flip-throughs. I have several that I've purchased and just never make time to use. I'm hoping having to do the blog posts will help.  I want to play in my planners, to know when things are coming up - I just never seem to get there.

So for the month of April we will be talking planners of varying types.

I always by the Llewellyn Witches' Datebook. I love the drawings, the information, the overall layout. I use this more as a reference tool than a planner. I guess that is why they call it a 'datebook'... all the important dates you need to know for the year are there.

If you need to PLAN for things as I do, then an actual planner layout is a must. To give you an idea of how far off the game I realized this morning my Happy Planner Mini is for 2020! Geez. I'll either be redating this one or going with the many I saw on ETSY (click on the link to see what came up on my search for Witch Planners and see if something speaks to you) I've tabbed several to look at later. You'll find some for Tarot. I'll be talking about those next month. 

I also bought the Happy Planner Stargazer sticker book. I found stickers on Etsy as well from Wilson Wylde Sticker Co.

Speaking of Etsy, if you're a digital planner witch, you may want to check out Madame Obscura's Digital witch planner. 

Finally, I have the Moonology Diary 2021  I bought 2020 and never opened it. I'm there now, too. My goal for this month is to get on track with my planners and see if I can't integrate the information from the datebook and diary into one planner. 

Do you use a planner. If so, I'd love to hear about your planner or style of tracking. If you have a youtube channel, let me know so I can come see what you're up to!

Blessings  

~Rain