Ethical Alternatives to White Sage and Palo Santo + thoughts on Silicon Valley Shamanism

July 30, 2020 — Leave a comment

What’s up witchy pals?!?

What a world we are living in right now! If you’re feeling some intense energy right now, it’s because THERE IS A WHOLE LOT OF SHIT GOING ON. No planets to blame it on, just chaos happening all over our planet. But I’m pretty sure you don’t need me to remind you of that, so let’s move on to what you can do to reset the vibe of your personal space to at least momentarily savor a sliver of inner peace (or something like that).

More specifically, let’s talk about ways to connect with our own spirituality while being respectful of Indigenous people and traditions. We’ll cover ethical alternatives to White Sage and Palo Santo and explain why it is harmful to appropriate sacred Indigenous practices. And I’ll leave you with plenty of inspiration to develop your own cool tricks for keeping vibes high.

WEIRDEST WILDEST houseplant haul EVER! The most EPIC types of air plant / tillandsia! (AIR PLANT HUB)

July 16, 2020 — Leave a comment

What is up, weird, wild, and wonderful witches?

You don’t have to answer that. I know.

Here is another question I don’t expect you to answer: ARE YOU READY FOR THE MOST EPIC AIR PLANT HAUL EVER? I already know you can’t wait to see all the coolest air plant varieties fresh out of the box from Air Plant Hub! Join me for a fun houseplant haul / unboxing and to check out some specimens that look like they should be growing on another planet in a distant galaxy… yet here they are!

Witchy garden ideas and tips + MAGICAL GARDEN TOUR!

May 24, 2020 — Leave a comment

Happy weekend, my illuminated beings of love and light! The extra brilliance of the sun and the heat wave sweeping through Northern California seem to be inspiring a stronger yearning for outdoor activity. (I can feel it in the air, okay? It’s too nice out!)

With the ability to adventure outdoors still being limited, I find myself spending more and more time in my witchy little backyard garden! If you have even a little outdoor space at home, why not turn it into a magical witch garden of your own? It is still spring, after all!

Still working on your green thumb? Worry not! You do not need to be a gardening expert or a seasoned green witch to make your dreams of the perfect witch’s garden come true! I started with one plant I received as a gift that I was terrified I would accidentally kill! But I kept dreaming of a magical sacred garden flourishing around me, and I decided to take baby steps towards this goal. Now it is time to pass all the witchy garden ideas and tips I have uncovered to you!

I spy a fairy ring!

May 16, 2020 — 1 Comment

Ever since I adopted this little cactus, magical things have been happening in my backyard. Flowers and plants seem to love to sprout around it! After it became embraced by enthusiastic nasturtiums, I scooted it over, and the most magical little fairy ring soon followed.

Have you seen a fairy ring? This phenomenon refers to any natural growth in a ring-like pattern – circles of mushrooms, flowers, even trees can sprout up! Legend has it these rings bring luck, but don’t mess with them or you’ll potentially get the opposite!

I think it is the sweetest thing that my cactus has made flower friends! One upside of being home is I notice every little update in plant activity here. Stay tuned for a garden tour soon!

sand dunes & sea figs

May 14, 2020 — Leave a comment

Hello, lonely world.

One of my favorite activities lately has been sitting with my butt on the sand. It feels so grounding. On my (socially distant) walks I like to plop down on the local sand dunes and look up at the sky, listening to the sea.

Here along the California coastline the sand dunes are covered in flowering dense green succulents. I just learned that these magical plants are called sea figs. How whimsical is that?!? They look like chunky cartoon versions of grass erupting in aquatic-looking yellow and pink flowers. Apparently they are edible too?!?

All about air plants: how to care for different varieties, why they’re so awesome, and more!

May 6, 2020 — 2 Comments

Ahhh, air plants! These funky little guys, also known as Tillandsia, absorb water and nutrients from tiny crystalline trichomes on their leaves, never requiring the fuss of pots or soil! Although they have gained a reputation for being an “easy” beginner plant, after careful research I learned they do require a bit of specialized care. Different air plants have different personalities and preferences! Determined to be the best plant parent I can be, I have searched the Internet far and wide for information on how to care for all the different varieties of air plants. Now that I have been successfully caring for (and steadily growing my collection) of air plants for over a year, I feel confident that the knowledge I have acquired is worth sharing. Now you too can crack the code of these magical and mysterious life forms!

some peaceful plant programming to give your brain a break

April 5, 2020 — Leave a comment

I know we’ve been isolated from the outside world for quite some time, but is anyone else feeling bombarded? Especially for those of us with empathic tendencies, the heaviness of the world right now can easily feel like it’s settling on our shoulders. While I agree it is a reasonable thing to stay aware of our current situation, I think it’s also important to take regular breaks from all the news. I’m not a huge fan of spending tons of time watching TV, but I know it can feel nice to play something relaxing for a little while to take your mind off a reality that feels like it’s been taken over by the screenwriters of Game of Thrones. (Which I would NOT recommend watching for relaxation, by the way.) I kid you not, last night I felt a huge wave of empathic anxiety coming on, and totally chilled it the fuck out thanks to watching the following material. So to pay it forward and give all of our brains a much-needed break, today I’ll be sharing one of my go-to relaxation techniques: watching my favorite plant channels on YouTube!

connecting with plant consciousness

January 29, 2020 — 1 Comment

Plants! Whether you live in a jungle, a concrete jungle, or somewhere in between, chances are you’ve walked past at least one plant today. You may have passed by without a mere thought in its direction, but next time you may want to pause for a second and say hi!

Just like us, plants are expressions of life. Every living thing is an outward expression of life. If you take a moment to truly stop and look, you can get a sense of the kind of life each living thing is expressing. Take looking at a person, for example. Just by watching someone, you can read their facial expression, their body language, perhaps even the type of energy they embody. Taking the time to note these characteristics can give you helpful information. In much the same way, you can get to know plants, and I’d like to share how this can be helpful to you too.

CALIFORNIA WITCHCRAFT

PLANTS & WITCHCRAFT