love spells, hexes, and how not to turn your love spell into a hex

Love spells, hexes, and how not to turn your love spell into a hex!

What is up witchy friends?!?

Last Friday I celebrated my 3 year anniversary of self partnership! In honor of this occasion I decided to share my knowledge and experience regarding love spells, hexes, and how not to turn your hex into a love spell! (Hey, I learned the hard way so you don’t have to.)

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ethical alternatives to white sage and palo santo

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

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.

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weird dreams lately dream sachet diy

Weird dreams lately? Try this dream sachet DIY!

If the dystopian nightmare that is 2020 is spilling over into your sleep and causing you to have weird dreams, you are not alone! I have seen countless articles come out about “weird pandemic dreams” and all of my friends seem to be confirming this as well. With the combination of strange waking life, shifting planetary / lunar / celestial influences, and more time at home to slip into dreamland, it’s no wonder so many of us are having strange experiences at night.

We all already know how important sleep is for your immune system and sanity, and those two things are more essential than ever. So if you too have been experiencing weird dreams lately, there is good news for you! There is an easy solution that can magically influence your dream experiences: a dream sachet, also known as a dream pillow. Read on to learn why it works and how to get in on some dream sachet DIY action yourself.

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How to get started as a witch: find your unique spiritual path & WAKE UP to your magic! (IN DEPTH DISCUSSION)

What’s up witches??

You may have already heard humanity is in the midst of something called a consciousness shift, meaning many people are waking up to the knowledge that there is more to life than what we have previously been told.

Spiritual awakening is in the air, and I am getting asked more than ever by those waking up to their magic, “Where the heck do I begin?” So open that beautiful mind of yours up and slip on your grooviest shades, because I am about to show you not only how to get started as a witch, but how to find your own unique spiritual path.

This is such a good question because embarking on your magical journey can be a LOT. While there is more information available now than ever before, having so many options can hard to decide how to get started as a witch. So where should you begin? Fear not, your witchy gal pal is here to spill the secrets of how to wake up to your magic! Today I’ll be sharing my favorite magical things to look into when you are getting started on your spiritual path.

Check out this trippy video I made on the subject, and follow along with my class notes here:

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spell crafting

Build-A-Spell Workshop!

Welcome to my workshop, witches! If you were a 90s-ish baby, you might possess a vague childhood memory of taking a factory tour to custom build a stuffed animal. I’m here to take you on the magically-inclined adult version! What I have compiled for you here is a basic guide to building your own spells. I believe that there is a special power in crafting your own spells; you are infusing their every detail with your intentions. Whether you’re new to spell crafting or seeking further inspiration, this build-a-spell workshop is full of the most important details to keep in mind.

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What is California Witchcraft?

After a whole lot of soul searching, I decided to make a few changes around here!

It’s time to get crystal clear on what I’m doing, so I updated the name of this website to more accurately reflect the particular type of magic we’ll be exploring together. California Witchcraft is my signature blend of spiritual practices, cultivated over a lifetime of researching magical subjects while living near the Northern California coast. Just like our local vibe, it’s laid-back; there is no specific belief system it requires you to subscribe to, and I keep my rituals fairly simple for ease of use and maximum zen.

Practicing California witchcraft is half meditation, half magic. The spells and rituals I offer here are primarily meditations to help you focus your energy, boosted by the power of adding a mystical element to inspire and enhance the experience. Combining meditation and magic has brought me great inner peace and happiness since childhood, and it is this lovingly brewed concoction I am offering to you.

Mirroring the diversity of California’s landscape, this blog will be covering a vast array of magical topics to add extra layers of enchantment to your everyday life.

Just like California, my particular vein of magic looks on the bright side. We’re all about a healthy dose of sunshine out here, so all of the spellwork offered here will be for the “good witch” – focused on positive energy. I feel it is important to also assert that I am not here to preach blind positivity to a world that doesn’t want to hear it; I’m here to remind a worn-out world that it is made of magic.

Living a magical life is a choice that is yours to make at any time, no matter what your circumstances are. I’ll spare you the gory details, but I did not have the easiest childhood. (I would joke about how you can tell from my tattoos, but we all know that’s BS. There are plenty of “normal” looking people who come from fucked up backgrounds, just as many alt babes who get stereotyped as having “daddy issues” come from loving families.) I have always been an optimist, realizing early on that being happy is a choice independent of one’s external circumstances; I have worked through some serious shit to get to this a sunny state of mind! So I promise that while I will always lean towards the light, I’ll keep it real with you too. While positive intentions will be behind everything we cover here, some shadow work will be offered as well.

Influenced by a lifetime of immersion in the magic California has to offer, I will be heavily emphasizing the power of spending time in and around nature, and we’ll also wander into some groovy hot topics involving psychedelia. My goal in sharing this is to empower others to learn about and seek out the more ethereal aspects of life that can really enrich your experience here on this planet. Opening one’s heart to the current of deep mystery that runs beneath the veil of our everyday routines can allow life to become an ever-evolving adventure filled with infinite possibilities – and much more fun!

Now more than ever, with a global pandemic drastically changing our world, we need to recognize our ability to create a safe space within ourselves, regardless of what is happening outside us. While it’s important not to turn a blind eye to these external happenings, I want you to always have access to some good news. It is for this reason that I am hereby committing to writing to you daily for as long as the quarantine orders are in effect – we’re in this together, okay? I’ll be your witchy gal pal along the way, and together we can give a voice to the more playful, accessible side of the divinity that lies within all of us.

march 31 blue moon

What the blue moon means, and how it can help you glow too

It’s the last day of March, but what else makes this time special? It’s the night of the second blue moon this year! I keep blurting this out excitedly, and the reaction I get is mostly, “Cool… so what does it mean?”

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mantra

Magical mantras for motivation

Welcome back, my magical friends! This week’s first topic is a bit less lighthearted than the last, but still super fun, I promise! We’re covering one of my favorite ways to get and stay motivated: personal mantras. There are so many different ways that life can get tough. You might be doing your best, but not every issue is instantly fixable. Sometimes you need a super accessible reminder that will keep you focused on your goals and prevent you from losing that inner fire you need to stay passionate. That’s where a personal mantra comes in! Read on for what a personal mantra is, why it will help you, and how to use it to get the most out of your life!

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Bewitch your wardrobe: Classic witchy style elements that always work like a charm!

Welcome back, witches! I hope everyone had a wonderful new moon / St. Patrick’s / weekend. I just wrapped up my birthday celebrations (it was the 16th, but I made it my birthday WEEK) and I’m here to share some of my favorite elements of classic witchy style. We’re all familiar with the stereotypical “witch” caricature and while not all of the associations that may come to mind are pretty (I’ll pass on the warts), there are several essential witchy style details that are enduringly timeless and can add a touch of magic to any ensemble.

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Solve your problems with this tarot trick

Whether you’re a seasoned tarot reader or someone who is brand new to your tarot deck, this “tarot battle” exercise is designed to help you discover more about yourself and your cards while also potentially helping you remove mental blocks that prevent you from solving seemingly insurmountable obstacles. This can be performed with any tarot deck — today I am using the Rider-Waite deck because it is super clear and easily interpreted, but I have found many others that I love. Feel free to use whatever inspires you most.

While it is great to draw a card at random from your deck, it is super beneficial to take a good look through your cards and get to know them by seeing them all as they are. You can work with them by choosing certain cards that resonate with your current state of mind; it doesn’t take away the magic to pick intentionally, I promise! It will actually deepen your understanding of the super relatable parts of life that they represent.

So if you’re going through something —  perhaps a problem that is hard to solve or even difficult to begin to think of a solution to — pick out a card that most symbolizes what you are going through. The cards are dramatic as hell, so please don’t be afraid to pick what resonates with you at this time, even if it’s a bit of a stretch. Tarot is all about symbolic associations so universal that they work on a subliminal level, helping you find answers within yourself that you may not have been able to reach on your own.

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