Protection - Basic

Protection is one of the most important things to learn and relearn within you time in the craft, doing and participating in witchcraft has you interacting with more energy, people and entities then most people would within a normal life. As such there is a likelihood that negative energy and entities will find you more quickly and as such mess with you in negative ways. This is why protection (paired with cleansing) are in every witches top things to learn and continue to learn and adjust to knowledge about. 

Protection comes in may forms, with some of the main being spells(bags/jars/bottles), enchanted/charmed/charged jewellery, crystals and sigils. a combination of these things is typically used, with jewellery being for personal protection and spell bags placed around a bedroom as a protection of the space itself. 

Protection spells themselves typically contain crystals, herbs and sigils/signs which hold meanings of protection. Herbs such as Sage(not white sage as that is used in closed practices), bay leaves, rosemary, lavender, chamomile, basil and cloves are just some of the well known ones and most common to come across within a kitchen or herb garden. While most herbs have many properties you must ensure you have the correct intention for a spell to work, this is why crystals might be used, so help solidify and correct the intention you have for the herbs, crystals like hematite, black obsidian, black tourmaline and clear quarts are used to direct the spell and strengthen you intention. 

However, most other methods of protection require the user work on energy magick, centered around grounding and cleansing the energy you store typically in exchange with the earth or another element. Spend some time working on meditation and energy work before trying to charm/enchant/charge jewellery for the purpose of protection.   working on these meditations also allows for you to work on strengthening you intention and intuition. Strengthening these can help with future spells and rituals. 

Blessed Be, 

- Spectre 

New Moon

Another Moon phase to be mindful of is the new moon. Its a time to start over, bring in new projects, plan for the coming month, and if working in therapy, doing some journaling and shadow work. 

The new moon also affects the tides of the ocean similarly to the full moon, however, the magickal energy of the new moon is different, with a less chaotic, overwhelming energy. 

The new moon is about starting new things, this is then a good time to start a spell that may take multiple steps or will take a long time, like a complex ward etc. It can also be used as a time of reflection, to look back in what happened within the past month and start planning the month ahead of you in regards to spell work and mundane life. I personally use the new moon as a time to journal, both normally and as a form of shadow work, its a reflecting time to look at what I've done, what I want to do in the next month, as well as a time to look within myself and evaluate how I'm feeling both in the present and in the past.

My mental health is a key factor as to why I find it hard to celebrate certain times of the year, either being tired from my own thoughts or from medication that allows my life to be livable. And its things like this that I look at and examine when doing my shadow work due to the things I do with a therapist.

If you don't have motivation to do anything that's okay to, if all you want to do is relax with a cup of tea then you are doing that for yourself and your wellbeing, and as such are reflecting on what you need. You fall naturally into the energy of the moon phases as you become more knowledgeable about them. Spend time to yourself and your energy and you have achieved your goal, relax and reflect.

Blessed Be,

- Spectre

The Full Moon

The moon has varying phases that evolve over the course of a month, as such each moon phase influences the planet and influences magick. The phase of the moon when it is at its brightest is called the FULL MOON.

Working with the moon in your craft can strengthen your spells and overall planning. Planning spells timing and such can affect the way in which the spell goes forward. However, the phases of the moon also affect the witch themselves, by understanding the energies around each phase of the moon and how they interact with it normally can therefore affect the way in which their craft works around/with the moon phases.

The full moon is one of the more powerful phases of the moon, with heightened energies, excess energy that can be drawn into workings, and a time associated with some sort of chaos. This is a time to pull down the full power of the moon to assist in any spells that need to be completed soon, but also to cleanse and charge anything like crystals, water and the like. It's known to be the time in which magick is the strongest, with things starting within the phase of the new moon and onwards coming into completion and height of power.

The full moon also affects the tides of the ocean, creating extremes, with very high, high tides and also very low, low tides (similar to that of a new moon).

(Here is the informational post that I put up on Instagram!)

Samhain

Samhain, pronounced 'sow-in', is celebrated similarly within the Southern Hemisphere as it is in the Northern Hemisphere, the only difference is the date in which it is traditionally held. Held traditionally on April 30th -May 1st in Australia, however for 2023 isn't held exactly on that date, and as such falls this year on the 6th of May. 

This is how I'm celebrating this year as a practicing witch with university and work. I'll be going through some basics as well, what Samhain is, where it originated and how you can celebrate in your own home/life. 

Samhain is one of the eight sabbats some witches celebrate throughout the year, its noted here that not all witches see these sabbats as they are mostly formed from Wiccan traditions and celebrations. However, many witches who aren't Wiccan or Pagan celebrate or oversee these dates as a form of connecting with the more spiritual days of the year.  

During this sabbat the veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead is at its thinnest, and as such many people do spiritual work centered around the dead. This work includes but isn't limited to Ancestor work, divination, and silent dinners. with decorations of skeletons, skulls and anything that is a vague reminder of Halloween due to the traditional date in the Northern Hemisphere, however anything featuring Autumn imagery and harvest imagery works as Samhain decorations. 

Samhain is a time of deep reflection and of endings, as such its a time to finish projects, spells or assignments that are due soon, It is a time to look into the darkness ahead and see out potential past the darkness of winter. Its a time to communicate with the dead and those who have passed on through the use of divination methods, due to the timing with ANZAC day you can honor the soldiers during this day as well. 

 How I Celebrated

This year left out an offering for my ancestors on my alter, as I do not have an alter already dedicated to them, Including a white candle and a black candle for balance and representations of the light half of the year and the dark half. I did most of these things in the evening, as that was the time I was free but also due to the full moon that was out. 

Although I didn't do much, as I had prior commitments, I still attempted to do something to honour the change in the year, most of the work I did was internal with reflections on the previous months and what I want to work on in the dark half of the year. Journaling and research about my deities was also a form of celebration, by sending time with the people within my practice as the light half of the year fades into the dark half. 

All in all, you don't need to do any extravagant rituals, or feasts, simply acknowledging the change in the weather, the energy or even acknowledging your ancestors or those who have passed on are simple ways you can celebrate this sabbat. 

- Spectre