Being in the Broom Closet means that you can't practice witchcraft openly. This might be because you may live with parents, guardians, or relatives that would disapprove of witchcraft. Or, you have roommates that would judge you for it. As a witch, you should always prioritize your safety, access to housing, food, and education. Don't feel bad for having to hide your practice. It won't always be this way. You're not any less of a witch for having to keep your practice under wraps if it means not being without one of your priorities. A lot of these tips also apply for out and proud witches who may be traveling and away from their Altar and tools. They also apply...
Protection and banishing, among other tasks, are a lot easier when you have your Ancestors or a Deity by your side. You will still need the big guns like a banishing spray, for dark entities such as unwanted demons and stronger spirits that need to be exorcised exorcized on some occasions. However, banishing as a task is made much easier when you have a fluid relationship with either your Ancestors or a Deity. Of course, you can’t just ask Hekate or your great grandparents for help if you haven’t formed a relationship with them first. How do you go about that, though? Working with Your Ancestors As a general rule, ancestors are far more accessible than Deities. After all, they...
You may have heard people complaining about Mercury in retrograde. They may have had bad things happen . But what is Mercury retrograde and why is it so well known? Mercury Retrograde Explained Mercury doesn’t really move backwards. It only appears that way when viewed from Earth. Typically, as seen from Earth, Mercury moves from right to left in the night sky. During Retrograde, this path reverses. After a few weeks, this phenomenon stops, and Mercury seems to move forward again. The video below highlights periods of retrograde in green. Credit to Dr. James O'Donoghue for his Explanation of Mercury Retrograde. Because Mercury is the planet situated closest to the Sun, its orbit is much shorter than Earth’s. About three or...
Banishing is getting rid of energy that's unwanted from a place, object, animal, or person. It is different from cleansing in that it goes one step further. Cleansing is passive, while banishing requires active processes in which you ask for the help of the Divine to get rid of an energetic parasite. It's different from protection tactics such as shielding in that shielding will block all energies, including benevolent ones. Banishing only gets rid of the energy you don't want around. Banishing can be as easy as saying a prayer and lighting a candle for your Deities and/or Ancestors. In his book Protection & Reversal Magick: A Witch's Defense Manual, Jason Miller talks about banishing as one of the three...