The other day I learned one of my friends was being attacked and drained of their energy while they were sleeping. We eventually found out it was an entity from their past that had been antagonizing them most of their life. Me being my protective, don’t fuck with my friend’s self, decided to create my first spell and try to help out!
This spell was made to be casted on someone else but I beg you PLEASE ASK the person you will be casting this on if they are comfortable with you doing this. ____________________
You will need: -Gem’s/Crystals of protection (optional) -Black Candle -Photo of who the spell will be cast on -Clear intention and mind
(Grab a crystal/gemstone of protection and hold it until the spell is complete to add a little more vigor.) Have a picture of your friend in front of you, meditate on them and their energy. As you light the black candle state “I light this candle with intention to send protection.” Look into the flame focusing on your intent and go into a meditative trace. Once in a trace like state, close your eyes and envision a thread connecting you and your friend going from your heart to theirs. See it thrumming with white pulsing energy. Once connection is created and you can feel the energy, say the spell aloud three times. Feed your energy and intent through the thread and connection between you and your friend as you state the spell aloud.
“With this candle I light, May my friend be protected at night. Nothing shall come to harm or hinder, For their dreams will be filled with splendor. By the divine light I command all evil to leave, By these words and this spell all connection to nightmares I cleave!”
Meditate and focus on a bubble encompassing your friend in love, protection and light. Once done close the connection and bring the thread back into yourself leaving love and positivity behind. As you blow out the candle ask whatever deity/power you believe in to help protect your friend and let your intentions come to fruition. Make sure to thank your deities afterwards. This spell takes a lot of energy so be sure to rest when you’re done.
Diagrams from the “Philosophus Lecture” of the Golden Dawn. The numbered green text in the second image refers to each diagram.
“Whatever the etymological origin of the word ‘magic’ may be, the mage is the finder and founder of images. Magic consists in fathoming the great Imagination”.
Images and text from “Mage and Image: An Essay on Hermetic Mutation with Coloured Reconstructions of G. … D. … Wands and Sceptres“ by Steffi Grant (1963). Reprinted in “Hidden Lore: Hermetic Glyphs” by Kenneth and Steffi Grant (2006).
I personally feel this description / defenition of magic is too narrow and simplistic.-
As a matter of fact i question wether terms such as magic, religion and so on are even relevant in a cross cultural / historical anthropological analyzis.
Magic is the claimed art of altering things either by supernatural means or through knowledge of occult natural laws unknown toscience. It is in contrast to science, in that science does not accept anything not subject to either direct or indirect observation, and subject to logical analysis, whereas practitioners of magic claim it is an inexplicable force beyond logic. Magic has been practised in all cultures, and utilizes ways of understanding, experiencing and influencing the world somewhat akin to those offered by religion, though it is sometimes regarded as more focused on achieving results than religious worship. Magic is often viewed with suspicion by the wider community, and is commonly practised in isolation and secrecy. Modern Western magicians generally state magic’s primary purpose to be personal spiritual growth, many seeing magic ritual purely in psychological terms as a powerful means of autosuggestion and of contacting the unconscious mind. Modern perspectives on the theory of magic broadly follow two views, which also correspond closely to ancient views. The first sees magic as a result of a universal sympathy within the universe, where if something is done here a result happens somewhere else. The other view sees magic as a collaboration with spirits who cause the effect.
🔹 Chamomile (helps combat insomnia, a common symptom of depression) 🔹 Green (contains an amino acid known as theanine which is known to fight depression) 🔹 St John’s Wort (contains compounds known as hypericin and hyperforin, which may affect activity of the brain’s serotonin system) 🔹 Lemon Balm (works as a mild sedative and can ease anxiety and depression) 🔹 Ginger Root (helps to increase important neurotransmitters than can regulate your mood) 🔹 Lavender (research shows that lavender can help combat depression, and has been said to rival antidepressants) 🔹 Peppermint (the menthol in peppermint leaves helps calm mood and aides sleep)
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CRYSTALS
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🔹 Smoky Quartz (helps elevate moods, overcome negative emotions, and relieves depression) 🔹 Rose Quartz (is a known healer and can help replace negative feelings with love and compassion) 🔹 Amethyst (combats stress and releases a relaxed energy) 🔹 Citrine (emits a sunny, optimistic energy which can aide in combating depression and anxiety) 🔹 Angel Aura Quartz (is known to help with mental illness, and it’s energy can help process emotional disturbances, grief, or trauma)
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INCENSE
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🔹 Lavender (reduces stress physically and mentally, and promotes deep sleep) 🔹 Jasmine (helps with alertness, evokes an uplifting energy, and is believed to ease symptoms of depression) 🔹 Ylang Ylang (has a calming affect that elevates mood and is known to help with physical and mental symptoms of anxiety and depression) 🔹 Lemongrass (promotes emotional balance, and uplifts emotional weight) 🔹 Sandalwood (encourages calmness, serenity, and feelings of well being)
🔹 Spend time in the sun, and in nature. Even if you only go and sit in your backyard, it will help, and make you feel a bit better 🔹 Drink water! LOTS OF WATER! Want an extra boost? Make a bunch of sun water and drink it on exceptionally low days to help with your energy and mood levels. 🔹 Ground yourself every night before bed to rid yourself of negative energies 🔹 Turn your sadness into creativity! Work on pages of your grimoire or book of shadows. Do some witchy DIY’s! Set up a new altar! Make some sigils! Being productive and creative are so helpful when you’re feeling melancholic. 🔹 Have some spoonie witch tips for low energy days! 🔹 Garden. Spending time in nature and creating something within the earth is not only rewarding, but gardening is actually a de-stressing activity and can soothe your mood. PLUS think of all the herbs you could grow to help with your craft! 🔹 Talk to someone. Other witches. Friends. A professional. A hotline. Anyone who is willing to listen. Put that energy out there and it will make a world of difference, I promise. 🔹 Let yourself have at least ONE self-care day a week. It doesn’t matter what it entails, as long as you’re taking that time for YOURSELF, magickal or not.
EDIT: Because I’m awful and forgot how vast Tumblr is, and how so many different people, in different situations, use Tumblr, I didn’t mention some very crucial points:
1) DON’T substitute herbs for medication or treatment, unless you’ve consulted a medical professional. 2) DON’T take an herbal supplement WITH your medication unless you have consulted with your doctor first. 3) Witchcraft should NOT be your “go to” when it comes to medical help. Witchcraft is a tool, and although it is helpful, it can also be harmful if you don’t take the proper precautions (thorough research, getting advice from a professional, etc). Keep practicing, keep making magick, but be safe! 4) Lastly, if you need help, physically or emotionally, please consider contacting a professional instead of taking it upon yourself. You’re wonderful and intelligent and a powerful witch, but you aren’t invincible. So, please take care of yourself, talk to a professional, even if it may not seem like the most desirable approach.
And FINALLY, thank you SO MUCH to all of the wonderful witches who contributed on this post. Without their input I may never have remembered to acknowledge that this post is one that NEEDS warnings. So, thank you honey bees, I really appreciate it!
So, today we’re going to talk about a slightly more obscure tool: the witch’s ladder. There’s some debate as to whether or not this was a commonly used tool in older European traditions of witchcraft. In the late 1870’s a witch’s ladder, along with a collection of brooms, was found in the attic of a recently deceased woman in Somerset, sparking suspicions of witchcraft. Unfortunately, it’s not actually known whether or not this object was really used in witchcraft or how widespread the use may have been if it was. More on the history of these tools can be found here.
Now, what is a witch’s ladder? It’s a type of knot talisman made by inserting small objects into a length of cord, traditionally rooster feathers and sometimes small bones were used but you can use locks of hair, teeth, beads, sticks, leaves, seashells or pretty much anything that works for your practice.
Originally, it’s thought that they were used to curse but their uses in modern practices are endless. I’ll be making one to protect my house and create easier communication with the Other Realms.
How to Make a Witches Ladder
Ok, to start us off we need a few supplies. There are three main things that I’m using.
First is the cord, feel free to use whatever material you like. When I’m doing work like this I prefer to use regular old kitchen twine. It’s sturdy and not overly processed. You could use yarn, thread, rope, sinew or ribbon as well though.
The second thing that I’ll be using is a couple of small bones, I’m using six because I like working with multiples of three.
Finally, the feathers. These are brown mourning dove feathers; I’m using these as opposed to another type of feather because they’re good for communicating with Spirit and for fostering awareness.
I would like to mention here that while handy in the craft, collecting bones and feathers that you find can be illegal.Most birds are protected species and regardless of whether you found the feathers or ripped them off of the bird yourself, possessing them is illegal. Be sure to check the laws in your area. This problem can usually be solved by writing a letter to the appropriate wildlife officials asking for permission to pick up specific types of bird feathers for a collection. Once written permission is obtained it only has to be kept with the feathers to avoid any ramifications. Of course, if you’re not going to be waving about rare bird feathers in the town square this is probably unnecessary.
As I said, you can replace bones or feathers with whatever you like. Use Barbie arms if that’s what floats your boat. I usually use nine items in mine and the traditional number would be thirteen but feel free to adjust this to fit your needs.
Another optional material would be a metal ring, you can tie the ladder to this and use that to hang it from a hook on the ceiling or something if you like. I’ll just be using a thumbtack.
As always prep yourself and your workspace however you prefer. Cast a circle, take a ritual bath, light some incense, maybe put on some music. Consecrate your supplies and get to work.
The creation of a witch’s ladder is surprisingly simple and quick. Take your cord and cut three equal lengths. How long you make it is up to you, for example, I like each length to be from the fingertips of my left hand to my heart in length. Tie the ends together, if you are using a metal ring, tie it to the ring; otherwise just an overhand knot on the end does the trick.
Start braiding, for this one I used your typical three-strand braid but you could add and subtract cords and use rope braids, fishtail braids or five strand braids as well. As you braid begin adding in your objects. I don’t do anything special, I just keep braiding as usual while adding my feathers and stuff in between two strands. Here’s a close-up of my ladder partially finished.
I spread mine out semi-evenly along the length of the cord, if you’re a stickler about getting things even then make sure you remember that you’ll lose about a third of the cord length in the process of braiding.
As you add each item to the ladder spend a few moments to state your intention or meditate on the purpose of your spell. I kind of just spend the entire time I’m making the ladder talking to it and telling it what I would like of it. You could also use the traditional nine knot spell if incantations are your thing. I find them too constricting for my practice but for those of you who prefer more ritualized working here it is
“By knot of one, the spell is begun
By knot of two, it cometh true
By knot of three, so mote it be
By knot of four, the open door
By knot of five, it comes alive
By knot of six, the spell is fixed
By knot of seven, it has the power of heaven
By knot of eight, the open gate
By knot of nine, it is mine”
After all of your items are in place you need to finish your cord. You can just tie a knot in it and either trim the excess cord or let it hang there, or you can add something to the end as a sort of weight, bells are a common choice. Feel free to let it charge in the light of the moon or sun if you like.
Once it’s completely done take it and hang it somewhere, I like to have them on my porch but hanging it in your room or kitchen works as well. If the spell is more malicious I’d suggest hiding it away somewhere close to your target instead of hanging it.
Here’s my finished ladder, hanging out on my porch.
A few ideas for uses of these lovely tools:
Warding magic – Use to create a “Do Not Enter” sign for unfriendly energies. The ladder conveys the meaning that those who would harm are unwelcome.
Attraction magic – Use it to attract people, familiars, ideas, mindsets, jobs, circumstances, luck, etc. into your life
Binding the thirteen moons of the year – This is a method used to harness the power of the thirteen full moons of the year, allowing you to perform weather magic and nature magic more easily and opening the doorway to the Other Realms.
Traveling – Ladders can be used as a gate into the Other Realms. An actual “ladder” for your spirit to climb up into various planes
Natural magic – You can use items related to the branch of nature that you work with. For me it’s trees but perhaps you work with the ocean, mountains, forests, animals, insects, and so on.
Wish magic – You can use rolled up slips of paper or pressed leaves and make a ladder with them, writing your wish on each one. As the ladder is slowly destroyed by the elements, your wish comes true.
Divination – I’ll need to make a full post about this if anyone is interested, it’s a tad complicated
Worship – You could use a witches ladder as an offering to a deity, perhaps as a nine day devotional where you tie in an offering every day and ending with hanging it on the last day
Curses – and of course, witches ladders can be used to curse.
As usual, if anyone has any questions or would like me to make a follow up post on anything I’ve mentioned here, let me know!
Occult Aspects 