New Jewelry For Pagans Of Etsy’s Summer Sale

Katrina – Bracelet And Earrings Sets
Unique set of bracelet and earrings featuring tiny double faced skull beads and carved rose beads – roses and skulls make the perfect gothic attire for those of us who still want to look goth without dressing like a teenager! The earrings have bronze earhooks made of brass, and the bracelet has been double wrapped in copper wire, making it almost unbreakable. There are four colours available, but each set won’t be repeated so don’t miss your chance!

Lady Bathory Collection – A Drop Of Blood
This mini-collection of jewelry has been inspired by the fascinating story of Elizabeth Bathory, known as the terrible vampire Countess of Hungary – that hides the story of a powerful, intelligent and free spirited woman that was too modern for her time, and too powerful for a world ruled by men.
Astonishing set made with skull beads and vintage hematite spheres. Hematite has been known to help the production of blood, rise low blood pressure and produce iron in blood – the perfect gift for that vampire lady in your life :).

The Key To My Celtic Heart
Delicious necklace for those with the Emerald Isle in their hearts! A gorgeous Murano glass heart with silver inlay holds two charms, one being a pewter key charm with a Triqueta, and the other an Aurora Borealis glass rondelle. Magickal! Silver chain with lobster clasp, 42 cms / 16,3 inches, fits most sizes. This is a OOAK piece and won’t be repeated.

Heart Of The Fairy – Necklace And Earrings Set
Ethereal set of necklace and earrings featuring gorgeous vintage iridescent flowers and silver. The pieces are incredibly light and its shine glows from pearlized white to greens and pinks due to the Aurora Borealis coating. Perfect for your dearest Fairy! Silver chain with lobster clasp, 42 cms / 16,3 inches, fits most sizes. This set is a OOAK and won’t be repeated.

You can find all these items and more at the Jewelry Sale section of our shop. This sale is part of the Summer Solstice Sale of Pagans Of Etsy Street Team. To find more items from other sellers, look for tag “summersale” on Etsy’s search function.

Read Full Post »

Witching With Herbs III: From Nature To The Cauldron (Part Two)

Sage, Canarian variety (Salvia Canariensis).

Once you have finished your harvesting, it is time to start working with them to get the most of its medicinal and magical properties.

- The first step is to clean the herbs thoroughly of dust, animal hair, insects and all kind of natural debris; don’t leave that work for tomorrow! If you don’t have time to do that the day you have harvested, take all herbs outside the bags and leave them on a table or floor where they won’t be a bother, away from pets and kids, over a mat of newspaper sheets or any other absorbent material.

- Once the herbs are clean, decide which herbs will be used fresh and which ones will be set to dry; fresh herbs are better to make smudge sticks, kitchen oils and vinegars for salad dressings, to mince and make frozen cubes of cooking herbs, and so on. All the work done with fresh herbs must be done as soon as possible, so do that work first.

- On the other side, dried herbs are the best for teas, tinctures, infused oils, incenses, etc. You can chop the herbs before or after they have dried, that is up to you; I prefer to do it first because the stems are softer to cut. Use trays lined with absorbent paper, or simply leave them on the floor over a mat of paper on an undisturbed, fresh and dark place. Do not dry them in the sun as the essential oils are highly volatile and the plants will lose power if sun dried. Once a day, turn the batch around for an even drying. Don’t discard the stems, as many plants contain more essential oils in them than in leaves or flowers.

Sasafrass Flower (Carthamus Tinctorius)

- Sometimes, specially with wildharvested herbs, you will need to kill any bacteria/bugs living in them by oven drying. Keep your oven at the lowest temperature and leave the oven door slightly open for ventilation. After half an hour at around 50 Celsius degrees, bacteria or bugs will not survive and, though the plant’s power will be a little lower, it will be perfectly safe to ingest.

- Keep the roots aside and dry them separately, as the roots usually have the highest amount of water in the plant and need more time to dry than leaves or stems. As with herbs, you can slice/chop the root before drying or not as you prefer; again, I chop it first because most roots are almost impossible to cut when dry.

- Depending on your weather, herbs may take from 1 to 4 weeks to dry. Once they are crunchy and soft to the touch, they are ready to be placed in a glass or ceramic jar and labelled. Remember to add the date of harvesting, as you don’t want to use herbs that have been storaged for more than a year – you are not a butterfly collector, so USE what you have harvested! We used recycled and sterilized glass food jars, as amber/cobalt glass jars are really expensive; just keep them in a dark place, away from strong smells and, if possible, away from the kitchen.

Read Full Post »

Witching With Herbs III: From Nature To The Cauldron (Part One)

Catnip (Nepeta Cataria)

The third article of this series will be a quick guide to preserving and keeping your herbs in the best condition, either working with herbs from your garden or from wildharvesting. These tips will help you prepare your harvesting trips and help you keep the herbs in their best conditions for medicinal and magical use.

In Your Garden:
- First of all, learn which part (or parts) of the plant are beneficial and which is their use, as different parts of the same herb can have different effects on your body and are ails for different illnesses; for example, the fruit of the Passionflower (Passiflora) contains the higher amount of vitamin C of all fruits, thus being a wonderful aid against anemia; but the leaves and roots are used against anxiety and mild depression in tinctures and tea.

- Always harvest during the first hours of dawn or the last hours of dusk – plants suffer when pruned during hard sunlight hours.

- You can either save small parts of the plant during growth as you prune your herbs, or harvest the complete plant after its natural cycle of life has ended. This is another step where research becomes very important; sometimes you can leave the roots on the earth for next year’s regrowth, and sometimes you can simply uproot the whole plant, clean the roots and set it to dry. When herbs have already gone to seed, the plant is exhausted and usually has less healing power than a plant that has not seeded yet, so keep that in mind; what we do is keeping several plants of the same type, and leave some to seed to propagate for next year, and prune others to prevent them from flowering and use that herbs for teas and tinctures.

- Always remember to thank the spirits of your garden with an offering after harvesting – make compost tea, add powdered eggshell to the soil, or simply “clean” the herb by taking off all dry leaves and give it a good shower. If you have a garden altar (and you should), offer incense, candles, fruits, bird seed, etc.

White Horehound (Marrubium Vulgare)

In Nature:
- Keep a “wildharvesting kit” always handy in your car/backpack when going into Nature. Ours consists in a pair of hard duty kitchen scissors, a sharp small knife, rope for tying bundles and a selection of plastic bags, usually those long bags where sliced sandwich bread comes in and a few smaller ziplock bags for seeds or other small finds.

- Wildharvesting requires the utmost respect for Nature and its generosity – don’t be a Nature pirate! Harvest what is not necessary, harming the plant as little as possible and leaving enough of the plant for it to regrow and feed the local fauna.

- Forest spirits love offerings – remember to always give when you take. Bird seeds, fruits, stale bread/cookies/cereals/grain/cake, milk, crushed eggshells, compost… the options are as many as your mind can imagine. I have found that Forest Spirits do prefer offerings that are eco-friendly, so leave the candles at home and pour any liquid on the ground instead of leaving bottles or containers. Remember not to take any offerings that may be poisonous to local fauna.

Tomorrow I will post the second part of this essay – how to preserve your harvesting to keep its properties at its best performing! Until then – stay as green as possible ;) !

Read Full Post »

Witching With Herbs II: Ten Essential Plants For A Starting Witch

Wormwood.

This list is an excerpt from my Witchcraft Crash Course ebook. I thought it would make a perfect second part for yesterday’s post. Enjoy!

- Cinnamon (Cinnamomum Verum): Sticks, Powder. Protective, healing and stimulating. A cross made of two sticks, tied with a white ribbon, keeps the evil spirits away; but a spoon of powder in your spell work will inflame the passion of a cold lover. A powerful fire spirit lives inside this enigmatic and multi-tasking plant.

- Garlic (Allium Sativum): Bulb. The Mr. Clean of magickal herbs. Burning the peels (not the cloves) will put away malignant ghosts or envious energies in a mile round. A “rope” of tied garlic bulbs, as you have seen in the vampire films, is an amazing protection when moving into a new house, as we never know what kind of energies are left by the previous owners. It is convenient to have them planted (they grow very well in pots, even indoors) and change the garlics we have as protection from time to time.

- Ginger (Zingiber Officinale): root, powder. A stimulating fierce warrior that makes the best protection shields – and another lover-maker. Enhances psychic abilities when ingested in tea, and is an awesome companion in Shamanistic or Lucid Dream training.

- Lemon (Citrus Limon): a natural good-luck amulet, helps keeping the peace in the house. This affable, generous spirit is the essence of light and joy. A good-sized lemon covered in colourful pins is the best amulet to give to newly-weds or new parents.

Rue seedling.

- Peppermint (Menta Piperita): love and protection are this plant’s best uses. Softens roads and relationships, and makes a wonderful addition to healing, prosperity and luck amulets. A fairy attractor when planted.

- Rose (Rosa): love is wherever the rose is. Nothing more powerful to bring the goods of affection and communication in a couple or a family. This powerful spirit needs to be spoiled, though, so keep your most ornate containers for your rose products.

- Rue (Ruta Graveolens): Spell-breaking at its best. This is one of the only plants that can break a spell by itself, without the need of no other physical elements. NOTE: when rue is blooming under full sun, it can cause blisters and strong irritation when touched. Please manage carefully! Dry is completely harmless, but should be ingested in very small quantities, if not ingested at all. Please gather information before ending up at hospital.

- Rosemary (Rosmarinum Officinalis): leaves, flowers, wood. The Natural anti – evil eye amulet of nature, and the holiest of all plants in my opinion. Its energy is specially powerful on angelic magic, used as incense with a good resin like white copal. An excellent protection for children and animals. Traditionally related to merchants and business people.

Peppermint.

- Saint John’s Wort/Hypericum (Hypericum Perforatum): The bringer of happiness and the forger of happy destinies. This plant is the strength of life at its best, and the best herbal amulet against depression. Makes an excellent protection after breaking a negative spell. NOTE: if you have any kind of heart condition, don’t ingest this plant.

- Wormwood/Artemisia (Artemisia Vulgaris): this bitter plant, used to fabricate absinthe, makes some of the most fragrant incense you will ever smell. Under the protection of the Moon Goddess, can be used as a strong power shield or as an enhancer of psychic powers.

Read Full Post »

Witching With Herbs -A Quick Guide For Starting Witches

Herbal Oil, simmering in the pot.

Working with herbs has been one of the most magickal and rewarding experiences in my growth as a Witch. Not only plants heal our spirit and body – they are teachers, they empower us and they reveal us the paths to spiritual realms as guardians and shamans.

I have always felt a natural connection to them – when I started practising Witchcraft at the tender age of thirteen, my first spells were almost entirely made from flowers I used to collect and dry. By then I didn’t know anything about them and worked in a very intuitive way, but soon the “herbal bug” poisoned me with the need to know more – and I have to say that poison is still working, as I never grow tired of reading herbal guides, collecting seeds and herbs and experimenting with them in my Witch room.

I know many Witches that do not work with herbs – and I think that is perfectly ok. Herbs are just one way to create magick and there are many other completely legit ways to achieve the same results: gemstones, oils, Reiki, etc. I do not agree with those who say that a Witch is not a Witch without an extent herbal lore, but I DO think that you have to try at least once in your magickal learning until you decide if herbalism is in your path or not.

Wildharvested organic herbs.

Before I started growing and wildharvesting my own herbs, I worked for many years with dry herbs from our local farmer’s market. My mother used to buy her groceries there and I would make a quick stop at the herb seller and buy small amounts of herbs with the very little money I had made reading Tarot. Soon I was purchasing incense resins, charcoal tablets, oils… one bit at a time, I created my first “witchcraft chest” and started making mojo bags for my Tarot customers and my friends.

That was around fifteen years ago. What I’m trying to explain is that if you want to start learning about herbs, start slow, and stay slow. You cannot learn the properties and Latin names of a hundred herbs in one day. Here are some points that may make your herb learning easier:

- First and most important advice: RESEARCH. Do not work intuitively, specially if you are making herbal teas or any product that it is in contact with your body, internally or externally. Learn the Latin name of herbs – it is much more useful than it seems (for example, for online researching).

- Learn first about your local herbs – they are easier to find, easier to grow and easier to identify if you go wildharvesting. Look for local farmers and gardeners and don’t be afraid to ask questions! Remember that we all love to talk about what we know about.

- Keep a separate notebook, or a section of your Book Of Shadows, only for herbal lore – a regular ring binder is perfect, as you can add and reorganize as you go along.

- If you can’t have the live plant for whatever reason, start buying a small amount of dry herb and, before you make any use of it, place the herb in a bowl/plate ad place your hands over it. Welcome its spirit into your life and knowledge and try your best to transmit your thankfulness and welcoming – then relax and let the herb speak. Note down everything you have felt, heard or seen.

- You can do exactly the same with live herbs, in containers or in your garden. Not only the plant will give you its knowledge, they will let you know if they need more/less water, more/less sun, etc. This method also works in reverse; we apply regular Reiki sessions to our plants to stimulate their growth and properties, and have got astounding results. Herbs can give you a lot, chemically and spiritually, but you can give them back too; plants that are happy, growing with a devoted Garden Witch, grow better, are more resistant to bugs and produce more leaves and seeds for your work.

- Keep your herbs in glass/ceramic jars, away from light and strong smells, tagged with the name of the herb (common and Latin), and the day you purchased/harvested it. Try to use them as fresh a possible – storing herbs forever only makes them less and less powerful.

- The Fairies/Elementals are there to help you. Search for their advice as protectors of Nature by creating an altar to them in your garden or near your herb stash. Make a fairy pond (ours is just a big ceramic bowl, decorated with stones and shells under the water), leave offerings for them and acknowledge their presence; there are no gardening helpers like Fairies and Gnomes!

Our little fairy pond.

Read Full Post »

Today’s Listings

Gentle Spring: Herbal Salve + Body Stick + Lip Balm Set

All our natural beauty products start with the creation of a herbal oil. First quality sunflower oil is used and several herbs are steeped in the oil, first using the energy of the sun to extract the essential oils and medicinal properties, and then a final extraction is made through simmering the oil at a very low temperature for several hours. Then the oil is carefully filtered and used as a base for each product.

This gorgeous natural beauty set consists in:
- 1 20 gram jar of ointment;
- 1 Body Stick;
- 1 Lip Balm.
Properties: healing, hydrating, calming, anti-aging, antioxidant. Heals small wounds, eczema, spots, callouses. The ointment is soft and made to be used liberally – it works wonders on dry feet and hands, elbows and knees, and anywhere where the body needs some extra hydration. Put the ointment on your feet before sleep and enjoy Goddess feet all the summer! It is also a wonderful aid for baby rash. The body stick is made for small wounds or scratches, spots or any specific application on small surfaces. It is a bit harder than the ointment so you can carry it with you without any melting danger. Perfect for hiking, camping, gardening… I also use it as a cuticle cream, as my hands suffer a lot of strain from crafting and gardening, and you wouldn’t believe how quick it works!

Perfume: NONE
Colorants/Additives/Preservatives: NONE
Chemicals: NONE
Made with oils, herbs and organic beeswax ONLY.
Scented with Peppermint essential oil (NOT flavour oil or perfume oil).
Vegan and children safe.

New OOAK Handspun Witch Cords: Undine and Pumpkin

You can find these items at The Hoodoo Shop at Etsy.

Read Full Post »

My Etsy Favourites: Pagans Of Etsy Summer Solstice Sale

Pagans Of Etsy’s summer sale started last Monday – as more sellers join the sale, I have decided to make another post about them to spread some of the Handmade Magick of this event! Without further ado, here are this week’s My Etsy Favourites:

Fairy Silhouette Earrings, by Pagan Gypsy;

Pansy Blank Note Card Set, By Cobaltquilter;

Solsta, Spirit Of The Solstice Art Doll By Threads Of Magique.

Read Full Post »

New Pendulums And Cottage Witch Pouches Listed

Sorry for the lack of post in the past days but we have been really, really busy – from preparing custom orders to making soaps (that are curing right now but soon they will be available), from working in the garden to handsewing a whole lot of pouches, I haven’t found the time for blogging – I promise there will be new articles soon… but right now, before the Infernal Desertic Summer starts, life is too enjoyable to think of blogging.
To be honest, it has been fun – Fernando has enjoyed the soap making immensely and I think he has been bitten by the Soapmaker Fairy! You should see him measuring, weighing and mixing like a Mad Scientist :). And, as if we didn’t have enough work, we are making plans to turn our extra bedroom into a pantry, because our kitchen is the size of a stamp.

Today I have listed several new pendulums and all the handsewn pouches:


You can find them at The Hoodoo Shop at Etsy.

Read Full Post »

Today’s Listings For The Jewelry Sale

You can find all these new pieces at the Jewelry Sale section of The Hoodoo Shop.

Read Full Post »

New Smoking Blend And Organic Seeds Listed!

Delicious smoking herbal blend containing psychoactive and medicinal herbs, presented in a handmade, tea-dyed drawstring bag recreating the tobacco bags that were made in the 19th century. Each bag includes 5 foam filters and 5 first quality rice papers so you can try it right away! There is enough mixture in the bags for 8-10 cigarrettes or 12-15 pipe servings. Among other herbs, this mixture contains Damiana, Catnip, Chamomile and Colstfoot. It has a sensual, complex flavour and a wonderful aroma.

It is believed that smoke is the vehicle of communication with the Divine – the cigars in Santeria and Voodoo, the pipes of the American Natives, the Ganja of rastafaris, Opium and hashish in India, are just a few examples known by all. But, there are many other herbs that are smokeable, magickal and highly enjoyable, without the negative health factors of cigarrettes and cigars. The truth is that all edible herbs can be smoked to achieve the same results that you can have with a cup of herbal tea, and though not all of them are psychoactive, all of them are beneficial and ALL of them are magickal. As it happens with tea or incense making, a herbal smoking blend is a delicate art where taste, scent and properties are carefully measured and many tries are made to achieve a specific result.

All our seeds are either from our own herbal garden or from Fernando’s parents’ crops, and are 100% organic. No chemical products have been used in their growth and we choose only heirloom seeds – no transgenic, genetically altered or reselling seeds ever! We also wildharvest seeds – always in very small batches to prevent deforestation and with the utmost respect for Mother Earth, as Witches do: every time we wildharvest, we leave offerings for the spirits. With our seeds, you can enjoy a true magickal gardening experience, being safe that the energetic conditions of each herb and vegetable have been respected through all the process.

You can find all these items at The Hoodoo Shop at Etsy.

Read Full Post »