Effective Spellcasting:Creating a Spell Target Profile

Obligatory Pre-Raphaelite witchy Waterhouse image courtesy of Wikimedia
(say THAT 3 times fast!)

Ever wonder what causes some spells to go off like a rocket and others to fizzle?
Part of it is, of course, the items you choose for your spell and timing. The other, larger part, is emotion and directed intent.
You can have the finest spell ingredients on the planet (ahem), but without a clear idea of your end goal, the time, energy, and money that you've invested into the spell is unlikely to hit even the broad side of a barn.

Since I've written my own spells nearly from the very beginning of my practice, or at the very least tailored old ones to my need, I'm going to teach you a little something that has been quite effective in practice: The spell profile.
A spell profile is a way of defining your end goal precisely, and is a good foundation to lay your spell work on for numerous reasons. The most apparent is when working magic towards (or against) a target. An example:

Say you are having problems with someone in your workplace. They spread rumors about you, take credit for your work, are untenably lazy, or just go out of their way to make your life a living hell. You've tried every mundane means of resolution possible without results and want to give them a taste of their own medicine.
But wait. Do you want to give them a taste of their own medicine, get rid of them entirely, or just run damage control ( bind them from gossiping, taking credit where it isn't due etc)?

Take a deep breath and grab a notebook. You're probably pissed off and ready to channel that rage into a spell RIGHT NOW (and raw emotion is an effective means of raising energy), but prep work makes all the difference.

Spell goal: write down exactly what you want your end goal to be. It's okay if it's a little rambling at first; you will be narrowing it down later.

Reason for the spell: what exactly has this person done? Are there certain areas that this person routinely attacks you on?

Target's mentality, strengths, and vulnerabilities: This includes motivations. Honestly contemplate what their motivations are, what they most likely seek to accomplish, or what satisfaction they gain from hurting you. What is their mental state (are they easily swayed by suggestion), are they skilled at manipulation, do they have allies within the company that enable them to continue this behavior? Do they use their looks to gain favor, and are threatened by possible competition? Write down any tendencies you've noticed in the person. Many people operate on near-autopilot, and react instead of respond to certain situations and dialogue.

Now, read through your goals as written. You can start paring them down, or you may have gained insight and inspiration into the heart of the problem.

Method of casting: The tools you will use to accomplish your end goal. In this particular example, if you have chosen to simply bind and silence her, a poppet and Stop Gossip oil can be employed. If your target has allies that would prevent their fall, you can incorporate separation magic into your working. If you wish to sour their life, a name paper (with personal concern) and vinegar bottle spell will do the trick.To get them to leave your workplace entirely, Hot Foot or Flying Devil products are the best way to go. If you want them to get back exactly what they dole out, a mirror box (or mirror bottle) spell will reflect all of their deeds right back to them.
Re-evaluate your goal and narrow it down.

Grab a Tarot deck, or your favorite means of divination, and do a reading on the situation and the effect your spell will have. Write down your tarot spread, the cards you drew, and your interpretation of them. Note any feelings or images that pop up.
This is your last chance to pull out. Your subconscious can let you know if the whole thing will blow up in your face, if the situation is well on it's way to resolution (big boss is firing them next week, etc), or that you might just want to reevaluate the spell goal entirely. You get more flies with honey than vinegar, and a sweetener spell, or heavy protection magic for yourself may be all that is needed.

If you get a "full speed ahead" reading, you now have a very clear method of effectively casting on your target.

A note on cursing: I gave this as an example because people tend to get very emotionally invested in revenge and retribution magic, even more so than with love spells. For the same reasons, many magicians go off half-cocked without thinking of the full implications or motivations for their working. I am of the personal belief that allowing an evil to exist in the world is just as bad as perpetuating it. By allowing someone to walk all over you, you grant them the power to do it to others in the future. Witches are people who take responsibility, not ninnies who say "someone should do something about that", but rather "what can I do to change this".
We all teach each other life lessons, and refusing to engage because of fear of karmic retribution is a good way to get slapped in the face by your concept of karma.

For the Wiccans reading this, I respect your Three-Fold Law, however there are still means to accomplish your goal without violating your vow and ethical structure. This is yet another reason to clearly define your end goal before casting. Unfortunately my experience has been that the people that scream white light the loudest are the first ones to throw a curse for the tiniest slight. Don't pick an ethical structure that you can put away when it becomes inconvenient.

I could give you other examples of how to use this spell template, but frankly, you guys are clever and can work it out for yourselves.

If you're still feeling a bit lost, here's a quick example of a money spell profile which would- Include goal: comfortable prosperity, a charge of luck, promotion, job, $100, etc.

Here, you are the target. Evaluate strengths, vulnerabilities, etc. What have you done to get what you want in the mundane realm?

Define your method of casting based on your end goal.
Do a reading to see if you're on track.
Now go do that hoodoo that you do so well!

As always, if you have any questions, please write them in the comments section.

-Carmin

Practical Magic: Clearing Out the Winter Doldrums

Pictured: Rue (ruta graveolens) courtesy of Wikimedia

By now many of us are restless and downright claustrophobic with the omnipresent winter months. The energy your house and ritual area feels stale, heavy, and close enough to be oppressive.

This is usually caused by an excess of residual energy (from spellwork, ritual, or just everyday emotion) that isn't grounded properly. Even if you carefully ground from your magical workings, bits and pieces tend to hang around.

How to fix?
My go-to herb to combat magical muckery is rue. Renowned for breaking curses, removing negative energy, and powerful protective magical properties, rue is a good first and last line defense against general negativity as well as focused curses. If things seem to be consistently going wrong in your life, you feel distinctly uninspired, are troubled by nightmares and uneasiness in your home (when no mundane cause is apparent), or just need to get your magical juices flowing again, a ritual cleansing and purification is in order.

This is one of my very favorite Kitchen Witch recipes:

Take about a half cup of rue (ruta graveolens), wrap it up in cheesecloth, and let it brew in boiled water for about 10 minutes, or until the water has turned dark green. Add this to a wash bucket of Murphy's Oil Soap. Scrub your home from back to front, paying special attention to ritual areas, the floor, and openings (windows, doors, etc.). Toss the remaining water onto your porch and sweep it away from your home.

After most purification rituals, I generally recommend filling the space with positive energy (Nature abhors a vacuum). Rue tends to work in a double action sense (removing negativity and filling the atmosphere with bright protective energy), so this may not be necessary for you. You may choose to burn a bit of frankincense or copal on an incense charcoal block to speed the entrance of positive energy.

-Carmin

The Goddess Comes for You When She Will; or, you cannot push the river

Many times in the past, I have advocated the practice of aligning yourself with a patron deity or saint, as much to strengthen your spellwork as to deepen spiritual practice. Having a mentor to guide you through the ups and downs is a marvelous, enriching part of ritual work.

Though, admittedly in the past, it's usually accompanied by admonishments against calling up random gods from a table of correspondence and ordering them to make your spell go "zoom".

A number of frustrated practitioners have approached me over the years, saying that they aren't sure how to find their patron, if the one they think is their patron really IS (or just wishful thinking), or are too wound up about offending any deity to even approach and ask for mentorship and help.

I'll approach these ideas back to front, just because I like the scenic route ;)


The First Date

I'm a firm believer that the very essence of good communication is understanding what the other person MEANS, not necessarily just what words come out of their mouth. The flow and arrangement of words, pauses, and gestures really give insight into the heart of the other persons intent. In approaching a deity, a sincere attitude and well-thought offering will get you miles further in their favor than flowery but trite rhyming couplets and expensive but meaningless trinkets.
For example, if the god that you wish to engage with continually has a certain food or flower appear in their mythology,incorporate that into your offering.
Many modern practitioners believe that it "vibrates" or aligns easily with their energy, effectively filling your sacred space with so many pieces of their collected earthly consciousness that the rest can't help but follow. This relates to the principle of "like attracts like".
Speak from the heart about why you wish to have them as your patron, pay attention to any feelings that you get within the Circle. Even if they have no interest in working with you, respectfully end the ritual and thank them for their time. You CANNOT take the offering back. It's bad manners.
This is a good way to find even temporary magical partners, though I will strongly caution you to research any entity that you intend to invoke very, very thoroughly before hand.


Wishful Thinking

You feel a strong affinity with a god or goddess. Their mythology inspires and moves you. You see parallels between their life and yours.
These are all good bases for a magical partnership. But how can you "tell" if they've taken you under their wing?
It's easiest to tell if they have decidedly not. If I were to draw a parallel in the mundane world, it's kind of like trying to convince yourself that you're in love. I worked with many different goddesses before my patron chose me (and they usually choose you, not the other way around). When it happens, you WILL know. In the meantime, enjoy the ride.


The Journey is Half the Fun

"Never work with a god you couldn't have a beer with"
-Carmin

In other words, knowing what you do about this deity, if they were a physically manifest person and you couldn't stand their personality, don't expect it to be any different without the fleshy bits. Always remain grounded in the physical world.
That said, read and study as much as you possibly can about their mythology. Address older sources whenever possible, and stay away from books written about gods specifically for the magical crowd. These tend to be excessively watered down and "spun" to suit the authors needs. Instead of hitting the Wicca and New Age section of your library or local bookstore, haunt the ancient history (particularly of the culture they appear in most often), mythology, anthropology and archeology sections.
Many people lament the lack of "advanced" magical texts, but it's a bit of a misnomer. To get to the meat, you really have to sift through dry bones, but the discovery and application of the knowledge is itself the Advanced material. The upper echelons of magical practice really confirm it as experiential: you cannot be Told, it must be Shown.

I hope this has answered at least a few questions you might have been pondering; if you have any questions that weren't addressed, please feel free to ask in the comments!

-Carmin

47° 9' S, 126° 43' W

A little something short and sweet for today, courtesy of Neil Gaiman: I Cthulhu

None the Worse for Wear

We had a lovely time at the Yule Ball, despite running a bit behind schedule and having an epic tire blow out a mere mile to the location. Some awfully kind attendees and organizers rolled up the sleeves of their smashing tuxedos, hitched up their ball gowns, and pitched in to make it happen.


There were a ton of fantastic vendors present, wonderful music, and a lovely ritual led by Soltahr.
The best part was getting to meet you guys in real life!
If you couldn't make it to this show, we hope to see you in the flesh for their Mardi Gras celebration.



More pictures to come!

Sneak Peak:New Elemental Candles!

"Sylph" and "Nereid " will be making their online debut tonight in the Etsy shop.
Ac is busy pounding leather into submission/ tarot bags for the upcoming Yule Ball, so new candles and oils will be landing on the main site whenever either of us can find a handful of minutes for coding.

"Earth" and "Fire" are on their way (soon!) but I'm still designing and inking their labels. Elemental sets will be available as soon as none of the candles are naked :)

Io- Easy Rainbow Scarf Pattern

Not really inspired by the mythology of Io, but by her nature.
The image was of a bright rainbow springing forth from the mouth of a river.

Intricate stitch patterns usually get buried in self striping yarn, but this dramatic drop stitch pattern nicely showcases long color changes. I found that a thicker garter stitch pattern between the drops highlighted them more dramatically.


1 skein Wisdom Yarns Poems. You may also substitute Noro Silk Garden, Crystal Palace Mochi Plus, or about 90 yards of any beautiful self striping yarn.

US #10 needles. Gauge isn't terribly important, but a loose, open, lacy look is. Use bigger needles if you want a more dramatic drop stitch pattern.

Cast on 15 stitches.

Row 1- 5 Knit
Row 6: *k1, yo, k1*
Row 7:*k1, drop yo, k1*
Row 8-11: Knit

Repeat rows 6- 11 until the scarf is the desired length. Knit the last 5 rows and bind off.


Legal blah blah: You may not sell this pattern. This is for private use only, etc. etc.
Enjoy!

The Best Laid Plans...

... sometimes go awry.

Exhibit A: One of our handcrafted Van Van candles. This particular specimen is afflicted with spots.
I usually take candles that have minor cosmetic defects, melt them down, and try try again. They are structurally sound, but if the stars don't align, or the wind shifts during composition, these wonderful spell candles look a bit funky and don't get to go to the proverbial ball.

A few artisans that I've met over the years sell their mistakes or odd-balls at a steep discount. My inner anal retentive perfectionist has resisted this for awhile, but I'm honestly curious to know if you guys would be interested.

Thoughts?

Yule Ball- December 11th!

Front Range Pagan Pride has graciously invited us to attend their annual Yule Ball as vendors, and I'm very happy to announce that we WILL be attending.
Their Pagan Pride Day was an absolute blast, and we were delighted to meet so many talented artisans, dancers, musicians, and all-around fantastic people in the magical community.

All of your Lodestone & Lady's Mantle favorites will be for sale, as well as many new oils, candles, perfumes, and incenses and one of a kind items. If you're running on Pagan Standard Time for your holiday shopping, we'll have all sorts of unique gifts ready for your stocking or the Yule Tree.

You can grab tickets to the Yule Ball ahead of time or at the door. For more info, see the Front Range Pagan Pride fan page.
We hope to see you there!

Looking A Hot Mess

Ac suggested that I share some of my natural beauty concoctions on the blog. These are tried, true, and tested. Many were inherited from family or friends, or are just successful kitchen fiddlings I've used consistently over the years.
Nearly all the recipes contain ingredients that are more than likely sitting in your fridge or in the cabinet, or are easily available and inexpensive.
The holiday season is the time when you're most likely bedraggled from work, have added financial pressures (ah, gift giving), lack of sleep, and an excess of social functions. Not to mention freezing temperatures and blasting heat.
While not magical per se, it's a neat bit of folk alchemy courtesy of Mother Nature.

The "Graced by Aphrodite" Facial
Good for: dried out, dull looking skin, enlarged pores.

This facial is very, very gentle and works well for every skin type under the sun. It moisturizes skin without clogging pores, is a gentle exfoliator, and gives you a fresh glow.

A dollop of plain yogurt (use vanilla yogurt if you don't have plain)
A tablespoon of honey
A small handful of oats. You can run these through a coffee grinder for best mixing results. Lacking that, just stir them in until the mixture has thickened. Mixed in whole, it's harder to keep the clumps from falling off your face (in which case you will be harangued by a trail of hopeful kitties trying to get more). Fair warning.
For older skin, or thin skin with a tendency towards breakouts or red veins, add either a drop of chamomile natural essential oil (wretchedly expensive stuff but worth it) or brew a strong cup of chamomile tea and add a few teaspoons to the mixture.

Mix all ingredients thoroughly, until it is about the consistency of dough. For especially sallow skin, take a warm washcloth and lay it on your face to stimulate circulation. Smooth the mixture on and let it dry. Rinse with warm water, and apply a light moisturizer.

"PragMagic"

We have enjoyed producing a variety of "Olde-Schoole" mixtures for Lodestone & Lady's Mantle, and we have many, almost countless mixtures to test & add to our catalog. As well, we have been designing & producing New Mixtures, Tools, & Supplies with the modern practitioner in mind!
We call it "Pragmagic".

The self-standing tapers & Cinnamon Stick Candles (for the Broom-Closeted Practitioner), are just the beginning. Along with other prototypes, like the portable "Magical Circle", and other works, they are geared towards working magic with the modern difficulties.
"Olde-Schoole Magic with a Modern Approach." That is Pragmagic!

Look forward to the additional objects on our Home & Etsy Sites!

I'm Inventing as Fast as I Can
~Ac

Front Range Pagan Pride Day

September 18th, we will be attending the Front Range Pagan Pride Day as vendors!
I am very excited by this opportunity to meet more of the local magical community. We're bringing along lots of your old favorites, as well as many new items (like the beeswax cinnamon stick tapers up pictured above), one of a kind ritual tools and some magical goodies that will be making their debut that day-shh, it's secret!

Admission to the Fair is free, but the organizers encourage you to bring canned goods to donate to the Colorado Aids Project Food Bank.
Many, many thanks to the wonderful people organizing this event for such a great cause, and we hope to see you there!

-Carmin & Azzerac

Kickboxing Geisha

Image from author's website

I love books that have a strong application to magic or the Pagan community, without being written directly for them.
Gender studies have always fascinated me, and this one in particular was both an entertaining and eye-opening read.
In the context of a highly structured society, the women within it casting off expected roles to pursue something more in line with their desires than secretary and housewife is inspiring.
The crossover?
This isn't a storybook in which success and a happy ending are guaranteed for our hero. Making those giant, scary, unprecedented steps to a more authentic version of self and speaking of the journey can certainly draw parallels to the modern practitioner, particularly those with Goddess-centric spirituality.
In later chapters, the author delves into an interesting side effect. More men are feeling free to pursue the path (in life and career) that vibes more closely with their soul than the traditional salary man and provider role, due in large part to their female trailblazing colleagues.
Too often I meet people within the Pagan community that fear their own power and the consequences of it's exercise. This book, to me, spoke of a healthy display and movement of power without the bogeyman of a cautionary tale. As you free yourself, you allow others to do the same.
Just like us, this community of unconventional men and women are finding their way and testing the waters.

Quick question for my lovely readers: How how you seen the evolution of gender roles within the Pagan community over your years of practice? How have things changed, stayed the same, and how have you evolved within that context, for positive or negative?


-Carmin

Winter never really leaves these mountains. Even in the height of summer, there's a hint of dark, star-spattered nights and a soft chill behind the wind. The growing season is regrettably, short. As the second harvest festival approaches, green thumbs begin measuring the garden in eyedroppers of time.
The first Samhain candles of the year were poured today. Today, a treasured member of the occult community parted the Veil between the Worlds and crossed over. Today, the Perseid meteor shower lit up the night sky. I wrapped a thousand prayers into a thousand stitches and hope to send them soon.
Utterly ordinary events beating measure for the extraordinary ones. Witches sing a threnody while the night sky burns.

-Carmin

Brand Spanking New Handcrafted Occult Goodies

Freestanding taper candles, simple, elegant, and practical, from Azzerac's original mold. We have a lot of candles and other goodies jostling for their premiere at the moment, but I couldn't wait to start casting these!
A variation on the traditional pyramid, being taller and a little more narrow, (perfect for small altar space), these have a wide base that can fit an array of spell items underneath (name papers, money, photos etc. for attraction spells) and nice flat sides for inscribing symbols, runes, and sigils for spell casting.

The colors remind me of a forest in autumn, just before dawn. Knit with a blend of wool and soy ( awesomely versatile plant, isn't it?!) and adorned with a simple wooden button. I've finished another of these, in shades of pearl, and a few more are on their way (knitting as fast as I can!). This one is for sale in our Etsy shop.
Just as a heads up, I tend to flit from one project to the next, and rarely remake a finished piece- unless you ask nicely ;) Because everything in the shop is handcrafted, each item is unique, and recreations will often have differences, ones that often even surprise their creator!


Saved the best for last: from the anvil of Matthius, a gorgeous hand forged, spiral-handled athame and boline set. You can see this set, and more lovelies for sale, on his Craftsman's Corner.


Hope you all are well, and had a lovely Solstice!

June Giveaway Winner

"Midsummer Eve" Edward Robert Hughes, 1908

The winner this months giveaway, an Attraction Spell set, is K(Banterings of a Basketcase). Email your shipping info to lodestoneandladysmantle[at]hotmail.com , and we'll have the box of goodies off to you on Monday!

Zahra Fajir is our runner up, and wins a bottle of our delicious Attraction oil.

Thank you all for entering, and keep your eyes peeled for next months giveaway.

Wishing you a beautiful, magical Summer Solstice,
-Carmin & Azzerac
Lodestone & Lady's Mantle

I'm a Wrecky Master!

Detours on the Reiki Path.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Setting the scene: Today, I covered for a friend who wanted to play hooky and go to the Renn Faire ( a noble cause). The following conversation took place at his bookstore.

Woman rushes in, 5 minutes after closing.

Me: We're actually closed, but I can still ring you up if you're looking for something specific".

Woman: "I'm looking for Rac*mumblemuble *for Dummies".

Me: "All of our 'For Dummies' books are just over here".

5 minutes later

Woman: "I don't see it. Do you see it?"

Me: "I'm sorry, I didn't quite understand. What were you looking for?"

Woman: "Wrecky for Dummies."

Me: *long pause* "Do you mean Reiki?"

Woman: "Uh-huh. It's an exercise system" *mimes jumping-jacks*

Me: " It's actually a healing system... a specific type of energy work".

Woman: *Gazes intently at bookshelf* "Yeah. I'm thinking about teaching it"


You can't make this shit up.

- Carmin

Working With Spirits, Saints, Gods, and Incorporeal Beings

The other day, I briefly touched on working with spirits (in the case of graveyard dirt).
I wanted to go a bit more in-depth on working with spirits in general.
A bit of advice that doesn't often crop up in metaphysical literature is caution a practitioner should employ when working with incorporeal beings. If you were to believe half the crescent moon publications on the topic, gods, saints and spirits are just hanging around, eager to grant your wishes at the drop of a hat (or the burning of a candle of their favorite color).

A good rule of thumb is to compare your actions in the Other realm to those in the physical realm. If you were to pick a random person in the phone book and ask them to come fix your car, clean your gutters, help you find a job or a lover, most likely you would get, well, nothing. Maybe a derogatory commentary on your mental health and a string of curse words. This is the equivalent of picking a god or saint from a table of correspondence and invoking their aid. Sure, love or money may be their specialty, but that doesn't mean that they have any cause to help you in your endeavors.
It is infinitely better to build a relationship with a being before asking for favors. Even if your need does not fall into their field of operation, they will pull strings and try harder for you than a random stranger.
Just because I'm not a mechanic does not mean that I won't come to rescue a friend whose car has broken down on the highway.

How do you know which beings to build a working relationship with? Again, much like the mundane world. Never work with a god that you couldn't have a beer with. If they were wrapped in flesh, could the two of you hang out and get along? Do you have similar life experiences to them? Do you have a fellow feeling with them and enjoy their personality? Can you relate to the way they handle situations, if only in the sense of role model, not necessarily a personality duplicate of yourself?
Most importantly, can you be relied upon to honor them even when you aren't asking for favors (keeping an altar to them in good shape, clean, and fresh)? No one likes the friend that only calls when they have a problem. Don't be a user.

Remember that this is but one branch of magic, well worth experiencing, but not strictly necessary to the practice of casting spells. In magic, as in life, you can go it alone. Still, the ride is sweeter for some company along the way.

-Carmin

June Giveaway: Handcrafted Attraction Spell Set

Winner of the June giveaway will receive our full set of Attraction spell supplies!
Attraction is a classic Hoodoo blend that draws prosperity, love, luck, positive attention, and friends towards you like a magnet. This stuff is wonderfully potent, and smells delicious!

Included in the set:

*Attraction Oil: Handcrafted with all natural and organic herbs, roots, and therapeutic grade natural organic essential oils, and organic cold-pressed carrier oils. Every bottle contains real botanicals and minerals. 1/2 oz.

*Attraction Spell Powder: A wonderfully potent magical blend of organic herbs, roots, spices, and essential oils that is sure to become your new favorite!
Sprinkle it towards your doorway or business to draw money, love, or physical goods toward you. Add Attraction Powder to spell candles to increase their power, or sprinkle it in the shape of sigils and symbols on your altar to add an extra dimension to your workings. Add to mojo bags, name papers, honey jars, and spell packets. A must-have for your magical cabinet!
1/2 oz

*Attraction Spell Candle:Each candle contains organic herbs and roots, a piece of both pyrite and lodestone (after burning, add these to charm or mojo bags to give extra power to your spell), and is scented with pure, natural essential oils.
Measures 2" x 3.5"

*1 Large Lodestone: A powerful magical aid, well known in Hoodoo, Witchcraft, and Ceremonial Magic. These natural magnets are used in all spells aimed at drawing something towards you. Particularly effective in money and love magic, as the lodestone's natural inclination is to pull an object to its owner. When worn, they increase power and personal magnetism.



$40.00 retail value.

Runner-up will receive a bottle of our organic, all natural Attraction oil.

To enter, just leave a comment on this blog post, and we'll draw the winner (and runner-up) with a nifty random number generator on June 19th.

Thanks!

-Carmin & Azzerac

Huh. I Guess Some of This Does Sound Odd

Mausoleum door, in my favorite cemetery.

Running an occult shop is (mostly) like running any business. Many practitioners that get into this field are often in for a nasty shock when they realize that things like accounting crop up. Still, it's wonderfully rewarding and spiritually fulfilling to be immersed 24/7 in what you love.

So, being immersed, I sometimes forget that certain items that we offer may look and sound a bit strange to outsiders.
While digging through traffic statistics for the site (another un-fun but necessary part of business) I discovered that we had made the Regretsy Facebook page (Scroll down a bit, then a bit more). Ah... namely for Graveyard Dirt and Banishing powder.

I'm a huge believer in using and testing the magical tools in the shop before selling them instead of picking out ingredients from a table of correspondence, throwing them in a bowl, and glibly describing how they work. A regrettable number of sellers do this. On a quick side note: this is often why it may take us a bit longer than others to get new products added to the site. Multiple practitioners skilled in different Traditions or magical techniques test out our products, and give feedback. Depending on results, we may juggle ingredients, retest, juggle a bit more, then offer it for sale. Or we may scrap the project and dig deeper into research to find an older source or more accurate formula. I truly believe that this makes a huge difference in the final product and it's efficacy. Or it's just maddening anal-retentiveness. I prefer the former to the latter. ;)


What this is really leading up to: Our Graveyard Dirt is actually from a graveyard. I enjoy visiting with the dead, doing a bit of housework on neglected old plots, listening to this peaceful little bit of land out in the woods, repeating the familiar ritual, and being gifted with something special. Maybe it's a bit Creepy Suzy for outsiders, but I hope that you guys value the little extra steps taken to get you the real deal. While it is generally preferred to work with the dirt from a family member's grave*, for many (including yours truly) that just isn't possible. Plus, I got tired of sending about 10 emails a day with instructions on how to gather it. So here we are ;)

Oh, yes. The Banishing Powder. I had some seriously crap neighbors (and a pervy boss, ugh) my first semester in college. Sometimes a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. This little can of whoopass has worked every time. It's the "I've tried playing nice with you, jackass, but no more" formula. Pretty inexpensive because the ingredients aren't terribly exotic, expensive, or need special ordering.

It's always interesting seeing another perspective, one that tumbles you out of your little world and makes you go "Huh. So that's what that looks like to other people. I'll be darned". Just wait 'till they get a look at the raccoon penis bones X-D

I hope that this was educational, and possibly, amusing ;P



* Rather than go off on another side note or tangent, there is a good solid reason or two behind using family dirt. First, more likely than not, your ancestors have your best interest in mind. They want you to succeed if for nothing else than the continuation of the family line and the feeding of their spirit. For another, you probably know the personality and attitude of your relatives, if only from stories. It's the difference between asking a stranger or a friend to hold your purse while you get your shoe tied, see?

Enthralled

This past Full Moon, cupped in a juniper tree.

It's a funny thing, living in a town like Manitou. Even if you could possibly forget the night of the Full Moon, the incense and the sound of drumming pouring out of half the town would remind you.
Hope you all had a lovely Esbat!

...A Segment of the Rainbow I Have Clutched

"The true harvest of my daily life is somewhat as intangible and indescribable as the tints of morning or evening. It is a little star-dust caught, a segment of the rainbow which I have clutched."

-Henry David Thoreau

A work in progress, still on the needles. My take on the traditional witch's hat: not a somber black, but the whirling color progression of the Wheel of the Year. Wool, with a kiss of silk and kid mohair.

The funny lumpy bits at the bottom are the brim (in progress) and will look much less ornery when bound off.

-Carmin

Winner of the May Give Away

Posting a day late: a thunderstorm knocked out most of the power and internet service here in our mountain valley yesterday. Sorry for the wait!
Coyoterose is the winner for the May giveaway.

Thank you all for entering, and next month, I think we'll be offering a runner-up prizes as well, so stay tuned!

-Carmin & Azzerac

Blessed Beltane, and May Giveaway!

This months giveaway is a psychic self defense set, including:

War Water:Our War Water is made during the waning Moon, with water from the legendary Iron Springs, at the foot of Pikes Peak, and antique railroad spikes. It comes in a generous 8oz brown glass bottle.

Uncrossing Oil: A traditional blend of herbs, formulated to break and reverse all malevolent magic thrown your way, including Malocchio (Evil Eye). This oil is also very effective when used in combination with stones and crystals, particularly double termination quartz, herkimer diamonds, obsidian, black tourmaline, or others associated with psychic defense.

Banishing Powder:Heavy duty formula, stinky and effective. My Banishing Powder has successfully gotten rid of two lazy bosses, one psychotic ex (they found him a month later, in a remote corner of Montana, covered in ticks), and a few crack head neighbors. A must have for your magical survival kit!

3 Double Action black and white soy candles: Burn these double action candles to undo a jinx, crossed condition, or a string of bad luck, and bring positive energy into your life.
We created these with the spell caster in mind, as commercial double action candles are, unfortunately, made the wrong way up (and have been for many years). This requires the spell caster to buttress the candle, exposing the wick on the bottom and leveling the top. Our candles are made the right way up, and require no buttressing.

This set is perfect for getting rid of the nasties in your life, and making way for the season's positive influence to flow and flower.

To enter, leave a comment on this blog post, and we'll pick the winner with a random generator.

Winner of the April Giveway

Winner of this months giveaway is Greymentality! Shoot us an email with your address so we can get those out to you :)
Thanks to everyone that entered, and keep your eyes peeled for upcoming giveaways and contests!

-Carmin

Sanctuary in the Woods

Sunstone, carnelian, and citrine mala.

Hand-knotted Traditional Hindu/Buddhist/Tibetan Mala Prayer Beads, from our newest artist, "Sanctuary in the Woods" !
These wonderful meditation tools do double duty as exquisite jewelry.

Winner for the Potion giveaway will be announced later today. Thank you all for entering!

-Carmin

Bear Creek Hiking and Geocaching

Pictures from the first hike of the year. We went geocaching! First pasque flower of the year, hiding near the yucca, and some spectacular candy-colored cactus.
We'll be alternating Witch n' Bitch meetings and Sunday hikes until the weather evens out a bit. Meet up with us at Gift Shop coffee shop on Manitou Ave., every Sunday at 10AM, and join our Facebook fan page for this weeks updates.

April Giveaway: Solid Potion Perfumes

A set of three of our handcrafted, all natural and organic solid potions are up for grabs this month!

"Rogue"- Lust and passion formula. Rich, buttery vanilla with tantalizing hints of Turkish coffee, vanilla and spice. Made with real High John root and other Commanding/Dominating herbs, roots, and essential oils. Great for guys!

"Road Opener"- Sandalwood and green citrus notes meld beautifully in this classic Hoodoo formula for removing obstacles in your path.

"Aphrodesia"- A perennial favorite and bestseller! A sensual, exotic floral perfume, designed to increase your personal magnetism and powers of attraction.

All three smell wonderful by themselves or can be layered to suit your spell goal. Retail value= $53.00

To enter, leave a comment on this blog entry, and a winner will be drawn with a nifty random generator on April 12th.

Procrastination is the Mother of Invention

My "I'm avoiding finishing my sweater" projects. A sane woman can only take so much stockinette stitch before she cracks ;)
You can fit a whole ritual set in these bags (give or take the wine and cakes). Each bag is one of a kind, made with my original patterns, and available in our Etsy shop.

The Smushy Hat

Ah, more knitty stuff and a random update. Made this cabled hat from a wonderful merino cashmere blend from Holly Berry, a lovely, cozy little yarn shop in Old Colorado City. If you are planning on attending the Witch n' Bitch this Sunday and need supplies (hooks, needles, yarn, embroidery thread, etc) here's the short list:

Needleworks by Holly Berry- they answer my dumb questions. (2409 West Colorado Avenue)

Green Valley Knitters and Weavers- Gorgeous, locally sheared, spun, and hand dyed yarn, as well as commercially produced yarn and roving, spindles, spinning wheels and a nice book selection. (2115 W. Colorado Ave)

Yarn Outlet -my personal fave. Great staff and lux yarn on the cheap. (416 S 8th St)

Hope to see you on Sunday!

-Carmin

Mundane Happenings

Hey there, not a lot going on in the magical front; it's the end of winter here in the Rockies, about that time of year when it feels as if spring is taking it's sweet time.
I've been busily crafting, working on a few new things for the shop, but mostly deep in the heart of knitting goodies for friends and loved ones. Ravelry may be the greatest thing since sliced bread.
The top photo is a baby sweater for a friend, expecting a wee little girl in a few months, and the bottom photo is the first of many Jayne Cobb hats. It's cunning, see? ;)
Witch n' Bitches are ongoing, so if you want to get your crafty on, check our Facebook fan page for the latest news on location (every Sunday, but coffee shops vary).

Hope you all are well!

-Carmin