The Avidity Witch

  MAGICIANS MONDAY: Wand A wand is a lightweight rod used to channel energy and power into spell work. Wands can be made of many materials including metal, wood, and stone. Some magic users use wands that are made of plastic, but it is not recommended, because plastic is an artificial substance and is not thought of as being able to handle a large amount of energy. In older books on magic, those who are new to the craft are encouraged to make their own wands or have someone who knows them personally make the wand for them. Today that rule is not as strict, partially since there are so many wonderful wand makers out there. The wand in the photo was made by a friend of mine. He sells his wands at Mystical Misfits in Nampa, Idaho, United States of America. Just in case anyone is interested in having a wand like it. Sadly, their Etsy shop is no longer in service, but you can find other information about their physical store here: https://www.facebook.com/mystikal.misfits I would al

  SORCERY SUNDAY: Eros Eros was the Greek god of love, sex, and desire. He is often confused with the Roman god Cupid but the two are slightly different. Eros is often depicted as a handsome young man with wings. He is said to be a carefree god. The later versions of Eros say that he is the son of Aphrodite and Ares (their love child, if you will), and one of the Erotes who assisted Aphrodite. The older versions say that he was one of the primordial gods, and one even describes him as the first god to come into existence. The most famous story involving Eros is the story of Eros and Psyche. It is a tale of love, betrayal, and reconciliation that I recommend reading. I hope you’ve enjoyed today’s post. Blessed be. *Image credit: The Mythic Tarot, by Juliet Sharman-Burke and Liz Green, Illustrated by Tricia Newell* (The card is from a twenty-seven year old deck and it has been through a lot, so please don’t judge me for the condition of the card.) I would like to remind you that

  SATIRE SATURDAY: Dunking During the burning times, many people believed that only witches could swim. Because of this, they would throw people into bodies of water to see if they would float. Sometimes they remembered to tie a rope around the person first so they could pull them out if they turned out to be innocent. The process was called ducking or dunking. It was, of course, a ridiculous idea and many people drowned because of it. People in power even created a device to help them determine whether or not someone was a witch. This device was a huge lever that had a stool on one end. It made it easy to dunk the accused in water without the accusers getting wet. The device had several names: a dunking stool, a ducking stool, or a cucking stool. The reason I personally find the idea of being dunked ridiculous. This is because I am a witch, and I would have easily passed this test. Not only can I barely swim, but I literally sink like a stone as soon as I stop moving. I can’t floa

  Packed with moisturizers this balm has been infused with cloves, nutmeg, witch hazel, and St. John’s wort to create a fast-acting pain relief remedy for sore muscles and joints. The cloves and nutmeg create a warming affect that helps soothe sore muscles. The witch hazel and St. John’s wort relieve pain and reduce inflammation. It’s perfect for relieving minor aches and pains for long periods of time. To use: Apply a dab to the affected area and rub in. A little goes a long way, so start small and add more as needed. As with all herbal remedies, you should check with your doctor if you are on any medication in case of drug interaction. *weights are approximate* *NOT A VEGAN PRODUCT* Containers are aluminum and recyclable. *Legal disclaimer: all spells, metaphysical tools and kits, and other similar items should be considered novelty items and used for entertainment purposes only*

  THAUMATURGIST THURSDAY: Aquamarine Aquamarine is a pale blue-green form of beryl. It is a semiprecious stone. It is often used as a protection amulet by fisherman and sailors due to its association with sea gods and goddesses. It is thought to bring peace and calm strong emotions. It can strengthen courage and help break self-sabotaging behaviors. Because of its association with water, aquamarine is thought to be good in purification. Aquamarine is also thought to enhance psychic powers. That’s all for today. Thanks for reading! Blessed be!

  WITCHY WEDNESDAY: Garlic Garlic is a plant that grows from a bulb like it’s close relative the onion. It is native to central Asia and has been used in food and medicine for thousands of years. It is a nutritious and low-calorie plant that has many benefits. Medicinally, garlic has many uses. It is known to boost the immune system, it is an antibiotic, it can reduce blood pressure, lower cholesterol, help fight colds and flu, boosts the cardiovascular system, kill intestinal parasites, and may help kill viruses if taken internally. The best part is that you do not have to consume large amounts to receive the benefits of using garlic. You only need enough to flavor your food, though many herbalists will recommend eating raw garlic in order to receive the most benefits from it. When used externally, garlic can kill ringworm and repel pests. The biggest downside to using garlic is the smell. Garlic can cause bad breath and body order. When consumed in large amounts it can cause stom

  This is not so much a tip post as one that I hope brings comfort to someone who needs it. As we head into the holiday season, it is important to remember that not everyone is surrounded by family. This time of year can be very hard for those of us who are estranged from our families. The important thing for those who are estranged to realize is that they are not alone. There are a lot of us that don’t have contact with our families for whatever reason. I am estranged from my immediate family. Unlike many people who no longer have contact with their families, my estrangement was my choice. I realize that there are many other people out there who did not have that luxury and were cast out by their families. I do not fully understand the pain these people must feel, but I can sympathize with their loneliness and longing for family. Please understand, I don’t really miss my family. I do find myself wishing that I had been born into a better family a lot though. To be fair, this is the

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  SUNDAY SORCERY: Kali or Kali Ma Kali is the Hindu goddess of death, violence, sexuality, time, the end of the world, and motherly love. She is often depicted as having black or blue skin, multiple limbs, a long tongue, a necklace of skulls or heads, and a belt of demon hands. She is the wife of the god Shiva. She is best known for destroying the demon Raktavira or Raktabija, who’s blood created thousands of more demons like him when it touched the ground. She killed him this by cutting off his head and drinking all his blood. She then devoured his demon spawn whole. It is said that when Kali was angry or doing her victory dance, Shiva would throw himself beneath her feet to keep her from ending the world. Today, Kali is still worshipped by many Hindus, but she is considered "marginal." Many feminist groups see Kali as an icon for female empowerment, and other groups see her as an icon for sexual liberation. To me, Kali is the perfect example of why you should know the g

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  Saturday Satire: Folk Names I’m dedicating my Saturday post to dispelling myths about witches, witchcraft, pagans, and magic. I hope you enjoy reading them. Folk names for herbs have been used for centuries, and there are many to describe herbs and spices. One of the reasons for this is that different regions would have different names for the same plants. Another reason is that it helped protect the livelihood of the witch or healer because they would be the only ones who really knew what was in their potions. Let’s say you boiled a spike, some gold, an Englishman’s foot, and some amber in a pot of oil and beeswax and slathered it on your skin. It probably wouldn’t do anything for you and might even make you sick. But if you knew that spike=lavender, gold=marigold, Englishman’s foot=plantain, and amber=St. John’s wort, then you could make a decent ointment for bug bites. Sadly, some of these names were most likely used to condemn innocent people during the burning times. For

  For years I searched for something that would moisturize and protect my dry hands and feet. I tried lotions, I tried ointments, and I tried balms. None of them worked for me and most cost a fortune. Finally, I got sick of it and created my Palm and Sole Balm. This mix of oils, butters, waxes, and herbs will moisturize the driest of hands and feet and promotes healing in damaged skin. It is infused with antifungal herbs to prevent nail fungus and athlete’s foot, and it smells great on both men and women. All my friends who have tried it are crazy about it, and I know that if you try it you will be too. To use: Apply a dab to the top of your hands or soles of your feet and rub in. A little goes a long way, so start small and add more as needed. Works best if applied before going to bed so that the balm has time to soak into your skin properly. *weights are approximate* *NOT A VEGAN PRODUCT* *Legal disclaimer: all spells, metaphysical tools and kits, and other similar items shou

  THAUMATURGIST THURSDAY: Selenite Selenite has many magical uses. It can be used to protect your home. This is most often done by placing it in the corners of your home to create a grid. It can be used to help people reconcile, especially in romantic relationships. It can be used to dispel negative energies and help a person gain inner peace. Selenite wands and scepters can be used to heal both physically and emotionally, and it is often used to gain strength. Selenite can even be used for scrying. My favorite way to use selenite is to add it to spells to amplify positive and protective energies. This seems to be a lesser known use for the stone, but I have had a lot of success in using it this way. My Keeping Things Honest spell kit that I sell on Etsy contains selenite, and the stone is used as an amplifier in this spell. It is currently on sale along with everything else in my shop for 20% off. If you would like to learn more about my shop, follow one of the links below. Ha

  WITCHY WEDNESDAY: Allspice Allspice is a sweet potent spice native to central America, that smells similar to ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. This is why it is usually called Allspice, though sometimes it is called Jamaican pepper. It is small berries that grow on evergreen trees. Medicinally, allspice can be used to stimulate the digestive system and treat flatulence. It should never be used by people with ulcerative colitis because it can exasperate the illness. It can be used in the form of a compress or a diluted essential oil to treat aches and pains. Undiluted allspice essential oil should never be applied directly to the skin because it can cause irritation. Allspice should only be taken in small amounts because it contains a chemical called eugenol that can cause a person to become extremely ill in large amounts. Allspice essential oil should never be ingested. Magically, allspice is most often used for luck or money. It can be burned as an incense or boiled to he

  WITCHTIP TUESDAY: Creating a Safe Workspace During a conversation this past weekend with a beginner witch I became aware of how few sites online explain how to create a safe space in which to perform your rituals and cast your spells. There are plenty of sites that tell you how to perform the spell itself, but I have yet to see one that starts with “Cast your circle.” One of the reasons it is important to create a safe space because energy and entities are drawn to spell work. If you do not have a barrier to protect you, you leave yourself open to attack. So today I am giving a crash course on how to do this. Casting a circle is the most common method of protecting yourself during rituals and spell work. To do this, you must first clear the area of negative energy. You can do this by sweeping it away with a broom or besom. Then you point your athame, wand, or casting hand straight out from your body, and move in a clockwise circle. As you do this, picture a protective barrier goi

  SORCERY SUNDAY: Bast (Bastet) Bast was a protector and defender of the god Ra as well as his daughter in Ancient Egypt theology. Originally, she was depicted as a lioness, but later she became a domestic cat. She is associated with cats, love, sensuality, family, birth, fertility, music, and dance. She can be called on for assistance in spells involving any of those things. To garner her favor, treat cats with love and respect. Because of her association with cats, I often ask her for assistance with my foster kittens. I make offerings to her often because of this as well. She accepts all of it but seems to enjoy a mixture of catnip and valerian the best. https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheAvidityWitch #theaviditywitch #witchtip #witch #witchcraft #pagan #god #goddess #egyptian #egyptiangoddess #egyptianpantheon #cat #catgoddess #bast #bastet #magic #metaphysical