My priorities include: Learning how to process St John’s Wort so that if I’m ever stranded back in time before the invention of modern psychoactive medication I won’t go batshit crazy.

It’s not actually all that hard. Hypericum Perforatum (St. John’s Wort) is distinctive, with little dime-sized yellow flowers that bleed red when you squish them. They bloom in June, and are everywhere in the Pacific Northwest, because they’re “road weeds”. They actually make more hypericin if they’re growing in stressed conditions.

How I do it (not an official Method, just how I’ve done it.)

1. Pick the flowering tips only (not leaves, roots or stems) when they are yellow and mostly opened, at full bloom. You need enough to fill whatever container you’re using. A quart jar ought to make you a year of tincture, roughly. 2. Spread them out on paper towels on a counter and cover with paper towel and let them sit that way in a not-humid environment, room temp environment for about 6-10 hours. Like, pick in the morning and process before bed. They’ll wilt a little. The bugs will leave. The stress will make the flowers make a little more hypericin. And they’ll be REALLY dry.  Typical air conditioned kitchen is probably right. Not air conditioned is fine if you’re not like, someplace super hot and humid. 3. Put all the flowers loosely packed into a mason jar. 4. Cover with Everclear or other GNS. You can use Vodka but it should be 100 proof or better. 50% alcohol is a minimum, I really like the result using 190 proof. 5. Use a bamboo skewer to release air bubbles, carefully.  6. Cover, and let sit. With GNS, the chance of anything spoiling is minimal. You can ignore it for anywhere from 4-6 weeks or longer.

When you get around to it, pour the contents into another jar through a fine strainer. You should get a blood red alcohol and have spent brown plant matter with no vitality left in it. 

Dosing is highly subjective and I’d titrate up to “what works”. I would put the tincture into a small cup of near-boiling water and the alcohol would mostly evaporate on contact, leaving the important stuff behind.

Do not use dried herb. Do not use roots or leaves. Just fresh flowering tips.

If it doesn’t look like the blood of your enemies something is wrong.

Flash vs. Natural.

Protect My Ass Spell Jar. 

“In times of need I will be protected because the world is crazy and who knows what the day will bring.”

Fennel. “Energy rise, strong and wise.”  St. John’s Wort. “Shelter me away from harm.” Rosemary. “Protect my ass for I am valuable.” Sage. “Fucking right, for I am protected.”

Candle to Ease Emotional Distress/Depression

For those of you who like making your own spelled candles here’s one I had a ton of success with. Every witch knows that magick isn’t medicine, this candle is not meant to treat anything, just to ease bad days and give you an energetic boost to get to the good days. Think of it as a magickal safety net that you can bust out whenever you feel like you’re out of control and need some peace and hope and positivity to get you through.

🌸– Coffee to dispel negative thoughts and overcome internal blocks

🌸– Gardenia essential oil to promote peace

🌸– Oregano for joy and vitality

🌸– Lavender essential oil for peace, purification, and protection

🌸– Mint for protection and healing

🌸– Thyme for courage

🌸– St. John’s Wort for happiness, depression ease, and emotional balance

Personally I make candles but recycling old candles and just adding my spell ingredients and intent, then pouring it into a jar and adding a wick. Then voila your very own magick candle.

May it’s light comfort you in dark times and it’s energy guide you to the peace you seek.

Solar Herbal Salve ☀

Using a variety of herbs and plants that correspond with the Sun, this salve is meant to relieve minor scrapes, cuts, and bug bites.

Ingredients:

Solar Herbs:

Infused Oil Recipe (Quick Method):

Solar Method:

Salve Recipe:

Note: please seek medical care for serious conditions

Happiness Spell

Suggested ingredients (any ingredient may be switched out as to suit the witch):

-Rose petals/dried rose petals

-Citrine crystal

-Sodalite crystal

-Amethyst crystal

-Rose quartz crystal

-Lavender

-St Johns Wort

-Yellow candle

-Small bottle/sachet/muslin bag

Light the candle.

“From the powers inside me,

Shall my happiness be,

May I feel no shame,

May I feel happy again,

For no sadness may arise,

While joy is within my eyes.”

Place the rose petals, lavender and st johns wort in the bottle/sachet, followed by one or more of the crystals as you choose, focusing on your intent. If using a bottle, seal the bottle with wax.

Place the bottle/bag near you while you sleep and carry it around with you when you need an extra boost.

Dreams, Protection From Nightmares

There are several plants and objects that will help passively protect from nightmares.

Clip living plants and keep them near your pillow. Make dried plants in to a sleep sachet and keep that under your pillow. Keep dried plants in a box or jar, and open it before sleep. Do not use decaf coffee, it must be the real thing. 

Drinking mugwort or wormwood tea may stimulate vivid dreams, which you may or may not prefer, but mint tea will protect against nightmares without chemically stimulating dreams.

Wear a real silver charm to bed. Cleanse it every morning with pollution water, cleansing oil, holy water, Florida water, or another good strong cleanser.

Keep a real horse shoe under your pillow. They can be purchased at feed supply stores. Tie pouches of mugwort or wormwood to the horseshoe for extra protection.

Anoint your forehead and the base of your neck with war water before bed.

Create a happy nightmare guardian to watch over you as you sleep.

Keep a glass of water next to your bed to absorb negativity. Throw it out each morning.

Charge a yellow candle with intentions of good, safe sleep. Burn it a little every night before bed.

I don’t recommend that stab the poppet directly through the front of the eyes - this doesn’t fit with the spell’s mechanism of action. It is best to slide the needle in the back so that it pokes out of the eye in the front, for reasons that may be rather obvious. Be careful using St. John’s Wort if you are taking psychiatric medication, though this shouldn’t be much of an issue if you’re not consuming it (and in this spell, you aren’t). Still, if you want to explore this herb, use caution.

I love your illustrations so much!

Tari’s Banishing Potion

Safety:

This potion is intended to act as a powerful banisher.  It should be stored in safe container, away from where it can be knocked over or accidentally ingested.  This potion is meant to be used as an addition to other banishing spells, or directly in small amounts when direct and powerful banishing actions are needed.

***This potion cannot be applied to skin.  

***This potion cannot be poured directly on to anything.  

***If you spray this potion you must do so lightly and AWAY from you – wear goggles and face protection.

If you are using this potion directly, instead of as a spell additive, I really don’t recommend doing anything but using this potion to form a boundary by placing a few drops along the boundary that you are creating.  Another option would be to place a small amount of this potion in a charm bottle at the end of a chain, and carefully swing the charm while walking your boundary.  

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Suggested Ingredients:

o   Allspice (crushed)

o   Basil

o   Black Pepper (crushed)

o   Black Salt

o   Capsaicin

o   Cayenne Pepper

o   Charcoal Water

o   Cigarette-Butt Ash*

o   Garlic (preferably minced or in larger pieces, but dried / powdered works too)

o   Hot Sauce

o   St. John’s Wort

o   Spoiled Wine

o   Sulfur (you can use match heads here)

o   Vinegar

*To obtain this sort of ash, take a smoked cigarette and hold it by where the filter attached.  Squeeze gently and, pointing the smoked end downwards towards a creased piece of paper, gently roll the cigarette back and forth between your fingertips.  You’ll probably get some unburnt tobacco as well; the burnt ash is best here, but the unburnt tobacco can also be added if you get any!

Optional Ingredients:

o   A specific taglock included in the potion.

o   Dirt from the area you plan to use the potion on.

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Directions:

1.  If you haven’t created black salt yet, give it a try!   Here is a really easy recipe that you can use.  

2.  Be sure to wear gloves and glasses if you are dealing with capsaicin or actual sulfur!  You should probably wear gloves either way with this one, I think.

3.  Take your dry ingredients and mix them together; be extremely careful and do not get anything in or on your eyes, mouth, skin, or nostrils.  You can add your hot sauce to the dry ingredients if you are only using a few drops; if you are using more, save it for Step 5.

4.  Carefully add your dry ingredients to the container that you’ll be storing your potion in; you may want to store at least some of it in a spray bottle.

5.  Slowly and carefully add in (if you are using them) the charcoal water, the hot sauce, the spoiled wine, and the vinegar.  Use a funnel if necessary!  Try to add equal parts of each of those ingredients, until the container is getting close to full (remember to leave room for your taglock and dirt).

6.  If you are adding in a taglock or dirt, add those in now.  

7.  Take your container and seal it tightly.  Make sure that it’s sealed completely, where nothing can get out unless you open it.  Is it sealed? Go double check.  Are you sure?  Okay good.

8.  Take your container and shake it roughly; imagine your anger and annoyance being poured into the container.  As you are doing so, you can try to use the following words:

9.    End the spell, ground yourself, clean up your workspace, store that potion really safely, and feel better knowing that you have this added protection in your witchy supply stock!

A Spell to Banish and Protect: “Restraining Order Bottle”

Supplies:

o   An airtight jar or bottle.

o   Black or red craft paint and a small paintbrush OR a black or red sharpie marker.

o   Simple taglock representing the person or thing that you want to banish.  Something that includes DNA – such as hair – is very powerful, but a slip of paper with the name that you know the target as can serve just as well also!

o   A few things (or representations of some of the things) that your target hates (foods, scents, colors, images, written examples of what they hate, etc). If you can, add something that you know they are allergic to.

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Suggested Ingredients:

o   A few drops of my Banishing Potion

o   A Keep Away Stone

o   Basil

o   Bay Leaves (crushed or whole)

o   Black Salt

o   Black and/or Red Crystals

o   Black and/or Red Pepper

o   Black and/or Red Wax Chips

o   Cayenne Pepper

o   Cactus Spines

o   Crumbled Dragon’s Blood Incense

o   Dead Spiders (added as a warning to your target)

o   Eggshells (crushed into a powder)

o   Juniper Berries

o   Pumice

o   Red Pepper (crushed or in flakes)

o   Rosemary

o   St. John’s Wort

o   Tobacco

o   Willow Branches

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Spell Steps:

Step 1: If you will be using the Banishing Potion and/or the Keep Away Stone, make those in advance.  

Step 2:  Prepare for your spell.  Make sure that you have your supplies and ingredients on hand; meditate; cleanse yourself and your area; make sure that you are grounded, centered, and protected; take any of the steps that you usually would when engaging in magick work.

Step 3: Take your dry ingredients and mix then together. As you add each ingredient to the mixture, focus on its banishing abilities; imagine it radiating your desire for this person to leave you alone.  

Step 4: Take your bottle or jar and fill it about halfway with your mixture. Shake the bottle a bit to help the mixture settle.  

Step 5: Add in your taglock, and whatever items that you are using to represent things that your target hates.  If you are using a Keep Away Stone, add that in now as well.

Step 6:  Add in the rest of your ingredients, and finish off with a few drops of the Banishing Potion if you are using it.  

Step 7:  Taking your marker or paint, add a copy of your ‘restraining order’ to the outside of the bottle.  Be sure to include your target’s name, as well as the distance that you want between you and your target.

Step 8:  Seal your bottle completely and give it a few shakes, thinking about how much you want your target to stay away.

Step 9:  End the spell and ground yourself.

Step 10:  Put the bottle somewhere safe and preferably dark; let it do most of its work in the shadows.  If you feel that your Restraining Order is about to be infringed on or broken, grab your brightest light (flashlight app, actual flashlight, mirror reflecting the sun – whatever you have on hand, seriously) and shine it directly at the bottle. Take the bottle and shake it a few times, repeating the same words that you used when you first created your bottle <3 

Old Mother Redcap's "Worry Me Not" Anti-Anxiety Charm

This charm is designed to assist those suffering from anxiety, as well as stress from day to day life. This is not a replacement for professional medical advice and is not a replacement for medication for mental health issues.  Items needed: - Mini corked glass bottle (small enough to carry with you), can be obtained from Ebay and most craft stores for relatively cheap. - Superglue or adhesive that will stick to glass - Paint brush - Brightly coloured small beads - Vanilla essence  Appropriate herbs such as: - Lemon balm - Lavender  - St Johns Wort - Chamomile - Catnip Method: Start by removing the cork from your bottle, and placing it on a piece of newspaper or paper towel to keep your space clean. Place all of your beads into a plate or bowl. Cover the outside of the bottle with your chosen glue, spreading it around with your paintbrush to make sure you haven’t missed any spots. Immediately place the bottle into the beads, covering it until the beads are stick to the glass.  Once dry, fill your bottle with the herbs. As you place each herb into the bottle, you may wish to chant something. It can even be as simple as “Lemon balm, worry me not”. Seal up you bottle tightly. Drop a small amount of vanilla essence onto the cork, so the fragrance is strong. Carry the bottle with you, and when you’re feeling a bit anxious and/or stressed, run your fingers over the beads and let the scent of the vanilla relax you.