Tag: Magic

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Witches Celebrate Mabon Because This is How They Conjure the Most Powerful Magic

Of all the enticing elements of witchcraft, the one thing curious folks always ask is how to conjure powerful magic. Mabon is the second of the three harvest festivals celebrated by pagans and witches alike. This treat filled holy day offers the blessings (and magic) of apples, gathering with loved ones, and the opportunity to collectively harness one of the most powerful aspects of witchcraft…gratitude. I know.. you probably thought I was going to tell you some hidden sequence of words that would instantly grant you access to all the powers of the universe. Well, I actually did just that. Gratitude is one of the most impressive methods of magic anyone can learn.

Image by ariesjay castillo from Pixabay

I’m not talking about your basic “Thank you”. Expressing gratitude should never be reduced to a tiny ‘thx’ in your text window. These abbreviated versions of thanksgiving are casual ways of expressing a surface layer of magic that seldom results in the kind of manifestation we long for. I’m not dismissing the quick responses we give each other, but there’s impressive truth to be told in how we express gratitude.

Mabon has long been held as a festival of thanks giving. Long before the early travelers came upon the eastern shores of what we now call America, people knew the ancient art of gratitude. Our rushed society of instant gratification has nearly lost it’s spark and the art of true manifestation is fizzling out faster than the sands of time. You don’t want to be that one witch trying to work her magic at the eleventh hour.

While Americans look forward to November’s fourth Thursday to sample Grandma’s apple pie and Aunt Betty’s green bean casserole, Witches take deep internal inventory during Mabon. On the surface, we taste the exquisite flaky buttery crust that social gatherings offer us. We decorate with orange pumpkins, crunchy brown leaves, and maroon vines entangle the candlesticks on the table. We craft spells together and bake cornbread mandalas. We anticipate the aromas of harvest and laugh with children crunching on caramel coated apples. The happiness this holy day gives us can’t hold a candle to the joy the deeper magic can bestow upon us. Gratitude is a profound mystery hidden beneath the mantel of our core.

Crystals for Prosperity and Abundance

Working with the magic of gratitude is a significant discipline that requires an earnest level of humility. Mabon isn’t just about feasting on the fruits of our labor. It’s a diligent observance of all the details that yield the magnificent cornucopia of desire. When your truest desires manifest, you unleash untapped power from within.

Mabon isn’t the only season to conjure this magic. You can do so any time of the year. Mabon just happens to be a designated season where we polish and refine our practice. Join us in our Circle of Intuition as we delve deeper this month into the artistry of gratitude. We begin observing Mabon on September 21st and the celebration continues until September 29th.

Season’s Blessings,

Sisterlisa

pumpkin tea light candles
Harvest Pumpkin Tealight Candles

Shop for Mabon Crystals Today

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Conjur Your Inner Magic and Rise Above the Crisis

We’ve been quarantining since March and the days seem to disappear like sand through loosely woven wicker. Our dance steps stumble while we reach out for something stable to balance ourselves on. There’s been an overwhelming dread of the unknown, this invisible threat is our daily monster and our swords can’t even see this dragon in order to slay it. We ask ourselves if the next time we drive by to wave at grandma, if it’s the last time we’ll see her. We remind her to wear a mask when food deliveries arrive and we’re quick to leave Yelp reviews for other customers to know which stores are the safest. Some days I feel like the family in the film, The Quiet Place. Being careful of every step. Wiping down all groceries, disinfecting touch points, properly wearing masks, avoiding people by six feet distancing. Not one step can falter, we must remain vigilant and balanced. It can be exhausting. This collective crisis has affected the entire planet.

It’s time to awaken our folk magic

We’re on the sixth month of this trek and I feel like we’re not even to Mordor yet. We all need our own Samwise Gamgee to help sustain us. This journey leaves us parched and we battle through our fears the best we can. This week I feel like we woke up in the misty mountains of Lothlórien when I listened to Taylor’s latest album, folklore. She certainly captured the elven oasis we all needed access to. She invited us into her musical portal to another realm to rest and be refreshed.

Among all the disinfecting of surfaces and hand washing our cloth masks, it was time to conduct an intense cleansing of my altar space. The Full Moon, Saturn, and Jupiter came into alignment revealing our need for ritual. All the crystals and tools need to be cleansed and the energy refocused. While I stand in solidarity with my human race, I have to find my own balance again. This collective crisis will not defeat my spirit.

It’s time to roll up the sleeves of our ritual robes and reignite the fires of magic. Throughout history, people of various religions knew that when crisis came upon them it was time to pray, march, and sing. It’s time to take out that wand and our other intuitive tools. We have a great work to do.

We can’t stop encouraging one another. Now is the time to get serious and not loose ground. Dig our heels in and do the great work of our ancestors.

We must be consistent and not waver. Our families and loved ones need to know there IS a future waiting for us. Don’t wait until the future surprises you, be ready for it. Create your daily ritual and be faithful with it. Anoint the door posts, sage the home, diffuse essential oils. Liven up your home, write letters to loved ones, and cook together. The holidays are just around the corner. Organize your recipe cards, plan the feast details, get your shopping done early. We’re not sure yet if we will have the same old traditional holiday gatherings, but we can and should create the most memorable holiday ever. These traditions are our rituals of love and friendship. The storytelling of Dickens and Disney have long been told around our homes every year, but what story are we telling this year? Maybe Taylor has that keen magical insight we need to learn from, folklore. It’s time to unleash your magic, dear folk people.

Come join us in the magic>> Circle of Intuition

Blessed Be,

Sisterlisa

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Taylor Swift Bewitches Us With Folklore and Magic

This last week has all been about folklore, the latest and 8th studio album by Taylor Swift. I couldn’t have guessed she would choose this title for her exquisite collection of new lullabies. Though it’s absolute perfection for us during this global pandemic to bring us into a kingdom where folklore meets us in the cold dark shadows and guides us into the warm light with a hypnotic spell she casts from the magical seat of her piano. Story telling, folklore, and metaphors are my passion and maybe that’s part of why I’m drawn to her music. It speaks to my spirit.

Taylor Swift Cabin folklore
folklore

Taylor introduces us to her world through a forest cabin we can only dream of. A cauldron by the hearth, a wicker broom stands next to her, with bare feet in a cotton nightgown. She plays her magical piano that opens a portal to a fairy realm with fantastic waterfalls, cool green moss, and ancient trees. She cast a spell and I happily surrender to this remarkable storytelling.

Taylor enters her magical piano portal

This lullaby is reminiscent of the night time stories we loved as small children. The magical story telling that made it easier for us to escape our fears of the dark and our worldly worries so we could drift of to sleep peacefully. Ancient folklore, mythology, and legends inspire us and comfort us. Which is exactly what we need during this global pandemic.

Taylor Swift in her fantastic realm called, cardigan.

The stories of our ancestors were historically told orally, memorized, and passed down to generations to come. We know the tales of heroic Thor, the siren song story of the little mermaid, and the never ending rabbit hole to wonderland. These tales taught us mystery, courage, and wisdom to carry us through countless battles with mystical beasts.

Taylor peeking into her magic piano stool to another world unknown

Sometimes the stories infiltrated our hearts with fright, but we battled those monsters of Grimm with battle axes and other incredulous weapons of war. These are the fables that plow into our souls to show us where our fears sit so we can unseat them and toss them into the abyss of flames to become ashes of our past. These adventures take us into cold places where we’re met with our own reflections. These opportunities to discover who we really are, what we’re really made of. Where we defeat dragons.

Taylor swimming to her life boat piano.

Folklore has traditionally been a vehicle for our learning. It’s been an avenue for growth. A highway for change. We’re given time to pause and reflect on our choices. Gifted storytelling rips at our souls, pulls weeds from hard ground, and cultivates moist rich soil for possibilities.

Taylor Swift saving herself with the magic of her music.

This oral tradition of stories weaves a pattern for survival whenever humans go through a collective chaos whether that be a pandemic, financial disruptions, or even mass deaths from war. Our heroes victories gain momentum and become legends for their sacrifice for the greater good. Where are the heroes today? This pandemic we’re staggering through has shown us the value and importance of our health care professionals. They’re our modern legends and their stories are being told to give us pause about our next steps out of our homes. When humans are faced with a global crisis we stand in solidarity with one another.

Taylor finding her comfort in her cardigan.

This album, folklore, arrived in our world right when we needed it. Millions of Swifties are tweeting about their uncontrollable crying while listening to this magical collection of lullabies. The perfect combination of instruments, the tone, the beats, and the lyrics to set the stage for our journey to safety. This sound healing that vibrates to our core and whispers, “Everything is going to be ok. We’ll get through this together.” Surviving a pandemic is new territory for us. Most of the world’s population has never experienced such a togetherness crisis before. The collective fear manufactures a hysteria in a way we’re not accustomed to. Humans scatter under a plunging wave like fish when a rock is hurled into their peaceful coral reef. Voices in leadership have been so divided. Families stuck at home sorting through their emotions alone. Depression, fear, agony. In the early days of America, Puritans experienced a similar fate. Would they, will we, die?

This stillness of folklore reminds us to go within, to be grounded again. To dig our heels into the earth and breathe deep. It’s perfectly acceptable to allow our minds to wander through this storytelling, it brings an escape..a healing. The queen of song writing offered our culture an opportunity to embrace the power of folklore to carry us through this storm. In 1964, The Beatles came to America and their music brought healing to an entire generation. Here we are, repeating history. We’ll be ok, we’ll get through this…together.

“Love you to the Moon and to Saturn, passed down like folk songs, the love lasts so long.” ~Taylor Swift

Magical blessings,

Sisterlisa

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Magic with Rosemary

When it comes to magic with rosemary you might be remembering the famous quote from Practical Magic about keeping rosemary by your garden gate. Rosemary is such a powerful herb and many grocery stores grow it in their parking lots. Though I don’t recommend wild harvesting from those locations since so many of their landscaper companies use pesticides on them. The best place to get rosemary is to grow it yourself, buy from an organic seller, or get a small sprig of organic rosemary at a local food market that’s known for offering safe food.

“There are some things I know for certain: always throw spilled salt over your left shoulder; keep rosemary by your garden gate; plant lavender for luck; and fall in love whenever you can.” ~Sally Owens, Practical Magic

While there are numerous websites that offer their input on the magic of rosemary, I lean toward understanding its physical influence on the mind and body, then learn how that corresponds in the spirit.

Rosemary is a wonderful herb to grow in your own garden for a variety of medicinal uses. Rosemary is wonderfully supportive for lung health, improving memory, kicking the coffee habit, eliminate dandruff, and to aid in digestion.

Rosemary is associated with Aquarius and these Wellness and Balance Crystals.

From the head down to the mid region, rosemary has its influence over our lives. It corresponds with your third eye, throat, and heart chakras. Any magic that comes from these areas can be influenced and supported by rosemary.



Since rosemary can support memory function, it also works well to improve clear thinking and intuitive skills. Pair your rosemary with clear quartz for heightened awareness. Steep some rosemary and lemon zest in hot water to make a tea for memory and psychic improvement. This is the perfect magical tea to substitute for your morning coffee to help kick the caffeine habit. Rosemary and lemon helps to boost brain function in a more powerful way than coffee does. You can add a tumbled quartz to your cup too! If you’re not comfortable working with crystals in your drinks, plant a clear quartz in your rosemary planter.

You can also work with rosemary to alleviate struggles with your respiratory system which influences your communication. For this method of use I would work with rosemary essential oil instead of the plant. You can diffuse rosemary essential oil in a water diffuser to help improve lung function. Keep a diffuser in the bathroom and run it with rosemary essential oil while showering. The steam from the shower will help the diffuser mist to fill the room for you to breathe while getting ready for the day. For communication magic add a larimar heart to your diffuser water.

There’s so much more we can do if we partner with rosemary. Please join us in our FB group Circle of Intuition to learn more.

Magical blessings,

Sisterlisa

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Making Magic Affordable

I wish to confess something to all of you. This isn’t something that a lot of people like to admit, but sometimes it’s perfectly acceptable to admit when your budget is tight. I didn’t have a lot of money to spend when I first got started in my practice. I saw women in magical groups bragging about their crystal hauls from various popular websites and I would sulk in my seat and scroll passed post after post of glamorous and gorgeous magical tools that I simply couldn’t afford.

sunstone tiles for attracting your desires

To be honest, I felt like an outsider in groups like that. So I remained a lurker, casually hitting the like button on posts I wish were my own. Then one day I saw a brave woman admit she couldn’t make room in her budget for crystals, incense, or anything else for her practice. She received so many supportive comments from women like her, like me! I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t charge hundreds of dollars for every order.

Working with magic doesn’t have a dollar requirement and I quickly learned how to cast my intentions with simple tools like herbs from my own kitchen or a shell and feather found at the beach. Yet, I knew I was destined to work with crystals! Now how could I make it work? I decided to go into business, that’s how. My heart still feels the emptiness pangs when I see women bragging in groups because I still see women who are on hard times and struggle just like I once did. The retail cost of crystals has been rising over the past few years, making it increasingly difficult for people to shop for crystals. It breaks my heart because every crystal sitting in a shop somewhere is longing for someone to partner with so they can manifest magic in the world together.

copper spheres for sending and receiving energy

I know deep in my heart that every crystal in my own shop is buzzing with energy for someone special. I want to make sure each and every one of them finds their forever home. That’s why I offer discount opportunities in all my social media platforms from Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and on my website. But this will be the first time I’ve offered a special for those subscribed to my blog. When you subscribe to my blog, you’ll receive a one time discount code for 25% off your next purchase. In your Magical Update email you’ll want to read all the way to the bottom to find your code.

Now to get the most out of my offerings be sure to follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and join my Facebook Group for additional discounts that are offered periodically throughout the year. I’m always looking for creative ways to make magical tools more affordable, including special giveaways on each of those platforms too. That little witch in all of us deserves to work with crystals in their practice.

Subscribe now!

May the Universe bless you richly!

Sisterlisa

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The Magic of Tools to Impact Your Practice

There’s an influx of interest in creating magic in our current era and many are wanting to influence politics, attract love, and change the culture of their countries. Magic certainly is a powerful force and the attraction to it is understandable. Some might even say magic is a temptation.

There’s a lot you can do by working with magic and there are some guidelines, based in good philosophy and science, that everyone should learn before attempting to cast a spell or chant an incantation. However, I’m not going to tackle those topics in this article. What I do want to share with you is the practical truth. All the power you need is already within you.

Some practitioners work with everyday items to manifest magic. Some common tools you can use are a thimble, a vintage spoon, buttons, a cat whisker, or even a feather found outside. We have a group on FB where I teach about some of those simple tools that can pack a powerful punch. We can work with simple tools or we can use more elaborate tools like crystals, essential oils, and even fossils!

petrified wood for ancient wisdom

Now here’s why working with tools matter. When we pick up a tool with our own hands, we’re making a commitment with our intentions. Much like the commitment we make when we write something down, like signing a contract. Working with tools makes us more aware of what we’re putting out into the universe. Our tools should give us pause before enacting an enchantment, charm, or spell.

When we go to our chest or cabinet to retrieve a tool, we’re already setting our intentions in motion. We know which tools to select based on what we want to manifest. *Assuming you know what each tool offers.

Working with magic is an art form, just like working with a brush and paint to create a painting. Some artists work with metal to create jewelry. Some craftsmen(and women) work with clay to create pottery. Magical practitioners work with tools to artistically manifest their desires.

larimar and clear quartz

In the image above, I’ve created a crystal grid with a quartz generator at the center, quartz points, and Larimar hearts to manifest loving communication among family. The Larimar hearts are pointed inward to send their communication energy to the generator and the generator sends that energy out through it’s top and through the quartz points that are pointing outward. Making a crystal grid can be a spiritually therapeutic experience for the mind, body, and soul. When we set our intentions, work with our hands, handle tools, and create art with our magic we are sure to manifest the highest good of our intentions. (I firmly believe that even if we get some things ‘wrong’ that the universe can filter that stuff out and work with our best expectations and goals.)

My daughter, Monica, and I worked with crystals in 2018 to manifest rain for Northern California. The city of Paradise was swept away with fire and the smoke was so bad people were being hospitalized for smoke inhalation and 87 civilians died. Our intentions were that rain would visit the area and provide a cleansing of the air and offer help to extinguish the fires.

Notice the date on the post.

As we set up our grid, we worked with my rain stick and called upon the forces of Mother Nature to send rain to Northern California.

Eleven days later, heavy rain started to fall in the region, offering help to the fire fighters to contain the flames. Their area received so much rain that our friends in Butte County were messaging us to take down our grid because there so much rain that they were being flooded. Working your magic with tools IS powerful! I offered the directions on how to manifest rain here.

If you’re desiring to make changes in your life and see your magic manifest then be sure to join our group before the next lesson commences.

Magical blessings,

Sisterlisa

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Charmed Jack O’ Lantern

Carving pumpkins in October is a long held tradition among American children. You can get child safe pumpkin carving kits at most grocery stores, but sometimes the best tools are right in your own kitchen already. While most would consider pumpkin carving a muggle project, it’s actually quite enchanted, if you want it to be.

Be sure to choose a pumpkin with a strong stem

The history of carving pumpkins into jack o’ lanterns originated in Ireland, but instead of pumpkins they used turnips. Pumpkins certainly are a lot easier to carve and since they grow so large we can give them huge cheesy grins or ferociously frightening faces.

The intention of carving scary faces is to ward off evil spirits. Placing the candle inside illuminates the faces at night, but even the candle can be a charmed part of your magical squash.

I’ve been carving pumpkins since I was a kid, as most of you probably have. I’ve tried the safety carving kits from the stores but they don’t really work as efficiently as what I have in my own kitchen.

BOO!

Nothing can take the place of a good sharp knife to remove the top. I found that removing the pulp from inside works best with a metal measuring cup. I have a set that has a thin edge so they scrape very well and since they’re metal they are far more sturdy than the plastic scoops that come in the kits.

Once you remove all the pulp and seeds you can draw lightly, on the best side of the pumpkin, with a pencil. I use a small pairing knife to make the initial cuts. If you cut slowly you should be able to remove the pieces without messing up the design. Smaller knives work better than large ones, unless your pumpkin is quite thick. That’s when we use a reciprocating saw like this one.

Once your entire design is done you can immerse your pumpkin in a dilution of bleach and water to prevent rot that attracts insects. It will help to repel gnats from attacking it in your yard. Let the pumpkin dry thoroughly!

Eeeek!

Now you can begin your enchantment! You can work with a humor charm or a protection spell. Here are the supplies you’ll need for a protection spell.

Protection Spell

  • 1/4 cup ground cinnamon
  • 5 whole cloves
  • 1 bay leaf (write a word on the leaf with a marker that corresponds with the spell you’re casting)

I’m not going to give you any words for the spell as the best words are the ones that come from your own mind and spirit.

Directions: Sprinkle the cinnamon into the empty pumpkin and speak your words while sprinkling. With each clove you add, speak your words as they drop in. While adding the bay leaf, speak your words. Finalize your spell while speaking your final words over the pumpkin as you place the top on.

Now set your pumpkin on your porch or in your garden. At night, place a tea light candle (or 2 or 3) inside. I use tea light candles so the flame is low enough in the pumpkin to avoid burning the inside of the top. You can add even more magic by speaking more words over the candles as you light them. Even better would be to use tea light candles that are already infused with magical elements.

pumpkin tea light candles
infused with cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and garnet

I hope your October festivities are well protected and filled with lots of fun and magic! Happy Halloween and Blessed Samhain!

Magical blessings,

Sisterlisa

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Magic with Oregano

I remember when I first started working with oregano to infuse our family dinners with those powerful little leaves. Crushing the leaves released that strong aroma most associated with spaghetti sauce. Little did my family know that I was weaving some magic over our meal.

When I’m cooking our spaghetti dinner I begin with a sauce pan and some olive oil. Heating it up just enough to send the aroma of the fresh crushed leaves into the kitchen air. I had to add some garlic too, of course. That pungent little bulb that seems to sweeten when its cooked. While I’m adding these powerful ingredients to the pan, I speak words of blessing over the simmering blend. Whatever words inspire family togetherness and laughter. While it simmers on the stove I prepare another yummy potion in a small dipping dish. We each take turns adding to the olive oil… garlic, herbs, and a dash of pepper. Creating the dipping oil together is an important part of this magical meal time. The final ingredient was the balsamic vinegar.

Then came the bread, slightly warmed in the oven and sliced for dipping. We talk together while enjoying our pre-dinner snack and as the simmering pot becomes ready the sauce goes in.



Oregano is a powerful herb for protection, as is garlic. But it’s more than just the protection I wish to cover my family with. It’s the ancestry of our family that brings us together. Family means everything. Nurturing a family of togetherness takes hard work and self discipline.

When you can bring the family together under a memory making meal with fragrant aromas and delicious tastes, you build new memories for them to hang onto when times get tough. These dinner time rituals hold more power than you think. Each time you set this ritual in motion their minds are reminded of the happy nights you spent together dipping bread together, in unity as a family.

Magical blessings,

Sisterlisa

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5 Basic Tools for Magic

Who doesn’t love all the sparkly gems and rockin’ aromas of essential oils in their magical practice? Superstition teaches you are cursed when you break a mirror (7 years bad luck), but I worry more about breaking the bank. If I go broke buying magical tools then I’m defeating the purpose of magic. If you worry about having all the ‘right’ magical tools or your spells and charms won’t work then shed that stress now because I’m about to tell you 5 basic tools you probably already have in your house.

  1. Salt– Most people already have salt in the home. Your table salt works just fine and if you have Himalayan salt, you can use that. Garlic salt will work if you’re doing protective or repelling magic. Salt is commonly used for cleansing and for creating a barrier around the house to keep negative spirits out.
  2. Candle- You can use any candle, even a birthday candle. Colors are typically for specific purposes, but not necessarily a hard fast requirement. They’re great for making wishes, sending prayers, and for consoling those who are hurting.
  3. Herbs- Any herb will do. Seriously. If all you have is parsley, it can be worked with. You can use your search engine to discover numerous websites that teach you which herbs can be used for a variety of purposes.
  4. Fire- You can use a lighter or even a match. Fire symbolizes shining a light for making things clearer and can be used to burn away something that no longer serves you.
  5. Dirt- Sounds messy, but dirt can be used for grounding magic or for concealing information from people who seek to harm you.

Though I’ve offered you 5 basic tools for magic you may wonder exactly how to use them. First of all, intention is everything. Get your intentions in order and make sure there isn’t any negativity lurking in your situation because that can really interfere with getting the intentions aligned.

Salt can be used on its own. You can sprinkle it on the window sills or thresholds of your home to keep negative energy away. Again, get your intentions in order. If you have fears then that fear will create a weak link in your magic. You need to come from a place of faith and confidence. Salt can also be used in water. Even though it dissolves the salt still carries its clearing energy and an be placed in a spray bottle to clear the air in your home.

Candles do require a base such as a candle holder, but if you’re working with a birthday candle, you can create a simple base by placing salt or dirt in a jar or shot glass to hold the candle upright. When you light the candle you’re going to want to keep your thoughts and intentions focused. Speak the words you wish to use to manifest your intentions. While you look at the flame, envision how your wish will manifest. Once you have imagined that manifestation to its fullest then blow out the candle.

Herbs carry their own energy based on what natural constituents are contained within. Herbs like Oregano and Thyme have healing energy for the throat and can be used for speaking healing words in a relationship. You can brew a tea with herbs and add honey to sweeten. While you’re steeping your tea, focus on your intentions and imagine your wish manifesting. Once you’ve envisioned it then drink your tea. Bonus magic for reading the tea leaves. They may open your eyes to something you hadn’t considered before.

Fire can be a dangerous medium so make sure you use proper fire safety when you’re working with this element. I generally don’t use fire on its own. Fire is usually used in combination with candles, incense, and herbs. It symbolizes the end of things and/or igniting something new. It can be used to give insight during flame scrying (seeing things in the flicker of the flames).

Dirt is the most common element of Mother Earth that can be worked with for a variety of spiritual practices. We can bury our crystals to align them with Mother Earth’s energy. Earth can also conceal magic such as a buried Witch’s Jar to protect the home. I’ve also worked with earth to ground chaotic energy and that can be as simple as gardening bare handed or burying your feet in the earth.

I hope this helps you get started with your magical practice. Don’t let the cost of tools discourage you from tapping into your magical energy.

~Sisterlisa

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Is Magic Real?

It was a quiet Halloween evening in my neighborhood and my parents took my little sister trick or treating. At the age of 17, it was unheard of that I would volunteer to stay and gift candy to the little ones knocking on our door. After the rush swept through there was a calmness and quietness I hadn’t heard in some time. Especially not on Halloween night! This eerie stillness got me all choked up, my throat felt swollen and it was hard to swallow. My breathing became shallow and fear started to creep in. It wasn’t often that I was home all alone at night. I stalked through the house to lock the windows and headed down the long dark hallway to the backdoor. The entire backyard was thick with night. I quickly flipped the switch to illuminate the patio! Though the light shone bright around the door, the light waned as it dimly reached through the yard. It was still dark in the distance and I couldn’t even see the fence. Suddenly, the fear dissipated and the garden called to me. I wanted to respond and for a moment I felt empowered. Just as I gained enough courage to speak out to the abyss of the universe, fear throttled me and my body obeyed with a slam of the door and the click of the lock was the last sound I heard before running back to the brightly lit living room.

*deep breath*

My heart was pounding and a few moments later my little sister, followed by our parents, arrived with her pillowcase bulging with the scent of chocolates and fruity sugar candies. Her giggles radiated throughout the room as she dumped her loot on the floor to sort through. When they asked how my evening went, I simply smiled and shrugged my shoulders, “Quiet and uneventful”. I never spoke about what I experienced.

It wasn’t until 25 years later that I realized what really happened. After years of being spooked by anti-witch rhetoric from religious folks, my teenage mind had been programmed to ignore and even run from any hint of magic. Though my childhood was spent laughing at the comedy of Bewitched, the idea of real magic was demonized by many people I knew and dismissed as fake by the non-religious.

After we spent too many years deeply entrenched in religion, the magic began to call to me again. During our departure, spiritual gifts became stronger as we pushed our way through the foretelling of gloom and doom from our religious friends. We were condemned for leaving their community and told bad things would happen if we didn’t stay. I had spent enough time in a few charismatic churches to believe in spiritual gifts, though the cult we fled demonized those gifts as evil.

 “Intuition is the discriminative faculty that enables you to decide which of two lines of reasoning is right. Perfect intuition makes you a master of all.”~Paramahansa Yogananda

Religion has effectively demonized spirituality outside of their own. Devastatingly, the hard-fast sweep of religion coupled by government control caused over 100,000 people to be murdered for not conforming. The mentality of the controlled programming, along with the threat of death, forged a very deep level of control that has spanned the generations who have followed.

Even today, in our society that has embraced more liberalism and freedom in spiritual practice, people who no longer follow a religion have deeply held, fear based, beliefs against magic.

What many people don’t understand is how empowering and freeing it is to work with elements of the earth in your spiritual practice. But isn’t that exactly what a controlling religion doesn’t want for its adherents? To be empowered and free. Though skeptics don’t believe magic leads to freedom. Critics have long held a stance that magic is fraudulent and akin to television evangelists working toward obtaining your bank account. In the critic’s mind, it’s all snake oil.

What about these very real-to-me experiences of spiritual happenings? 

I can’t scientifically prove these experiences are real, but to me they were very genuine.

How does a mother know her intuition is real except she obey her intuition and it guides her and her children to safety?

I sincerely believe this energy we experience is a real occurrence. You can call it magic, energy, intuition, or the name of your deity.

If it has guided you well, kept you safe, inspired growth, and any numerous other positive manifestations have come to fruition because you heeded that guidance then stay true to it.

I’m not sure why I felt called to the garden so many years ago. I can’t help but wonder what would’ve happened had I stepped out a little further into the darkness. Maybe my intuition, my magic, was telling me to lock the doors and windows for a reason. I’ll never know for sure, but at least I’m here today to tell the story.

Magically yours,

Sisterlisa