stormbornwitch

[stormbornwitch]

[stormbornwitch]

Taking Notes for Witchcraft

You'll see the advice of "write everything down" everywhere, and for good reason. It's a fundamental skill when studying anything, in my opinion. You can be a great reader and know all the right ways to spot a bad source, but none of that matters if you aren't keeping notes. A student is only as good as their note-taking skills, and all witches are students.

But how do you take notes?

Well, first of all, take note of this: I'm not talking about a grimoire. This isn't about writing proven spells in a pretty notebook. This is about writing down everything in a non-judgmental, kind of messy, comprehensive log. It should have a standard layout or template to make it easier to use and look back on, but otherwise, it's a working document for your eyes only.

There are countless ways to keep notes on anything. If the school system failed you (as it did many of us), chances are, you weren't ever taught how to take notes. You were just told to "write that down" and never looked at it again. You're not alone! You, too, can learn how to take not just notes but good notes.

Fundamentals of Note-Taking

The important thing to remember here is that notes are for you. There is no test to pass, no professor to impress, no essay to write. These notes are meant to help you in your magical and/or spiritual practice. But what's the purpose of taking notes, if there's no one and nothing forcing you to take them? In my mind, there are a few:

Absorbing new information by associating a physical movement with the topic (as in, remembering writing something down and using that to recall the information)

Being able to go back and reread information you've already gone over, creating a reference document for future use

Making note of thoughts, opinions, and ideas in the moment so you remember them later

With these basic purposes in mind, you might think to yourself, "Oh, that's easy! Just write everything down. Easy peasy." But to make notes not only effective in the moment for absorption and having the information in one place, they also have to be organized. Writing things down willy-nilly is fine right up until the moment you're spending 20 minutes looking for one specific note buried in a pile of loose, unlabeled papers.

So here are my (very opinion-driven) guidelines for taking notes on anything:

Notes must be kept in a dedicated, bound notebook or dedicated digital file system. Not a binder, not in loose-leaf pages, not on scraps of paper. In a notebook. Spiral notebooks are fine, but I prefer something I can't rip pages out of. I have both a digital system and a notebook system; the notebook is for raw notes and unfiltered thoughts, whereas the digital system is more polished (my actual grimoire).

Notes must be kept in date order. Chronologically! Not by subject. No jumping around the notebook, either. It doesn't matter if one page has a list of recipes to test and the next is detailing an odd dream. If they happen on the same day, they exist together.

All pages must follow a template. I have several templates for various subjects -- one for test recipes, one for completed recipes, one for spells, one for research topics... Some are more rigid than others (recipes in particular). You can use any template or method that you want, so long as it works for you. What matters is that they're all the same every time.

The template must include the date, a title, and the purpose or a summary of what the notes are about. This makes it easier to remember when I did something, what it was, what the contents of the notes are, and why I was taking the notes later on.

Number your pages. A pre-numbered notebook is ideal, but you can always add the numbers yourself.

Notes have to be legible. It just has to be legible to you. If your handwriting sucks (like mine), that's fine so long as you can read it later. But this also means making an effort to use language you'll understand. Don't use fancy script you can't read or big words you don't actually understand.

Write in pen! Controversial, maybe! But you should take notes in pen, never pencil. For one, pen won't smudge and fade like pencil will. For another, writing in pen prevents you from erasing your thoughts in the moment. You shouldn't be afraid of making mistakes or crossing things out. Plus, erasing destroys paper. Just don't do it.

Write in two or even three colors. The third reason to use pen! When I write notes, I usually write my template out in black. Then, I'll fill in the basic information in the same black pen. The "actual notes" are taken using a colored pen (blue, often). As I take notes, I usually have thoughts and ideas outside of the information I'm trying to take down. To make these more clear and easier to find later on, I write them down in a third color (red or another fun color).

Let yourself be a little disorganized and "ridiculous." Look. I know I'm saying to use templates and write neatly. But these notes are for your eyes only. You can write things down that you don't think will be actually useful later. Jot down that this detail made you think of that person. Scribble doodles in the margins. Whatever. If it's not going to impede your note-taking, it doesn't matter. But also, if you start reading a book today and don't come back to it until next week, don't pick up the notes on the prior page. Start a new page. The title should reflect that it's a continuation, but don't skip pages to make room for more notes. Fill in every page as you get to them. This is why we number our pages -- note down where the last set of notes are and then keep moving.

An Example - Book Notes

Let's say I'm reading a book and want to take notes from it. The first thing I want to consider is my goal in taking these notes and what I'm hoping to get from the book. My notes will look very different if I'm trying to review a book's quality versus learning a particular type of magic. For the purposes of this example, we'll say I'm taking general notes to glean as much information as I can from the book.

And let's say I'm using... *casts about looking for the nearest book*... The Bountiful Container, by Rose Marie Nichols McGee and Maggie Stuckey. A book I genuinely do recommend for anyone looking to learn how to keep an edible container garden, by the way.

My ideal template for a book includes:

The date in the upper left-hand corner

The page number in the lower outer corner (for left pages, bottom left; for right pages, bottom right)

The title of the book as the title of the page, followed by the author

The topic of the book

What the book contains (spells, instructions, philosophy, guides, lists, etc.)

My goal in reading it and taking these notes

A heading to delineate where the actual notes begin

Dividing parts or chapters in my chosen note-taking pen color

Here's an example of what that might look like:

Note how I'm using bullet points to keep my thoughts organized and separated. You can also see the purple writing that denotes my less organized, in the moment thoughts and feelings on what's being said in the book. Here, the black pen is the template, the teal is the facts presented by the book, and purple is my personal commentary.

You don't have to divide your commentary and factual notes, by the way. I do it because I want to easily delineate between what's actually being said by the authors and what I'm thinking in the moment about what's being said. Sometimes, I'll write them as I have in the above example, in the margins or next to the factual stuff. Other times, I'll write them in line as a dedicated bullet point. It all depends on when I have the thought.

Another Example - Spell Notes

"But what about spells?" I hear you hypothetically asking. I'm glad you've hypothetically asked, dear reader! A very similar approach can be applied to writing notes on spells.

For the purposes of this example, I'll actually show off an updated version of the notes for my Pickled Pickle Hex. Note that this isn't my actual notebook or grimoire, since those are for my eyes only.

For spells, my ideal layout includes:

The name of the spell as the title

The date in the upper left corner

The page number as described previously

The source of the spell

Type of spell (hex, protection, edible, jar, candle)

Purpose of the spell

Ideal timing, if applicable

Ingredients

Instructions

Space for notes before, during, and after the spell (during/after notes may be recorded separately)

And here's the visual example:

Note again how the template and basic information is all in black. This color is all business, detailing the actual, physical steps taken for the spell. The teal pen describes the magical parts -- ingredient correspondences, magical acts, incantation locations, etc. In the actual version, I include the incantation itself here. Then, the purple pen is my thoughts while recording it. It's mostly me talking to myself, but note under number 5 in the second image where I ask, "Include time frame here?" It's a note to self to consider where to add an expiration or expected end date during the casting process.

Again, you can include whatever you want. My original notes have doodles and copious notes in the margins... plus ingredients I needed to pick up for the spell. You can include whatever notes you need to. If it's relevant in the moment, write it down.

Recording Spell Results

A big part of note-taking for me is writing down how things work and how it all went. After all, why would I want to cast a spell again if I didn't enjoy it and it didn't work?

It's important to keep notes during your casting. I would suggest tracking the following:

Thoughts and feelings you have (nervous, tired, happy, angry, "I'm hungry," "I should've brought water with me," etc.)

Messages you receive from spirits or other entities

Odd things you notice (wax dripping strangely, shapes in the incense smoke, sounds nearby, increased pet activity, tarot cards jumping)

Alterations to prescribed steps, ingredient substitutions, added or removed steps or actions

Questions you have during the casting and answers if you look them up immediately

Concerns that come up regarding efficiency, energy levels, whether you're "doing it right," missing ingredients, and so forth

How the final result turns out (how it looks, how you feel about it, etc.)

What your next steps are (hiding it, burying it, setting it on your altar, eating it, etc.)

During this stage, particularly for that last bullet point, decide when you'll come back to this spell to check how it went. Sometimes, it isn't possible to test your results (hexes on someone you don't see consistently, for example). Even so, you should still return to the spell to record how you feel, what you think with hindsight on your side, and so forth. If you can tell how the spell worked, write down what happened and why you believe it's connected to the magical working.

If you like, you can make additional notes on the spell and steps themselves. What I do is I put a note under the post-casting section that says, "Additional notes written [date] in this pen color." And, true to form, it'll be a different pen color to everything else I've written with so far.

Again, remember that these notes aren't final. They're experiments and study notes, not grimoire pages. These notes are what your grimoire will be based on. Once you feel confident with a spell, write it into your official grimoire using your layout and medium of choice. In my case, this means typing up the final, expanded version of my notes and spells.

Conclusion

Look, in the end, it doesn't matter how you're writing stuff down. All that matters is that you're writing it down. Keeping it organized makes it easier to use later. Do what works for you.

Here are a few suggestions for note-taking methods and applications that have fed into my philosophies:

Bullet journaling - This ended up not really being for me, but a lot of the ideals are really appealing. This is where the templates idea came from.

Lab notebooks - By far the biggest influence. I highly suggest all magical practitioners give the lab notebook method a try, especially for testing spells and recording results.

Writing prompts - No, really. Using writing and spell prompts to build out and test my note templates was critical when I was trying to figure out how best to set things up. It's a low-effort way to bang out a bunch of ideas and refine layouts.

Spell books - Obviously. Take a look at how authors lay out their spells. It's organized, easy to parse, and includes details about the working. That's ideally what your notes should mimic.

Obsidian - This is an application for taking notes. It completely replaced my massive, disorganized folder of Word documents. Link between pages, tag documents for easy sorting, embed content from reference websites, draw brain maps, organize folders, use add-ons to create templates... Obsidian has literally been life changing. I use it for everything, including my grimoire. You have to pay for it, but it's very worth it. A second brain, indeed.

Try different layouts, formats, methods, mediums, everything. Hell, write notes on what works and what doesn't for your note-taking. You gotta start somewhere.

If you like my work, consider throwing a tip in my tip jar! Your support helps me keep making posts like this one. Plus, supporters got access to the full version of this post a full week early! That could be you for as low as $1.

[stormbornwitch]

🌞 Midsummer Celebration! ~ December 22, 2019 🌞

This summer solstice I invited my friends and family to a wonderful afternoon of fresh fruit, local produce and cheeses, homemade cakes and iced tea.

Together, we enjoyed the lovely sunshine and then went for a swim in the pool.

All the while we devoured the gluten free vegan cakes I had made for the occasion (lemon and lavender cake and a banana, rasberry and walnut cake).

As the sun sank at the end of the longest day we all prayed for rain (Australia is in desperate need of rain since much of the country is facing terrible bushfires). The next week we received more rain than we had in the last three months! 😉🌬

How you celebrate the solstices is entirely up to you but its well worth it to involve the ones you love 💞 It truly makes it memorable 😊

~ Marci

[stormbornwitch]

Honey Cakes Summer Solstice Recipe by Moody Moons

You Will Need:

-1 honeycomb cake mold

-cookie sheet

-3 cups all-purpose flour

-3/4 tablespoon baking powder

-1/2 teaspoon baking soda

-3/4 cups sugar

-1 teaspoon salt

-1/4 cup honey

-2 sticks butter (softened)

-4 eggs

-1 cup  milk

-1 tablespoon vanilla extract

-oil or cooking spray to grease mold

Step 1

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Lower if your oven runs hot.  Grease your silicone honeycomb cake mold.

Step 2

Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in one bowl.  Set aside.

Step 3

Cream butter and sugar together until fluffy.  Beat in eggs one at a time.  Add honey.  Beat in vanilla.

Step 4

Slowly add flour mixture, alternating with the milk.  Beat until just smooth.

Step 5

Place cake mold on cookie sheet for support during baking.   Pour batter into greased cake mold and put in preheated oven.

Step 6

Watch it!  Honey caramelizes a lot faster than sugar.  Bake until you can plunge a fork into the cake and it comes out clean.

Step 7

Allow to cool for at least 1.5 hours before removing.  Remove carefully from mold by placing another cookie sheet on the “cake side” of the mold and then flipping both cookies over.  Gently pull off the mold and see how you did!!

[stormbornwitch]

Witchcraft Book Recommendation Lists

(Reposting again bc tumblr turned off the reblogs on the original wtf. From an answer to an inquiry in the witchcraft tags. Decided to repost for anyone else who might need it.)

Here’s the post I made with recommendations for green witchcraft and plant magic. The list includes magical resources and accompanying practical texts on botany, herbology, and medicinal plants.

Here’s the post I made with recommendations for general witchcraft study, including practical sources on the history of modern witchcraft. (In particular, I recommend Margot Adler’s “Drawing Down The Moon” and Ronald Hutton’s “The Triumph of the Moon” for information about the modern movement.)

Here’s a recent photo of my personal library, if you’re looking for a general list of titles to check out.

Here’s the post I made with a list of JSTOR articles I’ve found that relate to witchcraft, witch trials, folk magic, occult beliefs, superstition, and the history surrounding all of them. It’s not exhaustive, but it’s pretty comprehensive.

And here are a couple of masterlists of podcast episodes that deal with witchcraft, witch trials, the history of witchcraft-related beliefs, and resources for fact-checking and debunking misconceptions and misinformation commonly found in witchcraft spaces.

(Also I have published a few books on practical secular witchcraft, if you’re interested….)

You can also find additional recommendations in the "book recs" and "witchy books" tags on my blog.

Hope this helps!

(If you’re enjoying my content, please feel free to drop a little something in the tip jar or check out my published works on Amazon or in the Willow Wings Witch Shop. 😊)

[stormbornwitch]

Harvest season screen prints, altar cloths, and leather patches by Poison Apple Printshop

[stormbornwitch]

[stormbornwitch]

IG: jordan-decoster

[stormbornwitch]

Here is a collection of drawings alongside what inspired them. Sometimes it was my own previous work, other times it was images or text from books. It never ceases to amaze me how inspiration and ideas work. Sometimes I’ll see one image and a dozen new ideas for drawings will pop into my head. Other times, a drawing will build in my mind slowly, gathering details and moods from various places over time. Inspiration is its own kind of magic! 🖤✍🏽

[stormbornwitch]

Also, I feel like I’m sharing less and less ‘witchy’ content as time goes by. It really is true what people say: once you get deep into it, things become personal. The tricks you discover. The gnosis you make. Certain knowledge is gained through experience, and words alone cannot impart what you have learnt unto others.

[stormbornwitch]

I think one thing that separates witches from new agers is that new agers will try to repress negative thoughts and emotions so that they 'draw more positive things into their lives' and 'boost their vibrations' while witches will work hard to process their negative thoughts and emotions in order to better understand themselves and their feelings.

New agers focus on separating themselves from their humanity claiming to be above humans and here to aid them, them themselves being free from flaw. Witches recognize their humanity and try to see their flaws and work towards their betterment rather than assuming themselves to be the ones free of flaw and blaming others for their own misdeeds.

One definitely involves a lot of repression and denile while the other tries to see their flaws and see how they could do better.

Hey if anyone is interested please interact and share your thoughts, I want to flesh out this idea.

Calling in the expert discussion-ers

@windvexer @a-witch-named-crow

[stormbornwitch]

What do I do with a spell jar once I’ve made it?? Do I put it on my alter? Do I carry it around? Do I stick in in a box to be found 30 years down the way? Idk

ALSO! What about hex and curse spell jars? I was told that if I was to make those I could burry them away from me or I could keep them, I’s that true? What would you suggest?

[stormbornwitch]

Let's Talk About Hagstones

Hagstones are rocks with naturally occurring holes in them. These rocks are usually found by bodies of water, and the hole is created by erosion from the water. I personally also consider shells with holes in them hagstones.

Hagstones are considered to be good luck, to help with fertility, protection, healing, and seeing and communicating with spirits.

Some claim the only way to use a hagstone at "full" power is buy finding it yourself or if it was given to you as a gift. Some people even say it has no power if you buy it yourself. "It only works if you find it yourself." I honestly think that's some superstitious (and slightly ablist) bs because mine were purchased and work just fine. Don't let superstition stop you from buying a pretty rock.

Anyways, here are some other superstitions regarding hagstones:

It is said that hagstones can ward off or attract the fae, as well as see through glamours. if you wish to attract some, you can pour morning dew through a Hag Stone hole and anoint yourself with it. 

It's said that if you find a large hagstone, big enough to walk through, if you walk through with your partner you'll be blessed with a baby.

To have a good dream and calm mind tie one to your bedpost.

Nailing a hagstone to a boat will disperse oncoming storms

To make a wish come true place a hagstone in your left hand and rub it clockwise while thinking about your wish.

Tie them to something you want to protect to protect it.

Some say if you hold a hagstone you can't lie.

I personally keep one infront of my scrying mirror to keep spirits from leaving the mirror. I haven't anointed my stone with morning dew or seen much but looking through it definitely gives me a strange feeling. It definitely feels like a film infront of the world has been stripped away when you look through it.

Either way it's a pretty and cool rock

[stormbornwitch]

A set of sigils for elemental attunement! There’s some formatting differences in the writing because I was experimenting a little.

[stormbornwitch]

Little Blessings ✨🌿🦋🌿✨

✨ May you be loved deeply by those around you

✨ May your energy flow with ease

✨ May your voice and vision be amplified by that of your ancestors, spirit guides, and guardian angels

✨ May your life regain balance and harmony

✨ May you make fruitful and lasting connections and friendships

✨ May you attract wealth and abundance

✨ May you soften a little more with each passing day

✨ May you thrive in your current environment

✨ May you cultivate and create lasting foundations

✨ May you attract fulfilling energies and connections

✨ May your bills be paid on time

✨ May you prosper beyond your wildest dreams

✨ May you receive good news this week

✨ May you heal your wounds

✨ May you enjoy your free time

✨ May you breathe more easily this month

✨ May you radiate calm and loving energy

✨ May you invoke the prayers and blessings of your ancestors

✨ May you nourish your mind, body, and soul

✨ May you unlearn harmful behaviors

✨ May you grow a little with each passing year

[stormbornwitch]

by the by, for people asking "where are all the big in-depth posts for advanced practice,"

people don't post 'em because on average they don't get notes.

yeah I get personal fulfillment off of sharing big posts, but very serious big information-filled posts I make about practicing witchcraft get peanuts for notes.

and I fuckin love the likes and the reblogs and the comments. that dopamine hit is sweet as candy.

cute meme stuff or pithy, dry commentary about the community will win on notes every time.

even among informational posts, super-101 content will win because its applicable to more people so it's reblogged more often.

every once and a while (often enough that I think it's a sort of common sentiment) people are like "where's the advanced stuff?" And beyond the "advanced people might not want to share all their uses for black pepper in a public setting," I think an important and overlooked factor is:

information-dense beyond-101 content just isn't popular on tumblr, so people tend to not bother making it.

[stormbornwitch]

One more annual reminder to Witchblr:

Mind your own craft.