Witchcrafting In Someone Else's House

You never really understand a situation until you're in it. I see witches complaining on the internet all the time about how hard it is to practice if you live with other people. Young witches who live with their parents, witches in a relationship with someone who doesn't understand or support their beliefs, and witches who have roommates are among the most common stories I read about. I never really understood why it was so difficult for them.

...Until I got stuck in that situation myself. When my boyfriend and I picked up and moved to a city we were not at all familiar with, we decided to go the "roommate route." We rented a bedroom in someone else's home for a fairly small monthly payment. We made a pact that since we were saving so much money, we'd stay as long as we could reasonably stand to. We put most of our stuff in storage and kept with us the things we absolutely needed.

Of course, that meant narrowing down the large collection of "stuff" I use in my practices. Several boxes of candles and incense, dried herbs, books, notes, crystals, and many other items were put away. I kept with me the things I absolutely needed: Book of Shadows, a few reference books I use frequently, my jug of moon water, a select few crystals, all of my divination supplies, and several boxes of items I sell in my shop.

Not only is it tough to live without immediate access to all of your tools, but it's also tough to practice in such a small space. Meditation is nearly impossible when you share a tiny room with one other person and two fickle parakeets who squawk constantly. I could use another room in the house, but that makes me subject to interruption by a small child and a rather energetic dog. It's a sure way to quickly turn meditation time into playtime! The same goes for rituals or spells. I cannot burn anything in my room for fear of harming my beloved little birds. Chanting is off-limits for fear of scaring my roommates. Not to mention the fact that there is just no space to work with. We have about 4 square feet of open floor space available to us. The only elevated "table space" we have is our bed. Not a good environment for a spell, or crafting of any kind. Especially if it needs to be left untouched for a period of time.

And I must not forget the fact that I cannot set up the kind of shields around this home that make me feel comfortable enough to do any kind of substantial magic here.

So this leaves me the option of leaving the house to do my spellwork. Where do I go? The park? Maybe go seek out a secluded spot near the creek?

I'm not writing this to complain (okay, maybe I am). I just wanted to say, I get it now. Before this, I tried my best to sympathize with those who were stuck trying to build a practice in a home that was not their own. I always thought, "if you really want to practice, you have to just find a way to get it done."

I didn't fully understand, though. It's much easier said than done. I'm happy it's only temporary, and we'll be getting our own place very soon. I will never again take for granted my privacy and freedom to practice in my own space. 

Where I've Been

I haven't posted here for months. I actually thought about deleting this blog. After all, the content on here is horribly out of date, and  I probably lost all my readers. 

However, now that I'm not so busy and I'm quickly establishing myself in other corners of the internet, I need a place to blog. I need a place for clients, potential clients, and social media followers to get to know me a little better. A place to meet and have discussions with other witches in the world. 

So I'm reviving this blog. If you're a reader that's still with me from before, thanks for being here. I think you'll like the changes I've already made and the ones still to come. And I promise I'll make it worth your while to stick around from here on out!

Here's what I've been up to lately:

•I moved. Out of Sacramento and into Modesto. Still in California, but far enough away from everything I know to make it seem like I'm starting a whole new life. So I'm taking the opportunity to actually start a whole new life!

•Tarot readings. Lots of them! I've been putting a lot of time and energy into my business, now that I've made it my full-time job! Check out what I have to offer at www.azilascauldron.com!

•Witchcraft. Of course! I've done a lot, and learned a lot since I last wrote anything here. I feel like it's been a lifetime already. 

You'll be seeing lots of articles on tarot, witchcraft, astral travel, crystals, meditation, chakras, spells, spirits, books, and more!

I hope you stick around to see it all!

I May be a Witch, but I'm Definitely NOT a Cat Person

Many witches I know have cats as familiars. I've always believed that cats walk the line between us and the otherworld, and thus they are helpful in magic. If you can find a cat that will work with you, they can enhance your practice and strengthen your connection to the spirit realm. Here's a great article from Magical Recipes Online that goes more in-depth about cats and witches: <<>>

I, however, have the absolute worst luck with cats. For some reason, I never have been able to establish any kind of a connection with cats. It seems like most of them dislike me. Very strongly, actually.

Recently, I decided to try and change that. I thought, 'now that I'm a full-fledged practicing witch, why not get myself a cat that I can build a relationship with and add as a companion to my magic?'

So I started looking around for a cat that seemed like a good fit for my household. One day, I got a call from my sister. Her neighbors had moved away and dumped their furry little sweetheart (who was an all-time indoor cat) outside to fend for himself. She said this was the perfect cat for me. He was already full-grown and accustomed to life indoors, and he got along well with other animals. I scheduled a meet-and-greet for him to spend some time with me and my dog, and everything went exceptionally well. Based on his wonderfully chill attitude and his sweet, loving personality, I brought him home that day. And that is when the portal to the basement of hell materialized right in my apartment. 

The first day was fine. He explored his surroundings, had a nice hearty meal of expensive cat food, and made friends with my dog. He made a point to hiss at me after he finished his meal, which I thought was a real dick move, but I figured he just needed time to adjust. I named him Crowley and bought him a collar, which he wouldn't let me put on him. 

Each day got progressively worse from there. He seemed to be adjusting well, learning his way around, picking favorite napping spots, and playing with his toys. However, he was having frequent episodes of pure hatred and rage. He was bipolar to the strongest degree, and would snap with no warning at all and for seemingly no reason. He would hiss, spit, swat, and even bite. I didn't even have to be anywhere near him to provoke his crazy. If he was feeling angry and I wasn't within swatting distance, the little asshole would come find me. 

I continued to have patience with him, and continued to reward him for good behavior and shun his mean ass for the bad behavior. He didn't care. I realized that it was just me he hated when everyone else who came in my home got along with him just fine. He had no qualms with my visitors. Ever.

It wasn't until the night I had to go to the ER that I decided demon kitty had to GO. He attacked me and made my left hand look like hamburger helper. Almost two weeks later, he's in a new home and he's had zero issues with his new human. Zero. And my hand still looks like someone tried to hack it off with a fork. 

So, no. I won't be incorporating any cats into my practice any time soon. I'm a dog person and I should have known better than trying to befriend a member of the species that has obviously declared me a mortal enemy. Props to all the witches who do work well with cats!

Magic: Defense and Offence

Since the very beginning of my practice as a witch, it's been very important to me that my witchery does not affect the will of those around me. I don't push my practice on people, I don't do spells on behalf of others (unless I'm outright asked to do one, and it was entirely their idea), and I don't even attempt to manipulate the will or actions of others for my benefit (or for any other reason). While I don't follow a predetermined set of rules that govern my practice (like the Wiccan Rede, for example), I do have personal ethics that are very important to me.

However, there are always going to be situations that test your limits and boundaries. Someone may be blatantly trying to hurt you and your family, and in a manner that is sneaky and hard to counter by any mundane means. At some point you may find yourself caught in a real bind, with not much else to do about it besides some defensive magic. You may end up walking a fine line, but when it's either them or you (or your family), then you do what you have to do.

Whether or not you follow an established Rede, you have the right to defend yourself. There are infinite rituals and spells set up for defense, protection, warding, and the like. Are we supposed to shut those up in our Grimoires and never use them? I struggled with it for quite some time when I encountered the situation, but I eventually realized that I practice witchcraft for a reason. I couldn't just sit back and let my power lay dormant while someone was actively trying to take what little I had right out from under me. I did a shielding spell against any ill-intentions that may come my way. Within a week, everything was righted and my life was restored to normal. The offender had some serious karma to deal with shortly afterward.

But what happens when your defensive magic starts to cross the line into offensive magic? Where is the line drawn?

I have a neighbor who is not a good sort to live around. He lives in the apartment directly above me, and lets just say he makes his money in less than legal ways. His "clients" are rude, loud, and messy. Random traffic comes and goes during all hours of the night and day. Yet I chose to ignore him for almost a year because he mainly kept to himself and never said a word to me.

...Until I had to put my dog on allergy medication because of the constant marijuana smoke that wafts into my apartment. Not to mention the fact that my employer had asked me about why I smelled like weed one morning. And one of his friends removed a side mirror from my car to replace the one that was missing from his own, nearly identical car. This prompted me to start calling the cops, and reporting him to private security and management.

Well, he started retaliating against me for reporting him. Although he can't prove that it was me, he came banging on my door late one night and threatened me (if you're interested, there's more about this incident in this post). I put up shields and wards after that, but those only go so far. One of his frequent customers came to my front door one day and tried to get in. They make indecent comments to me when I pass them on the way to my car. I don't feel safe living here, and neither does anyone else in my building. Calling the cops, making reports, and any wards or shields I've put up clearly aren't enough.

I don't feel that everyone in my building should move out in order to feel safe and comfortable in their own homes. This one guy is a problem for everyone around him, so what's a witch to do?

It's times like these where I believe that a little offensive magic is permissible. My solution? A little hot foot powder on his front door step. I made the powder myself, so I can be sure of what it does and doesn't do. I designed it so that whomever walks over it feels uncomfortable being in that apartment. They'll want to leave, and not come back.

Since I began using the hot foot powder, the usual crowd hasn't been around. Things are pretty quiet here, and I've noticed he's had to venture out to the front of the complex or the street (where he's more likely to get caught) to make his deals. I was so worried about making sure the recipe was mild enough not to cause any real harm, that it seems it didn't have much effect on him. However, it definitely worked on his clientele.

*Update: The day after I published this post, I found out that my neighbor had put in his notice to move out.*

Now, you can argue that I did a really big no-no by using the hot foot powder. I used magic to alter the feelings and/or behavior of others. But I see it like this: I used magic in a kind of nasty way against a kind of nasty man to protect those in the area who are innocent. Karma may bite me in the ass for this, and I'll accept that if it happens.

What do you think? Would you have done the same thing? I'd love to hear opinions!

Witchy Problems: Forgetting You're A Witch

If you've even glanced at any given page on my blog, you'll know I'm a witch. I practice on a daily basis. I'm pretty serious about my craft, and I admit that it spills over into just about every aspect of my life. I live and breath this shit.

Well, I was pretty surprised the other night when I suddenly forgot about witchcraft. I found myself in a rather scary situation. It was the one time that witchcraft was probably the only thing I had on hand that could have helped me, and I forgot all about it.

It was Sunday night and I was home alone (which rarely ever happens). The guy upstairs was causing problems in the apartment complex again, bringing his shady friends around and making the neighbors uncomfortable with his laughably obvious drug deals. Unfortunately, I'm usually affected worse than most others because I live directly below him. The noise of his friends banging on the door at ungodly hours is easily heard from my place while I'm trying to sleep. The smoke wafting into my apartment when he smokes (really bad) weed indoors up there. Not to mention the fact that he's really mean and his negative energy pollutes this whole building.

On a Sunday night when I'm home alone and have to work the next day, I really don't feel like being kept up by loud music and showing up at work in the morning with a contact high. So I did what everyone always does when they're tired of dealing with him: I made a report to private security. Almost an hour later he came banging at my door, which has never happened before. How did he even know it was me this time? When I didn't answer (home alone and in my pajamas? Hell no!), he started yelling that I'm too scared to open the door (no shit) and that I should be scared of him. He went upstairs and kept on yelling at me through the floor almost all night long.

The truth is, I was scared! I made another report to security about his behavior, made sure the doors and windows were tightly locked, and hunkered down in bed with a pocket knife in my hand.

For 2 days, I tiptoed around.  I was scared of running into him outside, and scared that he would know I was home and come to my door again. It took me forever to finally realize that even after I had exhausted all of my other options (complaining to management and private security, and making reports to the police), there was still something I could have done.

Witchcraft! What I should have done was cleanse the energy in my apartment right away! I should have put up shields so that his heavy negativity couldn't get to me, and I should have swept his energy off of my porch and put some black salt down! I could even have used some hot foot powder to ensure that he never comes back to my door again. But instead, I turned out the lights and cowered in a corner because mundane methods weren't proving effective.

As soon as it occurred to me, I took all magical precautions to protect myself and my home. I couldn't believe I didn't think of it sooner! Normally, I would have done some serious shielding and a banishing spell, at least. Then I would have consulted my tarot cards to figure out what would be my best game plan for dealing with the situation.

But for a minute there, it's like I completely forgot that I was a witch!

Happy New Year From an Unorganized Witch

I usually don't participate in the New Year Resolution craze. Normally, I set goals to get fit and give up drinking. It lasts for a month tops, before I finally realize that I'm only about ten pounds away from looking like I only eat bread crust and having to buy all new clothes that don't hang off of me. Screw that. And life isn't as fun without alcohol. So screw that, too.

After a while, I quit bothering. I got into the habit of living on a "here and now" basis. If I notice something that I think I can improve or I want to start doing something new, BAM. I make the change right then and there. This is an awesome habit to have, but I've been noticing in the last couple of months or so that my organization and record keeping are starting to suffer, especially where my craft is concerned!

It all started when I couldn't seem to find the notes I had taken for a spell I created last month. I have a BoS of course, but I don't usually add my spells to it until they've been tested and tweaked a few times, so they're perfect to my standards and I have a finalized draft. The problem is, my notes and research are all spread out. I have a mini BoS that I keep in my purse, a few notebooks laying around the house, some loose leaf sheets in a pile on my apothecary shelves, some random kitchen witchery stuffed into recipe books in my pantry, and several digital magic journals. Each time I want to review my notes, I first have to figure out where exactly those notes are located.

So this year, I decided it was appropriate to jump back on the New Years Resolution bandwagon with one very simple goal for the year:

WRITE SHIT DOWN IN AN ORGANIZED FASHION.

That's it. I went through all my notebooks and consolidated my notes into one binder that I keep right next to my BoS on a shelf. I also reorganized my online journals, tagged everything, and installed the app on my phone so I can access that from everywhere. Then, I vowed to write stuff down every single day. Dreams, tarot, scrying, spellwork, everything I do on a regular basis gets recorded and tagged so I can refer to it later. No more 'mental notes' that something happened. That's lazy witchery and doesn't make for a very learned witch. Believe me, I've learned the hard way!

And look here, on day four it's even spilling over into my blog that I've been neglecting for months! Sometimes a reset of the date and a 1/1/.. on the calendar really does make it easier to flip a switch and make a big change.

What about you? Did you make any witchy new year resolutions?

The Weekend Noteworthies

Here's what I've been up to this week:

• Research. Tons of research! Because, you know, learning new stuff is really important.
• Creating new tarot spreads. Sometimes the ones you find in books just don't do the trick. 
• Spending way too much money on candle making supplies! But it's worth it because it's all for candles that'll be listed in the shop!
• I traded tarot readings for some really cool stones (pictured above)! I decided to offer readings for barter and some really cool things have come about because of it!

Aside from all the cool things I've had going on, it's been a worrisome week. My dog injured her foot while we were playing fetch. She landed badly after jumping and ripped her nail off on her back foot. Although the vet said she's going to be just fine, it clearly hurts her and she refuses to walk on it. I feel horrible for her!

For next week: I hope to have a few new things listed in the shop, and I'll be working on redesigning my Book of Shadows.

BTW, Fall Equinox is on Tuesday! May you enjoy the harvest and welcome in the changing of the seasons!