Updated: May 31, 2023
Happy May, Witch fams!
This month I want to focus on ways to add more Witchcraft to your daily life.
Daily practices are a great way to grow your Witchcraft skills and nurture a more Witchy life for yourself. Explore and try some of the daily practices below to not only add balance, magick and whimsey into your life, but to also strengthen your connection to the mysteries of Witchcraft.
1. Raising Energy
If you aren’t regularly raising energy, you’re missing out on a very special experience to connect with your magick. When we raise energy from external sources it paves the way for the relationships with our energetic and Spiritual allies to flourish, be they herbs, elements, Spirits, Ancestors, crystals, music or something else.
2. Grounding
Drawing up stable, grounding & nurturing Earth energy into your body through your feet, and releasing excess energy accumulated from your day by grounding it back down into the Earth through the roots of your feet makes a world of difference when done daily.
You can ground anytime! In the morning when you wake up, standing in line at the grocery store, sitting at your desk at work, while making dinner, or at the end of the day.
3. Magick Time
Pick a magick hour or time in your day, whatever feels right. It could be anything. It could be something easy like 11:11 or 12:12, or 12:34. It could be your home address if the numbers convert well to a time. It could also be a date, such as your birthday or the DOB of someone special, an anniversary, the day you became a Witch, the day you bought your first home, the day you graduated or got a degree, the day you started your business, the day you earned your first profit, the day you met someone special. You get the idea.
Of course, the actual time is not magickal in and of itself, you are designating it as such. Since that time will happen twice a day, it’s up to you whether or not it’s practical to try to catch both times or just pick one. One is plenty, especially if it’s during the day when you’ll be active and able to do the thing at that time.
Now, make this the designated time every day to do something that takes a minute or less, such as sending energy to an intention for a long-term goal you have. This could include:
Repeating a chant
Saying an affirmation
Visualizing the next steps or the final result
Redirecting the energy through/around any detours or roadblocks you sense may be at work
4. Chant
Chant for power, to raise energy or focus on an intention. If you don't know any chants you like, make one up! If you can't set aside time for this, there are other easy ways to make this a daily practice, such as chanting while getting dressed, while showering, while making a meal, or while driving.
5. Elements
If you work with Elements (Earth, Air, Fire, Water or some other grouping) you can work with them daily to build stronger connections to the Spirits of these elements. Call on them for a task or support. It can be as simple as saying good morning to each element, "Good morning, Earth!" or "Good morning, Air, I call on your power of intellect and communication for my meeting today!" If you maintain an altar, it could also just be spending a moment honoring each representation of your elements.
6. Divination
I'm not a believer in relying on divination for all my decision-making, but if you do like divination, whether that's Tarot, bone casting, pendulums or something else, having a daily draw, question or quick session with your tools can be a great way to stay connected to your inner voice and Spiritual guidance. How does the reading relate to your day ahead, your situation or challenges? The more you work with this skill the stronger your overall intuition will become.
7. Witchy Playlist
Listen to a Witchy playlist, maybe just one song- enjoy the Witchy vibes!
8. Mini Candle Spells
Do a quick candle spell every day and see how quickly your spells and magickal skills improve. Think birthday candle or tealight - it doesn't have to burn all the way! You can also take a bigger candle and make notches or marks to divide the candle up into multiple burnings.
Each day doesn't have to be a major undertaking or spell, either. It can be to bless your day, protect yourself, your children, partner or home, draw in love or prosperity, call on kindness or compassion, increase patience, strengthen your resolve or resilience. It could be for healing. It could be for safety while traveling, confidence at work, motivation for an upcoming deadline, inspiration or creativity, focus & clarity, or sending a message to a loved one.
The possibilities are endless and I bet you'll find all kinds of different intentions to use for a daily candle spell once you get going!
9. Burn Incense
If incense is your thing, do it everyday! In our home there's almost nothing we enjoy more than the magickal scents of our favorite incenses. You don't need a 'reason' to burn incense, either. The reason can be just to improve the vibe, shift your mood and keep you connected to your Witchiness. You can also use it for a daily smoke cleansing or offerings to Spirits or Ancestors you work with.
10. Journaling
Whatever your version of record-keeping or memory-keeping is, try to do a little bit of it every day. Your personal or magickal journal can be an important tool for reflection, to track your personal and magickal progress & growth. Your thoughts, insights, intuitions, messages, experiences, beliefs, values & truths, synchronicities, dreams, premonitions, spells & rituals, and divination results are all great things to keep track of.
11. Maintain Spiritual Allies
Nurture the relationships you have with Ancestors and other Spiritual helpers if you work with them. Spend a few minutes every day acknowledging them, listening, sharing, or providing offerings.
12. Tea Ritual
A lovely and magickal way to bring in more Witchcraft to your day is to practice a Tea meditation or ritual every time you drink a cup of tea. This is really the simple act of staying present through every step of making a cup of tea and turning that into a little daily ritual. You can use this time to speak an affirmation or intention, or simply focus on staying present in the moment and slowing down this sacred window of time you've gifted yourself.
This can also be done with any beverage, including coffee or cacao.
Bio-Regional Herb of the Month: Palo Santo
Palo Santo is Spanish for 'Holy Wood'. There are two kinds that go by this name.
The first is Bulnesia sarmientoi. It grows in Paraguay, Argentina, and Bolivia. These are not the classic sticks you will find at your local occult or metaphysical shop in the U.S. This plant is used by locals for its medicinal benefits, which are reported to include analgesic, wound-healing and anti-inflammatory properties. It's also harvested commercially to produce guaiac essential oil, which is widely used in perfumery and fragrance industries as a base note or fixative. Due to overharvesting and habit loss, this tree is on the Red List of Threatened Species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and is near extinction.
The second Palo Santo tree, Bursera graveolens, is the one most of us are familiar with for use in our magickal and Spiritual practices. It's native to Peru, Ecuador, and other South American countries.
Bursera graveolens is threatened by illegal logging, forest fires, and habitat fragmentation. As of this writing, it is categorized as "Critically Endangered" (CR), through Supreme Decree No. 043-2006-AG that approves the categorization of threatened species of wild flora. In some places like Peru, for example, the Palo Santo forests have been overharvested so badly the country's government stepped in to try and regulate it. Regulations prohibit live trees from being cut down, but enforcing it has been difficult.
This wood is in such high demand around the world, and so valuable per pound locally that people are willing to risk fines and jail to harvest and sell it illegally.
Tens of thousands of pounds of illegal Palo Santo being smuggled in these areas are confiscated by local authorities year after year.
One example is from April 5, 2021, in the province of Morropón, in Piura, the Peruvian National Police and the National Forestry and Wildlife Service (SERFOR) of the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Irrigation (MIDAGRI) intercepted over 1,300 pounds of illegally harvested Palo Santo, sprayed with detergent to mask the characteristic scent and evade detection by authorities.
Another example was on September 30, 2022 when more than 25,700 pounds of Bursera graveolens were seized, valued at approx. $48K USD. The Palo Santo was camouflaged with ground straw of rice.
There's more.
A truck carrying nearly 10,000 pounds of illegal Palo Santo wood was intercepted on December 26, 2019, on its way to Lambayeque, a city known for its important archaeological remains.
7,500 pounds intercepted, the wood hidden among bananas and lemons to disguise its distinctive scent.
December 6, 2021 in Puno, in the district of Desaguadero, the border area between Peru and Bolivia, 4,700 pounds were confiscated.
April 5, 2019 in the Las Mónicas town center of the Tambogrande district, in Piura, the Peruvian National Police seized a truck carrying 1,630 pounds of illegally sourced Palo Santo.
The National Forest and Wildlife Service (SERFOR) of the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Irrigation (MIDAGRI) with the support of the Regional Government of Ucayali, seized over 20,300 pounds of Bursera graveolens of illegal origin on April 5, 2021. The Palo Santo was to be exported to Canada, the United States and Turkey.
There's so many of these, more than 1,700 individual government reports like this, I can't list them all here.
Not only is that an energy I personally don't want when I burn Palo Santo, I also don't want to be burning possible chemicals, detergents and other products used to mask the scent of anything I use in my home or in my practice.
Bioregional Alternatives to Palo Santo
Palo Santo wood has a pine-ish scent with sweet woody notes, and hints of mint and citrus. If you really just enjoy the scent of this wood, Limonene and α-terpineol are the primary fragrance chemicals responsible for Palo Santo’s unique scent. Limonene is also found in the rinds of lemons, limes, and oranges.
The citrusy, lemon-like note of Palo Santo comes from the limonene, while the α-terpineol is responsible for the soft, woody sweetness we love.
To duplicate the Palo Santo scent using only bioregional herbs, try combining a local or common sage or pine with a little mint or citrus peel (or oil) such as orange, lemon or lime.
For cleansing or protection, I like Pine, Rosemary or Cedar as energetic substitutes that grow where I live.
I hope next time you want to buy Palo Santo you'll pause to consider the alternatives available to you locally that can align well with your intentions and uses for this distant and endangered plant.
Love,
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