QUESTION - How do I know what type of witch I am? I am obviously a beginner and I'm having some trouble in my practices. I feel like I've been kind of searching in the dark.

ANSWER - We covered quite a bit of this in this question here so have a read and I think it will point you in the right direction.

I really feel strongly that on coming to the craft a witch shouldn’t worry too much about giving herself a label as to what kind of witch she is. Most of us don’t fall into any single category – we all have strengths that don’t allow us to be easily pigeon holed. I think that it is really important to be true to your own nature as trying to pigeon hole yourself to fit a specific definition means you might overlook things that don’t fit into your chosen category and as a result you are a poorer witch for intentionally choosing not to work on some of your skills.

The best thing to do is to start with some reading around the craft. Try and get a real mix of biographical accounts, modern (101 witchcraft lol) and traditional texts throughout the ages. Then look at joining a forum and chatting with other witches about what they do and what works for them. Forums are a great idea because they usually have such a range of experience from absolute beginner to pretty advanced practitioner and even if you don’t feel confident enough to contribute much in the beginning just reading through the forum chats will give you an idea of how other witches got started.

​Image  - http://www.deviantart.com/art/In-a-Reverie-180516086 

QUESTION - Is it possible for a self proclaimed Christian to put a negative spell/spell of misfortune on someone? My neighbour found out I was an angel card reader and said it was of the devil and she would pray for my soul. This past week I have felt a heavy energy dragging me down and my personal/family life has been a mess. I can't help but wonder if she or her church did something "in the name of Jesus" what are your thoughts?

Answer – I would say it is certainly possible. There is a very definite overlap between prayer and magic and a school of thought that they are actually just different ways of channelling energy. A group of people focusing on a single objective may well be able to produce results and people practising a faith (any faith) usually have a real advantage here because the belief in what they are doing is likely to be strong.

I would however imagine that if these people are proper Christians (by which I mean they accept the doctrine of loving their neighbour) that any energy pushed your way would be positive rather than negative. The fact that your neighbour said she would pray for your soul would suggest she has good (albeit misguided) intentions toward you. I’d say it is unlikely that this kind of energy would manifest itself in the negative effects you have been experiencing. 

It is important not to overlook the psychological effects of someone threatening spellwork against you. Many witches use this to their advantage… If somebody believes they are being affected by a spell/prayer/working it is possible for them to experience the effects even if the spell has not actually been cast against them. So in your case the fact that you believe these Christians are working against you may have preyed on your mind and induced these worries which in turn have sapped you of your energy.
Probably the best thing to do is to be honest with your neighbour and ask her politely not to include you in any of her Christian rituals. Explain that you respect her faith but you consider her intervention to be an infringement of your privacy. I am well aware that in certain parts of the world even the most innocent forms of divination (angel cards ffs!) can be viewed with mistrust and suspicion so it is probably not worth your time explaining what you do and asking her to understand. 

(I’d probably add that if she doesn’t stop you will do a bit of tit for tat and send something back her way but be aware this may not be an appropriate suggestion for your relationship with your neighbour or for the part of the world you live in. Sometimes it makes more sense to let it go than get started on a long running negative exchange.)

It’s definitely worth taking some basic protective action just in case this group are sending anything your way. Get some decent shields in place, salt your door entrances, immerse yourself completely in a salt bath and visualise any unwanted energies dissolving away from you into the water. In terms of spell work I would try setting up some reflective workings to send anything back at you to the sender. A very simple but effective way of doing this would be to make a small poppet of yourself and place it against a wall and behind a mirror. The strength of the spell will be the strength of your own visualisation in seeing the mirror projecting back anything directed at you. 

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QUESTION - My Mom Bound My Powers. How Do I Unbind Them. They Are Mine. I Would Really Like Them Back.

Answer – You haven’t given me very much to go on here. I am presuming your mother practises witchcraft from the fact she has chosen to use a working against you. I’m also presuming she is pretty good at it as in general it is difficult for one witch to fully bind another. I’m interested as to why she has bound your powers… Have you been using them in a way she dislikes? Does she believe you are too young to practise witchcraft? 

It’s a tricky one… morally I am reluctant to offer any advice that goes against a decision a parent has made for their child. That is not to say parents are always correct but it is perhaps not my right as a stranger to your family to make a judgement on that either way. My thoughts here are that communication rather than spellwork will be your best chance of getting back your powers.

(A note on “powers” – witchcraft is not fundamentally about having specific powers, it is about understanding how to channel energy and intent. What I suspect your mother has done here is bind your ability to produce results from your efforts at magical work. If she’s managed this then kudos to her, she’s good at what she does. It is important however to understand the distinction between having power (television witchcraft) and using power (witchcraft).

With regard to better communication I suggest you ask your mother why she has chosen to bind you. Can the two of your reach a compromise? While you are a minor and living under her roof she does have a right to have an input into your behaviour. Can you agree to forego certain types of spell work for the right to be able to do workings in other areas? I think this is your best bet, if she has bound you so successfully then I doubt anything you can throw at her will negate the effects of her binding. Being reasonable and honest and going into a discussion prepared to listen and compromise would seem the rational way forward. 

​I probably should leave it there, lol…  But if you really are determined to take action on this – has she left any evidence of the spellwork lying around? Easy enough to dismantle a binding if it has been based on a physical representation - which my binding spells always are... 

Image http://www.deviantart.com/art/England-s-Magic-489539768

QUESTION - Ok so, I have been interested in the idea of witchcraft for quite a while now and have been researching many different types. However I am struggling to decide where I would fit in best. Also can witchcraft be dangerous? And how do I find a coven/the right coven? I am open to all the different takes and ideas on witchcraft and as there is so many it is hard to decide on just one. 

ANSWER - I think it is very positive that you are researching different ways to practise the craft. However I would caution against trying to pigeon hole yourself into a single category of witchcraft. The danger is that in trying to conform to being a specific type of witch you may overlook the natural abilities and interests you have in other areas. Rather than look at different types of witchcraft and try to fit yourself into one, focus more on yourself as an individual and get some hands on practical experience. Many witches have a broad range of talents and practises that are hard to fit into a neatly labelled category and it is this very individuality and understanding of who they are as a person that makes them successful in the craft they practise. I’d go so far as to say that most of the witches I know would shun the whole idea of being labelled. Where you fit in best is your own little niche in the world of the craft and looking inward rather than outward will help you find this niche the soonest.

In terms of whether witchcraft can be dangerous, well yes it can. Not dangerous in the Disney sense of spells creating havoc but in the sense that it changes you as a person. There is an old saying that power corrupts and I’ve seen the evidence for this in a lot of people who follow a craft path. There is a danger of changing yourself for the worse, developing arrogance as your spells start to work and using what you know as a witch to tread over the feelings of other people. My own view is that a witch needs to learn humility as fast as she learns her craft because if she doesn’t she might not like what she sees in the mirror after a while.

Yes there are other less psychological dangers associated with witchcraft. Generally though the dramatic stuff you read about is very rare. Theoretically someone who doesn’t know what they are doing could use for example a summoning to attract an undesirable but the reason it is rare is because anybody with enough ability to actually get any results probably also has the ability to deal with the results they get. As with anything start off slow and build up.  A sound understanding of the basics of your craft will help mitigate any problems or things that might go wrong. It will also give you a lot more credibility as a witch. I’d be pretty scornful of a witch who wittered on about her prowess with the Lemegeton but who has to ask advice about how to perform a basic mind changing working. It is also the low level, easy to perform workings that will have the most use in your day to day life. A good understanding and a foundation of experience in this area is invaluable to any witch.

In terms of covens they are totally optional. Many witches practise solitary, some through choice and some through necessity due to lack of like minded folk in their locality. Choosing a coven is all about finding a group of people who are a natural fit with your own beliefs. Beware of anyone who wants you to change and adapt to fit their own views (though polite co-operation as with any group will be necessary). The other issue with covens is that they can be run for the ego of one or two select members rather than for the benefit of the whole. My suggestion is you get to know a potential coven very well before committing and only join when you are happy the group is right for you. A good way to meet other witches is local moots and you can find these through Witchvox. 

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I have stored some of my blood drops in olive oil in a plastic bottle and closed it and saved it in a cupboard.
1. Please tell me - will the effect be same as earlier?
2. Can I use this oil blood in cold drink to serve as my husband doesn’t drink tea/coffee?
3. Can I give this blood to my in laws by mixing it in food?
4. How long can I store this blood for?

Please reply to my questions.

ANSWER –

Interesting questions…. I will answer them individually.

1.  I think by “will the effect be the same” you are asking if the potency of the blood will reduce over time. It depends on what you are using it for. If you are using it as a symbol of a life force then fresh blood will have more impact. If you are using it as a taglock then I personally don’t think it matters how old the blood is, it still has the link to the same individual (there is a more scientific school of thought along the lines that humans regenerate their body cells every few years or so and therefore a blood/skin taglock doesn’t have the same power as it is linking to a ‘different’ person after this time. I think those scientists are over thinking it personally!)

Olive oil is a natural preservative so a good choice to keep your blood safe from contamination by exposure to air.

2.  I would not suggest you put olive oil into any kind of drink, hot or otherwise, particularly if the person drinking your concoction doesn’t know they are drinking it. Oil and water do not mix, the blood oil would float on top of the drink rather giving your intentions away.

3.  Food would be a much more sensible choice if you wish your inlaws to consume this blood. You can disguise it easily in a home cooked meal, a bolognaise or a casserole perhaps. Of course the tricky bit here is ensuring it only reaches the portions of those you wish to consume it so if you are serving a meal where some people present are not intended to consume the blood perhaps consider using two cooking pots.

4.  No definite answer on this as it will depend on how well sealed your container is and where you are storing it. I’ve done a bit of research for you and it suggests olive oil can be used to store food (or blood in this case) 2-3 weeks in the fridge, up to a year in the freezer or up to a couple of years in a dark cupboard.

Now having advised you on the practicalities I am curious as to what you are hoping to achieve by feeding your blood to your inlaws. Generally this is rather an unusual practise and I know many very seasoned witches who would recoil in horror at the thought of letting somebody consume something as personal as their blood. Without knowing what you are hoping to achieve it is hard to advise you but my general advice would be that if you are in any doubt about what you are doing or haven’t much experience in casting magic then don’t do it. If there is a specific result you are looking to achieve, message me again and we’ll try and find another way of doing it.

Image http://www.deviantart.com/art/old-oil-141026223

I have a friend who says (and I believe) is a witch. Her mother is too but not as strong. My friend does not practice but bad things happen to people she knows when she gets mad. She does not do them through witchcraft.

Could these powers be working on their own? I see these powers as a gift - your brain is super charged - you get mad at someone and something bad happens to them. I know if you do bad, it will come back multiplied which has happened to her. If she practised just simple things like happiness, love, good fortune this too should come back multiplied and the energy that's going bad could be calmed down?

ANSWER – Couple of key questions in here and in relation to the whole concept of magic working without the specific intent of the castor I suggest you have a read of a question that has been asked before here as it goes into some depth about how magic works. In summary though, yes it is possible for a witch to cast without deliberate intent, it tends to be linked to particularly emotional times – anger in particular – and can be explained in simple terms of the energies aroused by the emotions being subconsciously directed into what is on the mind of the person raising the energy.

I’m interested that you consider your friend a witch yet say she doesn’t practise witchcraft. I have to be honest – someone who doesn’t practise witchcraft is unlikely to do a great job of being a witch. I think what you mean is she has certain gifts and a natural ability to manipulate the world around her. It’s semantics as to whether this actually does constitute witchcraft but whether it does or it doesn’t I agree that the results she is generating can be very real and perhaps more frightening to somebody who is unused to manipulating energy consciously.

However I would caution against being too quick to match up cause and effect. Good and bad things happen to people every day of the week. It’s human nature to look for patterns and to see anything that fits with that pattern as evidence to support it. Always approach this sort of thing with an open mind - yes it is perfectly possible she is having some influence but equally it is possible that the things that have happened to the people she has been mad at have would have happened if she had never met them. Perspective as they say is everything.

Your question states that if you put bad in the world it will come back to you. This is a viewpoint (mainly held by Wiccans) not a proven truth. There is some common sense behind it – if you go around doing nasty things to people, chances are somebody is going to get you back for it – but there is nothing suggest that magic itself is anything other than morally neutral. Theoretically a witch could spend her life casting negative magic against everyone she knows and receive no retribution at all for her unpleasant ways. My point being in this case that there may not necessarily be ill consequences ahead for your friend from what she is doing and equally that if she starts to try and counter the balance by practising magic connected with happiness there will not necessarily be good consequences in store for her either.

However that said, I do think there is some sense in your suggestion. What will happen if your friend starts to focus on the lighter side of life is that she will find her mood start to lift and hopefully become less angry and inclined to be “mad at people”. If she does try to put more happiness, love and good fortune into the world she will feel a sense of achievement and less frustration and will therefore achieve a better balance of energies that may stop her anger bursting out in random directions and going haywire. 

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