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Wednesday, June 28, 2017


Oh I really do like stirring the cauldron; this question will do just that! Karen who wants to know:

“I’v read a lot about Shamanism and I am interested in becoming a Shaman; you consider yourself a shaman so i thought i’d ask- I am curious how do you become a shaman?”— Karen

I am going to prelude this by saying my beliefs are mine, there will be plenty who do not agree with me on my view points! There are several ways I think someone can be a shaman: courses & teachings, inner calling, and the wounded healer. No way is better than another really the true test of a shaman is their ability to traverse the worlds and bring back meaningful healing to themselves and their clients!

Teachings & Courses


One way to become a shaman is to find a credible teacher and take a course in shamanism. Some well known shamanic teachers are:

Sandra Ingerman- she offers in person and online courses through two websites

Sounds true offers several online courses some audio some a mixture of audio and video where Sandra teaches you the shamanic journey a key and vital part of shamanism. That can be found here:

http://www.soundstrue.com/store/sandra-ingerman-5563.html

The other is her website where she offers in person classes either with herself or one of her qualified personally trained teachers. That can be found here:

http://www.shamanicteachers.com/ 

Quynn Red Mountain's- teachings really resonate deep with me. She doesn't have any major published books like some of the other teachers but she herself seems so familiar to me that when I discovered her I purchased several of her online courses. She can be found:

https://shamanicanimism.com/

No matter who you find be sure to spend some time making the choice of who you're teacher is going to be. A good teacher melds with you not just intellectually but also spiritually and it's a partnership that should be healthy and true.

Do you need a teacher to be a Shaman?

Well yes & no; some people, as i'll talk about later, are naturally able to traverse the worlds without learning how to do it. However, learning from a qualified teacher helps to build up something a lot, well in my experience, healers lack: Confidence. There is nothing like getting your inner knowing validated from someone else to help boost your confidence in your own innate abilities as a healer, shaman, witch, etc. for some it's worth the price of the course, which in shamanic courses could be upwards of a thousand dollar! Yeah trust me I know; most healers i know don't have that kind of money! However, the price of admission for the confidence to take those skills home and help heal yourself, others, and the community at large is worth every penny!

Don't rush it! The right teacher will come when the student is ready. 

An Inner Calling 

Another way of being a shaman is answering an inner call. This was my method of shamanic work! I knew from the moment I read about what a Shaman was, just like i knew I was a witch. That I was a Shaman!  It aligned so deeply with my world view that I was like "oh shit! This is ME!" Now my view point is that when spirit calls you: spirit is your teacher as long as you aren't hard headed and can listen to spirit!

Not everyone can listen to spirit some people doubt what they know in their heart and soul and need outside validation; that is when a teacher comes in handy. In the beginning I was like that for a lot of things. I needed a teacher to validate my intuition and connection to the other worlds. Now however, after being validated for so long on so many different things I trust what spirit tells me!

If you have an inner calling to be a shaman or that you are a shaman then that is exactly what you are!
The Wounded Healer

This is a term that is talked about in many different alternative modalities such as reiki, crystal healing, witchcraft, wicca, and shamanism.

So what is a wounded healer? 

A wounded healer is simply someone who has undergone a deep illness or trauma that has brought them closer to the spirit world; for some it's a car accident, others it's a near death experience, some it's an illness such as a high fever or something of the like. This "wound" allows them to leave their body behind and go to the spirit world. Many rape survivors have reported "when it was happened i felt myself leave my body and go away somewhere safe."

Some people who are really ill or have had horrific accidents also report a similar thing "I was not in my body at the time."

When the person returns to their body then can sometimes see spirits, aura's, or easily leave their body again, these are skills a shaman may possess.

Is One Better Than The Other? 

Truthfully no!

Like I said each is a valid way to become a Shaman, having a teacher gives you confidence if that is something you are lacking, it can teach you important protection skills you may not otherwise know or be aware of.

However, now a-days there are so many video's online courses, books, and blogs that teach you about shamanism with the right inner drive you can easily teach yourself.

If you have an inner calling or had a traumatic experience perhaps you're already a Shaman and just need to hone your skills.

What do you think? Can you be a Shaman without training in the Andes or in the heart of mexico? Can you be a shaman with a weekend workshop? Or even can you be a Shaman if your heart & spirit know that you are and you have no human qualifications as such?

How did the first shaman come to be? It wasn't through a human teacher? It was through the spirits. The spirits do the work; the guides, totems, and teachers in the spirit world do the real teaching! We has humans have to learn to let go of the need to measure everything; knowledge, abilities, etc. Each person brings their own unique medicine/teaching to those they are meant to help.
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Saturday, June 17, 2017


This is my personal chant I use to raise energy for spells, to bring healing, and to empower my tools, charms, and crystals. This is really powerful if you have a connection to the element of water! 

“Humpback whale diving deep
set my magick, my goals to reap.
empower my ___ make it strong
help to move my spells along
Moray Eel remove the blocks
from my tools, herbs, and rocks.
lend your help to set my spell
insuring that it all goes well.
Ocean life from crab to fish
I call on your help for my wish.
I give Thanks to you for helping me
As I will it so mote it be!”

— Katie McBrien
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A lot of times i'm asked to write spells for others, as you can imagine being a witch out of the broom closet, everyone wants the best most powerful spell for their problem.

I used to be that way too; I would seek high and low at yard sales and large book stores for ancient spell books that maybe hidden. I wanted someone to give me a key to my issues and solve my problems.

It's True! 

I've learned though that the most powerful and quick manifesting spells are the ones that we write ourselves.

Yeah i kinda wish i knew that before I purchased over 100 spell books; but they weren't completely useless; after reading thousands of spells I learned about the basics of spell work. The keys to crafting a successful spell.

If you are a powerful spell searcher someone who wants an ancient fix to their modern problems this is my advice:

Write it yourself! 

The best spells are the ones that we write ourselves with words from our own heart, ingredients that we don't have to spend our live savings on, and time that fits into our schedule!

“The magick isn’t in the ingredients, the words we say, or even the timing. The magick is within us! Learn to be in complete alignment and you can manifest your hearts desire”

— Katie McBrien

So how does one create the perfect spell? Click here to find out!
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Sunday, June 11, 2017


This week Abraham writes:

“I came across your website while doing a google search for Tarot Readings and I am concerned about Witchcraft & the devil. Are you a Devil worshiper?”— Abraham

This is a great question; something that I am sure a lot of people who do not practice Wicca or Witchcraft are curious about.

The short answer is:

No!

The Devil in Witchcraft

When we look historically at the practice of witchcraft there is not a lot written about it's practices outside of religious institutions who have an obvious bias to the practices of a witch. Most of the historical work on Witchcraft came around the time of the Witch Trials.

This is when people were accused of Witchcraft and executed for those beliefs.

Lets just take a look at some facts:

  • Most people accused of witchcraft were either:
  • the elderly, women, children, the deformed/mentally challenged
  • someone the accuser could gain something from (land, cattle, money, etc.) the person's assets were given to the accuser if the person was found to be guilty! So basically if you had a nice cow and I didn't I could accuse you of witchcraft; if you were found guilty i could get your cow.... 
  • Christianity was new and the common folk (aka- the working class) wasn't too keen on giving up their religious upbringing and to fuel their religious agenda they decided to accuse people of witchcraft to instill fear and scarcity into people. Quite a powerful technique that still works today to get people to do something. (Yeah the media uses this, how many times have you rushed out to buy the essentials because the weather forecast told you there was going to be a horrible storm only to have it be a mild inconvenience? )
  • Each religion has their own characters that are either worshiped or feared. A muslim isn't going to be praying to Jesus, a Jew is not going to be fearful of Allah's wrath. 

There is absolutely NO devil in Witchcraft- unless a specific practitioner uses the devil in their work!
Remember witchcraft is NOT Wicca, this is not a religion. It's a practice!

Read More About Wicca V.S. Witchcraft

In Wicca there is a figure that I suppose if you are not education could look an awful lot like a scary satanic figure. The Horned God.

The Horned God 

Wicca is a nature religion, which means a lot of it's practices, central deity figures, and beliefs come from nature. The Horned God has horns; deer have horns. It's not the same as the Devil in Christianity.

The Horned God represents: life, virility, freedom, sexuality, etc.

It's the male counterpart to the Goddess which is venerated more, if not solely, in the Wiccan religion.

I hope this has helped you understand a little more about the Devil & Witchcraft.
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Saturday, June 10, 2017

I have been writing and crafting spells my entire life. I never really like to do anything the traditional way though, I am a free spirit like that, adapting spells from books to suit my needs, budget, and experience.

So what steps go into writing a successful spell? There is intention, timing and spell vehicles, ingredients, and then execution.

Writing Your Own Spell

The first step in writing your own spell is:

Intention

What do you want to happen? What is your end goal? Intention isn't as simple as it sounds, oftentimes we think we want something but really we want something else. So for example I think I want more money, but what I really want is Financial freedom that more money will bring. Or maybe I may want to attract a new romance into my life but what I really want is to be seen and fully appreciated by someone else.

Determining your true intention can be difficult especially if you sometimes have a hard time looking at the core of yourself and your motivations for things. I know doesn't sound nice but it's true, I'm sorry.

Timing and Spell Vehicles

What is a spell vehicle; i know that sounds strange but to me a spell vehicle is the means at which the spell will bring about your desire.

Is it a candle spell? A Poppet? Perhaps a Spell Jar? Even a crystal grid?

That is a spell vehicle; because it's literally driving your intention into manifestation!

Take into account the Elements and the correspondences for timing, elements, colors, etc. This can be found below.

The correspondences are the fuel that you put inside the spell vehicle.

So if you are doing a candle spell for money you'll want a green candle, that represents money & abundance, the green candle is your vehicles gasoline it will fuel your spell forward to the finish line (well along with raising energy!)

Look at timing too which can be found using the above Spell Correspondences link. You have to consider, time of day; season, day of the week and planets, etc.

Ingredients

We talked briefly about ingredients when I discussed Spell Correspondences. I am going to give you my Gods honest truth; I very RARELY buy spell ingredients, like my crystal healing process, I walk around my house and garden with my intention in mind and see what calls to me. Maybe a sprig of mint, or a rock for my driveway, or even a ring in my collection. However, if I do go out to buy something, I do the same thing at the store(s), I let myself be drawn to what I need unless it's a super specific ingredient (like maybe I need mugwort!)

The Chant or Mantra

So most people think that the best spells are ones that rhyme and sure they are really easy to remember that way, most of the spells I share on here do rhyme, but:

They Don't Have Too!

Here's some of my tricks:

  • spend time creating a rhyming verse
  • speak from the heart
  • call in my guides, guardians, ancestors,etc. 
  • play a song on my phone that evokes the same kind of feeling & sing it while I perform the spell. (i've done this with great success!) 
  • After you have decided your intention, your spell vehicle, your timing, and your chant or mantra, then its time to do the spell.

Spell Casting

There are some basics for pre-during-post spell casting:

Pre-Spell Casting 


  • Cleanse yourself either physically or energetically using: smudge, reiki, a shower, or bath.
  • Gather your ingredients
  • Set up your space

During Spell Casting


  • Be sure that you wont be disturbed
  • Cast a circle if you choose to do so
  • Call in your guides, guardians, ancestors, God/Goddess, etc.
  • Set up your spell vehicle and begin to cast your spell
  • Do your Chant/Mantra and feel the energy rise mentally imagine the energy going into your spell vehicle.
  • Thank what you have called in.
  • Close the circle if you have done so.
  • Write your experiences and feelings in your magickal diary (Book of Shadows

Post Spell Casting


  • dispose of remains in a proper way the general rule is:
  • if you are banishing get it off your property/person
  • if you are invoking or drawing to you keep on your property/person
  • If it's dark magick (hex/curse) it needs to be removed from your property and when you get rid of it do not turn back. 
  • cleanse yourself if it was banishing/cursing/hexing do this by taking a shower or bath. 

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Monday, June 05, 2017


This week's Submission Sunday goes a long with last weeks question about Witchcraft & the devil. Anna writes:
“I saw your blog and read some of your posts and I am wondering what is the source of your power if it’s not the devil?” — Anna
A Witch's power doesn't come from the devil, witchcraft & the devil have no connection. A true witch pulls her power from her connection to the natural world and within him or herself.


A Witch's Relationship With Nature


The natural world is probably one of the most important relationship a witch ever cultivates, next to her relationship with her helping spirits.

When I say nature I mean:


  • The landscape where the witch lives.
  • The plants that can be found locally to the witch.
  • The animals that inhabit the wild places where the witch lives. 

I haven't met any witch to date that doesn't want to spend time connecting to the land around him or her. To connect with the energy, to feel that divine connection, is very important.

The Witch Power Within


Another source of a Witch's power is the power within themselves. A real witch constantly strives for balance of the energy coursing within them. They meditate, work on their chakras, play with crystals that bring balance, etc.

Before a spell or a ritual most witches use a cleansing bath or do some meditation to find balance and then draw the power of the earth through themselves and into what they are working on.

The Power of Spirit


As many witches as there are in the world, and trust me there are a lot (one facebook group has over 336,825 people within it. (remember not everyone is ON Facebook or will like/join a group) there are ways to connect to the divine. Some work with Isis, others, Diana, some work with God, others work with Pan. It all depends on the witch, their background, heritage etc.

Most Witches have a connection with the divine and call on that relationship for power and connection.

Me, I work with Hekate the Greek Goddess of the crossroads & Sedna in my sea witchery. I feel a close connection with the God Ra.

As you can see a Witch draws his or her power from nature, the divine, and themselves. There is no devil or evil in real witchcraft.

Do you have a question? Contact me.
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Thursday, June 01, 2017



Spells have always fascinated me; it's something that I've been interested in my entire life. There are many different types of spells that someone can do, something that I call spell vehicles. I call them spell vehicles because they are the force that drives our magick forward.


So what are the different types of spell vehicles? 

Poppets


Poppets are usually made out of a cloth or fabric shaped in humanoid form, to represent a person. These are popular in the magickal tradition of Hoodoo & Voodoo. Though most of the time they are in human form they can indeed be shaped as pets or something else. The idea is that the poppet represents who the spell is being cast on.

I'll give you an example; several years ago my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. I made a healing poppet for her using one of her old shirts and filled it with healing herbs, rocks, and stuffing and cast monthly spells for healing. (she beat the cancer by the way!)

So yes a poppet does represent a person or animal. 

Candle Spells


I'd wager a bet that most witches cast candle spells; they are fast, easy, and powerful! Afterall the element of fire really speeds magick along!

A candle spell is done by picking out a candle in a corresponding color to the witches need or intention and then carving symbols, anointing it in oils, and then rolling it in herbs.

As the candle is lit a spell is spoken, and sometimes the spell is chanted for sometime as the candle burns.

You can burn a slip of paper with your intention written down from the candle for extra umph!

Just remember fire is dangerous! Never leave a candle unattended, candles that have been anointed and rolled with herbs will flame up and cause a big bonfire type situation so if that is what you are going to do place the candle in either a large cauldron, burn it outside in a fire pit, or place it in another fire proof container keeping anything that is flammable out of the way. I like to keep a fire extinguisher handy as well when I am doing candle magick. 

Jar Spells


Another fun and easy way to work magick is a jar spell, they have been around for ages. Think of the Witches Bottles found, that are centuries old! Jar spells contain ingredients and personal items (often called taglocks) that represent the person or thing the spell is meant to influence. The jars are sealed and then either buried off the property or on the property depending on the intention of the spell.

Jar spells are also popular in Hoodoo, honey jar spells are meant to influence someone- to sweeten them up to you. You fill out a petition paper, fill the jar with sugar, honey, molasses, and seal it. Then you place candles on top of the jar and burn them until the spell manifests. I've also done this spell with great success. Baby food jars work well in this type of magick!


Mojo Bags & Spell Bags


Mojo bags or spell bags are another spell vehicle. I like them because they remind me of a Shaman's Medicine bag. They are are usually made out of red flannel (this is specifically true in the Hoodoo Tradition), and filled with herbs, crystals, roots, and personal items. Then they are tied shut and "fed" oils to keep the magick active.

Of course you can alter this and burn a candle placing the bag at the base of the candle (as long as it's safe) and use that to feed the spell bag.

Sometimes these bags are sewn into clothing, carried in a purse or pocket, or placed in between a mattress and a box spring on a bed. 

Elemental Spells

Earth Spells


Earth spells use earth from various locations. An example would be in a justice spell using dirt outside a court room, a protection spell grab some dirt from a police station, etc.

You can bury spell vehicles in the ground for long lasting magickal results; protection spell bottles are often buried outside the front door of a witches house.

You can buy a seed or a small plant and enchant it, as the plant grows so does your magickal influence.

These are just a few examples of earth spells.
 

Air Spells


Air spells can be done by burning herbs and wafting the smoke, essentially smudging.

You can enchant a wind chime, flag, or make a prayer ribbon and tie it to a tree. As the wind catches these items your spell is carried through the air to manifest for you.

Another way to capture the element of air in your spells is to do singing or chanting of your spells and intentions.
 

Water Spells


Ah my favorite being a sea witch! I love water magick, creating magick with teas, baths, washes. Going to the water and casting spells in lakes, rivers, streams, and the ocean.

I go through this a bit more in depth in this post on Ocean Magick!

Click If you'd like to join the Inner Circle you have exclusive access to my E-Book on Water Magick!

Fire Spells


Fire spells are like I mentioned above are candle spells.

Burning petition papers

Lighting bonfires and chanting and dancing around a fire.

Jumping over the bonfire is a common fertility practice of Pagan newlyweds.


This is not by any means a complete list, there are as many different ways to do spells as there are witches out there in the world, and trust me i think there's a lot more than we think!

Do you have a favorite way to cast a spell? Are you always burning candles? Maybe taking magickal Baths? I'd love to hear about it in the comments below!
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