Practices for the Broom-Closeted Witch 

Yes

I love this! I will 100% be putting this into my practice. Thank you so much for sharing!

I did this to my yoga mat. Sigils, bind runes... that mat makes every time I use it extra special

this is a great suggestion, thank you for sharing.

I feel like time has frozen and I'm inside a bubble like existence, which isn't so bad but that's how I am feeling right now.

Oh good so it’s not just me

That should wonderful!

I love to put orange peels, whole cloves and cinnamon sticks in a large pot of water on the stove simmering. The scent is wonderful. I also buy fresh sage at the grocery stove and put it in one of my dehydraters. I feel so wonderful breathing in the scent.

I like to slow-simmer magic tea with similar ingredients.

Omg! Tysm for this tip!

I use an aromatherapy diffuser and look up oil blends.

*feng shui

Yeah... Those things kinda go hand in hand, don't you think? Like us gays (whatever flavour gay) are always in a witchy limbo reaching out for something that makes sense to us...

Fully agreed 💯

I love hanging found objects on driftwood pieces or tree branches and making a mobile or wall hanging. (Some may call them witch’s ladder). I also have herbs tied to a wooden handled spoon (it sort of looks like a broom) but these are herbs I regularly use in cooking and simmer pots. It’s handy, it’s decorative, and I think it a nice way to have a “broom” without having a broom, you know? I just replenish herbs as needed. I am a therapist and an herbalist first and foremost, so everyone knows I always have “something cooking”. Like you, Annie, most of my herbal creations are made to support my counseling. It’s amazing how many people associate using herbs and hanging out in nature a “witch” thing?!? Let them think what they will! ✨💚✨

luckily both my birth names are also from nature, one means the river, to which i have a big connection to, the other one means the bird cherry tree, to which i have a connection for about a week in may (white flowers), other than that i don´t even notice those trees (strange smell also). most of the traditional names here are either nature words or descriptions of animal / human characteristics (originally the two were considered the same). if it was just one name it would be easier to understand but because (at least in later times) they gave multiple names (one at birth, other one at teething or other sign, for the child´s protection spirit) it becomes complicated. i would say originally it was either no names or secret names only, protective names, you would not say those names aloud, unless need be (you would instead use the relative terms, like people still do for close family). also what´s interesting is that each tribe had their own general name for children, that´s why even from the late folklore you can tell to which tribe they originally belonged to (if you call your kids tenavat then it´s the elk tribe, but if pennut then bear or wolf tribe). it´s the same as with the tribe names, there was no general word for humans, because only the people from your tribe were considered humans, the others were "others", sometimes friends, sometimes enemies.. probably why they invented the inter-totemic marrying customs (it´s always two or three totems that make up the larger unit), from enemies to kin :)

and of course pet names too.. as long as there has been descriptive words those have existed, and before words it was loving sounds, like the animals make when they´re happy (or unhappy sounds when unhappy). so many traditions on top of each other :) (the oldest ones, the ones you do without thinking)

You really don't need a specific recipe. You can choose the herbs and spices you use according to your intentions and their specific properties, or just because the fragrance is delightful. Orange peel is used for protection, and it is wonderful mixed with cinnamon sticks, while cloves, nutmeg, and allspice.

Palo santo sticks are like spiritual bleach. Use the same as sage but replace the residual vacuum with pre made positive vibes, totems etc so the neg can’t return. Easy Peasy 😊

Also my parents have started to question why I use garlic in my food so much 😂

The number of herbs that have protective properties is incredibly long. You might do an internet search for "magickal correspondences for protection". That will probably direct you to your choice of correspondence charts, which will give you dozens of possibilities. From there, so some more research to make sure that you are choosing something that is skin safe.

I've never heard anything about not using the left hand. Stirring clockwise is used to stir intentions in, drawing something towards you. Stirring counter-clockwise is used for banishing, to push something away from you.

Always! Ground cinnamon, cloves, pumpkin pie spice, etc can bee found in good sized bottles at the Dollar Tree for $1.25. if your school lunch includes an orange, save the peel. Fresh or dried, orange peels are wonderful in simmer pots, and they are considered a protective herb. Dried apples or apple peels can be simmered, or dried and then kept in a bowl, alone or with citrus peels, with a sprinkling of fragrant spices. The Dollar Tree also has teas, which can be a really economical way get chamomile and other herbs and spices. You just can't beat 16 or so tea bags for $1.25. The more you learn, the less that you'll find that you need to buy stuff for your magic practice. If you want, and are allowed to burn candles, you can buy them at the same place. This is definitely a time when even more families than usual are having a hard time making ends meet. Although it definitely shouldn't have to fall on the shoulders of kids to take care of their family, perhaps you can learn to do some inexpensive (or free) money workings to draw money towards your household, or to help your family to hold on to more of their money. The things I use most often in my practice are inexpensive tea light or birthday candles, plain paper (or brown paper grocery bags that I repurpose, a sharp object to carve into the tealight candles, a lighter or matches, a pen, and a couple of markers. It doesn't cost anything to create a protection or prosperity sigil and draw it on yourself or your door with water you've charged, or draw a sigil under your doormat, or inside your backpack. Amino is a free app for pagans, witches, and other occult practitioners. If you find a forum to join there, I'm sure you could get lots more suggestions for free or very low cost ways to practice magick. I haven't ever specifically searched for it, which is pretty weird since I'm a disabled witch on a tight budget, but even an internet search will probably turn up a lot more budget friendly ideas. The bottom line is that the most important magickal tool of all is yourself and your focus and your intentions. I wish you much luck young witchling, and never been afraid to ask questions! 🖤🖤🖤

Cleansing spray for room and most items: Salt and water. 1 tsp salt to 1 cup. It doesn't take much. Cleansing salt scrub: Add a little water or preferred oil(coconut/olive etc) to 1/2 cup epsom salt. Hands first, then head to toe. (Don't scrub your face. Just neck down then dissolve remain salt in water to dump your head to finish.) Dollar Tree- Emergency Candle 6 Pack. Melt bottom of Candle to stick to the surface of a plate. Or tea lights. If you burn incense or sage/other plant material, save the ash in a jar. You can use it to imbue salt with more intention or properties. I keep a salt shaker with left over ash and salt to sprinkle in the corners. Go to the library and borrow books on recognizing common plants in your area. You'll be surprised how much you can gather and dry on your own. Depending where you live, you may have pine, hibiscus, dandelion, mullein, sage, yarrow, mint etc. growing wild. You can make your own tools. Just go outside into some nature and you'll find stuff.

I like that a lot!

I am gay myself and had to come out of that closet and continue over and over again as we all do in life. I hear you and I respect your feelings on that. It is certainly a very different thing as it is a choice to practice. Personally, as a queer person, it does not carry that same feeling of disrespect for me as it does for you and I first heard this term from the mouths of other queer practitioners. Having said that, though, I do not speak for everybody and I will keep in mind that this may be an inappropriate phrasing for future times.

@@TheGreenWitch Firstly, thank you for this thoughtful response! I can totally appreciate that we have different experiences with this! I certainly don't mean to invalidate your queerness or imply that you "can't" use the term, or even that I feel disrespected by you specifically. There are absolutely correlations and it makes sense why the term is used by private practitioners. In my personal experience, I've only ever heard it out of the mouths of straight white women for whom witchyness is purely an aesthetic (I'm sure you're familiar with the type) and that's more generally what I was trying to point out. But thank you for considering my comment, I look forward to learning more from you!