You ever think about the kind of guy who makes a cursed amulet? Like, “ooh hoo hoo, whoever puts this on is gonna have a nasty surprise!” Get a real hobby.
I decided to just go ahead and put the spread out as it is now. I like it and I think it works. But because this is literally my first draft of the spread, any feedback would be even more appreciated than usual!
Card One is where you were before the slump.
Card Two is what caused the slump or allowed it to happen.
Card Three is where you’re at now.
So, before we move on to the next cards, I want to explain this progression. I think it’s important, especially in these situations, to sort of check in on where you’re actually at and where you were before. Comparing the situations and seeing how you got to where you’re at is important, because it helps you understand what happened, and that’s how you make a plan to get out.
Card Four is what keeps you down – this is why you haven’t moved on and why you feel like you’re in the slump to begin with. Think of it as your obstacle – this is what you’re up against.
Card Five is your first step out of the slump. Something I really focus on a lot in these situations is “Well what do I do NEXT? What do I do now??” This is your answer to that question.
Card Six is what I call the signs on the path. It’s what keeps you moving forward and what stops you from sliding back down into the slump.
Card Seven is where you’re headed. One of the keys to pulling yourself out of the slump and continuing onward is knowing what you’re actually working toward. It’s easy to lose your sense of direction down there – this is your North Star.
So…this is my Timeline Spread. Well..sort of. I usually just refer to it as “The Timeline”. And also, you’ll have to keep reading to see exactly how it works. It’s a lot of cards (for me, at least) and it’s best used with a lot of reflection. I do this spread with pen and paper and take plenty of notes and make plenty of plans. Google reminders are scheduled during this. If something comes up that I’m not happy with, then I’m going to want to change or avoid it at best, and if that can’t happen, then at worst I want to know how I can get out of it as unscathed as possible.
Each point on the timeline gets three cards, like so:
Card One is “Where I am at this point.”
Card Two is “Who I am at this point.”
Card Three is “What will help me most at this time.”
When writing out the cards this spread gives me, I denote them as “A1”, “B3”, “E2”, et cetera.
Each group of three cards is analyzed together and in isolation from the others, first, and I look for links between the time periods to help see where I can facilitate good events and head off the bad ones. (Good and bad being relative, of course!) I don’t force a link if there isn’t one – my main narratives are on the individual points on the timeline and the three cards that make up those results, but watching the progression of your needs and who you are can be very interesting and telling for sure.
This is honestly a LOT of information and personally, I don’t recommend trying to read for unlisted places on the timeline, however if you’re really curious about a sudden, dramatic shift between one point and the next, placing a single card to see what leads from point A to point B (or D to E or what have you) can be helpful.
(I also don’t do this spread too often either. I don’t do it on schedule, although that’s not a bad idea. I do it whenever I think it’s necessary, which is rarely more than twice a year.)
WOW. I’m done! On time! Albeit, nearly at the last minute, but still! I haven’t posted all the other days to my tumblr yet (you can find them on my instagram), but here’s the last day’s challenge prompt, which I turned into a spread. Of course I had to do a spread, right?
“You can basically fill in the blanks for position meanings, but 1: who you are in the future. 2: how your future self feels and 3: what caused you to feel that way. 4: something your future self may need to know. 5: a piece of advice from the past, or something you may have forgotten.”
I’m actually pretty fond of this one – but make sure you record the results somewhere so you can find your advice when the time comes!
so remember that worldbuilding website, notebook.ai, that was goin around and everyone was so excited, but it turned out you had to pay a (frankly outrageous) subscription to access any of the best tools?
Check out local plant societies to see what activities they have planned. Some of them offer free plant walks that will help you to get to know your local plants
Start experimenting with your (safe) local weeds first. For many of you, this means sorrel, dandelion, plantain, violet leaf, and ground ivy.
Get your warnings and safety information from reputable books and herbalists, not social media (tumblr). There are many rumors on this site about what is and isn’t poisonous, please don’t believe everything you read!
Keep a few materia medica books on hand to check for contraindications and safety instead. My go-to books for checking whether an herb is okay with me are located in the recommended books post above
Pick 1 herb a month to really focus on. Keep in mind that you can do a lot with a few herbs, some of them have dozens of uses
Learn about your herbs by tasting and using them, not just reading! Personal experience is more important than book knowledge (except when it comes to safety)
Equipment
JARS (check the thrift store for cheap finds)
Alcohol – I usually use 80 proof vodka for tinctures but you can also use brandy depending on what you’re making
Oils- I like grapeseed oil and coconut oil
Funnels
Cheese cloth for straining herbs
Kitchen scale
French press (easy way to make loose leaf tea)
Idea of what to start making with herbs
Bruise/injury salves
Bug sprays
Calming tinctures/teas
Digestive tinctures/teas
Pain tinctures
Fomentations
Poultices
I probably forgot a lot of stuff so Ill be adding more in the future!
Click the title link to scroll the tag in its entirety! I am tagging every FAQ page post as “torquewitchfaq” and will be updating each with all the sections in alphabetical order once they are all posted. Tumblr deleted my entire A-Z post links, so I’m doing these by section instead.
Protective magic is used to (you guessed it) protect. It’s a very pure type of magic that is easy to access and use. But why should it be the first type of magic witchlings learn?
It’s okay to mess it up
If you mess a protective spell up the worst case-scenario is that it won’t work. Other types of magic are very bad to mess up, and somehow I don’t think that a protective spell is going to make you sick for the next week.
It’s easy to use
Protective magic is pretty easy to use compared to other types of magic. It won’t take up as much energy as some spells, and it won’t fail as much.
It’s a good way to get comfy
Witchcraft can be very complicated, but this is a good way to get a hold on magic. It also can build up your magical power.
Protective magic is easy to use, okay to mess up, and a good way to get a hold a magick. Therefore it is the best type of magick that a witchling could start with.
Candlelight-magick 