Tea Witchcraft (That's Not Just Tea)

So, as a witch, my herb collection is severely lacking. I don't have any lavender or bay leaves, really I just have a few kitchen spices and that's it.

I do, however, have an rather large amount of loose leaf teas (mostly herbal).

Really, just a lot of tea.

So I often charge and drink tea as part of my practice. However, I think that tea witchcraft can be used for things other than straight up tea. So here are two things that I did in the past week that involve tea. Hopefully, they will help you form some ideas of your own.

Tea Craft #1: Vanilla Chai Cake

A while ago, my mother told me that I could use teas in baking (or cooking, in theory) by replacing whatever water the recipe called for with tea instead. I tried it out this week because I had company coming over, and decided to make a cake with the intention that people be sweet to each other.

I followed the cake recipe found here: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/simple-white-cake/

The recipe calls for milk instead of water, so I decided to use chai since I read that chai is easier to prepare in milk compared to other teas. In addition, chai is delicious and sweet, so I thought that it would definitely add to my intent.

I used a 1/2 cup of  milk like the recipe called for, and added a large teaspoon of the chai I was using. I brought it to a low boil, and simmered it for ten minutes. You have to stir it every so often to prevent a skin from forming on top of the milk.

After the ten minutes, I poured it back into the measuring cup.

Here you can see the color it ended up after steeping, as well as the name of the chai itself. I found that after simmering, a bit of the milk had evaporated, so I added a touch more milk to bring it back up to half a cup.

After I had mixed the rest of the ingredients that the cake called for, I added the chai to the recipe. You can strain the tea leaves out of it, but I decided to leave them in to make the cake a little stronger with the chai flavor.

I stirred it all together, then baked it. After it baked and cooled off a bit, I frosted it with chocolate icing (again, focusing on the sweetness) and topped it with rainbow sprinkles. As I frosted and sprinkle-ed it, I repeated my intent over it several times.

I was so excited to eat it, I forgot to take a picture of it all done! But here's a picture it with some slices out of it.

It ended up being probably the most delicious cake I'd ever eaten, and I will absolutely be making it for lots of events in the future.

Tea Craft #2: Self- Love Bath Salts

My new apartment has a bath tub in it, so I am planning on taking Full Moon bath rituals. This month I wanted to focus on self-love because, a) I think that is something that people can always use, and b) I've been feeling kind of down since the move.

I love this craft because its so easy, and chances are you already have everything you need to make it: some sea or Epsom salt, a jar to keep the finished product, and some loose leaf tea.

I used two different types of herbal teas, and Epsom salt. I would have preferred sea salt, but I had Epsom salt on hand already, so that's what I used. I used a mason jar to store it, again because its what I had.

The teas I used are called Namaste and Really Raspberry. Namaste has small rose buds and chamomile, which are good for self-love and relaxation. Really Raspberry has (you guessed it) raspberry, which is another good loving kind of fruit (in addition to being my favorite), as well as hibiscus.

I also chose these teas because I know they will make a very pretty pink bath.

First. I added the Epsom salt to the jar, a little less than half way. Then I alternated scoops of the two teas on top.

I added the tea so that the total jar contents were about two thirds of the way full.

Finally, I shook it all up to mix the salt and the tea. As I shook I focused on my intent of giving me self- love.

It looks much prettier in person, and hopefully with make a lovely bath.

Both of these crafts were super easy, and I hope it helps you come up with some crafty ideas of your own, whether or not they involve teas.

Thanks for reading!

Litha/ Midsummer Altar

Litha/Midsummer was Sunday, and here it was a very rainy day, and also my boyfriend's birthday, so I didn't do too much for it. I baked a cake and kind of dual-purposed it as a birthday cake/ sabbat cake, and I lit some Amber incense as an offering (which smells so good!).

My altar was thrown together kind of haphazardly, but I really liked how it turned out!

My altar is very  summer-y, since it is for Midsummer, and so the colors and items reflect that. I used a green and gold scarf I have as an altar cloth, and kept the usual constant items on it, such as my singing bowl, prayer beads, God/Dess candles, and element jars, I added an incense burner to it, and may keep it on there as a constant as well.

I divided it up into sort of a God side on the left, and a Goddess side on the right. So on the left:

I have a stick to represent masculinity, the Sun card from my Original Rider-Waite deck, my carnelian pendulum, and my wheel of the year. On the right:

I set up my crystals in a sun-ish shape. I chose stones that I felt reflected the season, so there are a lot of greens and earth tones, such as fluorite, jade, red jasper, malachite, Botswana agate, smoky quartz, etc.

I put a yellow offering bowl in the center, again to be reflective of the sun.

I hope you had a great Summer Solstice, and a great rest of the week!

The Big Move

Hello from my new apartment! I recently moved, hence the lack of updates. Hopefully I'll be able to keep up more regularly.

Lately, I have felt drawn to graveyards, and have been considering spirit work. I'm not sure yet, but it something I will be researching. This is important to note, because there is a cemetery across the street from my new place, and today I walked through it.

I have been wanting to go into spirit work lately as a way of honoring those who are departed, as well as connecting with my ancestors. So I have decided that at the very least I want to go to the cemetery on New and Full Moons to visit with the spirits there.

When I went today, it was just to introduce myself. I took an offering and left it at the front gate. I left three pennies, a nickel, a dime, and a quarter.I also left my camera at home out of respect, but may take some pictures later when I feel more comfortable, and I silenced my cell phone.

 I went pretty early in the morning, and the groundskeeper was cutting the grass so I didn't stick around too long. However, it felt like a pretty powerful place, and I will go there again in a few weeks,

In addition to that, today is the New Moon, so I will be doing a cleansing/blessing of the new apartment. I will post that on here soon, as well as my Litha/ Midsummer altar.

I hope things are going well with my readers, and if you have any experience with spirit work, please let me know!

Full Moon Celebration

Tuesday night was a Full Moon, and I met up with a friend to celebrate it. First we met at Panera Bread for dinner and to discuss our beliefs. After that we tried going to a few metaphysical shops, but they were all closed. So finally, we ended up at our local Unitarian Universalist church for a Full Moon Labyrinth Walk.

The church has an outdoor labyrinth design in their courtyard, but since it was rainy out, they moved the walk indoors. They had a large mat that looked like this:

The idea of a labyrinth is that there is a set path, so its not like a maze. As you walk you can pray, or reflect, or meditate. For me, its a very calming experience, and it helps me to feel centered.

My friend and I walked it a few times, then brought our Tarot cards in to the hall by the labyrinth and did a few short readings.

I found my old Tarot deck from when I was around 12 or 13, so I am trying to connect with them. Here is a photo of my cards from this deck: The Mythic Tarot.

The top row got cut off a little, but they are The Empress, The High Priestess, and The Hermit. I am very glad that I found this deck, and look forward to using it as well as my Original Rider-Waite.

My friend has a set of Edward Gorey cards, that I wish I had gotten a picture of, because the artwork on those is very interesting and dark.

It was a great night, and I encourage others to search for local events in their area. I think the UU churches are a great place to start.

Talk to you next week!