#hedgewitch — Public Fediverse posts

I saw this awesome Northern Flicker feather in the yard this morning. Even though flickers don't look bright yellow, the variety we have here in the Eastern US are called "yellow-shafted" because of their beautiful tail feathers.

Here in the USA, Flickers are part of the MBTA, the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. Which means it is illegal to posess any part of them, including feathers. It would be cool to keep one, but this law means that poachers can be more easily prosecuted, so it ultimately protects the birds.

I said a quick blessing over this one and let it be. Feathers are like deadfall in an ecosystem, lots of animals reuse or consume them. All that comes from the earth will go back to the earth.

#hedgewitch

Every year I harvest and dry a bit of St. John's Wort for magick and the occassional tea. Since it's a natural anti-depressant, it makes a lovely calming tea. Works much better than chamomile, I think, and tastes way better. However, I can only use it very sparingly because it can interact with my heart medication (beta blocker). So I just fill a tiny jar to use throughout the year, and I mostly use it for magick.

It's good for spells that bring clarity and reveal truth, spells for happiness, and for mental healing.

It's a sunny, solar flower that blooms around the summer solstice, and was used for anxiety ("nerve" disorders) since way before its chemical antidepressant properties were discovered.

The species name of St. John's Wort is 'perforatum,' because it has perforations; tiny little pinholes in the leaves that you can see when you hold it up to the sun. It let's the light in.

Also, the yellow flowers will exude a red oil when crushed or dried, which makes it look like its bleeding. This is why it's named after St. John the Baptist, who supposedly had the stigmata. It is also why his feast day is in June. It's traditional to harvest them on June 24th, but here in the North mine aren't usually ready until a couple weeks after that.

The main spell I use it for is a charm on my silver necklace to give me calm and clarity in public social situations. Helps with overstimulation. I cleanse and re-up the spell every couple full moons.

Another regular use is the ritual "someone I care about is upset" tea that you make because there's nothing you can do in a situation except make tea and listen to them while they unburden themselves.

St. John's Wort is an excellent plant friend to have, but like mint, it can really take over an area if you let it. Best to keep it contained to a pot or harvest it in the wild. It's considered invasive in most of the US because it crowds out native plants and it's toxic to grazing cattle. So harvesting a bunch that you see growing out in a field is actually helpful!

#Witchcraft #HedgeWitch

The hyacinths are up! Their return marks Beltane in my region every year, so here is my annual appreciation post:

The story goes that Hyacinth was a Spartan prince, and a lover of Apollo. He died tragically when struck by a discus, and the gods made a flower bloom where his blood fell on the soil.

Hyacinthus had a large cult at Amyclae, which he shared with Apollo. Though, some scholars have noted that his name is pre-hellenic, and he may be an earlier cthonic god of the early spring vegetation that dies out before summer. It makes sense, then, that in his myth he is struck down while still in his beautiful youth.
Io Hyacinthus, your blooms are sweet and fleeting!

#Beltane #Hedgewitch

Went for a cold hike through the local bog to see if the land was waking up yet for spring. The spirit of the place was still dormant, though I saw some Canadian geese migrating high in sky, like distant spring alarms trying to keep everyone on schedule.

The locals call this place the "Myr," (pronounced MEER) which is a Swedish word for peatland. It's open to the public, but nobody's ever there. It's protected by the government, but also by nature, because it is inaccessible for a large portion of the spring and summer due to flooding, thick vegetation, and hoards of flies and mosquitos.

#HedgeWitch

I will be delaying my Spring Equinox celebrations until Sunday this year because the once-in-a-lifetime snowstorm we got last week has borked everyone's schedules. I hardly ever move equinox/solstice stuff because I like to celebrate when the event is actually happening, but even mother nature has decided to delay spring by dumping over 3 feet of snow on us, so I figure it's okay, lol.

I still took a little time outside this morning for a cup of tea and a breath of fresh air. I also waded through the snow to fill the bird feeder and put out a little hay for my furred and feathered neighbors, who are no doubt struggling with the snow just as we are.

#HedgeWitch

The daffodils are coming up! These are planted on the highest, south-facing rise of my land. I use them as a seasonal indicator to tell me when it's time to start my seeds indoors.

To record the seasonal shifts, I take a picture when they get about 2 inches tall. Then, I can compare the dates:

March 12, 2026
March 26, 2025
March 6, 2024
March 20, 2023

#Witch #HedgeWitch #WitchesGarden #PoisonousGarden #Gardening

I have begun Hedge Witch, I love Trudi *No Spoilers* 😁 #HedgeWitch

For the past few years, I've taken a picture of the sugar maple in the front of my house on October 14/15th. Building a record of the seasonal cycle helps me feel closer with the land I live on, and it's good to have on hand for weather predictions.

#HedgeWitch

It's mushroom season! This is basically going to be a mushroom stan account for the next few days.

This glorious specimin is Hypsizygus ulmarius, the 'Elm Oyster Mushroom.' Yes, it's edible. I found it growing out of the knot of a fallen boxelder, and it's about 8 inches tall.

#Mushtodon #HedgeWitch

Burdock flowers are so cool, they look like little sea urchins. Around here, this plant is called "wild rhubarb" and some people still make tea out of the roots.

I've tried it and didn’t like it, so the only thing I use mine for is to collect a few burs every year for spells. It's good for things that need to cling to someone, baneful or benign.

#HedgeWitch

I have a set of what I would call "staple" witchcraft herbs for my region and practice. I'm pretty confidant that I could do whatever spell I needed with these plants.

Mint: Put that shit on everything. This is my go-to herb for anything needing a boost. It's especially good with cleansing and healing. I keep a few different species of mint for their variations, including sage, all-heal, and catmint (getting rid of things, repairing things, and attracting things, respectively).

Yarrow: This witchy herb is for stopping bleeding physically, but also energetically. Great for any kind of crossing the veil or bindings.

St. John's Wort: A sunny herb of the heart, the revelator, it can master emotions and bring action and clarity to problems.

Lavender (also in the mint family): A useful passive herb that comforts and also sensitizes psychic activity, including any meditative or dreamlike state.

#HedgeWitch #Witchcraft

If you give a witch a bookshelf...they're going to want to fill it with a bunch o' weird shit.

#HedgeWitch

My daylillies are one of the signal species I use to mark seasonal shifts in the area.
The first wave of summer flowers, the dandelions and forget-me-nots, have died out. Now, the midsummer flowers reign, like St. John's Wort and all the mints. Later, they will give way to the asters and goldenrod.

#HedgeWitch

It's way too hot and humid for hanging herbs to dry, so I've resorted to using the food dehydrator. Not ideal, but better than risking mold.

#hedgewitch

This started when I heard about the Republicans in my county having a rally just 5 miles from my house. They announced it at the last minute, I'm assuming for security reasons. My district's representative will be there, along with the losing governor candidate. The site is right next to a river that I know very well and leave offerings to several times a year.

I was too spelldrunk to expound on this last night, but here's what I did. Ingredients were pieces of a wasp nest I collected last fall, and a piece of hail I saved from last spring's storms. For energy, I used my ring, which I charged in the thunderstorms a couple weeks ago. (As you can tell, a large part of my hedgewitchery is collecting spell ingredients I might need later.)

So imagine me by the river at midnight, it's frigid cold and already drizzling. I'm sticking my left hand in the water and my right up to the sky chanting a children's nursery rhyme as creepily as I can:
"It's raining, it's pouring, the old man is snoring.
He went to bed and bumped his head, and couldn't get up in the morning."

#HedgeWitch

I have this old apple orchard that was probably planted somewhere around 1910. They're all the classic Macintosh variety, and only 12 out of the 30 still produce a little fruit, which I mostly leave for the deer.

This lady is about 40 ft (12 m) tall. She stands on the highest hill and vibrates with bumblebees every spring. Hail the Queen of the Orchard!

#bloomscrolling #HedgeWitch

Since January, I've been working on my own oracular system based on the local weather, flora and fauna. When I go outside to dispose of the offerings from the previous day, I note the weather, plants or animals that catch my eye, and bird sounds. I've been recording my observations, and I finally have enough to start analyzing.

-It's quite clear that signs of a human near my forest means it's gonna be a bad day.
-Blue Jays are common, and they usually relate to activity and being busy.
-Dog barking indicates conflict.
-Some days there's no birdsong at all, and those are days to stay home.

I'm gonna need a lot more data before I write this all up. It might not be anything profound, but it's nice to have a dated record of the climate and species that appear in my area. I have a feeling these records will be useful for future gardening and witchy stuff.

#HedgeWitch

Posts about medicinal herbs hardly ever include the side effects or any negative reactions. It's always, "drink chamomile tea to relax and sleep" and not, "15-20% of people are allergic to ragweeds, which includes chamomile, so it might give you a scratchy throat."

-Drinking mint tea regularly can cause acid reflux and exacerbate other GI issues.

-St. John's Wort calms you, and is good for depression, but it can also dangerously lower your heart rate if you take beta blockers.

-Sure, fennel is great for "digestive issues," but don't schedule a date that night, you will be very gassy.

-All members of the Poplar family, which includes Willow, contain the same chemical as modern aspirin within their bark. Don't give it to your kid if they have the flu or chicken pox, it can cause a deadly reaction.

-Rosehip helps with painful menstruation, and is a great source of vitamin C. So great, in fact, that you can overdose and give yourself kidney stones if you take too much.

-Dear white people, taking turmeric every day will literally turn you orange.

#Herbology #HedgeWitch

One refreshing change I've seen in occultism is that we've done away with gendering plants on correspondence lists.

More frequently now I see 'active' or 'passive,' which is a pretty good description. Recently I saw 'external' vs. 'internal,' and I like that, too. Or maybe extrovert/introvert would work?

In my own lists, I summarize this concept by noting if they will easily work with humans or not. Because that's been my experience when actually working with different plants' energies. Some of them, it's like they're reaching out a hand already, waiting for you to take it. And others need to be sort of nudged awake or have a reluctant feel to them.

#Hedgewitch #Witch

I always get a little jealous this time of year when people start to share photos of their springtime flowers and talk about getting in the garden. Here in zone 4, we still have snow on the ground.

However, I was happy to see my daffodils trying to poke up this morning, finally, after I checked under the leaf litter that protects them from hard freezes. These little guys are my indicators that I should now start planting my indoor seeds. Looks like we're about a week behind the average planting season this year.

#HedgeWitch

Mini spell-writing guide:
1. Set a clear, specific, realistic, actionable intention. Write/think it out clearly, then add fancy language or rhyming if you want.
-Example: "less anxiety to do well during job interview" not "get more money"

2. Gather locally sourced ingredients whose correspondences mean something to you personally. Take note of what senses and elements you want to invoke with your spell.
-Examples: calming music and water for healing, spicey food and fire for action.

3. Raise power by preparing ingredients and infusing them with your intention by repeated words or thoughts.
-Examples: making tea, drawing a sigil, anointing candles, mixing herbs, writing on paper.

4. Activate the spell by releasing the gathered energy.
-Examples: drink the tea, light things on fire, bury a jar, howl at the moon.

#Witchcraft #HedgeWitch

New Year, New Moon! It's always nice when the lunar cycle lines up like this, because the moons and months match up with our solar calendar for at least the first part of the year.

I normally plan out my year and set goals, but I have a feeling 2025 will be unplannable, so I'm just gonna enjoy the quiet while I can.

My New Years meditation will be on Water:
flowing around obstacles,
shifting the ground in small increments,
entrenching myself in the Earth,
and gathering in waves to smash structures.

#Witch #HedgeWitch

The weather has been gray and wintery for days and days. It's effecting everyone in the region, I think, like a pall of dreariness. Nature is such a force in our lives, but it's so pervasive we forget about how strongly it can effect us.

Practicing witchcraft has taught me to lean into these times of darkness, and let myself be dragged down willingly, that's where transformation happens. It's like, radical acceptance of depression, letting oneself be gloomy for a while. Balance in all things.

#HedgeWitch

I take a picture of the first snow fall every year, mostly because it's pretty, but also it helps me keep track of seasonal shifts. For example, last year it was on Nov. 19th, the year before that was Nov. 26th, the year before that Nov. 22nd.

Year 2020 was messed up because we didn’t get our first snow until December 12th. So even though it seems early this year, we're right on track for a normal season.

However, this years' picture turned out really creepy cuz the sun wasn't quite up yet, hope it's not an omen for the winter. 😬

#HedgeWitch

The Autumn season started very dry this year, we actually hit drought status. Now, we're getting all of that rain we missed, with rain predicted for the next 10 days in a row.

I'll write this in my Book of Shadows, with a summary of the season. Observing, recording, reflecting on the changing seasons and how it effects the vibrancy of life around us, is witchcraft.

Witnessing the patterns and the shifting directions of the wind is part of honing my craft. A hedge witch listens to the land like a good friend, and in return, it tells when the amanita mushrooms fruit and the witch hazel blooms.

#HedgeWitch