Hello, and welcome! I’m so happy to have you. We have a lot going on this week, astrologically. Mercury stationed direct as of yesterday, we have the start of Aquarius season tomorrow, and we’ve got a new moon on Saturday. So let’s welcome all this fresh energy with open arms. I don’t have too much planned this weekend in the way of rituals, I do like to honor Hekate on the new moon each month. It’s sort of our thing, but I’m kind of taking a breather this weekend in terms of intention setting or any big new moon observances. I’m personally feeling called to pull back just a teensy bit, so I’ll be honoring that.
But it is a great weekend for performing work, and speaking of that, I kind of wanted to address something today, you know what I’m seeing a lot of lately? I am getting so many emails and messages related to really toxic partners and ex-partners and I’m getting a lot of requests for banishings. I’ve been doing this podcast for a while, and I’ve never heard from so many people looking for closure on toxic partnerships, hateful coworkers, just unhealthy and downright abusive relationships. It’s like, several per day sometimes.
And I have to wonder what that’s about. I don’t know if all the assholes in the world have just collectively decided to turn it up to eleven, or if witches as a group have just all had enough and have reached the end of their collective rope all together. Whatever is going on, I am here for it. Anytime someone decides to say enough is enough, anytime someone decides to call their power back, anytime someone decides to prioritize their own peace, I will always be a cheerleader for that. Life is too goddamn short to be miserable.
So, excellent work, everyone. And now, let’s go to an email:
I have a question about a difficult situation at work and was hoping you could give me some witchy advice. My boss is a very controlling, narcissistic individual who has had a negative attitude toward me since she came on board. If I’m quiet she says I’m being negative, If I speak she says I’m condescending or rude. Rest assured that I am not, and get along quite well with my coworkers. She always sees everything about me in a negative light, no matter what I do.
Changing jobs is not an option as I am 65 years old and age discrimination is a very real thing in the job market. No one will hire someone on the brink of retirement, even though I’m in great health and very tech savvy. Is there some kind of spell that will either a) remove or reduce her bias and hostility against me as an individual or b) shield me in some way so I can fly under the radar and avoid her wrath. I’d like to keep working a few more years until I can comfortably retire, but each day is a struggle.
Now there is a lot going on here in these two short paragraphs. But this witch did not ask to hear my opinions on agism, and in any event, there’s nothing I could say that she doesn’t already know and hasn’t already experienced. So I kept my response limited to just the question she asked. And I gave this witch two options here; I gave information on doing a banishing or a honey jar. We all have to approach our own issues with the method that we are most comfortable with. Baneful work is not for everyone, and that is totally valid. It’s not a sign of weakness, and it’s not a sign of fear. This witch went with the honey jar.
Now, the honey jar process is pretty simple. You’ll need a small jar, some honey, a candle (white is fine), and a personal concern of the person you’re trying to sweeten. A scrap of paper with their handwriting is perfect, unless you can get some of their hair. I understand this is going to be tricky in a work environment. So this witch went with a handwriting sample.
Write your intention on top of her handwriting, something simple like, ‘Barbara likes me and treats me with respect” or something similar. This is your intention that you’re going to not only write on top of their handwriting sample, but also repeat while you perform this work. So, light the candle and start speaking your intention.
Fold this paper in half towards your body, then turn it clockwise and fold it again. Drop it in the jar and cover it with honey, and screw the lid on. Drip some of the wax over the edge of the lid to seal your work. The lid doesn’t need to be completely covered in wax. Fix the candle on top of the jar and let it safely burn all the way down. Keep this jar in a safe place, and charge it in the full moon once a month.
And a honey jar doesn’t only have to be reserved for your mortal enemies. You can use a honey jar to help smooth things over if you’re going through a rough patch with a friend or loved one, or your own romantic partner. And you can use them if you’re trying to get closer to someone. A honey jar is a great tool for helping to ease the awkwardness of any kind of new relationship. So yes, I’m all about a banishing when it’s needed, but there are a lot of ways to get the results that we want.
Alright, now I would like to begin the discussion today with a disclaimer: I am not a doctor. Do not take medical advice from me. Witchcraft is not a substitution for medical treatment. The information in this podcast is not to be construed as medical advice and is not meant to treat any medical condition. And for the love of all the gods, please consult your own physician for any medical issues that you may be experiencing.
In case you couldn’t tell, today we are going to talk about healing magick. I get a lot of questions every week from people who are trying to help themselves or their loved ones heal in one way or another. It’s not usually from physical ailments, which I typically won’t touch with a ten foot pole anyway because as I just said quite clearly, I am not a doctor and witchcraft is not a substitute for medical care.
But if someone is already consulting their doctor and they’re already on some kind of medical regimen or receiving some kind of treatment, there are ways we can support the body in healing itself. Spell jars and mojo bags are great methods for healing magick, but we’re gonna talk about some less common methods of healing. It’s been a minute since I extolled the copious benefits of using herbs for their medicinal as well as magical benefits, but just buckle up, because we are gonna talk about tea today. I love tea as magick and as medicine. Tea is a potion, it is a ritual, it is a sacred act of self-care that we can perform each and every day.
Herbal teas are easy to come by and they’re inexpensive, and they’re just lousy with benefits, so let’s look at a few common varieties and see how we can heal ourselves with these beautiful herbal allies. Raspberry leaf tea, medicinally, is a great source of protective antioxidants. It provides digestive support, relieves sore throats and gum disease, all kinds of inflammatory conditions, menstrual cramping, water retention, and morning sickness. Magickally, raspberry is used in fertility magick and to assist in easing pregnancy.
Chamomile, which I freaking adore, is used to soothe cold symptoms, it’s good for heart health, it can aid digestion, of course we all know its reputation for a good night’s sleep, it’s used for reducing anxiety, and it’s just good for supporting the immune system in general. Magickally, chamomile is used for protection and good luck, which are both going to be very helpful for healing the body. And finally, it’s known to be helpful for spells related to beauty and healthy, clear skin.
Nettle tea is one that’s really, really good for the body. Nettle is known to treat painful muscles and joints, eczema, arthritis, gout, and anemia. Any inflammatory condition, really, even IBS, it’s also great for cardiovascular health. Magickally, nettle is used for protection, warding, strength and healing. So it’s an all-around really beautiful herb for health and wellness.
Another tea that’s easy to come by and excellent for all kinds of health issues is ginger. Ginger is known for its nausea relief and for easing digestive issues, and it’s also excellent at fighting symptoms of the common cold. It’s known to help regulate blood sugar, and because of its anti-inflammatory properties, it’s wonderful for pain relief and even for arthritis. Ginger is another magickal ally in matters of luck, strength, energy and power.
Echinacea tea is an all-around immune booster. It’s known to help the body fight all kinds of infections, it can reduce cold and flu symptoms, and ease pain and discomfort. Magickally, echinacea is protective, healing, and lucky.
And obviously this is nowhere close to an exhaustive list, but within these few common herbal teas, we can find ways to address a lot of health issues that we might be facing. And please let us never forget the power of moon water. Making moon water with the intention of good health and wellness, and then using that water to brew your tea is gonna give it some extra zest. But sometimes, tea isn’t the answer. Some people don’t like it, sometimes, although rare, there may be contraindications due to adverse reactions to medications. And sometimes we might want to take a bit of a more direct approach to the problem.
In these instances we might want to try a poppet. Now, back when we did the poppet magick episode, I did clarify that not all poppet workings are for baneful, or negative intentions. You can absolutely make a doll for healing magick and they work remarkably well. Now, feel free to go back and either listen to or read the transcript of that episode, but the long and the short of it is this:
We can create a poppet to represent the person who needs the healing, this could be someone else or it could be yourself. We can use a ready-made doll, like a Barbie doll, or we can make one ourselves. It doesn’t have to be some great example of sewing perfection, it can be a very simple, rudimentary, vaguely-humanoid gingerbread man kinda job. This is just a vessel to hold our intentions.
You will want to get some kind of personal concern of the person for whom you are creating this doll and stick it inside the doll itself. The more personal, the better. Hair is always a strong contender, fingernail clippings work, too. If this is for yourself, that’s easy to get. If it’s for someone else, it’ll be a little trickier. Think of it as trying to give the Universe the scent of this person.
And then get creative with the rest of the items that you’re going to put inside your doll. And here I’ll just quote directly from the poppet magick episode: “If we’re trying to impart healing, we might choose to include apple blossoms, lemon balm, eucalyptus, fennel, garlic, mint, oak or acorns, rosemary, thyme, and willow. Crystals and stones we might use include amber, citrine, malachite, if you have a tarot deck you’re willing to use, we might want to put the Sun card in there, too. If part of your intention is to give pain relief, put some aspirin in there as well. A chicken feather or a chicken bone is going to be helpful. And you may put some hospital dirt in the doll, especially if the healing we want to impart is healing from an illness or some kind of medical procedure.
Sometimes the healing we are giving is generalized over the entire body, but if the healing we want to give is targeted to a specific part of the body, like if they just got a knee surgery, we can do a couple things to direct the healing where we want it to go. On the outside of the doll or poppet, we can draw or stitch sigils over the part of the body that is afflicted. We can also anoint this part of the doll with healing oil. And finally, we can bless a pin with healing intentions and stick the pin into the doll where the injury or affliction is, thus driving our intentions directly into the body. Think of it as an antenna for attracting the healing magick.
The next part of this work is to actually consecrate this doll for its purpose. We will want a candle in whatever color matches your intention, or as always, just use white. You’ll want some holy water or moon water, and some plain salt. You will also want some incense, and I’ll explain why. When we consecrate this doll to act as an effigy for the intended target, we are going to breathe life into it as part of the ritual. Now, if you’re making this doll for yourself, feel free to use your own breath. But if you’re making it to represent someone else, you might prefer to use incense to act as that breath of life. You’re probably not going to want to use your own breath.
So, arrange your doll on your altar or work surface, along with your candle, water, salt, and incense, if you’re using it. Cast a protective circle, light your candle, and focus your energy on your intention. What we do next is to tie this effigy, this poppet, to the person it’s meant to emulate. So, we get our doll or poppet, obviously, make it by hand if that’s how you’re rolling, buy it from the store and slice a hole in its torso if that’s how you’re rolling, and go ahead and fill it with everything you’ve collected.
You will say something along these lines, and you can and should adjust the verbiage to suit your needs:
Sprinkle your doll with the salt, and say’ “I consecrate this doll by the power of earth. Everything I do to this doll, I also do to myself.” If you’re making this doll for someone else, obviously you’ll speak their name here.
Next, sprinkle the doll with holy water or moon water, say, “I consecrate this doll by the power of water. Everything I do to this doll, I also do to myself.”
Pass your doll over the flame of the candle, “I consecrate this doll by the power of fire. Everything I do to this doll, I also do to myself.”
Finally, you will pass the doll over the smoke of the incense, or, if you are going to use your own breath, breathe into the doll’s face and say, “I consecrate this doll by the power of air. Everything I do to this doll, I also do to myself.”
“Through these ethereal ties, we are linked.”
Now your doll, your poppet, is activated, so to speak. If you’re going to draw or sew specific symbols into this doll, do that now. If you’re going to use pins, you’ll do that as well. Put any final finishing touches on it. Lastly, sew up the opening through which you stuffed all your items, or tape the opening closed on your store-bought doll, because we don’t want the guts falling out, and then seal the opening closed by dripping wax from your candle over it. Finish your ritual and close your circle. You’ve got yourself a poppet.”
Keep this poppet on your altar for as long as you feel you need to. Charge it as needed and don’t be afraid to interact with it. Talk to it, tell it how much better it’s feeling, tell it how its healing is coming along so nicely, tell it how its body is mending. Poppets for healing are vastly underused. It’s a bit of a pain in the ass to put the spell together, I’ll grant you that, but it works.
I also hear from a lot of people who are trying to heal emotional wounds. So many of us need to heal the way that we think of ourselves. Meditation is, in my opinion, a really powerful and vital method of self care. We all know and understand how much it can benefit our mental state, how valuable it can be for helping us clear out the mental clutter, all that mental noise. Whether we actually bother to meditate or not, we all know it’s good for the mind. But I think we overlook the benefits of meditation on our physical well being.
By setting aside that time, and just looking inward and existing in our own mind and body for 20 minutes, 30 minutes, whatever time we can spare, we allow ourselves the opportunity to listen to what our bodies are trying to tell us. Meditating with the intention of asking the body to talk to us, tell us what it needs, tell us how we’ve been mistreating it, or at least ignoring it is a great way to stay connected to our physical selves. And if we can manage to meditate outside in nature, we get the additional benefit of grounding. Although it’s winter in the northern hemisphere, so maybe save that for the warmer months. If you’re in Australia, then get on out there.
If we want to incorporate sounds or music into the process, there are some specific frequencies that can assist us. 432hz is the healing frequency. If you search YouTube for 432hz meditation sounds, you will find all kinds of playlists that you can listen to while you do this work. If you want to make a crystal grid to sit inside of while you do this meditation, that’s a great idea too. Get four crystals of any shape or size that correspond with your healing intentions, such as selenite or rose quartz, and align each stone with a compass point. Then just sit inside your grid while you meditate. It’s a great, low effort way to enhance the entire experience.
Finally, I’d also like to talk about movement as magick. We are all at different levels of physical fitness, we all have our own limitations, and so I certainly don’t want to encourage anyone to do more than they’re safely able, but within our own limits, we can use physical movement, exercise, if you want to call it that, as a way to raise energy and to connect with our physical vessel.
Dancing, jumping, stretching, deep breathing, these are all ways to raise energy that we can transfer to spell work, that we can offer in tribute to any deities we may observe, and that we can direct back to our own physical being as a gift. This is not about punishing ourselves for being unfit or for not conforming to beauty norms, but is an act of love. To love ourselves enough to offer our own physical efforts toward the care and maintenance of our own health. That’s what it’s about.
We only get one body per lifetime. Sometimes, things go wrong, sometimes we get injured, we get sick, we develop a chronic condition. But we can support our own healing. We are healers, we are the cunning folk, we are the wise women and wise men, we are the hedgewitches. So let’s lean into that. Let’s see what happens when we give ourselves permission to heal. To draw upon our own magick and heal.
And just a reminder, I post written transcripts of all the episodes on the website, middleagedwitch.com. So if there’s something you want to go back and review or if there’s something I brushed through too quickly, you can read it all there. I run every single episode through a transcription program, so if there’s ever a spell that I give, or a recipe for an anointing oil, or instructions for any kind of magickal process or whatever the case may be, you can find it on the website. It’s completely free, it’s easy to use, and you can listen without having to stress about catching every little detail.
So have a lovely new moon, a gorgeous Aquarius season, and a fantastic week. We will talk again next week, and I can’t wait. In the meantime, email me at eli@middleagedwitch.com or DM me on socials at @middleagedwitch. My name is Eli Ro, and this has been the Middle-Aged Witch podcast.
