@Jasie - I KNOW. This time I’m going to transfer my notes to the computer as I rewrite them so next time they’re damaged, lost, stolen, or destroyed, I can just fucking replace them. 

SO MAD RIGHT NOW. 

(I can’t even blame the cats because it’s actually gravity’s fault. Mostly.)

WELL.

My Tarot notes are definitively gone. My spreads book is where I left it but the notes on Tarot itself has met with a mysterious end involving cats, brugmansia infused oil, a broom, gravity, and the floor.

This had been foreshadowed. My tarot notes had been missing for about a week until I found it buried in the closet (why it was in the closet IDK because I sure as hell didn’t put it there.)

*Sigh* Now I have to copy out what I can and rewrite what I can’t. 

Tomorrow I have a date with a mandrake root I think.

@ladyoftheweald - You’re welcome. Safety’s important and sometimes you have to meet someone on their terms. I do a LOT of traveling by myself so I’ve learned to take steps to be safe. Happy to pass them along.

Anonymous:
Then--as long as it isn't too expensive (and even then, I'll get the bath salts)--expect a new purchase tomorrow :)

I’m bottling them up now. Listings should be up shortly.

thewitchoffantasy:
I know you had an ask not too long about about being the village witch, would you be willing to talk more about it? What are typical things that you offer to the public? How do you go about advertising? Any stories to tell? etc.

I’ve sat on this for a while because I had to think on it. I’ll answer any questions put to me, within reason.

Services: Lessons, charms, spells, divination (non-cards), tarot and oracle, spirit walking, blessings, cleansing, exorcism, some mediumship, general seerwork. Some herbal salves and remedies (what I’m comfortable with offering). General advice, education, and correcting misinformation. Pretty much whatever’s asked of me as a witch.

Sometimes people want a simple charm. Others a tarot reading. I don’t have any students at the moment, as my last one moved away, but generally I teach one-on-one. Occasionally minors interested in witchcraft will ask me to talk to their parents about witchcraft to dispel misconceptions. 

Because I’m location within range of a lot of new-agey people and in one of the largest cities in the state, I get less work than I would in a smaller place. When in Hawai’i, I had more clients because I had less competition. The folks around here are VERY clique, usually incredibly fluffy, and that makes it difficult to get involved with the community on the local level. For an example, there are four fortune tellers advertising their skill in my city alone. Four who do it from their house as their business. That doesn’t count the untold number of readers who don’t advertise. That makes business hard at the best of times. Having and offering a wide range of skills helps.

As for advertising, I have business cards with phone number exclusive to the shop on there, my shop and blog links, plus a small list of general things I do (I think witch, spiritwalker, seer is on there). I put up ads on craigslist, witchvox, and leave my cards at witchy shops for their clients to see. And I talk about it. All the time, when asked what I do. 

I also have signs up in the yard and on my vehicle. I literally advertise that people can ask me questions as the driver. Because of this, I have to be somewhat ready to answer questions and have a business face at all times. Even when running to grab milk. I also always carry at least one divination method on me (usually a deck of cards, scrying stone, and pendulum) and business cards. The trick is, when asked to explain because “witch” isn’t common and has a lot of misconceptions with the general public, is to explain without jargon, be friendly and cheerful while talking. I even sometimes sound apologetic, not for being a witch, but for having such a job that requires such explanation. I always lace that apology with a hint of amusement and pleasure - because I’m amused folks are interested and I really do love my crap. Importantly, don’t allow a shred of doubt at your belief in skills to come through. I tend to find if you sound like you don’t know what you’re talking about or you sound like you doubt yourself, you’re more likely to run across people who want to start an argument just for the sake of it. Don’t talk about anything you don’t have rock-solid belief on. If you don’t know or you don’t do some particular skill, don’t say otherwise. Sometimes folks test you just to see what you say and other times they’re looking for something super specific. For example, folks looking for a medium, I’ll recommend my brother. Having a list of local practitioners of some kind that you trust is a good idea. So is knowing at least one local shop that doesn’t make you want to pull your hair. Generally, being honest really helps. And the most important thing to remember is you don’t need to make anyone belief you. Their belief in what you do doesn’t matter. You don’t need to convince people. Really, you don’t. Usually when people doubt me I say “That’s nice but it doesn’t matter how I do what I do or what I believe. I believe in myself.”

As for stories… I consider my clients’ privacy important. To the point that I will meet clients within my home or in a chosen public location, or their house. I take steps to ensure that I’m safe (notifying friends and family of what I’m doing and where I am, plus taking a photo of the building and clients car in case I’m kidnapped or murdered. I delete them when the meeting is over.) Most of the time, the interaction is online. Email and text is way easier. 

Any other questions?

benjaminblue:

May I breathe the air 
of him

just for another moment

a pinch of his time

a speck?

If not, I know it is
alright

I did not truly deserve,
as he believes 

I did not truly deserve,
as he doesn’t believe

whichever it may be,
I’ve earned no breath of his

Anonymous:
What about spells to ward mosquitos off? Even the heavy duty poisons don't help me! I feel like a prison in my house during summer and spring because when I go out, I get covered head to toe in bites.

I use eucalyptus and lemongrass. Or lemon eucalyptus oil. Repel makes some as does a few other companies. 

I use the spray to coat plants, objects, and myself. Works like a charm. And I go hiking and mucking about in wetlands and swampland without trouble. It smells strongly of eucalyptus and lemongrass but it works gorgeously.

Hanging lemongrass around the house also helps. So does spraying curtains or strips of fabric with the spray and hanging them up to ward them away. 

Spells to keep garden pests away may also help, although I don’t know anything specific to mosquitoes.