Five Gifts To Get The Witch In Your Life || Holiday Gift Guide
Happy Solstice Witches!
by Kirsten Renee
No matter what you celebrate this holiday season nothing says “I love you most” like gift giving! Every witch (old and young) loves to be thought of, especially when we get gifts that aid our specific crafts! With Yule, Kwanzaa, Christmas & other December holidays roll through it is easy to get confused about who gets what gift! Don’t you worry pal, I’ve got you covered for the mystic in your life. I’ve gathered a short shopping guide for those of you who have no idea how to buy for a witch!
image via thegloss.com
Crystals
Crystal healing is one of the many forms of healing within the spiritual community. Crystals not only provide different healing properties, but they’re also very pretty to look at! Don’t know anything about crystals that’s fine! Here’s a few basic crystals that you can purchase for your friends who like to do a little healing.
Rose Quartz : Creativity , Calm, Love, Raises self love
Citrine: Confidence, Passion, Manifestation, Abundance
Clear Quartz: Clarity, Transformation, Cleansing, Harmony
Selenite: Expand awareness, Motivation, Stimulates brain activity
Tigers Eye: Brings order, Balance, Strength, Enhances personal power
2. Tarot Cards
Not every witch uses Tarot as their preferred form of divination, however it is by far one of the most popular forms. Tarot reading has been done for CENTURIES and many mystic’s use them in their practice. I, for one am a huge fan of tarot and use it every day in my personal practice + in my business.
Here’s a few tarot decks that you can pick up for your intuitive friend!
3. A Visa Gift Card
Seriously, Witches love money because sometimes it costs money to get spell supplies! If you’re a proclaimed Dollar Tree witch like myself, then you understand! Sometimes we don’t just have random candles, Herbs, Jars, etc just laying around! You want to show your love for a witch, support her spell fund!
4. A Giftcard To a Bookstore
Witches love a good book and with so many witches publishing quality content these days there’s A LOT of books to add to the collection. So many books to choose from like;
“The Modern Herbal Dispensatory: A Medicine-Making Guide” by Thomas Easley, Steven Horne (Paperback)
“Wurkn Dem Rootz: Ancestral Hoodoo” by Medicine Man (Paperback)
“Jambalaya: The Natural Woman's Book of Personal Charms and Practical Rituals” by Luisah Teish
“Material Girl, Mystical World: The Now Age Guide to a High-Vibe Life” by Ruby Warrington
5. A Journal or Planner
Witches get shit done + 2019 is going to be a busy year for everyone! Help your favorite witch get ready for an exciting year by picking up a journal or workbook! Here’s a few top notch Journals and Planners to pick up.
Gift giving is such a beautiful form of showing love to the people who mean the most to you. No matter what you celebrate, the language of gift giving isn’t exclusive to the holidays! Have a happy solstice witches!
Four Books You Need to Have on Your Fall Reading List.
Check out September’s #MGBookshelf favorites!
by Emery W.
September is all about back-to-school and prepping for Fall. So ,of course our reading list has to reflect the same thing! Here are some great reads with messages of embracing your inner magick, and getting hyped for the season of the witch.
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
In case you’ve been living under a rock for the past few weeks; Netflix released a new original film titled, To All the Boys I Loved Before based on the novel by the same name. The novel follows Lara Jean, and how she handles the aftermath of when secret love letters she’d written to her former crushes actually get sent out to their (un)intended recipients. The film does a great job depicting the thoughts, feelings, and fears of any young woman who has experienced unrequited love. Not to mention, introduced us to our new #MCE Noah Centineo. However, everyone knows the book is always better than the movie so get yourself a copy ASAP.
You can purchase the "To All The Boys" series HERE
Inner Witch by Gabriela Herstik
Are you a novice looking to really dig in, and start learning about your inner Goddess and the power she truly holds? Take my advice, skip the line at Sephora, and pick up this must-read. Inner Witch contains any and everything you’ll need to know about starting your journey into your craft, and it’s written by one of my favorite modern-day magickgals, Gabriela Hastik.
You can Purchase "Inner Witch" HERE
Black Klansmen by Ron Stallworth
Ah, who doesn’t love a good ol’ Spike Lee joint? The film BlackKklansmen is actually based on a true story. Black Klansmen is a memoir by Ron Stallworth, a former New York City police officer who goes undercover to infiltrate the Ku Klux Klan. If you’re like me, and love comparing and contrasting the difference between page and screen, this is a must-read.
You can grab a copy of "Black Klansmen" HERE
UNFU*CK YOURSELF by Gary John Bishop
This book has been on my To-Read List for a while now. Sometimes you need to take a step back, and remind yourself that you’ve just got to get out of your own head. Self-help is sometimes the best kind of help to get back to your, well, self. So why not do it with a good book?
Don't forget to get a copy of "UnFu*k Yourself" HERE
So if you’re looking for a way to wind down from all of the stresses of back-to-school shopping, form move-ins, or looking to stock up on some good reads for this cooler weather we’re about to start getting, I suggest you pick up one (or all) if these.
How a Rom-Com Helped Me Heal | An Ode to "To All The Boys I've Loved Before".
Fifteen years old me was so triggered by watching the movie that I had to walk out and go get a snack.
Image via Medium
by Kirsten Renee
I'm a romantic comedy fanatic, I've watched all the classics, and even some that no one else has heard of. Rom-Com's have always been a form of escape for me, falling in love with a stranger, being the one for someone, or even forbidden love all have captivated my interest since I was young. As a child my diary held my deepest fantasies and dreams, often starring whatever boy my little heart had a crush on at the time. As I got older, the leading person changed, but those fantasies never went away... nor did my need to write them down. I went from writing in my diary to writing notes to my heart's desire. Going out on a limb, and hoping that they would return my affection. That never happened though, I usually was met with a hard dose of reality and legit embarrassment. Yet that never stopped me from writing notes or being overly hopeful that one day I would find my own rom-com partner.
Well into my teen years where not much happened, but things got a little spicy at times. I realized that romantic comedies were not the best "How To" when it came to dating, and I was actually doing more harm than good to my own heart. My movie watching turned into me reading romance centered novels, thinking that I would one day find the Jasper to my Alice. Let's be real, they were the real power couple of the Twilight series. Don't get me wrong, I would still watch movies about tragic love all the time, and still silently wished I was in them.
At some point, adolescents turned into adulthood and that's where shit got really funky. While most of my peers went off to school and found new lovers and friends. I was off at a local college, nursing a very wounded heart and hoping that I would just be invisible to everyone. It's weird how I went from craving the attention of others, to wishing I could be swallowed up by the floor. Heartache does that to you, and sometimes we don't realize the blessings that come out of a breakup.
Recently, I've been anticipating the arrival of Netflix's new Romantic Comedy dedicated to teenaged love. "To All The Boys I've Loved Before" caught my eye not only because of the diverse cast but because of the plot. Girl writes love letters (sounds familiar?), letters get sent out, and suddenly she's faced head-on with the consequences of her hearts desires. I sat down and watched it with my best friend and by the end I was sobbing. How did these people expose me like this? I quickly added this movie to my list of favorites and spent the next day reading both books (reading the third one currently!) that it was based on. Reading the books is what really broke down things that I hadn't really noticed that I still held on to. Sure, there were major differences but the gist was the same. . . How do you fantasize about love, but run away when it's in your face?
See the older I've gotten the more cynical I've become and you would think that for someone who loves love as much as I do I wouldn't be. However, it seems that relationships aren't something that IRL me can handle. The idea of loving someone and allowing them to love me back actually scares the shit out of me. Like are you serious? What's wrong with me? Why am I like this?
image via Buzzfeed
It wasn't until I saw and read about LJ and Peter's relationship that I realized "damn girl, you're too young to be this cynical"! Author Jenny Han literally brought my deepest secrets into the light and used my younger self to make me face them. Fifteen years old me was so triggered by watching the movie that I had to walk out and go get a snack. I went home after I watched and decided that I needed to see it again to make sure that I wasn't losing my mind. The second time, however, brought about different feelings even though it had barely been four hours in between both viewings. This time I wasn't watching it as a younger version of myself, I was watching as me now. Which in retrospect is a hell of a lot worse, because then for the next 24 hours I devoured 2 of the 3 books, and watched the movie for the third time.
When the realization hit me that 16-year-old LJ and 26-year-old Kirsten were the same people, emotions got heavy. Here I am, damn near thirty realizing that the world in my head is NEVER going to match the one I actually live in. Let me tell ya, making that connection felt like I got slapped by the biggest brick to the face. Here I am, a grown woman still fantasizing about the great loves she'll never have. Which could possibly still happen I'm not that naive, but it's best to not write what I want it to be. It's best to let it happen how it's supposed to without any influence from my romance-obsessed brain.
True enough, not everything can be explained nor can I rewrite the tragedies that I've experienced. I can't take back the notes that I wrote or the embarrassment that I felt. I can't change teenaged decisions or redo the heartache's that came with it. I can't fix any of that or alter it in any way, the only thing I can do is to recognize my heart now. What does she want? What does she need today? How can I assist her in healing and growing simultaneously? How is she wanting to be loved? I haven't asked adult me those questions before, and maybe it's about time that I start doing just that.
This book series and film, pushed me past comfort zones that I did't even realize I was in. Sure the setting may be high school, but the lesson is so much bigger than that. We don't get to make up our perfect person, nor do we decide when they come into our lives. For all you know that best friend you had on the playground when you were six, will be your first kiss at sixteen. Life is funny like that and should be enjoyed in all of its fucked up glory.
Heal yourself in any way you need to.
Blessed be.
Check out "To All The Boys I've Loved Before" NETFLIX now!
An Open Letter to Augustus Waters.
by Kirsten F.
Dear Augustus,
Yes, you Augustus Waters… I am writing an open letter to you. Yes you, the fictional character, the young man who I assumed to be a figment of my wandering imagination while reading “The Fault in Our Stars” by John Green. I am writing this open letter because I have many questions for you.
So many things went through my mind reading this well written piece of literature. However, tonight when I saw this book take life upon the big screen, more questions came to mind. You see I am a creature of wonder, not habit. I want to know everything that I possibly can about everyone. Including those who do not actually exist, I am what some would call a “mess”. I read books, and I fall in love with a particular character(s) or the story as a whole. Well in this case it is both; I fell in love with the story, and well with you.
The moment you walked into Hazel Grace’s life I knew you would be good. I knew that you would bring her some form of adventure, and new experiences.
How did you know that the moment you bumped into her (in the literal heart of Jesus) that she was someone you wanted to know? That this beautiful young woman, with the tubes in her nose, and the oxygen tank stuffed backpack was going to change your life. You sat and looked at her, and I mean really looked at her. You saw passed her obvious signs of illness, and you just saw her. That my dear Augustus is so breathtakingly beautiful, it’s as if you were falling in love at first sight.
Now I have never been a believer in such a myth, love at first sight has always seemed a bit skeptical to me. How the hell does someone fall in love with another human they have yet to actually get to know? Is it their outer appearance? They way they walk? How they move their mouth when they speak? Maybe it’s the look in their eyes… I don’t know, but what I do know is that you have made a believer out of me.
Now yes I know, “It’s just a story, it isn’t real”, but isn’t it though? Isn’t there some parallel universe where you and Hazel exist? You are alive and well in the mind of the author, and every single person that read the book.
I know what you’re thinking, “I died in that book. My story ended.” I don’t think it did though, I think that was just the beginning of your story. I know that initially the story was meant to be about Hazel Grace and her take on life, and thoughts about the world. I however, believe that the story was about you. How you came into her life at its unintentional plateau and moved it along. I can’t tell you what exactly it was that I felt when you came into the picture, relief, excitement, or maybe it was just my classic case of curiosity. Who is this guy? What is his story? How did he end up at this place, and why the heck is he so fascinated by her?
As the story went on though, I got the answer to those questions, but then more formed from those answers. What made you decide to go with Isaac to the group that day? What made you decide that Hazel was going to be the one that you fell in love with? How did you become so happy, and how is it that even when you are knowingly dying you can still find the time to live?
I have a fear Augustus, a fear that I am never going to live the life I want. That I am never going to experience every piece of life that I know I was destined for. So tell me, how or when did you decide that “living” is what you were going to do? Was it when you thought you were going to die the first time the reason? Or maybe you’ve always been that way… Alive.
It would seem as if I am demanding answers from you, almost how you and Hazel demanded answers from your “favorite” author. I’m not though, I’m just merely curious, and slightly hoping that while writing this letter I find the answers myself.
As I read and reread your story (a good seven times in fact) trying to find those answers I was looking for I kept coming up empty handed. It wasn’t until I watched your story play out in front of me that I finally began to understand. You see you taught Hazel that life is more than what it’s believed to be. Augustus you showed her how to live, and be spontaneous … Be free.
Even in your last days you managed to make even the most complicated life event such as death seem like a piece of cake. You made love and loving someone else not seem so terrifying, and effortless. I think about that every day, and sure I do love people mostly friends and family members. However I wonder every single day how I could love another person the way that you loved Hazel, or how many people love their particular significant others. I am realistically terrified of such a feeling of letting someone in enough to shake my life.
I don’t like the feeling of letting others get to close to my heart, because although I am the “tough and secure one” I am absolutely terrified of having my heart broken. There was something you said to Hazel when she told you that she was a ticking time bomb, and didn’t want to hurt you. You told her that it would be a privilege to have your heart broken by her.
When I first read this story I couldn’t believe you would say such a thing. You were willing giving this individual the power to do whatever it is to your heart, your soul. I couldn’t comprehend it then, and it drove me insane because I didn’t understand. It wasn’t until this very moment as I write this that I get it, I get why you would give her so much power. Because you loved her, you loved her more than anything. THAT Augustus is what broke my heart in a very poetic and beautiful way. You loved Hazel Grace so much that it didn’t matter if she broke your heart, held it close, or put it in a blinder. All of that didn’t matter, because all you wanted was to be loved by her, and so you were.
I realized that when you love someone as much as you cared for Hazel that even if that person breaks your heart or in your case dies. All that matters is that you loved them, and they loved you. The only thing that is important is that you got to feel that, and THEN I realized that I have felt that, I have felt what it is like to love someone so fiercely and unconditionally. Even though it ended in a tragic and mind altering heart break I felt it. I couldn’t make sense of it then I didn’t understand that even though my heart was broken and my head was in a scary place. I felt love, and I realized that in the end that is all that matters. The feeling of being in love and living in that moment, that is what it’s all about. It’s about going through the rough patches and fun times just too either end up apart or together. It’s a risk; you helped me gain some clarity on that.
On knowing that just by giving someone the option to break your heart is an adventure in itself. It is in fact the ultimate adventure in life, and if you have the opportunity to experience it you should go for it.
My dear fictional Augustus, you have done more than you could imagine. All you wanted out of this life was to be remembered and you’ve done more than just that. You’ve made an impression on millions of people. People just like you, some not, and those of us who are somewhere in between. You may have died young, but you lived a thousand lives, and for that I can’t say thank you enough. I will take the words you said, and the way you made me feel with me forever. See that’s the thing about books, fictional and non fictional they will always leave some form of impression on you. Good or bad, they leave a little piece of themselves with you.
Thank you for giving me a piece of you.
Okay and Always, and everything thing in between