Shut up already!

I thought a nice way to conclude month number 9 (wow two-thirds of the way through this year of daily blogging!) would be to post something for when you want the tongues to stop wagging about you. Almost any publicity is good publicity, but when the summer season comes to a close and vacations are far behind us or far off in the future, people like to gossip and feed the rumor mill.

A quick stfu spells:

Black and white candle dressed with stop gossip oil. Charge the candle with your intent of eliminating the drama and smack-talk and gossip and replacing it with praise. Super simple. The oil is already out there, just stop by your friendly neighborhood (or internet) botanica.

Another favorite: Write the name of the offenders (or a general "people gossiping and speaking against me") on paper, roll the paper tightly and put it in a ziplock full of water. Then toss it in the back of your freezer. If you're not sure who the folks are who've been talking about you, notice who seems cold all the time... ;)

And yet another: Make a poppet, stuff it with clove, chia, slippery elm bark, and include the gossiper's name and birthdate. After charging the poppet, use red thread to sew their mouth shut!

One last remedy: The ancient Romans had padlocks, much like the ones we have today. Padlock through the person's mouth on their picture, or just write their name and birthdate, draw a mouth and padlock that.
This is also a way to keep a secret between two people. Remember that the key is an important symbol in Italian Witchcraft; It stands to reason that its counterpart is equally useful!

I've shared a few effective tho relatively harmless remedies tonight, so let's leave off with a few Italian proverbs. First, to the loyal horde, a word of advice: "The best armor is to keep out of range"

For the smack talkers: "If you scatter thorns, don't walk around barefoot."

"Those who sleep with dogs will wake up with fleas."

Yeah!

Charmed, I'm sure

One of my favorite ways to set the energy in a space, especially at home, is with scent. Take a small cotton bag,  and depending on the season and purpose, add in different herbs. place a small folded tissue with a drop of scented oil in the bag. I like to write an intention on a small piece of paper, fold it, and add it to the bag. Sometimes I wrap it around the scented tissue to diffuse the intention as well as the scent.

You can be obvious about it, or hide it- hang it over your door or from your fan, or tuck it in a corner.

We're getting into the cooler months, so to warm up a space and bring comfort, some camommile, and cinnamon is nice and easy. To bring extra energy to a space, add cayenne. To add a layer of protection, add rue and salt to a red bag. I haven't done a big correspondence list because those are pretty easy to find in books and on the internet.

Folks talk a lot about aromatherapy, and about mojo bags, but I never see these two put together and it's such a simple way to bring magic to your home. Many years ago scent jewelry was a big thing. I have rings and necklaces for this purpose which belonged to my Grandmother. You put a dab of "perfume" on a piece of tissue or cotton and insert it in the jewelry. It's the perfect wearable spell- a little intent, a little oil, and a little magic. It can also be used with an ointment. Those are fun to make! I will get into the practicality of making your own magical ointments another night!