You are a Green Witch and can work wonders with Green Witchery if…

• You love herbalism, stones, feathers, crystals, dirt, and all things natural…
• You have a strong connection to Mother Earth and the natural world around you…
• You feel aligned with the natural rhythms and cycles of the Earth…
• You understand and feel the life-death-rebirth cycles of nature and the Earth…
• You have a strong desire to help heal and support the environment and the animals of this planet…
• You feel the call for sustainable practices within your witchcraft…
• You feel at peace and at home in nature…
• You long to live in the middle of the forest, surrounded by nature and animals…
• You work with plant spirits and animal guides, and with the land you live on…
• You love Faeries…
• You feel the call to honor all living things, be it plant, mineral, or animal…

If you answered yes to all or most of these, then you, my witchy friend, are a Green Witch!

Think of a Green Witch like a Nature Witch. A Green Witch loves Mother Nature and the Earth, and practices magick in ways that align with the cycles of nature and uses natural magickal ingredients!

Green Witchery is a feeling of kinship with the Earth, Mother Nature and all of her living creatures. Being a Green Witch is basically being a Nature Witch. Nature is the Green Witch’s sanctuary, their temple, the place where their soul feels alive. All things that are nature based make up the magickal tools of a Green Witch… plants, herbs, rocks, dirt, bones, stones.

Green Witchery also makes use of elemental magick. Elemental magick uses the 5 natural elements – Earth, Fire, Air, Water, Spirit (Ether), and incorporates them into spellwork.

Each of these elements corresponds with the 4 directions of North, South, East and West. Spirit corresponds to cosmos or divinity (whatever you refer to as the heavens or higher realms). Faerie energy can also be a part of Green Witchery, since the Fae are found in nature… protecting the land, and frolocking amongst the trees and animals.

Folk magick is also a common form of practice used by Green Witches, since most folk magick is practical everyday magick, that is connected to the natural rhythms of Earth.

Are You A Green Witch In The City?

There are many Green Witches living in the city, though most of them long to move to the forest! If a nature-move isn’t in the cards for you yet, there are ways of connecting to nature in your city environment! Below is a list of ideas for connecting to your inner Nature Witch, even if you are in the middle of the city.

• Create a small porch garden. Be creative and create small gardens on a porch with chicken wire, wood pallets, and potted plants. You find loads of ideas on Google! Just search ‘urban gardens’, or ‘porch gardens’ for amazing inspiration!
• Fill your space with indoor plants and a little herbal garden. The more green, living things around you the better! Ivy plants are especially amazing for magickal indoor growing, since they are powerfully protective and they also grow so long they can wrap around a room, filling your space with beautiful green leaves!
• Find your local nature spots. Visit the pockets of nature that may be in or near your city at least once a month, to reconnect to Mother Earth. Go for a hike, or sit on the grass by a tree in a local park, or go for a swim in a river or ocean.
• Buy yourself flowers. Fill your space with nature, color, and things that are alive!
• Download an app that plays nature sounds. Listen to nature sounds whenever you need to connect to nature, but can’t physically be there. Simply close your eyes and be transported away…
• Live in rhythm with the natural cycles of your environment. Eat foods that are in season. Rest in winter, rejuvenate and give birth to creative ideas in the spring, play in the summer, and harvest in the fall!
• Use as many natural products that you can in your home. Also eat as naturally as possible.
• Practice sustainability in your daily life.
• Volunteer at a local farm or urban garden.
• Set up an altar to Gaia, the Mother Earth Goddess.
• Connect with Fae energy.
• Channel your inner Faerie by decorating with Faerie statues, fairy lights, or cute toadstools.
• Wear a pair of sparkly wings, and dance with delight!
• Create Elemental Magick Spell Jars.
• Honor the 5 elements in your space and create some elemental magick to surround your home! (Scroll down to find the video tutorial)

A Green Witch’s Spiritual Beliefs

Green Witches are all about living in alignment with the Earth, supporting the environment and protecting natural resources.

Green Witchery follows the natural rhythms and cycles of nature and honors the life-death-rebirth cycles of the Earth. Being in alignment with and surrendering to these cycles is a way to honor our own natural rhythms as well as Gaia’s natural rhythms.

Green Witchery advocates for the environment and for protecting Mother Earth, her resources and all living things. Green Witches often choose to use magickal tools and ingredients in their spellcasting that support the Earth, and are sustainable, reusable and non-toxic.

Some Green Witches choose to abstain from using white sage or palo santo since it is believed they’re being over-harvested, hurting the delicate balance of local ecosystems. They may also research the mining practices of where their stones and crystals come from, to make sure minimal harm and impact is being done to the Earth.

A Green Witch would most likely opt for magickal ingredients that are biodegradable and non-toxic… like biodegradable glitter, non-toxic paints, and soy or beeswax candles. They may choose to upcycle old food jars for their spells, to lessen the landfill burden on the Earth. A Green Witch may perform environmental advocacy work in their community.

Green Witches also understand the importance of connecting with the land they live on; building a relationship between themselves, the land spirits, plant spirits and animal guides of their direct environment. They may also use the elements of the land on which they reside, incorporating what is naturally around them, into their magick. For example, they may forage for herbs, plants and flowers in their own backyard or in their surrounding area.

Connecting to the landscape on which you reside, and with the nature that is around you, is a great way to get in touch with your inner Green Witch.

Green Witches usually believe in using natural remedies and herbalism to heal their body, whenever possible. Herbalism is a strong calling for a lot of Green Witches!

Green Witches honor all life as sacred, and as such they believe in asking permission of a plant, herb, flower, animal, or any living being, before working with them magickally, or even in their everyday lives. Communing with the spirits of living things, honoring them and their life-force, is a wonderful way to practice being a Nature Witch!

Magickal Tools For Practicing Green Witchery

Below is a list of ideas of magickal tools that you as a Green Witch might want to add to your witchy repertoire! Of course this list is filled with an array of natural suggestions, for your inspiration. Please add to it, take away from it, or come up with ideas for incorporating your local landscape into your collection of magickal tools!

This list is not comprehensive, so follow your own wild and instinctive whims!

If you are drawn to herbalism and creating your own herbal concoctions, you may want to consider investing in a mortar and pestle to grind your herbs together and create amazing magickal herbal remedies and blends! You can even create your own natural incense by blending some dried herbs, flowers and resins and burning them on a charcoal disc!

As a Green Witch, you may want to create your own Witch’s Garden! If you have a backyard to create in that is wonderful, if not, then you can create a wonderful indoor garden with indoor plants and herbs!. You may need some secateurs (pruning clippers) for this magickal gardening adventure. You can enchant them with loving, magickal energy, so every time you prune, you are doing so with magickal intention, infusing both you and your plants with your magickal intentions while you prune and garden!

Beeswax, soy or non-toxic candles. These give a clean burn and don’t put any toxins into your witchy environment and they also aren’t made of harmful wax. A wonderful way to add clean magick that supports Gaia into your practice!

Repurposed jars to collect your dried herbs, flowers, stones, dirt, feathers, bones, as well as to use for any of your spells that may call for jars! (There seem to be a lot these days!)

Rosemary, dragon’s blood, culinary sage, mountain sage, desert sage, mugwort, eucalyptus are all great for smoke cleansing as alternatives to white sage and palo santo.

A book or an app that teaches you how to identify plants for your magickal herbalism and for going forging in the forest for your own magickal ingredients.

Ethically sourced crystals that support sustainable mining practices.

Natural stones, feathers, seeds, sticks, pine cones, dirt, things that you find in nature.

Herbs, dirt, rocks, mortar & pestle and a book to record your herb knowledge in, are great tools to start practicing Green Witchery!

Make your own magick wand or wizard’s staff out of a stick that you find in nature! Really connect to the energy of where you find it, as well as the energy of the wood of the stick.

Homemade herbal remedies. Herbalism is a large part of being a Green Witch!

Elements of Faeries. Work with pictures, symbols, statues, Faerie wings, glitter, anything that channels Fae energy for you!

Elemental Magick Spell Jars to call in and honor the 5 elements of Earth, Fire, Air, Water and Ether. These are great to use in your rituals, ceremonies and spell work when you cast a circle. You can put each one in a circle around you, facing the direction that it represents. This is a great way to add Earth elements and elemental magick to your Green Witchery practice! Watch the YouTube video below, to learn how to make these jars!

How To Practice Green Witchery

Being a Green Witch is a way of life, as well as a way of practicing magick. Incorporating Green Witchery into your daily life, is a way to grow and expand into being a Nature Witch. Below are a few simple rituals that really cultivate the energy of being a Green Witch!

Earth Connecting Ritual: Make it a weekly ritual to connect to the Earth. You can do this by going out onto a patch of grass somewhere in your yard or a local park, and planting your feet or your womb or Hara space into the ground. (The Hara space is the energetic masculine equivalent to the womb space). Feel yourself connect to the Earth’s rhythms and vibrations as you feel your feet or womb/Hara space press into the ground. It is okay if you don’t notice anything at first, just have the intention of connecting with the vibrations, rhythms and cosmic grid of Gaia. Send intentional healing energy and gratitude to Mother Earth. Feel her. Witness her. Support her as she always supports you. Lay there for at least 5 minutes, allowing yourself to relax into the ground.

Green Witch Meditation: Try out this amazing “Green Witch Meditation To Awaken Your Natural Power” by the wonderful Sirena Moon, on YouTube! This is a great meditation to ground you and help you feel connected to nature.

Eco-Friendly Offerings To Gaia: Make Earth Coins as eco-friendly offerings to Gaia. Make a disc out of non-toxic, natural clay. Decorate the discs with herbs, dried flowers, pieces of natural rock or crystal, feathers and/or water colors. Leave them in the woods, forests, or nature trails as gratitude for the Earth. You could even leave them for the Fae!

Connect To Your Local Landscape: To make a deeper connection with your local landscape you can volunteer at a local urban garden or a local farm that may be nearby. There may even be a nature reserve or environmental advocacy groups in your neighborhood to volunteer with. Be in and with nature, giving your time to her and your local environment. Be intentional with your gift of volunteer work, sow your magick into the landscape through your hands as your work. Send the Earth healing energy, gratitude and love as you work with her. This is a great way to weave your magick into Mother Earth as well as the land that you reside on. As a bonus, you can look for Faeries as you connect to your landscape!

Bless & Honor Your Food: Whenever you prepare or eat a meal, thank the energy of whatever you are preparing before you start to cook with it. Fruits and vegetables especially, as they are still alive before we prepare them for food. Thank them for their energy, say a blessing from your heart, really witness and see the vegetable or fruit before you eat it or prepare it, and release it, so that it can go in peace. This is a great way to add intentional gratitude magick to the living things that you come into contact with. Say a chant or prayer of gratitude over your food before you eat it as well, thanking it for the energy and nourishment that it is providing your body.

Performing spells out in nature, is a wonderful way to connect to elemental magick as well as your inner Nature Witch!

Simple Green Witchery Dirt & Candle Spell

If you made the elemental magick spell jars from the YouTube video above, light each of those up and form a circle around you, facing each jar in the direction that it represents.

Hold a handful of dirt in your hand and charge it with the intention of growth in whatever area in your life you would like to focus growth on.
Place the dirt in the center of a heat proof plate or dish (could also be your cauldron.)

Place a candle in the middle of the dirt. (Any color candle, you can choose a color that corresponds with what you are calling in growth for. Just be sure it is a beeswax or soy candle, because we are going to plant a seed in this dirt.)

Plant a seed in the dirt (whatever seed is calling to you to plant, again it could correspond with what you are working towards growing).

Light the candle and let it melt all the way down, holding the vision for your growth. Feel it, sense it, see it as if it is already happening. Feel the energy of growth happening for you right now.
Once your candle has burned down, take the dirt, candle wax remnants, and seed, and plant them in a pot or in your yard somewhere. Take care of this plant as if it is your growth baby, growing as you grow. As this seed grows into a beautiful plant, flower or fruit, the more you will grow in whichever area of your life you chose. Remember to tend to yourself and the growth of your dreams, as you tend to your beautiful seed. Blessed Be.

Closing The Circle

What an honor it has been to take you on a small exploration of Green Witchery! I love and practice many of these aspects myself, and it fills me with joy to be able to go on this journey of discovering what it is to be a Green Witch. Mother Earth is our home, there is no other like her. To honor her, practice magick in alignment with her, respect and honor her in our witchcraft, is so humbling. May we all learn how to bring ourselves more into alignment with her. Thank you for being here. Thank you for using your magick to support her. What a wonderful thing it is to a Green Witch!

Blessed Be,
Rebecca Phoenix

The post Beginner’s Guide To Green Witchery appeared first on Simple Mystic Miracles Magickal Spell Casting Blog.

First, let’s start with the some practical tips… <3

Meditation, an anxiety spell, and deep inner contemplation of our beings can bring insight into the next steps to take towards healing our mental health.

Practical Tips For Mental Health (To Do In Support Of Anxiety And Depression Spells)

• Sleep well.

Sleep is essential to your emotional well being. It is how your psyche works out the things that you are holding onto in your subconscious mind. Get the recommended  number of hours that you personally need (between 6-9 for the average adult, more for teenagers). You will feel rested and this is an important part of your healing journey. Naps are encouraged! 

• Listen To Inspirational Talks 

Turn on a good podcast, audio book or motivational speech. You can do this while driving to work, prepping meals, during a workout, while taking a walk, or anytime you are doing another task. This can help lift your spirits and inspire you to take more action steps in your life, to start living the life of your dreams. 

• Emotional Support Animals Or Magickal Familiars

There are many scientific studies that have shown the benefits of Emotional Support Animals, so much so that they are protected in many states for people with emotional and mental disabilities. They help to ease your anxiety and stress, as well as your nervous system and they also help you to feel bonded and connected, when connection to another human may be scary. Your Emotional Support Animal or familiar can offer a safe way to feel connected and loved.

• Consider Finding A Therapist Or Other Mental Health Practitioner: 

Having someone who can hear you, hold space for you and reflect you, as well as offer insights, is one of the most healing and rewarding things that you can offer yourself. I personally see an amazing therapist who supports my magickal practice and also offers so much witness and support for my OCD, depression and anxiety. I say this to release some of the stigma off of receiving support for your mental health. It is one of the most important things that you can do for yourself. I highly recommend seeking out professional care for your anxiety and depression. 

• Look Into Full Spectrum Light Bulbs Or Light Boxes: 

These are especially helpful if you have SADS (Seasonal Affective Disorder) and can help lift your mood and depression. 

• Limit Your Screen Time

Screens and social media can really drain your energy, and as witches we tend to be very empathic. The blue light from screens is hard on your eyes and causes mental fatigue, and we all know that mental fatigue makes everything harder. Social media gives you an algorithmic version of the world, and this can oftentimes cause you despair and anxiety. It also creates an addiction in the mind to seeing the notifications, and once those notifications have been looked at, they leave you feeling emptier than before. Limiting your intake of both can have wonderful and helpful effects on your mental health. 

• Diet & Supplements

Nutrition does play a role in your mental health. There are new studies being done on how inflammation in the body could be a factor into depression and anxiety. The better that you care for your body, the better your mental health will be. The body and the mind are connected, and what you do to the body you do to the mind, and vice versa. Consider making some dietary changes or adding in some of the supplements listed below. 

NOTE: always consult your health care provider before starting any supplements, to make sure that they are right for you.

• Incorporate Anti-Inflammatory Foods

Herbs like turmeric and cumin are great anti-inflammatory foods. SauerkraHello and welcome magickal seeker,

If you are reading this, you may be in a space in your life where you are working through some mental health concerns or issues. I want to start by affirming that what you are feeling is real. Your anxiety, depression, feelings of hopelessness or despair, or any similar feelings, are valid human experiences that are truly an act of bravery to overcome. I see you. I witness you. Today I will show you magickal way to support yourself during this time of mental health crisis. These insights come from a magickal and transpersonal perspective, highlighting what may be happening during this difficult  period in your life, as well as some witchy tips on how to best support yourself during this time. 

I know from personal experience that living with depression and anxiety is a life-long journey, filled with many ups and downs. My own challenges are related to clinical depression, OCD and anxiety. 

This article is not meant to be a substitute for working with a professional in the field. The magickal offerings I give you today will support the work that you may already be doing with a therapist, psychiatrist, healer, acupuncturist, or any other medical practitioner. In my experience, the more ways you can find to support yourself through these darker periods, the quicker they clear. Though there are periods where one needs to simply sit with dark feelings and not do anything, and that is okay too. So wherever you are on your journey, I send you love, hope, and light to illuminate your path through these winding tunnels of mental health. 

Depression And Anxiety: Through The Lens Of Magick Spells For Anxiety

Writing in your journal or book of shadows is a great way to explore the inner depths of yourself.

What is happening when you feel anxious or depressed? 

Each person has their own unique life experiences that contribute to their mental health. But one thing that seems universal, is the energy we experience when we are anxious or depressed. Anxiety stems from living in the future and depression stems from being stuck in the past.

Anxiety is usually worrying about future events and what might happen. When you feel anxious you are focused on what is coming and what could potentially cause you harm, leading to hypervigilance. You are convinced that if you can see far into the future of what is to come, you can control the outcome. This feeling can cause deep anxiety, especially when you recognize there are variables you cannot control.
Anxiety can also be a way to avoid deeper feelings. If you speed up and move really fast from one thing to the next, you can quite literally “spin” your energy and distract yourself from feelings of helplessness.

Depression is usually a feeling that stems from being stuck in the past somewhere, trying to relive or control events that have already happened. This often stems from regret, shame, sadness, or fear of past choices. Living in the past distracts you from experiencing the present moment, leaving you feeling hollow, empty or hopeless. Sometimes the energy system also wisely depresses your system so that you have to slow down and sit with the feelings that you may have been avoiding in your anxiety. 

How can you use magick to understand anxiety and depression, and cast a targeted depression spell, or anxiety spell? 

Shadow work: As a witch, you may have come across the term shadow work. Shadow work is deep, inner, explorative work that takes you on a journey into the underworld of yourself. All of the hidden aspects of the self reside here, the places only the bravest dare to go. Human beings will avoid shame over any other human emotion or feeling. All the aspects of ourselves that we have shamed, are hidden within the shadow realm. To work in the shadow realm takes tremendous bravery, courage and strength of heart. 

Shadow work is to learn to fully love, accept and embrace the aspects of your hidden and shamed self. During shadow work you atone for who you are, and what you have done in your life; fully owning the good, the bad, and the ugly. You can think of this as the Hero’s Journey (or Heroine’s Journey, as I like to call it). 

Reading Goddess myths of Inanna or Persephone, is a great way to support your Heroine’s Journey and your shadow work. You can also call these archetypal energies into your magickal work when doing healing spells, spells to relieve depression and anxiety, or any work related to the shadow. 

Hecate (Queen of the Witches) is another Goddess and archetypal energy you can call on for support during this journey. As she guided Persephone through her descent into the underworld, she will support and guide you through yours. 

Cast a healing anxiety spell and set the intention to know yourself: 

When you perform a healing spell for yourself (whether it’s a spell for anxiety, depression, or physical healing), make sure you add the intention to more deeply understand and know yourself, in whichever ways serve your highest good. Sometimes you aren’t ready for all of the puzzle pieces and so the universe gives you bits and pieces at a time. Setting this extra intention during spell work will bring you self-knowledge and an understanding of yourself on a deeper level, when the time is right. 

Light your working candle and perform divination: 

If you have a working candle (a candle that is only burnt during spells or rituals) then light your candle and perform divination on how to best support your mind body and spirit through this period of anxiety and depression. You can use oracle cards, runes, a pendulum, or another method you prefer. Divination helps you receive guidance from your spirit guides, ancestors, angels, and any other guides that you may have. 

If you don’t have a working candle, simply pick a candle (perhaps in a color that feels like happiness, courage and strength), and light that as you do your divination. 

Meditate and accept the feelings: 

This is a hard one! It might be that you can only tolerate doing this for a split second (literally!). That’s okay. It takes practice to sit with negative feelings without moving to fix them or change them. Allow yourself to simply be curious and sit in quiet stillness… not thinking or doing… just feeling. Allow your emotions to be what they are, and feel them for as long as you can tolerate it.

Tarot Spread And Journal Prompts To Go Deeper 

Create a circle with your Tarot card spread to symbolize wholeness and your depression coming full circle. This is also an image of my personal Tarot spread for depression

Below are some journal prompts and questions you can ask yourself to explore the mysteries of your psyche. Write whatever pops into your head, stream of consciousness. Release judgments and don’t filter yourself. Just be curious. 

• What are my feelings guiding me towards?
• How can I hear/see/witness myself and/or my inner child more deeply and lovingly? 
• What part of me is trying to be seen and heard? 
• What age is that part of me that is trying to be witnessed?
• What fear of the future am I holding on to? 
• What regret of the past am I holding on to? 

There is also a YouTube video linked below, that takes you through the process of doing this Tarot spread. 

5 Card Tarot Spread Depression Spell for “Healing Depression”:

Do a quick meditation, then shuffle your cards. Lay the cards out, one by one, in a circle, face down. Reveal each card one at a time, really feeling into each card. Journal to go deeper. 

NOTE: These questions can also be used as journal prompts.

Card 1: What is blocking me in the present moment? 

Card 2: How does anxiety serve me?

Card 3: What am I holding onto from the past that is weighing me down? 

Card 4: What is one step towards release and healing that I can take today? 

Card 5: What will the outcome of that release be?

How To Magickally Support Mental Health Healing With Anti-Anxiety Magick

These suggestions can help you support yourself as you navigate anxiety and depression. Naturally, this is not a comprehensive list; there are countless ways you might support your mental well-being. Here you will find a few magickal offerings that you may like to try, or that may help inspire your own ideas. 

Carry Crystals: Carry these crystals to help support you during the day… carnelian, smoky quartz, lepidolite, jasper, obsidian and tiger’s eye. These stones help to relieve negative thoughts, depression, and anxiety and help to protect your energy as well. 

Burn Incense: Burn scents like frankincense and myrrh, benzoin, lavender or any citrus scent. This will help to elevate your mood, relieve feelings of depression and anxiety, and calm your nervous system. 

Burn Magickal Candles: Dress candles with sunflower oil (invoke the power of the sun to help relieve depression). Sprinkle with botanicals such as mint, orange peel, or lemon peel, lavender and eyebright. Burn this candle as a stand alone spell, or add it to other spells you cast for anxiety or depression. 

Drink Wellness Tea: Combine chamomile, st. john’s wort and lemon balm and brew into a tea. As you brew your tea, say a chant of intention for mental wellness over your tea: “I intend to be mentally healthy. So Mote It Be.”

Take A Spiritual Bath: Take a bath with lavender, lemon balm and eyebright. As you soak, feel the herbs support you and your mental wellness. Allow the energy of anxiety to drain from you. Allow the energy of depression to be lifted from you as the herbs lift your mind, body and spirit. You can also light some candles in colors listed above to add more magick. Feel and visualize the Divine surrounding you in love, peace and harmony. 

Cleanse With Eyebright: For a simple happiness spell, make weak tea with the herb eyebright. Splash this cleansing water over your eyes, with the intention of washing away depression or anxiety, and clearing your vision for a renewed perspective on life. 

Energy Healing/Body Mind Counseling: Make an appointment with an energy healer, Reiki practitioner, Shaman, Acupuncturist or body mind counselor. They can help to clear your energy, guide you to find deeper meaning, and come back to your center.

Make A Wellness Bundle: Tie into a bundle, lavender and chamomile, or st. john’s wort and lemon balm. Hang this above your bed to help soothe your mind while you sleep, and lift your spirits in the morning. 

Magickal healing herbs can be used in a varity of magickal ways to support you and your mental health.

Mental Health Spells

Black Candle Anti Anxiety Spell

Light a black candle, look in the mirror and affirm your worthiness, then say: 

“Only that which is in my highest good is allowed to stay.
I dispel anything that stands in my way.
I am clear. I am whole. So Mote It Be.”

DIY Happiness Spell

Create a personal happiness spell for yourself. Include things that bring you joy and happiness in life. Your spell could be as simple as feeling the wind on your skin, or bathing in the ocean, or planting a garden. Pick things that feel good to you and create a ritual or spell around them, intending for happiness to seep through you and into your heart and soul. 

Mojo Depression Spell Bag For Healing Anxiety & Depression

Choose a small black bag and fill it using any of the herbs or crystals already suggested, to create a magickal ‘mojo’ bag. Carry it with you to support your mental well being. Use whichever herbs and crystals call to you. Once the bag is ready, chant something like this over it: 

“May this bag dispel my fear,
and hold close to me what is dear.
I am worthy of hope. I am worthy of love.
I am worthy of this life. So Mote It Be.” 

Adding healing crystals and herbs to mojo bags is a great way to add magickal support that you can wear on your person’s daily!

Mental Health Poppet Spell 

The video linked below will show you how to create your own magickal poppet to aid mental health healing to help with anxiety and depression. 

Once you have made your poppet, you can work with them in these ways to help support your healing:

• Send healing light over your poppet by imagining light emanating from your hands and into the poppet.
• Chants or say mantras over your poppet.
• Visualize your poppet being relieved of anxiety and depression. 
• Use poppet in happiness spells, healing spells, or spells for depression. 
• Show your poppet some love, then place them under or next to your pillow at night while you sleep. 

Color Magick Spell For Depression

Colors evoke emotions in us. When you use color magick it can help to soothe and support your journey. It is a powerful way to help support positive thoughts and feelings on a subconscious level.

• Purple: connection to Divinity; Divine support, love, ease and grace

• Blue: soothing and calming
• Green: heart chakra connection and heart healing
• White: clears and calls in new energy, free of depression or anxiety

Miraculous “Mundane” Magick Rituals For Anxiety

In this next section, explore everyday, “mundane” tips for moving towards healing and working with anxiety or depression. My fellow witch Sister, Galena Stormrider, perfectly explains why this so helpful below:

“If you study tarot, manifestation, Hermeticism, or Wicca, you have likely heard the phrase “As Above, So Below!” Just as everything has scientific or earthly value, it also has magickal and spiritual value. 

Practical or magickal, natural or synthetic, modern or ancient– there are often huge differences of opinion when it comes to approaching mental wellness. As someone in touch with their magickal side, you may feel conflicted at times over which approaches are best to take! 

Luckily, modern medicine and magick can coexist beautifully to create the perfect wellness regimen for you. Both medicine and magickal ritual are only as helpful as you find them to be as an individual with a unique relationship to mental health and spiritual practice.” ~Galena Stormrider 

Regular Activities To Support Your Well-Being

Live in the present moment as much as possible. Find love and compassion for yourself. Creating new self-care habits for yourself is vital for your emotional well being. The list below is not meant to overwhelm you. If you only do one thing off of this list, that is amazing! If all you can do right now is consider doing something off of the list below, that is enough too. I promise you, that any step that you can take towards your healing is enough. Free yourself of judgment. Give yourself mad magickal props whenever you take steps towards supporting yourself. 

• 5 Minute Meditation

Find 5 minutes throughout your day, and take a moment to simply breathe. Sit with yourself and your feelings; let them move through you and you imagine yourself bathed in light. This can do tremendous things for your mental well being. 

• Sunbathing

Take 5-15 minutes on each side of your body, and let the sun kiss your skin. The sun is an amazing mood booster! On a physical level it helps you produce vitamin-D. It also clears your auric field of any energetic debris, helping to clear your minds and spirit. If you can find time to do this every other day, it is super helpful and supportive for emotional well being. Even once a week is helpful! 

• Eat Magickal Meals

Cook or prepare food and drink with intention. Stir magick into your tea, coffee, or smoothies. Ask your food to nourish your mind, as well as your body. Setting an intention for healing and repairing the mind and body is a great way to support your mental health. 

• Buy Yourself Flowers

Filling your space with things that bring you joy, like your favorite flowers, is a great way to freshen up your space and your mood. It also is a way to show you that YOU are taking care of and loving yourself, and this is a wonderful way to support your mental wellness. 

• Move Your Body At Least 10 Minutes A Day

Moving your body helps promote serotonin and dopamine in your system, hormones which are often depleted in depressed people. Movement helps release anxiety. Depression and anxiety live in both the mind and the body. Working with the body greatly supports your mental well being. You can take a walk, dance, do aerobics, strength training, swim, ride a horse, play a sport, go for a hike in nature, anything that makes you happy and gets you moving. 

• Get Into Nature

Spending time in nature helps your nervous system calm down, which soothes anxiety. It can also help you feel connected to something greater than yourself; something deeper than your current life-state. This can bring a sense of peace and calm to your life, renewing your purpose. As a bonus, getting out into nature at night where you can look at the stars, can help you remember how big and vast the cosmos is, creating a sense of awe; the opposite feeling of depression. 

• Light Candles And Listen To Music

Let candle light bathe and relax you. Lay on the floor and feel the vibrations of music move through you. 

• Get Enough Sleep

Kimchi, kombucha, or anything fermented can also be a great anti-inflammatory food (just avoid things with sugar, as sugar is inflammatory.) 

•  Incorporate Leafy Greens

Greens such as spinach, kale and chard are great for the mind and body! 

• Remove Processed Foods & Sugars

As much as possible, you want to eliminate processed foods and sugars. This can be a slow process of eliminating these foods over time. Give yourself time and grace. 

Supplements

Below is a list of suggested supplements that have shown to help mental well-being. Supplements can be a great support to your body, but they should be taken with care just as any other medication. Speak with your healthcare provider before starting any supplement routine. 

St. John’s Wort: This herb is said to help ease anxiety and depression. 

B-Complex: Vitamin B deficiency can cause anxiety to increase. Taking a daily B-Complex is very helpful to reduce anxiety in the body. 

Vitamin-D: Vitamin-D is essential for your immune system as well as your mental well being. Knowing how much you need is very important, so talking with your health care provider about testing your vitamin-D levels is a great place to start before supplementing. 

Sam-E: This is a natural antidepressant and can have great benefits. This is a very strong and powerful supplement and should not be taken by those who have been diagnosed with bi-polar disorder and other mental health disorders. Working with a healthcare professional on dosage is essential for this supplement.  

Closing The Circle

Thank you so much for joining me in exploring magickal ways that you can work with your anxiety and depression. This truly is a life-long journey of hope and renewal. Be sure to find support for yourself when you can’t seem to find hope or renewal inside of yourself. There is no shame in being in these dark places. It is so important to witness and embrace these parts of yourself. Magick can help to support you through the toughest experiences, and work in tandem with professional care. 

You are not alone in this journey, I am right there beside you, lighting a torch for myself as well as you, as you navigate these unknown, dark tunnels. I see you. I witness you. You are loved. You are whole. You are worthy. 

Blessed Be,

Rebecca Phoenix

The post Magick For Mental Health: Anxiety Spells appeared first on Simple Mystic Miracles Magickal Spell Casting Blog.

This is the time of year that some witches celebrate the rebirth of the Great Horned Hunter God, as he returns with the sun. Yule is a witch’s Christmas and is actually where most Christmas traditions come from. A wonderful Wiccan Yule adventure awaits you below, full of folklore, magick, art and crafts, foods and so much more! So let us dive in and celebrate the return of the sun!

What Is The Wiccan Yule Sabbat?

Yule is a celebration that occurs on the Winter Solstice, which occurs around December 19-22, depending on the year and your location. Witches generally celebrate the festival of Yule on whichever day the Winter Solstice falls on each year.

Yule marks the return of the light and the power of the sun. It is the shortest day of the year and the longest night. After the Winter Solstice, the days start to grow longer again, in preparation for spring when the sun will bring new life to the Earth once more! Some witches celebrate this day as the return of the Oak King, who is triumphant over the Holly King, and brings the promise of spring.

Yule traditions make for a very witchy Yule Sabbat.

Origins Of The Pagan Yule Holiday

Most of the traditions that we know as Christmas traditions today were first celebrated as Yule traditions. Yule was originally a Germanic holiday that seems to have originated with the Norse people and their myth about Odin flying through the sky for his yearly Wild Hunt on his great eight-legged horse named Sleipnir.

He was said to do this on the night of the Winter Solstice. Odin is described as an old man with a long white beard (sound familiar?).

Old Yule traditions included children filling their boots with carrots and hay for Sleipnir and leaving them by the chimney, where Odin was said to drop gifts in exchange for their offerings to Sleipnir. To help the Nordic people make their way through the dark and cold months, they would bring clippings of evergreen trees like pine and fir indoors, to remind them of the life, renewal, and hope of spring’s return.

This is where the tradition of Christmas or Yule trees begins. The tradition of hanging mistletoe goes back to the Nordic people as well. Mistletoe was believed to bring in prosperity as well as to ward off evil or malevolent spirits. A Yule log was created and burned, though a piece of it was left to burn in the new year. This special piece brought good fortune for the year to come and staved off illness and injury.

In the years following, Christianity started to gain more prominence. And it is from there that we have the legend of Saint Nick. Saint Nicholas was a Greek Bishop that was said to have had a long white beard and worn red robes. He was a very generous man and gave gifts to children and the poor. He has become the “patron saint” of children, prostitutes and the poor. His day is December 6th, and this day was celebrated long before Christmas even became a Christian holiday. On this day, children would be given gifts in celebration of Saint Nick.

Over thousands of years the images and traditions of Odin and Saint Nick have combined to become the iconic image that we now know as Santa Claus.

Modern Wiccan Yule Traditions And Celebrations

Many modern witches celebrate The Wicca Yule Sabbat by lighting a candle or a Yule log when the sun goes down on the Winter Solstice. The candle or log is kept burning through the night until the next morning when the sun rises again.

Archetypally, Yule time mimics the Heroine’s (Heroes) Journey. The Heroine’s Journey is all about going deep into the underworld, into the dark, submerging into shadow and contemplation. It is a time to be still, to hibernate, and let everything rest.

To align our energy with this natural cycle, we need to honor winter for what it is. This is a time to be less productive and more reflective. It is a time to go inward and find pieces of ourselves that we are ready to shed, to sit with them and grieve them for a while, before the light returns and we are reborn. It is a time to honor the life-death-rebirth cycle.

A wonderful way to honor the Yule Sabbat is to just sit in front of a window, with a warm cup of tea, and reflect on who you have been this last year, and who you will become in the next.

What things do you need to let go of in order to thrive in the coming spring?

The sun’s return is the return of the Divine Masculine. At that time we are reborn out of the dark cave of contemplation. In this way both the Divine Feminine (the Shadows) and the Divine Masculine (light) are honored during the Yule season.

Yule Herbs and kitchen witchery are a great way to celebrate the pagan Yule Holiday

Magickal Correspondence And Meaning Of Pagan Yule Colors

The colors of Christmas are also very much connected to the pagan roots of the Yule Sabbat. With each color having its own powerful meaning.

Red: symbolizes passion/sex, blood, life-force, life-death-rebirth cycle. The Divine Masculine and Divine Feminine (or the God and Goddess in witchcraft) dance passionately at this time of year, they make love. Their energy and wisdom is combined at this time. Red is also blood, which is life-force and this time of year celebrates the life-death-rebirth cycle that is intrinsic in all of nature.

Green: symbolizes the evergreens that thrive at this time of year. It reminds us of the growth that we will have when spring returns! Green reminds us of the life that is just under the surface of the snow, waiting to burst forth and exist again.

White: symbolizes innocence, purity and cleansing. Winter takes us to a childlike place of wonder, it cleanses us from the year that has just passed and reminds us of the purity that always lies within our soul. The more stillness we can practice at this time of year, the more we will be able to connect to the authenticity of our soul.

Gold: symbolizes the Horned God, the Oak King, Divine Masculine, and the return of the sun! It is a reminder that the light is returning after the dark and cold days of winter.

Silver: symbolizes the Divine Feminine, who is connected to the lunar cycles, and the beautiful silvery moonlight that seems to reflect clearer and crisper in the winter months. Silver also symbolizes winter Goddesses like Demeter, Yuki-onna, and Freya, among others.

Inviting In The Spirit Of Pagan Yule

Part of the fun and magick of the Wiccan Yule is getting to eat lots of yummy food and drink delicious libations! We get to indulge in more decadence now (after all, we are storing for winter!). The traditional foods of Yule also have their own magickal meanings! Below you will find lots of magickal inspiration and even a few simple recipes to try!

Traditional Food And Drink For The Pagan Yule Sabbat Celebration

Traditional Yule Meats: Ham, turkey, wild game if you have access to it, smoked sausages and meats.

Dried Fruits & Nuts: Before electricity and refrigerators, people had to figure out how to store food to survive the sparse winter months. Dried fruits and nuts provided a healthy way to consume calories. Now, they remind us to be grateful for all that we have during this season.

Jams & Preserves: Fruits and vegetables that were harvested during summer and fall were turned into rations for winter. Eating these foods at Yule is another way to honor all that we have in the winter months.

Root Vegetables & Winter Squash: It’s always good for our bodies to eat what is in season, and root vegetables like parsnips and carrots, and winter squashes like butternut, acorn and kabocha, are great to make warm soups with. They are very hearty and full of essential vitamins and minerals to get you through the winter season.

Traditional Wicca Yule Log & Chocolate/Sweet Treats: Making a Yule Log cake is more popular now than actually burning a Yule log, and of course there are always chocolate and sweet treats at most festivities this time of year. I highly recommend making your own sweet treats.

It’s a fun activity and they can be a lot healthier than store-bought treats. Down below you will find my own delicious chocolate sauce/frosting recipe. Delicious and nutritious!

Eggnog: Eggnog represents rebirth and renewal, and as such celebrates the return of the Oak King bringing back the light. It is also spiced with nutmeg, a spice that corresponds to the Oak King. Eggnog packs a lot of nutrient dense calories (if you make a healthy version of your own) and for our ancestors was a great way to consume calories during the sparse months of the winter.

Spiced Apple Cider: Apple’s are a fall fruit that are eaten throughout the winter. Making spiced apple cider with warming spices like nutmeg, cinnamon and ginger is a great way to enjoy a traditional Yule drink.

Rebecca’s Decadent Yule Chocolate Sauce/Frosting Recipe

After a little trial and error, I have perfected the most decadent homemade fudgy chocolate sauce you will ever try. It is so amazing and so easy to make!

This chocolate sauce is amazing over some fruit, and even works as frosting on paleo brownies! It also goes great with a spoonful of almond butter for a decadent and healthy version of Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. My partner also eats it on its own, by the spoonful!

It is made with maple syrup instead of sugar and ethically sourced cocoa powder (single sourced so we know where it came from). You can even add a drop of peppermint oil to make it taste like a minty Yule chocolate!

Make your own minty chocolate sauce for your wiccan yule celebrations!

Ingredients:

• ½ cup of Navita unsweetened (ethically sourced) coca powder
• ¾ cups maple syrup
• 4 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tbsp tapioca powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 pinches of sea salt
• (Optional) 1-2 drops of peppermint oil

Add all of your ingredients into a pot in the order that they are listed above.

Bring to a light boil over a medium-low heat, to activate the tapioca powder.

If you want it thicker, simply add more tapioca powder. Be warned that it takes a little while to thicken, so be patient or you might over do it.

The sauce also thickens after being refrigerated for a while. Keep stirring.

Once it begins boiling, turn the heat off and continue to stir while it thickens.

Viola! Amazing fudgy chocolate sauce that is actually good for you! Store in the fridge and it will become even thicker and more fudgy overnight.

Witch’s Homemade Eggnog And Wiccan Yule Ritual

This recipe is inspired by paleoleap.com Paleo Eggnog recipe. I’ve added a few magickal twists to make it extra witchy for Yule!

Ingredients:

• 4 egg yolks
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• (optional) ¼ tsp of almond extract
• 5 tbsp maple syrup (more to taste if you want it sweeter)
• ¼ tsp of nutmeg
• ⅛ tsp allspice & clove
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• 4 cups of full fat milk (cow, almond, coconut, etc.) OR add 3 ½ cups of any full fat milk, then add ½ cup of heavy cream.
• (optional) 1 drop of peppermint oil

Make this Magickal Yule drinks to enjoy or use in wiccan yule rituals…

Add in your egg yolks, vanilla, (optional almond extract), maple syrup, nutmeg, allspice, clove and cinnamon into a blender and mix thoroughly.

Add your milk and a drop or two of peppermint oil (optional) and blend again until thick and frothy. Sprinkle with nutmeg.

To craft your eggnog into a Yule spell, add intention to each of your ingredients as you place them in the blender…

When you add the egg yolks call in rebirth and fertility to your life (in all ways, prosperity, love, joy, etc. whatever it is you desire).

For vanilla extract, call in the romance and sensuality.

For almond extract, call in prosperity for the year to come and beauty for this current season.

For maple syrup, call in longevity for the darker season, and balance within yourself.

For nutmeg, allspice & clove call in health, luck, prosperity, healing and protection for the season.

For cinnamon, call in the warmth of the season to surround you in love, joy and connection and also physical warmth to keep you warm though the long winter nights.

For milk, call in the nourishment to help sustain you through the season.

And finally when you add peppermint oil, call in money and prosperity.

As you blend, blend with the intention of drinking in all that you have called in, infusing your whole being with the Spirit of Yule!

Wicca Yule: Witchy Activities & Crafts

The best parts of Yule are the fun festivities that we get to share with our loved ones or our witchy clan! A lot of Christmas festivities are derived from Pagan Yuletide, so many of these traditional activities may sound familiar to you.

Wiccan Yule Divination/Reflections Journal: Since this time of year is all about inward reflection and connection, it’s a great time to connect to your spirit guides. You can do this with a tarot or oracle deck. Divination adds magickal work to your Yule season, truly making it a witch’s Christmas.

You can ask these three Yule inspired questions and journal on your answers:

1. What wisdom have I gained throughout this past year?
2. What lessons am I learning this winter season?
3. Hope: what will arrive in my life in the year to come?

Caroling: Children used to go singing door to door in exchange for treats and small gifts. This time of year has always been about giving what we can to others, and celebrating the childlike spirit.

DIY Wreaths: Make a wreath with pine and or fir clippings, mistletoe and holly and hang it from your front door. This is a great way to magickally protect your space. It is also a reminder of hope and everlasting life to come. Craft your own Yule wreath and weave in magickal intentions as you create it!

Gathering With Family & Friends: Connecting with those that we love has always been a tradition at this time of year. And sharing what we have, only creates more abundance.

Playing games, watching movies all night, making arts and crafts together, and sitting by the Yule log as we dream of better tomorrows for the New Year, is a great way to celebrate The Wiccan Yule Sabbat.

Cuddle Up By The Fire With A Cup Of Tea & A Good Book: To honor the cycle of this time of year, we can slow down more. Winter asks us to go inward and slow down our fast paced rhythms of summer. What better way to do that than to curl up with a good book and a cup of tea and just let the world melt away as we are immersed in another world?

Drinking hot tea or cocoa by the fireplace with your journal, is a great way to honor this time of year.

Make Snow Angels: If you live where there is snow, you can go out and ask your angels to come with you. Lay out in the snow and ask them to show you their form as you make a snow angel.

Get up and see if you can see them or any messages or symbols they may be sending to you, in the snow.

Listen To Wiccan Yule Music: There is actually Yule inspired music that is different from the traditional Christmas music.

You can find a lot of Yule inspired music on YouTube, and Loreena McKennitt also has amazing holiday celtic music that is very reminiscent of Yule music.

Gather With Your Coven & Call In The Oak King, Honor the Holly King & Call Upon A Winter Goddess: If you have a coven you can do a ceremony where you honor the passing and “death” of the Holly King (who joins us during the Summer Solstice) and the return of the Oak King, who brings back the light. You can also celebrate winter Goddesses like Demeter, Freyja, and Gaia.

You can honor them by honoring the dark winter and earthy Goddess that lives inside of you and by calling them in to be welcome at your gathering.

Ring Bells & Call On The Elves: Ringing bells was said to chase away the evil spirits back into the darkness. Calling on elves to surround and protect your space also keeps the evil spirits at bay during this time of year. They are special protector spirits of the Wicca Yule season.

DIY Decorations For Your Yule Tree: Create Wicca Yule decorations with clear Christmas bulbs that you can open and add things into! Add in witchy Yule crystals and gems that resonate with the Yule season like rubies, emeralds, clear quartz, bloodstone, citrine, etc. Add witchy Yule herbs such as pieces of pine, fir, mistletoe and/or holly. You can even paint them on the outside with phrases like “Merry Yule” and “Happy Yuletide!” and “Welcome Oak King” or “Welcome to the Rebirth of the Sun!”, etc. Get creative and string them with red and green twine! You can even add red, green and white feathers, pine cones, the list goes on! These are also known as a Witch’s Ball or a Witch’s Christmas Ball.

Make A Pagan Yule Simmer Pot! Check out this video link to “Kitchen Witchery: Yule Simmer Pot Magick” to be a kitchen witch during the Yule season without anyone even knowing that you are practicing your craft!

Release some lovely Yule magick into the air and conjure the mood for Yule with the smells of the season. This Yule simmer pot is also totally edible, so can be a delicious Yule tea as well! Watch this video and join me in some cauldron magick using the kitchen witch’s cauldron, your everyday cooking pot.

How To Decorate For The Wiccan Yule Holiday

Decorating is such a fun and special part of the Yule season!

We get to conjure so much Yuletide magick into our environment, just by creating a Winter Wonderland of joy, hope, peace and light within our home! There is something particularly magickal about Yule decorations that brings about a sense of childlike wonder and awe.

Below is a list of ideas for how to bring that magick into your home and also a wonderful little craft video for something that you can add to your Yule altar or decorations! You’ll have to scroll down to find out what this fun witchy craft is!

Decorating Your Home, Hearth & Pagan Yule Tree

Decorate A Yule Tree: This is a very traditional Yule activity, bringing in the green of life and covering it with lights to symbolize the returning of the light! Also adding red, green, white, gold and silver ornaments are a great way to honor this time of year! You can even add your DIY Yule ornaments that I wrote about above!

Cover Your Home In Lights To Welcome In And Honor The Oak King: The more lights the better! Candles (electric or wax), Christmas lights of all colors, pretty strung lights or lights with candy canes, elves and reindeer on them! Go wild with the sparkly lights!

Add Pine And/Or Fir Branches/Leaves To Your Mantelpiece With Lights: (You may want electric lights for this so as to not cause a fire.) You could even weave in some holly for the pop of red or sprinkle with some silver and gold biodegradable glitter to add sparkle!

Add Magickal Elves To Your Wicca Yuletide Decor: The spirit of elves was originally called in to ward off the evil spirits of the dark season of Yule. Their innate joy and light would drive away any malicious energy. You can place elves near your front door to protect the entryway to your home, or around your mantelpiece or even place them on your altar to bring in that protection, joy and light energy to your altar!

Surround Your Space In Sparkles And The Colors Of Yule: Anything that is red, green, white, silver or gold, put it up, add it, sprinkle it, hang it! Get creative with this color scheme!

Witchy Tip Decorate your home starting from the front door inwards to invite the light into your space!

Go crazy with your Yule decorations, to create more Magick in your Wicca Yule Rituals…

How To Set Up A Magickal Wiccan Yule Altar To Celebrate The Yule Season

Let’s make this a true witch’s Christmas and set up a Yule magickal altar, shall we!?

What better way to celebrate Yule than to create a reverent space for our Yule magick! Decorating our altars to reflect the seasons is also a wonderful way to be in the rhythm and cycles of the energies that are moving through Gaia, and when we generate our magick around those rhythms and cycles, our magick only becomes stronger.

Put Down A White, Green, Silver, And Or Gold Altar Cloth: It is always wonderful to generate the energy of a season by covering our altar in the corresponding colors of the season.

Add As Many Candles (In Yule Colors) And Lights As Possible To Your Altar: call in and celebrate the return of the light by generating light magick on your altar!

Add Pine Cones To The Left Side Of Your Altar And Cranberries Or Pomegranate Seeds To The Right Side Of Your Yule Altar: pine cones represent the Divine Masculine or Horned God or Oak King, and the cranberries or pomegranate seeds represent the Divine Feminine or winter Goddesses.

Add Yule Stones Or Crystals: rubies, white/red/green/silver/gold swarovski crystals, diamonds, garnets, emeralds, green peridot, citrine, are all great stones to add to your altar for Yule.

Burn Frankincense And Myrrh: Burn this scent at your altar to cleanse and purify your magickal working space as well as relieve depression during these darker months.

Add Pictures Of Odin And His Great Wild Hunt Or Of St. Nick: Call in the energy of these great and generous spirits to help support you and your magick for the Yule season.

Add Elves And Bells To Protect Your Magickal Working Space: As mentioned above.

Do Some Yule Knot Magick And Make A Witch’s Ladder To Add To Your Altar Or Wicca Yule Decorations: Watch the below video “Yule Knot Magick: Simple Prosperity ‘Witch’s Ladder’” to learn how to make a witch’s ladder for a very witchy Christmas “decoration” that you can add to your altar or home. This is full of intentional magick and helps to focus your intent to bring in prosperity, joy and light for this season and the year to come!

Closing The Circle

Thank you so much for joining me on this Wiccan/Pagan Yuletide adventure today! I hope this journey helped shed light on what Yule is and inspired you to have a witch’s Christmas!

Wiccan Yule celebrations are a wonderful way to enjoy this time of year as a witch. It was an honor to get to explore this merry and joyful Yule Sabbat with you! I hope that your Winter Solstice is full of light, warmth, joy, connection and most importantly, love.

Blessed Be,
Rebecca Phoenix

The post Celebrating The Wiccan Yule Holiday Sabbat appeared first on Simple Mystic Miracles Magickal Spell Casting Blog.