Set Your Intentions with DIY Spell Bottles

Looking for a powerful and portable way to bring your intentions to life? Spell bottles offer the perfect solution to having all of your favorite intention-setting tools in one attractive and portable place. I also love that, unlike charm bags, you can add liquids to your spell bottle much easier and they’re pretty to look at!

What is a Spell Bottle?

Spell bottles are simply a spell that has all of its contents enclosed in a bottle. I like to think of them as little portable altars! You can add energetic materials into a vial or a bottle that relate to the intention you’re working on and have a reminder in your purse, your car, your desk, or wherever you want.

Today, I’m going to give you three recipes to create your own spell bottles and all of the tools you’ll need to create your own recipes!

Here are the basics to getting started with spell bottles. Read on to see my recipes for spell bottles to help with intuition, abundance, and deflecting negative energy.

What you’ll need to create your own spell bottle:

• Glass bottle or vial with a lid or cork, can be small or large.

• Piece of paper and pen

• Herbs, crystal in a size that will fit in your bottle or vial, essential oils, symbols (optional), and anything else you feel moved to add to it.

Creating your spell bottle:

1. Gather any herbs, crystals, essential oils, symbols, or other items that will align with and attract your intention.

2. Cleanse your materials by the light of the moon, the sun, or with crystals used for cleansing.

3. Write your intention on a paper.

4. Meditate on your intention for a few moments.

5. As you add your materials to your spell bottle speak your intention allowed.

6. Close your spell bottle.

Once your spell bottle is closed, don’t open it again until your intention has come to fruition. Place your spell bottle where it makes the most sense to you. If it’s a spell bottle for deflecting negative energy at work, place it in your workspace. Once your intention has been fulfilled, you can read this blog post for some ideas of what to do when your spell is over.

Spell Bottle Recipes

You can use as much or as little of each of the ingredients as you’d like, it’s just important that they’re each represented. If I list more than one herb, crystal, or symbol you don’t have to use each one, but they do each serve a specific purpose. The intention written on the paper can be changed based on your specific needs, so feel free to change it.

Spell Bottle Charms

Improve Your Intuition Spell Bottle

• Herbs: Bay leaf and star anise

• Crystal:Amethyst

• Essential Oil: Frankincense

• Symbols:Third eye symbol

• Intention:Intuitive

Full Moon Energy Spell Bottle

• Herbs: Cinnamon and lavender

• Crystals:Moonstone, peridot, and citrine

• Essential Oil: Myrrh

• Symbols:Moon or Goddess symbol

• Intention:Abundant

Negative Energy Deflection Spell Bottle

• Herbs: Dill

• Crystals: Obsidian and hematite

• Essential Oil: Rose and lavender

• Symbols:Hamsa with evil eye

• Intention:Protected

6 Signs You’re Not Grounded + How to Get Grounded

When was the last time you noticed that you were completely untethered from reality and ungrounded? Between the glorification of being busy and constant social media at your fingertips, becoming ungrounded might be happening more often than you think!

What does it mean to be “grounded”?

If you’re energetically grounded it means that your root chakra is balanced and healthy. You’ll feel strongly connected to the Earth, stable, and at ease. Fears and worries you have will fade away quickly. You’ll feel safe, protected, and have an inner knowing that you’ll be taken care of.

The most important part of being grounded is realizing when you’re not. Check out these 6 signs that you could use some more grounding energy. Does anything from this list ring true for you?

6 Signs You Could Use Some Grounding

1. Can’t finish projects or focus

2. Feel like your nerves are fried or are spacey

3. Questioning things more than usual

4. Difficulty with communication

5. Impulse to hoard things and money

6. Strong urge to be physical or go outside

The good news is that there are several ways to get grounded quickly, and one tip even involves chocolate! As someone who’s struggled with anxiety (aka the opposite of being grounded) for much of her life, I’ve used each one of these tips and find them all highly effective on their own and combined.

9 Tips to Get Grounded

Connect with Nature

Lay on the ground, go for a walk outside or rest your body on a tree. This one is a big one for me. A couple of years ago I was going through an extra anxious time and I kept having a strong pull to lay on trees! It was the strangest thing, but eventually, I went for it and started to feel better. My neighbors might think I’m a weirdo, but I don’t really care. Now when I feel the pull to be in nature, I listen.

Earthy Teas

Sip on some earthy herbal teas and definitely skip the caffeine. Dandelion root tea, hibiscus tea (red for the root chakra!), rose tea, and valerian root tea are all perfect for feeling more grounded. I suggest saving valerian root tea for nighttime, it is very calming and can make you sleepy.

Yoga pose

Nothing fancy here--a simple mountain pose, tree pose, or sukhasana work perfectly to tap into your grounding energy. Each of these poses offers you the opportunity to stand firmly on the ground and connect to the Earth.

Stones & Symbols

This tip is exceptionally important for feeling grounded. When you’re not grounded you’ll feel like you need more protection to feel safe. Wearing stones and symbols can be a great reminder to connect with your root chakra energy and feel protected. Obsidian, red garnet, and any earthy colors from the jasper family work great for protection and grounding.

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Eat

A mindful snack can go a long way, your body might be craving certain foods to feel more grounded too. Ditch the refined carbs and processed foods for a day or two and try adding some pink salt, root vegetables, nuts, beans, and even some chocolate to your diet. The darker the chocolate the more grounding it will be.

Get Physical

You know the feeling when you just need to get moving. Honor it! Go for a walk, head to the gym, a yoga class, or out for a run. Allow yourself time and space to connect with your body and give it what it needs.

Grounding Meditation

Another one of my favorites! Grant yourself 5 minutes of quiet meditation. As you meditate imagine roots growing out of you and into the Earth. Call upon the energy of the Earth to help you feel more grounded. You can envision your “roots” growing all the way into the center of the Earth. You can also try speaking this affirmation during your meditation.

If you love guided meditations, you can purchase my meditation bundle where you can find a grounding meditation practice. 

Muladhara

Muladhara is the root chakra which is located at the base of your seat. The color of this chakra is red. Another favorite grounding tool of mine is to imagine a red sphere in this area glowing a deep beautiful red color. Imagine the red energy around your chakra spinning and growing red around your pelvic floor. As mentioned above wearing a symbol of the root chakra or simply the color red will also be beneficial.

Scents

Anything earthy here will work wonderfully! Some of the most potent grounding scents are palo santo (be sure that comes from a sustainable source) frankincense, pine, and chamomile. I recently discovered palo santo essential oil and am in love with it!

One of my favorite things about all of these tips is that they’re all so simple. I hope you found some grounding gems here and if you know a soul sister who could use some extra grounding, please share this post with them.

Magical Uses & Meanings of Shells

Have some beachy plans coming up? If you do, your sandy keepsake shells may have more meaning than you know. Shells have been used for a multitude of magical and meaningful uses over the years. Shells can make the perfect addition to your altar, help with a Goddess connection, add a powerful punch to spellwork, and be used as a tool for enlightenment.

Conch Shell for Awakening & Mermaid Connections

The most iconic of all shells, and for a good reason, is the conch shell and it has been used symbolically by cultures around the world since ancient times.

The conch, or Shankha, is used by Tibetan Buddhists as a call to worship and is shown in the hand of the Hindu God, Vishnu. The sounds created by the conch shell are similar to the sound of AUM, or the sound of the universe, and is said to have an awakening effect just like chanting OM.

Conch shells are often shown in the hands of merpeople, which makes this the perfect shell for summoning some mermaid vibes.

Abalone for Water Element & Psychic Abilities

Abalone shells are often used for housing smoke wands. While the use of the abalone shell is useful for catching hot embers from burning herbs, the use goes beyond functionality.

The years spent being formed by water give the abalone shell a strong water element. The addition of the abalone shell with herb burning creates a perfect balance of elements with the earth energy from your herbs, the fire of the lit herbs, the air of the smoke, and the water element from the abalone shell.

Beyond herb burning, the variety of colors in an abalone shell lends itself well to the upper chakras (heart, throat, third eye, and crown). Due to its connection with the upper chakras this shell is helpful for stimulating psychic development and intuition.

If you're burying Abalone shells, be sure to buy farm-raised and sustainable abalone shells and NOT wild harvested! Ethics and sustainably harvested choices should be of priority for all of us.

Cowrie for Femininity and Prosperity

The cowrie shell has connections to femininity for obvious reasons, its appearance mimics that of the yoni. Place cowrie shells on your altar or use them in spells for fertility, birth, sexuality, and menstruation.

Beyond its feminine ties, the cowrie shell also represents prosperity. This shell was used as a form of currency in parts of Africa and has since been regarded as a symbol of prosperity. Pair some cowries with some green aventurine for a potent prosperity combo!

Cone Shells for Protection

Cone shells come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Their points give it away, but these shells are perfect for protective magic and meaning.

Cone-shaped shells are a nice addition to a protective charm bag or can simply be carried in your purse or placed in your house as a symbol of protection.

Scallop Shells for Beauty & Travel

Scallop seashells are associated with love and beauty because of the Goddess Aphrodite. In Botticelli's famous painting TheBirth of Venus, the Goddess is shown being carried from the sea on, what most experts say, is a scallop shell.

Invoke the Goddess Aphrodite for all of your love beauty needs by using these shells in a love spell or wearing the symbol around your neck with a charm necklace.

Magically speaking, scallop shells are also said to represent travel and movement. Help realize your travel goals by adding one of these shells to your altar.

If you are doing some beachcombing this summer, be sure to never collect seashells with an animal inside of them.

Now, your pile of keepsake shells doesn’t need to simply sit as decoration or be forgotten about in a box. Put your powerful shells to use or enjoy their symbolism by having them put on a custom piece of jewelry. If you decorate your altar with summertime shells, I would love to see it! Tag @cassieuhl on Instagram!

The Ultimate Guide to Caring for Your Tarot & Oracle Cards

Now that you have your magical Moon Phase Ritual Cards from last week's post, I thought it would be a perfect time to give you an ultimate guide for taking care of your tarot and oracle cards!

Have a growing collection of oracle and tarot cards that you’re always adding to? If you’ve got a growing collection, you probably don’t use all of those cards every day. You most likely have your favorite decks that you gravitate towards, decks you use rarely, and decks that you let other people use.

Your oracle and tarot cards can pick up vibes from other people, yourself, and accumulate stagnant energy. Fortunately, there are several things you can do to keep your decks energetically fresh so you receive and give the best readings.

These tips will work for tarot and oracle alike, they will also work for our free printable decks like our Zenned Out Mini Oracle Cards and our Moon Phase Ritual Cards. Here’s my ultimate list for taking care of your favorite decks!

Listen to Your Cards

Use your intuition. Ask your tarot and oracle cards what they need, and go with your gut. Have a deck that feels like it wants to be kept separate from your other decks, give it a special space of its own. Have a deck that you feel is pining for some grounding energy, put a little smoky quartz near it.

If you decide to try something new with one of your decks, be extra aware of any energetic signals you may get from them on the new change. The best part is, if you’re using your oracle or tarot cards regularly you’re already honing your intuition, and this is another opportunity to refine your intuitive skills.

Spread Cloth

Create a sacred space for reading your cards with a spread cloth. Traditionally these have been used for tarot but will work just as well for oracle cards.

Energetically speaking, using a spread cloth gives you and your cards a sacred space for reading wherever you are. It adds another layer to the ritual of reading your cards. Bonus, if you read in other places, it will help keep your cards clean.

Deciding on a spread cloth can be simple and inexpensive. There are many are beautiful handmade options on Etsy but you might already have something perfect at home like a silk scarf. Color carries a lot of energetic weight, so I suggest doing some research on color meanings before deciding on your spread cloth.

Cleanse Often

If you’ve had some off readings that didn’t feel quite right it might be time to give your cards a good energetic cleanse. Another reason to cleanse your cards is if they’ve been sitting for a while and haven’t been used. Stagnant decks will pick up all sorts of vibes, so it’s a great time to cleanse them.

Here are three quick and easy ways to lift any bad vibes or stagnant energy from your oracle or tarot cards.

1. Salt Bath: No water needed for this bath, simply set your cards in a tray of sea salt or Himalayan pink salt and let the salt soak up any unwanted vibes.

2. Smoke cleanse: Light your favorite herb and let your cards be bathed in the smoke of it to cleanse them. I recommend exploring some plants that are related to your ancestral lineage, some options of herbs are lavender, mugwort, cedar, rosemary. If you want to add some extra fun you can use tools like cauldrons or smoke wands.

3. Full Moon: Lay your cards in the light of the moon for an energetic refresh. Of course, each moon phase will have its own effect. You can use our Moon Phase Ritual Cards to get an idea of what kind of energy each phase will imbue them with.

Protect Your Cards

You may not want to keep your cards in the box they came in. If you don’t, it’s important that they have a special place to live and have some protection.

Here are some options for protecting your oracle and tarot decks:

• Cloth bag: Similar to the spread cloth, the color of the bag you choose matters. Use your intuition and do some research on color meanings to determine the best color bag for your deck.

• Wooden box: This is perfect for a deck you feel is calling out for an earthy vessel. A box will also offer additional protection if you travel with them.

• Wrap them in your spread cloth: Your spread cloth can serve dual purposes and will work well as a protective cover for your cards

• Crystals: Place a crystal on top of your deck, in the bag, or in the box with your cards to offer a layer of energetic protection. You can never go wrong with clear quartz!

Connect with Your Cards

One of the most important things you can do to care for your cards is to connect with them. The more you connect with them the more you’ll know how to take care of them intuitively. Here are two of my favorite techniques for connecting with your tarot and oracle cards.Sleep with them under your pillow or on your nightstand. This tip comes from guest blog post writer Brittney Carmichael. She mentioned in a previous post,

“Sleep with one card under your pillow each night to allow your subconscious mind to create symbols and meanings for the cards. Your tarot cards are like personal love notes from your soul and will help to guide you along your spiritual path of awakening.”

Take time to look at each card. If you’re feeling disconnected from your deck, take a few quiet moments to sit down and look at each card. Similar to sleeping with a card under your pillow, this will give you an opportunity to connect with the symbolism of your cards and become attuned to their energy.

I recently cleansed all my decks and gave some of my favorite decks a special home or crystal. I was surprised by the change when I did this! I immediately felt more in tune with my cards and my readings have felt more on point. I hope you find the same is true for you and your cards!

Rituals for Every Moon Phase & Printable Moon Cards

Want to start harnessing the power of the moon, but don’t know where to start? There are simple and powerful things you can do for each moon phase. Scrolling through your Instagram feed, you might just think the full moon and the new moon are the only times worthy of your time. Not true, there is a special meaning behind each phase of our glorious moon Goddess!

I created a simple and beautiful deck of ritual moon cards so you can better use your moon phase calendar. To get your printable moon cards, click here.

How to Use this Deck

None of these rituals require you to have anything except some time, space, and maybe a pen and paper. I do provide optional additions to each ritual that include accompanying tools like crystals, but they are all optional! Even better, you do not have to do these rituals in order. If the mood hits to do a moon phase ritual for the waning gibbous, but you didn’t do the ritual for the full moon, that’s fine!

Click here to download your free moon phase ritual cards from your email, print them on card stock paper, cut, laminate them if you wish, and use your moon phase calendar to see what phase you’re currently on. There are instructions for assembling your moon phase ritual cards within the free download. Don’t want to download a deck? You can simply check out my rituals below.

New Moon

☾ Themes: New beginnings, openness, hope

☾ Action: Allow 5 minutes of quiet solitude. Think about what changes, gifts, or manifestations you’d like to bring into your life. If lost ask for guidance from the universe, be open.

☾Optional: Light a white candle for newness and purity.

You can also check out this blog post for a new moon card spread.

Waxing Crescent Moon

☾ Themes: Set intentions, declare, cleanse

☾ Action: Create a list of 3 goals or manifestations you’d like to realize. Speak your list out loud. Put your list somewhere visible.

☾Optional: Cleanse your space with a smoke wand or herb.

First Quarter Moon

☾ Themes: Focus, momentum, face your fears

☾ Action: Choose one goal or manifestation you’re focusing on, commit to taking one action towards making it a reality within the next 24 hours.

☾ Optional: Tell one trusted soul your action to hold you accountable.

Waxing Gibbous Moon

☾ Themes: Refine, adapt, align

☾ Action: Allow a quiet moment, ask the universe for signs on how you can better align with your intentions.

☾Optional: Using divination tools like oracle cards, tarot, or runes, ask the universe for clear instructions on moving forward.

Full Moon

☾ Themes: Harvest, celebrate, gratitude

☾ Action: Write a gratitude list that includes everything you’ve accomplished over the last two weeks.

☾Optional: Let the moon's special relationship with water amplify any goals that have not yet come to fruition. Write down intentions you’re still working on, place the paper in a bowl of water under the light of the moon.

Waning Gibbous

☾ Themes: Reflect, meditate, receive

☾ Action: Meditate for 5 minutes. Before you begin ask the universe to shed light on your progress, or lack of progress, with your intentions. Receive and allow.

☾Optional: Take a bath with frankincense and myrrh essential oils to allow extra time for reflection. These scents will help you meditate and better tune into your inner knowledge.

Last Quarter Moon

☾ Themes: Release, surrender, let go

☾ Action: Choose something to remove from your life that is no longer serving you, a physical object, personality trait, or relationship. Write it on a piece of paper and burn it in a cauldron or other fireproof vessel.

☾Optional: Get in touch with your shadow side by tapping into the energy of the Goddess Kali.

Waning Crescent

☾ Themes: Accept, forgive, allow

☾ Action: Lay down for 5 minutes, mentally scan each part of your body, take notice of any areas you feel resistance. Be present with any resistance you feel in your body and offer it love.

☾Optional: Carry a piece of rose quartz with you to offer loving support during this sometimes painful process.

Dark Moon

This phase is often ignored, but I find it to be an important phase to recognize.

☾ Themes: Rest, self-care, reflection

☾ Action: Take everything in, relax, do nothing. Allow yourself space and time to simply be.

☾ Optional: Lay down, place a quartz crystal on your third eye and allow its subtle energy to wash over you, heal you, and calm you.

I hope you adore your deck of moon ritual cards and are inspired to have some moon rituals of your own! Be sure to tag @cassieuhl on social media to show off your deck.

4 Ways to Embrace Your Light for Litha

I’m sure you’ve heard of the Summer Solstice, but are you familiar with Litha? Litha is the pagan holiday that is celebrated on the Summer Solstice, also referred to as Midsummer. The Summer Solstice brings with it the longest day of the year when the sun appears to hang in the sky all day long reminding us of its life-giving light. Litha is all about embracing and celebrating this light.

This year Litha falls on Tuesday, June 20th. Invoke the energy of the sun and embrace your own radiance with these Litha inspired rituals.

Enjoy Some Solar Water

Harness the life-giving power of the sun in a solar water elixir. Place a covered clear glass cup or clear glass pitcher of water outside for five hours. Fresh fruit is often enjoyed during Litha, so feel free to add some slices of your favorite fruits into your water for a tasty addition. Drink and enjoy your solar water throughout the day in honor of Litha.

Bonus, some believe that soaking your water in the sunlight can give you a subtle energy boost, and have an ionizing and antimicrobial effect on your water. Though there’s no hard proof of these benefits, it’s certainly worth trying and won’t do you any harm.

Goddess Amaterasu “Beauty Bath” Ritual

“Amaterasu is here to tell you to bask in the radiance of your own beauty.” -Amy Sophia Marashinsky, The Goddess Oracle.

For the ultimate act of accepting your own light invite the Goddess Amaterasu into your day for Litha with this powerful “beauty bath” ritual from The Goddess Oracle:

All you need for this ritual is a mirror and the willingness to see your beauty.

Find a time and place when and where you will not be disturbed. Sit or lie comfortably with your spine straight. You may remove your clothes or do the ritual with your clothes on, whichever is appropriate for you. When you feel ready, take a deep breath and release it letting everything go . Then take four more deep breaths, focusing on the rhythm of your breathing. If at any time during this ritual you feel uncomfortable or are afraid of doing anything suggested, just take a deep breath, experience the feeling while continuing to breathe deeply, then slow down and continue at your own pace.

When you feel relaxed and ready, pick up the mirror. Look at your face. Just look. If judgments or criticisms come up acknowledge them, then let them go. Focus on the uniqueness that is you, reflected in your face. Look at your face and allow yourself to feel compassion, tenderness, acceptance, and love.

Next look at your eyes. Say to yourself: "My eyes are beautiful." Look at your nose and tell yourself: "My nose is beautiful." Then your forehead, cheeks, mouth/lips, teeth, ears, skin, bone structure. When you are finished enjoying the beauty of your face, go on to the rest of your body. When you have acknowledged your entire body, take a deep breath and look in the mirror. Tell yourself: "I (name) am beautiful." Say it over and over. Allow yourself to bathe in your appreciation of your own beauty, till you feel a tingle of appreciation and delight.

Love Spell Bottle

Many regard Litha as a time to honor the power of light over darkness, and the idea that love and light will always win. Litha is a time when marriages would often take place (and still is!), and is the perfect time to invoke some love magic. Any spells or rituals you hold on the Summer Solstice will be amplified in power.

I adore this love spell because it is easy and open-ended. It can be used for bringing more love of all kinds into your life.

Love Spell Bottle from Spell Crafts: Creating Magical Objects

You’ll need:

• Rose water

• Dried rose petals

• Dried lavender

• A glass vial or bottle (size of your choice)

Hold each of the dry ingredients in your hands before placing them in your vial and imbue them with love. Fill the rest of the bottle with rose water. Close the bottle, hold it against your chest and say these words:

Flowers drenched with love,
drench me with love.

When you’re finished, place your love spell vial in your bedroom.

Embrace Sunny Symbolism

Want a quick and easy way to honor your light and Litha? Place some of these sunny and powerful symbols on your altar, desk, or around the house.

• Fire element symbol or symbols of the sun

• Shells, or any other earthy bits that remind you of the summer sun

• Light a red, yellow, or orange candle to honor the sun

• Place fresh herbs and flowers out as a reminder of the gifts of the sun

• Light incense or diffuse EO’s containing lemon, pine, and/or myrrh

I also created an infographic for those of you who love visuals!

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A post shared by Cassie Uhl (@cassieuhl)

Embrace your light and honor your beauty so you can reflect it back into the world! I hope you found one or two tips to help you celebrate Litha and honor your light. Here in Arizona, we’re looking to top the day at 120°, though it seems fitting, I hope your Summer Solstice temperatures are a little more conducive to enjoying the outdoors! Find more rituals for Litha here and meditations for the Wheel of the Year here.