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7 Productive Quarantine Habits to Cultivate

Self Care

By Louise Clover / May 1st, 2020
Estimated Read Time: 9 Minutes

Hey all you cool witches, if you haven’t been living under a rock -no judgement there- you might not realize that we’re in the middle of a global epidemic with at least 90% of the world population being advised to stay at home and self-quarantine.
For some this might just be the kiss of death since human interaction is vital to maintaining healthy mental health as humans are naturally social by definition. Luckily your friendly neighborhood witch has decided to come up with a small list of things to do while we’re trying to maintain social distancing and flattening the curve.

1. Charge Your Crystals, Tarot Decks, etc.

Tarot Cards

When was the last time you did this?

If, like me, you’ve managed to amass a set of crystals and several tarot decks throughout your exploration years, now is the perfect time to check on your cards (i.e. torn, bent, missing cards) and crystals. Some of the quickest ways to cleanse or charge your tools is with smoke from a smudge stick. It would be best to use white sage smudge sticks for this particular ritual but frankincense is another common smudge stick used for this. When burning the smudge stick, be sure that you are focusing on your intent while letting the smoke engulf your crystals and, or tarot deck.

Although if you have more time on your hands, a moonlight cleanse is another option for you to be able to charge your items. Just place your crystals or tarot deck on a window sill or somewhere, preferably undisturbed, that gets drenched in the light. I would advise against placing your tarot deck in the garden unless you wrap it in some sort of cling film to prevent ruining your cards from moisture or scattering in the wind. The best time to perform a moonlight cleansing is when the moon has reached its full moon phase since this is the best time for acknowledgement and releasing energies that no longer serve you. 

While some prefer to leave their crystals or tarot cards out for 24 hours, allowing them to soak up the Sun’s energy as well, some crystals are particularly sensitive to sunlight and the colors might fade with prolonged exposure.

2. Keep a Journal

Journal

While some of us are listed as non-essential workers, this doesn’t mean you’re actually non-essential. Keeping a journal will help with keeping track of the days as they blend together from being in quarantine is a productive way to remain sane while stimulating your brain.

There’s no one right way of keeping a journal so this is a time to let your imagination run free. You can choose from any number of subjects; dream keeping, to listing your favorite gemstones and their uses, to one that keeps track of your gardening habits. Recording your dreams for later reflection can help identify problem areas in your life that you might be subconsciously lingering on or realize the recurring themes that might be showing up in your dreams. Working out your dreams when you’re awake could help give you some semblance of peace that would in turn allow you to get better rest at night and good sleep helps maintain your health and mood. You could even use our dream interpretation course to better understand the meaning of your dreams.

You can also get really creative by adding diagrams or sketches of your favorite herb or gemstone and list out their uses for quick reminders. Keeping track of gardening habits can help you be on top of your plants watering and sunlight needs. It will especially help if you live in a small living space that would require you to move your plants around every so often to get enough sunlight.

Writing down spells that you want to try or those that have worked in the past is also another good journal subject for quick references.


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3. Start a Garden

Garden

Just because we’re asked to remain in our homes that doesn’t mean we can’t still take advantage of nature and growth! For those of us that are blessed to have a small area to plant, now is the perfect time to start a garden. Anything from vegetables, fruits to herbs could be very satisfying and gives oneself a sense of accomplishment when they come to fruition. Aside from the obvious added benefits to your cooking, it’ll also give you a steady supply for your spells and teas while saving money for yourself. Not to mention the added benefit of knowing your fruits and vegetables aren’t sprayed with harmful insecticide or preservatives. This herb garden kit looks like a cool place to start!

You might even find that you already have some essential wildflowers and herbs in your untended yard. Dandelions are known for their association with wishes and divination while clovers are of course known for bringing luck and prosperity.  
If you don’t have any free ground to start an actual garden, potted herbs and flowers are a great way to bring Nature into your home since they don’t require being six feet apart from one another. Some of the best herbs to cultivate are thyme which is particularly great for healing, clarity and affection, rosemary for protection, inviting happiness and purification while basil has been known to provide confidence, invite love and simultaneously ward off negative energies.

A great tip to keep in mind when planning your garden is to align the estimated growing periods of the plants to the moon phases, allowing them to soak up the most of a new moon or a full moon so they would be charged and perfectly ready to use when you need them.

4. Update Your Sacred Space/Altar

Altar

If you don’t already have an altar or ‘sacred space’ where you keep your crystals, amulets or anything you deem appropriate for an altar that connects to you, now is a great time to make one. It is best to have pieces that represent the five elements (Earth, Fire, Water, Air and Spirit) on your altar to strengthen your connection to it while maintaining a balance that will hopefully reflect your energy. If you want to learn more about the elements, herbs, crystals, altars, and much more, you can take the first course at Wicca Academy: Basic Signs and Symbols. Gain access for free by signing up for a Wicca Academy account today!

Fire can easily be represented by placing candles (be sure to pay attention to the colors you choose as this is important too!) or even have your altar facing an Eastern window so it can capture the morning sun rays. Don’t forget to continuously replace your candles whenever they’re running low or your intentions have changed.

If you have seashells from previous trips to the beach -or happen to live near a beach yourself- this could be a fun and meaningful way to represent Water, otherwise a bowl of water would suffice. If you are feeling enthusiastic, you can also use water that’s been charged by moonlight. Again, make sure the water is replaced (please reuse this water by watering your garden or plants) every so often so you don’t attract bugs.

Crystals are obviously the easiest way to represent Earth and can be interchanged depending on your goals or intentions.

Air would be the trickiest to gather items for, there are some that have hung windchimes near their spaces or altars but if you don’t have the necessary room to do that, a single bell would fulfil the requirement. If you happen to have found a bird’s feather in the backyard or on a Nature walk that can be used too. Remember different bird feathers have different meanings so keep that in mind as well.

As far as the Spirit goes, a simple star (drawing, sculpture, etc.) will suffice or one can even use an angel statue. One that you have a connection with is obviously better than picking up a random statue at the dollar store but in a pinch, it will still work.

Be sure to arrange each element facing a specific part of the house; Fire (South), Water (West), Earth (North), Air (East) and Spirit (Center). A piece of cloth can be used as a place mat for your objects and while purple or black is often a color used for this purpose, using a color that is personal to you is also accepted.

If it is possible, try to keep your altar away from public walking spaces in the house but if that isn’t an option,  you may ask the people you live with to be respectful of your altar.

5. Smudging the House

Smudge

When was the last time you cleansed your home?

A great way to invite positive energies and ward off unwanted ones is through smudging, although of course there are also numerous types of smudge sticks that can be used for specific purposes. White sage sticks would be the most common for deflecting negative energies while dried lavender promotes sleep and peace. During these turbulent times, burning cedar sticks helps in dispelling fear and fortifying courage. If you can get your hands on some palo santo sticks, a particularly light and fragrant smelling wood, it has been associated with healing and cleanses the energies of homes that have been particularly afflicted with illnesses. Sage smudge sticks can be found online.

It is typical to smudge yourself first before smudging your surroundings. To do this begin with guiding the smoke by cupping it and begin at the top of your head, working your way to the bottom. The important reminder to keep in mind is to be aware of your breathing while doing this and not to rush. Smoke can be very fiddly to work with and don’t be discouraged when you can only coax thin curls of smoke from your smudge stick.

6. Create Personal Sigils

Sigil

There isn’t just one way to create a sigil although they do all share a common objective, to be charged with your energy and either banished or used as a talisman. The key part of a sigil is being as clear as possible with your wants.

While there are those that switch alphabets into numerical codes or use a sigil wheel online, you could also simply design your sigil by writing out your intent (Example: Love and Health), cross out the vowels and mesh the remaining alphabets together to form a symbol.

Be sure to focus completely on your intent when making your sigil and depending on what it is, you may then tack or draw this symbol on items around your house that you keep close to you- under your phone case, laptop, water bottle (this is also your daily water intake reminder, if you haven’t already had your eight glasses a day) or even taped to the back of your watch.

7. Exploring Different Spell Bottles

Spell Bottle

Spell bottles are physical reminders of the energy you want to attract into your home and it will help increase the manifestation of said energy. There is no set rule to what you can have in your spell bottle but it is important to know what the elements you are adding to it might potentially mean since the more specific and aligned they are with your intentions, the higher the probability it will boost your energy. These bottles will work best if they are clear (glass is preferred but plastic will do just fine) and can contain a mixture of crystals, herbs, salt and even spices. You can use an ordinary mason jar or a cool jar like this.

Since some of us are spending this quarantine with our families, there will inevitably be moments when someone gets on another’s nerves especially when there isn’t much space to go. In this case having a spell bottle in the living room or the place where your family congregates the most would be the most beneficial.

A quick recipe for a spell bottle to promote abundance and positivity is mixing together Himalayan salt, Carnelian crystals, ground thyme and cinnamon, a bay leaf, crushed rose petals, jasmine and mint. Once you’ve layered these ingredients into a clear bottle, be sure to stop it and place it in a place that can be seen. On a windowsill (if you don’t have pesky, curious pets), next to a clock, behind the TV or above a doorway are just some of the places that you can put your spell bottle. There is also the option to attach a personal sigil to the bottle or even tie an amulet around it to increase the spell bottle’s manifestations.  

Conclusion

Healing

Hopefully this list will help you stave away the boredom during these strange times of isolation. I think it will preoccupy you with productive endeavors that will allow you to improve and understand yourself while deepening your connection with Nature and the power of manifesting. Want even more to keep you occupied? Get a Wicca Academy membership! Our video courses make learning fun and easy.

Check out our other articles:
Sigils for Newcomers
Jar Spells Made Simple
Get to Know Your Familiar
Kitchen Magick for Beginners
Moon Phases and Simple Rituals
See All Articles

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