Burnt Sage & Blunt Truths

 I recently went to a women’s friendship meetup through Real Roots , and let me tell you — I expected genuine connection, not a sociological experiment in economic disparity. The concept sounds lovely: curated circles of “like-minded women” seeking meaningful friendship. The reality? A chaotic mash-up of wildly different lifestyles shoved together under the banner of “shared values.” Half the women there flat-out said they wouldn’t be coming back. One woman — who’s apparently been through six rounds of this “journey” — hasn’t found a single lasting connection. If someone’s done this six times with no results, maybe the issue isn’t her. Maybe it’s the soil you’re planting in. The group dynamic was an exercise in whiplash. On one end were women saying, “I can’t afford to keep doing this, it’s too expensive.” On the other, women casually mentioning how they’re taking 4-6 months off work “just to reset.” Meanwhile, I’m sitting there wondering how I can form an authentic connection ...

 Let’s just rip the bandage off: You shouldn’t expect people to show up like you do — not your friends, not your coworkers, not your damn cat. Unfortunately, that includes your group or coven.  And before you start with the “but that’s unfair” argument, let’s be honest — it is unfair. But so is life, gravity, and the fact that you can eat right, hydrate, and still wake up feeling like a 20-year-old fax machine. You’re Built Different — and That’s Not Ego, It’s Experience You’ve got standards, structure, scars, and a moral compass that actually works. You show up when you say you will. You remember birthdays. You check in when someone’s quiet. You do what you said you’d do — even if you’re exhausted, bleeding, or holding your life together with caffeine and duct tape. That’s not common. That’s conditioning — born of integrity, trauma, discipline, and a refusal to half-ass your existence. Most people? They’re still figuring out which end of emotional responsibility goes u...

  There are spells that smell like roses and affirmation journals that smell like someone trying to sell you sunlight. Then there is Nana’s medicine — the kind that tastes of vinegar, ash, and whatever herb you don’t want in your tea but absolutely need. It’s not pretty, and it sure as hell isn’t polite. It works. I learned this in the kitchen, leaning on a counter that had seen births, burials, and every family argument in between. Nana kept a drawer full of things that fixed things people wouldn’t name in public: a tin of dried roots, a spool of black thread, some salt in a chipped saucer. And an onion. Always an onion. An onion is low-key magic. It’s humble and honest. It looks like nothing, but it’s built to let go — layer after layer after layer. When it decays, it does what it does best: it sheds. It doesn’t try to protect the lie. It tells the truth with its rot. Which is why Nana taught me the trick: carve a name into the onion and set it moving. Let the woods / the elem...

 There’s a strange thing happening in modern witchcraft — and it’s louder every season. People want the look of the craft, but not the labor. They want the velvet cloak, not the lineage. The smoke, not the spirit. They’ll burn sage but never ask whose bones that smoke came through. They’ll light candles on their marble altar but won’t light a candle for the ancestors who bled for their existence. They’ll talk about “manifestation” and “intentions” but go blank when you mention offerings, reciprocity, or the price of real work. It’s easier to make witchcraft look pretty than it is to make it mean something. And that’s the difference between aesthetic and ancestry . ✴ The Performance vs. the Path Aesthetic witchcraft is performative. It thrives on visibility. Pretty pictures, curated altars, color-coordinated candles — all arranged for approval, not power. Lineage witchcraft, on the other hand, is invisible by design. It happens in the dark, in the kitchen, in the back garden...

Paganism and Witchcraft has become a very diverse world, where individual tastes, preferences, and beliefs vary greatly. Just the other day I was talking with someone and honestly, I was bashing someone’s belief system. Because to me it seemed too, “fluffy” and because she kept referring to herself as a “baby witch” which as you know grates on my ever-loving last nerve. But there I was, bashing someone for their beliefs. I thought about it on the drive home. Wow. Had I become so jaded that I wasn’t willing to even think another’s beliefs were valid? So, I messaged her. Talked to her for a while about her beliefs and about my beliefs. Found out that her belief system came from TIKTOK! She’d had trouble finding anyone to talk to or to mentor her! So we discussed what that looked and felt like for her. I finally felt like I had dug deep enough, I reached out to another friend who might fit her as a mentor and wham! A friendship was cultivated, a mentor was found and maybe some good in...

 https://ko-fi.com/sagemcintire Step Into My Digital Apothecary! Ready for a deeper dive into the Craft? I've set up shop over on Ko-fi as a dedicated space for exclusive witchy content and digital goodies! This is where I share things like printable Grimoire pages, mini-spell kits, first looks at new rituals I'm developing, and special behind-the-scenes insight into my personal practice. Think of it as supporting my work and getting a little magical treat in return! [Visit My Ko-fi Shop and Grab Your First Spell Download!]

No one ever thanks the ones who show up after the cameras leave and stay for YEARS because of the endless ribbons of red tape. The ones knee-deep in the mud, sorting through paperwork and grief, trying to stitch lives back together with duct tape and policy. They don’t see the sleepless nights. They don’t see the men and women who drive into disaster zones knowing full well that whatever they do, it will never be enough for the headlines, or the politicians, or the public who want miracles on a budget built for breadcrumbs. They don't see the men and women who sleep on the floors of schools and who live off of protein bars and bottled water, while not being able to shower or charge their phones because this work calls to them.  They see the logo. The one that EVERYONE likes to scream at and demonize.  And when the system fails, they throw stones at the logo — not the ones buried under it, trying to push broken machinery uphill. When that doesn't work, they start taking ver...

  🐾 The Crat Messenger of Mischief, Patron of Petty Revenge, and Devourer of Cheetos Classification: Familiar Spirit / Lesser Trickster Entity Elemental Alignment: Shadow & Smoke Phase Association: New Moon Offerings: Cheetos (crunchy preferred), warm spots on furniture, and the occasional sip of spilled coffee. Will commit utter mayhem and keep you out of it for chocolate and the occasional nip at your creepy uncle's ankles.  🖤 Description The Crat appears as a small, shadowy creature with feline grace and goblin wit. Its fur flickers between solid black and smoke, and its eyes gleam like dying embers or—depending on its mood—neon orange crumbs. It moves with a swagger of someone who knows it can get away with anything. Though often mistaken for a stray cat or an afterimage in candlelight, those who listen closely can hear it muttering sarcasm under its breath, often directed at whoever just invoked it. 🐾 Sevi, the Upstairs Agitator Personal Familiar of D...

  A Teaching Burn by the Witch Who Knows Money Isn’t the Enemy Somewhere between the incense stick and the self-help shelf, we let a lie slip into our culture: that poverty equals purity. That the “real” witch lives in a shack, eats lentils, and trades candle magic for groceries. That wealth somehow means you sold out. Let’s stop that nonsense right here. 🕯️ 1. The Broke Pagan Stereotype It started with good intentions: reject greed, honor simplicity, live close to the land. But what was once humility turned into a curse of smallness . Too many of us were taught that if we charge for readings, sell spell oils, or make a living off our craft, we’re “commercializing the sacred.” Meanwhile, the rent doesn’t pay itself, the herbs don’t harvest themselves, and the same people who cry “spiritual integrity!” are getting their astrology from TikTok influencers with brand deals. You can’t pour from an empty chalice, sweetheart. And you can’t help your community if you can’t aff...

  A Teaching Burn by the Witch Who Knows the Gods Speak in Frequency Every so often, I see someone on TikTok talking about “vibrations” like they’re trying to sell me a crystal and a bad EDM playlist. But here’s the thing—vibration is real. It’s literal. It moves through bone and blood and brain, whether you believe in it or not. And sometimes, when the frequency is low enough, it messes with you in ways you can’t even hear. Let’s talk about infrasound —specifically 19 Hz , the ghost frequency. ⚡ 1. What It Is Infrasound means sound below the range of human hearing—anything under about 20 hertz. You don’t hear it; you feel it.* At around 19 Hz , weird things start happening: The eyeballs resonate. You see shimmers, shadows, shapes that aren’t there. The inner ear tilts off balance—dizziness, nausea, unease. The nervous system fires up a primitive panic response: dread, anxiety, gooseflesh, heart racing. All this, and your ears never register a thing. Resear...

  Part II — Because You Found the Power Source, Now Don’t Electrocute Yourself So you’ve found your ley line. You stood barefoot in the grass, felt the hum under your feet, maybe even got a little dizzy when the air thickened and your blood started to sing. Congratulations. You’re plugged in. Now what? That’s where most people screw up. They treat the land’s current like a power outlet: jam a fork in, demand results, and wonder why everything around them starts flickering. You don’t take from ley lines, darling. You work with them. Here’s how to actually use that current without pissing off the planet. ⚡ 1. Mapping Your Home Ground You don’t need to cross continents. Every region’s got its own current. Start where you stand. Walk the lines. Take the same route at dawn, noon, and twilight. Where the air changes—where birds go silent or your hair stands up—that’s a crossing point. Mark the node. Use a stone, a stick, or your own spit if you have to. You’re not clai...

A Teaching Burn by the Witch Who’s Been on the Grid Since Before It Was Trendy Everyone loves to talk about ley lines these days. Usually right after they’ve bought a $400 “earth energy map” or gone to Glastonbury once and think they’ve seen the cosmic GPS of the universe. Or better yet spent THOUSANDS on a Sedona healing trip, had crystal cleansings, sound baths, etc., experienced one of the many vortices the area has to offer and come back thinking they are the embodiment of  Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. I'll wait. Go look him up.  That bullshit didn't serve him well in the end. It won't serve you either dearie.  Listen up, my loves. Ley lines are real—but not in the Marvel-Cinematic-Universe-shooting-laser-beams-from-Stonehenge kind of way. They are the bones of the land, the nervous system of the earth, the way spirit remembers where it’s been. They are currents , not coordinates. If you’re walking them right, you’ll feel it in your teeth before you ever see it on a ...

  A Teaching by the Witch Who’s Tired of Watching You Overspend Let’s have a little come-to-Cerridwen moment, shall we? Somewhere along the line, witches started thinking that magic had to come in an amber bottle with a $39.95 price tag and a label that looks like a perfume ad. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t. If you’re maxing out a credit card to buy “Certified Full Moon Distilled Dragon’s Breath Oil,” you’re not practicing witchcraft — you’re funding somebody’s Etsy vacation. Let’s talk about making your own , safely, cheaply, and with the kind of grounded magic that doesn’t require a trust fund. 🕯️ 1. The Base Is the Body Essential oils are concentrates — powerful, volatile, and occasionally dangerous when you treat them like scented glitter. You don’t need much. In fact, half the time, you don’t need any at all. Your base oil is what carries your intention and protects your skin. My go-to options: Grapeseed oil: cheap, light, and blends beautifully. Olive oil: old...