By Isabella @TheWandCarver

Instagram:  @thewandcarver

We witches tend to label ourselves.  I’m a hedge witch, a solitary witch, cunning woman, and a green witch.  I’m fairly certain the labelling of witches in far off olden days was much different…you might be directed to a “healer” for physical ailments and for charms and amulets against evil and such in the medieval era.  Later days saw the term “cunning woman” [or man] for the one who could make all things come to pass which were in your way.  These days, there is a plethora of different names we give ourselves to denote to others what our speciality is in the ways of witchcraft. I think that in the current climate [no pun intended] of global warming/climate change, we are all becoming “green witches” in addition to our own specialities.  And, that is a good thing.

The green witch is a naturalist.  She or he harkens back to the old days of healing magick with herbs, spices, and such.  The green witch has studied labouriously all their witchy lives to know their flowers, herbs, woods, leaves, spices and how they are to be gathered and used.  Just like the healers in medieval times.  But not only that, the green witch has always “worshipped” Mother Earth and has always been keen to preserve her and to show the utmost respect and kindness to her. Many are the green witches whom are intent upon not only being in communication with Mother Earth but also to bring others into this way of thinking.  No, I certainly do not mean that green witches go about trying to bring others into witchcraft per se, but he or she will try their best to influence others to be kind to Mother Earth, probably more so than the average witch.  The green witch is a student, a healer, and a teacher all in one.  I can’t say it any better than this:

“To live the life of the Green Witch is to live with many different levels of understanding at once. I call this path Green Living. It means that what we see is a window to all worlds and that when we are asked to help lift life back into balance, we do so. It means that we heal with the knowledge that all beings are Raven’s children and deserve love and respect. Green Living means learning the sacred language of the beings around us, a language without words — the language of life.” — Suzan Stone Sierralupe, Copyright 2002, Path of the Green Witch

picture from Ecosia,org images

The green witch can show us all a way to maintain Mother Earth more effectively.  It is now a time of desperation, in a sense; still, it is a time of pushing forward with all the green ways we can.  I would like to think it is not too late, even though the melting ice at the Poles and horrific hurricanes, cyclones, fires and floods can surely make us think differently.  But I have never known a witch to say never.  And here is where I would like to try to be a service to all, if I can.  Whenever possible, I wish to share my knowledge with you via ideas or recipes or whatever I learn in order to help you treat Mother Earth more respectfully and, to save you money in the doing of it.  Below, I have listed my favourite recipes for earth-friendly household cleaners.  You may already have ones of your own and that is good!  Carry on, if you do.  This is mainly for those who do not know where to begin as I always try to write to.

Window and Mirror Cleaner

One half cup of white vinegar

One half cup of plain tap water

Two teaspoons of borax

Two or three drops of washing up liquid

Mix thoroughly to dissolve Borax.  Add washing up liquid after.  Pour into an old window cleaner spray bottle [you can buy a new one if you please, but I much prefer to use a repurposed spray bottle I already have].

The most effective way to get the cleanest windows and mirrors ever is to spray, then wipe clean with bunched up newspaper.  You’re killing three birds with one stone – repurposing a plastic bottle what might otherwise end up in our tips or oceans, creating an environmentally friendly household cleanser that is most effective, and you’re not binning an old newspaper…at least, not straightaway.

**Ingredient amounts can be halved or doubled as you need.

Household Spray Cleaner

One Half cup white vinegar

One half cup plain tap water

Two tablespoons of borax

Two teaspoons of bicarb of soda

Several drops of either Lavender oil or Peppermint oil.

Mix the white vinegar and plain tap water, then add the bicarb only one teaspoon at a time.  Make sure you are mixing in a large bowl as once you add the bicarb it will fizz up and over the edges of small bowls.  Mix continuously with a wooden spoon to slow fizzing and to mix the bicarb sufficiently.  After the first teaspoon full has settled, add the second one, and continue mixing entire time to keep fizzing down.  Once the bicarb is sufficiently mixed in, add the two tablespoons of borax.  Mix well til dissolved.  Once you have the mixture dissolved as best you can [do try to get all dissolved to prevent clogging of spray head], add several drops of either Lavender oil or Peppermint oil.  Both have anti-bacterial properties.  Funnel into a repurposed household cleaner bottle.  This is a perfectly safe cleanser to use on any surface, countertops, bathroom and kitchen fixtures, cupboards, appliances.  Do not use inside of microwaves.  No kind of household cleaner is good to clean microwaves with.  There is a better, cheaper, and easier method:

How to Clean Your Microwave

One cup of plain tap water

One Lemon

Cut the lemon in half and squeeze juice into water.  If there is room in the cup without overflow, toss in the halves if you wish!  Sit cup in your microwave and set for five minutes.  Carefully remove the cup of water because it will be boiling.  Using a clean sponge or clean dampened cloth, wipe down the inside of your microwave.  Old food and grease will come off a treat!  And, this is safer because you are not putting chemicals inside your microwave which may linger and get into your food.

Vegetable and Fruit Cleaner

One half cup of white vinegar

One half cup of plain tap water

Two teaspoons of bicarb

20 drops of Grapeseed Extract

Mix the white vinegar and plain tap water, then add the bicarb only one teaspoon at a time.  Make sure you are mixing in a large bowl as once you add the bicarb it will fizz up and over the edges of small bowls.  Mix continuously with a wooden spoon to slow fizzing and to mix the bicarb sufficiently.  After the first teaspoon full has settled, add the second one, and continue mixing entire time to keep fizzing down.  Once the bicarb is sufficiently mixed in, add the twenty drops of grapeseed extract.  It is crucial to add this ingredient as it helps to kill any and all bacteria left on your fruit and veg after normal cleaning.  Pour into a clean spray bottle never used for harsh household cleaners.  Here is a good time to purchase a new spray bottle but take care to always use it and not buy a new one each time.

**melon fruits must still be cleaned properly before cutting because although the inside is protected from pesticides and bacteria, the outer rind is not.  You can use this to clean it with before you cut it open as the knife can and will drag pesticides and bacteria into the fruit if you don’t.  The easiest way to clean small berries such as blueberries is to place them in a bowl and pour some of the cleaner over them, allow it to sit about five minutes and then pour into a colander / sieve and rinse thoroughly.

I hope this blog has been a help to you in some way.  Let’s all try to be proactive in doing everything, no matter how small, to help Mother Earth… and if we can save money in the doing of these things, so much the better!  If you think others might benefit from my blog, please share via the social media buttons below.  And, I really enjoy comments, so please feel free to comment and I shall answer back soon as possible.  Many thanks and warm blessings to those whom wander this way x