Author: Freya Bishop

Scrying is food for the soul.

/ Freya Bishop / Leave a comment

Good morning, Friends! I wanted to hop on here for a wee entry and talk a bit about scrying! I just posted my ‘card of the day’ on Instagram (IG: thebishopwitch) and while it was fresh on my mind, why not! Plus, my incense is still wafting throughout my studio and it was giving me inspiration to write.

Scrying is a magickal practice, a form of divination, that where the scryer peers into a reflective device, while remaining in a relaxed and trance-like state, to receive guidance, insight, clarity and can sometimes even see images from spirit. This takes time and practice— it does not happen overnight.

When I was learning about psychic abilities in elementary school, scrying was one of the abilities that I bonded closely with besides seeing spirits and slinging tarot cards. Yes, I was “that girl” with the crystals, dried herbs/flowers and tarot cards in my violin case as I walked around school grounds, especially as I later went onto high school and college. Scrying, for me, opened up many doors for me in a personal/spiritual way, and it’s a subject that I love talking about.

Some tools and methods that you can use for scrying are:

  • The crystal ball: made famously from TV media, but it’s a classic way to do it.
  • A cauldron (or water safe container) filled with water: A very Avalonian practice.
    • Within the Avalonian Tradition, we work a lot with this method. We like to scry with water.
  • Incense burning: observing the way the incense wafts in the air.
    • This is how I begin my day. It relaxes me. Plus, I find it fun to see what comes out of the incense.
      • Witchy Auntie Freya Witch Tip: Before I burn it, I love to set an intention with the cone incense to help better direct energies. I always receive the clarity that I am seeking when I do this.
  • Candle burning: watching the way the flame dances.
    • I love doing this. As someone who has a lot of Fire energy in their chart, this is one of those activities that calms my spirit down.
  • Clouds in the sky: an age old method!
  • Seafoam in the ocean: as a Sea Witch, I love doing this. It is one of my favorite Ocean magick activities.
  • The black mirror, made of Obsidian.

Each day, I like to dedicated at least 30 minutes to an hour to my scrying practice. For me, it’s like meditating.

For those who are interested in learning about scrying and are curious as to ‘where to begin’? My best advice is to jump right into it– but you have to do some preparations. I am all about setting your space up for any type of magickal/psychic work:

“Setting your ambiance”, I call it.

  • I would find a place/space in your home where you know you can do this type of work and you know that you won’t be disturbed. You will have to clean this space… bless it…
    • Remember: you are creating this space for magickal workings.
  • Make sure that your scrying tool has been cleansed, blessed and charged.
  • With opening up your psychic centers, call in your protective guides, Gods, Goddesses, Animal Sprits, ETC…!
    • I cannot stress this enough. If you are brand new to ‘awakening’ yourself, start slow and take your time.
      • Not all spirits are good spirits.
  • Design a play list to help you get “in the mood.”
    • If all else fails, you can even go on Youtube and find different playlists for scrying. There are so many wonderful options out there.
  • Light candles and incense to enhance your scrying experience.
  • Journal!
  • Replenish yourself:
    • With doing any type of psychic work, you need to eat and drink.
  • Remember to close out your session:
    • After all psychic work, thank the spirits and say a ‘goodbye’ to close the energies.
    • Give the space as well as yourself a cleansing.

Hopefully, this helps someone out there and provides insight. I must run. My house is now awake and chaos is ensuing.

Ta-ta for now.

F.

Autumn: The Season of Change

/ Freya Bishop / Leave a comment

Good morning, Friends! I hope that this entry finds you well, happy and partially caffeinated. As I am composing this, I am enjoying a warm cup of ‘pumpkin coffee.’ Ahhhh- my Autumnal heart is happy.

I just came back from a trip back home from Salem, MA where I taught two ‘Ocean magick’ classes! I taught at a beautiful weekend event with the Witch City Tarot Gathering and taught one of my favorite shoppes, Pentagram. For the rest of the year, I will be focusing on more ‘Autumnal’ inspired classes and writing projects. After all, the season is slowly starting to show it’s colors and I am all for it!

Earlier this week, I started to brainstorm and map out my ‘Autumnal Magick’ class (which I will be hosting/teaching it on Zoom for those who are interested) and it really got me thinking, “What is so magickal about this season?”

As a wee lass, I have always loved Autumn (before it became as mainstream as it is now). I loved the colors… oh, and the leaves! I remember gathering up leaves and shoving them into my text books and library books because I wanted to persevere the leaves! Each leaf reminded me of a snow flake– they were all so different and the colors were so stunning! I loved the chill in the air. You could smell magick in the air when you’d wake up and walk to school in the morning. Oh, and don’t get me started on school supplies! 🤣 I had a massive collection: the coolest pencil cases… erasers… Lisa Frank folders or anything that she made! I think that’s why in my early twenties, I became a Teacher. I enjoyed how the sun would set earlier each night. I took everything in that Autumn taught me as a child.

The biggest lesson, and I will go back to this was the leaves. I remember being in the 4th grade, writing a report about this… (how funny is that?). In the report, I remember saying something along the lines of how the leaves turn the most vibrant of colors during the best season of the year because even the trees know how wicked Autumn is, and how the wind moves the leaves, almost like it’s dancing with the leaves. They never “fall to the ground.” I have never observed that. They always dance and float down to the ground during this graceful ballet. Anyway, to spare you, Dear Reader, if you are even here, reading this, I got an A. But it made me think about that report that I wrote.

The Autumn season teaches us that it is okay to embrace the changes that are happening in our lives. Transitions are difficult… hard… and sometimes, it can be painful! But I believe it’s how you navigate these changes that make a difference. Be like the leaves: don’t be afraid to dance among the wind; use the wind to your advantage. Allow it to catapult you to your destination! Don’t be afraid to appreciate the journey that you are on. Take some time to honor yourself and how far you’ve come.

I am sure that as we are “in” Autumn, I will continue to expand about this topic, but I will leave you with that little pearl of wisdom for today as well as a question for your own reflections:

“What are you ready to release?”

Take care of you. See you soon.

F.

“Check your pumpkin bucket.”

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Good morning, folks! I wanted to come here and write a wee entry about my card sling that I pulled for todays’ ‘card of the day’ and it’s one that has me thinking. For some reason, I am having some technical difficulties connecting my IG profile to my blog, but if you do a quick IG search, it’s “thebishopwitch.” My account is also Meta Verified so you know it’s actually me and not some scamming creep! (:

Over the course of the past few weeks, I have been pulling cards from the “Trick or Treat” Tarot by Barbara Moore and it’s been divine. I am always in an Autumn/Halloween state of mind to begin with but this deck has been lovely to connect with those energies of the witchy season. So, if you’re hunting for a great seasonal (or all around deck), check out my IG to see some card illustrations and give the deck a buy. You will love it.

The card today was ‘The Fool’ which was illustrated ever so sweetly as this adorable child, dressed as a ghost, preparing to go out trick-or-treating by themselves on Halloween night. SO adorable. In many ways, I think we are all like that little ghost kid.

The pumpkin pail is coming apart, upon further observation and that’s a lot like what we go through with life– we all try to hold onto too much and overtime, we cannot carry as much as we think we can… is your pumpkin bucket breaking? Maybe it’s time to lighten your load on your new journey. Take only what you really need to carry with you… what’s truly important to you and not what someone wants you to carry with you. Do some decluttering! Purge and get rid of what is not serving you. Protect your pumpkin bucket. In ways, think of your pumpkin bucket like your heart– don’t let it break.

I love the details of the socks sliding down the legs and the attitude of showing up like, “Okay, here I am! What’s next? What do I do now?”

If this is you, you made it! New beginnings, where they can be exciting, can be scary… and don’t let anyone ever tell you otherwise. If you have to start fresh and clean, it’s daunting! But at the same time, it gives you the opportunity to truly begin again and do it on your own terms, not someone else’s.

Guess who’s back! (:

/ Freya Bishop / Leave a comment

It’s been a while! And I have to apologize. For a while there, I was getting quite discouraged with my blog and instead of composing entries, I stopped. I didn’t think that anyone read it (and still don’t think anyone reads it) but that’s okay.

I do love writing and want to get back into writing on a platform… so, I am going to make an effort to compose entries.

I do have some cool events coming up that I thought that I would share for those who are interested:

Next week, I am going back home to Salem, MA to teach two classes! One is with the Witch City Tarot Gathering– an event that I am so proud to be presenting for. My class is called, “The Magick of the Ebb & Flow” which is all about one of my favorite topics to talk about– ocean magick! My second class, I will be teaching at Pentagram, a lovely shop in Salem and my class is called, “Beyond The Sea– Ocean Magick, Lore & the Wonders of The Deep.” I cannot wait! I love writing classes and teaching.

In the Autumn, I will be teaching through Zoom a few classes too! More details to follow later (:

“… must be The Season of The Witch.”

/ Freya Bishop / Leave a comment

Hello there, Friends! I know that it has been awhile since I have posted anything. My apologies for my absence. I do promise to try to get better with regards to posting entries.

What’s new on your end of the world? How was your summer? Have you read any good books? If you feel so inclined, feel free to share with me your adventures! I’d love to hear for you!

As I am sitting on my recliner typing my entry to you, the scents of pumpkin and vanilla are dancing throughout my space. I also have some frankincense, burning in my cauldron (one of my favorite scents). The energy floating around my living room is almost electric. It is crazy to me how quickly time is accelerating but I feel like once it gets to the “ber” months, time flies. I feel like I blinked and now, we are going into October, which brings upon many feelings. Have you been experiencing the same thing? Autumn, for me, has always been a season of magick as well as release. Every year, I try to focus on being present in the moment, especially during the month of October.

Do you have any fun plans during this magickal season? Feel free to share with me!

Lots of love,

FB.

11/24: Card of The Day- 3 of Wands

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Good morning, Friends! As usual, I hope that this entry finds you well. I am reporting here for our daily card of the day.

Today’s insight is the 3 of Wands. Allow me to take you on a journey with the imagery found in this card:

As you walk up towards the cliff, you hear the sounds of the sea. Very similar to the way that music moves you, the sea’s gentle song calls you forward. As you approach the edge of the cliff, you find three ‘poles’, planted firmly in the ground. Out of curiosity, you reach out and touch one of the poles to see how stable it is. Depending upon what type of person you are, you may even attempt to pull and shake the pole to see if it’ll move by your force. Your attention calls you to look out into the horizon. Nothing but open sea and two ships, gliding along the water with ease. You watch as these ships move steadily through the sea, making their journey closer to land. No rough waters can be detected. No storms are looming overhead. It is smooth sailing. As you stand on this ‘vantage point’ as I will call it, you are in a position where you can see if trouble would be brewing. If there are challenges approaching, you would be the person that would see it and signal to the others to watch out or even devise a plan to avoid upcoming challenges. Before making your way back towards the land, you stop to pick up a single seashell in perfect condition that sat right next to your right foot. You pocket this little sea treasure and look out at the sea one more time. It’s a big world out there that holds endless possibilities. What new opportunities are out there for you? Are you seeking to embark on an adventure? Taking a deep breath, a smile glides across your face. “A leap of faith,” you say to yourself, and you take the first step forward on your journey.

Whenever this card comes up in a reading or a card pull, this symbolizes that it is time for you to expand your horizons and take a risk. Perhaps you’ve been wanting to make a change in your life but have been too afraid to make it. Perhaps you’ve been slowly making steps to better your future, whether it be personal life, spiritual life, going back to school/taking a class or your career (maybe it’s even a career change!). Sometimes when it comes to a new path or choice in life, it can be frightening to make these necessary changes and move forward. Let’s face it: you aren’t happy and are feeling stagnant. Because you are on the fence about making these changes, you may even start scaring yourself into thinking about the “what if’s.” However, you’ve been thinking about make this change for quite sometime. You even started brainstorming on how to make this goal a reality. So, why wait? If you are looking for a sign if this is the right time, let this be it! “The time is now.” With a few more preparations and support, you will be ready!

To break down the symbolism in the card itself:

  • The ships symbolize your plans of moving forward, a progression.
  • The three ‘poles’ represent your commitment to your plans.
  • The horizon symbolizes your world and how endless your potential is.
  • The sea will carry you onto your next destination. Maybe there’s an opportunity for you overseas!
  • Looking out into the horizon symbolizes the vantage point aspect, being able to “see” what’s ahead.
  • The small seashell next to our wand represents opportunity to make more money. Back in the day, seashells were used as currency!

You got this! I believe in you! The question is, do you believe in yourself?

Stay well and have a magickal day,

FB.

“Don’t let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy.”

/ Freya Bishop / Leave a comment

Name that tune! 😀

Hello, again! (: I hope that this next entry finds you in good health and that you are warm and cozy. The weather here is cold and I do not know about you, but when I can snuggle up with a warm ‘cuppa’ pumpkin coffee and fuzzy socks, everything in my little corner of the world seems just right. I did have an entry typed out that I wanted to submit today but with the spirit of Thanksgiving approaching, I wanted to stall that entry and focus on another topic: being grateful and counting your blessings.

After Samhain, I turn into “The Hermit” and go into myself for some deep reflection throughout the rest of the year. I like to think about what I have accomplished this past year and how far I have come with my own personal growth. By doing this, I allow myself to appreciate the goodness that I have in my life and it serves as a reminder to slow down. Winter, in general, is a great time of year to slow it down and focus on what is truly important to you as well as making plans for your future. Think of this time as brain storming! I am definitely focusing on manifesting my goals for 2022! But more on that later (:

As humans, we tend to put a lot of pressure on ourselves for a multitude of reasons. We take ourselves too seriously and if we are not careful, time can slip away from us. We rush through life: whether it be from place to place or task to task. We stress about about things and events that are not in our control. We forget to appreciate the little things in life that money cannot buy. Am I hitting the nail on the head yet? Am I describing you?

Every now and then, I experience this and I have to stop and truly re-evaluate life, especially what I have in this moment. This year, in particular, I am counting my all of my blessings.

Here are some of the questions that I will ask myself to keep myself in check:

  • What do I have to be thankful for?
  • What blessings has the Gods bestowed upon me?
  • What is something enjoyable that I get to experience everyday that I’ve come to take for granted?
  • What have I accomplished this year that I am are proud of?
  • What is something that I look forward to in the future?
  • Who are the people in my corner, cheering me on and supporting me?
  • What brings me joy?
  • What elements in my life do I prioritize over others?
  • What makes me smile?
  • What have others done in my life that I am grateful for?
  • Who in my life do I cherish and appreciate?
    • Am I making the most out of those relationships?

This Holiday season, soak in the love that is around you. Make a point to cook a family recipe and share stories around the dinner table about family members that have passed away. Be with the people that you love and do not be afraid to express that! Life is too fragile and short to not take advantage of telling the ones that you love how you feel about them.

For me, what am I thankful for?

I am thankful for my beautiful and healthy family (including all of the fur children). I am thankful for my loving husband who supports my dreams and helps push me along. I am beyond thankful for my 90 year old grandmother who is my best friend, my rock and my anchor. I am thankful for my incredible and loving friends who are my cheerleaders (I love you all). I am thankful for my warm home that I can continue to make memories in. I am thankful for my body, who I’ve had a rough relationship with throughout my entire life. I am thankful for my ability to continue to produce breast milk for my child at 14+ months! I am thankful for my resilience and my positive spirit. I am thankful to be alive and healthy. I am thankful for the ability to hug, kiss, cuddle, teach and love my child. I am thankful and blessed to have life. I am beyond thankful to my mentors, Gods, guides and spirits that guide me forward on my path.

What are you thankful for this year? Feel free to share here.

Wishing you all a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving!

Stay well and take care,

FB.

“Submitted for approval.”

/ Freya Bishop / Leave a comment

To those who have stumbled upon this ‘blog’: Merry meet and welcome! To be perfectly honest, I never considered myself to be a ‘blogger’ so here goes nothing. I generally like to live in the moment and enjoy experiencing the magick of the ‘now.’ Though lately, as I have been composing my workshops and writing my book (more information on that later for those who are curious), I have been feeling this tug to compose something heavily relating to what sets my soul on fire: Magick. Death. Rebirth. Transformation. Witchcraft. The Occult. Mysteries of Life and Death. Daily inspirations. Coffee (because coffee is life).

… And if you have found your way here through your own budding curiosity, these ‘themes’ also spark something inside yourself.

I suppose it will only be polite for me to introduce myself to you. I must warn you, I do not like to write about myself. Perhaps you will find that we are not so different. Maybe you will find that you and I have similar interests. So, here goes nothing:

My name is Freya. I am a Death Midwife, a Psychic-Medium, a Reiki Master Teacher and most importantly, a Salem Witch.

Throughout my entire life, I have always been considered the ‘black sheep’ of my family. I had interests that were considered odd and saw the world through a different lens that for my family, didn’t make much sense. I also had a unique relationship to the Dead. For as long as I can remember, I was able to see Spirits. I would speak out to the Spirits that came to visit me. With my interactions with the Spirits, I developed a curiosity to learn what their souls yearned for in Death. I also wanted to know how to help those spirits find closure and peace. The Dead were my closest and dearest friends. The lessons that they’ve taught me are ones that I try to teach to others through my teachings. The Dead possess a profound knowledge and a deep understanding about life.

As a child, being able to assist the Dead gave my soul purpose and sent me tumbling down the Rabbit hole of the Occult when I was 10 years old. It was shortly after serving my first funeral that I realized that I wanted to serve the Dead and began to question things in my life. During my Library time while I was attending elementary school, I would research a variety of topics: psychic abilities, Mortuary Science, the Salem Witch Trials and Witchcraft. Back then, I was hungry to read and would devour a book a night. To this day, I am still a bookworm (:

My twenties were full of harsh realities that turned into lessons learned. I spent much of my time studying and working on myself. Through failed relationships, I learned more about myself and made investments in reaching my potential. I became a certified Reiki Master Teacher and had the opportunity to travel. What a blessing that was! Whenever I read a client that has gone through a breakup, I encourage them to seek out knowledge and invest in their future.

On my Instagram (ef_bishop), I like to pull a “card of the day” and will compose posts as I am in a meditative state. Going forward, I’d very much like to share those ‘posts’ here so that people can read at their leisure. Plus, with Instagram, I have to cut down on what comes to mind… this way, I can take the time to really type out. I’d also like to compose different articles or entries of interest in the hope that perhaps I can give someone insight or even inspire them!

Anyway, for the time being, that’s what I have for my first post. My family and I are currently preparing to go back home to Salem, Ma. Perhaps on the way back home, I will compose another post.

Stay tuned. Stay well.

FB.