House of Rituals October 2018 Unboxing

The latest House of Rituals unboxing video. This box was really wonderful!

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House of Rituals June 2018 Unboxing Video

House of Rituals May 2018 Unboxing

Thanks for watching my first video ever! Unfortunately it cut my brief introduction out. Oh well! I recorded this darn thing 3 times before I could get a video that actually worked. Keep an eye out for more videos in the future!

House of Rituals Box Review: November

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Okay, better late than never. At least I am getting it done before the end of the year. Honestly, I was waiting for my December box to arrive, but I forgot my credit card on file expired in December so the payment didn't go through. I got another subscription box as a gift so I have been holding off on ordering more House of Ritual boxes, although I really, really, really, like this one. But back to the topic at hand. I have a November box to review dang it!

November's box focused on astral travel and psychic awareness, something I find deeply fascinating. Each of the items is curated specifically for the ritual on the card, but of course the items can be used in any way you see fit. I look forward to using them in my travels tonight actually. I am going to hedge ride to seek guidance for my resolutions. How fitting, right? Anyway!

Upon opening the box I was greeted by an information card and a ritual card. The information card contains a brief overview of the month's theme as well as the purpose of the items in the box. There is no indication where these items came from, which is a shame as I like to know what businesses I am supporting. However, I suspect the items were created by the owner of the subscription box itself as many of them are labeled as coming from Wild Tamed Apothecary, the creators of the House of Rituals subscription box.

Underneath the cards and bubble wrap were a small collection of perfectly curated, high-quality items. The first item to draw my attention was a jar of herbs labeled The Travelers Loose Incense. This incense contains copal, mugwort, damiana, calendula, and jasmine oil. Mugwort is an excellent herb for astral travel, dream recall, and hedge riding. Due to its unique properties, it helps one achieve an altered state of consciousnesses. Copal helps deepen awareness during meditation while damiana and calendula increase psychic awareness and jasmine promotes calmness of the mind. It is obvious much thought was put into creating this blend of incense specifically for astral travel. Not to mention it smells delightful on its own so the herbs could be used in a nosegay instead of as an incense.

Next, I removed the black Moon bag and a blue candle. According to the information and ritual card, the bag is to be used to hold any items you are taking with you during your astral travel. In fact, many hedgewitches create a hedge riding bag to aid in their travels and protect them from unwanted energies and entities that wish them harm. This little bag is perfect for such an occasion, and I love that the creators included such an item. The blue candle is to be used to enhance the ritual as blue is associated with astral travel and psychic development. In the picture, the bag looks dingy. It is the packaging they use that is all over it. It is felt so it attracts all matter of debris. It is actually quite black.

Inside the Moon bag was a large piece of black kyanite. Wow, is this thing large! (That's what she said!) Normally the crystals I receive are rather small, but this thing is 3 inches long and incredibly gorgeous. Black kyanite, like all black crystals, is an excellent grounding crystal. After astral projection, meditation, pathwalking, or hedge riding, it is wise to ground yourself, especially after an "out-of-body experience," to ensure all of you comes back to Earth. Including this in the box was wise, as many witches tend to forget to ground after such travel. Also included in the box was amethyst, which helps remove blockages in your third eye chakra which can hinder astral travel. Furthermore, amethyst increases psychic awareness (It is purple after all).

Next, I removed some anointing oil and a bottle of herbs. The herb bottle contains mugwort and lavender, again mugwort being excellent for astral travel and lavender is great for dream magic. This small vial of herbs is designed to be dumped into the Moon bag or be sprinkled around the witch during the ritual. The anointing oil labeled Dream Walker contains almond oil, jasmine oil, cinnamon oil, calendula and jasmine flowers, a powerful combination for astral travel. As with the anointing oil in the last box, this can be placed directly on your skin. It is designed to open your mind to move freely into the Otherworld.

I am impressed once again! The items in this box were well thought out, high quality, and incredibly useful for a witch like myself. I will be renewing my subscription in the near future.

 

***

While I haven't reviewed three months of this box, I would still like to give you a complete break down of my overall thoughts on this box. Unfortunately, I did not review October because the company had a mishap with a packaging company, and I didn't feel it right to review a box that was incorrectly put together at no fault of the subscription box owner. Technically I only reviewed one month because the first is an introductory box, but I felt I have more than enough information on this company to give a detailed list of pros and cons.

Pros:

• The item quality is great. Every item is worth more than I paid. More so really because they are handcrafted by the subscription box creator.
• The information card is informative but slightly incomplete. It explains the monthly theme and which items are included in the box.
• The ritual card is helpful and easy to follow. I love that they include the ritual to use the items in the box itself. Many other companies require you go to their websites or look for an email. Not this one!
• The introductory box ensures the subscriber has all of the basics needed for future rituals. 
• It is inexpensive! I paid $20 for my subscription, $57 for three months!
• There are different tiers. They offer a variety of subscription box options, all of them budget friendly.
• This box is available! There is no waiting list!

Cons:

• The information card is incomplete. Unfortunately, there is no mention of where the items came from, but I am 99.9% sure all the items are created by the subscription box as all the labels contain their name. However, it would be nice if this were mentioned somewhere in the box description or on the information card.
• There is a lot of packaging and it is not eco-friendly. The paper and cardboard box can be recycled, but the bubble wrap cannot.
• I experienced a slight mishap. My second box arrived weeks late and did not contain all the items promised. However, after doing some research, I discovered this was due to the company using someone new to pack and ship their boxes. They have since stopped using that company and box quality is back to normal!

OVERALL: 5 out of 5 stars 

Interested in purchasing this box? Check out Tamed Wild to see more options and individual items up for sale.

For your pleasure, here are some pictures of my new kitten, Jane, after Jane Austen. She was spayed 2 weeks ago so that is why her belly is shaved. She did just fine. In fact, the first thing she did when she got home was attack her older brother. Enjoy the cuteness witches!

Jane and Oscar

Helping mommy blog!

House of Rituals Box Review: Introductory Box

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Okay, so this post is, well, very, very late. I received my first mini House of Rituals Box, formally known as Wild Rituals Box, in September, but never ended up reviewing the box. There are a couple of reasons for this. First, I wasn't sure if the first box I received was considered my "October" box or "September" box. I didn't receive a second box in October, instead receiving it the second week of November, so I thought maybe my first box was my "October" box. Second, there has been a lot going on at home, and blogging, unfortunately, is one of the things I cut from my life when there is too much going on. However, I have since resolved both issues!

Unlike some other subscription boxes, the first box you receive from House of Rituals is the exact same introductory box. So technically it is not a September or October box. The box I received the beginning of November was, in fact, the October box. After doing some digging, I found out the company had some changes occur that resulted in less than satisfied costumers. First, there was a name change from Wild Rituals to House of Rituals. That's fine; the rebranding wasn't the issue. The issue was they decided to use a new company to help package and ship their boxes, and, well, they did a piss poor job. Many people received broken items, missing items, or completely wrong subscription boxes all together. I found out I am missing some things from my boxes, but decided instead of giving the company another customer complaint they have to remedy, that I would chalk it up as a loss and be thankful none of my items were broken. Because my October box was late and not up to their normal high standards, I will not be reviewing the October box. There are plenty of unboxing videos on YouTube discussing the boxes, so if you are interested in the items, feel free to check them out. Thankfully, the owners of this subscription decided not to use the packaging company again, so my third box arrived on time and in good order. So enough back story! Let's look at the introductory box!

When I first opened the box there was a set of cards on top of the bubble wrap. Of these cards, one was a 2017 Moon cycle calendar, the second welcomed me and described the items in the box, and the third described the purification ritual to be performed with the items, with a note that the ritual could be performed as it was written, in a different order, or entirely different.

Underneath all the bubble wrap were several delicately packed items. The first items to catch my eye were the tea strainer and glass bottle of herbs. First, I LOVE that the herbs came in a glass bottle instead of a plastic bag. Plastic has a tendency to leech chemicals into the contents and change the energy and taste, especially of herbs. While these herbs are not for consuming, but instead for a ritual purification bath, I am thankful the designers put enough thought into the box to put the herbs in glass to protect their energy. The purification ritual bath contains lavender, rosemary, thyme, basil, fennel, hyssop, peppermint, rose, and valerian root. It smells like a tea I have called Tudor Tea. I can't wait to use it!

Next I removed a small sachet containing 4 citrine crystals. The card didn't mention which crystals I would receive, and honestly I don't need any more citrine, but I am thankful for the crystal nonetheless.

I then removed a white candle, candle holder, moon tile, and the sage bundle. You can't get a pagan subscription box without at least one of the boxes containing sage. Go figure! The candle holder fits the candle well, and I can totally use this for the other candles I have that do not have a holder that they fit in. The tile is great for decoration or as a hot plate. This too will be useful with candles and incense to keep my altar or other hard surfaces from receiving heat damage.

Tucked delicately at the top was a bottle of purification anointing oil. According to the ritual card, this oil can be used to anoint candles or yourself. I love that it can be used for both. Sometimes anointing oil is only for inanimate objects, so make sure you always read the label or package directions. This particular anointing oil contains orange oil, lemongrass oil, lemon oil, lime oil, and almond oil. It is a symphony of citrus aromas, perfect for purification and clarity.

Next I pulled out a small package with an element sticker on it. According to the stick and information card, this was an element kit. It contains a small tea candle to represent Fire, star anise to represent Air, a jar of herbs to represent Earth, and a shell to represent Water. This little kit is an excellent addition to any altar as the items are small and will not take up valuable space. Furthermore, what a wonderful way to represent each element. I especially like that all but the candle are all natural.

And finally, underneath everything was a gorgeous red journal. The paper is heavier than usual paper and the leather cover is covered in intricate designs. The clasp easily opens and closes, making this a wonderful small Book of Shadows or diary for any upcoming witch. The ritual comments you can use a page from the journal in the spell, but there is no way I am tearing paged out of this book! It's positively delightful!

Overall, I am very impressed with this box. It came with SOOO much stuff! I know my future boxes will be smaller, but I am sure I will be impressed with future boxes all the same. All the items are high quality and the box was excellently curated to get a witch started on their magical journey.

Look at all that stuff! I keep looking at the box and the photos, and I am still impressed! Totally worth the money! If you'd like to get your own, you can check them out here!