Magickal Folk Box Review: December

Before I start this review I would like to make a point to say that subscribing to a subscription box isn't required to perform magic. Furthermore, having witchy stuff doesn't necessarily make you a witch, nor do you have to have a bunch of stuff to be a witch or perform magic. Magic isn't about the stuff you use, but about you. The magic comes from you, not the crystal or tea or candle or whatever object you are using. With that being said, December was my last Magickal Folk box, at least for a little bit, so this review will include my overall thoughts on the subscription as a whole, as well as a review of this month's content. This month's Small Combo Box from Magickal Folk focused on the Crone aspect which is representative of this time of year.

The first item I removed from the December small combo box was the Meditation Kit. This particular kit contained a couple of items, including a black and red candle, and a golden sheen obsidian bracelet. According to the information card, this kit centers around "crone mysteries" and the knowledge and wisdom the crone provides. The purpose of this small ritual meditation is to reflect and grow as an individual. The red candle is to ground, incite, and betow personal power while the black candle is meant to connect with our ancestors and banish any unwanted energy. The bracelet, containing both light and dark, represents refined wisdom in that both light and dark exist together, not alone.

Also pictured is some Winter Solstice tea, which contains earl grey tea, coneflower, cinnamon, peppermint, lemon peel, and natural bergamot flavoring. This tea came as an extra little gift, a Yule present if you will. I decided to pair it with the Meditation Kit because the flavors match well with this time of year, which also happens to be the time of the Crone. Furthermore, they are relaxing, helping to reach that meditative state easier. The tea is delightful and pairs well with a little bit of milk or cream.

The next item I removed was the Tea Ritual Kit. This tea, which contains Irish black tea, elderberry, elderflower, dandelion root, and ginger root, is all about connecting, belonging, authenticity, wisdom, and truth. I love how the tea has some pretty awesome healing abilities as well, especially this time of year with cold and flu season upon us. Elderberry and flowers, ginger, and dandelion are all known to help prevent or shorten illness. This ritual tea is designed not only to keep you healthy but also connect with yourself and your ancestral roots. While Samhain sees the veil at its thinnest, the Winter Solstice is another time the veil is very thin, making contact with the spirits, including our ancestors, easy. This ritual tea will help you get there with ease. The tea has a strong flavor, but the elderberry and flower bring about a slight sweetness.

Finally, I removed the Crystal Ritual Kit, which contained several beautiful crystals this time. Called "Keeping of the Cauldron," this kit contained several pieces of Picture Jasper and Dumortierite, for creativity, wisdom, patience, and self-mastery, again characteristics of the Crone aspect.

This kit also contained a Cerridwen Anointing Oil of sunflower and almond oil mixed with Silver Fir and Magnolia essential soils, dried Gotu Kola, Ginko, and Corn Silk. The oil has a sweet aroma and is used to anoint the crystals to invoke the Goddess Cerridwen, keeper of the cauldron Amem, the cauldron of divine knowledge, wisdom, rebirth, and transformation. If you don't know the story of Cerridwen, I strongly suggest you read it. It is a beautiful tale.

I loved how cohesive this month's box was and how they can easily be combined into one beautiful ritual for the Winter Solstice or for any New/Dark Moon.

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Since it has been three months, I would like to give you a complete break down of my overall thoughts on this box.

Pros:

• The box is consistent. It always comes with a tea kit, meditation kit, and a crystal kit.
• The item quality is great. Every item is worth more than I paid and sometimes you even get some bonus items thrown in!
• The information card is informative and explains how to use the items for each kit. All of the items, except crystals, are made by Magickal Folk, so you are supporting a small pagan business.
• This box is affordable. For a month's subscription, you are looking at spending just $24!
• You get a little of everything with the small combo kit. I love how the small combo kits give me a variety of rituals and items each month, especially the tea!
• You get to join a responsive community. When you subscribe, you are given the option to join their private Facebook groups and join in discussions with other witches who subscribe, as well as the curators behind the boxes!
• 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, although they do sell out quickly, especially if it's a theme people want to be a part of!
  

Cons:

• The information card is incomplete. Unfortunately, there is no mention of the cost of the items nor where the crystals are sourced from, but overall the information cards are nicely done.
• Sometimes the information cards are hard to read. Depending on their choice of cardstock for the month, sometimes the information cards can be difficult to read.
• There is some packaging that is not eco-friendly. The paper and cardboard box can be recycled, but the bubble wrap can not. I believe having eco-friendly packaging as much as possible is extremely important.

OVERALL: 5 out of 5 stars 

Interested in purchasing this box? Check out Cratejoy. They have a large selection of subscription boxes that cover just about everything.

Magickal Folk Box Review: November

November's Magickal Folk Small Combo box focused on the feminine. As mentioned previously, the small combo box comes with a tea ritual, meditation kit, and crystal alchemy kit, essentially a little bit of everything they curate for the month in one box for just $24.

The first item from the box is the Tea Ritual Kit, which contained a tea called Feminae. According to the packaging, the tea is a blend of white tea, red rose, hibiscus, skullcap, vitex berry, rose hips, and pomegranate flavoring. Not going to lie, this tea is a beautiful rose color, smells like heaven, and tastes like a flower garden. I'm so in love with it. When I read the ingredients after removing it from the box, I knew in an instant I would enjoy this tea. I am a sucker for rose, rose hips, and hibiscus. To add to it, the base is a white tea, which is milder and sweeter in flavor as it comes from young tea leaves. The ritual suggests imbibing this tea with your fellow lady witches to inspire conversation, especially during our "moon cycle" or consumed ritually in tribute to the Morrigan. Honestly, I would pair this tea with Dulsky's Holy Wild. The book is all about taking back our Goddess powers and the message pairs amazingly with this tea!

The next item is the Meditation Kit, which focused on the sacred Wolf. The purpose of this meditation is to connect with the wolf in your life as well as honor the spirit guides in your life. As a hedgewitch, I absolutely love that this month's kit included ways to honor and connect with your spirit guides. They are so crucial to our development as witches and the meditation outlined by Candice at Magickal Folk is beautifully written and easy to follow, even for a beginner witch. The kit included a cauldron recipe card to record the ingredients included in the kit as well as any other items you add to the ritual to connect with your guide. There are two beautiful Lapiz Lazuli crystals and an herbal incense mixture that contains cedar and juniper tips for protection, star anise to carry your messages, wood betony for removing doubt and opening communication, and elderflowers to bring ancient wisdom. I love how well thought out this mixture is and that is can be used during hedge riding or a normal ritual to communicate with spirits.

The final kit, the Crystal Alchemy Kit, contains a large piece of peacock ore and a witchcraft oil both of which are designed to increase magical intentions. The oil contains jojoba, olive oil, and sunflower oil infused with dragon blood resin, honeysuckle flowers, and vervain herb. Candice suggests using it as a base spell oil during rituals or to banish, heal, and enchant. There are no essential oils in this product, which I think it great because many people are allergic to essential oils. This also allows the oil to be more versatile so it can be placed on the skin, the third eye, or used to anoint candles and other objects used in spell work. The oil has a sweet, subtle scent; nothing overpowering here!

Overall, I love the diversity in this month's box. I'm not going to lie, the tea is my favorite part! Once this subscription is complete, I may purchase the monthly tea ritual for just $5. Considering how many cups I tea I get per bag, $5 is a steal! On average, I get 7-10 cups of tea. Remember, you don't have to throw the tea out after one use. Using freshly dried herbs means you can get at least 2 cups out of most teas, so don't throw it away after one cup! Besides, the tea leaves can be used in later rituals as an offering or just to enhance your spell work!

Have you subscribed to any witchy or pagan subscription boxes lately? Have something you would like me to review before you commit to a purchase? I am on the lookout for something new to try next year and would love to hear from you in the comments below!

Magickal Folk Box Review: October

I have received some of the Magickal Folk subscription boxes in the past, but they have changed several times over the past 2 years, which is part of why I have never reviewed the subscription. However, it looks like they have stabilized a little bit, so I felt it was a good time to begin reviewing one of the boxes, the Small Combo Kit.

Unlike their other boxes, the Small Combo Kit includes all three of their smaller kits: Ritual Tea Kit, Meditation Kit, and Crystal Alchemy Kit, so it's like receiving three gifts in one! At just $24 per box, it is fairly affordable.

October's box focused on Samhain, of course. Upon opening the box I found three pouches full of goodies, each coming with its own direction sheet. The first pouch I opened contained the Ritual Tea Kit. The tea featured for October is the Thinning of the Veil tea which is designed to enhance communication with spirits during dreaming. It contains red rooibos tea, mugwort, patchouli root and herb, and mulled spices of clove, juniper, lemon peel, orange peel, and cinnamon. Mugwort enhances psychic power, astral projection, and prophetic dreams, making it the perfect herb to include in a spirit communication tea. According to the directions, the tea should be brewed for 3-5 minutes and be consumed prior to sleeping. The three nights I drank this tea before bed I had very vivid dreams which I recorded in a dream journal. I've never really kept up with a dream journal, but I felt this was the perfect time to start. Needless to say, the tea worked. It's slightly spicy from the mulled spices and bitter from the mugwort, but a spoonful of honey tamed the flavor and enhances the effects of the mugwort.

The second pouch I removed contained a pendulum and a pouch of herbs labeled Witches Sight. According to the information sheet, which has a pendulum layout on the back, there are a number of ways to cleanse, protect, and use the pendulum. The herbs in Witches Sight include sandalwood, lilac leaves, lemongrass, mugwort, eyebright, honeysuckle, and lobelia, which are included to raise energy and heighten psychic ability. This particular pendulum is light and made of Tiger's Eye which has powerful protective energy.

The final pouch contained some of the supplies needed for a Samhain Home Blessing ritual, including one carnelian crystal, two black onyx crystals, mint leaves, and Samhain blessing oil. The oil contains mullen, chrysanthemum, sage, birch bark, apple and Blood Orange, and Allspice essential oil. The oil smells wonderful and the peppermint, while dry, is clearly fresh. The ritual is well written and the instructions are clear. According to the ritual instructions, this ritual is to keep harmful or negative spirits from entering your home on Samhain. Despite the ritual being for Samhain, this sort of home blessing can easily be performed at any time during the year.

Overall I am very satisfied with this box. I look forward to seeing what November and December has in store for me. If you would like to see my unboxing video of this box, please check out my YouTube channel.