Poeaxtry's Prism

Spell. Stone. & Sparks that Ignite Change

Tag: spiritual practice

  • The Story Behind Creating the Brand Name- Poeaxtry

    The Story Behind Creating the Brand Name- Poeaxtry

    Poeaxtry_ began as poetry, grew into ritual craft, lapidary art, and community care. All layered with me, Ax (me), at the core of every creation.

    The Story Behind Poeaxtry_

    Poeaxtry_ started as an idea, a name, a whisper. In 2022, my sister, my friend Dea, and I were brainstorming branding names. Just spit-balling, on snapchat what we thought would eventually be my poetry brand. I wanted a name that carried my voice, experiences, and survival. We landed on Poeaxtry_. Poetry with Ax (me) intertwined. A simple truth that has only rung more true with time.

    At first, it was just supposed to be for my poetry collections. Explore themes like (but not limited to): queerness, recovery, identity, and grief. But Poeaxtry_ is stubborn, and begged for more.

    From Poetry to Full Creative Practice

    Now, Poeaxtry_ encompasses not only my poetry, but handmade lapidary art and rock-hounded creations. Stones I’ve tumbled, polished, sliced for lapidary, slabs that hold texture and story. Ritual tools, wands, spell jars, pendulums, tarot readings, natural sprays, tinctures. Fossil jars and specimens that whisper the histories of the earth. Wreaths, wind chimes, altar decor, and other hand-crafted decor. Journals, zines, and collaborative publishing for marginalized voices. Every piece, every poem, every creation is layered with me, my hands, my heart, my history.

    Even as it grew, the Poeaxtry_ branding name still fit like it was made for this life. Poetry, craft, ritual, and community all intertwined. Each item, poem, ritual is a form of poetry itself. A record of what it means to live, survive, create, and witness.

    While you’re here, think about your own connection to poetry and craft. What do you create that carries you in it?

    A journal entry that tells your story? A handmade object you poured meaning into? A curated ritual, spell, or piece of art you crafted. A poem or reflection that sits in your chest.

    Comment below and share what feels most like you. I always find joy when I am able to see how art lives in other bodies.

    Poeaxtry_ is about more than what you see in any online shop. It’s about presence, survival, ritual, and care. Not only for myself, but for community. It’s about only leaving traces when ethical. It is a whisper. A chill. a silent look or a shared moment. Standing as proof that you exist at this moment, and that you matter.

    Share this post with someone who needs a little creative or spiritual inspiration today. Someone who wants to see poetry and art that live. Stones that speak. Crystals the cry. Rituals that are reminiscent of the care used to create them. Let them know Poeaxtry_ is a space that holds beauty, complexity, and truth.

    Check out Poeaxtry_ shops, portfolio, & internal links

    Etsy. Payhip. Gumroad. Ko-Fi. Amazon.
    Poeaxtry’s Links. Best of Poeaxtry. Journal. Poem

    Want to explore more?

    Visit Poeaxtry and the Prism’s Archive Cheat Sheet. Discover all post categories, with a blurb and link to full post archive for each. Then find every post in that category in chronological order.

  • Can I Use Two Different Candles on My Altar? A Witchcfaft Journal

    Can I Use Two Different Candles on My Altar? A Witchcfaft Journal

    Short answer?

    Yes. Of course we love a thrifty witch 🧙‍♀️.

    Long answer?

    Well. Let me walk you through the chaos that is my altar.

    Listen, not all of us have room for a perfectly gridded, four-element altar setup. We may lack custom-carved deity statues and matching polished crystal spheres. Some of us are working with a coffee table, a windowsill, or the corner of a bookshelf. It also holds our overdue library books, pocket knives, and a worry stone we named Frank.

    So when someone asked me,

    “Can I use a different candle 🕯️ for the center and the right side of my altar?”

    I laughed. Not at the question. I laughed at the memory of a time I used a single tea light. It represented all four elements and my ancestors. I even used it to represent the moon. I ran out of space and forgot to charge my crystals. 💎

    It is Yours! You can do a lot of what you Wish!

    Yes, you can use different candles.

    You can also use the same candle twice.

    You can use two different candles for the same thing, if that feels right.

    You are the architect of your altar.

    You can bend space and symbolism like it’s a game of magical Tetris.

    🪬 Doubling Up: The Art of Doing the Most with the Least

    I have one bowl that’s been:

    A water💦vessel A salt holder A scrying dish A temporary ashtray 🚬 A place to put gauges I wanted to take out mid-ritual

    I’ve used:

    A cinnamon stick as both: incense and a wand. A string of rosemary as both protection charm and aesthetic filler. The same jar of eggshells for protection, circle casting, and once in a pinch, to prop up a leaning candle.

    Yes. I have absolutely used one candle as both my “spirit” candle 🕯️ in the center and my “fire/masculine/right-side” energy. But I’ve also placed two candles 🕯️ on the right before when I needed extra firepower. No one came to revoke my witch card.

    TLDR; The Answer

    🕯 So, Can You Use a Different Candle for the Center and the Right?

    Yes. And sometimes it even makes things easier.

    Different candles 🕯️ let you split intention:

    One to hold your core (center/spirit/you) One to charge forward (right/action/fire/sun energy)

    You can dress them differently, color-code them, carve sigils into each one.

    You can whisper your intentions separately.

    You can even let one be tall and elegant, and the other short and angry.

    Magic doesn’t care about symmetry. It cares about sincerity.

    🚨Final Thought From the Altar Corner

    Whether you’re using one candle or a dozen, your altar doesn’t need to be Instagram-ready. It needs to be real. A little wild. A little weird. A little you.

    So yes use two candles. Use one candle twice.

    Use a flashlight in a mason jar if you’re out of matches.

    Use what you have, love 🖤 what you build, and don’t let aesthetic pressure steal the magic from your practice.

    Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go. I have to retrieve a rock that my cat knocked into a jar of moon water. Again.

    Links Wattpad Submit to Current Quarterly

  • What Makes Spell Work Work; Clear Intention, Personal Chants, and Charging Magic Without Tools

    What Makes Spell Work Work; Clear Intention, Personal Chants, and Charging Magic Without Tools

    What Makes a Spell Work?

    A spell works because you work it. It’s not the candles, the herbs, or the moon that bend reality. It’s your mind, your focus, and the clarity of your desire. When you strip away the shiny trappings, what remains is pure intention fueled by emotional weight. Your spell is a pulse of will sent into the universe; if your intention is fuzzy, the spell is too.

    I’ve seen spells fail because people hide what they really want or wrap it in vague “good vibes.” That’s the opposite of working magic. A spell demands brutal honesty with yourself: what exactly do you need, and why do you need it? Without that clarity, your energy scatters.

    How to Set Intention Clearly

    Forget vague phrases. Intentions have to cut like a blade through the noise in your mind. Here’s how I do it:

    Pinpoint the root feeling: Is it fear, anger, grief, longing? Don’t dance around it. Define the exact change. Avoid vague terms like “happiness” or “success.” Be specific, such as stating, “I want to stand in my voice without shaking.” Or say, “I want to stop feeling dread when I look in the mirror.” Own your boundaries: Spell work isn’t a free-for-all. What won’t you accept or give away in this process? That sharp line grounds your intention.

    Example:

    “I release the habit of shrinking myself, so others feel comfortable. I claim space with my whole body and voice.”

    It’s direct, emotional, and personal. That’s what makes it real.

    Writing a Basic Chant Personal, Raw, and Resonant

    A chant is your spell in sound. It should feel like your own voice speaking your truth no borrowed lines, no generic affirmations. Here’s what I do:

    Use simple, clear language that feels natural to you. Don’t force rhyme or flow if it’s not there. Repeat a phrase that hits an emotional nerve for you. Keep it short and raw just enough to summon the feeling you want to carry.

    Example chant I wrote for reclaiming strength:

    “I am here. I am loud. I am not afraid.”

    Another, for healing after trauma:

    “Pain was real, pain is passed. I am whole again.”

    These aren’t polished or pretty; they’re honest and charged because they’re mine.

    Charging a Spell Without Tools & How to Use Passive Magic

    You don’t need crystals, candles, or herbs to charge a spell. Your presence and focus are the tools.

    Passive magic means charging your spell by being holding your intention steady through everyday moments:

    Walking in the woods, feeling your feet on the earth. Breathing deeply and letting the intention root in your body. Carrying your chant silently in your mind throughout the day.

    No elaborate ritual required. The magic works when your mind and body believe it.

    In contrast, active magic is deliberate action: chanting aloud, lighting candles, or making gestures. Both work, but passive magic is powerful for those times you can’t or won’t perform a ritual.

    Final Thoughts

    Spell work is not about perfection or presentation. It’s about showing up raw and honest to yourself. Name your truth. Send that truth out into the world with confidence. When your intention is sharp, your chant becomes your voice. Your energy is real. Without tools, your magic still moves.

    Support the work that feeds, steadies, and teaches! Consider a donation via CashApp, PayPal, Ko-Fi, or Buy Me a Coffee. This will keep the projects and community alive.

    Links

  • Do You Practice Religion? – A Prompt Response on Belief, Boundaries, and Becoming

    Do You Practice Religion? – A Prompt Response on Belief, Boundaries, and Becoming

    Do you practice religion?

    I practice silence

    in the hollows of trees,

    where light filters down like old hymns

    with all the gender ripped out of them.

    I do not kneel before a god

    who would ask me to cut parts of myself away.

    But I do kneel in the dirt

    to plant lavender

    for the people I’ve loved

    and the versions of myself

    I’ve had to bury.

    I do not call it religion.

    But I know what reverence feels like

    when the wind folds around me gently,

    as if to say,

    “I see you, and you’re still here.”

    I leave offerings on stone—

    words, sometimes tears,

    bits of quartz,

    a breath held long enough

    to mean something.

    I light candles for trans joy

    and for safety, that doesn’t feel like a question.

    I draw sigils in journals

    and stir hope into my coffee

    with cinnamon and spells.

    My practice is survival.

    It is making the ordinary holy

    because I was once told I wasn’t.

    It’s the spell work of staying.

    The prayer of not vanishing.

    No altar, no pews,

    but a thousand wild sanctuaries

    where grief and softness can sit side by side.

    Call it what you want—

    but when I speak my truth

    and let it live out loud,

    that feels close to worship.

    That feels like a homecoming.

    Spirituality

    🌿 If you practice belief in your own way through soil, silence, or survival. I’d love to hear how. Leave a comment or share your reflection. Your voice belongs here.

    links witchy

  • What’s Your Craft? Exploring the Power of Witchcraft, Creativity, and Ritual

    What’s Your Craft? Exploring the Power of Witchcraft, Creativity, and Ritual

    Here is the original post

    Daily spur

    Craft is one of those rare words that refuses to be boxed in.

    As a noun, it speaks to the artistry of our hands, the steady, patient making of something real. Pottery. Woodwork. Poems stitched from lived experience. It’s tactile. Rooted. Intentional.

    As a verb, it’s the act of shaping.

    To craft is to labor with love, to chisel something from nothing a story, a home, a spell. It’s not just about hands; it’s about heart, history, and sometimes hardship.

    Then there’s a craft the kind that takes to water or air, built to carry us far from where we began. A vessel. A leap of faith. Something that sails or soars, as we do when we dare to create.

    But my favorite use?
    The Craft.
    Witchcraft.

    Ancestral. Personal. A reclamation of power in a world that too often tries to take it.
    It’s not all candles and crystals. Sometimes, it’s shadow work, hex-breaking, protection,
    or grief alchemy. It’s the silence of a ritual done
    in secret, or the roar of community rising in a circle.

    And here’s the thing…
    We should all try to be as versatile, as flexible, as unapologetically multifaceted as the word craft itself.
    To be a maker and a mover.
    To hold stillness and momentum.
    To be the spell, the hands that cast it, and the vessel it travels in.
    So, tell me what’s your craft?

    What do you build, shape, summon, or release?
    Whether you work with herbs or heartache, paint or protest, your craft is sacred.
    Share it. Speak it. Own it.
    Seriously feel free to share whatever you’d like 👍

    Much love always,
    Axton N.O. Mitchell
    Poeaxtry_