Thursday This Is Your Spell – Light a Candle, Cast a Spell
Light a Candle, Cast a Spell
Article written by Melanie Fire Salamander;
Background for this story came from Sylvana SilverWitch,
publisher of Widdershins;
published in Widdershins – Imbolc, 1999 – Volume 4, Issue 7;
In Northern European societies, Imbolc or Candlemas traditionally fell at a time when, with the end of winter in sight, families used the animal fat saved over the cold season to make candles. I don’t butcher stock, and I’m not planning to render meat fat to make candles, but I like connecting with the past through candle-making. And though the days are longer now than at solstice, they’re still short enough that a few candles help.
To further your magical purposes, you can make a spell candle for Imbolc – a candle into which you imbue a particular magical purpose. Once you’ve made and charged your spell candle, you burn it over time to further your intention. I find spell candles particularly good for goals that require a period of continued energy to manifest, for example a new job, and for things I desire recurrently, for example peace and harmony for myself and the people around me. Also, Imbolc is traditionally a time of initiations, of divination and of all things sacred to the goddess Bride, including smithcraft, poetry and healing. To align with the season, consider making spell candles dedicated to these ends.
You can make two kinds of candle, dipped and molded. For spell candles, I’d recommend molded candles, so you can include herbs and other ingredients that wouldn’t mix evenly with dipping wax.
Things you need:
- Cylindrical glass container or containers
- Paraffin-based candle wax
- Double boiler or other large pot in which to melt the wax (keep in mind when choosing a pan for this purpose, once used for wax, it will no longer be suitable for cooking food…)
- Wick
- Scissors to cut the wick
- Popsicle sticks (tongue depressors), one per candle
- Metal tab to anchor the bottom of each wick (a heavy paper clip will do)
- Old candles or candle coloring for color, if desired
- Small objects appropriate to your spell
- Herbs appropriate to your spell
- Scent appropriate to your spell.
For your molding container, the best thing is the used glass from a seven-day candle. You can find seven-day candles all over, including many small ethnic markets or check your local pagan store. You can also use glass tumblers, jelly jars and the like. The larger the container, the bigger the possible candle and the longer it will burn. Seven-day candle containers have the advantage of having a good candle shape, so that the flame easily melts the wax at the sides of the glass. To accomplish your purpose, ideally you’ll burn the entire candle, leaving no stub, which is easiest to do in a container shaped like a seven-day candle’s. Make sure also that the glass of your container is fairly thick.
If you do use a seven-day candle, you’ll need to clean out any remaining wax. To do so, heat the glass in a pot of water to melt the wax. Be sure to heat the glass with the water, rather than introducing cold glass into boiling water, which might break the glass. You’ll need a bottle brush, detergent and some concentration, but it is possible to clean these containers.
Candle wax can be found at candle-supply stores and craft stores. It comes in blocks of two pounds each; the smallest amount you can buy is more than enough for several candles. For wick, again you’ll need a candle-supply or craft store. Lead-based wick, which has a thin thread of metal covered with cotton, is easiest to work with, but burning does release lead into the air where it is burned. You can also use pure cotton wick. The Popsicle stick, a craft store or drugstore item, is used to anchor the wick at the top of the candle. If you do use a seven-day candle container, and the tin tab at the bottom hasn’t disappeared, save it. Such a tab anchors the wick to the bottom of the glass, making sure the wick lasts the length of the candle. If you haven’t saved the tab, you can use a heavy paperclip or buy the real thing at a candle-supply or craft store.
The remaining ingredients depend on the intention of your spell and should have associations appropriate to that intention. None of these ingredients is required – you can make a spell candle by simply making and charging it, or by charging an ordinary candle. However, as with any charm, the more energy you put into in its creation and enchantment, the stronger the spell. I give some ideas for ingredients following; for a full list of associations, check your favorite table of magical correspondences, or see The Spiral Dance, by Starhawk; Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner, (this link is to the book, available on Google Books) by Scott Cunningham; or Aleister Crowley’s 777 (this, too, will take you to the book on Google Books).
The easiest way to color candles is to melt old candles with your wax. To get a strong color, use more colored wax. Don’t mix colors, or you’ll end up with a muddy brown. You can also purchase candle coloring at a candle-supply or craft store. For color symbolism, check tables of correspondences; as always, your personal associations and preferences are the strongest and most resonant. Some common associations follow:
- Red: Lust, passion, health, animal vitality, courage, strength
- Pink: Love, affection, friendship, kindness
- Orange: Sexual energy, earth energy, adaptability, stimulation
- Brown: Earth energy, animals
- Yellow: Intellect, mental energy, concentration
- Green: Finances, money, prosperity, fertility, growth
- Blue: Calm, healing, patience, peace, clairvoyance
- Purple: Spirituality, the fey, meditation, divination
- Black: Waning moon, release, banishing, absorbing and destroying negativity, healing
- White: Waxing or full moon, pro-tection, purification, peace, awareness; good for most workings
Probably the most common small object to add to a spell candle is a written expression of intention. Candle makers often add semi-precious stones; you can add a stone appropriate to your intention, for example sacred to a deity who rules that area of life, or personally connected to you, say a birthstone. Depending on your spell, other small objects might suit. If you’re doing a spell to invoke the peace of the ocean on a still day, you could include sand or seashells. A candle to draw love might include small cut-out hearts, one to draw money pieces of dollar bill. Note that any added objects should ideally be flammable, or if not flammable small enough not to prevent your candle from burning.
You can use herbs suitable for incense to further your spell. Use herbs you can safely burn indoors. Herbs may make a candle smoke and can combine with the wick to create a large flame, so use them sparingly. Also, herbs tend to clump at the top and bottom of the candle, often producing a stub at the end that’s hard to burn. However, herbs are easy burnable ingredients to add in line with your intention, and if you choose the right herbs they’ll smell good. For lists of herbs, try any incense-making book, such as Scott Cunningham’s The Complete Book of Incense, Oils and Brews (link to the book) or Wylundt’s Book of Incense (link to the book). To make sure your herbs smell sweet, burn a pinch first. Both the preceding books also discuss scents, which you can incorporate also. For a strongly scented candle, you’ll need to add perfume. It’s best to use candle scent, found at candle-supply and craft shops, or synthetic perfume oil. Essential oils are volatile and break down in the wax, leaving your candle with no scent at all.
The candle making process – As with any spell, start by considering what you want and what symbols represent your goal. Likewise, as always, don’t try to compel someone who hasn’t consented. Remember that what you do returns to you threefold. Start by collecting your ingredients and planning your candle-making for a day and hour appropriate to your intention. For spells of increase wait till the moon turns to waxing. Or phrase your spell to release something negative. If you need money, banish poverty. If you want love, banish loneliness. Give yourself a few hours to make your candle or candles, during a period when you’re unlikely to have your concentration broken. Just melting the wax alone, depending on the volume melted, can take from 15 minutes to an hour. You’ll be using the kitchen, so make sure you’ll have it to yourself or that any visitors will be attuned to your purpose.
First, melt the wax in the top of your double boiler. If you want all your candles to have the same color, add the crayons or old candles now. You can use a single pot if you’re willing to watch the wax closely – you don’t want it to burst into flames. Break the wax into small chunks beforehand, so it will melt faster. Heat the wax over medium heat, but don’t let it boil. If you want candles of different colors, you’ll need to melt the crayons or old candles separately, then add clear wax to about the right volume in the pot and mix before filling your containers. Add candle coloring according to package directions.
While the wax is melting, pad your working space well with newspaper, because you will almost certainly spill some wax. Make sure all your ingredients and tools are handy. If you have herbs in unmanageable sizes, for example whole rosemary stalks, break them down so the pieces are a size to burn without becoming small bonfires. Once the wax is fully melted, turn the heat low and let the wax cool till the wax on the sides of the pot starts to set, at approximately 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Cooling the wax a little helps prevent the creation of large air bubbles in your finished candle.
Now you’re ready to start forming candles. I usually cast a working circle at this point, calling my patron deities to witness, but without a lot of tools or formal setup. You can work as elaborately or simply as you like. However, I would recommend making the candle with focused intention, as well as charging it later. Take a moment, then, to focus your concept of your goal. You might create a running mantra to repeat through the rest of your candle-making, or consider an image or group of images to help you concentrate. Be sure to state your intention simply and firmly. If it seems appropriate, write your intention down.
First, if you want multiple candles with the same scent, or you’re only making one candle, scent the wax now. Next, cut a wick for each candle. The wick needs to be as long as your candle container, plus several inches. Thread the end of the wick through the metal tab or paperclip, or other object appropriate to your spell – for a money spell, you might anchor the wick with a folded bill. Then, drop the weighted wick-end to the bottom of the glass container. Making sure the weighted end sits flush on the bottom and the wick stays as straight as possible, wrap the other wick end around a Popsicle stick and set the Popsicle stick across the mouth of the glass. Make sure the wick-tail is in the center of the candle-to-be. The more centered your wick, the more evenly your candle will burn. If you’re using unleaded wicking, pour a little wax around the tab at the end, then let it harden firmly. Then gently stretch the wick taut, and rewrap the top around the Popsicle stick.
Next, add the nonwax ingredients to your candle. Drop your folded written intention, if any, and any other objects into the bottom of the candle glass. As each falls, imagine it adding strength to your spell. You can add herbs now as well, or you can add them to the top after pouring, if you want them to float down through the wax and be distributed through the candle. When your objects and initial herbs are in, pour the wax. Pour evenly and slowly, and try to make sure your wick stays in the candle’s center. If you want to add herbs after pouring, do so directly afterward. If you want to scent a candle singly, now’s the time.
The next part is the really hard part – set the candle out of the way, and leave it alone! It will take up to an hour to harden. You can continue to meditate on your purpose, set up an altar to formally charge your candle, or take down your circle for the time being. You might want to check your candle in this interim period, as the top’s center may form a depression, which you can top off with melted wax. To this end, keep some wax melted. When your candle’s solid, cut off the extra wick at the top, leaving about a half-inch.
Next, energize the finished candle with your intention. Cast your circle and call any deities or spirit helpers you like, if you haven’t yet, and restate your purpose. Then raise energy in your chosen manner. When the energy’s at its height, send it into your candle, then ground any excess into the earth, keeping what you need for yourself.
Finally, burn your candle. One of the great things about burning a candle in a glass container is that you can keep it going night and day in relative safety. Make sure, however, that the candle is in a place where no human or pet can knock it over, and where no combustible thing can fall across it. Also, at the end of the candle’s life, you might want to burn it while you can watch; it’s during the last inch or so that the glass will break, if it’s going to. Either way, just in case, burn the candle on a nonflammable surface, say an earthenware plate or a tile floor.
If you don’t want to burn your candle every day, burn it on days appropriate to your spell. For example, burn a love candle on Fridays, a day sacred to Aphrodite, Freya and other love goddesses. Again, tables of correspondences can help you figure appropriate days, or you can determine them astrologically. Or you can burn your candle when you feel particular need.
Ingredients for different intentions – If you can’t find or don’t like any of the following ingredients, by all means cut them, substitute or better yet create your own recipe from scratch! The stronger the associations for you and the more personal your candle’s creation, the more effective your candle will be.
- For divination and psychic work: Purple coloring; a small image of an eye, for far-seeing; lemongrass, sandalwood, cloves, yarrow and a pinch of nutmeg; frankincense scent
- For protection: No coloring; basil, Vervain, rosemary, St. John’s Wort and a pinch of black pepper; Vetiver or patchouli scent
- For healing: Pale blue coloring, bay, sandalwood, cedar, carnation, lemon balm; eucalyptus scent
- For peace and harmony: Pale blue or lavender coloring; lavender, meadowsweet and hops; lilac or any light floral scent
- For inspiration in the arts: Yellow coloring; a small image of a light bulb; a piece of amber; bay, cinnamon, lavender, orange peel; scent of bergamot, or any citrus scent
- To attract love: Pink coloring; small silk or candy hearts; rose petals; jasmine scent
- To attract sex: Red coloring; sexual images; rose petals, ginger, damiana, ginseng, a vanilla bean; musk scent
- To attract money: Green coloring; a folded bill or shiny dime; dill, lavender, sage, cedar, wood aloe; oak moss, Vetiver or patchouli scent, or some combination of these
- To get a job: Green coloring; a topaz or turquoise; pictures of tools you use in your work; bay, lavender, cedar, red clover, nutmeg; orange scent, or any citrus scent
As you make and burn your candle, attune to the season as well as your intention. Now is the time to ask Bride for inspiration and to light a new flame, beckoning the longer days to come.
Disclaimer: No one involved in this blog or its contents may be held responsible for any adverse reactions arising from following any of the instructions/recipes on this list. It is the reader’s personal responsibility to exercise all precautions and use his or her own discretion if following any instructions or advice from this blog.
Fair Use Notice: This page may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. This website distributes this material without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. We believe this constitutes a fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in 17 U.S.C § 107.
Thursday This Is Your Spell – Russian Divinations for the Solstice
Russian Divinations for the Solstice
from 1001 Christmas Facts and Fancies, by Alfred Carl Hottes
Five piles of grain are placed on the kitchen floor. Each pile is given a name, such as Hope, Ring, Money, Charcoal, and Thread. We girls went to the henhouse and roused a drowsy hen. She is allowed to walk around the kitchen and choose a pile of grain. If she chooses Hope it means a long journey or the fulfillment of a great wish. The Ring, of course, means marriage; Money is wealth; Charcoal portends death in the family; and Thread means a life of toil. How the conversation flows when these divinations are made. Old songs were sung, and the old women and country girls could devise entire stories from the action of the hen.
Sooner or later one of the girls would slip outdoors, and standing just inside the gate, but with her back to it, she would kick her slipper high over her head into the road behind her. Then she would run to see in which direction it pointed, for that is the way from which a lover will come or the way she will go to be married. And, alas, if the slipper points towards the gate she will not be married this year.
Some girls sit in a room alone with the doors closed. Two candles are lighted and two mirrors are used so that one reflects the candlelight into the other. The point is to find the seventh reflection and look until one’s future is seen.
Disclaimer: No one involved in this blog or its contents may be held responsible for any adverse reactions arising from following any of the instructions/recipes on this list. It is the reader’s personal responsibility to exercise all precautions and use his or her own discretion if following any instructions or advice from this blog.
Fair Use Notice: This page may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. This website distributes this material without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. We believe this constitutes a fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in 17 U.S.C § 107.
Thursday This Is Your Spell – Candle Divination
Candle Divination
from The Wiccan Garden
To perform any of the following, choose a room not usually subject to winds or drafts. Night is the preferred time, and it’s best to lower the lights. Use white candles except where otherwise indicated.
Light a candle and place it in its holder. Sit or stand before it and search for signs from the flame itself and its wick. If the flame seems dim, it may be best to hold off on plans for the time being. An extremely bright flame is a sign of good fortune, but if it quickly grows smaller, the luck will be temporary. If the flame waves about, bad weather may be coming, or a great change in circumstances is foretold. A spark visible in the wick indicates the imminent arrival of good news. If the flame turns in a circle or seems to form a spiral, danger is forecast. Finally, a halo around the flame indicates an approaching storm.
Another method of reading candles involves watching the manner in which the molten wax drips down the candle sides. Place the candle in a holder. Ask a yes or no question while lighting the wick. Watch it for some time. If the wax drips only on the left side, the answer is no. If on the right, yes. If equally on both sides, no response is possible. If no wax drips down, ask again later.
A rather unusual form of candle divination involves the remarkable properties of fresh lemon juice. Obtain a clean, non-ball point or felt-tip pen. (The type used for calligraphy). Since neither an ink-filled pen nor a pencil can be used, a sharpened, short stick may be substituted. Squeeze the juice from a lemon into a small bowl. Lay three, five or seven pieces of paper on a flat surface. Dipping the pen into the lemon juice, (write) a possible future on each piece of paper with the juice; the juice here acts as the ink. Since lemon juice is invisible and difficult to write with, reduce these futures to just a few words. Allow them to dry. Light a candle. Place the slips of paper into a bowl. Mix them with your left hand, then choose one at random. Hold the chosen piece of paper close enough to the flame to heat it but not enough to burn it. The heat will reveal the future written on the paper as the lemon juice darkens. This will determine the possible future.
Disclaimer: No one involved in this blog or its contents may be held responsible for any adverse reactions arising from following any of the instructions/recipes on this list. It is the reader’s personal responsibility to exercise all precautions and use his or her own discretion if following any instructions or advice from this blog.
Fair Use Notice: This page may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. This website distributes this material without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. We believe this constitutes a fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in 17 U.S.C § 107.
Thursday This Is Your Spell – Samhain Psychic Spell
Samhain Psychic Spell
From Scott Cunningham’s "Spell Crafts"
You will need:
- Small box or your Spell Box
- 1 large bowl
- 1/4 cup lemon grass
- 1 tsp. ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp. orange peel, dried
- 3 small polished amethysts
- 1 small polished aquamarine
- 1 small polished citrine
- 1 small quartz crystal
- 1 small bottle containing pure spring water, tightly lidded or capped
- 1 blue candle
- 1 candle holder
Begin by placing the lemon grass into the bowl. Touch it with your fingers. Relax. Breathe deeply and run your fingers through the herbs, visualizing yourself as a psychic person. Relax and send soothing psychic energy into the herb. Add the cloves and mix with the lemon grass, continuing to visualize. Add separately the nutmeg and orange peel, mixing them with the previously added herbs. Pour the mixed herbs into the box or your spell box while saying:
"Herb and seed and flower,
Give me psychic power"
Next, hold the three amethysts between the palms of your hands until they become warm, charging them with your visualization. Gently place them in the box. Repeat with the aquamarine, the citrine and the quartz crystal, adding each to the box. After putting the quartz crystal into your spell box, say these or like words:
"Moon light, Moon bright,
Waterfalls of trembling white:
Mirrors of the unseen world
Are unveiled in my sight"
Finally, hold the small bottle of water between your palms and feel its cool, soothing psychic energy. Place into the spell box with these or similar words:
"Dew and rain, fog and sea,
Awaken psychic energy:
This is my will, so mote it be"
Charge the blue candle. Place into its holder and burn for nine minutes before the spell box (do not yet close its lid). Close the lid of the spell box, then snuff out the candle’s flame. Burn the candle before the spell box every day for nine minutes until the candle is gone (closing the spell box between sessions). Whenever you have need of the box, even before the candle is gone, light the blue candle (or any other blue candle, if the original candle has burned itself out), open the box, and slowly say these of similar words:
"Conscious mind….
Is now blind…
Psychic mind…
Is now mine…"
Use as needed, especially in conjunction with use of tarot cards, crystals, rune stones, or other psychic tools.
Disclaimer: No one involved in this blog or its contents may be held responsible for any adverse reactions arising from following any of the instructions/recipes on this list. It is the reader’s personal responsibility to exercise all precautions and use his or her own discretion if following any instructions or advice from this blog.
Fair Use Notice: This page may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. This website distributes this material without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. We believe this constitutes a fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in 17 U.S.C § 107.
Thursday This Is Your Spell – Prosperity Spell
Prosperity Spell
from Fullmoon Magic
With ritual on a Thursday. This is a general prosperity spell to help with cash flow problems. It is intended to attract money and material prosperity into your life.
Supplies:
- a dressed green candle
- your favorite prosperity incense
- a High John the Conqueror root (or a Galangal root, or piece of Ginger root if you don’t have the High John)
- prosperity oil**
Gather all your materials and place them on the altar. Light the incense and the altar candles. Cast the circle. Light the green candle saying:
"I come here on the day
And in the hour of Jupiter
The ruler of fortune,
I light the flame of prosperity
To signify what I seek."
Pick up the root and pass it through the flame of the candle stating:
"I purify this root
To serve as a lasting token
Of my desire spoke this night"
Pick up the prosperity oil.
Anoint the root with the oil stating:
"High John (or Galangal or Ginger)
I annoint you with this essence of prosperity
That you shall serve
To draw to me the money that I need.
May it’s power add to your own
To speed good fortune on it’s way."
Pass the root through the smoke of the incense stating:
"I add the power of this
Perfume of prosperity
To those already bestowed,
That it shall increase your power still more
To bring me the prosperity that I seek."
Place the root in the center of the altar and meditate for a few moments on the great need you have for financial help. When you have this clearly in mind, visualize a green light coming from above to surround the root and yourself with it’s glow stating:
"Prosperity descend upon me
And this token of my desire,
The rich green glow of fortune
Shine brightly for all to see.
My financial woes are at an end,
As I will so mote it be."
Allow the candle to burn out and leave the root on the altar in front of it. Dismiss the circle. Carry the root with you to draw prosperity.
**
Madam Fortuna’s Prosperity Oil
From Gypsy Magic
The optimum time to make this oil is 5 days following the new moon. But it can be made any time during the new or crescent moon phase.
Supplies:
- A small item made of gold
- Olive oil
- Small clean container (preferably glass) with a tight fitting lid
- Powdered cinnamon or cinnamon essential oil
Instructions:
Place the item made of gold into the container. Add a pinch of cinnamon or a drop of cinnamon essential oil. Pour enough olive into the container to cover the item and fill the container to the halfway mark. Cradle the container in your hands and think about how grateful and happy you are for the prosperity that you already have, and for the prosperity that is coming to you. Gently breathe this gratitude and happiness into the container, continuing to breathe it into the container until it has been filled the rest of the way to the top with loving gratitude. Put the lid on the container, and tighten it. Tap the lid with your middle finger once and say
"Thank you to the Father"
Tap the lid with your middle finger a second time and say
"Thank you to the Mother"
Tap the lid with your middle finger for a third time and say
"Thank you to the Living Spirit in all things"
This prosperity oil will gradually increase in potency as the moon waxes toward full, and can be used at any time.
On the full moon remove the gold item – and gently and lovingly clean it. Drop a pinch of powdered ginger into the container. Cradle the container in your hands and think about how grateful and happy you are for the prosperity that you already have, and for the prosperity that is coming to you. Put the lid on the container, and tighten it. Tap the lid with your middle finger once and say
"Thank you to the Father"
Tap the lid with your middle finger a second time and say
"Thank you to the Mother"
Tap the lid with your middle finger for a third time and say
"Thank you to the Living Spirit in all things"
Hints and tips:
- If it seems that there is no prosperity in your life to be grateful for, think of something that makes you happy, or someone you love.
- A Sacajawea gold dollar is a great item to use – and they can be purchased for $1 at your local bank.
Thursday This Is Your Spell – Money Spells
Almost everybody is hurting for money right now, myself included 😦 We (almost) have enough to pay the bills, but very little extra. With that in mind, and today being "This is Your Spell" Thursday, I am posting some relatively easy to perform Money Spells. I tried to pick & choose spells that required ready to hand ingredients – kinda defeats the purpose if you have to go out and spend money to perform a spell you are doing because you don’t have enough money…
So with out further ado, here are a few money spells.
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To End Poverty
from Dark Moon Mysteries by Timothy Roderick
In this working you will clear away the psychic dead wood of the past, such as poverty and ill luck, to foster a new cycle of growth and prosperity. It clears away the psychic dross that keeps you from taking the actions needed to create a prosperous life. Remember, abundance flows from the Goddess and God. They are abundance. Connecting with the Gods in their aspect of abundance is connecting with that same part of yourself. When you yield to nature, to the Gods, nature will yield its bounty to you.
Moon Phase: 4th quarter, last night of the dark moon.
Purpose: to end a cycle of lack.
Items Needed:
The following dried herbs and resins:
- powdered sandalwood
- pine needles
- rosemary
- copal
- fresh rose petals.
- Optional: saltpetre
- White parchment paper.
- A box of crayons, colored pencils, or markers.
- An incense burner, chafing dish, or cauldron.
- A self-igniting charcoal (Three Kings brand is a choice).
- The usual tools for constructing a magic circle.
On the last night of the dark moon gather your herbs, combine them in a mortar, and grind them together. Make as much as you like, but you will only use about one tablespoon of the dried mixture total. After mixing, set it aside for a moment. Next create a circle on the floor using the fresh rose petals. Bring all of your ingredients and tools into the rose petal circle and cast a dark moon circle, using the petals as the boundary of the sacred space. Once the circle is cast, set aside all of your tools and sit in the circle’s center. Do the following meditation before continuing with the magical work.
Ending Poverty Meditation: There is a place deep inside of you where poverty lives. Close your eyes and take a few slow, relaxing breaths. Imagine that you are traveling inside your body to that place where poverty lives. Take note of where that place is inside of you. Also take note of what this entity, poverty, looks like. What is it’s shape and color? What does it say to you? When you have taken note of all this, return to waking consciousness and continue with the magical working.
Using the crayons, markers, or colored pencils, draw the image of poverty you saw on the white parchment paper. Underneath that image, make a list of the effects of lack on your life. How does poverty manifest in your life? The next step is a little more difficult, but on that same page make a list of the things you do to help keep poverty alive. What is your part in perpetuating poverty? When you are done, sprinkle the herb mixture into the center of the parchment paper. If you choose to use saltpetre, sprinkle in a half teaspoon now. Twist the whole bundle shut, so that the parchment makes a little pouch containing the herb mix. Light the charcoal and set the paper pouch on the charcoal. Soon this will smolder. As it does, imagine that the spirit of poverty is leaving your body. Imagine that you cut off all life support to poverty, imagine how you will not cooperate with it any longer. When the herbs are completely burned, the spell is done. If any paper remains, light that on fire. Be certain that nothing but ashes remain. Banish your circle and bury the ashes in a spot that you are not likely to tread upon. The magic is complete.
Do-it-yourself Money Spell
From: Barbara
Collect these items:
- a green taper or votive candle
- a small plate
- five pennies
- a squeeze jar of honey
- a small serving of cinnamon.
Find a quiet room where you won’t be disturbed for 20 minutes. Light candle and visualize yourself writing checks to pay off bills, getting back borrowed money, etc. Secure candle to center of plate with wax. Arrange pennies in a pentagram (five pointed star) around candle. Starting from the top, drizzle honey in a star pattern while praying to the deity of your choosing. Sprinkle cinnamon around the star while visualizing solutions to your money woes. (Be specific, but be careful what you wish for.) Snuff candle out with wetted finger. Don’t Blow It Out! Blowing it out will chase away the benevolent spirits. Light candle for five consecutive nights. Results usually occur within two weeks of spellcasting.
To Draw in Wealth
unknown source
Should be done during waxing Moon. Outside your door, under your doormat, draw the wealth rune in either green or white chalk (or paint it on with green).
Image from "Another Time"
Take four quarters (25 cent pieces), and place one above the rune, one below, and one on either side of the rune. Place the doormat over top of these. This should draw money from the four quarters to your home or business.
Disclaimer: No one involved in this blog or its contents may be held responsible for any adverse reactions arising from following any of the instructions/recipes on this list. It is the reader’s personal responsibility to exercise all precautions and use his or her own discretion if following any instructions or advice from this blog.
Fair Use Notice: This page may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. This website distributes this material without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. We believe this constitutes a fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in 17 U.S.C § 107.
Thursday This is Your Spell (and Herbal Info) – A Witch’s Garden Grimoire
A Witch’s Garden Grimoire
Unknown source
Midsummer and Gardening go so well together that doing herbal spells is a natural for this Sabbat. This Grimoire contains many herbal charms and spells for many different uses.
Wishing Spells and Charms
- Calendula: Sprinkle dried bits of this flower under the bed. Makes all dreams come true and protects the sleeper from evil.
- Dandelion: Sew tightly in a red flannel bag and wear around the neck to make wishes come true.
- Huckleberry Leaves: Burn in the bedroom before going to sleep to make all dreams come true within seven days.
- Job’s Tears: As you count out seven seeds, concentrate on a wish you have in mind. Carry these seven seeds with you at all times for seven days and your wish should have come true before the week is gone
- Lavender: Place some Lavender under your pillow just before retiring and think about your wish. If you dream about anything at all connected with the wish this means that it will come true.
- Lotus Root: Mark one side of the root Yes and the other side No and then make your wish as you toss the root into the air. You will then know if your wish was meant to be.
- Spearmint: Write your wish on a piece of paper and wrap in a few Spearmint leaves. Place these in a red cloth and sew it up with red thread. Keep it in a safe and secret place. By the time the scent is gone your wish should have come true. If not, this means that it probably won’t for a long time to come.
Love Spells and Charms
- Caraway: Protection, Passion. Add to love sachets and charms to attract a lover (physical sense) Carry the seeds to strengthen memory. Especially powerful to Gemini’s.
- Corn Flowers: Sprinkle in the area where you and your mate argue the most. It is purported that it will help to alleviate discord and strife.
- Damiana: Let some soak in a glass of wine for three hours. Thereafter sprinkle a small bit outside your front and back doors. Do this faithfully each day for 21 days, and it is said that before long your wandering lover will return to you.
- Dill Seed: Add a few grains to bath water before going out to meet a person of the opposite sex. Said to make one irresistible.
- Laurel: Worn by brides to guarantee a long and happy union.
- Marjoram: To attract a husband, put a little in the corners of each room in your house. Remove and renew about once a month.
- Orris Root: A love root, carried to attract the opposite sex and to make them love you dearly.
- Rosemary: Give a special friend a sachet filled with Rosemary. This is supposed to induce warm feelings in another.
- Skullcap: Supposedly if you place a wee bit in your lover’s shoes it will make that person unaffected by the charms of others.
- Spikenard: Brew into a tea and wet the picture of a loved one with the water so they will never leave you.
- Sweet Bugle: Crush a handful and place under your mattress to attract new lovers and possibly marriage prospects.
Protection Spells and Charms
- Angelica: (root) Protection, Exorcism. Grow in gardens as a protection, Carry the root with you as an amulet. Burn the dried leaves in exorcism rituals.
- Anise: Protection, Purification. A good, general cleansing bath is made with a handful of Anise seeds and a few Bay leaves. A pillow of Anise keeps away nightmares.
- Ague Weed: This can be mixed with any incense and burned to break the power of a hex that has been placed on you.
- Basil: Purification, Protection, Love, Money. Add to money incense, put a pinch of Basil in four corners of you home at the start of each season to bring prosperity your way. It is said that if you grow Basil in your garden, yell and scream at it, to make a strong plant.
- Bay Leaves: One in the corner of each room of a house is believed to protect all who dwell there, as well as the house itself. If you carry it on your person it is reputed to protect against witchcraft.
- Bladderwrack: To be carried by the traveler as a protection, especially when traveling by water.
- Blood Root: Place on windows and doorways to protect against curses and evil spirits from entering.
- Cinquefoil: Take an egg and cut a small hole in one end. Drain the contents and let the shell dry. Then stuff the shell with Cinquefoil and reseal the hole with tape. As long as this egg is kept in the home it will be protected from evil forces.
- Clover: Soak one tablespoonful in one cup of vinegar for three days. Then strain and sprinkle the vinegar in each corner of every room. All alien spirits will leave the premises.
- Elm Bark: To eliminate slander against you bury some in a box along with a piece of paper that contains the name of the individual who is speaking adversely about you.
- Pearl Moss: Sprinkle this across the front doorway of the home to only allow good spirits to enter (this actually works well in conjunction with the below Sulphur one).
- Sulphur: Burn at midnight near your back door to ward off evil.
Good luck, Prosperity and Employment Spells and Charms
- Alfalfa: Kept in the home to protect the owner against poverty.
- Basil: Soak a heaping teaspoonful in a pint of water. This water is then sprinkled in a place of business to attract money and success. If you have a job interview coming up, you can sprinkle this outside of the building where you hope to be employed (careful though – if someone sees you it won’t help your job prospects very much!).
- Cascara Sagrada: Used to help win court cases when brewed into a strong tea and sprinkled around the bed the night before a court appearance.
- Chamomile: Brew and use as a hand wash before playing card games or gambling.
- Dragon’s Blood Reed: Carry in your purse or pocket for good luck. Here’s a new one on me – supposedly if you place it under your mattress it aids in curing impotency.
- Galangal Root: One of these carried to court is said to make the judge/jury feel favorably inclined toward you.
- Irish Moss: Ah, me friends, ’tis said that if one places this under the carpets in their home that it will bring vast fortune.
- John The Conqueror Root: Just before going out to play a game of chance, wash your hands in water in which it has been boiled.
- Little John: Place one in Holy water to bring good luck to everything you attempt.
- Low John Root: It is said that if one wraps money around this root the money will multiply threefold.
- Silver Leaf: A potent good luck charm when kept in the home.
- Tonka Beans: Carry with you in a red flannel bag to attract good fortune and financial success. Particularly helpful before a business negotiation or job interview.
- Violets: Sprinkle some petals in the corners of your home. It is said to invite positive entities that can assist with healing and bringing money and luck unto you.
Health Spells and Charms NOTE: Illness should be treated by a medical professional! None of these are meant to replace the advice, treatment or medication prescribed by a qualified physician. However, it can’t hurt to use them with the proper medical treatment.
- African Ginger: Place under the pillow to cure a sore throat.
- Ash Tree Leaves: Place one tablespoonful of leaves in a bowl of water and leave it in the bedroom overnight while sleeping. In the morning it should be tossed out and then redone each night. Allegedly this will help to prevent illness.
- Betony: Strengthens the body when worn as an amulet.
- Caraway Seed: Place some in a small, white bag and sew with white thread. Hide in the crib or bed of a child (this means tape it under the bed so there is no possible way a youngster has access to it!) to keep the child free from illness.
- Coriander: Carry the seeds in a small bag to ward off disease and migraines.
- Dill Seed: Tie some in a cloth and smell to help cure hiccups
- Dog Grass: Sprinkle around the house to overcome depression. Do this for seven days and hopefully you will no longer despair.
- Eucalyptus: Said to protect against colds if stuffed into the pillow one sleeps on.
- Holy Herb: Use in bath water if you feel your sickness has been caused by a hex.
- Masterwort: When sprinkled in shoes it is supposed to prevent tiredness and weakness. Mixed with oil and rubbed on the neck should help alleviate neck pain.
- Mustard Seed: Carry with you at all times a few grains in a small bag, wallet or purse to guard against injury.
- Quince Seed: When a few are carried in a red, flannel bag it will protect the wearer from physical attacks and harm.
- Rose Buds: Place around sprains and bad bruises to help them heal quicker.
- Rue: To relieve a headache lay down with some placed on the forehead. Wear at night next to the heart to regain health from minor illnesses.
- Rosemary: Holding some while reading or completing tasks is said to improve memory.
- Thyme: Burn in the home to attract good health to all occupants.
- Valerian: This sewn into the pillow is supposed to calm nerves and bring about peaceful sleep.
- Vervain: Worn as an amulet, Vervain is noted for its healing powers in curing fevers and poisoning.
Misc. Spells and Charms
- Bay Leaves: Protection, clairvoyance, purification, healing. Burn the leaves to induce visions. Wear as an amulet to ward off negativity. Burn and scatter on the floor to purify area. Make a dream pillow of Bay, and put under your bed pillow to induce inspiration and prophetic dreams. For the best power do this with the full moon in Scorpio.
- Catnip: Chewed by warriors for fierceness in battle. Large dried leaves are powerful markers in magical books. Give to your familiar (cat) to create a psychic bond with the animal.
- Chamomile: Meditation, relaxation Prosperity. Use in prosperity charms to draw money. Burn as a relaxation incense for meditation. Make a tea with one tablespoon of Chamomile to 8 oz of water, and drink to relax or induce sleep
- Cinnamon: Prosperity, Passion, Healing. Use in spells for prosperity. Will stimulate and excite the passions of the male. Mix with Myrrh for a good general propose incense. Tie 3 Cinnamon sticks together with a green ribbon and hang on front door of business to bring customers. Lowers blood sugar.
- Dragons Blood: Energy, Protection, purification. You will know if you have the real thing, if it burns pinkish/red smoke. Put a pinch in with your magical tools, to keep unwanted eyes away
- Elder Flowers: Sacred to the White Lady and midsummer solstice. The Druids used it to both bless and curse. Burn at Beltane to comfort the Fairies.
- Frankincense (tears): Burn to raise vibrations, to purify your Magical working area. Burn during sunrise rituals of all kinds. Mix with Cumin for a powerful protective incense useful for all general workings. There is nothing that smells like it, soapy, sensual and the smoke is thick and white.
- Hops: Wonderful in healing sachets and incenses. A pillow of the dried fruit like buds, helps bring on sleep. String a bunch of the fresh buds and hang in bedroom of sick person, for improvement in health
- Juniper Berries: Used with Thyme in Druid incense for visions. Juniper berries strewn at the door discourages thieves. The mature berries can be strung and hung in the house to attract love. Crush berries in a mortar to release their pine filled aroma.
- Lavender Flowers: Love, purification. Used in love sachets and incense. Put 2 handfuls of Lavender Flowers into a square of cheese cloth and tie with a purple ribbon. Use this aromatic washcloth in place of your usual one. Lavender was thrown into Midsummer fires by witches as a sacrifice to the ancient Gods. Also used as an insect repellent.
- Life Everlasting Flowers: Purify, protection. Use in charm bags to keep young. Burn at Midsummer to honor the maiden. Bundle flowers with white ribbons and put under pillow to give sweet dreams.
- Mandrake (Mayapple): Place in the home for a powerful protective charm.The roots are used in image magic, as the American version (Mayapple) and the European version, resemble the limbs of humans.
- Marigold: Magical attributes include prophesy, legal matters, the psychic, seeing magical creatures, love, clairvoyance, dreams, business or legal affairs and renewing personal energy. Be sure to gather your Marigolds for magical workings at noon. A fresh Marigold flower can be worn to court for a favorable outcome of a trial. If you place Marigold in your mattress, you will have prophetic dreams… and if you place it under your mattress it will make whatever you dream come true. Since the Marigold embodies the sun, it can make a person more attractive and confident. Add Marigold to your bath water to make this happen. A vase of fresh and bright Marigolds in a room brings a renewed surge of life to those in the room. The leaves can be eaten as a salad and a yellow dye has also been extracted from the flower, by boiling.
- Mistletoe: Protection, love. Wear as a protective amulet. A good anti-lightning charm.Extinguishes fires. Hang Mistletoe and kiss the one you want, hence Kissing under the Mistletoe.
- Mugwort: Clairvoyance, Scrying, Protection. Rub this herb on Magic Mirrors and Crystal Balls to strengthen their powers. Add to scrying, lairvoyance and divination incenses. Use 3 tablespoons to 1\2 gallon spring (or rain) water to cleanse your Magical Mirrors, crystals and stones. It is used in magic as a love divining herb. To experience interesting dreams that are said to reveal one’s future, stuff a pillow with about a pound of this herb and sleep on it. The Indians used a decoction of the leaves for colds, bronchitis, rheumatism, and fever, and a poultice for wounds. The fresh juice is used to ease the itch of poison oak. To cure a headache, stick a leaf up your nose.
- Myrrh: Myrrh is used in magic for protection, peace, exorcism, healing, consecration, blessing, meditation and heightening spirituality. As an incense Myrrh can be used to help deepen mediation and to aid contemplation. Myrrh can be used in any ritual to the Goddess Isis, since Myrrh is a Goddess plant of the moon’s sphere and is sacred to Isis. Myrrh can also be burned so that its smoke can purify and protect an area, and the smoke can also be used to consecrate and bless objects like rings, amulets, and ritual tools.
- Passionflower: Passionflower has uses in protection and love magic. When Passionflower is used, it calms and brings peace to the home. You can sprinkle dried or fresh Passionflower over the doorsteps of your house or apartment to keep harm away. If you carry some of the herb in an amulet bag, you will make friends easier since it will work to increase your personal charisma making you more attractive and more likable. Place Passionflower in a dream pillow and it will help you get a good nights sleep. Place it in power bundles and use in love spells to attract love. You can also burn it as an incense to promote understanding.
- Pennyroyal: Put in the shoes to prevent weariness. Add to summer incenses and to prevent getting lost in the woods. Tie it to your bedpost to keep mosquitoes away. It is said to make one more aware and alert, and increase brain power. Brings peace between husband and wife when kept in a small bowl on a table or a dresser in the home. Carry Pennyroyal when traveling by water and never know the pangs of seasickness.
- Rose: Rose is known as the herb of love. Add Rose bud petals to bath water to conjure up a lover. Put red Rose petals in a red velvet bag and pin this under your clothes to attract love – or you can wear Rosehips as beads to bring love to you. Rose oil and Rose incense are both used in love spells. If you wash your hands with Rose water before mixing love potions, the potions will be stronger. Different color Roses have different meanings so you can use Roses to give someone a message magically. These are what the different Rose colors mean:
- Red: love you
- White: I love you not
- Yellow: I love another
- Moss: I admire you from afar
- Pink: My love for you is innocent
- Orange: I love you vigorously
- Amethyst: I will love you forever
- Wild: I love you because you are fair and innocent
- Rosemary: Wear a chaplet of Rosemary to aid in the memory. A good protective sachet for boat and ship passengers. Make a fresh wreath of rosemary for protection, hang in the home. Burn Rosemary and Juniper for a recuperation incense. Use for remembrance in Samhain rituals.
- Sage: Burn to purify a ritual area or magical tools. Used as a main ingredient in smudge sticks and herb bundles. Put in with Tarot cards or Runes to protect and keep clean. Sage is used for fertility, longevity, wishes, wisdom, protection, money attraction, purification, healing, and health magic. Sage that is being gathered for magical use should not be cut with a metal knife or athame. It is said that if you eat Sage you will become more wise and also immortal. Sage is often an herb used at handfastings since it will help bring about a long life and domestic virtue for the happy couple. Sage can be added to almost any healing spell. A good healing amulet may be made by putting a clove of Garlic, a bit of Eucalyptus and Cinnamon, two pinches of Sage and one pinch of Saffron into a small blue bag. This bag can then be worn or carried to promote healing.
- St. Johns Wort: Noted for its calming effect, valuable for nervous disorders such as insomnia, depression and bedwetting. The oil has remarkable soothing and healing action when rubbed into painful joints and strained muscles. Celtic tradition held that the druids wore it in battle for invincibility. Burn to exorcise negative spirits. Make a tea with 1 tablespoon to 8 oz of water, for a strong antidote for depression.
- Thistle (Blessed): Thistle has great value in protection spells and also is used to bring spiritual and financial blessings. If Thistle is thrown into a fire, it will protect the thrower from being struck by lightning during summer storms. Thistle can be carried in an amulet bag for joy, energy, vitality, and protection – in fact men who carry Thistle become better lovers! Thistle can be burned as an incense for protection and also to counteract hexing. Thistle powder can also be added to ritual baths to give added protection. Thistle can be grown in the garden to ward of those dreaded vegetable thieves, and a bowl of fresh Thistle will give off such good strengthening energies that it is the perfect thing to have in a sickroom. Thistle is a wonderful material to use to make magic wands for spirit conjuring and magical walking sticks. In England, the wizards of old were said to select the tallest thistle and use it as a wand or walking stick.
- Valerian: Love, Harmony. Use in love spells and to keep fighting couples together. Use in a bath sachet for a calming effect. Valerian has been used to treat nervous tension and panic attacks. Use 1 tablespoon to 8 oz water for a calming tea.
- Wormwood: Throw onto fires on Samhain to gain protection from the spirits roaming the night. One of the major ingredients in Absinthe. Burn in incense to raise spirits.
- Yarrow: Love, Clairvoyance. Used in love sachets and marriage charms, as it has the power to keep a couple together happily for seven years. Worn as an amulet it wards of negativity. A tea made of 1 tablespoon to 8 oz of water will enhance one’s powers of perception. Held in the hand it stops all fear. The beautiful flowers are a welcome addition to any magical altar. Yarrow has been nicknamed A Witch’s Best Friend.
Disclaimer: No one involved in this blog or its contents may be held responsible for any adverse reactions arising from following any of the instructions/recipes on this list. It is the reader’s personal responsibility to exercise all precautions and use his or her own discretion if following any instructions or advice from this blog.
Fair Use Notice: This page may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. This website distributes this material without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. We believe this constitutes a fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in 17 U.S.C § 107.
Thursday This Is Your Spell – Garden Magick For Litha: Three Spells
Garden Magick For Litha: Three Spells
Source Unknown
As Litha is a celebration of the God’s power and blessings on the crops, Garden Spells are popular at this time.
An old spell against weeds – (This hasn’t worked for me yet, but I found it in an old book of folklore and home remedies and it was interesting, so I’m including it.):
Under a waning moon, break a leaf from your garden’s tallest weed. Crush it between your teeth (Make sure it’s not poisonous, of course!) and spit it upon the earth, saying:
"Malum Depuo, Hostem Veneno Caedo Caedo."
(I have no idea the translation or exact pronunciation of this, as I said, it was in an old book). Cut off the rest of the weed stalk or stem with a Boline or silver knife and spread a handful of salt over the hidden weed root. All the garden bears witness to the act and it’s enemies must then withdraw.
A Chant for an Herb Garden on Solstice – Most every Witch has at least a small herb garden – this is a wonderful little chant to be said over your herb garden on the Solstice sunrise. I like to say it while watering my Herbs, too.
"Thyme and sage for sore throats, rosemary to darken hair,
Bergamot to make a tea, flax for me to wear.
Cecily for sour fruit, lemon balm a cake,
Chive to mix with salad and egg, Mint a thirst to slake.
The Wise Women of old with loving care
Grew herbs and gave poor folk a share,
And cottage gardens still are found
Where natures’ medicines abound."
A Litha prayer for the Earth – Say:
"Great God, Father of the Earth,
Shine down on this, your strongest day.
Blessed Goddess who gave us Birth,
Bless us who honor your ancient way.
As Summer’s light falls to the ground,
lending crops and trees it’s power,
the Summer winds blow warm and round,
touching the corn silk and the flowers.
We give you thanks, our Mother Earth,
We praise you, fire of the Sun.
We dance this Solstice day with Mirth,
from dawns’ first light ’till the day is done."
Fair Use Notice: This page may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. This website distributes this material without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. We believe this constitutes a fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in 17 U.S.C § 107.
Disclaimer: No one involved in this blog or its contents may be held responsible for any adverse reactions arising from following any of the instructions/recipes on this list. It is the reader’s personal responsibility to exercise all precautions and use his or her own discretion if following any instructions or advice from this blog.
Thursday This Is Your Spell – Summertime Magical Spells For Witchlings
Summertime Magickal Spells For Witchlings
From Baby Magic by Vidar Andrewson – Mind Fire
Decide what rituals are suitable for your child’s age and which ones are too much for them. I have tried to make them as simplistic as possible.
- Bubblemagic: Have you ever blown bubbles when you were a child? This rite is quite simple but will work if the right mindset is in order. First go out into nature, on a hill, in a field etc on a windy day if possible. Tell your child to make a wish and blow the bubbles. When they blow the bubbles their wishes are put inside the bubbles and carried up to the Gods & Goddesses. There the bubbles pop and the Gods & Goddesses will see their wishes and grant them. Explain to them that sometimes the bubbles will pop before getting there, due to being attacked by Loki’s forces who take the form of bugs, birds, crosswinds, people and other things. If they say a little prayer before the bubbles are blown to ensure a safe journey of the bubbles to the Gods & Goddesses then that will help them do beginning invocations.
- Kite Magic: Hand make a kite with your child(ren) doing most of the work. On the kite write messages of what they want, wishes. The message can be anything they want the Gods(desses) to hear. It can have a poem written on it, or a request or a simple happy birthday to the God during Yuletide for the beginning of our year. The thought being that the higher the kite goes it gets closer to the realm of the Gods and they can read it easier. If the kite string ever breaks and the kite is lost maybe the Gods have decided to keep the kite? Don’t lie to them but let their imagination decide what happened to the kite. If you lie to them they’ll never believe you again or will have doubts about what you say in the future.
- Balloon Magic: Write on a piece of paper your wishes, a song, poem or whatever you want the Gods(desses) to see. Roll up the paper and insert it into a balloon. Inflate the balloon with helium and let it fly on the end of a string <but don’t let it fly away because balloons are not environmentally friendly>. A good variation to this would be to put a handful of birdseed inside the balloon so that when it pops the seed will feed the Goddesses children, the birds.
- Water Magic: Work together to make a boat made of wood or out of scraps of wood. Fill the boat with fish food and a leaf that your kid has written his/her wishes onto. Before your child sends the boat into the water have them say a prayer of what they wish and that in exchange for granting their wish they have fed the Goddesses children, the fish.
- Magic with Fire: You will need to supervise your kids with this one. Have them write down everything that makes them mad onto a piece of paper and then have them toss it into a fire. If they want wishes to be granted by the Gods(desses) have them write, or draw a picture or what they want on a piece of paper and toss it into the fire. Tell them that as the paper gets burned up it turns into smoke and is carried up to the Gods and then magically turns back into a piece of paper and lands on their alter where they read it.
- Home For the Faeryfolk: If you have access to a forest this one is cool. Go out to the forest and assist your child in building a home for the faeryfolk there. Don’t use two-by-fours but branches instead. Make it as elaborate as you wish. Tell your children that sometimes the faeryfolk take on the form of animals and will move into the home you’ve built for them. To lure them into the home put a variety of fruits and vegetables inside and a note to them stating that you’ve built this home for them and if they wish they can grant you your wishes. When the winter snows start piling up they will be very happy you’ve built them a home and stocked it with food. They may feel grateful enough to grant you your wishes. There is also a post on making Faery Furniture here.)
These are only a few of the spells I am working on. feel free to use these and pass them around. Permission is granted to put these in publications as long as credit is given to me
Fair Use Notice: This page may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. This website distributes this material without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. We believe this constitutes a fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in 17 U.S.C § 107.
Disclaimer: No one involved in this blog or its contents may be held responsible for any adverse reactions arising from following any of the instructions/recipes on this list. It is the reader’s personal responsibility to exercise all precautions and use his or her own discretion if following any instructions or advice from this blog.
Thursday This Is Your Spell – A Smattering of Midsummer Spells
A Smattering of Midsummer Spells
Melanie Fire Salamander, at Widdershins
As a pagan, you may well light a bonfire Midsummer night and jump it, for Litha is a fire festival. Likewise, you may stay up to greet the Midsummer dawn. If you do, keep a pair of garden shears handy. Midsummer’s Eve at midnight, Midsummer’s Day at dawn and Midsummer noon are prime times to collect plants sacred to the sun or special to the fey. In fact, any magical herb plucked at Midsummer is said to prove doubly effective and keep better. Divining rods cut on Midsummer’s Eve are said to be more infallible, too. You can charge your charms, depending on their purpose, at midnight, noon or in dawn’s first light.
Charms traditional at Litha include those for courage, dream divination, fertility, invisibility, love, luck, protection, wealth, the restoration of sight and the ability to see the fey. Midsummer is a fey time, both by tradition and observation. The scent of the air is thick, green and juicy; it’s lost its spring astringency and is simply lush. The whole world is stretching its limbs and frolicking. The fey are big on that. Especially for charms of love, gardening and magical abilities, the fey are a great help in herb collecting. In exchange, they like gifts of milk and honey, cookies, sweet liqueurs, or any sweet food, drink or liquor. They also like baubles, particularly pretty or shiny. Or cold hard cash – but in coin, not paper, and it’s best if shiny. To stay in good with the fey and the herbs you collect from, leave enough of the plant or other plants of the type that the herb survives in the spot collected from. Remember too to always ask the plant before taking a cutting, and to wait for an answer. A quid pro quo usually works: a shiny dime, some fertilizer, or a bit of your hair or clothing – whatever you think the plant most wants.
Courage: Tuscans use erba della paura (stachys) collected on Midsummer’s Day as a wash against fear. Steep the herb in hot but not boiling water, then rinse the limbs with long strokes moving outward from the torso. You might substitute wood betony, a relative more common in North America.
Dream Divination: Litha is a good time for foretelling things in dreams. Specifically, to induce dreams of love and ensure them coming true, lay a bunch of flowers under your pillow on Midsummer Eve. That’s what the girls of old Scandinavia did. For effective dream divination, remember to keep a notebook beside your bed. At bedtime, relax, ground and center, then clearly define your question. Meditate on that question until it’s firm in your mind, and assure yourself you will remember your dream on waking. Then go to sleep. As soon as you wake, record your dream. One trick is to set an alarm clock so you’re wakened artificially, which can help dream recollection. Dreams dreamed on Midsummer’s Eve are said to be more likely to come true.
Fertility For Your Garden: For a lush garden, mix ashes from the Midsummer bonfire with any seeds yet to plant. (You still have time to plant cosmos and a handful of fall-blooming flowers.) Likewise, for fertility sprinkle bonfire ashes on any flowers or vegetables you have growing.
Fey Charms: To see the fey, pick flowers from a patch of wild thyme where the little folk live and place the flowers on your eyes. A four-leafed clover not only grants you a wish but also, carried in your pocket or a charm, gives you the power to see fairies dancing in rings. A good place to look is by oaks, said in Germany to be a favorite place for fey dances. To penetrate fey glamour, make and wear an ointment including four leaved clovers. St. John’s Wort, also known as ragwort, has a strong connection to the fey and transportation. You might add it to charms to travel quickly. The Irish call the plant the fairy’s horse, and the fey are said to ride it through the air. But beware: The Manx say if you step on a ragwort plant on Midsummer’s Eve after sunset, a fairy horse springs out of the earth and carries you off till sunrise, leaving you wherever you happen to be when the sun comes up.
Invisibility: Collect fern seed on Midsummer’s Eve for use in charms of invisibility. To become invisible, wear or swallow the seed (that is, the spores) you have collected. Such spores also put you under the protection of spirits. The fern is said to bloom at midnight on Midsummer’s Eve, either a sapphire blue or golden yellow depending on your source.
Love: Plant two orpine starts (Sedum telephium) together on Midsummer Eve, one to represent yourself, one to represent your lover. If one withers, the person represented will die. But if both flourish and grow leaning together, you and your lover will marry.
Luck and Human Fertility: As at Beltaine, leap the Midsummer bonfire for fertility and luck.
Protection: Herbs traditional to Litha (also know as St. John’s Day) in England include St. John’s Wort, Hawkweed, Orpine, Vervain, Mullein, Wormwood and Mistletoe. Plucked either at Midsummer’s Eve on midnight or noon Midsummer Day and hung in the house, they protect it from fire and lightning. Worn in a charm on your body, they protect you from disease, disaster and the workings of your enemies.
Sight: Dew gathered Midsummer Eve is said to restore sight.
Wealth: The fern also has a connection with wealth. Sprinkle fern seed in your savings to keep them from decreasing. The alleged golden-yellow fern flower, plucked on Midsummer’s Eve at midnight, can be used as a dowsing tool to lead to golden treasure. Alternatively (the Russian version), you throw the flower in the air, and it lands on buried treasure. Or, if you’re Bohemian, you pluck the flower and on the same Midsummer Night climb a mountain with blossom in hand. On the mountain, you’ll find gold or have it revealed in a vision. If you wait patiently till midnight on Midsummer Eve and see no such golden fern flower, perhaps invisibility will have to do.
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