A Practical Guide To Witchcraft And Magic Spells Part 18

The full moon is ruled by the lunar Mother G.o.ddesses.

A Ritual For Drawing Down The Moon There are many versions of this G.o.ddess-focused ritual and it can be used to draw power into yourself and, if you wish, to channel wisdom from a higher source (see also the Charge of the G.o.ddess and the Charge of the G.o.d on pages 83 and 86). You can use it either for a specific purpose or for increasing your spiritual awareness and it can be used by both men and women.

You may wish during this ritual to focus on a specific lunar G.o.ddess form in her full moon aspect. The most famous one still central to modern Wicca is Diana, Roman G.o.ddess of the Moon, the hunt and fertility. Though, like her Greek counterpart, Artemis, she was worshipped originally as the maiden aspect of the Moon, in time she came to represent the full moon also.

Sometimes the Triple Lunar G.o.ddess of modern Wicca is represented by the cla.s.sical deities, Diana (the Greek Artemis), Selene and Hecate, being maiden, mother and wise woman or crone.

Isis, the Egyptian G.o.ddess who was both Moon G.o.ddess and mother of the Sun, is also a potent focus. If you are going to use a specific G.o.ddess form, study images of her in the days before the ritual or if you have a favourite statue hold it for a few minutes before bedtime. I have a wooden figure of the Moon Mother G.o.ddess sold to me by a Moroccan guy who said she was a patroness of his village. Whether that was a sales pitch or not, I still a.s.sociate her with palm trees and a brilliant Moon in a cloudless sky. However, you may prefer to tune directly into the physical light of the silver Moon as a source of power.

You can carry out this ritual either alone or with a group. Though traditionally it is the High Priestess who draws down the Moon into herself and then channels wisdom, each member can absorb the power in his or her own way and experience the connection between the individual divine spark and the collective Divinity. The ritual I have given can easily be adapted for either a lone pract.i.tioner or a group. If there is no Moon visible because of adverse weather conditions, you can use mirrors and candles to draw down the power.

* Surround what is to be your circle with silver candles. In the centre, place a mirror flat on a table or the altar so that the Moon is reflected within it. Have a single, large, silver candle near the centre of the circle so it can also shine within the mirror. If you cannot position the mirror so that the Moon is seen within it, place additional silver candles close to create a light within it (before the ritual experiment with white candles that you can use around the home afterwards).

* If you are working in a group, each person in the ritual should stand in front of (but not too close to) their personal candle.

* Light the central candle and then take a lighted taper from it to the northernmost candle and light it, saying: Thus do we light the circle of the Moon.

(If you are working in a group, pa.s.s the taper to the person standing at the candle, who will light it and say the words.) * Continue in this way, re-lighting the taper if necessary from the central candle, until the entire circle of candles is alight.

* Now focus on the mirror and the light of the Moon or candle and say: G.o.ddess of the Moon, [name one or more], Silver Mother, come to full increase, enter now those who seek your inspiration and healing light.

* Chant: Come down, O Mother, fill the sky with thy orb, come now, come, come within.

This may develop into a song or a slow rhythmic circle dance around the mirror, as you whisper the words on the wind.

* Project the moonlight, actual or visualised, so that it fills the mirror and creates a brilliant sphere of light around, over and beyond the candles, so that you (or the group) are within the sphere of the Moon.

* As the power builds, circle and chant: Within the Moon, within the power, within the Moon, now at this hour, we are the Moon.

* At this point there is silence and stillness. Then, one by one if you are in a group, speak words of wisdom, inspired by the light.

* When this is done, sit quiet in the light of the Moon or candle.

* Working widdershins from the last candle to be lit, the candles can be extinguished slowly, saying at each one: May the light remain within as the circle is uncast without.

* Leave the central candle burning as you write and burn wishes in it, written with a silver pen on dark paper.

* Finally, light a small, silver candle on a cake and if you are working in a group, wish everyone present a happy Moonday. It is said that the first birthday candles were lit on moon-shaped cakes on the festival of the lunar G.o.ddess Artemis and as they were blown out, wishes were sent to her that they might be answered.

The Waning Moon This is for banishing magick and for removing pain, sickness and obstacles to success and happiness. It will lessen negative influences, addictions, compulsions, negative thoughts, grief, guilt, anxiety, the envy and malice of others and destructive anger that is best let go. It can also be used for gently ending relationships and stages where there are regrets but still goodwill. A gradual binding spell to divert a person from a place or person can be effective, though binding spells are often done with the power of the full moon. The Crone G.o.ddess rules the waning moon.

[Insert pic p224]

A Banishing Ritual The ebb tide is very good for carrying away what is no longer wanted, but if you do not live near the sea, you can use any downward-flowing water, even a drain.

* Take either a dying flower or a long frond of seaweed to represent whatever it is you wish to banish.

* Draw a square around it, in the sand or in the earth or using chalk on a paved area. Say: These are the limits of your power, these are the limits of your sway, thus you lose your thrall, away, now, away.

* Rub out the square, saying: See, even this your power is gone, leave my life, your day is done.

* Cast the symbol on to the ebb tide. You may need to wade out to make sure it does not come back to sh.o.r.e. Alternatively, cast it into flowing water with a final: Away, no more stay.

* Do something, however small, to make yourself happy for the rest of the day, so that it has happy memories.

You may need to repeat the spell for a number of waning moons if the matter or person has a strong hold.

If the compulsion or person returns before the next waning moon, try this short ritual.

* Run a bath and add a drop or two of eucalyptus or pine and lavender.

* On a tiny square bar of soap, write a symbol to represent the problem, draw a cross through it and leave it to melt in the water while you enjoy your bath.

* Get out of the bath when you are refreshed and when the soap has completely melted, pull out the plug, saying: Sorrow grievous, flow to sea, never more to trouble me.

* Do something positive while the soap is melting. If you do not have time for a bath, you can melt your soap in a bowl or bucket and pour it down a drain.

12 - Planets and Angels

[Insert pic p226]

Different days of the week and hours of the day and night are a.s.sociated with specific energies and each particular time is ruled by a planet and an archangel. Though these were primarily centred on ceremonial magick, they can also be used to give focus and potency to informal spells.

The planetary and angelic hours can also be applied to the everyday sphere, for example by choosing the appropriate day and even hour for beginning a money-making scheme or a first meeting with a potential business partner or lover. You can further amplify the salient qualities and strengths of these times by using oils, incenses, coloured candles and crystals linked with the specific planets and angels.

There are also strong connections between the planet and angel of the day, though angelic magick tends to be used, not surprisingly, for rituals with a more spiritual and ecological or global focus. As you discover particular combinations that work well, you can add them to your Book of Shadows.

Planetary Magical Days Of The Week Though I have written primarily about the significance of the different days, I have also listed the effects of the planetary hours.

The planets have had a special place in both ritual magick and astrology, since the Ancient Babylonians and Chaldeans first observed them wandering across the sky (the word 'planet' derives from the Greek planetes, meaning 'wanderer') against the fixed constellations of the zodiac.

The ancients knew of only five planets - Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn. Ura.n.u.s, Neptune and Pluto were discovered only after the invention of the telescope and so have not a.s.sumed the importance in magick that they have in astrology. What is more, the first astronomers also counted the Sun and the Moon as planets and credited them with certain qualities that have become woven into the Western astrological and magical traditions.

Astrologers believe that the positions of the planets in the zodiac at the time of an individual's birth can influence and indicate that person's fate. In magick, the planetary strengths can be applied to any purpose under the As above, so below' principle that stresses the interconnectedness of the whole universe.

You can create your own spells by using the a.s.sociations, much as you create recipes by knowing the qualities and blending power of individual ingredients. And just as in cookery, those spells or recipes where you break away from the set formula are often the most successful.

For example, if you wanted to do well in an interview for a job, you might burn a wish in a candle of the colour blue - for careers - on Thursday, the day of Jupiter, who is a.s.sociated with employment and worldly success and all matters of increase; for extra potency, the candle could be surrounded with small blue sodalite or lapis lazuli, Jupiter's special crystals. You could also burn cedar, one of Jupiter's incenses or sandalwood oil.

If you needed more general career success, you could make or buy an amulet of tin, the metal of Jupiter, perhaps a coin from a museum shop that you charged with power every Thursday by sprinkling it with salt, pa.s.sing it through cedar incense, a blue candle flame and the fragrance of burning sandalwood oil.

If your projected job was to do with communication, technology or the media which are ruled by Mercury, you could carry out the spell on two consecutive days, beginning with the communicative power of Mercury on his hour, the third after sunset on a Wednesday (see page 235). You could light yellow candles and use a Mercurian crystal, such as yellow jasper or a yellow-banded agate, and burn dill incense and fennel essential oil. On the second day of the spell, the Thursday, carry out the spell again at the third hour after sunset, which on this day is Jupiter's evening hour, to add his authority and opportunities for expansion.

Planetary Days And Their Applications In this section I have listed the particular strengths of each planet, together with their most powerful times. Remember that, in addition, the sign you are born under will exert its influences on you at all times.

[Insert sym13] The Sun Sunday, the day of the Sun, is for spells for personal fulfilment and ambition, power and success, for increasing the flow of the life force, a.s.serting or strengthening your ident.i.ty and individuality, for innovation of all kinds and new beginnings. It is potent also for energy, joy, health prosperity, spiritual awareness, self-confidence, for bringing wealth and prosperity if there is poverty and failure, for breaking a run of bad luck, and for all matters concerning fathers. I have listed various solar deities in Chapter 4. Though there are powerful Sun G.o.ddesses, the Sun's focus is mainly male/animus/ yang in both men and women.

Sun hour spells bring a surge of energy and vitality and so are excellent for personal empowerment and renewal.

Element: Fire Colour: Gold Crystals: Amber, carnelian, diamond, clear crystal quartz, tiger's eye, topaz Incenses: Cloves, cinnamon, frankincense Trees: Bay, birch, laurel Herbs and oils: Juniper, rosemary, saffron, St John's wort Metal: Gold The Sun rules Leo, 23 July-23 August, and is most powerful for those born under this sign.

[Insert sym14] The Moon Monday, the day of the Moon, is for spells concerning the home, family matters and the influence of the family, especially the mother, children and animals. Its prime focus is fertility and all the ebbs and flows of the human body, mind and psyche. It is also potent for protection, especially while travelling, for psychic development, clairvoyance, secrets and meaningful dreams, all sea and garden rituals and for herb magick and healing.

Although there are Moon G.o.ds, lunar energies are primarily yin/female/anima in both men and women.

Moon hour spells are good for bringing unconscious powers to the fore and thus also for gaining magical insights and for bringing wishes into actuality.

Element: Water Colour: Silver or white (although some magical traditions that use the Triple G.o.ddess in ritual dress show the Maiden in white, the Mother in red and the Crone in black) Crystals: Moonstone, mother of pearl, pearl, selenite, opal Incenses: Jasmine, myrrh, mimosa Trees: Willow, alder Herbs and oils: Chamomile, lotus, poppy, wintergreen Metal: Silver The Moon rules Cancer, 22 June-22 July, and its spells are particularly potent during that period and for all who are born under Cancer.

[Insert sym15] Mars Tuesday, the day of Mars, is good for spells for courage, taking the initiative at home, independence and separateness from others, and change. It also represents aggression, compet.i.tiveness and anger, all qualities that can be used positively for altruistic purpose, for example, standing out against injustice and protecting the vulnerable and loved ones under threat. This is the lifeblood planet and so can be used to overcome seemingly impossible odds, to defeat opposition, to survive and thrive. It is also for physical health and vitality and so its rituals are always dynamic.

Mars rules pa.s.sion and the consummation of love. Like Fire magick, the energy of Mars is very powerful and so spells should always be for positive purpose and with a circle that can afterwards be closed down.

Mars was the Roman Warrior G.o.d, and legendary father of Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome. As G.o.d of both agriculture and war, he represented the ideal Roman, first as a farmer and then as a conqueror and so the agricultural Fire festivals are linked with his power. He is the Roman equivalent of the Greek Ares and the Viking Tyr, the altruistic Warrior G.o.d who sacrificed his sword arm to save the other deities (the word Tuesday derives from his name).

The hour of Mars is especially good for psychic self-defence and for courage in a crisis.

Element: Fire Colour: Red Crystals: Garnet, bloodstone, ruby, jasper Incenses: Dragon's blood, ginger, mint, thyme Trees: Cypress, holly, pine Herbs and oils: Basil, coriander, garlic, pepper, tarragon Metal: Iron or steel Mars rules Aries, March-20 April, and is the co-ruler of Scorpio, 24 October-22 November. In magick, it is most potent during these two Sun sign periods and for those born under Aries and Scorpio.

[Insert sym16] Mercury Wednesday, the day of Mercury, is good for spells to a.s.sist money-making ventures, for clear communication, persuasion, adaptability and versatility, for improving memory and sharpening logic, for learning, examinations and tests, for mastering new technology, for short-distance or brief breaks, and for conventional methods of healing, especially surgery. It is also potent for business negotiations, overcoming debts, repelling envy, malice and spite and those who would deceive. For this reason, Mercury spells must always be used with honest intent. Wednesday is also traditionally a.s.sociated with divination.

Mercury, the planet nearest the Sun, completes its...o...b..t in only 88 days and so is named after the fleet-footed messenger G.o.d who, like his Greek predecessor, Hermes, carried the healing caduceus. He is also linked with the Anglo-Saxon G.o.d, Woden, after whom Wednesday is named.

Mercury hour spells are good for finding a quick way out of difficulties and for melting rigid opinions in others.

Element: Air Colour: Yellow Crystals: Agate, citrine, falcon's eye, jasper, malachite, onyx Incenses: Lavender, lemongra.s.s, mace Trees: Hazel, ash Herbs and oils: Dill, fennel, parsley, valerian Mercury rules Gemini, 22 May-21 June, and also Virgo, 24 August-22 September. In magick it is most potent during those periods and particularly so for those born under Gemini and Virgo.

[Insert sym17] Jupiter Thursday, the day of Jupiter, is good for all forms of increase and expansion, whether improving fortune or career prospects or bringing promotion, power, ambition and joy through fulfilment of objectives. Jupiter's influence may be personal or more usually socially orientated; it is also potent for leadership, for conscious wisdom, creativity, for extending one's influence in the wider world, for idealism, matters of justice and the law, authority and altruism. Jupiter increases what already exists, so can bring greater prosperity and abundance or success and good fortune. It rules marriage, permanent relationships (both business and personal), fidelity, loyalty and male potency in both the human and animal kingdom.

Ironically, Jupiter can lead to excesses, including greed, addictions and obsessions, so it can also be used for banishing these.

Jupiter, known as the Sky Father, was the supreme Roman G.o.d, ruler of the universe. Like Zeus, his Greek counterpart, Jupiter controlled the thunderbolts, which were carried by his eagle, the n.o.blest of the birds. However, he ruled not despotically, but as the chief of a triumvirate of G.o.ds: the other two were Juno, his consort, and Minerva, G.o.ddess of wisdom, who made up the feminine principle of deeper, more instinctual wisdom.

Use the hour of Jupiter to profit from an opportunity to upgrade your life.

Element: Air Colour: Blue/purple Crystals: Azurite, lapis lazuli, sodalite, turquoise Incenses: Agrimony, cedar, sandalwood, sage Trees: Beech, oak Herbs and oils: Borage, cinquefoil, coltsfoot, hyssop, mistletoe Metal: Tin Jupiter rules Sagittarius, 23 November-21 December, and is co-ruler of Pisces, 19 February-20 March. Jupiter spells are therefore especially potent in the period of Sagittarius and Pisces and at all times to those born under these Sun signs.

[Insert sym18] Venus Friday, the day of Venus, is a.s.sociated with love and all forms of love magick, especially to attract love. Because Venus rules harmony and peace, however, if the success of a love spell depends on ruining another person's happiness and security, it tends not to work without repercussions on the spell-caster.

Venus is also invoked for beauty, the arts, crafts and music, relationships, friendships, blossoming s.e.xuality, the acquisition of beautiful possessions and the slow but sure growth of prosperity, for Venus rules all matters of growth. Like the Moon, she can be invoked for horticulture and the environment; because she can be a.s.sociated with excesses of unwise love and romance, spells can be created in her name to reduce the influence of destructive lovers and possessiveness. Also like the Moon, the spells of Venus are potent for fertility and for matters of women's health.

Venus is sometimes known as the morning or evening star and at her brightest she is the most brilliant object in the sky besides the Sun and Moon. For this reason, in many cultures she took the name of the G.o.ddess of beauty. She was Ishtar to the Babylonians, Aphrodite to the Greeks and her Viking counterparts are the G.o.ddess Frigg, the Mother G.o.ddess, and Freyja, maiden G.o.ddess of beauty and love, after one or both of whom Friday is named.

Spells at the hour of Venus are especially good for new love and the growth of self-love, for if we do not love ourselves we cannot love others creatively.

Element: Earth Colour: Green, pink Crystals: Amethyst, emerald, jade, moss agate, rose quartz Incenses: Geranium, rose, strawberry, vervain Trees: Almond, apple, birch Herbs and oils: Feverfew, mugwort, pennyroyal, verbena, yarrow Metal: Copper Venus rules Taurus, 21 April-21 May, and also Libra, 23 September-23 October. Venus spells are especially potent during these Sun sign periods and for those born under Taurus and Libra.

[Insert sym19] Saturn Sat.u.r.day, the day of Saturn, is potent for spells concerned with unfinished business, and with endings that lead to beginnings. It is therefore a good day for all slow-moving matters and for accepting limitations, as well as for overcoming obstacles that are long-standing or need careful handling. It also aids lifting depression or doubts, meditation, long-term psychic protection, locating lost objects, animals and people and regaining self-control whether over bad habits or emotions. It is also the planet of mystical experiences and of exploring the unconscious depths of the individual and collective psyche and for past-life work.

Saturn can be used to slow down the outward flow of money and to encourage repayment by those who owe you favours or money. It helps banish pain and illness and brings acceptance of what cannot be changed.

Saturn is the shadow side of Jupiter, and offers the reality factor, the constraints of fate, time and s.p.a.ce, but also turns challenge into opportunity, effort and perseverance. He represents the joy of Jupiter tempered by experience, the expansiveness of Jupiter held in check by caution. Saturn was the Roman form of Cronus, Greek G.o.d of time, who was deposed by his son Jupiter, after he had refused to allow natural change and progression. But even this led to joy, because Saturn was sent to Italy where he taught the farmers agriculture and engineering and he established a Golden Age of peace and plenty.

Saturn hours are especially good for bringing patience and for dealing with long-terms obstacles and difficulties.

Element: Earth Colour: Black/grey Crystals: Haemat.i.te, jet, lodestone, obsidian, smoky quartz Incenses: Aconite, cypress, patchouli Trees: Blackthorn, yew Herbs and oils: Aspen, bistort, comfrey, horsetail, Solomon's seal Metal: Lead or pewter Saturn rules Capricorn, 22 December-20 January, and is co-ruler of Aquarius, 21 January-18 February.

These Sun periods are most potent for Saturn spells and for those born under these signs at all times.

Magical Hours The hours of the day are also influenced by the planets. To choose the best time for a spell, you should consult first pages 227-32 on the planetary days and then page 235 where I explain the planetary hours. For example, if you were carrying out a love spell in which you wanted rapid results, perhaps for a special meeting, you could work on a Friday, Venus's day, on both her hours - sunrise and the third hour after sunset.

If you wanted courage in love, you would use a Mars hour on a Friday. If you needed to communicate your feelings, but found it difficult, you could add the energies of a Mercury hour to a Friday love spell. If you wanted a banishing spell for shedding excess weight, you could use the last days of the waning moon cycle when it is in the sky during the morning before it sets. The banishing lunar energies should take away the compulsion to binge that is keeping you from a healthy lifestyle and if you use them at the hour of Venus, this would increase your inner beauty and help to bring you to a state of self-love. Remember that the beginning of the hour is always the most potent.

The times of sunrise and sunset are different each day. Calculate the precise timings from true sunrise, which is the first hour of the magical day. Alternatively, for a less formal spell, you can make an approximation. Any good diary will have the sunrise and sunset for each day, but choose one also with the moonrises and moonsets. You will need a calculator if you decide to use the exact planetary hours.

You can calculate a week or even a month ahead if there is a period in which you intend to do a lot of magical work. In this way you can maximise the energies of specific hours and choose a good time for anything from asking for a rise at work to sorting out the budget with a reluctant partner. Enter the planetary and angelic hours in your diary or the appropriate section in your Book of Shadows. These calculations can also keep bored children amused on rainy afternoons - just tell them stories about the angels and planets first. Children also adapt quickly to angelic time - after all, it's far more fun if you change sad old bedtime into St Michael's hour and have a bedtime story by the light of his golden candle.

To calculate the magical hours, you need to divide the time from sunrise to sunset and then the time between sunset and sunrise by 12. At the height of summer, the days are much longer than the nights, so each 'day' hour will be longer than the 'night' hours. At the spring and autumn equinoxes, when day and night are equal, day and night hours will be of the same length.

As a short-cut, when you need instant magick, you can use the times of sunrise, noon, sunset and midnight and the day of the week energies, with approximations of hours if you wish. Combine the day energies with the power of solar magick, which tends to be more immediate than lunar. So if you are seeking a new beginning, go for dawn. For full power or realising your potential, carry out your rituals at noon, the height of the Sun, and for banishing spells, try sunset. You will know instinctively if it's a solar or lunar issue and whether you need a blast of Sun power or clarity, or more subtle Moon bindings or unravellings.

[Insert pic p234]

[Insert pic p235]

Table of planetary hours

Angelic Correspondences You can, if you wish, use angelic rulers instead of planetary ones for the magical hours, or combine the energies of both. In practice, if your magick has a spiritual focus or is concerned with healing or global or ecological matters, angels work better than planets. If you have calculated your daily planetary hours, your angels will correspond exactly.

As with the planets, each archangel rules the first hour after sunrise of his own day. Though many people do regard the Archangels as male, they are androgynous and so I have called them 'he' merely for convenience.

Many magicians from the Middle Ages onwards have used angels as part of formal rituals and they have long been a potent form of psychic protection both for guarding the four corners of the ritual circle and as personal guides in less formal magick.