A Practical Guide To Witchcraft And Magic Spells Part 19

Below I have given the a.s.sociation for each of the daily and hourly angels. Since angels are a very personal form of empowerment and protection, I have not made the descriptions too precise, however. To learn more about them, see the section in Further Reading on page 297, or try entering angels on your web browser. Images can be downloaded and form a focus for meditations, through which you can invoke each angel using your own higher self or consciousness. In this way, the protective angel draws on your own spiritual powers.

Archangels And Their Days Of The Week Michael Michael is the archangel who rules the Sun. Michael's day is Sunday.

Michael, the Initiator, brings illumination and inspiration in many spheres of life, through the efforts of our individual creative spirit. Michael is the guardian of all who stand alone with their unique vision for bettering the world and are not prepared to compromise their ideals for humanity, purely for money or fame. This archangel can be invoked in ritual for all creative ventures, for original ideas and individuality, contact with the Divinity and the Spirit Guides, for reviving barren land despoiled by industrialisation, and for cleansing air pollution.

Colour: Gold Crystals: Citrine and pure crystal quartz Incenses or oils: Frankincense and orange Gabriel Gabriel is the archangel who rules the Moon (see page 228). Gabriel's day is Monday.

Gabriel, the Integrator, brings increased spiritual awareness, mystical experiences, astral travel and significant dreams, as well as connection with the world soul and mind through the unconscious mind, especially in prayer and meditation and in beautiful, natural places close to water. He brings deepening spirituality within the family and work environment. He can be invoked for protection against inclement weather, for travel across water, for taking away sorrow and for diminishing self-destructive tendencies and replacing them with the gentle growth of new hope. Gabriel also rules rituals to protect water creatures and to cleanse polluted seas, lakes and rivers.

Colour: Silver Crystal: Moonstone and opal Incenses or oils: Myrrh and jasmine Samael Samael is the archangel who rules the planet Mars (see page 229).

Samael's day is Tuesday.

He is sometimes called the Severity of G.o.d and as such is an angel of cleansing and of righteous anger. One of the seven regents of the world and said to be served by two million angels, he is also called the Dark Angel who in the guise of the serpent tempted Eve. This is a very ancient concept in which kings and rulers were constantly tested to prove worthy of their sacred trust and so he is not an angel to invoke lightly.

Samael is also the avenger who offers protection to the weak and vulnerable and cleanses doubts and weakness, replacing them with spiritual courage to stand against what is corrupt, especially those who abuse power. He can be invoked for rituals to relieve those in war-torn lands, minorities who are being oppressed and endangered species Colour: Red Crystals: Garnet and bloodstone Incenses or oils: Allspice and dragon's blood Raphael Raphael is the archangel of the planet Mercury. Raphael's day is Wednesday.

Raphael, the Harmoniser, offers healing of all kinds, protects children, bringing guidance and sustenance to all who are lost whether physically, emotionally or spiritually. He can be invoked in all health matters, for spiritual knowledge and insight and for alleviating the worries of daily lives that keeps us bound to the Earth. Most importantly he shows us how to teach others our spiritual insights. He heals technological and chemical pollution and the adverse effects of modern living.

Colour: Yellow Crystals: Citrine and yellow jasper Incenses or oils: Lavender and clover Sachiel Sachiel is the archangel of the planet Jupiter. Sachiel's day is Thursday.

Sachiel, the Divine Benefactor, is the angel of charity who says that only by giving freely to others will our own needs be met. He works constantly to help others and to improve the lives of humankind. He can therefore be invoked for all rituals to bring better harvests, both physical and emotional, and for increasing abundance and prosperity, not just for a minority but the good of all. He restores rundown areas or cities where unemployment has been lost, blending new skills with traditional knowledge.

Colour: Blue Crystals: Lapis lazuli and turquoise Incenses or oils: Sandalwood and sage Anael Anael is the archangel who rules over Venus. Anael's day is Friday.

Anael, the Regenerator, is one of the seven angels of creation; he is Prince of Archangels and controls kings and kingdoms. His is pure, altruistic love, love of one's fellow beings and of all creatures in the universe. He can be invoked for all matters of forgiveness, both towards ourselves for what is past and towards others that we may be free from their thrall.

Anael brings harmony to places and people. He restores natural balance, healing rainforests, bringing wildlife habitats to the city and greenery everywhere. For his fertility is that of the whole Earth, rich in fruit, flowers, people and creatures of all kinds, whether living in the wild or in sanctuaries.

Colour: Green Crystals: Jade and rose quartz Incenses or oils: Valerian and rose Ca.s.siel Ca.s.siel is the archangel of Saturn. Ca.s.siel's day is Sat.u.r.day.

Though Ca.s.siel, the Conservator, is the angel of solitude and temperance, he was traditionally invoked for investment and speculation. In a sense, this is not incompatible, for true speculation is based not on random selection, but on deliberation and an almost intuitive scanning of any situation. He brings moderation in actions and dealings and development of inner stillness and contemplation.

Ca.s.siel can form a focus for rituals for the reversal of bad fortune and for conserving resources and places in their natural state. Invoke him for conserving history and tradition as a legacy for future generations.

Colour: Purple Crystals: Obsidian and jet Incenses or oils: Cypress and thyme

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Archangels and their hours

A Ritual With Seven Angels This would be a suitable ritual for welcoming a new baby or child into a family whether in birth, by adoption or through the joining of two existing families. It may also be used for sending a teenager out into the world. You can also adapt the ritual to welcome adults into a family or help them to move on to a new phase or place.

You might like to use a seven-branched candlestick, like the Jewish menorah, and light a candle on seven consecutive hours throughout the day. You could carry it out on the baby's christening or naming day or on a quiet day with the teenager. Alternatively, you could perform the ritual for seven days at the same hour of the day on the week before the christening or departure and make this a special family orientated hour.

It does not matter in which order you invoke the angels. Start at the hour that suits you best. If you keep to the same hour, you will work with the energies of each of the archangels over a seven-day period.

Alexandra, a friend who carried out the ritual for her son Sam who was going away to college, began on the first hour at sunset on Wednesday, which meant the ritual used the energies of the archangel Michael. The final ritual on the Tuesday was Sam's leaving party. Sam joined in the final candle-lighting just before his party and later said that when he was lonely or scared at college, he remembered the candles and felt protected.

If you cannot obtain candles of the right colour, use white. If you cannot find the right angelic fragrance, subst.i.tute lavender or sandalwood - these are all-purpose. For angelic crystals, use any of the colours a.s.sociated with the angel, if the specific ones you want are not available. The crystals need only be tiny.

I have set this out as a seven-day ritual but if you are instead holding the ritual on seven consecutive hours, then consult the tables above for the order of angels, as this will be different. You can start at any day or hour as long as you use the fragrances and candles or their subst.i.tutes of the ruling angel.

* Take your seven angel candles and place them in holders.

* Light a golden candle as the hour begins and then light your frankincense incense.

* Take a small, clear crystal quartz for Michael and pa.s.s it through the candle flame, saying: Flame high, O power of illumination, enter might of Michael's sword, inspiration, life-bringer.

* Pa.s.s the crystal through the smoke of the incense, saying: Enter through this fragrance the clear vision of Michael, fire of the Sun, light-bringer.

* Hold the crystal high in the air and circle it deosil, over the child, if present. If they are absent or would be self-conscious, use a photograph or personal item belonging to the child, saying: Endow, O Michael, - [name the child] that he/she may have the powers of originality and the creativity to make the world a better place by his/her presence here.

* Place the crystal in a clear dish in front of the candles and blow out the candle, sending the light to the person. Leave the incense to burn through and spend the rest of the hour in a pleasurable way with the focus of the ritual or in a family-orientated activity.

* On the second day at the same hour, light the Michael candle and the silver Gabriel candle, plus some myrrh incense.

* Take a moonstone, or other crystal of Gabriel, and pa.s.s it through the flame of the silver candle, saying: Flame high, O mystical guardian, with thy mighty sceptre, ruler of the waters of the Moon and the oceans, bringer of dreams.

* Pa.s.s the crystal through the incense, saying: Enter through this fragrance, the compa.s.sion and understanding of Gabriel, truth-bringer and clarion of hope.

* Hold the crystal high in the air over the child or their symbol and circle it deosil, saying: Endow, O Gabriel, - [name the child] that he/she may speak always wise words and gentle counsel, drawn from the depths of the universal well of wisdom.

* Place this crystal in the dish with the crystal quartz and blow out first the Michael and then the Gabriel candle, sending the light to the child. Leave the incense to burn. Again, spend a quiet but joyful hour.

* On the third day at the same hour, light the first two candles and then the red Samael candle and some dragon's blood incense.

* Take a bloodstone and pa.s.s it through the Samael candle, saying: Flame high, O protective spirit, dispelling danger and darkness, warrior of flame, bringer of faith.

* Pa.s.s the crystal next through the incense, saying: Enter through this fragrance, the courage and determination of Samael, defender of the weak and oppressed.

* Hold the crystal high in the air over the child or symbol, and circle it deosil, saying: Endow, O Samael, - [name the child] that he/she may never falter from a challenge and fear none who seek to oppress or intimidate with harsh words or unjust deed.

* Place this crystal in the bowl with the others and blow out the candles, ending with the Samael candle, sending the light to the child and leaving the incense to burn through.

On the fourth day at the same hour, light the first three candles and then the yellow Raphael candle and lavender incense.

* Take a citrine and pa.s.s it through the Raphael candle, saying: Flame high, great messenger, with thy pilgrim's staff, bringing safety to travellers far from home, O guide and keeper of all.

* Pa.s.s the crystal next through the incense, saying: Enter through this fragrance, the healing and nurturing powers of Raphael, teacher and uplifter of the spirit.

* Hold the crystal over the child or symbol and circle it deosil, saying: Endow, O Raphael, - [name the child] that he/she may pa.s.s between the dimensions and be as at home in the world of spirit as of matter.

* Place the crystal in the bowl with the others and blow out the candles, ending with the Raphael candle, sending the light to the child and allowing the incense to burn through. Again, spend time in a positive family way.

* On the fifth day at the same hour, light the four candles, then the blue candle of Sachiel and some sandalwood incense.

* Take a lapis lazuli and pa.s.s it through the blue candle flame, saying: Flame high, lord of all abundance, bringing increase of all that is good and n.o.ble and joy-giving.

* Pa.s.s the crystal next through the incense, saying; Enter through this fragrance, the benign and all-encompa.s.sing powers of Sachiel, bringer of knowledge and understanding of the universe and its creatures.

* Hold the crystal high over the child or symbol and say: Endow, O Sachiel, - [name the child] that he/she may know prosperity of spirit as well as of material blessings, and share willingly with others the fruits of good fortune won by endeavour and application.

* Place the crystal in the dish and blow out the candles, ending with the Sachiel candle, sending its light to the child and leaving the incense to burn through.

* On the sixth day at the same hour, light the five other candles and the green Anael candle and some rose incense.

* Take a rose quartz crystal and pa.s.s it over the green candle, saying: Flame high, gentle peace-bringer, spreading harmony and goodwill even where there is division.

* Pa.s.s the crystal next through the incense, saying: Enter through this fragrance, the love and fertility of Anael, bringer of reconciliation and connections between souls as well as mind and body.

* Hold the crystal high over the child or symbol and circle it deosil, saying: Endow, O Anael, - [name the child] that he/she may love all creatures, man, woman, child, bird, animal, plant and all sacred places, which is the whole world.

* Blow out the candles, the last being the Anael candle, and send the light to the child. Leave the incense to burn through.

* Finally, on the seventh day at the same hour, light a purple candle and cypress incense for Ca.s.siel.

* Take an obsidian crystal and pa.s.s it through the purple candle flame, saying: Flame high, you who bring silence and contemplation to a noisy world, spreading stillness and detachment in which the spirit may thrive.

* Pa.s.s the crystal next through the incense, saying: Enter through this fragrance the patience and perseverance of Ca.s.siel, bringer of wise caution and preserver of all that is of worth in our heritage.

* Hold the crystal high over the child or symbol, saying: Endow, O Ca.s.siel, - [name the child] that he/she may turn obstacle into challenge and maximise opportunities within the constraints of what is possible, rather than lamenting what is not, and build on the foundations of the old world a new and better place.

* This time, leave all the candles and the incense to burn through and if the child is present express in your own words, even to a tiny baby, how much you treasure them in your life and how they have enriched your being. Give the crystals to the child.

13 - Seasons And Festivals

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It was the day before Hallowe'en and my caravan site was closing for the winter season. As always, I had left the packing and cleaning to the last evening, reluctant to believe that as Samhain, the Celtic name for Hallowe'en, recalls, it really was summer's end. Then the worst storms in the UK since the 1987 hurricane blew up and suddenly there was total darkness. Fortunately I have a number of candles, but the light was not great enough to continue working (at least that was my excuse). All round was total blackness with only the sound of the wind and crashing sea and the centuries slipped away. Time without the clock was now measured by the burning down of the candles and took on another dimension. Though it had been barely five o'clock when the power cut occurred, it was already dark.

It truly was time out of time and the rhythms of the modern world that had ruled even my country haven suddenly ceased to exist. It was not possible to read, work, watch television, listen to music or, most importantly, keep an eye on the clock in order to know when to switch to the next period of activity or to meet external demands. I could not drive home because the roads were closed.

Suddenly, seasonal magick made a great deal of sense, for if you do live by natural light, then in winter, with its long and cold nights, your body will slow down and your priorities will become food, rest and warmth, needs expressed magically in the ancient festivals of winter.

Living By The Seasons It may be that our very early ancestors mainly made love in the late spring/early summer when the energies of the Earth were rising and the days getting longer and warmer. In this way, the newly pregnant mother could benefit from an abundance of fresh food in the summer and autumn and give birth at a time when she would naturally be resting for the winter with the dark nights. This would enable her to spend time with the infant before returning to the fields or to tend the herds in spring. This pattern is reflected in the old myths of the Virgin G.o.ddess, who became pregnant at the spring equinox and gave birth to the new Sun on the mid-winter solstice that became christianised as our Christmas.

So in these earlier and by no means idyllic times, everything - Earth, cattle, corn, humans and animals - was in harmony, not only physically, but spiritually. Fertility spells and the rituals marking the pa.s.sing of the year were a natural part of popular folk magick and of the everyday world and with the celebration of the harvest, so blessings were called down on every hearth and home.

Nowadays, even if you live in rural areas, it is very easy to miss the pa.s.sing of the seasons. With artificial lighting, central heating, cars and the availability of once seasonal and localised foods now flown around the world to meet an all-year-round demand, we can lose touch with our own rhythms and the natural fluctuations of our spiritual as well as bodily energies. However, as you work with the seasonal divisions of the Wheel of the Year (see below), so you will harmonise into your own natural cycle. Of course we can't stay at home all winter, but we can rearrange our priorities so that slower activities centred on self or family come to the fore. We may even, perhaps, try to spend at least a day a month when we live by the sky and not the clock, and sleep and wake with the light.

SAD, or Seasonal Affective Disorder, the recently recognised condition that seems to cause depression and inertia through lack of sunlight, may occur because we need to operate at full peak in the modern world at a time when our body clock is telling us to rest in our cave. Even in warmer lands, the absence of light can indicate a time for talking quietly with friends by candlelight, rather than seeking bright lights and music. On my visits to Andalucia, I have observed that, especially in country places, older people keep much more to the cycles that have determined the rural way of life for many centuries.

The Wheel Of The Year The Wheel of the Year, or Eightfold Wheel, is a magical and spiritual division of the year that may date back to the first agricultural societies. It was formalised by the Celts, although some historians believe that it was predated by an earlier threefold division that celebrated the beginning of winter, mid-winter and midsummer, and was perhaps linked to the movement of the herds.

The Wheel of the Year co-exists with the wider seasonal divisions of the year and incorporates the four solar festivals; these fall on the solstices and the equinoxes, the astronomical marker points of the ebbs and flows of cosmic energies. Between each of these solar festivals, which are known to witches as the Lesser Sabbats, is one of the four great Fire festivals that are major rites in the Wiccan and neo-pagan calendar, as they were to the Celts.

It is interesting to note that the Wheel of the Year is mirrored almost exactly in the Medicine Wheel, or Circle of Power, that is central to all the magick of the Native American Indians. The spokes of the Medicine Wheel link the celestial, human and natural cycles. The Medicine Wheel was made of stones and could be created wherever a tribe camped. Some were 90 feet in diameter, but research suggests that some were much smaller and were placed around ceremonial tepees to be used not only by the shaman but also by anyone seeking a spiritual path. Depicted around the wheels are totem, or power, animals, representing each birth month and season, the four main directions and winds. The totems vary according to each tribe's mythology. There are more than 500 different systems in North America alone.

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In the southern hemisphere, as I explained on page 42, pract.i.tioners can re-time the magical a.s.sociations so that, for example, the midwinter solstice falls in mid-June, rather than December. However, some parts of the world do not have four seasons. For example, parts of Australia and other lands in the southern hemisphere have just two, the wet and the dry, and others have three or six seasons. In parts of the US too, there are not such definite seasonal variations, while in Northern areas of Scandinavia and Canada, it may still be snowing and icy on May Day, so the Swedes, for example, have their equivalent of maypole dancing round then: midsummer tree.

In practice, wherever you are, you can either carry out the symbolic rituals at the times I have suggested or adapt them to your own clime. You may, indeed, find that if your ancestors came from another land or continent, your seasonal energies resonate more with theirs. Even if you live in Sydney or Florida, it may be that come November you instinctively hibernate; in this case, you may find the Celtic pattern right for you no matter what the barometer says.

Because the solstices and equinoxes are astronomical measures - that is they depend on the movement of the planets and stars - the dates will vary by a day or two depending on the year.

I have written in several of my books about the folk and religious lore behind seasonal festivals and there are many other good books on this subject. In this chapter I mainly focus on the way they amplify the positive energies of the universe and provide a personal connection to the ebbs and flows of the cosmic cycle of existence. The rituals can be either private or group celebrations of power.

They will also vary because they originate from many different myths, so that different G.o.ds and G.o.ddesses may appear in a variety of aspects. This may give rise to what seem to be contradictions, but in the coming together of myths this is inevitable and the G.o.d and G.o.ddess forms are a powerful metaphor for the energies of each era. One theme common to all, however, is the belief in a cycle, or wheel, of birth, maturity, death and rebirth, which underpins nature and, some believe, all creation.

The energies of the eight major festivals of the Eightfold Year reflect global as well as personal concerns, and our ancestors linked their own fortunes with those of the herds, the soil, the trees and the crops. This is a very valid principle of white magick and one that I have returned to many times in this book. If our spells focus, for example, on increasing general abundance at the time of the harvest, our own needs will be met as part of the cosmic process of regeneration.

What is more, the responsibility felt and still expressed in ritual by some indigenous peoples, for the coming of the rains or the annual rebirth of the Sun, is not merely an unlearned response as some anthropologists suggest. It acknowledges the interconnectedness of universal and personal life forces and the responsibility humans have for care of the Earth. As an ancient Malaysian proverb says: 'We have not inherited the Earth from our forefathers, but borrowed it from our descendants'.

Using The Seasons In Magick You can add extra depth and significance to your rituals by carrying them out using the a.s.sociated candles, crystals, herbs and incenses when the particular seasonal energies are at their height. Such seasonal empowerments will bring the related qualities into your life, to be stored for times when you need their strengths in your everyday world, perhaps at a time of change or crisis. After a year or so of tuning into the seasonal cycle, you will build up a repository of energies for every occasion, like an inner harvest ready for whenever you need them.

On the other hand, if an urgent need suddenly arises in your life, you can at any time of the year repeat the seasonal ritual most representative of the necessary strengths you require, to amplify the powers within you.

You can enter the Wheel of the Year at any point. Some people begin at the Celtic New Year in November, but it may be easier in modern life to begin as I have with the rituals of the early spring, when stirrings of new life first appear. The Celtic day is calculated from sunset to sunset and so the festivals began on the eve, usually the most important time in the festival, and continued for three days. The first we shall work with is the festival of Imbolc (meaning 'in the belly of the mother', and also known as Oimelc 'ewe's milk').

The Festival Of Imbolc Time: Sunset 31 January-sunset 2 February (31 July-2 August in the southern hemisphere) Focus: New growth, melting the ice, bringing light into the darkness, the return of the Maiden G.o.ddess This was the festival of early spring when ewe's milk was first available after the long, cold winter and the first shoots might be seen in the still-frozen fields. One of the Celtic names for the pagan festival was Brigantia, named after Brighid, the Celtic Triple G.o.ddess, here in her maiden aspect ending the rule of the old hag of winter. She was christianised as St Bridget of Kildare, whose day is 1 February. Brigantia was also the name of a Gallic Earth G.o.ddess.

Blazing torches were carried deosil around the still-frozen fields and sacred fires were lit on hilltops to attract the new Sun. It is said that Brighid went around the fields with her white wand of fire, melting the snows and stirring new life, so it is primarily a festival of light. In both pagan and Christian traditions it has involved the lighting of candles and torches, to restore warmth and light into the world.

The maiden G.o.ddess Brighid in myth mated with Lugh the young G.o.d of light and so, traditionally, a virgin was chosen to mate with the chief of the tribe to ensure the coming of new life to the land. It is said that, like Lugh, he embraced Cailleach, the old hag of winter who was thus transformed in his arms into the Maiden G.o.ddess.

In medieval times, a girl representing Brighid would be brought to the door of the main house or farmstead of a village with cows and a cauldron, symbols of plenty. Her straw bridal bed would be created close to the fire, adorned with ribbons and blessed with honey. Milk, the first available after the winter, was central to the festival as a symbol of renewed fertility. It was poured on the bed of straw. Workers from the farms and villages would approach the bride bed, and in return for a coin, a posy of flowers or tiny gift would receive her kiss, bestowing blessing on their trade and homes.

In churches, the candles that were to be used for the coming year in ceremony were purified on the feast of Candlemas on 1 February. Each person was given a blessed candle that acted as protector of the home against storms, fire and flood and defended cattle and crops against evil.

The energies of this seasonal festival are good for the regeneration of any areas devastated by neglect or pollution, for melting rigid att.i.tudes that may have led to conflicts between counties or ethnic groups, and the isolation and alienation of disadvantaged groups through prejudice. They are especially helpful for the welfare of infants, small children and animals.

On a personal level, these gentle rituals can bring mental, emotional and spiritual regeneration, especially if you have been hurt or lack confidence. If you carry them out, by Easter you will be filled with new optimism and a sense of direction and hopefully any new relationships, whether for love or friendship, initiated at Imbolc will be slowly but gradually developing.