A Practical Guide To Witchcraft And Magic Spells Part 21

Lughna.s.sadh, The Festival Of The Corn Harvest This festival accords with many of Wiccan principles, especially the Threefold Law.

Time: Sunset 31 July-sunset 2 August (31 January-2 February in the southern hemisphere) Focus: Willing sacrifice for the greater good, natural justice and karma, trusting the cosmos to provide by giving without seeking immediate return; also spiritual transformation, renewal of the life force by absorbing the powers of the spirit of the corn through food and drink.

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This is the festival of the corn harvest, called Lammas or Loafma.s.s, when on 1 August the first loaf is baked from the harvested wheat. It corresponds to the Christian harvest festival when in some churches corn is still offered on the altar, but the concept of offering up the first fruits to the deities in return for abundance throughout the year is a very ancient one.

The Lammas loaf, made in the pagan tradition from the last sheaf of corn to be cut down, was regarded as sacred by very early agricultural societies onwards. Before Christian times, it was believed to contain the spirit of the corn; the barley fermented by the autumn equinox was the blood of the Corn G.o.d, or the spirit of the crops, who in popular folk song was called John Barleycorn. This is probably the origin of the Wiccan cakes and ale ceremony. This last sheaf was cut by a number of people casting their sickles simultaneously, so no one would know who killed the Corn G.o.d, though he offered himself willingly so that there would be abundant future harvests.

As well as being used to make the harvest loaf, some of the corn was woven into corn dollies, symbol of the Earth Mother, decorated with the scarlet ribbons of Frigg, the Norse Mother G.o.ddess. These corn dollies would be hung over domestic hearths throughout winter. Some were made into the shape of a Corn Mother or a cornucopia, or horn of plenty, and others were tied into knots that bound in the power and protection. This art continues today in rural places.

The old name for this month in the Celtic Coligny calendar was Claim-time, when debts would be collected and contracts were arranged. Trial marriages for a year and a day were frequently set up at Lammas, by young couples simply joining hands through a holed stone - they could renew the contract annually if they wished.

Lammas evolved over the centuries into an occasion for craft fairs and festivals, with people travelling from miles around to sell their wares. There were also parades by the trade guilds, and hiring fairs where workers were found to help in the fields for the summer weeks.

Nowadays, the festival energies are good for fighting injustice for oppressed people or creatures, especially for making sure that workers in Third World countries are not exploited financially; for teaching new skills so that people in poor lands and deprived areas may have a chance to create their own prosperity, and for all acts of unpublicised charity.

On a personal level, Lughna.s.sadh is potent for rituals concerning justice, rights, contracts, business affairs, regularising finances and seeking advancement in career; for personal and legal commitments and partnerships of all kinds; also for learning new skills and trades and for mature people in their forties and fifties.

a.s.sociations Candle colours: Dark orange and yellow candles, to reflect the coming of autumn, and purple for justice Symbols: Ears of corn, corn dollies, anything made of straw; bread, cereals of all kinds Crystals: Brown agate, desert rose, fossilised wood, leopardskin jasper Flowers, herbs, oils and incenses: Cedarwood, cornflowers, Chamomile, cinnamon, fenugreek, ginger, myrtle, rosewood and sunflowers A Lughna.s.sadh Ritual For Renewing The Sacred Exchange With The Earth You can work around dusk, either alone or in a group or perhaps invite a friend or family member to share the ritual.

* Bake or buy a round loaf of wholegrain bread and a small bottle of barley wine, organic ale or a fresh fruit juice.

* Place the bread in a straw basket and surround it with ears of grain or dried gra.s.ses and pour the wine, ale or juice into a pottery jug.

* Light first a large, orange candle on a very large, fireproof tray and place it so that light falls on the food and drink.

* Burn gentle Chamomile, Cedarwood or rosewood oil or incense, saying: Spirit of the corn, I thank you for your bounty for giving your life for the life of the land and the people. I offer in return my crafts and skills.

* Take an ear of grain, straw, or a dried gra.s.s and pa.s.s it through the oil vapour or incense smoke and then begin to weave a knot, saying: I offer ... [make a pledge, however small, of some way you can use your abilities for the good of the family/workplace/community or any project dear to your heart].

* Now take a second gra.s.s and pa.s.s it through the candle flame, then weave it into the first, forming a second knot, this time asking for something you or your loved ones need.

* Place your miniature corn knot in a straw basket, continuing to make a double knot of pledges and needs, until you have exhausted your ingenuity. Pa.s.s each through the incense and the candle. (If you are working with others you can take it in turns to make and name your corn knots and place them in the basket. If you have a joint goal as a coven, you can work on a large knot to represent the collective energies and needs, by making individual knots and binding them together with red ribbon.) * Then take the bread and raise it above the candle, saying: I give thanks for this the willing gift and offer the first fruits to the Earth Mother who transforms and restores all in the ever-turning Wheel.

* Crumble some bread either on to the ground if you are working out of doors or into a large wooden or ceramic dish.

* Break the bread in its dish and offer it to anyone present before eating yourself.

* Take the wine or ale and raise it above the candle, saying: We give thanks and offer this free-flowing life force to the Earth Mother who reforms and renews all in the ever-turning circle of the year.

* Pour some of the wine either on to the ground or into the dish with the crumbled bread and pour the wine into a gla.s.s. (If you are working in a group, pour it into individual gla.s.ses and hand them round before serving yourself.) * After drinking, blow out the candle and say as a rising chorus: Power to the Sun.

* On the final word, blow out the candle.

* Bury your crumbled bread and wine in a hole in the garden or a large plant pot, saying: Grow anew, come forth in the spring and keep your promise as I will mine.

* If you poured the offerings directly on to the ground, plant flowers close by.

Keep your dish of knots. Take them out one by one and as you fulfil your pledges cast each into flowing water or from the top of a hill on a very windy day. Before long, your needs should be met, in a way that should bring you new opportunities, though perhaps not exactly as you planned.

Mabon, The Autumn Equinox Time: For three days from sunset on or around 21 September (21 March in the southern hemisphere) Focus: A time of abundance, reaping the bounty of the Earth and of celebration for life and its gifts; welcoming the waning, darker part of the year, the G.o.d in the Underworld or within the womb of the Earth Mother; for letting go and if necessary grieving for what is not fulfilled The autumn equinox, or time of gathering, was traditionally celebrated as the wild or green harvest, a time of celebration for the fruits and vegetables of the earth and the Earth Mother. This equinox is the second time of the balance between day and night in the Wheel of the Year, and sees Lugh, the G.o.d of light, defeated by his twin and alter-ego, Goronwy, the G.o.d of darkness. Goronwy was a.s.sociated with the Horned G.o.d as Lugh was with the Green Man, G.o.d of vegetation.

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Mabon, or Maponus, was another form of Lugh, and was regarded as the son of the Earth Mother and known as the liberator-prisoner. The Corn G.o.d lies fallow in the womb of the Mother. But because his sacrifice was willing, Death has no dominion over him and he grows stronger.

This is the time of the second harvest of vegetables, fruit and remaining crops, the harvest home that pre-dates Christianity. On the day when equal night and day heralded winter, the feast formed a sympathetic magical gesture to ensure that there would be enough food during the winter, by displaying and then eating in celebration the finest fruits of the harvest. Druids traditionally climb to the top of a hill to take leave of the summer Sun as the nights will get longer. Michaelmas, the day of St Michael, the Archangel of the Sun, is celebrated on 29 September. St Michael was patron saint of high places and replaced the pagan Sun deities in Christianity.

Today, global rituals concentrate on positive steps to ensure enough food, shelter and resources for vulnerable communities and individuals, relief of flood and famine, protection of endangered water creatures, dolphin, whales and fish whose death involves great suffering; they also look for peace especially where initiatives are already in motion.

On a personal level, autumn equinox rituals are potent for the completion of tasks, for abundance in all aspects of your life, including security for the future which may involve issues of employment or the need to consolidate finances; reconciliation, the setting down of unresolved anger and quarrels; all matters concerning retirement and older people, especially those who are turning their experience to new fields; the resolution of chronic health problems and all Water magick.

a.s.sociations Candle colours: Blue for the autumn rain and green for the Earth Mother Symbols: Ripe fruit and vegetables, autumn leaves, berries and nuts Crystals: Blue lace agate, aventurine, malachite, laboradite Flowers, herbs, oils and incenses: Chrysanthemum, geranium, lemon, parsley, pine, sage and Solomon's seal A Falling Leaf Ritual This ritual of the autumn equinox may be performed to shed fears and regrets and welcome the coming of winter. Anyone who has seen a profusion of swirling brilliant red, yellow, orange and vibrant brown leaves will understand that this is a time of great energy as the light battles but finally submits to the darker days.

As the winds blew at the spring equinox, bringing new life, now they and the autumn rains carry away all that is fulfilled and unfulfilled, leaving room for the quieter contemplation of a time when the Sun still shines and the fruits of the harvest are all around. In this way we can say goodbye to the summer with joy.

* Collect a basket of autumn leaves or any dying greenery and surround it with the fruits, vegetables, seeds, and nuts of the harvest.

* Place blue and green candles alternately at the four quarters, beginning with green in the West, marking out a square that holds both the joys and sorrows of the year that has pa.s.sed. Make the square large enough so you can work within it.

* Light first the blue candle of the North, followed by the green candle in the East and the blue candle in the South, saying: The light is born, increases, flames and flares, and with it our lives increase, intensify, we plough and plant, create and tend, travel far and seek our destinies.

* Light finally the green candle of autumn and the West, the Celtic direction of endings and the direction of the Otherworld, to which souls go for rest and regeneration, saying: The harvest is gathered and the fruits of our endeavours made great by the bounty of Mother Nature.

* Take now a large bowl (or your cauldron) filled with water and place it to the West of the leaves and the circle of the harvest fruits.

* Take a leaf to symbolise an ending, an unfulfilled hope or plan and another for one that was achieved or a problem now resolved; name first the sorrow and then the gain and drop the leaves into the bowl of water, saying: What is lost and what is gained are balanced and one and the same, as the waters of life flow on.

* Eat a nut or seed or a sliver of fruit, saying: I take with thanks the abundance of the harvest and I bid farewell to the summer with joy and not with sadness.

* Continue to name and float leaves and eat nuts and seeds until your repository of regrets is empty.

* Move the candles closer to the container of water and look into the water and see, either in your mind's vision, or on the surface images in the light and shadows. If you wish, drop blue and green wax from the candles on to the surface of the water to create images that may suggest ways in which you can make the darker days ahead rich and fulfilling.

* When next you go out of doors, scatter your unused leaves into the air, saying: Fly free, fly joyous, not in sorrow, to return renewed in the spring.

Use the remaining fruit and vegetables for a meal for family and friends.

Samhain, The Festival Of Wisdom Time: Sunset 31 October-sunset 2 November (30 April-2 May in the southern hemisphere) Focus: Ancient wisdom, moving between the dimensions, the intersection between past and future and so a present that is not limited by time and s.p.a.ce; welcoming the ancestors, confronting and overcoming fears of ageing and mortality This festival, recalled in the modern world as Hallowe'en, or All Hallows Eve, marked the beginning of the Celtic year that officially began at sunset on 1 November. It was an occasion for welcoming home family ghosts to the family hearth where their favourite food would be left. This custom continues today in Mexico and to some extent in strongly Catholic countries, such as France and Spain, and in France, All Saints' Day, 1 November, is a public holiday.

In earlier times people in many lands would put garlic on West-facing windows and open the shutters to allow the good family dead to enter It was also the time when the cattle were brought from the hills for the winter and either put in byres or slaughtered for meat, having been driven between twin fires to purify them. These fires also served to drive away bad spirits who were believed to lurk at the transition of the year. Food was stored for the winter and so it is a time of housekeeping, spiritually as well as physically and mentally.

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Fears of the unknown and evil have become focused around this festival: our ancestors projected their anxieties on to bad witches and malevolent faeries who might be kept away by a Jack o' Lantern, a candle in a pumpkin or turnip. The name derives from a legendary Jack who escaped from h.e.l.l and was ever after forced to walk in limbo carrying a hot coal.

In the myth of the Wheel of the Year, the descended G.o.d now guards the gate to the Otherworld and on this festival he holds sway. In some myths, the G.o.ddess enters the Underworld to be reunited with him and returns to Earth on the third day to prepare for the birth of the new Sun, the ascended G.o.d, at mid-winter.

The year too is dying and will be also reborn on the mid-winter solstice, so there is a cross-over of energies as the new year begins on the wane of the tide at a period of decline and darkness. Just as the Celtic day began at sunset, with the darkest part of the night still to come, the Celtic year begins in darkness.

This is a time for charities and initiatives to aid the family, the elderly, the sick and dying, to encourage experience to be valued in a culture that worships youth; also for the preservation of ancient sacred sites and the cultural heritage of the world, including the wisdom of indigenous peoples.

On a personal level, rituals are potent for family concerns, especially those about older members of the family or any who are sick or need constant care; for psychic protection, overcoming fears, for laying old ghosts, psychological as well as psychic, and for marking the natural transition between one stage of life and the next, for remembering the family dead and linking the young to the traditions of the past; also for increasing divinatory skills.

a.s.sociations Candle colours: Black, navy blue or deep purple, for letting go of fear, and orange for the joy of immortality that is promised at this time Symbols: The pumpkin, or Jack o' Lantern, apples - these are symbols of health and feature in Hallowe'en love divination, a custom dating from Druidic times - photographs and journals of deceased family members, to form a focus for happy memories, favourite foods, flowers and symbols of deceased relatives Crystals: Smoky quartz, apache tears (obsidian), very dark amethysts, boji stones Flowers, herbs, oils and incenses: Any seasonal yellow flowers -Mexicans scatter yellow flowers from the cemeteries to the homes on 1 and 2 November, their Days of the Dead - cypress, dittany, garlic, marjoram, mugwort, nutmeg, rue A Samhain Ritual To Move Beyond The Constraints Of Linear Time Unusually, this is a solitary ritual, so that you can make connection with your personal ancestors, though you may wish to share it with close family members. Perform it on Hallowe'en Eve, as it gets dark.

* Light an orange candle.

* Cut the top off a pumpkin or large turnip, to make a lid, and sc.r.a.pe out the inside and place the flesh in a bowl in front of the candle.

* When the skin is quite empty, do not draw a scary face with grinning teeth, but instead make eight large, regular, round holes in it to let in the light.

* Place a small, orange nightlight or tiny candle inside and leave off the lid.

Beginning anywhere in the circle of holes, look into each hole in turn, asking a question about your future life path and saying: Jack o' Lantern burning bright,let me pa.s.s through time this night,Seeing not a future set,but possibilities that yetI can seize as paths unfold,Jack, guide me to new joys untold.

* Shut your eyes, open them, blink and write down the first image that comes either in your mind's eye or in the circle of light.

* Continue until you have explored each of the eight windows of the future and have eight images. You can either interpret the images as referring to the eight time points of the Wheel of the Year, beginning with Samhain, or integrate them into a story about eight steps on your unfolding path throughout the coming year.

* Cook and eat the pumpkin or turnip flesh to absorb the magic.

* Leave the candle to burn down as you make plans for the future.

Alban Arthuran, The Mid-Winter Solstice Time: For three days from sunset on or around 20 December (20 June in the southern hemisphere) Focus: Rebirth, the return of light, the triumph of life over death, spiritual awakening, light in the midst of darkness, faith that the Wheel will turn and the life cycle begin anew.

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The mid-winter solstice pre-dates organised religion. When early humans saw the Sun at its lowest point and the vegetation dead or dying, they feared that light and life would never return. So they lit great bonfires from yule logs, hung torches from trees and decorated caves and homes with evergreens to persuade the other trees to grow again. So this really is a time of faith and hope and also an awareness once more of the responsibility of individuals to ensure by ritual and by giving hospitality to family, neighbours and strangers that at this lowest point (the yoke or yule of the year) life would be rekindled. This is a long way from the present commercial and consumer emphasis that has overtaken our Christian festival of Christmas.

The name Alban Arthuran means 'light of Arthur', named after King Arthur who in legend bore the t.i.tle Sun King. His round table represented the great solar Wheel of the Year.

The common theme of the festival that spans many ages and cultures is that the Mother G.o.ddess, under one of her many names, gives birth to the Sun itself, the Sun G.o.d. It is the same theme as the Virgin Mary giving birth to the Son of G.o.d in a cave or stable at the darkest hour of the year. The virgin birth features in several cultures and traditionally a candle (or other flame) is left burning all night on this longest of nights, to persuade the newborn Sun to rise again on Christmas Eve to light Mary on her way. The feasting of Christmas was another magical gesture to ensure there would be food again in the spring and good harvests the following year.

Globally, this is a time for rituals of renewed faith in the face of despair and cynicism; for work to provide homes and shelter for people, birds and animals, more efficient and humane welfare services; the regeneration of famine or war-torn lands; rekindling goodness even in wrongdoers, improving conditions in all inst.i.tutions; also individual charitable endeavours.

On a personal level, the mid-winter solstice is a good time for matters concerning the home and practical family matters, for money spells as well as abundance in less material ways; for relieving depression and anxieties for all matters where improvement, relief or success will come after patience and perseverance; also potent for rituals concerning the very old, unborn children, mothers-to-be, nursing or new mothers and newborn infants.

a.s.sociations Candle colours: White, scarlet, brilliant green and gold Symbols: Evergreens, Christmas trees adorned with lights, oak, ash or pine, brightly coloured baubles, gold, holly, ivy and mistletoe, nuts Crystals: Any precious stones, especially rubies, diamonds and emeralds, amazonite, garnets, zircons, spinels; you can also subst.i.tute gla.s.s nuggets in rich red, green and white Flowers, herbs, oils and incenses: Bay, cedar, holly, jumper, mistletoe, orange, rosemary, and frankincense and myrrh in golden-coloured holders A Mid-Winter Ritual To Celebrate The Rebirth Of The Sun This ritual should be performed on the solstice eve. To prepare, decorate a bough of evergreen with red and gold baubles and bows of ribbon and surround it with a circle of five long-burning, pure white candles or a single candle with five wicks. The first candle will need to burn for 24 hours, the second for about 18 hours, the third about 12 hours, the fourth and fifth for shorter periods, although you can always replace a candle by lighting another.

We are keeping to the Celtic time and so our ritual will end with the beginning of the new day at sunset on the actual day of the solstice.

However, if you prefer, you can celebrate 24 hours later or at a weekend where you can be at home for a longer period. Some families move the ritual to the Christian festival and begin on Christmas Eve. Alternatively, you can work for a shorter period, combining the stages and using fewer candles.

This is a ritual you can share with family and friends or with your coven, or practise alone, as an antidote to the bustle and sometimes frayed tempers of Christmas.

* Just before dusk, extinguish all lights except a tiny one so you can see what you are doing, saying: The light is gone from the old Sun, but we know it will return, pure and true, and with it the rebirth of our hopes.

* Sit for a few minutes in the darkness, avoiding conscious thought, merging with the energies.

* At dusk, light your first white candle, saying: The light returns; we offer our light to join with those kindled around the world that the darkness may be no more.

* Leave the candle burning and spend an evening away from all the frantic preparations that will be there tomorrow; share a meal, listen to seasonal music, talk about Christmas past, its highlights and disasters.

* When it is midnight or just before you are ready to go to bed, light the next candle, saying: The light increases, as the new Sun streams forth within the cave, soon to herald the new day; we offer this light, joining with our ancestors and those as yet unborn to call forth radiance.

* Leave the candles in a safe place and when you awaken, even if it is not fully day, light the third candle, replacing and re-lighting the others if they are almost burned down, saying: The Sun comes forth from the cave, in joy and glory and promise; we join our light with the rays of the new morning.

* Spend the morning out of doors, if possible, collecting greenery, or making tiny clay figures of the Nativity figures, santons as they are called in France, to create a personalised nativity, including figures to represent your family and friends.

* At noon, light the fourth candle, again after replacing any that are burned through, saying: I rejoice that the light surrounds us; the Sun lives and thrives and multiplies in a thousand cascading sunbeams.

* If possible, enjoy a festive meal with family and friends and make a phone call or perhaps take a small present to someone who is alone at Christmas and might appreciate a visit; if they will not be offended, invite them to join your family table.

* Finally at dusk, light the last candle, saying: Ever burn bright and warm on fields and sea and sky and all the creatures born of the Mother. We give thanks.

* At bedtime, extinguish your remaining candles, making wishes and saying: Go in happiness, bring joy and peace and plenty to all in need. Blessings on this Yule and on you all.

14 - Magick For You

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Creating Your Own Spells Spells for global causes, such as cleansing the oceans, regenerating areas of high unemployment and bringing peace to warring factions are important, and, as I have said, by focusing on wider aims you can attract abundance or harmony into your own life under the Threefold Law of magick. But sometimes you may feel you want to concentrate on a specific personal dream or need. And as I have also said many times in the book, if you are worried or unfulfilled in your own life, you are hardly going to have energy to spare to worry about rainforests. So in this chapter I have listed 12 of my own favourite rituals for a variety of purposes that can easily be adapted for your own opportunities or dilemmas.

You can also create your own spells very simply for any personal need, using the relevant colours, crystals, oils, incenses and herbs listed throughout the book. Having arranged any candles, crystals or incenses that can help to strengthen your own inner powers, you must first focus on your wish or need by stating what it is you want, perhaps in the form of a chant or power mantra, gradually increasing its speed and intensity. At first this may seem strange but as you can get caught up in the rhythm, some people find they like to dance or drum; then, finally, you can send the acc.u.mulated energies out into the cosmos.