A Practical Guide To Witchcraft And Magic Spells Part 7

It is also used on some altars to represent the G.o.ddess, with a gold candle for the Horned G.o.d. Silver is potent in all forms of divination, but especially for candle divination, for awakening clairvoyant powers, telepathic and psychometric abilities, astral projection, for rituals to invoke anima (female) power, for intuition and mysticism. It represents dreams, visions and a desire for fulfilment beyond the material world.

In times of stress and sorrow, silver candles can remove negativity, promote inner stability and bring to the fore your hidden potential. Silver candles are excellent for scrying, especially by the full moon, and for all magick involving the female life and for female fertility.

Silver candles are best used on a Monday.

Gold Gold is the colour of the Sun and is a.s.sociated with the solar deities, for example, the Egyptian Ra. In Ancient Greece, Helios, the Sun G.o.d, was worshipped each dawn as he emerged in the East and drove his chariot of winged horses around the Sky before plunging into the ocean in the West at sunset.

Gold is potent for worldly achievement, wealth and recognition, for long life, ambitious schemes and money-making rituals that require an instant or substantial return. The colour of male potency and fertility, it represents animus (male) power, energy and change and all rituals with n.o.ble or altruistic purpose.

Gold is best used on a Sunday.

Using Colour In Rituals You can also use coloured candles as a focus for wishes in a particular area of experience represented by the colour. So you might write a wish for a better memory on yellow paper and burn it in a yellow candle, the colour of Mercury. You could then collect the ash in a heatproof ceramic pot or metal bowl beneath the candle and scatter it to the four winds. For banishing an injustice, you might write about the event on dark blue paper, burn it in the blue candle of Jupiter and bury the ashes.

Around the home, different coloured candles can be burned for different purposes. Scented candles can also amplify the colour energies. See pages 128 and 139 for the meanings of different perfumes.

A Block And White Candle Ritual This is a ritual for a new beginning after sorrow or loss. You can carry out this ritual for yourself or someone you know who is grieving or unhappy after a betrayal. It is especially healing if you are feeling angry over unjust or cruel treatment, because it can stop any guilt, blame or pain turning inwards and slowing the healing process. You may need to repeat the experience many times. This is an essentially private ritual, but if you are doing it on behalf of someone else, then you might like to invite them to share the experience.

The best time to use this magick is towards the end of the waning moon cycle, late in the evening before the Moon has risen.

* Take a small black candle and a large white one and place them side by side in your cauldron, on a metal tray or in a sand-filled, heatproof bowl.

* On the black candle, etch a symbol or word to represent your sorrow or anger about a third of the way down the candle. As you do so, send all the negative feelings into the wax.

* Light the candle and say: Burn, burn,sorrow turn,melt away,do not stay.

Go in peace,trouble cease.

* Burn pieces of black wool, cut from a large ball with a knife, not scissors, naming each aspect of your grief and watching it b.u.m away, piece by piece.

* When you have finished naming the sorrows, sit quietly in the candlelight, seeing the negativity flowing away in the stream of black wax. Make positive plans for the future and write a list of daily actions or short breaks from work that will make you happy. Even if these are of necessity very small, the c.u.mulative effects of a number of minor pleasures can change the balance of your life for the better once a moon cycle has pa.s.sed.

* Once the symbol has melted away, use a taper to carry the flame from the black candle to the white one. This is important, for new beginnings do not come out of nothing, but from the transformation of endings into positive energies.

* Once the white candle is alight, blow out the black candle and dispose of it in an environmentally friendly way.

* Sit for a few moments, looking into the flame of your white candle, letting thoughts and images appear within either the flame or your mind's vision.

* Carry the candle carefully into the bathroom and add to your bath water a few drops of essential oil of rose or lavender for self-love and let the light make pools in the water. Lie in the bath until you feel rested.

* When you feel completely relaxed, get out of the bath and swirl the water as it rushes down the plug hole, saying: Flow far,flow free,flow in peace and harmony.

* Spend the rest of the evening in quiet but pleasurable activity, until your white candle is burned down.

* Finally, etch in the wax a new symbol of hope and keep it in your special place until it crumbles, by which time it will hopefully no longer be needed.

If the problem is really deep-seated, you can repeat the ritual monthly, each time using a smaller black candle and a larger white one until there are no black energies left.

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A Candle Ritual For Love * Scratch the zodiacal glyphs for yourself and a lover on candles of the appropriate colour (see page 94), then light the candles.

* Move them closer to each other over a period of three days while speaking words of love and desire to increase the love energies.

* For the first two days, blow out the candles, sending the light to wherever your lover is. On the third day, leave the candles to burn down, allowing the wax from the two candles to merge.

* In the melded wax, cut the shape of a heart and on this scratch your entwined zodiacal glyphs. Wrap the symbol in white silk and leave it on a window ledge from the waxing to the full moon.

A Candle Ritual To Heal The Polluted Seas And Other Bodies Of Water This is a ritual to be carried out after dusk. It also has the effect of clearing old hurts and regrets that can hold us back from experiencing joy. A wonderful selection of garden torches and candles are now available, that can be placed in the ground for working out of doors. As you are taking away pollution, work at the time of the waning moon. Blue is the elemental colour of water.

* Place four blue candles at the four main compa.s.s points in a room or any outdoor area. The four blue compa.s.s candles can act as sentinels of light, protecting the four quarters of the circle.

* In the centre, place a cauldron or pot. (A three-legged iron pot or any ceramic pot will do. These can often be found in antique shops, at car boot sales or garden centres, as well as in New Age shops. It need not be very large.) * Fill the cauldron with water and float blue candles on the surface.

* Light a large blue candle to the West of the cauldron; light the candles in the cauldron from this candle, using a taper.

* Surround the cauldron with symbols of the sea, sh.e.l.ls and white stones. Prepare a bowl of moonstones, small blue lace agate stones or blue gla.s.s nuggets to cast in the water.

* Set a tall jar holding wax tapers at each compa.s.s point.

If you are working alone, you may need to keep the size of the circle and cauldron quite small, but you can use as much s.p.a.ce as you wish. If you are working in a group, four people can light the candles in the four quarters and the scale of the whole ritual can be much larger.

The group can sit or stand in a circle around the cauldron, just inside the four direction candles; traditionally, a magical area extends to a circle about nine feet (three metres) in diameter. However, this can be larger or smaller, according to the size of the group. Circles are usually measured in an odd, rather than even, number of feet, but unless you are casting the most ceremonial of circles, you can estimate the s.p.a.ce you will need to work or dance and cast your circle accordingly. (Deities in the cosmos with measuring tapes are remarkably rare.) * Using a taper lit from the candle you placed to the West of the cauldron, light the candle in the West of the circle. If working in a group, this should be done by the person standing by the West candle. As you light the candle of the West say: I call upon the guardians ofthe mighty oceans,the inland seas, the straits andthe channels between landto protect my/our undertakingsand to create this circle of light.

May the circle be unbrokento keep all within from harm.

* Re-light the taper if necessary from the West candle. Carry the taper of light to the candle in the North, creating an arc of light. Light the candle in the North. (If working in a group, the taper is given to the person sitting nearest the North candle, who comes forward as the first person returns to sit in the circle.) As the candle in the North is lit, say: I call upon the guardians ofthe rushing rivers,the watercourses andthe ca.n.a.ls to protect my/ourundertakings and to create this circle of light.

May the circle be unbrokento keep all within from harm.

* Re-light the taper if necessary and carry it in an unbroken arc to the East (pa.s.s it to the next person, if working in a group) and light the East candle, saying: I call upon the guardians ofthe lakes,the still pools,ponds and marshesto protect my/our undertakingsand to create this circle of light.

May the circle be unbrokento keep all within from harm.

* Re-light the taper once again and in the same way make an arc of light to the South, and light the final candle, saying: I call upon the guardians ofthe water that flows through or near our homes,the sacred wells and streams,the ditches and the watercoursesto protect my/our undertakings andto create this circle of light.

May the circle be unbrokenthat I now make complete.

* Carry the final taper to complete the circle in the West and join it to the burning West candle, saying: Fire to fire,water to water,so does power increase.

* Take a crystal from the dish and cast it into the cauldron, saying: So ripples the power to cleanse,to heal and to restore lifeto the waters of the planet,from whence it has departed.

* Say a few words of healing, perhaps naming special waters you know and care about, and areas where there is no clean drinking water. If working in a group, each person can take it in turns to cast a crystal and add a few words of their own.

* Blow out the four elemental candles in the reverse order in which they were lit, saying: May the circle be uncastbut remain unbroken.

The floating blue candle and the one next to the cauldron can be left to burn down.

Afterwards, have a simple meal and drink. If you are working in a group, this may be a good time to plan a campaign for furthering your efforts for clean waters in the daily world.

6 - Herbs In Magick

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There is a long tradition of using herbs for healing, but they have many other uses. As well as healing rituals, you can place dishes of charged herbs near a bedside in a sickroom or on your healing altar next to a symbol, photograph or the name of the person to be healed. However, they are also excellent for emotional support and spiritual empowerment. For example, if you get stressed on a regular car journey through heavy traffic or on motorways, you may well benefit from a healing or protective herbal sachet in the glove compartment of your car. In fact, herbs may be used to add their strength to almost any kind of ritual and spell.

As they have such a wide variety of uses in magick, you will probably need quite a large supply. Fortunately, herbs are, for the most part, very easy to grow - and very ornamental. If you have a garden you can set aside a small area specifically for cultivating herbs. Alternatively, you can create an indoor garden of herbs grown in pots, so that you have a ready supply of growing energy. Once picked, all your herbs can be used either fresh, for example on your altar, or dried, in healing sachets and poppets.

Each herb has its own natural properties and strengths and they also have the benefit of offering dual purposes. If, for example, you use allspice for a person with digestive or throat troubles, as a bonus both you and the person you heal may experience a gradual upturn in fortune, one of its magical meanings. Though most of the traditional uses of herbs apply to physical and emotional ills and so are most commonly applied to people - and animals, of course - you can also use them for spells concerning places; for example, herbs for soothing wounds, such as lavender, are equally potent in rituals for healing the Earth or reversing the effects of pollution.

Empowering Herbs In addition to their natural properties, you can further empower the herbs, defining their purpose, and adding to the strength they display spontaneously. Empowering herbs can be done in one of two ways. The first method is to use an empowerment ritual, such as the one described on page 109; this is good for herbs to be used in poppets and healing herbal sachets (see below). Alternatively, you can use the method described on page 172 for charging colour-infused water. This is particularly effective for adding extra healing power to a pot of herbs to be placed on your healing altar, as a focus for the need of a particular person.

Herbal Poppets And Sachets Traditionally, empowered herbs were used to fill either sachets or featureless dolls called poppets. They were made for love, protection, prosperity, fertility, healing and success and could contain either a single herb or a mixture, depending on the purpose.

Poppets, which are used mainly in love or healing or occasionally in protective magick, are generally kept in a safe place, such as a drawer, rather than carried around. So, for a love spell, two poppets would be tied together and placed in a drawer in a bedroom or left out on the window ledge in the moonlight, especially around the time of the full moon. For fertility, a miniature poppet might be placed in a tiny woven cradle on the window ledge from the new to the full moon. It would then be wrapped in silk until the end of the moon cycle and kept in an enclosed s.p.a.ce, for example, a large painted egg made of pottery or wood. The would-be father would make the cradle and the mother would sew and fill the doll.

Some pract.i.tioners attach hair from the person to be healed or the object of the love spell to the poppet, but I consider that this is an intrusion of privacy. Instead, I would suggest that if you wish to add extra power, you make your featureless dolls in an appropriate colour.

Herbal sachets are particularly versatile; small ones can be carried around in a bag, pocket or pinned to undergarments, and large ones can be hung over a bed or near the door or in a drawer at work. Traditionally, sachets of empowered herbs were tied with three, six or nine knots of ribbon or twine, these being magical numbers. If you do this, choose ribbon of a colour appropriate to the need - or more than one colour if you wish to add a secondary colour meaning. The number of knots depends on the intensity of the need as knots are a powerful way of concentrating energies. You can, of course, buy ready-made drawstring purses in different colours, which make instant excellent herb pouches, but making herbal sachets is very straightforward.

Rather than giving you set formulae for herb poppets and sachets, I have listed a wide range of herbs so that you can mix and match them to your own special needs. I have also given the planetary a.s.sociations, so that you can, for example, make a Venus sachet by using all her herbs, excellent for healing a broken heart, encouraging the growth of trust, increasing loving energies around you and at the same time strengthening the heart, chest and lungs. Pract.i.tioners tend to mingle two or three different herbs to increase the strength of the sachet and you can add a few drops of essential oil for extra fragrance and power.

The key is to experiment and be inventive. Keep a note in your healing journal or Book of Shadows of combinations that are especially effective, together with the rough proportions you used. For example, if you were creating a sachet for someone who had suffered a loss in love or a bereavement, you would make a love sachet that emphasised gentleness, using two parts Chamomile flowers to one part rosemary. The Chamomile is for gentle love, affection and tolerance, and the rosemary would encourage fond and happy memories. Note that some books give other planetary a.s.sociations, as these do vary under different systems.

The a.s.sociations for healing and magick are the same whether you use incense, essential oil or the herbal form of a substance. These are just different ways of releasing the energies. Incense, for example, is the best choice if you want an instant response; oil gives a slower but more enduring fragrance; and if your healing spell needs to take effect over days or weeks, then herbs in a sachet would be best. The sachet would act as amulet of protection, but because it was empowered it would also be a talisman, attracting health, abundance or love, according to its composition.

The divisions between healing work and other magical purposes are very slight since every positive ritual automatically releases healing energies. For this reason, I have listed the emotional and psychic as well as the physical healing properties of each herb.

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Making Coloured Sachets For Rituals Making sachets is very simple. If you are good at sewing, fold a rectangle of cloth and st.i.tch the sides together, using a running st.i.tch. Alternatively, just place the herbs in the centre of a square piece of cloth, gather the corners together and tie with three, six or nine knots. The colour of the cloth should be appropriate to the healing need. For a sachet to carry with you, your square of fabric should be about 10 cm by 25 cm (4 in by 10 in).

Make it larger if you want to hang it at home or keep it in a drawer. Use a natural fabric, such as felt, wool or cotton. Experiment with different sizes - you can make really tiny sachets to hide in a corner of your bag or in your undergarments or in the lining of a coat, and the size of the sachet has nothing to do with the potency. Even a teaspoon of mixed herbs can be endowed with positive intent to protect, heal and give hope.

Fill your sachet with herbs that have been empowered. For extra power, add a small crystal of the same colour as the cloth. If you do not add essential oil in the empowerment, you may wish to add a drop or two of an appropriate fragrance before tying the sachet. You may want to include a herb of protection in sachets made for other purposes, although most herbs do have a protective property along with their main magical use.

Carry sachets until they lose their fragrance. If the sachet represents a long-term objective, replace the herbs regularly. Open the sachet, scatter some of the old herbs to the four winds, burn a few, bury some and dissolve the rest in water.

A sachet for a pet can be hung above its bed. If you are healing absent people, animals or places, then you can wrap the herb sachet with a picture or symbol in white silk and keep it in a high place or put it in a small wooden box on your healing table. Replace the herbs regularly, empowering new ones as before.

You can make herbal sleep pillows containing lavender, hops and aniseed and if you charge the herbs you can drive away bad dreams.

Making Poppets Poppets are a little more complicated to make. Take a piece of white cloth, preferably silk or cotton, and draw the outlines of two doll figures as shown opposite. They should be about 15 cm (6 in) high -any smaller and they become difficult to fill with herbs.

Cut out the two shapes and sew them together using thread of a colour appropriate to the purpose of the spell. Leave a gap at the top of the head so that you can fill the poppet. If the poppet is being used in a group ritual, you may wish to share the sewing, with each member adding a few st.i.tches before pa.s.sing it on.

Fill the poppet with the herbs, adding a few drops of an essential oil if you wish, and complete the last few st.i.tches to close the gap.

Make a health-giving sachet or doll, empowered with love and good wishes, as a personalised present for a bride or new baby.

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A Ritual For Empowering Herbs For Healing All healing herbs must first be empowered. You can use ready-dried and powdered herbs or chop your own and grind them in a mortar and pestle. This method is particularly suitable for herbs to be placed in a healing sachet.

* Place your chosen herbs in a small ceramic or gla.s.s bowl and run them through your fingers into a ceramic or wooden bowl, repeating an appropriate imprecation, for example, 'Fennel, fennel,give my infantpeaceful sleep ', until you can feel the power rising. (Fennel is excellent magically and medicinally for curing babies' colic and a sachet of fennel and Chamomile hung above the cradle is a great soother.) * Add a chant for each herb in the sachet as you put it in the bowl. The chant will become longer until you are naming all the ingredients: 'Fennel, fennel,give my infant quiet sleep,Chamomile, Chamomile,bring her sweet dreams...'.

* If you wish, add at this stage any essential oil you are using, naming it as part of the c.u.mulative chant.

* Place about a tablespoon of the herb or herbs in your ready-st.i.tched sachet, or in the centre of the cloth to be tied. Use more for a larger sachet, but remember that it is best to under- rather than over-fill. As you add the herbs, repeat your chant about the energies you are invoking in the herbs.

* Close the sachet or tie the material in three, six or nine consecutive knots of a natural twine or ribbon, seeing your energy and healing bound in the knots. As you tie your bag, visualise yourself - or the person, animal or place that the sachet is intended to heal - fully restored, as you chant: Three knots I bind,three knots I wind,love, health and tranquillity.Three more I tie,to Earth, Sea, Sky,for days and nights of harmony,Three knots to heal,these herbs I seal.In power and joy,so let it be.

(Adapt the chant to the number of knots you are using.) Herbs For Emotional And Spiritual Empowerment And Healing Agrimony Agrimony is good for the digestive system, cuts, bruises and throat problems.

It is also effective for psychic protection, to return negative energies to the sender and for peaceful sleep. Use in protective sachets and as part of a sleep pillow for times when you are totally exhausted but cannot rest.

Ruled by Jupiter.

Allspice Allspice is a herb of healing for all aspects of life, but it is particularly used for the digestive organs, rheumatism and neuralgia.

It is frequently burned as incense to promote good luck and to attract money.

Ruled by Mars.

Aloe vera Aloe vera soothes wounds and burns, and is effective in treating lack of appet.i.te, bowel and menstrual problems.

As a protective plant, it is popular in the house, since traditionally it brings luck and prosperity.

Ruled by the Moon.

Angelica Angelica is so-named since it is said to have been revealed by an archangel to relieve plague during the Middle Ages. It is a natural energiser and is good for respiratory and liver problems and for improving circulation.