Lughnasadh

Merry Evening Witchy Ones

As you all know, today is Lughnasadh. I don't feel terribly much like celebrating this first harvest feast, so I will simply compose a list of all that I am thankful for to thank the Goddess and God for their blessings. This first month of marriage with my strikingly handsome husband has been trying. I'm sure all newly weds go through an adjustment stage, but it seems that life just keeps throwing my love and I painful curves. However, I shall paint my brave face on and aim for a smile.

• I am so grateful to my ever patient and steady husband as I try to get my feet on the ground and head out of the clouds!
• I am forced to smile (even when I want to cry) because of the silliness brought to me by Ralph and Henry (Whose birthday it is today!)
• I have found a new friend in my Mother in Law (and shocked the jeepers out of me!)
• I am happy to have this wise old home to make our start in
• I look forward to new adventures
• I am grateful to have food that I hate cooking (because I love eating obviously!)

I'll bid you all a merry evening and hope your celebrations bring you joy and friendship.

S

Long Distance Healing Spell

Sometimes the people we love are terribly far away. Sometimes they get sick, or hurt, or just need some extra energy. Below you will find instructions for one of my long distance healing spell.

You will need:

A picture of the person or animal (as the case may be)
A pale yellow pillar candle
Three pale pink votive candles
Honey
Ginger
Garlic
A large pot (cauldron)
blessed water
A stirring implement couldn't hurt
A glass bottle large enough to place the image of your loved one (rolled up inside...like a message in a bottle)
A full moon
   *a full moon is not essential, but certainly the moon should be waxing, as we are calling health into being rather than banishing the ailment (which would require a waning moon).

First, cleanse and prep your work area however you deem best. Suitably ground yourself and call the quarters. Cast the circle (blah blah blah you know how this goes).

Set the image of the loved one in the centre of the altar. Place the pink votive candles: 12:00, 9:00, and 3:00. The pale yellow pillar candle should go in front of your image to the front of your altar. Place the cauldron or pot (as the case may be) just before your altar so that you have room to work.

Light the candles, beginning with the pink votive at 9:00, and work your way clockwise. The last candle you should light will be the yellow pillar candle. (If you wish, before you light the candles, you may carve various healing symbols and phrases into the candles to add to your intent and the power of the spell).

Pour the water into your cauldron (temperature really matters little) as you do so, visualize healing light and energy flowing with it. As you pour say, "Water pure and gleaming, with health and vitality streaming, rapid run your course, and flush out (insert loved one's name here)'s illness at the source With bright power healing, "

Stirring clockwise pour in 2 tbs of honey. Honey is a natural antiseptic and has many healing properties. As you stir say, "Healing honey, sticky balm, soothing healer and easeful calm. Surround (insert loved one;s name here) with your healing might and swiftly end this wretched blight."

Finally, add the ginger and garlic to the mix, ever stirring (fresh or powdered may be used, but make sure it is chopped finely if fresh). Say, "bulb and root from the earth, bring back to (insert loved one's name here) his/her health and mirth. Your potent power, grant me this hour and with your strength this potion complete."

Roll up the image of your loved one and place it into the glass bottle. Seal this bottle and place into the cauldron. Saying,  "(Insert loved one's name here), I surround you with healing and love tonight to rest by the light of the moon, as the Goddess guard and heal you from above. With this, my spell I do end. I ask the Goddess to heal my sweet friend. And it harm none, so mote it be."

Leave the pot, with the image contained in the bottle, near the window where it will receive the most light from the moon, or even outside if you can.  The work is done. You may clean up your space.

What are some of your favorite healing spells? Share and comment below!

May you all have a blessed evening.

S

Relaxation

Well my lambs,

This week my final paper for my sociology class is due, and it is stress city here in North Carolina. The school semester is winding down, which means that it is crunch time! I know so many other people are coping with stress. Below I am going to give you a spell to combat it!

You will need:

A clean, quiet, dimly lit place
A handful of white floating tea lights
A large bowl of blessed water
A lavender pillar candle
Some soothing meditation music


Set up your work area as you normally would when casting. Place the white tea lights in the bowl of water. Using a knife carve the word relax into your pillar candle. Turn on your meditation music and slowly and mindfully light all of the candles, lighting the lavender pillar candle last. Take your time to focus on your breathing. When your mind is clear and you are grounded, call upon the Goddess in whatever way seems appropriate to you. When you are ready, say: "Lady, Mother of the gentle Earth, divine orchestrator of renewal and birth, I ask you to help me release all stress. Please free me from this worrisome mess. Worrying a brighter tomorrow does not make. Help me be calm for my own sake. Fill my mind with peace and ease, blow worries away on cleansing breeze.(here, blow out the candle, providing a cleansing breeze for your worries) Minding the rule of three, and it harm none, so mote it be."

I hope that you all have a productive and stress free Monday! Take time to enjoy a good cup of tea or coffee. If it is as cold where you are, as it is here (and rainy too) may warm thoughts find their way into your heart. Brightest Blessings!

Til later,

S

Recharging Protection Spell

Good Afternoon Twitches!
Last night I posted a protection spell and mentioned that this spell needs recharging. Some spells are binding and permanent, but require energy renewal at times. Now this spell in particular is not permanent. I did not design it to be so because "permanent" spells require a lot of energy and can be very wearing. Furthermore, like "permanent" hair dye, they do break down over time. You can recharge the original spell when it is getting weak by retaining some of the blessed water used for the spell and blessing the room with it as necessary.

If you did not retain the water that you used to bless the room initially, or you have run out you may make more with this simple spell. For this renewing spell you will need:

Water
Salt
Rose petals

Bless the items for your purpose, then pass your hands over the water saying, "By the power and endurance of water, granted by the Goddess, renew the spell and cast it well."

Combine with salt and crushed rose petals saying, "Salt and rose here I add, renew the strength this spell once had." Fill the mixture with your intention and re-anoint the room. I would make a rather large batch that you can keep on hand to renew your spell. It wouldn't hurt to incorporate other methods of protection to your witchy dwelling. I shall name a few more in my next post.

Til then!

~S

Spell For Purifying and Protecting a Room/Living Space

Good evening my twitchy ones,

Tonight I have decided to share a spell from my own BOS with you. I know that being safe, and protection are extremely important for all creatures. As witches, we tend to rouse the attention of all manner of magic. Therefore, it is extremely important that we know how to guard ourselves. Of course this is not a one and done application. Spells need upkeep to ensure they are working properly. Maybe I'll remember to cover that in my next post. 

For this spell you will need:

• Water (purification)
• Salt (protection)
• Basil (protection)
• Chamomile (relaxing power of the sun)
• Peppermint (purification)
• A rose (pleasant feelings)
• light blue candle (protection) 

Cast the circle, and invoke the Lord and Lady. Ask them to help you bless the items for your purpose. Pass your hands over the water with this incantation: "By the power and purity of water, granted by the Goddess, purify and renew the room which shall be anointed." 

Combine with salt and crushed rose petals saying: "to this element I combine, power simple, but divine. Blessed salt, mineral of earth, serve protection over this hearth. Rose petals from the Lady's lips fall from my fingertips and herein bring gentle joy and a sense of worth." 

Anoint the candle with basil, peppermint, and chamomile saying: "with this candle's flame we'll melt all the sneaky fears and doubts. Chamomile bring the sun's peaceful rays, and with peppermint to purify, basil seal and protect this charm and this occupant from any harm."

Light the candle and let burn while anointing the room with the protection mixture. When finished, snuff the candle. So mote it be. 

Now, there are so many different kinds of protections spells out there. All of them are a bit different. I wrote this particular spell for my sister. I meant it both to protect and uplift. She suffers from serious bouts of the blues. In any case, I hope you enjoy it. You can tweak it as you will. What are some of your favorite protection spells? 

Til next time lambs,

S

Springing!!!

Spring has definitely made her lovely face known in North Carolina. There is a quiet drizzle outside making the newly greened boughs dance. I have been longing for spring for what feels like a decade.  Having spent my formative years in Arizona, I do NOT like the cold that comes with Winter. As a witch I value it as a time for reflection, but mostly I just hibernate in the winter.

Spring, however, is another story. My moggies have newly awakened to the sun and they have been racing around the house like a pair of wolverines on a mission all morning!  They're currently engaged in a "battle to the death" in the kitchen and I can hear them squeaking at each other and chirping. They have gotten so big over the winter. When I got them they were barely the size of hamsters. Now they weigh about 8 lbs. In any case, enough gushing about Ralph and Henry!

Chris and I are reaching crunch time for getting the farm house habitable by June 15th! We have only 61 days until we get married! But luckily it doesn't seem so far away because I've loads of other things to look forward to! We will have little chicks hatching here pretty soon...if I calculated correctly they should arrive on Beltane! How marvelous is that?? Chris and I are going to have to come up with wonderfully magical names for our little peepers!

We're also planning a pre-honeymoon before the wedding. Since Chris is going to be in Law Enforcement, he probably won't have much time after the wedding. However, we're really looking forward to planning a couples camping trip with one of my closest friends and her new boyfriend (whom I've not met yet).

With so much excitement and Beltane looming, hopefully I won't feel too much foot- tapping trying to pass time til the wedding that I've been anticipating for over a year and a half!  Sadly, Chris and I are not literally tying the knot, as my Roman Catholic parents insisted on a "proper" wedding. On the bright side, it will be in NY which I love, and I will be able to see so many of my loving relatives.

Chris's family is rather miffed with the idea of a NY wedding, let alone a Catholic one. These country bumpkins have certainly gone out of their way to complicate things. They do not like me (of course I haven't yet even revealed myself as a witch to them!) and they make it abundantly clear that they only love Chris when they want something from him. I'm hoping that once Chris and I get settled into married life we can put some distance between us and them. I know it doesn't sound very loving, but they drive me mad and put so much unnecessary strain on the relationship between Chris and I. At least my mom isn't the stereotypical monster in-law. She's actually fairly chill.

Well, now that you're all up to date on my little life, perhaps I should write something of genuine interest in my next post. Until next time!

~Love and Cheer
S

Imbolc, as promised

Merry Imbolc!
I really got behind on posting and I know that I said that I would post rituals and traditions to make your Imbolc meaningful and fun, but since it is now Imbolc...I don't really want to hang out on the Internet all day so I am going to be brief. Here are some things you can do today that will add meaning to your Imbolc festivities!

Prepare your altar as you usually would and ask the Goddess and God to bless your seeds for the upcoming planting season

Light candles in honor of the growing Sun God and the return to warmer days

Bundle up and take a walk in nature meditating on the first inklings of new life and spring!

Clean your home both spiritually and physically- throwing away old junk, as well as stale and negative energies leaving room for positivity and new growth!

Praise the Goddess and God in all the beauty of today, as you do everyday.

I know this was really brief, and not as detailed as usual, but I'm a witch on a mission and I have Imbolc things to do!

Brightest Blessings!

~S