Magical Monday: A Spell for Bravery

In honor of Memorial Day, which we in the USA are celebrating this weekend (even though it is actually at the end of the month--that's the way we roll here), here is a spell for Bravery.

Most of us don't have to go into actual battle, thank goodness, but life can be a pretty daunting experience sometimes, and most of us have circumstances now and again where we could use a little more courage. I hope this spell (from Everyday Witch A to Z Spellbook, Llewellyn 2010) helps you when you need a little boost.

BRAVERY

Goal: To boost courage when needed

Optional Extras: Orange or red candle, piece of carnelian or tigers eye—if you want, light a yellow candle for air, a red candle for fire, a blue candle for water, a green candle for earth and a white candle for spirit

Notes: This is a simple spell and can be said any time you need a boost. Write it down and tuck the paper in a wallet or pocket if you need to, or carry the stone with you.

Gods grant me courage

To face what lies ahead

And deal with the challenges

In the best way possible

Earth lend me strength

And make me strong and grounded

Air blow fear away

And keep my head clear

Fire burn away doubt

That would sap my will

And water calm and sooth me

So I might go with the flow

Spirit burn strong within me

That I might be brave

In the face of difficulty

Gods grant me courage

Gods grant me courage

So mote it be

Seasonal Protection Magick

Life is uncertain. If you turn on the news, you will be subjected to a constant barrage of All the Horrible Things. But even beyond that, there are always things that can harm us, whether they are acts of nature, acts of man, or just bad luck. There is no way we can keep bad stuff from happening once in a while, but it never hurts to do a little protection work to give yourself and your loved ones a bit of a boost in that direction.

I try to do serious protection work for my house and property at least once a year, in the fall as I am shutting things down and closing up the house for the winter. The coming week, leading up to Samhain on the 31st, is a perfect time for these kinds of rituals and spells (although they will work any time, of course). The darkness is closing in as the days grow shorter, and with the veil becoming thinner, it is always a good idea to reinforce your defenses.

I have full protection rituals in Circle, Coven & Grove (that one is focused on making a protection charm for your home) and The Witch's Broom, but if you want to do something simple and subtle, you can try this.

Take a bag or bowl and place in it some salt (sea salt is best if you have it, but even table salt will do), dried or fresh rosemary, basil, and sage (you can also use bay, juniper, and garlic--although I'd save that one for outside work!). If you want to, you can place a protective stone like red jasper or black onyx in the middle of the bag/bowl, and reclaim it afterwards. For extra oomph, you can leave the mixture out under the full moon beforehand, or bless and consecrate it for magickal work, but that isn't absolutely necessary, since most of the power from this mini-ritual comes from your focus and intent.

If you are in an apartment or don't want to make a mess, you can always dissolve the salt in water and put the entire thing into a spritzer instead (you can even use essential oils instead of the herbs if you like).

I walk around the outside of my house and the perimeters of my property, paying special attention to any entrances (including the mailbox). As I walk, I sprinkle small amounts of my protection mixture and say something along the lines of this: My home is protected. My property is protected. All those who live within are protected, from all acts malicious and accidental, from any who would cause harm or damage. My home is protected. I am protected. With the aid of the god and goddess, with the power of the earth, air, fire, and water, my home is protected. So mote it be. (Repeat as you go.)

There are no "right" words. Just say what comes from your heart, and focus on your intent to wrap your home and all those who live within in a cone of magickal protection. Then put the rest of your mixture away until the next time, feeling just a little safer and more secure in a dangerous world.

A Supermoon Spell for Love

 

As you probably already know, the full moon this Sunday (August 10th) is going to be what they call a "Supermoon." A Supermoon occurs when a full moon coincides with the time in the moon's orbit when it is closest to the Earth. This makes for a full moon that looks larger than usual--and the one this coming Sunday is going to be that biggest Supermoon this year.

Beyond the fact that it will be pretty glorious to look upon, you might wonder if a Supermoon is more powerful for doing magical work than any old regular full moon. I'm going to go with: yes.

Think about how much energy a regular full moon has (I have a hard time sleeping for a few days around the full moon for this very reason), and then think about it being closer, and more visually and energetically present. In short, if it seems more powerful, it probably is.

What does this mean for those who practice the magical arts? It's a good time to pull out the spells that mean the most to you; the ones you really want to work. And since here in the Northern hemisphere it is the height of summer, with all its attendant heat and late nights, I thought I'd share a love spell for you to use this full moon, if you are feeling the need for a little more love in your life.

I'm not a big believer in using love spells, per se. I think it is too easy to interfere with someone's free will that way, and I'm definitely a "free will is the law" kind of witch. But this is a different kind of love spell. I first used it in The Goddess is in the Details, and I liked it so much, I put it into The Everyday Witch A to Z Spellbook too. It's a spell not to cast on a particular person, or even with someone special in mind--instead, it works only on the one who casts it, because it is a spell to open yourself to love. (This doesn't have to be romantic love, either. It can be friendship, which in its truest form is most certainly a kind of love.)

So if you want something powerful to recite under an extra powerful moon, here it is, my gift to you. After all, couldn't the world use more love?

I ask the moon and stars above

To open my heart to perfect love

Striving not, nor chasing after

But open wide to love and laughter

Hopeful am I and willing, too

To open myself to lover’s woo

But while I wait for love that’s meant

With myself I’ll be content

I wish for love that’s true and right

Filled with joy and shining light

I release all that which blocks my way

And open my heart to one who’ll stay

I hope the moon brings you something (or someone) fabulous.

The Witch's Broom: Magical or Mundane?

As some of you may know, I wrote a book called The Witch's Broom. Recently, as a result of that, I got a message from a lovely man named Robert Skinner, who has a business called Blue Moon Brooms. (Yes, my group is called Blue Moon Circle, so how fun is this?) He said he loved my book (yay) and very kindly offered to make me my own broom for the price of one penny plus shipping (double yay). These are some gorgeous brooms, people.

And then he asked me a very interesting question: did I want a magical broom, or a mundane one?

I actually had an easy answer, because I got two magical brooms in the last year (I bought myself one from a fabulous broom maker on Etsy, and got one as a gift from a former member of Blue Moon Circle) and my favorite handmade mundane broom had in fact kicked the bucket after twelve years of use, and I hadn’t been able to find an affordable one to replace it locally. I hated the crappy mass-made one I’d had to buy from the grocery store. It didn’t sweep well, and the handle didn’t feel right in my hands. So I told Robert that I would love to have him make me a mundane broom.

Generally speaking, for witches at least, brooms are either one or the other. A mundane broom is used for regular day-to-day housecleaning. A magical broom, on the other hand, is saved for ritual use only, and never used to actually sweep a floor. (Any sweeping done with it is usually energetic, not of physical dust or dirt.) I definitely believe that it is a good thing to have a broom that is reserved as a magical tool, if you are going to use one in rituals.

On the other hand, it suddenly occurred to me that there was no reason not to incorporate magical elements into an everyday mundane broom, especially if you were having one made for you by someone who specialized in making the magical sort too. After all, much of the power of our ritual/magical tools comes from our intent when using them, as well as the focus of our energy. So why not take advantage of that and add a little extra magical spark to the broom I was going to use every day?

Robert and I talked about this, and he carefully chose a handle that felt just right (he thinks it is maple, which is a great magical wood) and added a few special touches while he was creating it, including some beautiful feathers hanging from the top, some runes carved into the handle, and binding in the colors I asked for. When it arrived, I blessed and consecrated it to cleanse the energy of my home as it sweeps up dirt (and mounds of cat fur large enough to make another cat out of) and my new broom is now the perfect hybrid of mundane and magical.

I will still keep my purely magical brooms for ritual use only, like clearing the energy of the ritual space before casting the circle, or cleansing energy as part of the ritual itself. But my new broom will add a little magical boost to my everyday housecleaning, adding a little class and beauty to a task that otherwise can be a bit of a drag.

And what could be more magical than that? 

Everyday Food Magick: A Magickal Spring Salad

When I was asking people what they wanted to hear about here, Ekaterina said she'd like to see some "nice and easy recipes with magical elements inside." Here you go, Ekaterina!

Most of us have issues finding time to do much serious magickal work in the midst of our hectic lives (me included, alas). One way to get around the problem is to integrate magick into some of your everyday activities, and one of my favorite ways to do that is with food.

I’m pretty sure that this is something our witchy ancestors did, too. That picture you always see of a witch stirring a steaming cauldron? You probably thought she was concocting some kind of exotic potion, right? Nope—stew. Or possibly porridge. Of course, that doesn’t mean she wasn’t muttering a spell over the cauldron anyway.

How to you take your regular food preparation and turn it into something magickal? The same way we do any other magick: with intent, focus, and belief.

Say you want to add a little prosperity magick to your breakfast and you have oatmeal in your cauldron—er, pot. As a savvy witch, you know that oats are associated with prosperity. So as you stir them, you concentrate on your intention to bring out that quality in the food, focusing on imbuing the oatmeal with prosperity-drawing properties with each swirl of the spoon. Believing that your magick will work just makes it more powerful. Adding a little maple syrup will give it an additional magickal “oomph” and also as a bonus, make it taste even better.

One of my favorite spring salads uses fresh veggies, fruits, and herbs of the season, many of which are great for prosperity work, with a little love magick thrown in (because who couldn’t use  more love?). It is fast and easy to make, pretty to look at, and very good for you. Plus it is delicious. It is one of Blue Moon Circle’s most requested spring feast dishes, and I often eat it a few times a week when the spinach and strawberries in my garden are ripe.

The ingredients include baby spinach (prosperity), topped with sliced strawberries (love), basil and/or parsley (love and protection), sunflower seeds (luck and success), and a sprinkling of candied pecans or almonds. All it needs then is a little light vinaigrette (I just use olive oil and balsamic vinegar, but you can use whichever dressing you prefer), and voila! Magick on plate!

 

I would like to read more about some nice and easy recipes with magical elements inside. - See more at: http://deborahblake.blogspot.com/2014/05/curious-about-my-readers.html#sthash.6mplvsRq.dpuf

I would like to read more about some nice and easy recipes with magical elements inside. - See more at: http://deborahblake.blogspot.com/2014/05/curious-about-my-readers.html#sthash.6mplvsRq.dpuf

I would like to read more about some nice and easy recipes with magical elements inside. - See more at: http://deborahblake.blogspot.com/2014/05/curious-about-my-readers.html#sthash.6mplvsRq.dpuf