Read The Modern Guide to Witchcraft Online
Authors: Skye Alexander
Tags: #Body; Mind & Spirit, #Witchcraft, #Religion, #Wicca
It’s cold and flu season, and you’re definitely feeling below par. A little herbal magick plus some TLC can relieve those miserable symptoms fast and make you feel better all over.
Brew a strong tea from the hyssop leaves and/or flowers. Strain the herb residue from the water. Fill a bathtub with comfortably hot water and add the tea to it. Fit the candle in its holder and light it. Get into the tub and soak for as long as you like, inhaling the soothing scent of hyssop.
Focus your mind on loving thoughts and feelings. Envision yourself surrounded by love. As you inhale, imagine you are bringing love into your body. See and sense love circulating through your entire body, from head to foot. Spend several minutes doing this. Let the loving energy gently nourish you, strengthening your system so it can throw off the cold.
Remain in the tub for as long as you like. After you get out of the bathwater, extinguish the candle. Repeat this pleasant ritual whenever you like.
An illness or injury has sidelined you temporarily. This simple spell uses the color green, symbolizing health, to aid your recovery. Repeat it often and you’ll be back in the game soon.
Tie the ribbon comfortably around the part of your body that is injured or ailing. Make sure it doesn’t interfere with an open wound or other skin damage. As you tie it, say aloud: “I am radiantly healthy and whole, in body, mind, and spirit.” Shine the green light on the afflicted area for a few minutes, while you visualize yourself completely healed.
Don’t
think about the injury or illness; imagine the end result you desire instead.
Repeat this “green light” treatment several times a day. Leave the ribbon in place until the condition is healed, then remove it and burn it.
This spell draws upon the powers of heaven and earth to help heal any condition. You can do it for yourself or for someone else (remember to ask that person’s permission first). Even if the other person is not physically present, you can still send him/her healing energy in this manner.
Cast a circle around yourself. If you are doing the spell for another person who is physically present, cast the circle around both of you. Stand in the center of the circle with your feet about shoulder-width apart. Close your eyes. Hold the wand over your head with both hands, with your arms outstretched and straight. Point the tip of the wand at the sky and say aloud: “With this wand I draw down the healing force of the heavens.” In your mind’s eye see light flowing into the wand, making it glow brightly.
Open your eyes and point the tip of the wand at the afflicted part of your body (or the other person’s). If the person for whom you are doing this spell is not physically present, aim the wand toward his/her location. Envision the light you collected from the heavens flowing into the injured or ailing body part, zapping it with healing rays.
When you sense that all the light has been transferred from the wand to the body, point the wand at the ground. Close your eyes and say aloud: “With this wand I draw up the healing force of Mother Earth.” In your mind’s eye see light flowing into the wand from the center of the earth, making it glow brightly.
Open your eyes and aim the tip of the wand at the afflicted part of your body (or the other person’s). Envision the light you collected from the earth flowing into the injured or ailing body part, zapping it with healing rays until all the light has been transferred from the wand to the body. When you’ve finished, thank the forces of heaven and earth for assisting you and open the circle.
This spell combines both physical and magickal healing to soothe problems with digestion.
On the paper, write the words
balance
,
harmony
,
peace
,
love
, and
acceptance.
Tape the paper to a clear glass cup, so that the words face in. Then brew some tea, combining chamomile and peppermint, and pour it into the glass cup. Let the tea sit for a few minutes to allow the words to imprint their message into the liquid.
Sip the tea slowly, feeling its soothing warmth in your stomach. Envision healing green light entering your stomach and abdomen, calming the upsets in your digestive tract. Feel yourself relaxing. Repeat this spell one or more times daily, until your problem improves.
You may not be able to avoid stress, but you can keep it from getting you down. This relaxing ritual helps you release stress and stay calm in the presence of everyday annoyances.
Collect the ingredients needed for this spell. Wash the stones with mild soap and water, and then pat them dry. Start the music you’ve chosen. Cast a circle around the area where you will do your spell. With the ballpoint pen write the word “Peace” on the candle. Dress the candle by rubbing it with essential oil (not on the wick). Fit the candle in its holder and light it.
Hold one gemstone in each hand. Sit in a comfortable place and close your eyes. Begin breathing slowly and deeply. Inhale the soothing scent and allow it to calm your mind. Rub the smooth stones with your fingers. Feel the stones neutralize stress, irritability, and anxiety. Focus on your breathing. If your mind starts to wander, gently bring it back and say or think the word “peace.”
Spend at least ten minutes this way, longer if you wish. When you feel ready, open your eyes and extinguish the candle. Open the circle. Let the music continue playing or shut it off. Carry the stones with you and rub them whenever stress starts to mount.
Early healers grew their own herbs to cure all manner of illness. You, too, can grow a magick herb garden and have fresh, healing herbs available when you need them for teas, poultices, lotions, and balms—and of course, for spells. If you don’t have space for an outdoor garden, plant herbs in flowerpots or window boxes. Plant whatever you think you’ll need for your magickal and healing work. Start with a few and add to your garden as your skills and needs expand.
Here are some suggestions:
Do some research to determine which plants to use for which health problems. Familiarize yourself with the magickal properties of the herbs you choose, too. (You’ll find some information in
Chapter 11
.)
Consider every step of your gardening process—planting, watering, tending, and harvesting—as a magickal act. Invite the nature spirits to assist you. Talk to your plants and thank them for helping you, especially when you harvest them.
Gratitude is the final step in doing a spell. Always end every spell by showing gratitude to whomever you consider the source or creative power in the universe. Even before you see results, say thank you. Gratitude has two purposes in magickal work. It indicates that you fully believe your intention will materialize, and it acknowledges the help you receive from forces outside yourself.
An expression of gratitude may be as simple as saying “Thank you” at the close of a spell. Some people like to make an offering of some kind. Others demonstrate gratitude for the help they’ve received by giving help to someone else. How you choose to show gratitude is less important than the intention behind it. Sincerity is what really matters.
Personal power has a lot to do with having “presence.” We all know people who just seem to shine, and everyone looks at them when they enter a room. Movie stars, powerful politicians, and celebrities have it. However, you don’t need to be someone in the public eye to possess presence. In fact, your job or social position rarely has anything to do with it. Presence comes from within—from being present in the moment and in harmony with yourself. Some little kids have it. Some elderly people have it. You’ll meet people from all walks of life who don’t even realize they have it. In some instances, a person may be born with presence, but usually it’s something you cultivate and nurture over time, with the development of self-knowledge.
Remember the old adage, know thyself? To know yourself and to use what you learn requires an act of will. As you know already, your will is the crux of every visualization, manifestation, and spell you cast. You don’t simply say the words or use the right herbs. You don’t just go through the motions. You plunge into yourself, you delve deep to discover your true motives, needs, and desires. You bring that self-knowledge into your daily awareness. Then you commit to your path and trust the process. The spells in this chapter will help you to expand self-awareness and increase your personal power.
Ironically, your self-image probably isn’t something you created yourself. It’s a patchwork affair made up of bits and pieces you’ve collected from lots of other people: family members, teachers, religious leaders, friends, your culture, and the media. Like donning clothing that’s
in
style, rather than in
your
style, the self-image you wear might be uncomfortable or inappropriate. Maybe you even fashioned your self-image without questioning whether or not the “garment” was right for you.
Tailoring your self-image according to someone else’s ideas usually results in unhappiness or frustration. If you see yourself in this picture, perhaps it’s time to take a closer look at the person you think you are, the person you’d like to be, and where the ideas you hold about yourself originated.
From what you know about magick, your thoughts about yourself and what you deserve will produce conditions that fit with your ideas. Your life is your mirror. What you see is a reflection of what you believe about yourself. If you aren’t happy with your situation, you can change it by changing your perceptions of yourself.
Remember, nobody else gets to decide whether you’re worthy. Only you do. Nor can anyone else limit your personal power without your consent—and that’s pretty sweet.
Make a list of your ideas about yourself. Consider your physical qualities, mental abilities, talents, job, relationships, lifestyle, and so on. What are your strengths and weaknesses? What things do you feel comfortable with, and which would you like to change?
Look at all areas of yourself. Make “plus” and “minus” categories if you like. Are you good at managing time? Do you have pretty eyes? Are you a skilled cook? Are you compassionate, a good listener, a loyal friend? Are you overweight? Are you always late for appointments? Do you buy things you don’t need to make yourself feel better? Are you impatient, judgmental, or lazy? It can help to also examine where the negative ideas you hold about yourself originated.
Think back to a time in your life when you felt powerful. Bring to mind the feelings that you experienced then, and reconnect with them. Hold these impressions in your mind and heart for a while, and remind yourself that inside you are still that powerful person.
This is the feeling you want to tap into when you do spells. The better you feel about yourself, the more positive energy you can bring to your magick. The more confident you are that your spells will succeed, the more likely it is that they will.