Day: August 3, 2012

Protection Against Malicious Uses Of Magick

Protection Against Malicious Uses Of Magick

 

This is meant as a temporary aid to those in need.

Description:

This is a non-invasive spell of protection, which you can cast around anyone without bringing harm to them or effecting them directly in anyway. A courtesy and moral imperative is to inform the person you are going to offer protection and seek their approval. If they are uncomfortable with it in any way then do not do it. Because doing it against their will may cause psychological issues and paranoia and defeat the purpose of it altogether.

This spell creates a spherical field around the recipient, composed of energy in the blue to purple spectrum. The prevalent texture to this field is one of thorns and thistles. The thorns and thistles act as a filtering mechanism used to pick off aggressive energies directed toward the recipient.

Duration:

This spell will last until the moon reaches the corresponding phase in which the spell was cast. It feeds off of the aggressive negative energy that it encounters so it will last past the particular moon phase if it is still being fed. The will of the recipient can additionally dissipate the field at anytime should the need arise.

Comments:

It is important to note that this field feeds off negative energy but maybe enforced by the recipient by merely focusing any negative feelings or vibes they might have at the field itself. It is totally a defensive spell so it does not attack anyone. It is a form of relief in that aspect and helps to restore harmony from the turmoil caused by such attacks. So though negative energy is involved it is used in a way to restore harmonic balance.

It is also important to realize that this field only protects you from aggressive attacks, passive negative energy will get by so there is no fear of loosing your balance and going into some manic state.

Lastly this is not a spell cast on any individual, it is cast about them, it is the receiptients responsibility to acknowledge it’s existance or it will not work.

Components:

Typical circle components. Red Rose Thorn. Natural Hemp. Thistle from brush. Cauldron. Tea Light. Substitute a Censer for the Cauldron and Tea Light if necessary.

Preparation:

Cast your circle and light your candles. Place the Tea Light in the Cauldron and light it as well.

Chant:

With these thistles, thorns and hemp I construct
A field about (recipient’s name) that will not destruct.

With bindings from (specific emotion of your choice) I do adhere
these components to my need.

Thistles please take your place and bring the strands of magick in place.
(place the thistle in the tea light or censer to burn).
Thorns please take your place and bring the strands of magick in place.
(place the thorn in the tea light or censer to burn).
Hemp I ask of the to perform the magick of binding my field to form.
(place the hemp in the tea light or censer to burn).

With your mighty Thistles and Thorns you will feed
on the harm directed towards the one in need.

If no harm is evident by the full cycle of this moon
Dissipate on that day
Or by the following quarter moon.

If (recipient’s name) feels the need
Then you must obey and dissipate indeed.

End your circle.

Spell to Break a Love Spell

Spell to Break a Love Spell

With Ritual – You will need a picture of both parties together or you can write their names on a piece of paper. You will also need a cauldron, which must be fireproof. Holding the photo or paper state:
“I wish to sever the unnatural ties between these two,
they were brought together by magic, and that shouldn’t be
Now I seek to right the wrong, break the bonds and set them free.
I ask the God and Goddess to break the bonds between (names).
(Cut paper) As I cut their tie let the bond between them be broken.
(Burn halves in cauldron) As I burn the tie let the bond be forever severed.
So Mote it be!

At last, bury or scatter the ashes.

Returning A Hex

Returning A Hex

You will need:
3 black candles and a mirror

This spell should be performed during the full moon, near a window, preferably one facing the home of the person who hexed you, if you know who they are.

Light the three candles, which should be placed in a triangle so that one is on either side of the mirror, and one is behind it (facing you). Place the mirror between you and the window, so the mirror surface is toward the window. Place your palms down flat on the table. Hold your back straight, and, with closed eyes, imagine a blue stream of energy coming from the moon, through the window, into your body. Hold the energy in you until you can feel it in your fingertips and toes. Then open your eyes quickly and release the energy seeing
it flow rapidly out of you and into the mirror.

Say:
“All evil sent to me
Reflected now will be
Three times three
So mote it be!”

See the energy flowing to fill the mirror. Visualize any negativity coming in the window bounding off and returning to the sender.

Protect Yourself from Rumors

Protect Yourself from Rumors

In complete darkness and privacy, light a pink candle and hold it in your hands. Take a deep breath and stand as tall as you can. Facing east, raise the candle high above your head for a moment. Bring the candle down to eye level and hold it there while you slowly turn in a clockwise direction 3 times, concentrating on the blue part of the flame. Raising the candle high again, invoke the powers of nature by whispering:

“I bind myself this day,
The swiftness of the wind,
The power of the sea,
The strength of the fire,
The endurance of the earth.”

As you stand still for a moment, imagine a white light surrounding your body like a cocoon. Then take another deep breath and blow out the candle. This spell erects a barrier around you so no ill will affect your well-being. Never again will you feel hurt or depressed by people spreading gossip about you.

WEDDING/HANDFASTING CEREMONY

WEDDING/HANDFASTING CEREMONY

The following wedding ceremony was written to provide for Pagans who must of
necessity be wed in the presence of the uninitiated who are not pagan and are
perhaps unaware that the bride and groom are pagan. Replace the words Bride and
Groom below with the names of the happy couple. This ceremony was used by both
my wife and  myself and by my sister and her husband.  They modified the text
at the point below where it says “loving each other  wholly and completely” to
add the phrase “forsaking all others” as  they are into monogamy.  Either
version works beautifully, I recommend the participants rewrite where necessary
to form a legal contract that they can and will keep. It is easy to avoid being
an oathbreaker if you only swear to that that you will keep and avoid swearing
to something just because the other party wants it or because it might be
“expected” by the family. Notice: parts of  this ritual were cribbed from the
writings of others. I apologize in advance  for failure to reference sources but
after the fifteenth rewrite we had forgotten where we got the text and what was
and what was not original to us.  I doubt if there are quotes from other sources
longer than paragraph length and thus should not be a copyright problem.  If you
see something that is yours, please send me mail and I will reference you in the
future. Our thanks to those who paved the way. –Ryan Hunter]

[PRIEST] We have come together here in celebration of the joining together of
____bride______ and ____groom______.  There are  many things to say about
marriage. Much wisdom  concerning the joining together of  two souls, has come
our way through all paths of belief, and from many cultures. With each union,
more knowledge is gained and more wisdom gathered. Though we are unable to give
all this knowledge to these two, who stand before us, we can hope to leave with
them the knowledge of love and its strengths and the anticipation of the wisdom
that comes with time.  The law of  life is love unto all beings. Without love,
life is nothing, without love, death has no redemption. Love is anterior to
Life, posterior  to  Death, initial of Creation and the exponent of  Earth. If
we learn no more in life, let it be this.

Marriage is a bond to be entered into only after considerable thought and
reflection.  As with any aspect of life, it has its cycles, its ups and its
downs, its trials and its triumphs.  With full understanding of this,  Groom and
Bride have come here today to be joined as one in marriage.

Others would ask,  at this time, who gives the bride in marriage, but,  as a
woman is not property to be bought and sold, given and taken,  I ask simply if
she comes of her own will and if she  has her family’s blessing.

Bride, is it true that you come of your own free will and accord?

[BRIDE] Yes, it is true.

[PRIEST] With whom do you come and whose blessings accompany you.

[FATHER] She comes with me, her father, and is accompanied by all of her
family’s blessings.

[PRIEST] Please join hands with your betrothed and listen to that which I am
about to say.

Above you are the stars,  below you are the stones,  as time doth pass,
remember…

Like a stone should your love be firm like a star should your love be
constant. Let the powers of the mind and of the intellect guide you in your
marriage,  let the strength of your wills  bind you  together,  let the power of
love and desire make you happy, and the strength of your dedication make you
inseparable.  Be close, but not too close. Possess one another, yet be
understanding.   Have patience with one another, for storms will come, but they
will pass quickly.

Be free in giving affection and warmth.  Have no fear and let not the ways of
the unenlightened give you unease,  for God is  with you always.

Groom, I have not the right to bind thee to Bride, only you have this right.
If it be your wish, say so at this time and place your ring in her hand.

[GROOM] It is my wish.

[PRIEST]  Bride, if it be your wish for Groom to be bound to you, place the
ring on his finger.  (places ring on Groom’s left ring finger)

Bride  I  have not the right to bind thee to Groom only you  have this right.
If it be your wish,  say so at this time  and place your ring in his hand.

[BRIDE] It is my wish.

[PRIEST] Groom,  if it be your wish for Bride to be bound to you, place   the
ring on her finger.(places ring on   Bride’s   left ring finger)

(to Groom) Repeat after me:

I,   (grooms full name),   in the name of the spirit of God that resides within
us all,  by the life that courses within my blood and  the love that resides
within my heart,   take thee  (bride’s full  name) to my hand, my heart, and my
spirit, to be my chosen  one. To desire thee and be desired by thee, to possess
thee,  and be possessed by thee, without sin or shame, for naught can exist in
the purity of my love for thee.   I promise to love thee wholly and completely
without restraint, in sickness and in health, in plenty and in poverty, in life
and beyond, where we shall meet, remember, and love again.  I shall not seek to
change thee in any way.   I shall respect thee, thy beliefs, thy people, and thy
ways as I respect myself.

(to Bride)
I  (bride’s full name), in the name of the spirit of God that resides within us
all, by the life that courses within my blood, and the love that resides within
my heart,  take  thee, (Groom’s full name) to my hand, my heart, and my spirit
to be my chosen one.   To desire and be desired by  thee, to possess thee, and
be possessed by thee, without sin or shame, for naught can exist in the purity
of my love for thee.  I promise to love thee wholly and completely without
restraint, in sickness and in health, in plenty and in poverty, in life and
beyond, where we shall meet, remember, and love again.  I shall not seek to
change thee in any way.   I shall respect thee, thy beliefs, thy people, and thy
ways as I respect myself.

[PRIEST]
(hands  chalice to the groom,  saying:) May you drink  your  fill from the cup
of love.

(Groom  holds  chalice to bride while she sips then  bride  takes chalice and
holds it to groom while he sips.  The chalice is then handed  back to the Priest
who sets it on the  table.   Next  the Priest  takes the plate of bread,  giving
it to the groom.   Same
procedure  repeated  with bread, groom feeding bride  and  bride feeding groom.)

By the power vested in me by God and the State of  ________,  I now pronounce
you husband and wife.  May your love so endure that its flame remains a guiding
light unto you.

Fasting of the hands

Fasting of the hands

Handfasting is the marriage rite used by many neo-Pagans and Wiccans.  The term
itself comes from the custom of shaking hands over a contract. It was used in
Scotland for the engagement period of a year and a day before a wedding was
proved.

In most Pagan traditions today it may mean a non-state registered wedding or one
in which a marriage license is filed.  For some it is a year and a day,
renewable “so long as love shall last” and for others a commitment to be
together through many lives.

There are probably as many rituals for this as there are people who have joined
themselves together.

The hands are generally bound with a cord as part of the ritual.

A LITTLE HISTORY ON “HANDFASTING”

A LITTLE HISTORY ON “HANDFASTING”

What is “Handfasting”?

Until the time leading up to, and during the Middle Ages, weddings were
considered affairs that included both family and community.

The only thing needed in those times to create a marriage was for both partners
to state their consent to take one another as spouses.

The tradition of handfasting started in Scotland and was considered more of a
contract than a romantic endeavor. Witnesses were not always necessary, nor was
the presence of the bride!

The role of the clergy at a medieval wedding was simply to bless the couple.

Until the council of Trent in the 15th century it was not official that a third
party such as a priest or minister officiate the vows of marriage.

Until that time it was left up to the individuals involved to perform the
ceremony. This was done many times in the home of the bride.

In the later medieval period, the wedding ceremony moved from the house of the
bride to the
church.

It began with a procession to the church from the bride’s house.

Vows were exchanged outside the church and everyone would then move inside for
high Mass.

After Mass, the procession went back to the bride’s house for feasting and
musicians accompanied the procession.

Old Religion wedding ceremony

Old Religion wedding ceremony

UU/Old Religion wedding

We used the Gardnerian “Prayer to the Cosmic One” for the chalice lighting:

High Priestess

In token of the two traditions brought together here tonight, we light the
flaming chalice, the symbol of Unitarian Universalism, with a prayer of the Old
Religion:
In the Name of the Cosmic One
The ancient Providence
Which was from the beginning
And is for eternity
Male and female;
All-knowing, all-pervading, all-powerful,
Changeless and eternal;
In the Name of the Lady of the Moon
And the Lord of Death and Resurrection;
In the names of the Mighty Ones of the Four Quarters,
The Rulers of the Elements;
Blessed be this time and this place
And we who are now gathered here.

We spoke these vows:

Bride

By seed and root, by bud and stem, by leaf and flower and fruit, by my life and
by my love for you; I, Phaedra, take you Keith in the Sacred Marriage.  I
pledge to you my heart, my body, my life and my spirit.  I will be to you as
the earth to the sun, as the moon to the stars.  I will be Priestess at your
altar, wife in your home and Goddess to the God in you.”

Groom

By seed and root, by bud and stem, by leaf and flower and fruit, by my life and
by my love for you; I, Keith, take you Phaedra in the Sacred Marriage.  I
pledge to you my heart, my body, my life and my spirit.  I will be to you as
the sun to the earth, as the stars to the moon.  I will be Priest at your
altar, husband in your home and God to the Goddess in you.”

I get misty-eyed just remembering.

Working by the Tides

Working by the Tides

The tides are another power source if you are anywhere near the sea, an estuary of a tidal river.  The incoming tide or flow will attract and bring fulfillment of wishes or dreams; the ebb tide will take away negativity and also protect those who travel,  especially those who work at sea. The slack tide between flow and ebb, which can last for up to an hour, is excellent for building up power before the surge  and moment of release at tide turn.

Working by the Sun

Working by the Sun

As the alter ego of the moon, the sun offers a significant source of energy for natural magick, and  solar energies often offer power for more instant magickal results.

Dawn is best for new opportunities, beginnings and people entering your life; noon for a burst of  instant power, energy, success and prosperity. Dusk is for reconciliation or letting go. Midnight assists healing magick, psychic protection and in accepting  what cannot be changed.

You can combine lunar and solar energies for a quick solar fix and the slower continuous lunar  consolidation of the initial solar results in your life. Noon spells on the day of the full moon will get things off the starting block and keep up the  impetus through the month. Often the moon and sun are in the sky at the same time (check your moon diary or weather section of the newspaper, or just look)  and combine the energies accordingly.

Water

Water

 

Direction: west

Time: dusk

Season: autumn

Colours: blue, from dark, inky or grey blue to brilliant Mediterranean turquoise;  silver

Qualities: intuition, empathy, sympathy, healing powers, inner harmony, peacemaking, unconscious  wisdom, divinatory powers especially connected with water scrying, ability to merge and interconnect with nature, the cycles of the seasons and life  cycle.

Rules over: love, relationships, friendships, dreams, the cycle of birth, death and rebirth,  purification rites, alternative healing, using the powers of nature, especially crystals and sacred water, all water and sea magick, moon magick, travel by  sea.     Animals: albatross, dolphin, frog, heron, seagull, seal, shark, toad, whale, all fish, especially salmon, fish of the summer on the native North American  Medicine Wheel and of wisdom in the Celtic tradition.

Archangel: Gabriel, archangel of the moon, who represents the fruits of the harvest, the rewards of  our successes and the need to let go of our failures and regrets.

Gabriel protects fish stocks, those who travel across water and against inclement weather. He  cleanses polluted seas, lakes and rivers.

Visualize him in robes of silver and midnight blue with stars interwoven on the crescent moon in his  halo.

Crystals: aquamarine, blue and pink chalcedony calcite, coral, fluorite, jade, moonstone, ocean or  orbicular jasper, opal, pearl, tourmaline

Elemental creatures: naiads

Goddesses: all moon and water deities

Coventina, indigenous British water goddess of sacred springs; also revered at sacred wells in Spain  and Gaul.

Ganga, the Hindu healing water goddess who is manifest as the sacred river Ganges and was daughter  of the Himalayas

Heket or Heqet, the frog-headed Ancient Egyptian goddess who breathed life into the clay figures  that her husband Knum the potter god made; a goddess of fertility and creativity.

Mama Cocha or Mother Sea, the Peruvian whale goddess.

Ran, the Norse sea goddess who loves gold more than anything else; a goddess of  protection.

Sedna the ancient sea mother of the Inuit people who releases the seals and shoals of fish for  hunting.

Stella Maria, patroness of sailors, fishermen and travelers by sea, once identified with Isis and  now associated with the Virgin Mary who is depicted in this role with a crown of stars.

Gods: Hapy or Hapi, the god of the Nile flood, who wears flowing papyrus and lotus flowers on his  head, carrying a loaded offering dish with wine, food and lotus blossoms, as a symbol of his fecundity.

Mannanan or Manannan macLir, Lord of the Otherworld Isles of the Blest which include the Isle of Man  and Arran; he casts magical mists around them to keep away danger.

Poseidon, Greek god of the sea, who carried a trident, became Neptune in the Roman tradition and was  said to have drowned Atlantis (or some blame Zeus) because of the corruption of this Golden Race.

Tlaloc, the Aztec god of rain, whose eyes and nose were formed of intertwined serpents and who was  entreated in annual ceremonies to bring rain to fertile the crops.

Herbs and incenses: apple blossom, apricot, Balm of Gilead, camellia, catnip, coconut, coltsfoot,  cowslip, cyclamen, eucalyptus, feverfew, hyacinth, iris, jasmine, lemon, lemon balm, lilac, lily, lotus, lucky hand, myrrh, orchid, passionflower, peach,  sandalwood (sometimes under air), strawberry, sweet pea, tansy, thyme, valerian, vanilla, violet, yarrow.

Places: flooded land, flood plains, fountains, lakes, marshland, the ocean, ponds, pools, rainy day,  rivers, sacred wells and streams, water features.

Sacred substance: water

Zodiacal signs: Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces

Fire

Fire

 

Direction: South

Time: Noon

Season: Summer

Colours: Red, orange, gold

Qualities: Fertility in all aspects of life, creativity, light-bringing power, passion, joy,  initiating, transformation, courage, mysticism, clairvoyance, prophecy.

Rule over: Ambition, achievement, illumination, inspiration, all creative and artistic ventures,  poetry, art, sculpture, writing, music, dance, religion and spirituality, psychic powers especially higher ones such as channeling, innovation, sexuality. It  is also potent for destruction of what is now no longer needed, for binding and banishing ritual and so for protection.

Animals: Dragonfly, firefly, fox, lion, lizrd, stag, tiger

Archangel: Michael, archangel of the sun and light and the warrior angel. Michael is the angel of  power and of illumination and brings in the summer season and fertility, growth and energy into our lives and to the land, to animals and the crops. He is  also potent, for reviving barren land despoiled by industrialization and for cleansing air pollution.

Visualize him resplendent in scarlet and gold with a huge sword, golden scales in his other hand and  often a dragon crushed beneath his feet.

Crystals: Amber bloodstone, bojo stones, carnelian, garnet, hematite, iron pyrites, lava, mookaite,  obsidian, red jasper, ruby sunstone, topaz.

Elemental creatures: Salamanders

Goddesses: Amaterasu Omigami, the Japanese sun goddess whose name means ‘great August spirit  shining in heaven’

Brighid, the Celtic triple goddess of fire and of the hearth, patroness of healers, poets and  smiths

Gabija, the Lithuanian goddess of the hearth fire, who was honored by throwing salt on the fire each  evening after the main meal

Pele, goddess of volcanoes, fire and magic, who is still revered in Hawaii by those who claim  descent from her and who still set up altars near lava streams.

Saule, Baltic queen of the heavens and earth, dressed and crowned with gold who drove her golden  chariot across the skies and danced with her daughter the planets on the festival of St. Lucia, the light maiden, just before the midwinter  solstice

Sekhmet, the Ancient Egyptian lion-headed solar goddess of fire and healing who is the patroness of  modern businesswomen

Vesta, the Roman goddess of sacred fire whose Virgins tended the sacred fire in  Rome

Gods: Agni, the Hindu god of fire, who is said to be manifest as the vital spark in mankind, birds,  animals, plants and life itself

Apollo, the Graeco-Roman sun god, who was twin brother of Artemis, the moon goddess, and was patron  of the arts, especially music, beauty and harmony.

Helios of the Greeks, known to the Romans as Sol, who was regarded as the sun himself. He ascended  the heavens in a chariot drawn by winged snow-white horses to give light, and in the evening descended into the ocean

Lugh (Llew in Wales) the ancient Irish god of light and the cycle of the year, born at the midwinter  solstice, made king at the summer solstice and willingly sacrificed at Lughnassadh at the beginning of August in order to maintain the fertility of the land  and ensure the success of the harvest.

Ra or Re, the Ancient Egyptian sun god who sailed the sun boat across the heavens during the  day

Herbs and incenses: Allspice, angelica, basil, bay, cactus, carnation, cedar wood, chamomile,  chrysanthemum, cinnamon, cloves, copal, dragon’s blood, frankincense, galangal. Garlic, juniper, lime marigold, nutmeg, olive, orange, pennyroyal,  rosemary, snapdragon, sunflower, tangerine, thistle holy, thistle milk, witch hazel

Place: Bonfires, all conflagrations, deserts, hearths, hilltop beacons, lightning, sacred festival  fires, solar eclipses, thunder, volcanoes, at the height of noon or a blazing sunrise or sunset, plains shimmering in the heart, any sunny place, sandy  shores on hot days, hear banks of yellow or golden flowers.

Sacred substances: Candle

Zodiacal signs: Aries, Leo, Sagittarius

Air

Air

Direction: East

Time: Dawn

Season: Spring

Colours: Yellow, grey

Qualities: Logic, clear focus, an enquiring and analytical mind, the ability to communicate clearly,  concentrations, versatility, adaptability, quest for truth, commercial and technological acumen, healing powers through channeling higher  energies

Rules over: New beginnings, change, health and conventional healing, teaching, travel, house or  career moves, knowledge, examinations, the media, science, ideas, ideals and money-spinning

Animals: All bird of prey (especially the eagle and hawk), butterfly, moth, white  dove

Archangel: Raphael, the healer archangel and traveler’s guide. He is the angel who offers  healing to the planet and to humankind and all creatures on the face of the earth, in the skies and waters, especially effective against technological and  chemical pollution and the adverse effects of modern living. He is depicted with a pilgrim’s stick, a wallet and a fish.

Visualize him in the colours of early morning sunlight, with a beautiful green healing ray emanating  from his halo.

Crystals: Amethyst, citrine, clear crystal quartz, diamond, lapis lazuli, sapphire, sodalite,  sugilite, turquoise

Elemental creatures: Sylphs

Goddesses: All Moon and Sky deities (Moon Goddesses also rule water)

Arianrhod, the Welsh goddess of the full moon, time and destiny, who turns the wheel of the  stars.

Diana, Goddess of the Witches, the moon and huntress goddess of the Ancient Greeks and Romans. Her  daughter Aradia came to earth to teach her mother’s wisdom (Aradia arguably is an earth, air, fire and water goddess)

Myestse, the Russian mother maiden who was the consort of Dazhbog the sun god and became mother of  the stars

Nut, the Ancient Egyptian sky goddess whose body arches over the earth, covered in stars and into  whose womb Ra the sun god enters to be reborn each night

Pavati (or Parvati), wife of Shiva, the father god in Hinduism, the beautiful young goddess of the  mountains, who is the catalyst and power source without which Shiva would be impotent

Gods: Hermes, the winged Ancient Greek Messenger and healer god who, like Mercury, his Roman  counterpart, is also god of medicine, money lenders and thieves

Horus, the Ancient Egyptian sky good, represented as a falcon or a falcon-headed man. His eyes were  the sun and moon and his wings could extend across the entire heavens.

Jupiter, the supreme Roman sky god whose Greek counterpart was Zeus, who cast thunderbolts upon the  unrighteous

Myesyats, the Slavic moon god, who represented the three states of the life cycle as a youthful, a  mature and then an old man

Odin, the Norse god (the Anglo Saxon Woden), as all-father, god of inspiration, wisdom and poetry as  well as war

Herbs and incenses: Acacia, agrimony, almond, anise, benzoic, bergmot, borage, caraway, clover,  dill, elecampane, eyebright, fennel, fenugreek, lavender, lemongrass, lemon verbena, lily of the valley, linden, marjoram, meadowsweet, mulberry, Nag Champa,  palm, papyrus flower, peppermint, sage, star anise

Places: Balconies, cliffs, hills, mountain tops, open plains, planes (looking out of the window at  banks of cloud), pyramids, roof gardens, the sky, steeples and spires of churches and cathedrals, tall buildings, towers, open windows, anywhere by moon or  starlight

Sacred substance: Incense

Zodiacal signs: Aquarius, Gemini, Libra

Earth

Earth

Direction: North

Time: Midnight

Season: Winter

Colours: Green,  brown

Qualities: Stability, common sense, practical abilities, caretaking of the earth,  protectiveness, upholding of tradition, love of beauty, patience, perseverance, generosity, acceptance of others, nurturance.

Rules over: Abundance and prosperity, fertility (also fire for fertility), finance, law and  order, institutions, authority, motherhood, the physical body, food home and family, animals, the land, agriculture, horticulture,  environmentalism.

Animals: Badger, bear, bee, bull  serpent, snake, spider.

Archangel: Uriel, the archangel of  transformation whose name means fire of god, the archangel who brought alchemy to humankind.

Uriel brings warmth to the winter season and to cold or unhappy periods in our life. He melts the  snows with his flaming sword or torch. Ecologically he works at conserving resources, protecting rainforests, wildlife habitats and endangered  species.

Visualize him in rich burnished gold and ruby red with the brightest flame-like halo and fiery  sword, like a bonfire blazing in the darkness.

Crystals: Amazonite, aventurine,  banded brown agates, emerald, fossils, jet malachite, moss agate, petrified wood, rose quartz, tree agate, all yellow brown and mottled jaspers like  Dalmatian jasper, rutilated quartz, smoky quartz, tiger’s eye and all stones with holes in the center.

Elemental creatures:  Gnomes

Goddesses: Cerridwen, the Celtic Great  mother, keeper of the cauldron of inspiration and rebirth.

Gaia, the Ancient Greek earth mother, whose name has been given in modern times to the  earth.

Hecate, wise crone goddess of the Ancient Greek tradition who also rules magic, good fortune and the  Waning Moon.

Isis Unveiled, from the Ancient Egyptian tradition, as mother of nature and protectress of  all.

Mati Syra-Zemlya, of Moist mother earth, the Slavic goddess, who spins the web of life and  death.

Nerthus, the Ancient Viking earth mother, associated with fertility of crops of her successor,  Frigg, wife of Odin and patroness of women and childbirth.

The Virgin Mary.

Gods: Cernunnos, Horned god of the  Celts, who is also called Herne from the Anglo Saxon.

Grey or Ingvi, Viking and Anglo Saxon names for the god associated with the fertility of the  earth.

Geb, the Ancient Egyptian earth god andd consort of Nut the sky goddess, associated with the sacred  goose who laid the egg from which the world emerged.

The Green Man, the ageless god of vegetation, still recalled in May-time  celebrations.

Osiris, son of Geb and consort of Isis, who after his murder by his brother became the embodiment of  the annual growth of the corn, watered by the tears of Isis at the Nile flood.

Herbs and incenses: Bistort, cypress,  fern, geranium, heather, hibiscus, honesty, honeysuckle, knotweed, magnolia, mugwort, oak, moss, oats, oleander, patchouli, primrose, sagebrush, sorrel  (wood), sweet grass, tulip, vervain, vetivert

Places: Caves, the crypts of churches  and cathedrals, forests, gardens, grass, groves, homes, ley or psychic power lines in the earth, megaliths, ploughed fields, rocky places, snow- or  ice-covered lands and glaciers, sand stone circles, temples.

Sacred substances: Salt (also soil and clay)

Zodiacal signs: Taurus, Virgo,  Capricorn

Working With The Four Elements

Working With The Four Elements

In all magick and most powerfully in Natural Magick the four ancient elements of Earth, Air, Fire  and Water form the building blocks of magical power and can be used formally and informally in spells to endow a symbol with power and to build up that  power.

The combination of the four elements creates a fifth element, Ether or Akasha, or quintessence, pure  Spirit, the energy and also the substance that transforms thoughts and desires to actuality.

We all contain these four elements within our personalities in different proportions. The  psychotherapist Jung talked about earth equating with sensations (practical functioning), air with thought (logic), fire with intuition (inspiration) and  water with feelings (empathy and emotions). We can call upon these strengths as contained within elemental substances and in nature both in spells and in our  lives to bring their powers into play.

The inner powers of the elements, for example the practical stability of earth or the inspiration of  fire, can be brought into the actual world for the fulfillment of your spell. This happens first when you visualize the elements, for example a beautiful  golden ploughed field for earth or a tall bonfire for fire, and then in the words you use when calling the power of the element, for example by making a  chant about all the different ways you imagine the earth. This transfers the powers of the elements into your mind. Then, on the physical level, you work  with, say, salt for earth and a candle flame for fire, and this together with your visualization and words joins the powers of the elements on the thought  and actual levels. The energy created is key to successful spell casting as the intangible thoughts and the actual substances come  together.

Sometimes you will put the emphasis on one or two particular elements, for example earth, and air to  speed up a house sale and/or purchase.

In this case you could choose a setting for example a woodland on a windy day or the rough grass on  a hill top. You would use a combination of earth – and air – related symbols, for example a feather tied to a white stone to represent your new home (you  could draw a house on the stone). You could then release the feather at the end of the spell.

In a pure water ritual, for example to send healing to a particularly polluted body of water where  your children would like to swim or to ask for clean drinking water for those who do not have it, you could light blue candles at each of the four quarters  and perhaps have a cauldron or dish of water in the center. You could symbolically purify this water with a few drops of flower essence such as Dr.  Bach’s Five Flower Rescue Remedy or pour one of your own magical waters into the earth.

Of course, the other elements would be present. Incense(air) would empower, activate and help the  need to be communicated to those who can help resolve it. Fire(candle) would inspire and give the necessary force to make actions and not just words happen  in the real world. Earth(salt) would sort out the practicalities such as who will pay for clean water. Then you can create the necessary magical rocket of  power in the fusion of the four elements. When these four meet, they become a fifth element called Quintessence, Ether or Akasha. This collective energy  fills the physical symbols with the psychically generated power.