The Witches Magick for Friday, February 23 & The Waxing Moon – Charm for Courage

 
Materials
Ace of Swords from your favorite tarot deck
1 purple candle

 
Make a copy of the card by either scanning and printing, or taking it to a copy machine. Cut off the excess paper, then place the image in front of the candle and light the wick. See yourself holding the sword in your hand, and going into battle calmly and unafraid. Hold the image in your hands and empower it by saying something like:

Lord and Lady, Moon and Sun
Elements and Ancient Ones
Lend Your powers to this charm
So they mix— both cool and warm—
To bring the courage that I seek
Bring it forth in words I speak
Bring it forth in every action
Until it meets Your satisfaction
And every doubt slips far from me
As I will, so mote it be

Leave the image in front of the candle until the wick burns out, then carry the image with you.

Everyday Moon Magic: Spells & Rituals for Abundant Living (Everyday Series)
Dorothy Morrison

For The Waxing Moon – Charm for Courage

Materials
Ace of Swords from your
favorite tarot deck
1 purple candle

Make a copy of the card by either scanning and printing, or taking it to a copy machine. Cut off the excess paper, then place the image in front of the candle and light the wick. See yourself holding the sword in your hand, and going into battle calmly and unafraid. Hold the image in your hands and empower it by saying something like:

Lord and Lady, Moon and Sun
Elements and Ancient Ones
Lend Your powers to this charm
So they mix— both cool and warm—
To bring the courage that I seek
Bring it forth in words I speak
Bring it forth in every action
Until it meets Your satisfaction
And every doubt slips far from me
As I will, so mote it be

Leave the image in front of the candle until the wick burns out, then carry the image with you.

Everyday Moon Magic: Spells & Rituals for Abundant Living
Dorothy Morrison

A Charm for Eternal Youth

Go to a grove of pines, when the moon is new, and in the earth beneath their boughs inscribe a circle, wide as you are tall. Lie down within it, your arms extended to meet the circle’s rim, and saying these words:

The ancient pine
Is evergreen
The crescent moon
May never wane
The circle bound
Is ever round
And so my life
As light and leaf

Pluck three needles of pine from a green branch, take them home, and wind them tightly round about with a hair from your head and a long green thread. Keep this charm beside your bed, that you may dream of eternity, and each night before you sleep, repeat the words that have conjured youth from the enchanted grove. Ever after, you should wear some token of green-jade, emerald, or other stone, ornament, or article of clothing-in honor of this fair spell now threaded through your life.

Charm of Consecration

One for the Window
Two for the Hearth
Three for the wooden Door
Four for the Mill
Five for Jill
Six to make Seven
More X X X
Three crosses make
Blessings all.

—A Book of Pagan Rituals
Herman Slater

 Stay On The Path Charm

Staying on the path to better health takes effort and resolve. The rewards are well worth it so use all your resources to remain focused.

For this charm, use a white candle and a white stone you find in nature.
At 10:00 p.m., light the candle. Clean the stone thoroughly, and put it on your altar. Say this prayer when you need some divine help to stay on your path:

Dear Goddess and God, I pray you
Help me stay on the path
To healing and better health
Strengthen my will and spirit
So that I make healthier choices
Every night and every day
Thank you divine Lady and Lord!
Blessed Be! 

TALISMANS

Because talismans are intended to provide power, energy, and specific benefits they are often made at times that are believed to be spiritually or astrologically significant. They are frequently made from stone, metal, or parchment as these substances can easily be inscribed with words or pictures to add additional power. Many talismans come from predatory animals. A leopard’s claw, shark’s tooth, or eagle’s feather, for instance, are believed to endow the wearer with some of the qualities of the animal from which it came.

People in competitive fields, such as sport, frequently have talismans to help them achieve their goals. Vida Blue – a famous Oakland A’s baseball pitcher in the 1970s and 80s – had a special cap that became his talisman. Finally, it became so old and faded that league officials threatened to suspend him if he did not change it. Blue got himself a new cap, and ceremonially burned his old cap at a pre-game ceremony.

The most famous talisman is a six-pointed star, made from two overlapping triangles. The upward pointing triangle symbolizes fire, the sky, and male energy. The downward pointing triangle symbolizes water, earth, and female energy.

The power of this talisman is such that mystic Arthur Edward Waite wrote: “Nothing was believed impossible for those who possessed it.” (A. E. Waite, The Occult Sciences [Secaucus, NJ: University Books, 1974], 111).

As the Star of David, this talisman symbolizes both the Jewish religion and the nation of Israel. It is also known as the Seal of Solomon because King Solomon is believed to have used it. However, it predates his time by hundreds of years.

Reference

Lady Ishtar’s Complete Guide to Wicca Protection Spells

AMULETS

Amulets have been worn for protection for thousands of years. Early peoples lived in a world where strange and frightening things occurred that defied explanation. Consequently, amulets were used to protect homes, families, and livestock.

Amulets were also used to protect people from the “evil eye.” The belief that a person or animal could harm another by staring at them with an evil eye dates back at least five thousand years, and ancient clay tablets have been found that describe the damage that the evil eye can inflict. The Sumerian god Ea spent most of his time fighting the evil eye. Even today, in many parts of the world, the evil eye is considered a major threat, and various kinds of amulets are used to avert it.

Amulets were originally natural items, such as an animal’s tooth or a semi-precious stone. However, you can choose anything you like. Medals, bells, keys, and photographs can all be used as amulets. Many police officers in early twentieth-century New York carried St. Jude medals with them for protection. St. Jude is the patron saint of policemen.

Knots make effective amulets because they are believed to catch evil spirits. My grandmother tied knots on all her kitchen aprons to protect both her and the food she was preparing.

Take your time when choosing an amulet. Think about your purpose in wanting one, and how you will wear or carry it. On several occasions, amulets seem to have found me when I needed them. On one occasion, a man I met at an airport gave me a small piece of hematite. I was on my way to see someone to discuss a business proposition. The hematite protected me from his overpowering manner.

Reference

Lady Ishtar’s Complete Guide to Wicca Protection Spells

LUCKY CHARMS

Charms were originally spoken or sung. The word charm comes from the French charme, which means song. The blessing that a priest gives at the end of a service is an example of this sort of charm. But gradually, people came to the conclusion that spoken words were ephemeral, while a solid object was permanent. Objects that had special significance – such as a splinter that was believed to be from the cross of Jesus – replaced sung or spoken charms.

Almost anything can (and has been) used as a charm. Buttons and coins are good examples. This is because these items are frequently lost, and found by others. Anything that you find can be used as a charm. Small objects that are given to you also make good charms, because of the pleasant connotations they provide. Many gift stores have a selection of small objects that can be used as charms.

Lucky charms are normally carried on the person, but there are exceptions. My grandmother had a metal tin full of buttons. She would shake the tin vigorously whenever she wanted good luck. I have seen St. Christopher medals attached to the inside mirror of many taxicabs. These drivers obviously prefer to have the medal where they can see it, rather than somewhere on their person. The St. Christopher medal is a charm that protects travelers, as St. Christopher is the patron saint of travelers. A series of failures on the U.S. Navy’s Vanguard rocket project in the 1960s was blamed on the absence of a St. Christopher medal. One was placed on the next rocket, and it performed perfectly. A four-leaf clover has always been considered a lucky charm. This old Irish rhyme that explains why:

• One leaf is for fame,
• And one leaf is for wealth,
• And one is for a faithful lover,
• And one to bring you glorious health,
• Are all in the four-leaved clover.

A number of lucky charms have religious significance. Fish have come to symbolize the Christian church, possibly because of the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand. However, the Greek word for fish forms an acronym of the initial letters of “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior” in Greek, and this is a more likely explanation. A fish charm attracts wealth and abundance.

The ankh is an ancient Egyptian symbol for everlasting life, and is sometimes known as the cross of life. It provides good luck. It also wards off illness and disease, which means that it can be used as an amulet as well as a charm.

Charm bracelets allow people to wear a number of charms at the same time. Many people have a collection of objects that they use as charms, either singly or together. They do not need to be visible, and can be worn under clothing or carried in a purse, if desired.

Reference

Lady Ishtar’s Complete Guide to Wicca Protection Spells