Material: Red or pink silk or cotton
Herbs: Rose petals, parsley, and peppermint
Gemstones: Barite, jade, rose quartz
Make a poppet to represent the object of your affection — remember that in some magical traditions it’s frowned upon to make a specific person the target of your working. If you are simply trying to attract love to yourself, but you don’t have a specific person in mind, focus on all the desirable qualities you want to see in a potential lover.
Items needed:
A lump of Yellow Ochre
Gum from the Pinyon pine
3 cups of black Sunflower seeds. (The little ones)
3 Tablespoons ground Native Alum
Start by burning the lump of yellow ochre with an equal amount of the pinyon
gum. This will make a nice black soot. (Catch the soot on a cool ironstone plate
that is held over the burning mixture.)
Save the soot.
Next, take the sunflower seeds, still in their shells, and boil them for twenty
to thirty minutes in 8 cups of water. Remove the seeds just after splitting
open. (Do not allow them to soak in it.)
Add the native Alum after toasting it in an iron pan. Stir and simmer so that
the Alum is completely dissolved.
Simmer the liquid until it is reduced to six cups of liquid.
Dip out a cup of the liquid and scrape the soot into it. Stir until it is
dissolved.
Add the soot-dye mixture back into the greater dye.
Gently simmer until it is reduced to a desired consistency.
Use with a ‘quill’ pen or fine lined paint brush.
9 Beth/Poseideion II
Winter Waxing Moon
Color: White
Element: Water
Altar: Upon a silver cloth set four silver candles on it, a cauldron with dry ice in it, a silver vase containing some naked birch twigs, some dry stalks of burdock, a few briar canes, a round moon-shaped mirror, a silver bell; and goblets containing pale white wine, anise liqueur, white corn syrup, and extract of bitter almonds; a spool of silver thread, and a small vial of jasmine oil.
Offerings: Do community service for the mentally ill.
Daily Meal: White food.
Winter Waxing Moon Invocation
(Ring bell after each line. Hold moon-mirror up where all can see.)
Call: Hail Luna of the Growing Belly!
Response: Hail Selene of the Waxing Light!
Call: Spirit of night,
Response: Spectre of Sun,
Call: Egg of the serpent,
Response: Web of the spider,
Call: Servant of dreams,
Response: Lamp of delusion,
Call: Beacon of madness,
Response: Bearer of power,
Call: Crystal of knowledge,
Response: Mirror of knowing,
Call: Bringest thou visions of joys or of fears?
Response: We rejoice in this awakening.
Call: We live again, and we are fair!
Response: The Moon has risen here to bear
Call: A mirror for our altered faces
Response: For her love that all things seizes.
Call: We are risen in her light,
Response: Where the dying live again,
Call: Silver serpent, silver spider,
Response: All show fair within her mirror.
(One who has been chosen to do the work of the ritual brings the goblets around for each to drink, one at a time. For the first, they say, “Taste madness.” For the second, “Taste purity.” For the third, “Taste sweetness.” For the fourth, “Taste bitterness.” Anoint all with jasmine oil, and say, “Scent of dreams.” The bell is rung, and all exit.)
Elementals are essential to the movement of energy through the Earth. But sometimes energy lines get blocked because of human pollution such as motorway construction, phone-mast erection or mine working that has been abandoned though the resources are not naturally exhausted. Other causes include major housing developments especially in direct line with sacred sites. Sometimes housing or workplaces are created from old business premises or institutions such as mental hospitals, prisons or warehouses. These can carry negative feeling from earlier inhabitants that likewise sour and slow the flow of energies through the new homes and office. These negative earth energies are sometimes called geopathic stress.
If you live or work in a place of negative earth energies then the building or certain rooms may feel cold or seem dark even in Summer. Plants will not thrive and animals refuse to settle. Children may become factious there or have night mares if the blocked psychic streams are below a bedroom. You may feel tired or suffer a series of minor illnesses and accidents in common with others who live or work there or there may be a lot of quarrels seemingly triggered by no logical causes. Stress-related illnesses are common among workers in such establishments.
One of the best ways to remove such negative energies is to set amethyst geodes (tiny crystals in rock ) around the area and wash them regularly. However, an elemental ritual is very effective and very fast-acting, so this can be repeated every month or so if you feel the negativity returning.
Because you won’t be at a spot of natural elemental power, you can use elemental spirit substances to transfer elemental energies to a problem area, large or small. You can also use the same ritual near the center of your home or business to revitalize the energies to restore good luck and happiness if you have had a run of misfortune.
Another rare type of orchid with a spicy smell, usually shaped like a hand and the size of an average button. Good for all career matters and also for travel, winning competitions, gambling and financial risks. Carry separately if you are entering a contest, acting singing or dancing in public.
Magickal Intentions: Psychic Sensitivity, Women’s Mysteries, Tides, Waters, Emotional Issues, Agriculture, Animals, Female Fertility, Messages, Theft, Reconciliations, Voyages, Dreams and Merchandise
Incense: African Violet, Honeysuckle, Myrtle, Willow, Wormwood
Planet: Moon
Sign: Cancer
Angel: Gabriel
Colors: Silver, White and Gray
Herbs/Plants: Night Flowers, Willow Root, Orris Root, Birch, Motherwort, Vervain, White Rose and White Iris
Stones: Carnelian, Moonstone, Aquamarine, Pearl, Clear Quartz, Fluorite, Geodes
Oil: (Moon) Jasmine, Lemon, Sandalwood
Monday belongs to the Moon. Monday’s energy best aligns itself with efforts that deal with women, home and hearth, the family, the garden, travel, and medicine. It also boosts rituals involving psychic development and prophetic dreaming.
More Winter Comments
Elder Tree Month
Color: Russet
Element: Air
Altar: Upon a russet cloth set three black candles, a cauldron filled with water, a vase filled with elder branches, a cup of dried elderberries, and a knife.
Offerings: Give aid to the elders in the House, and outside.
Daily Meal: Soups and stews, and soft foods.
Ruis Invocation
Call: Hail the month of passing.
Response: For all things pass away.
Call: Hail the month of waning.
Response: For all things must fade and die.
Call: Hail the month of creaking wood.
Response: Hail the month of creaking bones.
Call: Hail the month of the dwindling Sun.
Response: Hail the time of all endings.
Call: For even as we began the year in silence,
Response: So we shall end the year in silence.
Call: For even as we began the year with chill winds of newness,
Response: So we shall end the year with chill winds of darkness.
Call: May the raven croak his warning from the bare branches.
Response: May the deer leave her footprints in the wake of the first snows.
Call: We will surrender ourselves to the darkness.
Response: Yet even with that surrender, we shall not pass away.
Call: For the seed that was grown in the spring still lives.
Response: Its life force is given back to the Earth.
Call: Its life force is given back to the Maker of new life.
Response: And new life shall spring forth in time.
Call: This is the moment of waiting for the end.
Response: This is the moment of bowed heads.
Call: Elder Goddess, teach us to praise loss, death, and the passing of all things.
Response: For from this flux we know your blessings flow.
Chant:
In the eye of the Moon
We walk willingly
Into the darkness.
Bloom Where You Are Planted
Having a vision for our future that differs from our current circumstances can be inspiring and exciting, but it can also keep us from fully committing to our present placement. We may become aware that this is happening when we notice our thoughts about the future distracting us from our participation in the moment. We may find upon searching our hearts that we are waiting for some future time or situation in order to self-actualize. This would be like a flower planted in North Dakota putting off blooming because it would prefer to do so in Illinois.
There are no guarantees in this life, so when we hold back we do so at the risk of never fully blossoming. This present moment always offers us the ground in which we can take root and open our hearts now. What this means is that we live fully, wherever we are, not hesitating because conditions are not perfect, or we might end up moving, or we haven’t found our life partner. This can be scary, because we might feel that we are giving up our cherished dreams if we do not agree to wait for them. But this notion that we have to hold back our life force now in order to find happiness later doesn’t really make sense. What might really be happening is that we are afraid to embrace this moment, and ourselves, just exactly as we are right now. This constitutes a tendency to hold back from fully loving ourselves, as we are, where we are.
We have a habit of presenting life with a set of conditions—ifs and whens that must be fulfilled before we will say yes to the gift of our lives. Now is the time for each of us to bloom where we are planted, overriding our tendency to hold back. Now is the time to say yes, to be brave and commit fully to ourselves, because until we do no one else will. Now is the time to be vulnerable, unfolding delicately yet fully into the space in which we find ourselves.
*Friday (Venus): Love, friendship, reconciliation, and beauty.
Moon Sign: *Gemini
*Gemini: Things begun now are easily changed by outside influence. Time for shortcuts, communication, games and fun.
*Waning Moon
*The Waning Moon is a time for study, meditation, and little magickal work (except magick designed to banish harmful energies).
Moon enters *Cancer 8:55 am
*Cancer: Stimulates emotional rapport between people. Pinpoints need, supports growth and nurturance. Tends to domestic concerns.
Moon Phase: Third Quarter
Incense: Violet
Color: White
More Back Ground Comments
Carista – Day of Peace in the Family
Color: Lavender
Element: Water
Altar: Upon a lavender cloth set a tray of cakes shaped like clasping hands, and many cups full of hot tea.
Offerings: Promise to attempt to be more considerate of those you live with.
Daily Meal: Any food, but it must be served from one great plate for every table, and it should not be in separate portions.
Carista Invocation
May there be Peace in this house.
(Response: “May there be peace in this house!”)
Peace can be a hard mistress.
The daily round of the ordinary,
The simple turn of day and night and day
The presence of the same souls
Can come to be like a shadow on the sun,
And yet Peace still demands
That we find a way to move past
That ordinariness
And all the thousand thorns and briars
And bring Peace into the house.
(Response: “May there be peace in this house!”)
Take the hand of your sister, your brother,
The one who shares your roof, your table,
The ground you walk on,
Whose feet know the boards as well as your own,
And swear to find a way
To bring peace into the space between you.
(Response: “May there be peace in this house!”)
Chant:
My brother, my heart, my sister, my soul;
My family, my life, come in from the cold;
My sister, my heart, my brother, my soul;
My family, my life, that makes this life whole.
(Instead of a ritual, this period of time should be used to mediate and address problems between members of the community, with emphasis on peacemaking and compromise and useful solutions. At the end of the meeting, all share cakes and tea.)
Trees And People
A tree that is beginning to grow sends roots down into Mother Earth even as it reaches and opens to the sky above, seeking nourishment from the sun and the moisture in the air and in the rain that falls. In the same way, we can envision ourselves as treelike beings, imagining that we have roots reaching down into the earth, energetic strands that keep us connected. At the same time, the crowns of our heads lift and open to receive nourishment from above. Just like a tree, we seek the sunshine and water we need to survive and thrive. Both trees and people serve as conduits for the intermingling of the opposite and complementary elements of air, water, sun, and earth.
We also share creative ways of growing, regardless of the challenges we come up against in our environments. Trees will even grow through rock, shattering it, in their effort to reach the air and light they need to survive. We are similarly resilient, with a built-in propensity for growth and the conditions that promote it. We find creative ways around the obstacles we confront as we move along our paths, moving toward the light that feeds us, just as trees grow around other trees and rocks as they make their way upward.
Contemplating the ways in which trees and people mirror one another brings us into alignment with the reality that we are part of Mother Nature. Our children, and the trees and their children, will live together on the earth as long as we all survive, sharing the elements and serving together to forward nature’s plan. Walking in a forest can be a meditation, the interweaving lives of all living creatures and the planet on which we all take root and reach for the sky.
(Hyssopus officinalis)
To Grow:
Perennial herb. Grows to 1 1/2-2 ft. high. Has narrow, dark green, pungent leaves and a profusion of dark blue flower spikes that appear July-November. There are also white and pink-flowered forms available. Plant in full sun or light shade. Fairly drought resistant.
Uses:
It is used in coughs, bronchitis, and chronic catarrh. It can be used for the
common cold due top its diaphoretic state. As a Nervine it may be used in
anxiety, hysteria, and petite mal (a form of epilepsy).
Part used:
Dried aerial parts. Collect the flowering tops in late summer.
Infusion:
Pour 1 cup of boiling water over 1-2 tsp. of the dried herb and leave to infuse
for 10-15 minutes. Drink three times a day.
Tincture:
Take 1-4 ml of the tincture three times a day.
Long ago, before many herbs were known by their present names, many herbs that were used by people in the country for medicines and food were called by common names which were usually based on what the herb or its flower, leaves, roots, or seeds looked like. These names have flowered modern stories of witches creating a brew of batswing, rat’s tail, and lady’s finger. These were not the actual ingredients of the potions, but rather common names used to describe what each herb resembled. Below is a list of old herb names.
| Modern Name | Olde English Name |
| Adder’s Tongue | Serpent’s Tongue |
| Agaric | Death Angel |
| Agrimony | Church Steeples |
| Ague Root | Crow Corn |
| Alyssum | Madwort |
| Amaranth | Red Cock’s Comb |
| American Valerian | Ram’s Head |
| Ash Weed | Goat’s Foot |
| Aster | Eyes |
| Asafoetida | Devil’s Dung |
| Avens Herb | Harefoot, Golden Star |
| Bachelor’s Button | Devil’s Flower |
| Basil | Witches Herb |
| Bay laurel | Blue Jay |
| Bear’s Breech | Gall blood from a shoulder |
| Belladonna | Devil’s Cherries |
| Betony | Lamb’s Ear |
| Bistort | Snakeweed, Dragon scales |
| Black Haw | King’s Crown |
| Bladderwack | Sea Spirit |
| Briony | Snake Grape |
| Bromeliad | Earthstar |
| Buckthorn | Bone of an ibis |
| Bugleweed | Wolf Foot |
| Burdock | Beggar’s Buttons |
| Calmus | Sweet Flag |
| Carrot | Bird’s Nest |
| Cedar | Kronos Blood |
| Celandine | Devil’s Milk |
| Chamomile | Blood of Hestia |
| Cherry tree gum | Brains |
| Chickweed | Tongue Grass |
| Cinquefoil | Five Fingers |
| Clover | Semen of Ares |
| Club Moss | Wolfclaw, foxtail |
| Coltsfoot | Coltsfoot |
| Comfrey | Ear of an Ass |
| Common Plantain | Englishman’s Foot |
| Couch Grass | Dog |
| Cowslip | Fairy’s Cup |
| Cranesbill | Crow’s Foot |
| Dandelion | Lion’s tooth, Priest’s crown |
| Dandelion Leaves | Swine’s snout |
| Datura | Witch’s thimble, Devil’s apple |
| Dill | Semen of Hermes |
| Dill Juice | Tears of a Hamadryas Baboon |
| Dill Seed | Hair of a Hamadryas Baboon |
| Dodder | Witches Hair, Devil’s guts |
| Earth Apple | from the belly |
| Elder Sap | blood |
| Euphorbia | Wolf’s milk |
| Fenugreek | bird’s foot |
| Fern | Skin of man |
| Foxglove | Foxglove, bloody fingers |
| Garlic, Wild | Eagle |
| Geranium, Wild | Dove’s Foot |
| Germander | Bird’s eye |
| Golden Seal | Indian dye |
| Goosegrass | Gosling Wing |
| Great Mullein | Hares Beard |
| Ground Ivy | Cat’s foot |
| Hart’s Tongue Fern | Horse’s tongue |
| Hawkweed | hawk |
| Heliotrope | cherry pie |
| Henbane | devil’s eye |
| Holly Leaf | Bat’s Wings |
| Honeysuckle | Goat’s Leaf |
| Hops | Nightingale |
| Horehound | Bull’s blood |
| Horsetail | Paddock Pipes |
| Hound’s tongue | dog’s tongue |
| Houseleek | from the foot |
| Hydrangea | Seven barks |
| Indian Paintbrush | Snake’s friend |
| Knotweed | sparrow’s tongue |
| Lady’s mantle | bear’s foot |
| Lavender | Elf Leaf |
| Lettuce | Lamb |
| Leopard’s bane | pig’s tail |
| Lupine | Blood from a head |
| May Apple | Duck’s Foot |
| Molukka | Fairies’ Eggs |
| Moss | Bat’s Wool |
| Mugwort | Old Man |
| Mulberry tree sap | blood of a goose |
| Mullein | graveyard dust |
| Mustard | Semen of Heracles |
| Ox Eye Daisy | Great Ox Eye |
| Pansy | Bird’s eye |
| Parsley | Devil’s Oatmeal |
| Pennyroyal | Organ Tea |
| Peony | Woodpecker |
| Periwinkle | Devil’s Eye |
| Pimpernel | Poorman’s Weatherglass |
| Pine Cones | Teeth |
| Plantain | Adder’s Tongue |
| Poppy | Blind eyes |
| Purslane | Blood of Ares |
| Ragwort | Fairies Horses |
| Resin of Draco Palm | Dragon’s Blood |
| Rosemary | Elf Leaf |
| Rowan | Thor’s Helper |
| Rue | Weasel |
| Sage | Toad |
| Shepherd’s Purse | Shepherd’s Heart |
| Skullcap Mushroom | Skull |
| Snapdragon | Dog’s Mouth, Calf’s Snout |
| Spurge | Fat from a head |
| St. Johnswort | Goat’s Ears |
| Tamarisk | Blood of an eye |
| Tansy | Buttons |
| Toadflax | Dragon Bushes |
| Tormentil | Flesh and Blood |
| Tongue of a Turnip | Lion’s hair |
| Turnip Sap | Man’s bile |
| Valerian | Rat, Capon’s Tail |
| Walnut | Heart |
| White Hellebore | Semen of Helios |
| Wild Lettuce | Titan’s blood |
| Wolfs bane | wolf’s hat |
| Woodruff | master of the woods |
| Wormwood | Crown for a King, Old woman |
| Wormwood seed | hawk’s heart |
| Yarrow | Devil’s nettle, Nosebleed |
The Rose
The White Rose indicates the need for or the presence of purity of intention. The question to ponder is, “Am I/he/she being self-serving, or other-directed?” The caution is that even if we are reasonably certain our motives are generous, if we are yet attempting to impose our idea of what should be, we are not acting at the level of the White Rose. When the White Rose appears, examine your own and others’ motives, and then trust the answer that brings you true peace of mind.
As a daily card, the Rose denotes a time in which you will be best served by allowing your actions to be guided by what is best for the greatest number even if the path indicated is not the one you feel is best for you.
1 Coll/Metageitnion
Day of the Hazel Tree
Color: Dark brown
Element: Earth
Altar: Upon a dark brown cloth set a vase of hazel twigs, a single dark brown candle, a pot of soil, seeds, a bowl of water, and a bell.
Offerings: Plant seeds. Write. Play music. Sing.
Daily Meal: Vegan
Invocation to the Green Man of the Hazel Tree
Hail, Green Man of the Summer!
Hazel tree of the bard’s joy,
Wisdom in a nutshell,
Concentrated nourishment
Of the body and the soul.
Salmon of wisdom in Connla’s spring,
Magical crane-bag of the poets,
Diviner’s rod, searching out
The hidden mysteries
And sharing them with all who seek,
Teacher of art and science,
Knowledge and beauty bound up as one,
You show us that they should not
Ever be separated, lest we lose
On half of our selves.
Arbiter, mediator, herald
Of any side that calls you,
You teach us to see things fairly
From the bard’s perspective
Where Truth rules first and foremost
And yet can be wrapped in Story.
We hail you, sacred hazel tree,
Green Man of the Summer,
With this your gift of our sustenance.
Song: Brigantia
(Each comes forward and plants a seed in the pot of soil, saying, “Hail Green Man of the Earth!” Water is poured onto the pot, and then the rest is poured out as a libation. Ring bell and dismiss.)
17 Weodmonath
Day of the Sacred Grove
Color: Green
Element: Earth
Altar: Upon a green cloth patterned with leaves, place many tree branches. In front of the altar should be one or more potted saplings to be planted.
Offerings: Plant trees, on your own or other property.
Daily Meal: Vegan
Invocation to the Trees
(Call and Response)
We call you Birch, first of the trees to stride into the field!
We call you Rowan, chaser of demons!
We call you Ash, avatar of the World Tree!
We call you Alder, tree of widely spreading fire!
We call you Hawthorn, May-tree of Beltane!
We call you Willow, tree of the moon on the river!
We call you Oak, lightning-magnet, tree of the Iron Wood!
We call you Holly, with leaves like spear-points!
We call you Hazel, with nuts that give inspiration!
We call you Grapevine, autumn’s harvest!
We call you Ivy, with your magical embrace!
We call you Reed, soldier of the wetlands!
We call you Elder, healing-tree of the grandmothers!
We call you Silver Fir, living green in the coldest snow!
We call you Aspen, tossing tree of the winds!
We call you Yew, tree that watches over the denizens of graveyards!
We call you Elm, first woman of the North!
We call you Whitethorn, guide on the path!
We call you Blackthorn, adversary who tests our mettle!
We call you Spindle-Tree, turning on the lathe!
We call you Guelder Rose, ripe with red fruit!
We call you Sycamore, beloved of Lady Death!
We call you Apple, fragrant blossoms of the Isle of Avalon,
And we ask for your blessing upon our lives.
(Pots of blessed tea are carried out to the woods and orchards, and poured at the roots of the most honored trees. All should touch the branches for a blessing.)
Colors: Gold, rose, and pale green.
Element: Water
Altar: Upon cloth of pastel colors place a vase of unblemished roses (and apple blossom if available), six rose-colored candles anointed with rose oil, incense of flowers, a chalice of red or rose wine, a chalice of clear water, the figure of a white dove, and a figure of Aphrodite Herself.
Offerings: Sacred sex, or flowers.
Daily Meal: Sweet things. Fish.
Invocation to Aphrodite Pandemos
Pink and red and green and blue and gold…
Love comes in many colors.
Love goddess pink, baby pink,
Newborn infants, newborn love,
Rose pink, tentative, hesitant like the first blush of dawn;
All hail the love that comes in many colors!
Love god red, passion red, rose red.
Apples and valentines,
Arrows struck to the heart.
All hail the love that comes in many colors!
Love goddess green, sea green,
Malachite green of many waters,
Springing from the foam with the green of new life.
All hail the love that comes in many colors.
Love god blue, sky blue, deva blue,
Piping the music of love to many longing ears
All hail the love that comes in many colors.
Love goddess gold, honey gold,
Sun gold, ornament gold,
Golden glow of life; true color of love.
Hail Aphrodite Pandemos,
Love of all the people,
Love for all the people,
Love for all who calls your name.
Today we cleanse you of all impurities,
As your divine love cleanses our souls.
Chant: Love is a river, flowing from my heart, flowing from my heart.
(The statue of Aphrodite is brought forward, and the water is poured over her, and all hands gently stroke and cleanse her, and return her to her shrine. The wine is poured as a libation.)
Hot, sultry, sensuous and sexy, and I’m not just taking about the weather! If you want to be absolutely irresistible then give this spicy bath a try: Pour two cups boiling water over a cup or bowl holding a pinch of powdered cinnamon, three whole cloves, and a teaspoon each of cardamom seeds and coriander seeds. Let this mix steep before straining and then allow it to cool. Add this blend to a bath filled with warm water and soak up. Let yourself air dry as your romantic apprehensions now flow down the drain. You have now successfully bathed away the beliefs that you are not the single hottest thing around during these hot summer months!
By Ellen Whitehurst for Astrology.com
On today’s ‘Red Rose Day’ we’ll employ two red roses to help attract a loving mate and everlasting love. First, be sure to remove the thorns from the stems of the roses. Then place two long-stemmed red roses in any white earthenware vase. Position this vase on your bedside table on the side of the bed that you sleep on. When you awake in the morning and before you fall off to slumber at night express gratitude that this Feng Shui cure will now make your romantic intentions grow to fruition. After three days, replace the two original roses with two fresh ones. Do this one more time for a total of three times, or nine days. At the end of the ninth day collect all the petals from all the roses and put them into a bath. Soak in all the love for at least twenty minutes. Dispose of the petals outside of the house while getting ready to receive a brand new love! Welcome home true love and give thanks to the two red roses!
By Ellen Whitehurst for Astrology.com
“We need to save those Elders who cannot speak for themselves — the trees.”
–Haida Gwaii, Traditional Circle of Elders
The trees are the Elders of the Earth. Go to the forest or to the mountains and find a young tree. Then find and old tree. Spend time with each. Sit by the young tree and listen to your thoughts. Then move to an old tree and listen to your thoughts again. Just being in the presence of an old tree, you will feel more calm. Your thoughts will contain wisdom and your answers will be deeper. Why is this so? These old trees know more, have heard more and are the Elders of the Earth. We must ensure these trees live so we can learn from them.
My Creator, help me to protect the trees and listen to them.
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Witches Of The Craft® 
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