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SAGE
Sage has long been burned to purify and cleanse a space. The ancients burned dried sprigs of sage in temples and during religious rituals. The Greeks and Romans wrote that the smoke imparted wisdom and mental acuity. In the tenth century, Arab physicians said that sage brought about immortality, or at the very least, a long and healthy life. In England, seventeenth-century servants of the royal family scattered a blend of sage and lavender on the floors at court to help disguise the aroma of day to day life.
Medicinally, Dioscorides says a decoction made from sage leaves and branches helps with urination and hair regrowth. He adds that it can help prevent ulcers and sores from festering, as well. In the essential herbal Back to Eden, Jethro Kloss tells us that sage is “one of the best remedies for stomach troubles, dyspepsia, gas in the stomach and bowels… will expel worms in adults and children. Will stop bleeding of wounds, very cleansing to old ulcers and sores… Also in liver and kidney troubles.” He also recommends it in treatment of sexual disorders — either excessive sexual desire or a decreased libido. In other words, sage is pretty much the go-to herb for a number of ailments.
In magic, carry sage leaves in your wallet or purse to promote financial gain. Burn leaves to increase wisdom or gain guidance from your spirit guide (be warned – burning sage does smell similar to marijuana, so keep that in mind if you think the neighbors might be inquisitive). Make a wish and write it on a sage leaf, and then hide it beneath your pillow — if you dream about your wish over the next three nights, your wish will come true.
In addition to its medicinal and magical uses, sage makes a great addition to your kitchen pantry. Use it to season fish or chicken dishes, or toss fresh leaves into a green salad.
Other Names: Garden sage
Gender: Masculine
Element: Air
Planetary Connection: Jupiter
Controlling Creativity Spell
Here’s a little spell to help you get control of your creativity. Prepare your sacred space as normal, then light two yellow or red candles and call upon your muses. Mix a half cup of sand with three teaspoons vervain in a small bowl. On the sand, focus your intention of being block-free. Suffuse the sand completely with your will. Hold an obsidian stone, ring, or pendant in your cupped hands, seeing it as an empty object ready to absorb the sand’s energy. Bury the obsidian in the sand for three days. Keep the stone with you when working, taking it in hand when you feel a creative lapse.
By: Laurel Reufner
The symbolic meaning of number Four deals with stability and invokes the grounded nature of all things. Consider the four seasons, four directions, four elements all these amazingly powerful essences wrapped up in the nice square package of Four. Fours represent solidity, calmness, and home. A recurrence of Four in your life may signify the need to get back to your roots, center yourself, or even “plant” yourself. Fours also indicate a need for persistence and endurance.
Cut Firewood, Cut Hair to Increase Growth, Mow to Increase Growth, Dig Holes, Wax Floors, Paint, Get Married, Advertise to Sell, Buy Clothes
~Magickal Graphics~
A charm to drive away evil
The following ingredients are needed:
Iron Nail (rusted)
small flat stone
Hammer
Set the nail on the stone and with the hammer strike it 3 times at each stroke say thus;
Clavus Ferreus Malleus Ferreus Ferrum rufulum Ferrum Nobilis
Score the stone thrice across with the nail’s point, then take the stone away and quickly bury it in the earth far from your house. The nail should afterwards be carried with you as a charm agains evil.
It is best to find a work area that you can leave untouched for 3 days.
The following ingredients are needed:
Love or protection incense
PSYCHIC PROTECTION SPELL
It is best to find a work area that you can leave untouched for 3 days. If you must put away your tools, try to leave the spell candle out in the open. Prepare your work area by setting up any tools you may be using in addition to your spells candle. (Black) Love or protection incense is recommended. While setting up your area, concentrate on the purpose of the work. Bathe or cleanse your self. Do not let negative thought enter your mind. Go your work area. Cast the Circle, light incense. Envision a large, white ball of light surrounding you, your work area, and your home. Hold the candle between the palms of your hand and direct all positive energy into it. Place the candle and prior to lighting say, “This candle represents protection over me in all things.” Light the candle and say, “As the light of this flame grows, I feel the light and positive energy around me. As this candle burns, everything around me is blessed with light and love. I am blessed with light and love. Negative energy is banished.” Sit back and watch the candle burn. Keep visualizing the white ball of light and protection around you.. Evision your higher self blessing you and protecting you from harm. When the candle has burned 1/3 of the way down say, “As the flame of the candle is extinguished… Evil, negativity, and harm towards me is banished! Any entity, ghost or spirit her by mistake go into the light and pass on to the world of spirit, be not afraid as many wait for you there who you have loved and who love you. Extinguish the candle. But don’t blow it out! Repeat this for 2 more nights. Bury or throw away the left over wax. -Belza-
A puppet is a doll. It is the shape of a human that is used for magical purposes. They are used in spells to help either you or someone else. These dolls can be made from wood, cloth, clay, paper, or fabric.
To make a fabric puppet cut a human outline from two pieces of fabric with their right sides together. It does not need to be detailed. You can keep the hands and feet rounded. If the puppet is to represent you, use a piece of fabric from some of your old clothes. Sew most of the figure with right sides together. Leave a small area unsewn. Turn it right side out and stuff. You may stuff the figure with batting, tissue, straw, paper, or whatever is handy. You may add herbs, a lock of hair or other personal effect. Sew the hole. You may add button eyes and decorate to personalize. Do not make puppets of other people unless you have permission. Do not destroy the puppet. If it represents another person, give it to that person to keep it safe. If it was made for binding, bury it.
To give your self the power of the pheonix.This will last for 5 moons (5 days).
The following ingredients are needed
Your staff or what ever you use.
5 red or black unused candles
Draw a pentagram on the ground. Place the candles at each point.Stand in the middle and hold up your tool.Now chant the folowing 3 times.When done blow out one candle for each day that passes.
Black flame,
Pheonix claim,
Spirits around,
Give me power unbound.
Protect your loved ones. This spell can HELP protect yourself, too.
The following ingredients are needed
Voice or ability to hear your voice in your head.
Candles (Optional)
If you are using candles, place them in a circle around you and recite the following spell. If you are in public, say this in your head.
Protect my family, protect my friends, Protect us all until the end.
This spell should be said as many times as possible.
Banishing all is the purpose of this spell.
The following ingredients are needed
1 red candle
1 bue candle
1 teaspoon of your favorite herb
1 photo of the person/people your working on
1 piece of orange skin
Lighting your candles,you need to hold the photo of the people your working with over the blue one and the orange peel over the red one.as soon ads the photo catches recite the words:thou who has done badly to my friend I hate you are now burning all from fate.thy has hurt [insert name here] shall be hurting [insert name here] from the pain of which you have caused.the orange peel should have burned and so the pain will start.
Incense Papers
Incense papers are a delightful variation of combustible incense. Here, rather than using charcoal and gum tragacanth, tinctures and paper are the basic ingredients. To make incense papers, take a piece of white blotter paper and cut it into six-inch strips about an inch wide. Next, add 1 1/2 teaspoons potassium nitrate to 1/2 cup very warm water. Stir until potassium nitrate is completely dissolved. Soak the paper strips in the nitrate solution until thoroughly saturated. Hang them to dry.
You now have the paper versions of the charcoal blocks used to burn incense. The obstacle in scenting them is to overcome the normal smell of burning of burning paper. For this reason, heavy fragrances should be used, such as tinctures. Tinctures compounded from gums and resins seem to produce the best results. Empower the tincture(s) with you Magickal need, then pour a few drops of the tincture onto one strip of paper. Smear this over the paper and add more drops until it is completely coated on one side. Hang the strip up to dry and store in labeled, airtight container until needed.
To speed drying, turn on the oven to a low temperature, leave the door open, and place the soaked incense papers on the rack. Remove them when dry. Generally speaking, incense papers should be made with one tincture rather than mixtures. To use incense papers, simply remove one paper and hold it above your censer. Light one tip with a match, and after it is completely involved in flame, quickly blow it out. Place the glowing paper in your censer and let it smolder, visualizing or working your Magickal ritual. Incense papers should burn slowly and emit a pleasant scent.
Plain unscented papers can be used in place of charcoal blocks. For this purpose soak the papers in the potassium nitrate solution and let dry, then set one alight in the censer. Sprinkle a thin layer of the incense over the paper. As it burns the paper will also smolder your incense. You may have difficulty in keeping incense paper lit. The secret here is to allow air to circulate below the papers. You can ensure this by either placing the paper on some heat-proof object in the censer, or by filling the censer with salt or sand and thrusting one end of the paper into this, much as you might with incense sticks. The paper should burn all the way to its end.
Stick Incense
Add more trag glue to the mixed incense and base until the mixture is wet but still rather thick. The trick here is in determining the proper thickness of the incense/trag mixture and in finding appropriate materials to use. Try homemade wooden or bamboo splints, broom straws, very thin twigs, or those long wooden cocktail skewers. Dip the sticks into the mixture, let them sit upright and then dip again. Several dippings are usually necessary; this is a most difficult process.
When the sticks have accumulated a sufficient amount of the incense, poke them into a slab of clay or some other substance so that they stand upright. Allow them to dry. One variation on stick incense making uses a stiffer incense dough. Pat down the dough on waxed paper until it is very thin. Place the stick on the dough. Roll a thin coating of dough around the stick. The incense shouldn’t be more than twice the thickness of the stick. Squeeze or press it onto the stick so that it will stay put, and let dry.
The Two Forms of Incense
Two types of incense are used in Magic: the combustible and the noncombustible. The former contains potassium nitrate (saltpeter) to aid in burning, while the latter does not. Therefore combustible incense can be burned in the form of bricks, cones, sticks and other shapes, whereas noncumbustible incense must be sprinkled onto glowing charcoal blocks to release its fragrance.
Noncombustible Incense
Be sure you have all necessary ingredients. If you lack any, decide on substitutions. Each ingredient must be finely ground, preferably to a powder, using either a mortar and pestle or an electric grinder. Some resins won’t powder easily, but with practice you’ll find the right touch. When all is ready, fix your mind on the incense’s goal. In a large wooden or ceramic bowl, mix the resins and gums together with your hands. While mingling these fragrant substances, also mix their energies. Visualize your personal power–vibrating with your Magickal goal–exiting your hands and entering the incense.
Next, mix in all the powdered leaves, barks, flowers and roots. As you mix, continue to visualize or concentrate on the incense’s goal. Now add any oils or liquids that are included in the recipe. Just a few drops are usually sufficient. Once all has been thoroughly mixed, add any powdered stones or other power boosters. The incense is now fully compounded. Empower the incense and it is done. Store in a tightly capped jar. Label carefully, including the name of the incense and date of composition. It is ready for use when needed.
Combustible Incense
Combustible incense (in the form of cones, blocks, and sticks) is fairly complex in its composition, but many feel the results are worth the extra work. Gum tragacanth glue or mucilage is the basic ingredient of all molded incenses. Gum tragacanth is available at some herb stores. It is rather expensive, but a little will last for months. To make tragacanth glue, place a teaspoon of the ground herb in a glass of warm water. Mix thoroughly until all particles are dispersed. To facilitate this, place in a bowl and whisk or beat with an egg beater. This will cause foam to rise, but it can be easily skimmed off or allowed to disperse. The gum tragacanth has enormous absorption qualities; an ounce will absorb up to one gallon of water in a week.
Let the tragacanth absorb the water until it becomes a thick, bitter-smelling paste. The consistency of the mixture depends on the form of incense desired. For sticks (the most difficult kind to make), the mixture should be relatively thin. For blocks and cones a thicker mucilage should be made. This where practice comes in handy; after a session or two you will automatically know when the mucilage is at the correct consistency.
If you can’t find tragacanth, try using gum arabic in its place. This, too, absorbs water. When you have made the trag glue, cover with a wet cloth and set aside. It will continue to thicken as it sits, so if it becomes too thick add a bit of water and stir thoroughly.
Next, make up the incense base:
Cone Incense Base 6 parts ground Charcoal (not self-igniting), 1 part ground Benzoin, 2 parts ground Sandalwood, 1 part ground Orris root (this “fixes” the scent), 6 drops essential oil (use the oil form of one of the ingredients in the incense), 2 to 4 parts mixed, empowered incense.
Mix the first four ingredients until all are well blended. Add the drops of essential oil and mix again with you hands. The goal is to create a powdered mixture with a fine texture. If you wish, run the mixture through a grinder or mortar again until it is satisfactory. Add 2 to 4 parts of the completed and empowered incense mixture. Combine this well with your hands.
Then using a small kitchen scale, weigh the completed incense and add ten percent potassium nitrate. If you’ve made ten ounces of incense, add one ounce potassium nitrate. Mix this until the white powder is thoroughly blended. Next, add the trag glue. Do this a teaspoon at a time, mixing with your hands in a large bowl until all ingredients are wetted.
For cone incense you’ll need a very stiff, dough-like texture. If it is too thick it won’t properly form into cones and will take forever to dry. The mixture should mold easily and hold its shape. On a piece of waxed paper, shape the mixture into basic cone shapes, exactly like the ones you’ve probably bought. If this form isn’t used, the incense might not burn properly. When you’ve made up your cone incense, let it dry for two to seven days in a warm place. Your incense is finished.
Incense Magic
When incense is burned prior to magical workings, fragrant smoke also purifies the altar and the surrounding area of negative, disturbing vibrations. Though such a purification isn’t usually necessary, it, once again, helps create the appropriate mental state necessary for the successful practice of Magic. When the incense is smoldered in a ritual setting it undergoes a transformation. The vibrations, no longer trapped in their physical form, are released into the environment. Their energies, mixing with those who use them, speed out to effect the changes necessary to the manifestation of the Magickal goal.
You needn’t limit incense use to ritual, but avoid burning healing incense just for the smell, or to freshen up your stale house. Burning magickally constructed and empowered incenses when they’re not needed is a waste of energy. If you wish to burn a pleasant-smelling incense, compound a household mixture for this purpose.
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Stone Runes are most commonly used for questions about the natural world and things beyond human control. Gebo means gift, and like any gifts, the rune may be understood on many levels. Gifts are generally positive things, for both the giver and the recipient. In many cultures however, gifts and favors carry with them an obligation to respond in kind. It is for this reason that gifts, and hence the rune Gebo, are frequently symbolic of friendships, marriages, alliances, mergers, and other bonds between people or organizations. Gebo is a strong rune and the unions represented are strong as well. Moreover, Gebo is not reversible, as true friendships are not easily undone. |
Witches Of The Craft® 
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