Cat: Mystery
Chain: Business success or success in a current goal
Clouds: Happiness; success ahead
Crescent: Spirituality
Cross, equal arm: Gateway to prosperity and happiness; protection
Diamond: Gift; partnership; marriage of like ideas
Door: Opportunity; looking for good fortune or a needed change
Dots: Busy time ahead; pathway to success
Egg: Birth, beginnings; new project
Eye: Wisdom; healing; knowledge
Fan: Beauty; flirting
Fire: Lust; passion; zeal
Flowers: Gifts; nature spirits
Frog, toad: Good fortune; money
Glass: Social opportunities; parties
Hand: Your desires are unfolding as you think about them
Hat: Change
Heart: Love; harmony
Hourglass: Patience
Kite: Wishes; hopes
Knot: Problems; blocks; scattered thoughts
Leaves: Success (usually by the end of the season)
Lightning: Sudden event; power; bold thoughts
Lines, straight: Travel
Lines, wavy: Career luck
Mask: Secrets; hidden opportunities
Mountain: Stability; treasure within
Rectangle: Business luck
Ring: Proposal
Shell: Treasure; travel over water
Shoe: Move of house or job
Snake, single: Gossip
Snake, double: Healing or the root of the matter
Spade, shovel: Growth and achievement
Spiral: Power
Star: Wishes granted, good timing to make decisions
Sun: New beginning; personal success
Table: Family happiness and abundance
Tree: Unity and growth
Umbrella: Protection; new buildings; renovation
Wings: Guardian; spirituality
Empowering Your Tea for Creative Potential
1. Clearly state your intention as the water begins to boil. Be sure to use primal language (remember, primal language uses the least amount of words, yet clearly gets your point across in a positive way); for example: “I want ideas to make my work creative, interesting, and useful to myself as well as others.”
2. Prepare tea as indicated in the general instructions.
3. Position empowered crystals (optional) around cup.
4. Decorate tea-leaf-reading area to match your desired intention. For example, if you are making Halloween or Yule cards for gift giving, place some of your supplies in the tea-leaf-reading area.
5. Breathe deeply several times, relax, and sink comfortably into your chair, feet flat on the floor. Hold your hands over the teacup. Form a triangle with index fingers and thumbs touching. Breathe softly into the triangle formed by your fingers, your breath just touching the surface of the liquid. As you breathe on the tea, visualize white light entering the liquid. Now visualize spirals of energy leaving the palms of your hands and entering the liquid as you intone an affirmation of power. For example: “My work will be creative, interesting, and useful to myself and others.”
6. If you desire, light incense that matches your purpose. Pass the incense over the cup three times. Rub a light blue candle with a bit of the same brand of dry tea you are using. Light candle and repeat your affirmation. Pass light of candle over your cup three times. Scatter a bit of the dry tea around the candle holder.
7. Read the tea leaves, then set the cup out to dry. The following day, place the dry tea, a bit of the cold candle wax, and one of the crystals in a gris-gris bag. Carry with you as long as you work on your current project. Burn bag when work is successfully completed.
HedgeWitch Candle Magick
Grungy Candles for Attraction
Country prim (as it is now called) fits right in with HedgeWitch magick, and grungy candles, a representation of this type of candle art design, are very easy to make. These primitive candles are perfect for attraction magick due to the wide variety of herbs, spices, and scents you can choose to create just the right magickal formula! Grungy candles take about two hours to make (from the initial wax melting to completion), and you can use dollar-store tapers, pillar candles, or highly scented votives to begin, or you can dip candles you have poured yourself. Grungy candles employ a technique called “overdipping,” where you dip the cool candle into the hot wax several times, building up a beautiful shell around the original candle. With grungy candles, the shell contains clumps of herbs and spices, making the surface bumpy and misshapen. Therefore, no matter what the candles look like, they are perfect country prim!
Supplies Needed
A double boiler: This is a double pot: the bottom pot holds water that boils and heats the contents of the second pot that sits atop the bottom pot. Warning: The water must never boil dry during your candlemaking process. You must use a dedicated double boiler for making candles, as you cannot melt wax directly on the stove: a flash fire may occur. Also, once you heat the wax, the pot can’t be used for future food preparation.
Your choice of candles: Pillars, votives, or tapers that can be dipped in the double boiler. Be sure your candles aren’t bigger than your pot!
Wax or candy thermometer
2 to 4 pounds of candle wax: You can actually melt down already colored and scented brown candles, depending upon the diameter of your chosen pot.
Brown candle dye: If you can’t get candle dye, do not use crayons: melt a variety of colored candles in shades of red, orange, green, and blue to create the brown color you desire.
Your choice of candle scent: If your candle is already highly scented, you don’t need to use an additional scent unless you want to.
1 pound of good, strong ground coffee
Powdered cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves: At least ½ cup of each.
Baker’s parchment paper
Spray candle gloss (optional)
Good needle-nosed pliers: You will use these for dipping the candle by firmly holding the wick with the pliers.
Directions
Fill the bottom pot with water (not so much that it will boil over and not so little that it will boil dry). Fill the top pot with the cold, broken wax. Insert the candy thermometer. Melt the wax on medium heat (the boiling water will eventually melt the wax) until you reach a temperature of 170 degrees. This part of the process takes the most time and must be constantly monitored due to danger of flash fire. (Granted, I’ve made thousands of candles and never had a flash fire, but you must be cognizant of what could happen at all times. Do not walk away from the melting pot. If someone calls, knocks at the door, or you must leave the area, turn off the heat. You can always turn it back on again. This is not a project you can walk away from!) Once the wax has reached about 170 degrees, add your color and scent as directed on the package. Either turn the heat down or off—your choice. The trick is to maintain that 170-degree temperature and keep the pot from boiling dry.
While your wax is melting, mix the ground coffee and spices together in a bowl. Set out the candles you wish to dip. Cover your working area with parchment paper. Bless your ingredients, and with primal language, state the purpose for your finished candles. Just as when you make cookies, place parchment paper on a separate table where your finished candles will cool. Pour ½ to ¾ cup of the coffee and spice mix in the center of the parchment. Spread it out a bit with your fingers (not too thin).
To Dip Candles:
Firmly hold the wick with the pliers and immerse the entire candle in wax (this is where the importance of the pot size and amount of wax is evident). The wax must cover the dipped candle. Raise the candle above the wax and let it drip a bit, then move over to your working area. Roll war
m candle in the coffee and spice mix. Never put your fingers in the hot wax, as serious burns can occur. If the candle slips out of the pliers’ grip, fish it out with an old spoon. Once rolled in the coffee and spice mix, set the candle aside (still on the working area). Do the next candle in the same manner. When you have dipped all your candles once, check your temperature and then dip them all again and roll them in the coffee and spice mixture. Repeat this procedure—dip, roll, and cool—five to sixteen times, depending on how thick you want your grungy shell. Renew the coffee and spice mixture as necessary. If the wax becomes too cool or too hot, the shell will begin to bubble and crack, which you really don’t want, so watch that temperature carefully. If you’ve done this and they still crack and bubble, it could be that your thermometer is off. Atmospheric conditions can also cause this phenomenon. The cracks and bubbles won’t hurt the finished product, it just looks better if they aren’t there. Also, the more dips, the more possibility of bubbles and cracking.
When you are finished dipping all the candles, turn off the heat. Do not pour the remaining wax down the drain; this will completely block your plumbing! Either allow the remainder to cool in the pot to use at a later date, or pour the wax outside on the ground. Place your dipped candles on the cooling paper. Allow to dry undisturbed at least twenty-four hours. Do not touch the candles while they are drying, as you could smear off the dipped shell or crack the shell. After twenty-four hours, spray the candles with manufacturer’s candle gloss (available at most craft stores) for a lovely sheen.
Magickal Uses of Grungy Candles
The recipe given here corresponds to attraction energies. The coffee and cinnamon are for movement, and the nutmeg and cloves represent good fortune and an excellent harvest of any project. The traditional brown “grungy” color invites the element of earth, prosperity, stability, abundance, treasure, and miracles. These candles make wonderful gifts throughout the harvest and winter season, especially if you use apple, vanilla, or pine-scented candles. Seven tapers bound together with a checkered ribbon and a magickal good fortune tag designed by yourself would be a welcome gift! Burn one a day for seven days by a rooster statue to encourage prosperity and good fortune.
Herb Candle Variation: Clear Wax Dip
For striking candle designs, omit the brown dye, leaving the dipping wax clear. Dip the candle once, then carefully press dried herbs and flowers into the wax. Dip again. Wait sixty seconds. Dip again. Wait sixty seconds. Dip a third time, and set aside to dry.
Caution: Too many dried herbs can turn your burning candle into a fireball! To burn a candle packed with dried herbs, use only a fire-safe cauldron.
Tip for Magickal Gardeners:
During the height of your growing season, harvest flowers and petals just after the morning dew has dried. Press petals and leaves between paper towels inside heavy books. When dry (this can take several days or weeks, depending upon your choice), use these pressed florals on candles or in scrapbooking projects. You can heat-laminate dried florals if they are not too thick. I made several bookmarks for prosperity one year using dried marigold and sunflower petals, a bit of glitter, and a heat-laminating machine.
HedgeWitch Painted Herb Candles
You will need: a double boiler; one pillar candle; two to three votives with color that matches pillar; herbals to decorate the pillar—choose herbs, flowers, leaves, etc. that are very thin; an old paintbrush.
Instructions: Melt votive candles in double boiler. Do not let the wax go over 170 degrees. With this type of project, we really just need the wax to melt to liquid. Choose whether you wish to apply your herbals randomly or if you would like an overall pattern or special design. If you choose to make a design, try arranging your herbals on white paper first. When you are ready to apply the herbals to the pillar, dip paintbrush into hot wax. Dab hot wax onto pillar where you wish to place your first herbal. Quickly place herbal onto hot wax area. Immediately dip the paintbrush into the hot wax again, and apply a thin coat of wax gently over the herbal. Continue adding herbs and flowers until your design is completed. Apply one last thin coat of wax over entire candle. Allow to completely cool. For gift giving, tie a ribbon or raffia around the candle. If the wick is long enough, you can add beads and other baubles to create a striking gift. Empower candle at sunrise or noon for ultimate fire power!
Hand-Dipped HedgeWitch Taper Candles
You will need: a double boiler that is six inches taller than the length of the candle desired; candle thermometer; two or more pounds of wax, depending on the desired length of candle; scent and fragrance; candle wicking; chopstick or thin dowel rod cut to eleven or twelve inches; steel nut (for weight); powdered herbs; wooden stirring spoon.
Instructions: Melt wax to 170 degrees. Add scent and color per manufacturer’s instructions. Add ¼ to ½ teaspoon of powdered herb to wax. Stir. (The herbs often will settle; this is okay. In these herbal candles, we are infusing the wax with the power of the herb.) Cut wicking to the desired length of candle plus three inches. Fasten steel nut to one end of the wick. Tie the other end of the wick in the center of the chopstick or dowel rod. Dip the wick into the hot wax while holding the chopstick. With smooth motion, pull the wick straight up and out of the hot wax. Count to five in an easy cadence. Dip again. Count to five. Dip again. Repeat this procedure until you reach the desired thickness of candle. If outer wax begins to bubble, your wax is either too cold or too hot. If you leave the candle in the hot wax too long during dipping, you will melt off the previous layers. When finished, hang candle to cool. Candles should not touch each other when hanging and should hang free (not touching anything). Candle suppliers sell special spinning racks, or you can improvise.
HedgeWitch Dipping Charm
Try this easy magickal charm when dipping candles. Remember to state your purpose clearly in primal language as you learned in Section 1 before you begin.
(Dip candle) One—the magick’s begun
(Dip candle) Two—my wish comes true
(Dip candle) Three—I attract it (meaning your desire) to me
(Dip candle) Four—I open the door (meaning you welcome and accept your desire)
(Dip candle) Five—the thing (what you asked for) is mine!
Keep repeating chant until you reach the desired thickness of candle.
Holiday Heat-Gun Tissue-Paper Candles
Tissue-paper candles bring a whole new level to creating fast magickal gifts for the busy HedgeWitch. In just fifteen minutes (or less) you can create unusual designer candles suitable for sharing or using yourself! The trick to these types of candles is to just barely heat the surface of the candle around the edges of the tissue paper without burning the tissue with the heat gun and seriously melting the candle or seriously burning your hands. Therefore, this isn’t a project for young children.
You will need: pillar candles in colors of your choice; tissue paper in colors that match your intent, or you can also use tissue papers with designs such as leaves, pumpkins, flowers, etc.; heat gun (I use an embossing gun); candle gloss (optional—can be obtained at your local craft store or craft candle supplier)
Instructions: Tear tissue paper in various small shapes. Lay one piece of torn tissue on candle. Heat edges of tissue just enough to where you see the wax glisten (this will take only a few seconds). Move around the edges of the tissue evenly with the heat gun. If the wax begins to drip, wipe drip off lightly and quickly before it solidifies. Once all the edges are adhered, heat center of tissue lightly, just enough to allow the tissue to begin sinking into the wax. Apply the next piece of tissue in the same manner. When you are satisfied with the design, set the candle aside to cool completely. For a professionally finished look, spray candles with candle gloss. Tie ribbon or raffia around candle for a gift-giving finishing touch! Empower cooled candles with tuning forks or bells.
How these candles burn: In my experience, the outer tissu
e forms a shell and the center of the candle burns down completely. However, every candle is different, and to be safe,
I would burn them in a fire-safe cauldron.
The HedgeWitch Magickal Garden
One of the easiest ways to connect to Spirit through nature is to dive into the wonders of your own enchanted garden! From planning in February (in the Northern Hemisphere) to planting after the first major frost, to growing and harvesting, your magickal garden will provide thousands of hours of peace and enjoyment. Even if you have never gardened in your life, there is nothing so difficult that you can’t accomplish it, if you only try! If you can’t work outside, try building your own rock garden inside, using potted plants and herbs. Begin small, and watch your garden grow! Here are some magickal tips to help bring you an amazing connection to nature.
Planning: Start small, and build. What type of environment suits you best—an Oriental feel? Celtic? Victorian? Walk your property. Your focal point sets the stage for the future of your garden, as well as your outside life. Choose one small area to change first. Close your eyes and visualize what you might like to have. Use primal language (see Section 1) to formulate what you desire. Look through magazines, garden catalogs, and books. Take several trips to various local greenhouses. Ask questions! In designing my garden, I chose two focal points: a meditative statue of Buddha for the general yard and toads for prosperity in my raised-bed herb garden. Even though we had a dry year, my garden and yard flourished! I even built a toad habitat, and the week after I did so, I received a large check in the mail I wasn’t expecting. By providing for nature, nature provides for you!
Watch the path of the sun: Different areas of your property will have different access to light throughout the year. By learning the light, you will know what will suit your plants best and where you can change their placement, if necessary, later on.
Plant tags: Plants from the greenhouse normally come with a tag that explains light, temperature, and water requirements. Seed packets also carry this information. However, I found that these mini write-ups aren’t always accurate, and the only way you will know this is your experience through the growing season. When trying a new plant in your garden, why not put it in a pot first and see how the plant behaves in its prospective placement? If it does well, transplant it where you originally placed it, but if not, move the plant rather than throw it out. A plant can lose quite a lot of leaves and still be revitalized in a different location. For example, I bought patchouli and Chinese sunflowers last year and put them in pots rather than directly into the ground. I’m glad I did! The patchouli tag said it took full sunlight. The Chinese sunflowers said they required indirect lighting. In both cases, this wasn’t how the plants reacted. The patchouli did horribly in full sunlight, but when I moved it to partial shade, it grew beautifully. The Chinese sunflowers did well at first and then began to die. I cut out all the dead foliage and moved these plants to a more lighted area. They did beautifully and bloomed into October.
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