The Witching Hour
Page 23
Celery Seed: Another Mercury/air association, celery seed is thought to bring calm, focused thinking, thereby strengthening the intent of the working.
Cinnamon/Ginger Combo: Cinnamon is ruled by the sun/fire. Ginger is ruled by Mars/fire. The two herbs together combine to speed any spell or working. This combination is often loaded into red candles for swift action.
Mace: An aromatic, golden-colored spice that is believed to enhance mental abilities when casting a spell. It is the outer covering of nutmeg and is related to the planet Mercury and the air element.
Mistletoe: The Grand Dame of the herbal tool box. If you need to ramp up any spell and work for the most power and highest good, mistletoe might be your choice. However, mistletoe is considered poisonous, which is why it is sometimes difficult to find in local shops; however, it can be ordered fresh online. You can even buy a grow-your-own-mistletoe kit online if you are the adventurous type! If you are concerned about the poisonous aspects of mistletoe, note that “in studies of hundreds of cases of accidental ingestion over the years, there were no fatalities and only a handful of severe reactions. One study published in 1996 looked at 92 cases of mistletoe ingestion and found that only a small fraction of patients showed any symptoms…and no fatalities.”23 Magickal correspondences for mistletoe vary; some believe it is ruled by the sun and the element of air. Others believe that Jupiter is the ruler and fire the element. In magick, mistletoe is thought to be an antidote to all poisons and to encourage fertility and bestow good luck. With such a wide range of use, it is perfect for inclusion in almost any working.
Vervain: A vervain liquid fluid condenser is excellent for ramping up the power of a protection spell, bringing peace to the home, and guarding against illness. Here, its Venus correspondence functions as in Taurus, drawing stability, protection, and kindness into the home. The vervain herb in powders is thought to power up its attraction energies.
Yohimbe: Queen of Lust. If you want to make a love powder, yohimbe is the go-to herb; unfortunately, it, too, is considered poisonous (to some extent) as it causes high blood pressure and rapid heart rate. Ruled by Mars and the fire element, yohimbe has the legendary ability to take your love sachets and blends where no love spell has gone before.
Cast the circle; set the field
Say the words; breathe your will.
Seal it up and let it go; your faith in Spirit makes it so!
Always remember to command the powder with a specific set of actions or intent right before using the blend in any magickal application.
Tell it what to do!
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23. Anahad O’Conner, “The Claim: Don’t Eat the Mistletoe—It Can be Deadly,” http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/11/health/11real.html?_r=0 (11 December 2007).
The Formulas
Abundance
chamomile, sunflower, orange peel, lime, vanilla bean, dried melon seeds
My life is filled with positive abundance
And all my needs are met and more
Days are light and nights are bright
Continued joy comes through my door.
This is one of my favorite formulas that works very well as potpourri. To ramp up a summer blend, add dried cherries. For more drawing power in the fall, include shavings of dried apples; for winter, use nuts and cranberries.
This is a joy and happiness blend that concentrates on bringing good fortune, happiness, and joy into your life. I keep a tall glass jar of this formula on my prosperity altar. The jar also includes one small piece of copper, a loadstone dressed with gold magnetic sand, and a High John root. I change the contents of the jar on the spring equinox, summer solstice, fall equinox, and winter solstice, incorporating the preparation and empowerment in my holiday sabbat. The blend can be boosted for aromatic enjoyment by adding your favorite magickal or essential oil along with a bit of oakmoss (to hold the scent).
Add new herbs and re-empower the bag every new moon. Build the power of the bag by adding new items as you feel necessary. For example, you may find an unusual stone or a feather or a little ceramic animal that you know in your heart needs to go in your bag.
Recommended candle color: gold, red, green
Ancestral Honor
lavender, myrrh, rosemary, frankincense, hyssop, lemon verbena, eggshell
There is peace in the moment
There is peace in my person
There is peace in my heart
There is peace in my mind
There is peace in my spirit.
I send light and blessings to those beyond the veil.
All hail that which is sacred and filled with joy.
White and purple are my candle color choices for this formula, which fits well in a variety of magickal systems that work with the honored dead. This blend is designed for your ancestors, as opposed to the gede formula, which is for the dead in general. Here, the lavender and myrrh call the dead and the other herbs ensure the visit is sacred, removing any negativity. An excellent blend for Samhain, it also can be used for petitions to specific loved ones, to honor them, or to simply remember them in ritual. Use the herbal blend on your ancestral altar in a bowl; the powder can be sprinkled on the grave or at the gates of a graveyard before entrance. For a named person, add their favorite flowers or scent to the blend.
I’ve found this formula to be very useful when doing genealogy research, particularly if I am having trouble finding information or making a link. For an ancestry search, write the name three times on a piece of paper, draw the sigils for Mercury and Venus over the name, sprinkle the powder on top, twist the paper, and carry it in your pocket when visiting the graveyard, archives, or libraries. At home encircle a purple candle with the powder or herbal mixture. Burn the candles while you are doing your research. If you have a picture of the person, place the candle on top of the photo.
Recommended candle color: white
Angel
frankincense, myrrh, lavender,
nag champa, copal
To me, angelic magick is the highest vibratory work you can do in association with calling the Spirit of the Divine. This primarily resin formula can serve a variety of purposes as it seeks the best possible outcome while banishing all negativity. If someone has a drinking problem in the home, nest a citrine gemstone in the formula. This won’t solve the problem, but I have found it leads to solutions on how to appropriately handle the issue. When making and using this blend, call out the angelic names you choose, allowing the vibration of your voice to sing out into the universe. You can call a single angel, a specified number (such as the archangels), or a whole host of them.
Recommended candle color: white
Anubis, Egyptian God of the Crossroads
for serious issues of health and protection
frankincense, myrrh, cedar, cypress, rum, ankh symbol on a piece of paper
Hear me, O great guardian of the crossroads
Anubis, Anpu, lord of the sacred land
Keeper of mysteries
I call thee forth with dignity and honor
To aid me in my working this day/night.
Ankh Symbol
The Anubis charm is most used in response to health issues where the circumstances are serious, especially surgeries for animals or people. It can also be utilized for a crossing (funeral rite) for an animal or individual, meaning that it is employed to help the spirit pass from this lifetime to the Summerland. Cast a circle, call the quarters, and ask for the presence of Anubis. He brings great peace into the circle, and you will know that he has arrived, as there is an incredible calm that permeates everything. You can use the powder as an offering or as the calling vehicle; this is entirely up to you. The charm and powder can also be employed for protection. The ankh symbol awakens the power of Anubis. The symbol can be cut up and put directly in the powder or
you can put the powder in the paper with the symbol and then twist the paper as I explained in chapter one.
Now, I’ll be honest with you: when I offered this formula in my stores, there wasn’t much interest. This surprised me because when you use the ankh symbol combined with the call above, pets and people receive a very peaceful, easy passing, and you are gifted with the stability and courage you need to move forward. There will come a time when you need it, and then you will see for yourself. I’ve also found that if you use this symbol and the powder, the individual or animal has a clarity window where you can say goodbye. The powder and sigil can be used for healing, especially if everyone believes the person is at death’s door. If this is not their intended fate, the person can recover at a faster rate. Finally, this is a good truth-finding powder for circumstances around someone’s death or for information that is needed to resolve an issue around that death.
Recommended candle color: use both gold and black
Aphrodite
love and passion
rose, yohimbe, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom (peach pit for inclusion in sachet bag or poppet only)
I call forth Aphrodite, goddess of sea and foam
Mother of heavenly love
I pray thee bestow your blessings upon me.
I like using this formula with pink or seafoam/light turquoise-colored candles. Carve the sigil of Venus into the candle with a clay stylus, then paint a small amount of your favorite love oil or love fluid condenser into the grooves. This is a very romantic blend that works well in a pink cloth packet with a red heart stitched on the fabric; this way you can carry it with you for as long as you like. A good mixture for a love poppet to draw love and passion to you.
Attraction
useful for love, friendship and money—a magnet formula
rose, gardenia, patchouli, marigold, cinnamon, musk
From nothing to something I will this thing to form
I know that it will manifest and to this world be born.
An Attraction Manifestation Sigil
I use both the chant and the herbal blend for drawing and manifesting a variety of objects and goals into form. To give the formula more power, add a fluid condenser of the same ingredients made on a Venus day (Friday) in a Venus hour in a waxing moon or look for when Venus is well aspected (a trine or sextile to Mercury, the moon, or Jupiter). This timing can also be used for blending the powder, empowering your mixture, or launching the magick. Works with a variety of candle colors that best vibrate with your intent. Feel free to add crushed gemstones, an attraction manifestation sigil, photos of what you desire, or your own magickal doodle.
Aura Spiritual Cleanse
rosemary, hyssop, white sage, African basil, lemongrass
I cleanse the field around me and in me of all negativity
My soul glitters with the white light of well-being
I attract joy, wisdom, harmony, and peace
Only the good remains.
This is a bright aromatic blend that can be ground into a powder, used in poppets, conjuring bags, or bath bags, and is perfect for spiritual cleansings of all kinds. When using the formula in sachets, take several deep breaths to inhale the lovely aroma, letting the sweetness travel through your whole body. Intone the sea of potential exercise and attune yourself and the field to cleansing body, mind, and soul. See your entire body filled with white light. Move this light out so that it surrounds your body to about five inches in depth. Again, activate the sea of potential. Next, move the light out farther, about ten inches from your body, and activate the sea. Finally, move the light out about fifteen inches from your body, and activate the sea. You have now cleansed the physical body and the three energy bodies that make up the core of your being.
During this exercise you may wish to rub the herbs or powder in your hands in a circular motion. See which works best for you, a clockwise motion or a counterclockwise one. You also can use this exercise with salt, rubbing the salt in the palms of your hands as you expand the light bubble around you in increments as indicated above. Thank the salt when you are finished and brush it from your hands. This is a good exercise to practice every day, particularly when you feel challenged, sick, worried, or just need a boost. If you are suspicious of someone sending you negative energy, practice three times a day.
I also use this formula in a bowl of chilled water. Once the blend is empowered, place your hands in the bowl and, while softly chanting, release the negativity you may be feeling into the water. You can do this for yourself or incorporate the process in a spiritual cleansing for others. Once the negativity has been released, dry your hands and then fill your body with feelings of joy and happiness. It is important to make an effort to change your feelings, like a train switching tracks, as leaving a void just allows the negativity to return quickly. Cleansed crystals in the water give a very empowering magickal vehicle.
Banish Problems
mistletoe, orris, sulfur, sage, sea salt
One way to use this formula is to take a large metal bowl and fill it with sea salt. Add the other herbs. Write the problem on a piece of paper, burn it, and add the ashes to the metal bowl. Sit quietly and stir the mixture with a smooth stone that you have found on a Spirit Walk. Intone your favorite banishing chant as you grind the stone in the salt and herb mixture. Allow yourself to rise above the problem. When you feel that moment of peace, release! Throw the mixture in the garbage; it is no longer of use to you.
There are several banishment formulas in this section; however, you can throw banishment powder by the ton and the process will not work if you refuse to banish the issue or person in your mind and remove both physical and energy connections you have previously built. As long as the conduits are open, the problem won’t completely go away, and eventually the channel will widen and you’ll have to deal with it all over again. With sickness, it is usually a major stressor that you have internalized. If you heal only the symptoms of the illness, the original root, which is based in an emotional situation that you have not processed in a healthy way, can grow again. It takes courage to walk back in time, dig deep, and choose to put the situation into the bucket of experience and go forward. Don’t be ashamed if you need professional help to do this; therapy is designed to help you rise above what holds you down.
Cutting emotional ties to the issue or person leads to healing and eventual freedom. Many people swallow the pain; this pain becomes disease. Free yourself of the original wound and let go of the circumstances where you took a pounding and you know it. That was then; this is now. Time to rise.
Because people are creatures of habit, it is tough to make someone understand that “cutting ties” means exactly that. Don’t sit in circle and do banishment magick for a bully you are dealing with, then stay friends with said person on social media or continue to frequent places where they go or allow their text messages or phone calls on your phone. They hit a wall. You didn’t. Unfortunately, sometimes we have to let go of good people because they have made it their mission to enable harmful individuals. That is not your call. Not your problem. Celebrate the goodness in that person and move on! When you banish something, the universe doesn’t take you seriously if you keep answering their texts or privately stalk them on social media. Gone is gone. Done is done.
I understand that there are situations where you must slowly disentangle yourself, balancing practical actions, therapy, magickal focus, and legal strings. In these instances, let go of what you can immediately (such as extraneous people who will tell of your business or movements to the negative person), change your daily pattern, frequently practice spiritual cleansings, etc. Keep working the four powers together: practical, therapy, magickal, and legal. Eventually, you will be able to disentangle yourself from the problem forever.
Recommended candle color: white
Banish Sickness
sea salt, pebbles
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The Braucherei system has a number of diminishing chants, which are useful for banishing illness, debt, unfortunate circumstances, and ill will, removing bad habits or people from our lives, and for dieting. The Nine Weeping Sisters charm is especially useful for banishing illness, particularly fevers, tumors, odd illnesses that seem to have no diagnosis, or illnesses of a cancerous nature, or a group of people who have infiltrated your life in an unpleasant way. The chant can be used in the usual way (said nine times three times a day), added to a hypnotherapy session, or used as a working in itself.
For the working, select nine stones, buttons, or other small objects that you have cleansed in sea salt. In this example we will use stones. Do not use coins, as this will diminish your wealth. You should also have the person’s name that you are trying to help written on a piece of brown paper nine times or a photograph of them to place in the center of your altar or working area. Carefully set the nine stones around the paper in a circle. You can dress the stones with a banishing magickal oil if you so desire. Say the individual’s name aloud and state your petition before you begin the chanting/whispering process.
For example: “Hail, guardian angels and angelic hosts! I call upon you to bring safe and natural healing to Amanda Jane Brubaker. Please diminish the illness trapped within her body and remove it completely. From Amanda’s body to God/dess’s hands, so be it!”
The working is best done on a waning moon over a nine-day period. On the first night, anywhere from twilight to midnight, lay out the nine stones where they will not be disturbed and intone the full charm nine times. On the ninth recitation remove one stone. Ideally, you should take the stone and throw it into running water off your property. If you can’t do this, wash the stone and give it back to the earth off your property.
On the next night, repeat the charm beginning at “eight weeping sisters…” nine times. The last time you repeat the charm do as before, removing the eighth stone and throwing it away, off your property, in running water.