To Protect a Newborn Baby


This spell uses crystals and symbolism. The
blue stone is reputed to bring about harmony in
relationships and to help its wearer to be true to
themselves, and to be able to openly state their
opinion. The blue bead or stone used here
should preferably of lapis lazuli, which is
considered a stone of truth and friendship.
YOU WILL NEED
Blue bead or small stone with a hole
Copal or cedar incense
White candle
Bowls of salt and water
Safety pin
METHOD
✤ Light the candle and the incense.
✤ Pass the bead and then the pin through the
candle flame, the smoke, the salt and the water.
✤ Repeat the following as many times as you
feel necessary:
Great Mother, I ask protection for [name]
That he/she may not come to harm
From forces of evil on this or any other plane.
✤ Put the bead on the safety pin and say:
Through this gift I thee implore
Keep him/her safe for evermore.
✤ Now pass the bead and safety pin three times
through the incense smoke, being aware of
the available power to protect the new
arrival.
✤ Traditionally, the gift is then pinned safely to
the baby’s shawl.
✤ Let the candle burn out

Since a newborn baby is still so close to its Creator,
only the best and highest vibrational incenses and
materials are used. Copal incense is one of the purest
and most sacred that there is. It is believed to help
open the soul and can stimulate imagination,
intuition and creativity. Cedar is used to carry
prayers to the Creator. It is used to bridge the gap
between heaven and earth and is often associated
with breaking misuse of power or powerful forces
that may be having a negative influence.

Protections and Purifications


There are many folkloric remedies for the evil
eye, ranging from painting an eye on the prow
of a boat in the Mediterranean, supposedly to
outstare the sorcerer, to passing a plate filled
with burning coals three times round the head
of the victim in India. Iron is always a good
specific against the curse of the evil eye, as also
are mirrors or glass beads, which dazzle.

By and large it is the idea of envious glances
that is the basis of the superstitions and
customs surrounding the evil eye. In Turkey,
many parents keep new babies out of public
view for forty days, lest their beauty invite a
jealous glance. In Jewish and Kabbalistic lore,
the evil eye is known as ayin harah and what
follows is a variation of a charming technique
to protect a new baby from ayin harah.

Cinnamon Spell First of the Month for Prosperity and Protection

Did you know that cinnamon in your witch’s cabinet is super useful and super powerful? We’ve written an entire article on the magical and medicinal properties of cinnamon here, if you’d like to dive deep into this exotic spice. But, either way, it’s a boon for you to learn how to cast a simple cinnamon spell for the first of the month to bring prosperity and protection to you and your household. You might have even seen this spell on TikTok or IG…so let’s get to witchin’!

First, Why cast spells on the First of the Month?
There was a big trend on TikTok recently where people were focusing hardcore on spells cast on the first of the month. Why is the first of the month important in spellcasting? Truly, we can look at the first day of the month as being the door to the rest of the month. If we cast spells for prosperity and protection on this day, it starts us out on the “right foot” on this month’s journey, doesn’t it? Keeping in mind, if you somehow miss casting your cinnamon spell on the first of the month, there’s no need to panic! You can also perform your spells on a New Moon which is the first moon phase in a lunar cycle and an important night that offers new opportunity and a fresh start.

Cinnamon’s Magical and Healing Powers
Cinnamon has LOADS of spiritual and medicinal power. It’s typically used in spells for prosperity, protection, healing, good luck, love and lust, purification, career and business success. And its medicinal properties include immune support, endocrine system support, neurological and cardiovascular health, as well as being an anti-inflammatory and coagulant.

BLOW Cinnamon Spell First of the Month
I’m not being naughty here. But this might be the most down and dirty, easy and effective spell you’ve ever cast. So, on the first of the month (or on the New Moon) you’re going to…

Here’s what you’ll need:
A handful of powdered cinnamon
A broom
Your front door

Here’s how to cast this cinnamon spell first of the month:
Go to your front door with your intention in your mind. You can state it out loud, chant it, sing it, etc. (I say something like prosperity flows to me and my family freely.)
Open your front door and go outside. Face the front door.
Pour the cinnamon into your dominant hand (whatever hand you write with or make magick with.)
State your intentions again.
Then blow the cinnamon into your front door.
This might create a mess. What I like to do is leave the cinnamon where it lays for the day, if you can, then sweep it up and spread it across the front door’s threshold.
Say, “so be it” or “so it is done”, etc.
Watch the success and prosperity roll in!

Another SIMPLE, Yummy Cinnamon Spell for the First of the Month
I’ve found cinnamon to be the easiest and most powerful amplifier for nearly any intention in my life. Another cinnamon spell for the first of the month that’s simple and strong, and specifically works well for protection over yourself and your family goes like this:

Here’s what you’ll need:
Stockpot
Red sauce ingredients
Powdered cinnamon (about 1 tsp per 16 oz red sauce)

How to cast this cinnamon spell for protection:
Gather your stockpot and ingredients.
Chop your veggies and prepare any meat you might be using for your red sauce.
Brown your veggies and meat, then add the red sauce and wet ingredients.
Next, visualize and claim protection over this pot of red sauce and sprinkle your teaspoon (+) over your red sauce. Say, “cinnamon strong, cinnamon great. Protect my family with each and every plate.”
Stir the cinnamo into your red sauce. Then eat and enjoy!
NOTE: to some people, adding cinnamon to red sauce sounds crazy or gross. I assure you, if you don’t over-do the cinnamon, it’s a perfect ingredient. Why? Because a. it provides spiritual protection to you and your family. And b. because it cuts out some of the acidity of the tomatoes in the sauce…creating a semi-sweet undernote. And who doesn’t love red sauce in a cinnamon spell on the first of the month? Conversely, you can cast this spell ANY time and it is also powerful when cast on a New or Full Moon.

Other Ways to Use Cinnamon in Spells for First of the Month
Cinnamon is one of those extremely versatile spices/herbs that most witches use in multiple meals, desserts, drinks and magical concoctions. Here are a few more ways to get the most out of the magical properties of cinnamon (particularly if you’re making magick on the first of the month):

Add cinnamon to your floor wash to remove negative energy and draw in prosperity
Put cinnamon sticks in a spell bag and hang from the front and back doors
Mix cinnamon into your coffee or tea in the morning to amplify your shields and be successful in your day
Add cinnamon to your baked goods or bake something focused on cinnamon flavor like snickerdoodle cookies or cinnamon rolls (both bring prosperity and strength)
Infuse cinnamon into a front door wash and wash your front door down while stating your intentions of shielding your home and bringing in money
In the Fall and Winter months, make a big pot of mulled wine or cider and add cinnamon sticks to it
Decorate wreaths and garland with cinnamon sticks in the Winter and Autumn to honor the sabbats and draw prosperity
Offer cinnamon to specific deities associated with this spice including: Aphrodite, Dionysus, Venus, Eris, Hermes, Jupiter, Zeus, Ra, Apollo, Lugh, Sol, etc.
Mix into your protection powders and sprinkle across thresholds and windowsills to ward negative energy and spirits
Sprinkle over cereal or oatmeal or shakes to start your first day out right

Key Magic, Myth and a Lock & Key Spell for Protection

Keys are a worldwide symbol of good luck and new opportunities. They open doors to new worlds, new faces, and fresh beginnings. They also lock doors and protect us from taking certain destructive paths and protect us from intruders. Keys have been a part of folklore and magic for centuries. Let’s explore the importance of key magic and how to incorporate keys into our spiritual and magical practices.

Magical Keys of the Gods
Certain gods and goddesses are known to be key-bearers. We see them wearing keys on their belts or around their necks. Or they’re known by their culture for opening doors and pathways for those who ask them. Hecate is an ancient Greek goddess of witchcraft, the life/death cycle, and of the crossroads. She’s known as Lady of the Keys and is said to be the goddess who opens the doors/portals to the spirit world. Berchta, an ancient Celtic alpine goddess, wears a set of three golden keys on her belt. She is a psychopomp, escorting the souls of children to the other side, and therefore carries keys to the spirit realm just like Hecate. Truly any liminal deity bears keys of some kind, including: Minerva, Hermes, Papa Legba, and Ellegua.

Menshen: God of Doors and Keys
The Chinese God Menshen is a god of doors and gates and therefore presides over keys as well as bears them. Being that Menshen is a threshold deity, he is also a liminal deity. He guards doors that are portals to other places and in the spirit realm are portals to other worlds. When his presence is in a home, he holds the keys that lock your door from intruders or opens it to loved ones.

Key magic is ancient and powerful.
An elaborate lock, doorknob and door knocker on a Medieval door.
Medieval Iron, Blacksmiths, and Church Key Magic
In modern times, it seems we’ve forgotten the magic of small contraptions like locks and keys. But imagine what our ancient ancestors endured before the invention of locks and keys! There was once a time when people didn’t have locks and keys or even heavy doors to protect their homes from outside threats. We know that keys and locks existed as early as four thousand years ago, whence began their magic.

Protective Iron and Sacred Blacksmiths
In Medieval times, locks and keys were made from iron, which in and of itself had protective properties. Iron was believed to ward off evil spirits and dark magic, which is why locks and keys were made of it. Spirits can get through small spaces like locks but not if those locks are made of iron! This is why blacksmiths were considered magical people: they made things with iron! They forged protective magic with their hands, tools and fire.

Magical Church Keys
If we look at Medieval locks, we see how important they were. They were iron but also decorated or forged with symbols like dragons and lions. This added extra protection to the keyhole/lock from evil spirits. Some old churches in Europe still bear their Medieval iron locks and keys. Old lore says church keys were especially powerful in that they held healing properties. To pour water through a church key and let a sick child drink it meant healing was inevitable. It was an honor to be trusted with the keys to a church or any important building just as it’s modern tradition to grant the mayor the “keys to the city”.

The Keys of King Solomon
King Solomon is said to be one of the greatest sorcerers of all time. He commanded a whole host of celestial spirits like angels, demons and djinn. The Key of Solomon is a grimoire written in the fourteenth century that’s attributed to King Solomon’s magic. The “key” in this regard is representative of Solomon’s magical abilities and spells to open doors to the spirit or celestial realms.

The Key as a Female Symbol
The key as a symbol is seen in nearly every culture. In ancient Norse culture, the key was a symbol of female power. Women were given the keys to the household and therefore became the key-bearer of the family. It was an honor and tradition. She wore the keys on a belt or cord along with other sacred tools like a knife and sewing tools. Beccause of the association between keys and women, keys have been used in the childbirthing process. To place keys under a laboring woman’s bed aids her delivery. To learn more about the lore and power of keys in history visit historicallocks.com.

There are so many ways to use keys in your practice!
Simple Ways to Do Key Magic:
Old keys always call to me. Any time I’ve found them at a thrift store or yard sale, I pick them up and keep them. There’s a reason keys are so powerful. In addition to using keys as offerings to your ancestors and liminal gods, they can be used in your craft easily in these ways:

Worn around your neck as a good luck charm
Hung above an ancestor altar as “keys to the other realm”

Protection Formula

Make a spray of salt, water, vinegar, and herbs you associate with protection (I use pepper, lemon, and rosemary- though I do recommend a variation of Thieves oil, if you’re interested in also cutting down on germs and such) to use when cleaning to add a magical boost to protecting your home.

• Through many of us don’t have the traditional old school hearth setup, I like to light a candle to symbolize the hearth fire burning in my home. I use this ritual to honor my gods and their presence in my home. This also helps me feel connected to the hearth fires of old and to all those who came before me, allowing me to be here.

• Timing your chores with moon cycles can be an effective way to get witchy and remember to actually do certain chores, which we all forget from time to time (no? Just me? Alright then.)

• Enchanting your throws, blankets, and miscellaneous comfy things to be loving, comforting, and reassuring for those who need it is always a nice touch.

• Making a charm for a healthy, happy, and protected home! I made a little witch ball out of a plastic Christmas ornament and some items that matched my intent and it’s been good.

• Don’t underestimate the magical nature of mundane chores. Sweeping? I like to visualize that I’m sweeping out all of the gross energy and vibes along with the grime. Vacuuming? Same deal. Airing out the house? Inviting in clear and flowing energy. As long as you make it meaningful, it is.

• If you’re into home decor, switching out wreathes and interior decorations is a good way to stay in tune with the feel of the season.

• Warding your home! This can take many forms, such as a witch ball, wind chimes, a rock guardian, or whatever else you see fit!

• Adding charged water to your cleaning supplies can really help intent and usher in the seasons. I like to use solar water with some lemon to welcome in the spring and summer and moon water with some chai spices to welcome in fall and winter.

Yemaya’s Protection

This spell specifically requests that the powerful orisha, Yemaya, grant protection to someone–particularly from lies, gossip, and evil speech. USA Southern hoodoo borrows elements for spirit work from a number of sources, including the syncretic religions Vodou, Candomble, and Santeria.

The orisha, Yemaya, is one of the “Seven African Powers.” The orishas are often described as the emissaries of Olodumare, or God Almighty.

Yemaya is the “Mother of All” as such rules the maternal aspects in human lives. She likewise is mistress over the oceans of the earth. All life started in the sea; with Yemaya there is life and hope. She is also known as Yeye Omo Eja means “Mother Whose Children Are Like Fish.” Her many children are uncountable as the fish in the seven seas.

Yemaya lives and rules over the seven seas and large lakes. She is one of the most popular orishas in Santeria. Yemaya’s day is Saturday. Yemaya’s number is seven (or multiples of seven) for the seven seas. She dresses herself in seven skirts of blue and white, thus her colors are blue and white. Her feast days are: February 2, September 7, and Mother’s Day.

The symbols of Yemaya are related to the sea–shells, dolphins, fish. Though she is sometimes depicted as a beautiful woman standing amidst the sea waves or a double tailed mermaid, particularly surrounded by fish, Yemaya is syncretized to at least four manifestations of the Virgin Mary: Our Lady of Immaculate Conception, Our Lady of the Seafarers, Nuestra Senora La Virgen de Regla, and Maris Stella.

In order to petition Yemaya for her protection with this spell, a person should gather six candles (three white and three blue), seven “silver” colored coins (quarters, dimes, etc), “silver” colored pins, dark molasses, brown wrapping paper, blue pen, and a fish.

After lighting the candles, the person requests protection and writes “whoever seeks to hurt ___” (either “my son,” “mi nina,” “mi enamorado,” “me,” whatever) on a piece of brown wrapping paper. Then s/he rolls up the paper and stuffs it in the fish’s mouth and closes the mouth with the “silver” pins. The fish is placed on a plate and covered with dark molasses, and then wrapped up neatly in the brown wrapping paper. Place the seven coins on the plate around the wrapped fish.

The candles must be lit for seven days.

The fish with the paper inside is eventually tossed into the ocean along with the seven silver coins–apparently after sitting wrapped up on the plate for seven hours.

Yemaya’s offerings should be arranged in an ascetically pleasing manner on a white, blue, or silver plate. Traditionally, her offerings include whole fried fish, molasses (melaco), all kinds of seafood, dried seaweed, lettuce, white wine, white flowers, and watermelon.

It is probably a good idea to pour a glass of white wine to sit with her candles as an offering. At the end of seven days, the wine should be given to Yemaya in the sea.

If someone walks into the ocean waves to greet Yemaya, that person should step into the water sideways with her/his left side pointing towards the waters. This action shows Yemaya that the person respects the orisha’s power and strength.

Prayer for Yemaya: Iya eya ayaba okun oma ire gbogbo awani Iya.

A Protection Pour

A strong protection spell with voodoo elements, to be used to block unwanted magick from coming into your home. Do this spell on the night of the new moon (the dark moon). You’ll need to have:

A cup of pure water (rain is best)
Black ink
4 or 5 black whole peppercorns
A pinch of graveyard dirt
A splash of vodka
A red candle

Light the candle before you begin. Mix everything together in a bowl made from glass, metal or ceramic. Stir everything around with the index finger of your left hand. Call to the voodoo God Legba to protect your house.

Go out to your front door, and pour the mixture all over the steps or walkway coming up to the door. Splash it around good. You can continually refresh the spell by pouring out a new shot of vodka over the same area each night of the new moon.

How to Make Your Own Symbols for Shielding & Warding


Safety is the 2nd base on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs pyramid model. Only second to physiological needs like water, clothing and food. Therefore, safety is key to our survival as human beings. It’s also crucial for us to feel whole as individuals – feeling protected allows us to focus on other needs like love and self esteem. So how can magick support one of our basic human requirements like protection? In many ways, and especially when we put our energetic intentions into it. Here we show you how to design your own protection sigil for spiritual shielding, warding and banishing purposes.
First, Why Do We Need Spiritual Protection?
Just as we need a home in which to live and be shielded from the elements, we also need spiritual protection in a world with chaotic energies lurking behind every corner. This is especially true for people who engage in spiritual and magical practices like shamans, healers, witches, empaths, psychics, mediums, and magical practitioners of all kinds. We tend to pick up energies from all around us easily including other people’s energy as well as energy from animals, events, weather patterns, seasons and moon phases. We feel spirits around us. This means we may unknowingly absorb these energies – both good and bad. Setting up spiritual shields is just one part of the protection process, but one that is often forgotten.
How A Sigil Protects You
So how does it work, exactly? Do you just draw or paint a protection sigil and boom, you’re protected? There’s a little more behind the magical mechanics of symbols. First, the intention must be there. Then the creation process which literally pulls the energy from the ether (be it through gods, ancestors, guides or the Universe). Finally, the activation and use of that sigil in alignment with your intentions. The entire creation process draws energy into the sigil…the thought, movement, and use is what fuels the symbol into action. These symbols can be used to ward off negative energies, evil spirits, hexes, the evil eye, illness, and bad luck.
Next, What is a Protection Sigil, exactly?
Put simply, a protection sigil is a symbol that you create with the intention to protect yourself, others, or a specific space. Sigils have been used for centuries to represent specific deities, invoke spirits, and delineate sacred space. In modern times, chaos magic makes frequent use of sigil creation which has trickled into the witchcraft community at large. But creating one’s own personal power symbols is no new tactic. Consider bindrunes, for example. Runes that are combined with other runes into one symbol based on the practitioner’s needs or desires. As mentioned before, we use protection sigils to ward, banish, bind, and shield (all different forms of protection magick).
How to Make Protection Sigils
While you can use protective sigils you’ve found online or in a book, it’s always most potent to create your own. There’s different ways to do this. One way is to take common pagan symbols and turn them into a protection sigil for yourself. For example, drawing a cross with the rune Algiz and encircling the symbol. Each symbol within this sigil carries its own unique vibrations. Another way is to make bindrunes, which we’ll go into in detail in the next section. And the third way, which is based on chaos magic, is to combine letters of a word that defines your intention to create the sigil. Which is what we demonstrate below:
What You’ll Need:
Pencil
Eraser
Paper
Optional: paint and paintbrush, oils, markers, etc.
How to Draw Your Protection Sigil
Gather your supplies
Get into a relaxed, open state (via music, drumming, incense, candlelight, etc.) and call in your guides/gods/angels/ancestors (whomever you work with in magickal space)
At the top of your paper, write (in pencil) the letters P R O T E C T I O N
Visualize, sing, chant (whatever method you prefer) your intentions for this sigil. If I can’t visualize, I enjoy chanting or singing my intentions out loud. Continue to visualize/sing/chant throughout the entire process.
Next, cross out all of the vowels (a, e, i, o, u), so that you’re left with P R T C T N
Following, I also prefer to cross out any repetitive letters. In this case, we’ll cross out the second T so we are left with P R T C N
Cross out the vowels and any repetitive letters

Lastly, combine the letters P R T C N into one symbol. Sometimes the sigil will flow immediately, while other times it might take you a few sketches to get it right. Don’t be discouraged if you have to erase anything or start over, etc. Let the energy flow and the sigil will follow. (see our example below). Note: I don’t recommend erasing your letters at the top of the page. These serve as your initiation of the ritual. You may erase your sigil sketches, if you’d like.
Once your sigil is created, meditate on it for a little while (look at it, soften your gaze, let it speak to you, be open to any messages)
Then thank the energies present and, at this point, you may solidify the sigil with paint, oil, marker, etc. (this is optional but I feel it adds to the energy and pushes your intentions into the ether further).
My final protection sigil is bottom right.
How to Make Protective Bindrunes
I’ve known quite a few people to go online and pull bindrunes off the screen for use in life and magick. I don’t recommend this. The reason being – runes are an extremely personal journey. They’re not just a form of divination, ancient alphabet, or symbols you find online. Runes are a form of communication with the divine. They’re a map to our wyrd (fate) and to the other realms. They’re not to be taken lightly. Each rune speaks to the individual similar to a friend speaking to a friend. What a rune means to me might mean something else entirely to you. Therefore, crafting your own personal bindrunes is best. And they serve as protective sigils, of sorts.
I look at bindrunes as a combination of symbols, but they’re even more powerful than that. As each rune is drawn, you are literally binding each rune to the next. Binding the power into one symbol. One bindrune. One rune is potent…but three or four together as one? Dynamic!
What You’ll Need:
Pencil
Eraser
Paper
Optional: paint and paintbrush, oils, markers, etc. (I highly recommend red paint or marker to finish the bindrune)
Book of runes or other resource showing all runes (as a reference)
How to Draw Your Protection Bindrune
A bindrune I created
Gather your supplies
Get into a relaxed, open state (via music, drumming, incense, candlelight, etc.) and call in your guides/gods/angels/ancestors (whomever you work with in magickal space)
Choose 2 to 4 runes that represent protection to you.
Draw your protective runes individually at the top of your paper, visualizing, chanting or singing your intentions as you draw.
Next, work to combine your runes into one symbol, also called a bindrune. As you draw each rune, say their name out loud and your intentions. Again, if you have to sketch the bindrune a few times to get it right, that’s totally okay! The energy you’re putting into this sigil is what matters.
Once your bindrune is created, meditate on it for a little while (look at it, soften your gaze, let it speak to you, be open to any messages)
Then thank the energies present and, at this point, you may solidify the bindrune with paint, oil, marker, etc. (this is optional but I feel it adds to the energy and pushes your intentions into the ether further). I recommend using red paint or marker, as red is traditional for runes.
Ways to Use Your Protection Sigil
Use your protection sigil any way you’d like. When I create sigils, I carve them into candles, paint them in my grimoire, and draw them nearly everywhere. Some practitioners use their protection sigils on a daily basis by drawing it on their skin, the bottom of their shoes, or even embroidering it into their favorite jacket or pair of jeans. If your symbol was created to protect your home, draw or paint it and hang it by the front door. When you perform your cleansing and warding ritual, draw your sigil (with your finger and a bit of oil) on the doorframes, window sills, and any other entrances to the home. The same can be done for businesses.
In addition, inscribing your protection sigil on your pet’s collar shields your pet from harm. Keep your sigil in your vehicle to protect you in your travels. Protection sigils can even be used to banish negative energy. This is a form of protection but takes a different action. When you go to create your protection sigil, use words like BANISH or GO AWAY. The words and letters that make up your sigil should match your intention. Then paint or use the sigil in a banishing ritual on your candle, in a floor wash, etc.

10 Ways to Use Pumpkins in Witchcraft

Long before Cinderella’s fairy godmother sent her bewitched pumpkin carriage careening towards a royal party under a reckless magic spell, this mythical fruit vined its way into the legend of witchcraft.

Here are a few ideas to bring this classic spell ingredient into your magical practice.

10 Ways to Use Pumpkins in Witchcraft

* Dry roast the seeds and toss them in a mojo bag for prosperity. The fertile abundance of seeds inside a pumpkin perfect for success mojo bags.

* Use your jack-o-lantern to chase away negative energy. Did you know jack-o-lanterns were originally carved to chase away demons? In the spirit of this tradition, burn a charcoal disk with protection herbs like rosemary to turn away negative energy at the doorstop.

* Bury your kid’s spent pumpkin in the garden to “fertilize” a wishing spell. Never know what to do with your kid’s jack-o-lantern once Halloween is over? The pumpkin’s magical lore makes it “ripe” for wishing magic. Have your child write a goal for the springtime on a piece of (natural) paper, and bury it in the garden to bless his/her endeavors. Kids move so quickly from one phase to the next, seeing their “wish” come up in the spring will remind them of how far they walked since the beginning of the school year!

* Boil your cauldron. If your kitchen-witchy, make a batch of crock pot pumpkin soup
Be sure to include plenty of “heart-warming” magical spices like chili powder or cumin. Stir it clockwise four times and bless it for strong ties between family and friends. Then serve it to everyone!

* Leave it as an offering to the woodland spirits. Samhain is a time to honor those who came before you. Once you’re finished with your pumpkin, take it to woods and leave it as an offering to your ancestors. It also makes great deer food!

* Use it in a group Samhain ritual. Hollow out and carve a large pumpkin with symbols sacred to your tradition. Light a candle inside, go around the circle and talk about your year together as a group or coven. Discuss any remaining tensions, write them down and then agree to let them go with the start of the new Wheel of the Year. Place a candle inside the pumpkin lantern, and one by one, burn the paper. Watch it go up in smoke and let go.

* Save the stems. The stem dries out and cures pretty quickly. Leave it with your magical cabinet to boost wishing spells or prosperity spells during the next Wheel of the Year.

* Draw out your inner beauty. Mix 1/4 cup pumpkin puree with a splash of apple cider vinegar and an egg. Use it as a mask to bring out the “enchanting” side of your inner beauty.

* Place a pumpkin near your creative work space for inspiration and brainstorming. Pumpkins connote fanciful thinking and fairy tales. Use this energy in your work space to break out of box thinking and reach deeper.

* Make a bird feeder to connect with the spirit of fire and air. Invite winter-friendly birds near your home by making a bird feeder out a your pumpkin. When you notice a bird near it, say a blessing and send him off with to carry a wish or prayer skyward 

Earth Angels, Lightworkers, and the Watchers

Are you an Earth Angel?

Do you feel different from other people, as if you were dropped off on this planet and wonder when someones coming to take you home? If so, then you may be an Earth Angel. If you have a passion and talent for healing, teaching, or helping others, yet you yourself have substance abuse problems, weight issues, relationship challenges, and the like, then you may be an Earth Angel. If youre highly sensitive and you abhor violence in any form, then you may very well be an Earth Angel!

An Earth Angel is a soul with non-Earthly origins. Although all souls originate from the same Divine source, our environment and personal history often shape our personalities and physical characteristics. For instance, those who spend most of their time surfing at tropical beaches will have different looks and mannerisms than people who hole up in their inner-city offices every day.

Similarly, all of the lives youve previously lived have impacted you. And just as your physical family-of-origins shape your looks, behavior, even your lifes purpose. Again, the inside of everyone is the same: a beautiful, pristine spark for Divine light. However, as a light worker, your spark of light may have spent times in heavenly realms far from the earth. Those lifetimes that youve logged in the angelic realm, the elemental kingdom, or on other planets have influenced who you are today. Although you inhabit a human body, your soul feels like a traveler in a foreign country-because that is, in essence, what you are.

Not everyone is an Earth Angel, of course-for this role, God called in the biggest and brightest sparks of lighter for transition to the New Age of Peace. Those humans who arent Earth Angels are living lives purely for their own growth, rest, or enjoyment. They may seem dense or decidedly unspiritual, yet theyre Divine spark of life, too. Their lives have simply been dedicated to human, Earthly concerns.

The Earth Angels Vital Mission

If youre an Earth Angel, then youre a powerful light worker with a legacy of healing and miracles behind and in front of you. You accepted your Divine assignment to come to Earth and spread your teachings and healing energies. How has your assignment been so far? If youve have difficulty adjusting to Earthly life, then youll probably find answers, comfort, and guidance by remembering your spiritual origin.

You may discover that youre an Incarnated Angel or Elemental; a Starperson whose past lives have been extraterrestrial (ET); a Walk-in; or a Wise One, which is a reincarnated Sorceress, High Priestess, or Wizard. Youre a seasoned service worker called into action-an Earth Angel. You may have had past lives on Earth as an Incarnated Angel, Elemental, and such, yet you forgot these incarnations, believing that your past lives where human.

The term Earth Angel is not to be confused with Incarnated Angels, which is one of the five groups of Earth Angels. By learning about your spiritual realm of origin, youll understand more about your personality, behavior, and individual quirks. As I mentioned, this is similar to the was our astrological sun signs group us into meaningful categories.

The Healing Power of Lightworkers
by Doreen Virtue, PH. D.
Lightworkers are those who volunteered, before birth, to help the planet and its population heal from the effects of fear. Each lightworker is here for a sacred purpose. Very often, however, life on earth with its material focus creates a form of amnesia in lightworkers. They then forget their divine and perfect identities, and also their abilities to miraculously help the earth and all living creatures. When lightworkers forget their true identity and purpose, they feel lost and afraid.

You are a lightworker if you:
feel called to heal others want to resolve the world’s social and environmental problems believe that spiritual methods can heal any situation have had mystical experiences, such as psychic premonitions or angelic encounters have endured harsh life experiences that eroded the knowledge of your divine perfection want to heal your own life as a first step in healing the world feel compelled to write, teach, or counsel about your healing experiences feel a sense of time urgency to fulfill your mission before the know that you are here for a higher purpose, even if you are unsure what it is or how to fulfill it feel a sense of time urgency to fulfill your mission before the millennium shift

Everywhere on the planet right now, lightworkers are awakening to faint memories about why they came to earth. They hear an inner calling that can’t be ignored. This call is a reminder that it is now time to stop toying with material dreams, and get to work.

Many lightworkers are discovering innate spiritual gifts, such as psychic communication skills and spiritual healing abilities. These are the gifts that we volunteered to use to heal the earth and her population during the crucial decades surrounding the millennium.

Prophecies predicted our coming, and now it is time for us to fulfill our divine purposes. The world depends upon us!

We, who are lightworkers, don’t necessarily need to add anything to ourselves to prepare for our mission. We already have innate abilities, even if they are presently dormant. Instead, we need to work on releasing fears which keep us from feeling confident in our lightworker abilities. When you remind yourself that your power as a lightworker comes from your higher self and God, not from “you,” automatically you feel more assured of your abilities as a spiritual healer.

With our focused intent, thought, and spirit, we can heal anything. There are no limits, except those we place upon our healing abilities. We definitely can heal the earth with our spiritual approach. In fact, scientists have recently demonstrated that people can change water and air temperature and also cloud structures, purely through their thoughts.

Researchers have known for years that prayer positively affects plants and animals. These studies reveal something that many lightworkers have already known: our collective prayers and healing thoughts can avert prophecies of world trauma.

There is only one spirit and one mind, and we are all part of this collective intelligence and love. Miraculous results in scientific laboratories are demonstrating the factual basis of the oneness of all life. Last year, U.S. and Japanese scientists hooked-up test subjects to blood pressure and heart monitor machines. Simultaneously, in separate and sealed rooms, other test subjects were asked to think loving or angry thoughts about the people hooked-up to the machines.

At the exact instant when a subject held a loving thought, the monitored person’s blood pressure and heart rate significantly dropped. And then, at the precise moment when an angry thought was projected, the person’s vital signs sky-rocketed upward.

We who are lightworkers are already aware of the power of our thoughts. What we are continuing to learn, however, is that our thoughts arel.p. even more powerful than we suspected! A large part of our lightworker function, then, is to continuously monitor our own thoughts to ensure they are from a high and loving plane. When we occasionally slip into fearful or judgmental thoughts, we can release these thought forms to the angels which surround us, knowing that these spiritual companions want to help us fulfill our sacred purpose.

If your intuition is urging you toward a healing function, you can be sure that this is a Divine voice and not just wishful thinking. During the last several years, a spiritual call has been broadcast like a psychic “help wanted” ad asking for lightworkers to awaken to their healing roles.

Those who have heard the call sometimes contact me, asking for reassurance that this inner voice isn’t setting them up for disappointment or possible failure.

I can certainly understand this fear, since I experienced it myself. When I was a young mother of two and an uneducated housewife, I began having spontaneous visions in which I saw myself as a healer and author. These visions frightened me, because I didn’t think I had the time, money, or intelligence to succeed. So I began overeating to silence the inner voice and visions. I didn’t feel ready or qualified to awaken to my mission.

What I was doing was the equivalent of pushing the “snooze button” on my spiritual alarm clock. Overeating was my way of delaying God’s plan for me, because food would temporarily drown out the sound and sight of my Divine life plan. I gained nearly 50 pounds before I finally surrendered to the Creator and asked for help in making my inner vision a reality. I discovered that as soon as I committed to following my life purpose, doors opened up for me in succession. In miraculous ways that I could never have planned for, everything in my visions became a reality.

We cannot fail when we accept the mission we chose for ourselves prior to incarnation. The power and intelligence of the One mind makes no mistakes. We would not have been assigned our lightworker role, were we not perfectly qualified. Since we are made in the image and likeness of One who is all-knowing, all-loving, and able to heal anything, we can relax in the sure knowledge that we were born to heal.

THE WATCH
Also Known as Grigori)
Watcher Angels according to ThBook of Jubilees, are the sons of God sent from heaven to instruct the children of men; they fell after they descended to earth and cohabitated with the daughters of men — for which act they were condemned and became fallen angels. But not all Watcher angels descended; those that remain are the holy Watchers and they reside in the 5th Heaven. The evil Watchers dwell in the 3rd Heaven or in Hell.

The mysterious eighth order of angels, the gentle Grigori were created by God to be Earthly shepherds of the first humans.

The Grigori were both physically and spiritually gigantic, at least by the standards of the people who later wrote about them. They served early humanity as vast reservoirs of information concerning the finer points of civilization, and their selflessness was beyond compare.

They were also called the Watchers, as it was their job to observe humanity, lending a helping hand when necessary but not interfering in the course of human development.

As has been implied before, angels — though filled with God’s divine grace — are eminently corruptible in the corporeal world (physical plane) and, perhaps more importantly, when in the presence of humans. The Grigori, designed as the type of angels farthest from divine, proved to be so much more corruptible that it wasn’t long before their enormous zest for physical life, proved to be their undoing, from a spirititual perspective.

They took husbands and wives among the humans and led greatly debauched lives, neglecting their heavenly duties.

Legends tell us that the children the Grigori begot were hideous, misshapen monsters, now known in demonic circles as the Nephalim, and that a group of angels were quickly dispatched to destroy the half-breeds, after which the Grigori were damned to Earth for the remainder of their long lives.

This is mostly true. The Grigori, both for the sin of lust and for neglecting their duties, were banned from Heavenly society, doomed to spend the remainder of their days roaming the Earth.

The Seraphim Council believes that even speaking the name of the Grigori disturbs the Symphony — they refer to them as the Watchers, since that was their original duty. What few angels know, even today, is that besides their more famous gigantic spawn, the malevolent Nephalim, the Grigori did successfully engender half-breed children, part-angel and part-human.

Angels are strictly forbidden to associate with the Children of the Grigori or, God forbid, any actual remaining Grigori they might run across in the course of a mission.
Amaros – Taught men the resolving of enchantments.
Araqiel (Arakiel) – Taught men the signs of the earth.
Azazel – Taught men to make knives, swords and shield; to devise ornaments, coloring tinctures for the beautifying of women, etc.
Baraqijal (Baraqel) – Taught men astrology.
Ezequeel (Ezekeel) – Taught men the knowledge of the clouds.
Gadreel – Introduced weapons of war to mortals.
Kokabel (Kawkabel) – Taught the science of the constellation.
Penemue – Instructed mankind in writing “and thereby, many sinned from eternity to eternity and until this day. For man was not created for such a purpose.” Penemue also taught the children the “bitter and sweet, and the secrets of wisdom.
Sariel – Taught men the course of the moon.
Semjaza – Taught men enchantments, roots cutting, etc.
Shamshiel – Taught men the sign of the sun.

The Watchers and the Watchtowers
Know the history of the Watchers and Watchtowers and why they are called upon in circle. If you don’t know their purpose, why call?

Early History
They are considered an old race who have gone past the need for physical bodies. Some claim they are light.

There are legends that say they came from the stars. They are the ones known as the Watchers. It is claimed that each of the four Watchers reigns over one of the four directions of the circle.

There were star cults in Mesopotamia around 3000 bce. One of the beliefs of these cults was that there were four major stars, each ruling over one of the four cardinal points. These stars where known as “Lords” or “Watchers.”

The Watcher of the East was the star Aldebaran.This star marked the time of the Vernal Equinox. The Watcher of the South was Regulus, marking the time of the Summer Solstice.

Marking the Autumnal Equinox was Antares, Watcher of the West. The North Watcher was the marker of Winter Solstice, Foralhaut.

Actual towers, called Ziggurats (cosmic mountains) were built as a form of worship. Each tower bore the symbols of the Watchers. During ritual celebrations the symbols were traced in the air with torch flames or wands, and the Watchers names were called.

The Watchers were thought of as gods that guarded the heavens and earth. Lunar and Solar cults eventually replaced the Star cults.

The Watchers became the gods of the four winds to the Greeks. The Christians took them over as “guardian angels.”
The Hebrews taught that all angels, known to them as Watchers, were ruled by four “higher” angels. They became the “Archangels” to the Cabalists.

John Dee 1527-1608 and Edward Kelly 1555-1597 and Enochian Magic

It is said Edward Kelly was a seer and alchemist, and John Dee was a sage. Kelly “received messages” from a group of beings of the spirit who claimed they were the same who had instructed Enoch. As Kelly received these messages, Dee wrote them down. His writings now compose the magickal system known as Enochian Magic. It is a system of angel magic influenced by Judeo-Christian beliefs.

The doctrine of Enoch is mathematical. According to Dee and Kelly, there are 49 tables of large number and letter squares. There are 48 Gates of Understanding, one gate can not be opened. The 49 tables has 49 rows by 49 columns. The directions of the angels, known as the Enochian Keys, were extracted from these charts.

There are 48 “Calls” or “Keys” that open the gates of these “astral residences.” These are symbolically represented by a large letter square. It is divided into four parts by a large cross, called “The Black Cross” by Dee. These four quadrants are called the Watchtowers. You are able to access 12 astral cities through each Watchtower.

The Watchers are the angels who live in these astral cities. In order for the angels to leave their cities and enter human consciousness the gates to the Watchtowers must be opened. Each city is represented in the table by a set of letters in numerical and geometric pattern.

The four Watchtowers guard the 4 extremities of the universe. These Watchtowers are said to have been formed at the time Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden.

The Watchtowers contain all human knowledge and command the elemental spirits. They are said to also have the power of the transformation of things. They hold the secrets to all of mankind.

Modern Use of the Watchtowers
The Modern use of Watchtower Elementals is said to be derived from the works of Dr. John Dee and Edward Kelly.

It is also said that Aleister Crowley introduced Gerald Gardner to the Elementals (see below), who then wrote them into his own work.
Many Wicca systems have their own versions of the Watchtowers and Watchers. Some see the Watchers as demi-gods, spiritual teachers, cosmic intelligence or beings composed of light. In some eclectic solitary systems, they may not be used at all.

The Watchers are known as Lords, Elemental Rulers or Guardians of the Elements, Earth, Air, Fire and Water. These Elements are said to be populated by Elementals, a type of spiritual creature.

The Gnomes populate the Element of Earth and are seen as “Little People” or green light. They are the givers of stability and material gain. They also protect circles cast outdoors.

Sylphs are of the Air and are seen as fairies or white light. They hold the keys to knowledge, dreams and wishes, and are protectors of magickal applications.

The salamanders inhabit the Element of Fire and may be seen as dragons or lizards. They are protectors of the home or business. Undines, the Elementals of Water, may be “merpeople”, sirens, or pink light. Undines are protectors of the gates of death and karma.

It is taught in some systems of magick that there are two sets of portals in a magick circle. Picture a circle within a circle. The inner circle contains Portals of the Elementals at the East, South, West and North. The outer circle contains the Portals of the Watchers, also known as Astral Portals. The corridor between the circles is known as “The World Between the Worlds.”

Some are taught that this dimension must exist for ritual and/or magickal energies to flow between the Worlds. The Elemental Portals represent the point of access to the Elemental Plane which exists between the Physical and Non-Physical, or Astral, Dimensions. The Elemental Rulers guard the Portals between this World and the Astral.

Some consider it a circle within a square, with the Watchtowers at the outer corners.

The Watchers are said to guard the direct access to the Astral Plane. Each Watcher has its own Watchtower. It is taught they have the power to cancel your magick.
GreyWing does not agree with the above teaching. She does not use the Watchers, nor does she think they are necessary, but that is her opinion. She does call on the powers of the Directions. If a spell has not worked she feels it is not right to say “The Watchers were against my working.” It is more likely that you were unsure of what you were doing, and your subconscious overrode your intended outcome. The mind is a powerful thing, conscious and subconscious.

There are magickal gestures to announce that a magickal rite will be performed. Such a gesture is the drawing in the air of a Pentagram.

These gestures, along with tools and clothing such as robes, are to get you into the proper frame of mind for magickal work, a signal to let your subconscious mind that something special is about to happen.

The Watchers may be called upon to guard the Circle and witness the ritual to be performed. Every time you perform a spell you are sending out strong vibrations to the entire universe. No matter how good your intentions are, you may be at risk when you work a spell. For this reason some witches call upon the Watchers for protection. If in your self-initiation ritual you called on a Watcher to be with you, he/she will always watch and aid you in future magickal endeavors, if you so choose.

They may also assist in a Wiccan’s spiritual growth, but that too, in GreyWing’s opinion, is actually in your own hands. If you are not ready, your mind will drift, letting you know the time is not right for you.
Every time you perform a spell you use the essences of the four elements, earth, air, fire and water. For example, candle magick uses Fire and Air.

It is important to know what each element means when you call on them. What do you mean by Air? You have to know which manifestation of Air you need for your working. This needs to be decided before you begin your circle so that the aspect of the element you wish to call is correct for what you are doing.

Will you choose the Watchers or not? It is for you to decide.
“the Fathers of the beginning,…the Mothers, the Spirits who were before the first spirit…” 

Defensive Magick

This, again, is mostly for working with nature spirits, ghosts, and daemons. Make sure you know what you are doing, and do not start something first. Although you might feel threatened, it does not mean they are malicious or trying to hurt you. Test the energy first, and if you are unwelcomed, leave. You do not want to be powerless against something much, much more powerful than yourself, and you definitively do not want to start something with an entity much more powerful than yourself. This is a last resort.
Keep your magickal space clean. Smudge it regularly to get rid of negativity. Nature spirits do not like unclean areas, especially earth spirits. They will take your things and hide them, or they will disappear altogether. Place protective symbols on your doors, windows, and mirrors. Look into hoodoo and voodoo floor washes if you can, and keep it tidy and looking neat. Recharge your area regularly.
Keep an open-mind. Some spirits just down right hate humans, but have valuable lessons to tell and can be interesting to see as to why they hate us so much. Others like to help and guide us, and can shed new light on situations or turn them around completely. Some may have a very strong dark energy that you might not fully understand, or some may intimidate you. Sometimes a deity will not be what you are expecting, and can frighten you, but remember: they do not go by our human morals or ethics, for they are not of this plane or humanly world.
Be gracious. Give thanks to them, if they were willing to talk or make their presence known. Even if they do not, thank them for listening. Don’t forget about them and put them on the ‘back burner’ because that may infuriate them.

Honouring The Graveyard

One of the easiest ways to feel the thinning of the veil and honor the dead is to visit a local graveyard. (Only visit a cemetery during posted visiting hours!) Walking the grounds and collecting trash and litter that you might find among the headstones is a great way to show respect and care for the resting place of those who have passed on. You could also leave fresh flowers as offerings on forgotten or neglected graves. These are great ways to gain some powerful spiritual allies.

In the early 1900s, many people used to have picnics at local cemeteries (something that’s still seen among those who celebrate the Mexican Day of the Dead), and this is a practice worth reviving. Find a nice grassy spot at the cemetery and prepare a plate for the dead as an offering. You can also close your eyes and extend your senses outward to find out if any of the dead have partaken of your offering or have something to share with you. 

Short Notice Travel Protection Charm

If you’re called to make an unexpected trip and don’t have time to prepare a full-sized bottle charm, making a braid or knot-string out of white yarn or string. As you tie it, say seven times over:

By water and fire, by sky and by stone,
This charm will see me brought safely back home.

Tie the string around your wrist or ankle for the duration of the trip. You can remove it when you return home or let it fall off on its’ own

How to use the Moon Phases for Spells and Magick

Ready to make your spells more powerful? Want to learn how to make your spells work faster? Use the timing of the Moon to add more energy to your spells and intentions!
For centuries, our ancestors have looked up at the sky and using what they saw for timing, healing, predicting, and adoration. When we look to our grandmothers and great grandmothers, we find that they hold a drop of knowledge leftover from the old days, when we were still connected to the Earth and Sky.
Luckily, this knowledge hasn’t been totally removed from our culture! Our Neo-Pagan and Wiccan sisters and brothers still work, live, and dance by the phase of the moon!
Here is how we use the phases of the moon for spell timing!
An image for sharing on Pinterest.
How to use the Moon Phases for Spells and Magick
New Moon
Reflect and meditate on your internal needs and goals.
Give thanks to your inner strength.
Cast binding spells.
Use this dark moon as a final and powerful time to remove or release large or powerful obstacles from your life.
Begin work to fill the void (left from removing obstacles) with positivity.
Begin work to bring things into your life.
Waxing Crescent Moon
(Starting on the third day of the New Moon)
Cast spells to bring something into your life.
Cast spells for new beginnings.
Cast magick for positive change.
Cast spells for increasing protection.
Begin slow, steady long-term manifestation work.
Use the visualization and mantra: As the moon grows to be full, so, too, shall [your wish] in my life.
First-Quarter Moon
Mid-Waxing Check-in: How did your waxing moon spell go? Does it seem to be working? Has it manifested? If not, pivot, and re-cast now.
Waxing Gibbous Moon
(Ending on the first day of the Full Moon)
Cast spells for rapid growth.
Cast minor spells for quick manifestation.
Full Moon
Reflect and meditate on where you are in life.
Give thanks to how full your life is.
Charge your crystals, tools, and talismans.
Cast spells for psychic awareness.
Cast spells for enlightenment.
Cast spells for powerful protection.
Waning Gibbous Moon
(Starting on the third day of the Full Moon)
Cast spells to remove things and harmful energies/situations from your life.
Cast banishing spells.
Begin magick to remove long-time habits and energy from your life.
Use the visualization and mantra: As light is removed from the moon, so, too, shall [your bane] be removed from my life.
Third-Quarter Moon
Mid-Waning Check-in: How did your waning moon spell go? Does it seem to be working? Has that obstacle, item, person, or illness been removed from your life? If not, pivot, and re-cast now.
Waning Crescent Moon
(Ending on the first day of the New Moon)
Cast spells for rapid removal.
Cast minor spells for quick removal.

Personal Wards

For personal wards, the same visualization techniques apply, just on a smaller scale. And it’s perfectly acceptable to use a different visualization for your personal wards than you do for your property wards. For example, I find it much easier to use a bubble or a circular containment figure for my personal wards than the webs I use on my home. When visualizing a personal ward, you’ll picture the same construction process, but around yourself rather than a space or a dwelling.

Personal wards move and travel with you. They bend and flex as needed, and can be as large or as small as you like. They can fill a whole room or hover just a hairsbreadth above your skin. It all depends on how much space you need to feel safe and what your personal boundaries are.

Regardless of the size, shape, appearance, or location of your ward, it has one purpose – to protect that which is inside. And once you’ve built it, it generally stays in place until you dismantle it or refresh it. Wards can fade over time, simply from day to day wear of repelling bad luck or whatever harm you’re keeping away. Personal wards generally last for a much shorter period of time than property wards. I would recommend refreshing a personal ward on a daily or weekly basis, where a property ward might only need bolstering monthly or semiannually. Tying personal wards to clothing or jewelry can increase the longevity of the magic, but it will still need to be re-upped occasionally.

Again, you’ll still need to employ mundane safety measures with your magical protections, be they personal or property-based. And if you’re in an unsafe situation, do not, for heaven’s sake, rely on magic to get you out of it. Use common sense and be prepared as far as is reasonably possible.

Blanket Spell

There’s something about a soft, cozy blanket that makes us feel safe and secure. Use this spell to make your favorite blanket extra special by charging it for a specific purpose, such as comfort, healing, or self-love. First, be sure the blanket is clean and dry. Take it outside and shake it thoroughly, visualizing the air enhancing its freshness. You can even hang it on a clothesline for a few hours if you wish to soak up the sun’s warm energy.

The next step is to light some incense and slowly wave the smoke over the blanket, visualizing the blanket being purified and ready for charging. The final step is to roll or fold the blanket so it’s small enough to hug tightly against your chest. As you hold it, charge it by visualizing your specific intent. Chant these words to seal the spell:

As I will,

My purpose fulfill.

This blanket will serve

This need I deserve (state your intent).

Each time you use the blanket, it will reinforce its purpose. Recharge it periodically as desired.

Slavic Spirit: Leshi

Leshi has been known and honored as a woodland spirit or even Deity for centuries. Eastern Slavs call Him “Leshi”, “Lesovik” or “Lisovyk” (although the term Lesovik sometimes may refer to a slightly different woodland spirit), “Lyasun”, “Polisun”, “Visel”, “Blud”, “Lesun”, and sometimes even simply “Les” (Forest). Some also call Him Master of the Woods, Forest Father, Forest Uncle, Wild Man, Woodland Demon, and even Forest Saint and Forest Cherub.

The earliest time He was included in Slavic Divine Pantheon is XVIII century (Pantheon published by Popov, 1768). They say that even in XIX century, peasants claimed that Leshi was more likely to exist (more real to them) than monkeys: “My uncle and many other villagers said they encountered Leshi, yet none of them ever saw a monkey in their lives.” In the Carpathian Mountains, legends of Leshi mingle with the ones of a Bigfoot – Hutsul people call this spirit Chuhaister and believe He helps people find their way out of the woods and eats malevolent spirits like Nyavki.

He appears as “tall as the tallest tree in the woods” or “as short as the shortest weed”. He can take a form of any woodland animal or even a person: a man, a woman, or a child. However, whenever He assumes a human form, a watchful eye can tell this is no ordinary person, for He always has some defect that points out Him belonging to the Spirit world, such as absence of one (right) ear, eyebrows, or eyelashes, or a large wart that seems to be shifting all over His face, His eyes may appear crossed or have a strange green glow about them; His clothes has no buttons, and the edges of his shirt or coat are thrown right over left (normally it should be left over right on man’s clothes), or may be worn inside out or backwards. His long greenish-gray hair is always combed towards the left side. He may also be discovered if a man looks at Him over right ear of his horse. As many other spirits, Leshi does not wear a belt.

Bears and horned owls are His favorites. He may appear as a horned owl Himself or have one upon His shoulder, and his laughter sounds just like the cry of the horned owl. Poles even believe that Leshi takes a form of an owl sitting on an old tree and avoided cutting such trees down. Some Russians say, He could be found not on a tree but in a hole on an old tree: “In a hole in a tree you’d see an owl, or a Satan Himself”.

Magpies are considered His messengers, for they always make a lot of noise whenever they spot a human in the woods (to be honest, magpies also announce presence of other predators). Generally, all animals and everything in the woods, down to the smallest weed, obey to Him. This is why hunters and shepherds were considered magical people, for in order to provide a successful result of a hunt or keep all the domestic animals in the herd safe, they needed to make a pact with Leshi. Even the woodcutters could not cut a tree down in the woods without asking Him first, for in the woods He is absolute master.

Leshi travels on His own special trails, or the ones left by the animals, but no one could ever see His tracks, for the wind blows them over, or even if someone is lucky (or unlucky) to find them, he or she may be utterly confused, for He wears shoes on the wrong feet or sometimes even two left shoes on both of His feet.

Leshi is considered generally benevolent, although sometimes He is known to play pranks on people, especially those who come into the woods on the wrong time, without a blessing, or act negligent towards the forest. When one keeps circling in the forest and can’t find his or her way out, people say: “Leshi is leading him or her in a circle.” In order to confuse one on his path, Leshi only has to walk around that person in a circle. Sometimes, He may also scare people in the woods with mad laughter. To protect oneself from Leshi’s pranks, one needed to change himself according to Leshi’s way: twist all of his clothes inside out and put it on, and also switch shoes and put them on the wrong feet. Another way to break Leshi’s charms is for one to look in between his legs or say Leshi’s favorite saying: “I walked, I found, I lost.” Then Leshi is supposed to come out from behind the tree with words: “You figured it out!” and disappear after that. They also say that Leshi does not like salt and would never approach a fire to which salt was added. This may actually spur from Christian belief that all demons hate salt, for it is blessed in the church and used in Christian rituals (such as blessing of the water). An amulet against Leshi was “lutovka” – a basswood chip with no bark on. However, best protection against Leshi was knowing and respecting the “ways of the forest” (no wandering off if you don’t know where you are going, no following animal trails unless you’re a hunter, and of course, treating the forest and its inhabitants with respect – no dumping or cursing while in the woods!), as well as offerings: bread and two hard-boiled eggs, a gingerbread cookie, or a crepe. Actually, they say Leshi never forgives those who curse in His presence and sometimes takes away children who were cursed by their parents: “May Leshi take you!” They say that as soon as a woman in labor, exhausted from pain and effort says these words, her child immediately becomes property of Leshi, and He would take the child away as soon as the opportunity presents itself. These “kidnapped” children become His children, and if no one finds and blesses (or names) them within seven years, they may become malevolent spirits that lure passbyers, gatherers, and travelers into the woods to their death.

Vepss people (a Karelo-Finnish ethnicity in the Russian North) believe that Leshi needs to be thanked with food that bear prefers. Also, in the Russian North, woodcutters left little “notes” for “the Saint of the Woods” under the rowan tree – once they placed a branch of rowan and several rowan sticks against their heart.

Shepherds made “pacts” with Leshi by throwing a key and lock into the woods, in the hope that Leshi would use it to “lock” the herd in one place (or “lock” teeth to the wolves). This service was paid for with milk, and occasionally, a couple of cows. When a cow went missing, the shepherd or the mistress threw bread over the heads of remaining animals – this was an offering to Leshi in exchange for the missing cow.

Leshi was honored on certain holidays, such as Easter – peasants left an Easter egg on a woodland stump or at the crossroads of woodland trails (tentative date of the holiday uninfluenced by Christianity falls on April 4), Agafon’s Day (Leshi’s “Birthday”) – on this day He was believed to throw the sheaves of grain around if not paid proper respect, and His Farewell Day (October 4/17), when He was best not to be disturbed as He was getting ready for winter.
Leshi is normally envisioned as a solitary spirit. Two Leshis in one wood are believed to fight over their territory, although, according to Ukrainian beliefs, they may occasionally play a game of cards. The losing Leshi has to send His squirrels and hares into the forest of the winner (this is how Ukrainians explained mass migration of wild animals during a wildfire). In Russia, tales of mystical “battle of cards” of 1859 exist. They say that Western Russian and Siberian Leshis had a game of cards, and Siberian Leshi had to send a whole “army” of taiga hares over Ural Mountains into Western Russia.

Despite being a loner, Leshi is believed to have a wife – a hairy woman with tangled hair and breasts so large She needs to throw them over Her shoulders. Lesovichka (Leshi’s wife) is believed to have similar powers to Leshi, although tales about Her are not as common; however, her appearance is sometimes used to explain Leshi’s occasional liking for human girls and women (who were also considered more likely to be attacked by bears, and therefore avoided going in the woods alone or without offerings). Some also believed that Leshi could not marry a human woman unless she was cursed by her parents. Sometimes, Leshi is also believed to have a swamp Kikimora for a wife.

It is also believed that Leshi is afraid of calico cats, dogs that have a pair of light spots over their eyes (seer-dogs or Yarchuky), black roosters, as well as some other spirits, such as Domovoi and Bannik. He also rivals with Vodyanoi by trying to plant things in the water (Vodyanoi’s domain) and thus creating swamps.

One of the items associated with Leshi, aside from His traveler’s staff is the horn that Leshi uses to summon the woodland animals (in some tales, He just whistles instead). Generally, Leshi is not known to carry too many things with Him – at times, He may appear to mushroom pickers as another forager, holding a basket of mushrooms.

Good or evil, merciful or tricky, Leshi is the Forest, its very essence: good and bad, dangerous and resourceful. Let’s not forget this and respect the woods just as if they were a living being!

Let’s live in harmony with ourselves and Nature!

Sabbat Herbs

Samhain
Chrysanthemum, wormwood, apples, pears, hazel, thistle, pomegranates, all grains, harvested fruits and nuts, the pumpkin, corn.

Yule
Holly, mistletoe, ivy, cedar, bay, juniper, rosemary, pine. Place offerings of apples, oranges, nutmegs, lemons and whole cinnamon sticks on the Yule tree.

Imbolc
Snowdrop, rowan, the first flowers of the year.

Eostara
Daffodil, woodruff, violet, gorse, olive, peony, iris, narcissus, all spring flowers.

Beltane
Hawthorn, honeysuckle, St. John’s wort, woodruff, all flowers.

Midsummer
Mugwort, vervain, chamomile, rose, lily, oak, lavender, ivy, yarrow, fern, elder, wild thyme, daisy, carnation.

Lughnasadh
All grains, grapes, heather, blackberries, sloe, crabapples, pears.

Mabon
Hazel, corn, aspen, acorns, oak sprigs, autumn leaves, wheat stalks, cypress cones, pine cones, harvest gleanings

What are Magickal Oils?

First, Magickal oils are NOT “essential oils.” Essential Oils are a liquid (not necessarily oily) that has been distilled via steam or water from the leaves, stems, flowers, bark, or roots of a plant. It takes a lot of an herb to create an essential oil. This is one of the reasons they are so expensive. They are highly concentrated, containing the true essence of the plant from which it was derived. They are also volatile, and are primarily used to make perfumes, flavorings, and to accentuate ritual and spiritual oil blends.

Magickal oils, on the other hand, are oils that have been infused with herbs or herbal combinations, most often for a specific purpose or ritual. Magickal (or Spiritual) oils have been used in ceremonies for thousands of years. They are often used to annoint the body, candles, and tools; in spells, as a sensory prop or an essential element of the spell’s intent, alone or combined with color magick, to turn crystals, amulet, talismans, etc., from mundane items to magickal ones.

Magickal oils are also used in rituals, thru annointing of the body or via aromatherapy. These can lead to ecstatic states or focused energy work. When annointing the body, however, care must be taken with the “carrier oil” for the scent. Some oils are much likely to cause skin irritations or rashes than others. 

Kitchen Herbal Flowers

Most people will have at least the basic kitchen herbs in their cabinet. Remember the term “herb” does not exclude flowers and trees. You may be surprised to know how many different flowers and woods fall into the magickal category.

Roses are traditionally aligned with water. They can be used for psychic powers, love divination, luck, protection, and healing. Use a single rose in a vase on the altar for powerful help in love divinations. A cup of rosewater tea at bed time can help you dream prophetic dreams.

Even a Daisy has power where lust and love is concerned, and is said to bring love when worn. A simple divination that’s been done for years can be done with a daisy. Remember the “He loves me, He loves me not?” That is love divination in its most basic form.

Carnations can offer protection, healing and strength. Place carnations on the altar during healing rituals, and use the petals in amulets and incense.

Oak is good to use for money, protection, potency, fertility, and luck. It is said that carrying any piece of oak will draw good luck. Take 2 twigs from an oak tree and tie them together in an equal armed cross; hang them in your house to guard against evil. Make a small equal armed cross and carry it with you in your wallet or purse for protection during the day.

So much for the garden, on to the kitchen