There is a long tradition of using herbs for healing, but they have many other uses.
As well as healing rituals, you can place dishes of charged herbs near a bedside in a sickroom or on your healing altar next to a symbol, photograph, or the name of the person to be healed.
However, they are also excellent for emotional support and spiritual empowerment.
For example, if you get stressed on a regular car journey through heavy traffic or on motorways, you may well benefit from a healing or protective herbal sachet in the glove compartment of your car.
In fact, herbs may be used to add their strength to almost any kind of ritual and spell.
As they have such a wide variety of uses in magick, you will probably need quite a large supply.
Fortunately, herbs are, for the most part, very easy to grow – and very ornamental.
If you have a garden you can set aside a small area specifically for cultivating herbs.
Alternatively, you can create an indoor garden of herbs grown in pots, so that you have a ready supply of growing energy.
Once picked, all your herbs can be used either fresh, for example on your altar, or dried, in healing sachets and poppets.
Each herb has its own natural properties and strengths and they also have the benefit of offering dual purposes.
If, for example, you use allspice for a person with digestive or throat troubles, as a bonus both you and the person you heal may experience a gradual upturn in fortune, one of its magical meanings.
Though most of the traditional uses of herbs apply to physical and emotional ills and so are most commonly applied to people – and animals, of course – you can also use them for spells concerning places; for example, herbs for soothing wounds, such as lavender, are equally potent in rituals for healing the Earth or reversing the effects of pollution.
Although magically forcing your loved one to remain faithful is violating one of the precepts of magic (harm none), there are herbs which can be used to gently remind him or her of you, and to guard against unwanted temptations.
Magick cannot be practiced successfully without belief, respect, ethics, and responsibility.
If you do not believe in magick, you will not be able to make magick.
If you do not believe in yourself, and in your ability to work magick, you will not be able to make magick work for you.
If you do not believe that you deserve the blessings that magick can bring, you will not be able to accept blessings—even when they make themselves available to you.
It is possible to faithfully follow the instructions for these or other spells and still not have them work.
You have to believe in magick, believe in yourself, and believe in your ability in order to work magick successfully.
It is dangerous to attempt to use magick unless you have respect for it.
Failure to respect magick can result in having your spells go horribly wrong.
To prevent this from happening, you must respect yourself, respect others, and respect the elements and the Universe, as well as respecting magick.
Do whatever inner work is needed to get to really know yourself, to like and appreciate yourself, before you try to cast spells.
Self-respect gives you the confidence you need to have in order to get spells to work.
To meddle magickally in someone’s life is to disrespect that person.
No matter how good or honorable our intentions may be, we should not cast spells for people unless they ask us for magickal help.
To do otherwise is to invite interference in our own lives and affairs.
Successful magick requires a healthy respect for the elements (Earth, Air, Fire, Water).
This is especially true of Fire.
If you leave candles, incense, or anything else burning unattended, you will learn this lesson the hard way.
Respect the Universe by living an honest, ethical, useful life.
Be a good citizen of the Universe.
Try to be of service to others, instead of focusing solely on yourself and your needs.
Protect children, animals, and all who cannot protect themselves.
Be a producer as well as a consumer, and do what you can to help Mother Nature.
We were given a gorgeous planet, but its precious natural resources are dwindling because of human use, abuse, and overuse.
Acknowledge that fact. Respect it by trying to live gently upon the Earth.
Recycle. Be kind to creatures.
Make ethical choices.
Educate yourself about the environment.
Consider it when you buy a car or do anything else that affects the environment.
Everything is connected, so the kind of life you live influences your ability to work magick.
If you respect the Universe, you will find it more responsive to you than if you did not respect it.
Use magick judiciously.
Don’t cast spells for every little problem or issue.
Try ordinary solutions first.
Don’t disturb the gods unless it’s important.
Be responsible for yourself, instead of expecting them to solve your problems for you.
Try to serve magick instead of asking it to serve you.
If you respect magick, it will respect you.
What goes around, comes around.
This means that when we work magick that is kind, positive, and beneficial, blessings will be returned to us.
It also means that if we work magick that is negative, mean-spirited, or harmful, it will rebound upon us in unpleasant ways sooner or later.
Spells are powerful.
They can do great good, but they can also do great harm.
Spells cast in anger, envy, hatred, or any other negative frame of mind are more likely to backfire than they are to work as intended.
Ethics provides a framework in which to safely practice magick. Keep that in mind, and your spells will not hurt you.
To work magick successfully, you must be responsible for yourself and your actions.
This includes accepting responsibility for the results of your spells.
Approaching magick with this in mind helps to keep us on the right path.
It prevents us from casting spells that we later regret.
To rely on magick alone would be unrealistic and irresponsible.
If you cast a spell to find a job, for example, you must also list yourself with employment agencies, send out résumés, go on interviews, and take other appropriate nonmagical actions.
If you do not take those steps, even the best job spell has very little chance of working.
We help our spells to succeed by taking concrete real-world actions to support them.
The most “advanced” magical technique needed in herb magic is visualization; i.e., forming a picture in your mind of your need.
Many books have been written on this subject, for students often complain that they have difficulty visualizing clearly.
Usually, the ability is present but hindered by inhibitions.
Can you, at this moment, see your mother’s face?
What about that of your closest friend, or worst enemy?
This is visualization.
In magic, visualization is used to direct the power by forming a picture of your need: a car, a love, employment, and so on.
If you need an object, visualize yourself owning it; if a job, see yourself working; and if love is needed, visualize a ring slipping onto your finger, or any symbol you associate with love.
The need must be visualized as if you have already obtained it, or as if it has already come to fruition.
Use your creativity and natural visualization talents to really see your need.
Don’t think of the reasons behind your need; simply see it in concrete terms.
As with everything from golf to cooking, practice makes perfect.
Even if you’re never capable of completely visualizing your need, magic will work as long as the intention is there.
Luck is simply the knack for being in the right place at the right time, saying the right things, and acting on instinct.
If a person is not naturally “lucky” such an ability can be acquired through the use of herbs.
How this “luck” will manifest is left unstated, but luck herbs are usually utilized when a person has had a run of “bad” luck—and wishes to change this to good.
Luck herbs give you the power to make your own “good” luck.
Magic requires effort. You will receive what you put into it.
Magic is not usually instantaneous. Spells require time to be effective.
Magic should not be performed for pay.
Magic should never be used in jest or to inflate your ego.
Magic can be worked for your own gain, but only if it harms none.
Magic is a divine act.
Magic can be used for defense but should never be used for attack.
Magic is knowledge—not only of its way and laws, but also of its effectiveness. Do not believe that magic works—know it!
Magic is love. All magic should be performed out of love. The moment anger or hatred tinges your magic you have crossed the border into a dangerous world, one that will ultimately con
This ancient form of magic comes in handy today—not necessarily to drive demons from people or buildings, but to clear away the negativity that daily living so amply provides.
Purification herbs are simply less-powerful exorcism herbs and usually do not rid a place of evil entities.
Magic has been defined as the ability to create change by force of will and in some respects is not dissimilar to the power of prayer.
However, in Magic, it is our personal intervention that may create the change around us.
Magic is not just like cookery, as in just a matter of following a recipe and getting a result.
Magic will almost definitely require a deep understanding of ourselves and the energies that are around us, and the ability to control and focus on our own energies.
One of the greatest keys to this is the ability to visualize.
In order to visualize you may require a study and understanding of the elements of Earth, Air, Water, and Fire.
The Magic we practice is not that of the stage, conjuring up special effects that you may see so often in many films.
It is practiced to heal, protect and enhance our lives.
It is worked for ourselves and those around us as well as possibly those who come to us with requests for help.
It is said that if you smile in London in the morning, the smile will have reached Tokyo by evening.
This principle, which lies behind all white magick, has been named morphic resonance and has been investigated for several years by the Cambridge biologist Dr Rupert Sheldrake, author of a number of excellent books based on his extensive research into psychic phenomena.
Dr Sheldrake suggests that as animals of a given species learn a new pattern of behaviour, other similar animals will subsequently tend to learn the same thing more readily all over the world; the more that learn it, the easier it should become for others.
So if we carry out positive magick and spread goodwill, then we really can increase the benign energies of the Earth and cosmos.
Even banishing or binding magick can have a creative focus, diverting or transforming redundant or negative energy, for example by burying a symbol of the negativity or casting herbs to the four winds.
It is a concentrated and channeled form of the life force that flows through all animate life forms, people , animals, birds, insects, and plants of all kinds.
The life force is also present in rocks and crystals, in some cultures regarded as living energies, in rain sunshine, the moon, winds, storms, the rainfall, and rivers to the sea.
We receive and give out the life force of Natural Magick in its spontaneous form through our auras, our physic energy field that extends from possibly an outstretched arms span around us.
It also passes to and from our bodies through our chakras or psychic energy centers.
These energy centers filter the aura energy and receive power from the earth beneath and the sky above us, from what we eat, drink and breathe and form those with whom we interact.
When you stand in the shallows of the sea and fell the waves pushing at your toes, that sensation may be the life force and the force behind magick.
If you stand on a windy hillside and are tugged by the wind, this is also life energy and the power behind Magick.
When you bury your feet in earth or press your soles against grass barefoot you are taking pure power.
Magick involves channeling and directing the life force by tapping into those energies in ritual and in spells as well as using the directed and concentrated flow to transfer thoughts and wishes into actuality.
This occurs in the same way that the strong wind can buffet you off course or the tide can unexpectedly lift you off your feet.
In Spells and rituals, however, you structure words, images, and actions to collect the power and channel it into a named purpose.
You can then amplify and release the concentrated strength into specific purposes or areas of the spells ritual.
In the release, your wishes and focused thoughts make a transition through the psychic sounds or light barrier so you have the impetus to make these desired possibilities come true.
True magick is not like a cake in which everybody must vie for a slice or be left with none: it is more akin to a never-emptying pot.
Like the legendary Cauldron of Undry in Celtic myth, the more goodness that is put in, the more the mixture increases in richness and quantity.
The Cauldron of Undry, one of the four main Celtic treasures, provided an endless supply of nourishment, had great healing powers, and could restore the dead to life, in either their former existence or a new life form.
Located on the Isle of Arran, it could be accessed by magical means or through spiritual quests, and many scholars believe it was the inspiration for the Holy Grail.
But when using magick, you should take only as much as you need and perhaps a little more; you should not demand riches, perfect love, eternal beauty, youth, a fabulous job, and a lottery win or two.
So, magick does not provide a help-yourself time in the sweetshop.
The results could be like eating three times more chocolate than you really want and then feeling very sick.
You cannot give the gods or goddesses your shopping list and then sit back and wait for Christmas: the divinity is within you to be kindled, and so you need to demand of yourself far higher standards than someone who believes in the forgiveness of sins.
If you do wrong, you cannot just say sorry to the godhead and carry on without putting right the mistakes or at least learning from them.
Confession may be good for the soul, but magick demands more than that: you’ve got to live with the consequences of your deeds, words and thoughts because the power of a blessing or curse may be even greater on the sender than on the intended recipient.
You must also ensure that you cannot harm anyone in the process of getting what you want.
If you do spells for revenge, then the effects will rebound on you threefold.
Although there are many different kinds of magick, in practice all spells and more formal magical rituals tend to follow four stages, though informal spells may combine one or more steps.
The Focus
This defines the purpose of the ritual or spell and is generally represented either by a symbol or a declaration of intent.
These could take the form of a candle etched with the name or zodiacal glyph of a desired lover, a little silver key charm or an actual key in a spell to find a new home, a picture of an ideal holiday location, and so on.
In a sense, this part of the spell begins before the actual rite and involves verbalising the purpose.
As you define it in a few words or a symbol, you may realise that what you are really seeking lies beyond the immediate external purpose.
Spending time at this stage is quite vital as it is said we tend to get what we ask for, so we should take care to ask for what would truly fulfil our potential, rather than what we think we need immediately.
If you are working alone, hold the symbol while speaking words that summarise the purpose of the magick.
You may be surprised to discover that it is your wise psyche speaking, guiding the intention towards what you truly need or desire – and afterwards, you realise it could have been no other way.
If you are working in a group, a declaration of intent, created by the group collectively before the ritual, is a good way of focusing the energies.
After the initial circle is cast, the symbol can be handed around while the person leading the ritual speaks the intention.
Alternatively, each person can add his or her special interpretation while holding the symbol and so the declaration is worked as part of the ritual.
As others are holding the symbol, visualise it within your own hands; this provides the transition to the next stage of the ritual.
Concentration is the key to this first stage.
The Action
This is the stage where you use actions to endow the symbol with magical energies.
This is part of the continuous process of translating your magical thoughts and words from the first stage, the inner plan, to manifestation as the impetus for success or fulfilment in the everyday world.
These energies amplify your own.
For example, passing incense, representing the Air element, over the symbol activates the innate power of rushing winds that cut through inertia and bring welcome change, harnessing the energies of wide skies in which there are no limits, soaring like eagles, carrying your wishes to the Sun.
You can unite other elemental forces by using the appropriate tools and substances.
Similarly, you might begin a chant, a medley of goddess names or a mantra of power linked with the theme, or a slow spiral dance around the circle.
You could try drumming or tying knots either on individual cords or in a group, creating a pattern with the longer cords of fellow witches, perhaps looped around a tree.
The action of the magick is limited only by the environment and your imagination.
You may find that improvisation enters quite spontaneously as the energies unfold and spiral.
Movement is the key to this stage.
Raising The Power
This is the most powerful part of the magick, as the magical energies are amplified and the power of the ritual carries you along joyously.
Ecstasy forms a major part of the shamanic ceremonies and the old mystery religions; it is akin to the exhilaration you experience riding on a carousel or running barefoot along a sandy shore with the wind lifting your hair.
You might repeat a chant of power, dance faster, drum with greater intensity, bind your cords in ever more intricate patterns or add more knots if working alone, visualising a cone of spiralling, coloured light, rising and increasing in size and intensity as this stage progresses.
Stretch your arms and hands vertically as high as possible to absorb power from the cosmos.
If you are in a group and have been linking hands, as the power increases to a great intensity, this is the time to loose them.
As the power builds, you will create what is known as a cone of power.
The cone-shaped hats traditionally associated with witches and bishops’ mitres reflect the concentration of spiritual potency.
The purpose of the cone, like the sacred pyramid, is to concentrate energy in a narrowing shape so that it reaches a pinnacle of power, which can then be released at the end of the ritual to carry your wishes or desires into the cosmos.
In order to create a cone of power in magick, you can visualise these energies as coloured light or as gold.
Alternatively, you can visualise different rainbow colours to create a cone of every colour that merges to brilliant white at the apex. In healing work, some people see this as silver-blue light that becomes brilliant.
Whether working alone or in a group, as you build up the power, breathe in pure white light and exhale and project your chosen colour, seeing it become ever more vibrant and faster-moving as the intensity increases.
After you have been practising magick for a while, you will notice that the cone of colour builds up quite spontaneously, with no apparent effort.
It has also been described as a cloud of energy. At the point when the climax is reached, comes the release of power.
Note that for some people the cone concept interferes with their own natural magical abilities – some of the most skilled witches and healers see circles of light, shimmering golden beams or rainbows with their psychic eye.
Some see nothing at all, but instead feel power pushing their feet almost off the ground.
Growth is the key to this stage.
Release Of Power
When you release the power in the final stage, you may see the cone exploding and cascading as coloured stars or light beams, which surge away into the cosmos and break into brilliant rainbow colours.
If you wish, you can direct the energy after the final release of power by pointing with your hands, or a wand or knife, so that the energies cascade horizontally and downwards, for example into herbs on the altar that you are empowering to make into herb sachets.
Or you can direct the cascading energies in a specific direction, perhaps towards a person who is ill or in need of magical strength.
The release is the key at this stage.
This release may take the form of a final shout, a leap, or words.
As you extinguish your candle of need, you may shout:
It is free, the power is mine!
Or, at the point of release, you may throw your extended hands wide in an arc above your head.
If the ceremony is formal and you are using an athame, you can at this moment bring it in front of you to mark the invisible cutting of the knot holding the power.
Pull your visualised or actual knots tight, cut them, leap into the air, shouting:
The Power is free! or It is done!
Sometimes there is just a sudden stillness, as the power leaves.
Afterwards, you need to ground the energies by sitting or lying on the ground and letting excess energies fade away into the Earth as you press down with your hands and feet.
Magick is not like the magic a conjuror uses to bring a rabbit out of a hat: that kind of magic is just a trick, which relies merely on the art of illusion.
White magick is much more than that. It is intensely exciting because it means that we can extend the boundaries of possibility, recalling the psychic powers of childhood when we could span dimensions as easily as jumping across a puddle.
We can increase our personal magnetism to attract love and luck and regenerate the innate healing abilities both of the human body and the planet.
What magick does not do is provide quick fixes with a twinkling of Stardust.
It does not produce a faerie godmother, who turns up with a shimmering frock and a platinum credit card to pay the taxi fare home if the handsome prince is short of money and the faerie coach has crumpled into a pumpkin.
After the candles and incense have burned through and we sit, exhausted but exhilarated after sending our wishes to the cosmos through dancing or chanting, we then have to use every effort, every talent at our disposal, to make those wishes come true on the earthly plane.
The psychic kick-start provided by the magick must be used to translate the magical thoughts into actuality.
So we must work overtime with new enthusiasm and inspiration to get that project finished, send off to the publisher that typescript that has been gathering dust, do whatever it takes to help ourselves to get the results we desire.
‘Money doesn’t grow on trees’; and this holds true even in the magical world.
Money, success and opportunities have to be generated and earned.
We need to add our own will-power to the power we have drawn on.
What is more, under the cosmic profit-and-loss scheme, if we ask for a psychic overdraft, we must give back, if not immediately, then at a later date.
So when your finances are better or your immediate troubles are passed, you should make a small donation or give time to a worthwhile cause connected with the area of the spell.
This balances up the account whose cosmic energies you tapped into.
In magick, time and direction have an important place and it is necessary to understand that there may be differences according to which hemisphere of the globe you are working in.
In the northern hemisphere, magical circles are cast clockwise, or ‘deosil’, which means ‘in the direction of the Sun’.
In the southern hemisphere, however, practitioners casting their circles deosil should normally cast them anti-clockwise, because that is the direction of the Sun in that hemisphere.
Practitioners in the southern hemisphere will also need to alter the dates I have given.
For them, for example, the mid-winter solstice is celebrated on or around 21 June and the summer solstice, when the Sun is at it most powerful, is around 21 December.
In the same way, the two annual equinoxes, when there is equal day and equal night, move round so that the spring equinox falls around 21 September and the autumn equinox around 21 March.
It is perhaps better to think in terms of the Wheel of the Year, rather than our modern-day calendar, for what matters is not the date but what is happening with the cycle of growth and fruition.
So the autumn equinox is the time of harvest, whenever that may be in your part of the globe
.
Things are a little more complicated, however, when it comes to the use of the quadrants of your magical circle and the directions, North, South, etc.
However, in the southern hemisphere since the equator, the area of maximum heat, is to the North, this direction will more naturally be regarded as Fire.
To face the colder direction of winter, you must turn away from the equator, towards the Antarctic – the South.
This means that when following the instructions in this book practitioners in the southern hemisphere should substitute the opposite for each direction.
So, for example, where I have said you should set up your altar in the North, and enter your circles from the East, you would set up your altar in the South, and enter from the West.
If you find this too complicated, don’t worry.
Some practitioners in the southern hemisphere follow the northern traditions, especially if they have ancestors from colder climes.
It really is a matter of preference and all this diversity actually has a very positive effect, because it means that you can weave the natural forces into your personal creation of magick.
The only important thing is that you are consistent in your attitude.
You can create magick in all kinds of ways and you can use it for an almost infinite variety of purposes.
Your magick can be solitary or group-based, self-centered, or entirely altruistic.
It can be personal and informal, or it may be framed in a rigid ceremony.
But whatever kind of magick you wish to practice, you will need to create a special place to work in, a personal area at home for your private healing and personal development work.
When you were a child, you probably had a special place, perhaps a treehouse, a den under a table with a curtain draped over it, or a corner of the garden hidden by bushes that only you and chosen friends visited; in this place, you wove your dreams and played with your treasures.
This magickal place is just such a special place, an extension of and, in a sense, a return to that time of enchantment, for you are once again making an area separate from the everyday world, where you can set up your special artifacts.
But it will also be very different from your childhood place because as an adult you can learn to control and direct the energies that then ran free and unstructured.
Your imaginings can be refined as visualizations, your daydreams as altered states of consciousness; you can make wishes and dreams come true, not just in faerie land but in the here and now.
If you have sufficient space, you may set aside a room, perhaps a conservatory, attic or basement, or a sheltered spot in the garden for your special magical place.
Alternatively, you may need to use a corner of your bedroom or draw a velvet curtain across an area of a room where you can be quiet and private.
The Green level of Witchcraft uses herbs in many different practices pertaining to the Craft.
Herbs alone can be used for health, comfort, treatments of ailments, and divinations.
They can be added to spells in charms, candle magic, oils, and incenses, and are used in bulk for sprinklings, aspersions, and magic packets.
Infused herbal oils, they can be used for consecrations, anointings, blessings, altars, and cleansings.
These uses are not exclusive to Green Witchcraft, but this is where their uses began, and they’ve been adapted to many other types of practice.
Herbal Baths
Herbs may be used in bathing as a Green element of the Craft.
Light a candle, burn incense and let the scented waters work their magic into you.
For Peace: chamomile, lavender, rose, hops, peppermint
For Energy: heather, rosemary, lemon balm, savory
For Comforting: calendula (marigold), lavender, raspberry leaves, chamomile, mint, rosemary
For Relaxation: chamomile, heather, lemon balm, dianthus, jasmine flower
Herbal Oils
Herbal oils are an essential part of the Green practice, used to consecrate a new magical tool, aid in the empowerment of objects used for a spell, or to help open up the practitioner to alternate states of awareness.
These oils are applied with a fingertip of the power hand, in a symbol that speaks to you: pentagram, solar cross, spiral, triquetra, etc.
Different oils will be called for in different rituals, and each does a different job.
The following oil examples are made by adding the ground herb (may use mortar/pestle or electric herb grinder) to a base of spring water, or an oil like sunflower or safflower, along with drops of essential oils).
Altar Oil
Used to prepare the altar for ritual may be sprinkled with a sprig appropriate for the season.
Mix with mortar/pestle: a half tablespoon of rue, a half tablespoon thyme, a half tablespoon vervain.
Add 3 drops of oil of citronella, 1 drop of oil of fir, 1 drop of oil of rue, and 2 drops of sandalwood.
Gently swirl with: a quarter cup of spring or distilled water.
You may asperse the altar with this oil using a white heather sprig.
Anointing Oil
For anointing those within the circle during spellwork Mix with mortar/pestle: 1-star anise, a quarter tablespoon basil, a quarter tablespoon hyssop, a half tablespoon rosemary.
Add: 3 drops oil of acacia, 2 drops oil of balsam of Peru, 1 drop oil of benzoin, 2 drops oil of rose.
Gently swirl with: ¼ c sunflower or safflower oil.
Astral Projection Oil
To aid in astral projection travels Mix with mortar/pestle: one tablespoon of jasmine, one tablespoon of cinquefoil, two tablespoons of mugwort, one tablespoon of woodruff
Add: 2 drops oil of acacia, 4 drops oil of benzoin, 3 drops oil of rue, and 1 drop of oil of sandalwood.
Gently swirl with: ¼ c sunflower or safflower oil.
Apply to temples, forehead, throat, the pulse at wrists and inner elbows, back of knees, ankles, and soles of feet.
You can also burn incense of jasmine, sandalwood, or benzoin
Blessing Oil
May be used for rites of passage (presentations, namings, handfastings, and passings)
Mix with mortar/pestle: one tablespoon of lavender, a half tablespoon of rosemary, and one tablespoon of St. John’s Wort.
Add: 2 drops oil of juniper berry, 2 drops oil of rose, 3 drops vetivert.
Gently swirl with: a quarter cup of sunflower or safflower oil.
Cleansing Oil
Used to revitalize and refresh an area, purging it of negativity that may have built up (particularly useful if there’s been an unwelcome visitor or quarrel).
Mix with mortar/pestle: one tablespoon of basil, two tablespoons of rosemary, one tablespoon of valerian, and one tablespoon of mugwort.
Add: 2 drops of balsam of Peru, 2 drops oil of benzoin, 1 drop oil of fir, 2 drops oil of lavender, 4 drops oil of rue.
Gently swirl with ¼ c sunflower or safflower oil, or spring water if using for appeasement over a room or furniture.
Consecration Oil
Used to consecrate a new tool for your practice.
Mix with mortar/pestle: one tablespoon of fennel, one tablespoon of Tansey, one tablespoon of rue, one tablespoon of wormwood, a half tablespoon of yarrow
Add: 2 drops oil of fir, 3 drops oil of rue, 2 drops oil of sandalwood.
Gently swirl with: a quarter cup of sunflower or safflower oil.
2. Outline the ritual and prepare your tools and materials.
3. Purifying yourself.
4. Purifying the working space.
5. Creating a sacred circle.
6. Have an invocation.
7. Performing the ritual observance.
8. Raise and direct energy.
9. Earth (ground) the residual power.
10. Take some refreshment.
11. Acknowledge the Lady and Lord or elementals, source above and earth below, ancient ones, etc.
12. Release (farewell) the elementals.
13. Open the circle.
These components of a ritual have been given previously, in circle casting, but not outlined quite so simply.
It does sound somewhat complicated but only reads that way.
Each step, over time, becomes simple as a morning routine or having a friend come to visit.
Prepare your spell in advance if possible, readying your candles if needed, and have your spellbook/wording/invocation at hand.
Bathe with an herbal pouch (rosemary, lavender, and thyme, or basil, fennel, and vervain, or as directed in previous classes) if desired.
The bathing is a time to wash off the cares of the mundane world and center one’s self.
Cleanse the ritual area of negativity and chaotic energies, with a besom, from the center of the circle to the outer edges, moving clockwise.
You may chant your intent as you work if you like. Light your main candle and incense, then you are ready to cast your circle.
The circle’s purpose is to create a space where you can build up energies without them dissipating, so you can direct it toward your magical working.
There is no need to delineate the circle except with what you envision, though you may mark each quarter as you see fit: candles, objects associated with elements, etc.
Many people insist a circle is necessary for protection, but the actual purpose is the gathering and focusing of power.
The protection idea comes from the ceremonial practice of summoning (demons or angels) and keeping them at bay.
In this case, the circle is the space into which you summon, though the author warns this type of summoning can be dangerous.
While a circle is not strictly necessary to hold a conversation with your deities, the elementals, or devas, it is still recommended by the author to do this until the experience is built up.
And as an added bonus, if you cast your circle in the same space each time, the room and home in which this is done begin to form a larger circle over your living space.
For candle magic, you may carve/inscribe the candle with a rune or symbol or write a word or name, as is appropriate for your working.
You may choose to anoint the candle with consecrated oil before lighting and take care to use a fireproof container for burning down in.
Even the candle holder itself will get very hot, and should not be touched while in use, so take care where it is placed.
As you perform your spell, envision the actions you take as they lead to the completed goal so that by the time you have said all the words and added herbs to the candle flame, the process is seen as accomplished, and your final words will show it as done.
You may raise the energy by chanting the spell, dance, etc, as you are drawn to do. When you feel the energy as it builds to its climax, send the energy to perform its task.
Then ground away from any residual energies by placing palms on the floor/ground and allow the leftovers run out.
Without grounding, you may feel nervous or agitated for several days, or you may feel suddenly dissipated and listless.
As you work your magic, take care to manage your personal needs and not drain away too much of your own vital energies.
As the candle burns down, take some refreshment (cakes & wine part of the ceremony).
This offers a way to come back to earth and settle yourself back to reality before opening the circle again.
The beverage and food are up to the witch in question, you don’t have to drink wine if you don’t want to, etc.
When your refreshments are finished, it is time to acknowledge the beings you work with, say goodbye to the elementals, and open the circle.
As you say goodbye to each elemental, thank them for their help, and offer your blessing to them.
And remember you are saying goodbye, not forcing them to leave.
As you open the circle, work in the opposite way from how you set it up.
So if you cast the circle clockwise, pull it down counter-clockwise (widdershins), or vice versa.
Draw down the energy from casting the circle, draw it into your body from whatever tool you used to put it up, and hold that energy within yourself.
Allow the candle to burn down for one hour, then use a snuffer to put it out.
Pinching out the flame may not be possible if it is very hot (when there are herbs in a candle or it has been burning a very long time), so investing in a snuffer is a good idea.
Looking at the melted wax or herb residue is a way to use divination to determine how the spellwork went.
Sometimes the way the candle burns tells what you need to know.
There are any number of possibilities, and as with other forms of divination, use your intuition to guide your way.
