Sweetheart Tea

Here is a quick recipe to create exactly the right mood for a dreamy evening:

• Stir together in a clockwise motion

• 1 ounce dried and pulverized rosehips

• 1⁄2 ounce peppermint

• 1⁄2 ounce dried lemon balm

You can store this in a tin or colored jar for up to a year for those special evenings. When you are ready to brew the tea, pour boiling water over the herbs, two teaspoons for every cup of water. Say the following spell aloud during the five minute steeping and picture your heart’s desire:

Herbal brew of love’s emotion 
With my wish I fortify
When two people share this potion 
This love shall intensify
As in the Olde Garden of Love.

Sweeten to taste with honey and share this luscious libation with the one you love.

Amorous Herbs Love Charm

Many a witchy woman has enjoyed the fruits of long-lasting love by reciting the following charm while mixing rye and pimento into a dish shared with her object of affection. While stirring in these amorous herbs, declaim:

Rye of earth, pimento of fire 
Eaten surely lights desire. 
Serve to he whose love I crave, 
And his heart I will enslave!

Creating Space for Love in Your Home: A Relationship Corner

As you walk into your bedroom, the relationship corner will be the back right corner. Your love and sex energy have to be nurtured there, so you might as well consider placing your altar there to serve as your personal erotic wellspring.

Look at this area with a fresh eye—what is cluttering your love corner with dead energy? Half-empty perfume bottles or near- empty cosmetic bottles could be impairing your relationship energy. You must clear unhappiness out of this space and clear the area of any clutter by getting rid of all unnecessary objects and tidying up.

To cleanse the area, ring a hand bell anywhere clutter has accumulated, giving special attention to your bed and pillows. Here are a few tips:

Never bring old pillows into a new home. Old pillows can cause poor sleep and bad dreams. They can carry old sexual energy and can kill a relationship.

Never place your bed in the center of a room, as this will cause anxiety and get in the way of a healthy sex life.

Never have the foot of the bed facing the door, as this brings very bad luck.

To keep your lovemaking fresh, always make the bed and change the linens often.

Place these objects in your bedroom to attract loving energy:

• 2 rose quartz crystals of equivalent size

• Pink, orange, or red fabric

• 2 red candles

• Images of two butterflies or two lovebirds
  

Prepare the Way for Love In Your Life

Surely one of the main reasons for clearing space in your home and bedroom is to make room for a happy love life. Before you attempt to enhance your prospects for love, you need to improve the flow of chi, or life energy, in the environment where you express your love. Try any of all of the following to help you improve the chi:

Remove all pictures of yourself where you are alone. 

Remove all empty cups, jars, vases, and bottles.

Remove all photographs of past lovers, or at least relegate them to another room.

Make sure that decorative accessories are in even numbers, not in odds or in triplets. This pertains to candles, frames, pillows and lamps.

Display special feng shui love symbols, such as an open red fan, a pair of crystal lovebirds, and two red hearts. On your bed, you should use rich, silky, and extremely comfortable fabrics and colors. Also be extravagant when it comes to pillows—the more the merrier. But remember to have even numbers, not odd ones, which disrupt your “love chi.”

Bed Blessing

Anoint your bed with this special charm. In a red cup, mix a half- teaspoon of jasmine oil and a half-teaspoon of rose oil. Take a cotton ball and dip it into the bliss oil. Touch it to your clean sheets seven times from where you rest your head to the feet, for each chakra point. Then speak aloud:

In this bed, I show my love. 
In this bed, I share my body. 
In this bed, I give my heart.

In this bed, we are as one.

Here, my happiness lies as I give and live in total joy. 
Blessed be to me and thee.

Now, lie down and roll around in the bed. After all, that is what it is for!

Light of Love Altar Dedication

Light candles and incense and dab the jasmine and essential oils above your heart. Speak aloud:

I light the flame,
I fan the flame,
Each candle I burn is a wish. 
My lust will never wane.
I desire and I will be desired. 
Harm to none, so mote it be.

Sacred Space for Love: Altar of Affection

To prepare for new relationships and deepen the expression of feeling and intensity to your love life, create a center from which to renew your romantic spirit. Here you can concentrate your energy, clarify your intentions and make wishes come true. If you already have an altar, incorporate some special elements, such as red candles or red crystals, or anything associated with Venus, like copper or a seashell to enhance your sex life. Your altar can sit on a low table, a big box, or any flat surface dedicated to magic. One friend of mine has her sex altar at the head or her bed. Begin by purifying the space with a sage smudge stick—a bundle of sage that you burn as your pass it through the space. Then cover your altar with a large red silk or silk-like fabric. Place two red candles at the center of your altar and place a soul mate crystal—two crystals naturally fused together—at the far right corner of the altar. These are widely available at metaphysical stores. Anoint your candles with jasmine and neroli oil. Also keep the incense you think is sexiest on your altar. Place fresh Casablanca lilies in a vase and change them the minute they begin to fade. Lilies are heralded as exotic and erotic flowers, prized for their seductive scent.

Two Hearts Beat As One

Many crystal shops and New Age stores now feature heart-shaped rocks. The next time you see heart-shaped amethyst crystals, buy two right away and give one to your true love. The gift of an amethyst heart will ensure a happy life together and good fortune shared. Sweet!

New Moon Love Connection

If you are looking for love, perform this rite and you will soon find a lover to satisfy your needs. On the night of the next new moon, take two pieces of a pink or red crystal—rose quartz will do nicely—and place them on the floor in the center of your bedroom. If you are lucky enough to have two garnets of rough rubies or pink tourmaline, by all means use two of those heart stones.

Light one pink and one red candle and speak this love and life- affirming chant:

Beautiful crystal I hold this night, 
Flame with love for my delight, 
Goddess of Love, I ask of you, 
Guide me in the path that is true. 
Harm to none as love comes to me. 
This I ask and so it shall be.

Within a fortnight, you shall receive some kind of communication from a potential love interest. It could be a handsome stranger at a coffee shop who can’t take his eyes off you, or a shy bookworm at a literary reading. Be on the lookout and let your intuition be your guide.

Dreamy Passion Potion

If you are dreaming of real romance, you can bring about visions of your true love to come with this potent potion:

 • 3 drops rose oil

• 3 drops lavender

• 3 drops neroli, orange blossom essence

• 4 ounces pure distilled water

Pour all these into a colored glass spray bottle and shake well three times. Fifteen minutes before you retire, spray lightly on your linens, towel, and pillow case. Keep a dream journal on your nightstand so you can record details of the great love that will soon manifest.

Clary Sage Clarity Incantation

Here is a handy spell for physical well-being as well as a self-esteem boost. For this witchy approach to preventive medicine, take a green candle on a Friday, dress it with clary sage oil, and speak the following three times:

My health is mine, under this moon divine.
I choose to be well in this healthy body I dwell.
No more pain and strife, vital breath of life.
Harm to none; health to me.
So mote it be.

Dragons’ Lair Safety Spell

After an illness or any event wherein you feel the need to rid your home of unhealthy energy, head to your metaphysical five and dime and gather these essences. Anoint your home in order to return grace to your space and protect you from harm. Simply rub any one of the following essential oils, undiluted, on your doorjamb: cinnamon, clover, cypress, dragons blood, frankincense.
Walk through the door and close it securely. Take the remaining essential oil and anoint every other door and window. At the witching hour, midnight, light anointed white candles and place them in every doorway and windowsill. Sing:

My home is my temple,
Here I will live and love and be healed. 
And so it is by magic sealed.

Kitchen Witch Alchemy

Marigold blossoms gathered at high noon will raise your energy level. 

Lettuce juice (made in a juicer or food processor) rubbed on your temples and forehead will dispel sleeplessness. 

Holly was once believed to repel lightening.

Hazel branches make excellent wands and divining rods. Used like pendulums, they help you answer questions.

Garlic guards against evil spirits, disease and bad weather. 

Cyclamen eases the pain of grief.

Cucumber peel placed on your temple and forehead cures headaches.

Pomona’s Skin-Preserving Potion

Pomona is beloved as the apple goddess and protectress of orchards. Associated with abundance, the flowering of nature, youth and beauty, her splendor is still celebrated every year in European festivals. One way to retain our blossoming beauty is to take good care of our skin and heighten the health of our complexions with this goddess-blessed prescription for eternal youth. Add the following essential pure oils into six ounces of scentless base oil, such as sesame:

• Two drops apple

• Two drops sweet almond

• Two drops rosemary

• Two drops chamomile 

• Two drops eucalyptus

• Two drops rosemary

• Two drops lavender

Combine thoroughly and place the mixture into a dark glass jar with a secure lid; shake it before application. Before you anoint your skin each night, utter this spell:

Pomona, blessed goddess of the groves, 
We thank you for the fruits of the trees 
And the flowers of the fields.
Bringer of honey, bounty and beauty. 
We thank you for the flower of youth 
From this day forward. So mote it be.

Crystal Cures for Every Day of the Week

Gemstones and crystals have healing powers based on ancient belief systems passed down from the Chaldeans and metaphysicians of the old world. Among the treasure trove of knowledge they passed down are these crystal cures:

Sapphire has violet energy; worn first on Saturday on the middle finger of the right hand two hours before sunset, the stone is said to be curative for kidneys, epilepsy, tumors and sciatica.

Diamonds, containing rays of indigo light, are for eyes, nose, asthma, laziness and drunkenness, especially if worn on the right pinkie on Friday with the waxing moon. Worn on Sundays, diamonds enhance spiritual understanding when worn on the left ring finger.

Emerald has green light rays and can help with the heart, ulcers, cancer, asthma, and influenza, when worn on the right side pinkie on Wednesday two hours after dawn. On Tuesdays, wear it on the other hand for calm, sound sleep and to repel bad dreams and nightmares.

Pearls radiate orange rays and operate as a curative for work on Monday mornings. They help with insanity, diabetes, colic and fever.

Topaz has blue rays and helps with laryngitis, paralysis, hysteria, scarlet fever and assorted glandular disorders if worn on the right ring finger on Thursday mornings.

Plant Infusions That Comfort and Heal

Many enthusiasts enjoy several cups a day of their favorite herbal infusion, which is a large portion of herb brewed for at least four hours and as long as ten. I recommend one cup of the dried herb placed in a quart canning jar and filled with freshly boiled water. After the steeping, strain with a non-metallic method, such as cheesecloth or bamboo. Herbal Infusions can be made with the leaves and fruits which provide the magical and healing aspects of this comforting concoction. Many of the favorite kitchen witch herbs contain minerals, antioxidants and phytochemicals, including the list herein. Roots, leaves, flowers, needles and seeds can all be used—depending on which fruit or herb is chosen to be the base. There are some cases when all parts of the plant can be used in some manner, and at others only one or two parts are safe—it is important, when creating a blend from scratch, that the creator has researched ingredients to understand what parts can be used.

What do you need to attend in your life now? This list of herbs and associations can be your guide; one of the smartest ways to approach this methodology is to brew right before bedtime, and you will awaken to a freshly infused herb. Some of the most popular herbs and fruits used to create infusions are:

Anise Seeds & Leaves – soothes cramps and aches

Caraway Seeds – aids in romantic issues, helps with colic

Catnip Leaves – makes women even more attractive

Chamomile Flowers – helps with sleep, good for abundance 

Dandelion Leaves – makes wishes come true

Echinacea – makes the body strong

Ginseng Root – increases men’s vigor

Nettle Leaves – lung function, hex breaking

Peppermint Leaves – rids tummy discomfort, cleansing

Pine Needles – increases skin health as well as financial health 

Rose Hip Fruit – packed with vitamin C and can halt colds and flu

Sage Leaves – purifies energy, antibiotic

Skullcap Leaves – prevents insomnia, cures 

St. John’s Wort, anti- depressant protection

Thyme Leaves – antiseptic, a protectant

Yarrow Flowers – reduce fever, bring courage and good luck

Hedge Witch Herbal Healer

In the days of old, the village doctors were elder women, and quite a few utilized the knowledge of hedge witches who knew all the plants of field and forest. For an immune system boost, crush a mixture of equal parts (1⁄2 cup each) rosemary, lemon peel, lavender, and the petals of red roses. Place the crushed herbs in a sealable colored glass jar filled with almond or sesame oil, ideally twelve ounces. After seven days on a windowsill, exposed to both the sun and the dark moon, strain and place the infused oil into the jar. Speak this chant aloud:

In this dark moonlight, I will see 
That I release anything that ails me. 
With the wisdom of the crones of old, 
All the blessings of this world unfold.

You now have a hearty supply of homemade healing oil to use in the bath, or to rub on your pulse points: temples, wrists, backs of knees, and behind the ears. As soon as you feel slightly rundown, one application should make a difference. Be sure and whisper thanks to the hedge witches who passed down this sacred healing knowledge.

Goddess Glow

Many witches prefer whipping up their own healing beauty magic. Here’s a simple recipe for a homemade salt rub. The beauty of this recipe is that you can change the essential oils to suit your mood. For example, if you are feeling romantic or preparing for a big date night, use rose and amber oils.

Combine the following:

• Three cups Epsom salts

• One tablespoon glycerin

• Four drops lemon essential oil

• Two drop jasmine oil

• Two drop vanilla

• One drop neroli oil (made from orange blossoms)
  

Mix well and store in a colored glass jar with a tight lid. Use these salts with the Salt of the Earth body purification ritual to help exfoliate your skin and give you a goddess glow.

Salt of the Earth Rejuvenation Ritual

Salts have been used to purify the body, by way of ritual rubs, since ancient times in the Mediterranean and Mesopotamia. Beauties from the biblical era utilized this simple curative of natural salts to exfoliate the skin and enhance circulation, vital to overall body health. There are wonderful imported Dead Sea salts readily available at most bath and beauty stores, or you can make your own using Goddess Glow recipes, one of the kitchen cupboard cures that follows.

To prepare for your body glow session, light a white candle, step out of your clothes and into your tub or shower, and hold the salts in the palms of both hands, praying:

Aphrodite, in your wisdom, help me reflect your image;
My body is a temple to thee, goddess.
Here, I worship today with my head and hands, heart and soul.
Blessings to all, blessings to thee, blessed be me.

Use the salts with a new loofah sponge and scrub yourself vigorously during the waning moon or new moon at midnight.

Flower Remedy Ritual

Flower essences restore emotional balance and aid physical harmony. Naturopathic doctors and healers recommend using Dr. Bach’s flower remedies, which were originally created from the morning dew found on flower petals. These subtle medicines are available in most health food and metaphysical stores. To know which essences are right for you, take a pendulum and write the essence names on paper in a wheel formation. Holding the pendulum in the middle, wait for it to select one name while chanting:

Spirit of the flower, help me this day
To keep disease and depression far at bay. Blessed be.

To prepare the following remedies, mix two drops of flower essence in 30 milliliters of distilled water. Take four drops of the remedy daily until your health is restored. You can also apply the remedy to your pulse points: wrists, temples, behind the ears, back of knees. You can also add it to your bath, or spray it into the air. Following is a guide to healing flower remedies:

Addiction: skullcap, oregano

Anger: nettle, blue flag, chamomile

Anxiety: garlic, rosemary, aspen, periwinkle, lemon balm, white chestnut, gentian

Bereavement: honeysuckle

Depression: borage, sunflower, larch, chamomile, geranium, yerba santa, black cohosh, lavender, mustard

Exhaustion: aloe, yarrow, olive, sweet chestnut

Fear: poppy, mallow, ginger, peony, water lily, basil, datura Heartbreak: heartsease, hawthorn, borage

Lethargy: aloe, thyme, peppermint

Stress: dill, Echinacea, thyme, mistletoe, lemon balm Spiritual blocks: oak, ginseng, lady’s slipper

Clarify Your Intention

Why do you want to create a mandala? Your reason is your intention, and is the focus of your ritual. One basic guideline is that the creation of a sand mandala should be “for the greater good.” Some examples of reasons to create a specific mandala include:

To help create world peace

To bring renewed health to body and spirit

To bless a new home

To bless and bring joy to all people in your life

Sun: Its rays are a representation of light, energy, and life. A sun mandala will represent the positive and celebrate your life, the spark and flame of existence.

Moon: In all its phases, the moon represents the feminine and female power. Moon mandalas are wonderful for women to create in celebration of their own femininity and of woman-power throughout time. Any goddess mandala can include the symbol of the moon.

Heart: A universal symbol of love, this sweet design would make an excellent blessing to a romantic relationship or a gift to loved ones.

Triangle: It represents the Christian Holy Trinity and Egyptian spirituality and wisdom.

Downward-Pointing Triangle: It represents the “yoni yantra” and signifies the female, the element of water, and the mother and the ability to create. A mandala blessing for an expectant mother should include the downward-pointing triangle. Water signs Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces would do well to honor themselves with this design.

Double Triangle or Hexagram: In tantra, this represents all of creation, the conjunction of male and female energies. The concept of infinity is also represented by this symbol. A relationship mandala, especially in the sensual realm, will work well with double triangles. If you want to connect to the great universe, the symbol of infinity is essential. This symbol is ideal for creativity mandalas. In India, the double triangle indicates Kali in union with Shiva, and it is also the symbol for the heart chakra. If you want to create a mandala for blessing a relationship or to open your heart, the hexagram is an excellent choice. Combining the heart symbol and hexagram would be a powerful love mandala.

Pentagram: Other names for the pentagram include the Wizard’s Star, the Druid’s Foot, the Witch’s Cross, and the Star of Bethlehem. Wiccans have claimed the pentagram as their insignia. If you want to do a mandala for healing the earth, the pentagram will accomplish this quite nicely.

Square or Quadrangle: It is the sign of the four directions, and also the four elements and the four seasons. The square of the day also indicates the four significant times of day: sunrise, noonday, sunset, midnight. For the ancient Hindus, the square stood for order in the universe. You can use a square to invoke the four directions in this way, to honor the elements of air, earth, fire and water, and also to mark sacred time for prayer and meditation.

Octagon or Double Square: With its eight points, this is another symbol for divine order and unification. It is a good symbol for peace on earth. Essentially an eight-pointed star, the octagon is a symbol for rebirth and renewal and the wheel of the year. The octagon is believed to have magical powers, as does the pentacle or pentagram, when drawn in one line. In this case, they are believed to indicate sacred space. An octagon is a very good symbol to include in a mandala when you are embarking on a new phase of your life—a new home, job, relationship, a “new you”—that can be blessed in this manner.

Knotwork and the “Knot of Eternity”: These are lovely symbols of unity. In Buddhist tradition, knotwork represents contemplation and meditation. Celtic knotwork symbolizes the eternal flow of energy and life.

Lotus: This flower represents beauty, creation, renewal, and in Buddhism, the search for enlightenment. If the lotus has twelve petals, it represents the energy of the sun. If it has sixteen petals, it is the symbol for the moon. The most spiritual mandalas will likely contain the image of the lotus.

Hold your hand over the mandala design you have drawn and visualize the light of the universe, of the sun pouring through you and through your hands to the sand and the design. If you feel a personal connection to any benevolent spirits such as angels, the Buddha, or gods or goddesses, you should call upon them to also bless your efforts and the material with their sacred energy.

You may notice a warming of your hands as you continue concentrating “in the light.” Invoke aloud or pray silently to your benevolent guardians to bless your endeavor. When you are ready, take some time to look at your mandala and contemplate the image you have created. Look deeply and quietly and “receive” any insights or messages during meditation. Close the ritual by dedicating the blessing energy of the mandala to the greater good of the universe.

Color Symbology for the Chakras and Mandala Design

First, root (base of spine)           red           security, survival

Second, sacral                            orange     pleasure

Third, solar plexus                     yellow     divine, personal power

Fourth, heart                              green        abundance, love, serenity

Fifth, throat                                blue          creativity, originality 

Sixth, third eye                          indigo       intuitiveness, perception 

Seventh, crown                          violet        holy bliss, all is one 

Color Connection

Color is a form of energy that can be broken down by individual vibrations. We use colors in our homes and at work to affect moods. The right colors can calm, energize, or even romanticize a setting. Colors promote many desired states of being. Anyone using color is tuning in to the vibration frequency of that particular color. Some psychics have the skills and training to read your aura; they can literally see the energy radiating out from your body.

Other colors not in the spectrum or chakra exist in crystals and stones, and are significant in their own right: brown, gray, black, white, silver and gold.

Brown: the color of humility and poverty; represents safety and the home.

Gray: the color of grief and mourning; symbolized resurrection in medieval times; gray is the first color the human eye can perceive in infancy.

Black: protection and strength; fortifies your personal energies and gives them more inner authority; symbolizes fertile, life- giving, rich earth, and nourishing rain in Africa.

White: purity, peace, patience, and protection; some cultures associate white with death.

Silver: relates to communication and greater access to the universe; indicates a lunar connection or female energy.

Gold: direct connection to God; facilitates wealth and ease.

The color spectrum is correlated with seven basic vibrations. These are the same vibrations that comprise the musical scale, and the same vibrations that are the foundation of our seven vibration chakra system. The “lightest” vibrations are at the top and the “heaviest” vibrations are at the bottom. By now you should know that the color system is composed of seven colors, all visible in the rainbow: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet. A great way to remember the colors is by their collective acronym, which sounds like a name: Roy G. Biv. Consult the following color guide when you are choosing a color for any aspect of your life.

Color management can help you on the most basic level each day. To combat feeling depressed, wear yellow to raise your energy level. If you have a business meeting and you want to put your colleagues at ease, wear earthy colors like brown or green. You can experiment with different combinations, too. Remember, the purpose here is to find your soul colors.

Create Your Temple Sanctuary: Magical Mandalas and Sacred Space

Spiritual health is just as important as the other kind. Regular maintenance and what I call “inner work” is greatly abetted if you have sacred space where you feel at your best. If you don’t have access to a temple space, you can create a sacred temple space in your own home. The imprint of your own creativity is vital to your personal shrine; it should be decorated with things also made by your own hand. Ideally, your windows allow sacred light to fall upon your designs. This is an artistic endeavor; you are making sacred art. If you do your best work at night, be sure to have adequate lighting. It is also a good idea to reduce the possibilities of distractions and interruptions. It is strongly suggested to turn off phones and television, to create as peaceful an environment as possible.

Bless the space in a fashion of your own choosing with your favorite incense, candles and objects that represent deepest spirituality to you. A magical mandala will greatly enhance your sacred space. The word “mandala” is from the classical Indian language of Sanskrit. Loosely translated to mean “circle,” a mandala is far more than a simple shape. It represents wholeness, and can be seen as a model for the organizational structure of life itself—a cosmic diagram that reminds us of our relation to the infinite, the world that extends both beyond and within our bodies and minds.

Planetary Protection Charms

Planting three red flowers in the new moon will keep trespassers off property and allow the land to return to a wild well-being. I suggest penstemon, wild roses, geraniums or nasturtiums.

To heal and guard an ailing or endangered tree, an old Celtic custom involves tying a red ribbon around the trunk and chanting:

Red for the sap-blood inside this spirit-tree,
Every Full Moon,
I will retie a cord of magic around thee.
So mote it be!

Love Your Mother: Spells to Heal Nature

Unlike our forebears, modern witches have to help heal Mother Earth. We are charged with crafting spells to restore and nurture the planet, which in turn nurtures us. In spring, on the Vernal Equinox, March 21, sprinkle clover leaves, ground mistletoe, and cinnamon on the ground while walking widdershins, or counterclockwise. Face north with right arm raised, and say aloud:

I call upon the great powers in the north 
Bless and protect this land,
Bless and protect our beloved Mother Earth! 
Harm to None. So mote it be.

Pendulum of Truth Invocation

Many witches carry a pendulum with them at all times to help make the right decisions. I sometimes see pendulums twirling over herbs and produce at the farmers market or hovering over restaurant menus. They have recently become available at most metaphysical stores, but a lovingly handmade pendulum is imbued with more personal energy. An easy DIY way to make your own pendulum is to take a strong string or length of leather and tie a ring, gemstone, or crystal to the end. By the light of the new moon, take a bundle of sage, light one end and pass the smoke over your pendulum, “smudging” and purifying your space.

Wear the pendulum around your neck for seven days. Each night, light black candles on your altar to absorb negative energy and, holding the pendulum still, chant:

Guide me to the path of truth, O goddess hear my song.
This pendulum I charge with my energy, to judge right from wrong. 
So mote it be.

On the seventh day, you can begin using your new tool. Any time you need advice before making a decision, dangle the pendulum and observe its movement—swaying from front to back means yes, left to right means no.

Botanical Bliss: Garden Your Way to Happiness

For healing, plant sage word sorrel, carnation, onion, garlic, peppermint and rosemary.

For dispelling negative energy, plant heather, hawthorn, holly, hyacinth, hyssop, ivy, juniper, periwinkle and nasturtiums.

Farming and working with plants is guided by the moon, and should take place during the waxing moon in the signs of Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces, Capricorn and Taurus.

Hope and Healing Candle Consecration

Recently, I have been wishing and hoping for peace in this world of ours, as have most of us. I have been making, burning, and giving away candles with the word “peace” written with crystals embedded in the soft candle wax.

If possible, perform this spell during a full moon night for the greatest effect. Place your stained-glass peace candle on your altar and light rose incense, which represents love and unity. Light the candle and chant:

I light this candle for hope,
I light this candle for love,
I light this candle for unity,
I light this candle for the good of all the world
That we should live in peace. And so it shall be.

Sit in front of your altar and meditate, eyes closed, for a few minutes while visualizing peace in the world. Let the candle burn completely for full charging. Whenever the world around you feels chaotic, light this candle and meditate on a sense of peace enveloping you. And it will.

Self-Blessing Spell

The time you take to restore yourself is precious. Morning is the optimal time to perform a self-blessing, which will help you maintain both your physical health and provide an emotional boost each and every day. Take a bundle of dried lavender grown in your kitchen garden or from a purveyor of organic herbs and place it into a muslin sack. Knead the lavender three times and breathe in the calming scent. Beginning at the top of your head, your crown chakra, pass the pouch all the way down to your feet, gently touching your other sacred chakras: throat, solar plexus, stomach and pelvis. Holding the lavender bag over your heart, speak aloud:

Gone are sorrows, illness and woe; 
Here wisdom and health flows.
My heart is whole, joy fills my soul. 
Blessed be me.

Citrine Serenity Ceremony

Light a yellow candle for mental clarity, and anoint with calming and uplifting bergamot oil. Place a yellow rose in a vase to the left of the candle. To the right, place a bowl containing at least two citrine or quartz crystals.

Saffron water is made by boiling a single teaspoon of saffron from your cupboard in two quarts of distilled water. Let cool to room temperature and pour into the bowl of crystals. Put your hands together as in prayer, and dip your hands in the bowl. Touch your “third eye” in the center of your forehead, anointing yourself with the saffron water. Now, speak aloud:

Goddess great, fill me with your presence.
This night, I am whole and at peace.
Breathing in, breathing out, I feel your safe embrace. 
And so it is.

Sandalwood Spell for Grounding

Sandalwood, from the Sanskrit word chandana, has been used for thousands of years in India. The woody, sweet smell clears your mind and reconnects you to the earth. This simple spell can actually be used every day as prayer, or to prepare for meditation. Light a stick of sandalwood incense and “smudge” the area with the soothing smoke.

Anoint a brown candle with sandalwood oil. In scentless base oil, such as canola, olive or sesame, add:

• Six drops sandalwood oil

• Two drops lemon oil

• Two drops amber oil
  

Warm this concoction in a clay oil lamp or carefully heat it on the stove. When it is warm to the touch, dip your left ring finger into the oil and anoint your “third eye,” located in the center of your forehead, just above the eyes.

Sitting in the cross-legged lotus position, whisper three times:

Come to me clarity, come to me peace, 
Come to me wisdom. Come to me bliss. 
I sit in stillness, I sit in peace.
As above, so below; and so it is.

Meditate for twenty minutes, and then massage the warmed oil into your feet. You will be utterly and blissfully grounded now.