Blessed Balm: DIY Lotion for Emotional Healing

For a dreary day and a dark mood, use the strength of this olden unguent to release both mind and body. This desert plant produces a protective gel which works as both a sunscreen and a moisturizer. Combine the following oils with either four ounces of unscented body lotion, or two ounces of olive oil or sweet almond oil:

• 2 drops chamomile oil
• 2 drops neroli
• 15 drops aloe vera gel
• 6 drops rose oil

Shake the oils together and place in a corked pottery jar. Sit quietly in a room lit only by one blue candle after a bath and rub the balm gently into your skin. Pray aloud:

    Work thy spell to heal and nurse.

    Blessed balm, banish my pain.

    Harm to none and health to all.

Setting Daily Intentions for Health and Wellness

To embark upon lifelong well-being, you will need to bring this awareness to every day of your life. Regular health rituals will go a long way toward this becoming a daily intention. Adorn your altar with fresh flowers and candles in colors that represent healing: yellow, red, and green. Every morning for seven days, light the candles and contemplate your future self in an optimal state of health, speaking this spell:

    Today I arise on this glorious day

    Under this rising sun, hear me say:

    I will walk in wellness in every way

    For body, mind, and soul, I pray.

    Blessed be, and may it be so.

Medicine for the Heart Spell

The Friday before the new moon—Venus’s Day—is the perfect time to create a new opportunity and clear away relationship “baggage.” Place a bowl of water on your altar. Light two rose-scented pink candles and a gardenia or vanilla-scented white candle. Burn amber incense in between the candles. Sprinkle salt on your altar cloth and ring a bell, then recite aloud:

    Hurt and pain are banished this night;

    fill this heart and home with light.

Ring the bell again. Toss the bowl of water out your front door, and all troubles of the heart should drain away.

A Ritual to Banish Your Illness

A friend of mine gets a cough every January like clockwork and has not quite figured out what causes it. In addition to some good commonsense health practices and extra attention to hydrating, herbal tea remedies, and healthy food with lots of rest, we created a banishing ritual that we performed outdoors. In current times, it could be performed remotely to good effect. Gather together:

• One gray candle
• Frankincense incense and burner
• Large fireproof dish
• Clary sage essential oil
• A three-foot length of thin jute or cotton rope
• A sharp knife
• Black tablecloth
• A bowl of water

Create a kind of simple outdoor altar on a table outside and cover it with the tablecloth. Now place the water, incense, candle, knife, and the rope on the altar.

The person who needs to release the illness or difficulty should raise their right hand and say aloud:

    Here and now may this place

    be consecrated before the spirits of earth,

    air, fire, and water,

    for we gather here

    to perform a peaceful parting.

    We hereby banish ________ [fill in the name of the illness or

    whatever needs to be banished]

Say the name of the person for whom the spell is being worked and light the candle and incense.

Now, take the rope and carefully cut it in half. Place the rope pieces on the incense and the incense charcoals in the fireproof dish and let the rope burn completely. Repeat the prayer and end with:

    May all be well, may I be well.

    Blessings to all and blessed be.

Put the candle and the incense out in the water bowl. Take the ashes from the rope and scatter them on a patch of earth nearby. Pour the water on the ashes, and you have now banished what you need to eliminate from your life.

Blessing for a Happy and Prosperous Home

When you or a friend move into a new home, place a wreath or bundle of dried hops and eucalyptus on the front door. Walk through the door, light your favorite incense and a brown candle, and lie down in the center of the front room. Whisper:

    House of my body, I accept your shelter.

    House of my spirit, I receive your blessings.

    Home to my heart, I am open to joy.

    And so it is. And so it shall be.

Vessel of Abundance

Having an attitude of gratitude lends a sense of satisfaction and generosity of spirit that will ease your way through the world. Here’s a supremely easy way to give and receive by acknowledging what you already have.

Take the prettiest and biggest glass bowl, vase, or jar you can find, and place it on a hallway table or somewhere you pass every time you enter your house. Light a green candle beside it and chant to charge the candle with your intention:

    Pot of gold, full of grace,

    bring good will and gifts to this place.

    So mote it be.

Each time you come home, empty your pockets and purse of change. You will be amazed at how quickly the coins multiply. Whenever the vessel fills, take it to the bank and get the coins rolled. Take half and treat yourself to a spirit-raising indulgence, and then take the other half and give it to your favorite charity, perhaps a homeless shelter or a sanctuary for survivors of domestic violence. Just like power, generosity of spirit grows and returns to you tenfold. Be prepared for all forms of wealth to come your way.

Sowing Seeds for Forthcoming Bounties: A Waxing Moon Incantation

When the first narrow crescent of the waxing moon appears in the twilight sky, place a green candle on your altar beside a white lily or freesia. White flowers have the most intense aromas. Anoint the candle with tuberose or rose oil. Take a handful of seeds, such as sunflower, walnuts, or pistachios, still in their shells, and place them in front of the candle.

Close your eyes and recite aloud:

    Under this darkling moon,

    in Eden fair, I walk through flowers

    in the garden of my desires.

    I light the flame of my mind,

    I plant the seeds of things to come.

Meditate on what you wish to bring into manifestation while inhaling the scents of the oil and flowers.

Early Rising Ritual to Instill Your Day with Blessings

How you begin your day can often set the tone for the entire day, and sometimes even longer. Therefore, it is incumbent upon us all to start the day out right! If you are not an early riser by nature, get up a half-hour earlier to instill enchantment into your morning. Gather up:

• 1 green candle
• 1 yellow candle
• 1 orange candle
• A sprig of fresh peppermint
• Peppermint essential oil
• Small dish for the plant

Immediately after you rise, place the items on your altar and dress the candles with the peppermint oil. Touch each candle with the plant for just a moment. Light the candles, then pick up the sprig with your left hand and hold it to your face so you can breathe in the fresh and elevating fragrance and speak aloud:

    This is a blessed day, bright with possibilities.

    Healing starts with this new day.

    My body, mind, and heart are ready.

    All good things are coming my way.

    So mote it be.

Spend a few moments in contemplation and reflection and just breathe in the essence of the mint plant and oils. Visualize good things happening to you on this day and picture yourself brimming with energy and exuberance.

Write Your Destiny: A Waning Moon Spell

In days of yore, people often made their own inks, thus imbuing them with a deeply personal energy. They simply went to the side of the road and gathered blackberries or pokeberries from the vines that grew there. Often a bird flying overhead will supply a gift of volunteer vines best cultivated by a fence where they can climb, making berry-picking easier. When it comes to matters of the heart, contracts, legacy letters, and any document of real importance that you feel the need to make your mark upon, an artfully made ink can help you imbue your writings with power. This spell is best performed during the waning moon.

Gather the following for your ink recipe: a vial or small sealable bottle, dark red ink, 1/8th cup crushed berry juice, nine drops of burgundy wine, apple essential oil, and paper. You will also need one red candle.

Mix the juice, wine, and red ink in a small metal bowl. Carefully pour it into the vial and add one drop of the apple essence. Seal the bottle and shake gently.

Incant aloud:

    By my hand, this spell is wrought.

    With this ink, I will author my own destiny

    and have the happy life and love I’ve sought.

    So mote it be.

Now write the fate you envision for yourself in the near and far future using the enchantment ink and a feather for a pen. Let dry and seal it in an envelope, keeping it on your altar until the new moon phase. Then, by the light of a red candle, open the letter to yourself and read it aloud. After you have finished, burn the paper using the candle and scatter the ashes in your garden. By the next new moon, you will begin to reap the positive plans you invoked.

Declare Your Radiance and Claim Your Potential

Throughout your practice, make sure to maintain a sense of personal abundance and acknowledge the great spirit within you. Be grateful for your body and for your health. Stand in front of a mirror, preferably naked, and drop all self-criticism. Concentrate on your real beauty and envelop yourself with unconditional self-love. Wrap your arms around yourself as you say:

    In Her/His image, I too, am a Goddess/God.

    I walk in beauty; I am surrounded by love.

    Blessed be.

Light three candles in your favorite color and scent. Sit in front of your altar and meditate on what will make you achieve your full potential.

Do you need to change your health habits? Do you need to open up your creativity? Do you need to revitalize with a vacation? Concentrate deeply, and choose three wishes to write down and place under your three candles. Every night for seven days, repeat this spell:

    Today I arise.

    This night I embrace my serenity, radiance, splendor, and wisdom.

    Blessed be.

Garden of Prosperity: A Ritual to Plant New Beginnings in Your Life

Nature is the ultimate creator. At a nearby gardening store or hardware store, get an assortment of seed packets to plant newness into your life. If your thumb is not the greenest, try a wildflower mix or poppies, which are extremely hardy and will grow quickly and spread, beautifying any area. They reseed themselves, which is a lovely bonus.

On a new moon morning, draw a square in your yard with a “found in nature” wand, a fallen branch. Apartment dwellers can use a planter on a deck or a big pot for this ritual. Each corner of the square needs a candle and a special stone. I get my stones at new age bookstores, which often have the shiny tumbled versions for as little as one dollar. Mark the corners as follows:

• Green candle and peridot or jade for creativity, prosperity, and growth
• Orange candle and jasper or onyx for clear thinking and highest consciousness
• Blue candle and turquoise or celestine for serenity, kindness, and a happy heart
• White candle and quartz or limestone for purification and safety

Repeat this chant as you light each candle:

    Greatest Selene, I turn to you to help me renew,

    under this new moon and in this old earth.

    Blessings to you; blessings to me.

    Blessed be.

Put the seeds under the soil with your fingers and tamp them down gently with your wand, the branch, which you should also stick in the ground at this time. Water your new moon garden and affirmative change will begin in your life that very day.

Anointed with Almond: Candle Magic to Attract Wealth

Using almond oil is a simple way to attract money, and it can be employed to ease the discomfort of financial stress. Dress some green candles with a drop or two and burn them every day—this simple ritual will make a substantial difference. Almond oil works quickly because it is ruled by Mercury, the god of rapid change and communication, who operates in the realm of air.

While burning your almond-anointed candles, call upon Mercury:

    Winged one, bring with you better days.

    Blessed be to all,

    and may they share

    in the bounty to come.

While almond oil is a strong recommendation of mine, it is not the only oil you can use to enhance prosperity! Some floral essences that you can use to anoint your candles include:

• Carnation (a.k.a. Jove’s flowers), which contain the strength of Jupiter and can facilitate healing, power, and fortune.
• Chamomile, which is said to bring success in gambling.
• Cinnamon, sacred to Venus and known to help bring good luck.
• Honeysuckle, which can bring psychic powers and creative inspiration, is also one of the most effective of all oils in attracting money.

Let Your Light Shine: A First Impression Spell

Are you going to an interview, meeting an artist’s representative, or speaking to your new editor? Clearly, you will want to make the best impression when launching this important new relationship. To ensure that you start on the right footing, gather the following ingredients: oranges, an orange candle, a glass of orange juice, vanilla beans, vanilla incense, and pumpkin seeds. All of these contain the properties of sharpness, intelligence, and clarity.

In the first light of morning, light the orange candle and the vanilla incense. Eat half of the orange and five pumpkin seeds, drink the orange juice, and watch as the glow of sunshine fills the room with the radiant energy of the orange sun. Chant:

    Sol, I bask in your bountiful rays,

    this and all days.

    As you shine, so shall I.

    So mote it be.

Snuff out your candle and be prepared for a productive new relationship that will carry your work to new heights.

To Attract Blessings We Unite: A Full Moon Rite

Here is a beautifully simple way to attract money and blessings to you and your circle. Be sure to pass on some of the good fortune that has shone on you in order to keep the flow of abundance in circulation. This ritual is most effective performed at midnight on a full moon. This ritual is intended to be performed in a group, so you will need to gather together companions with whom you are spiritually in tune. Ask each of the participants to bring a green candle with their name scratched into the wax. Find the biggest green candle you can get and light it at the stroke of midnight.

Ask each ritualist to step forward and say their name, lighting their candle from the large one. Pray aloud:

    Holy Moon on this bright night!

    Now is the time for fortune to shine.

    Mother Moon, lend us your power

    in this midnight hour.

    Full moon bright, full moon’s light,

    grant to us our wish tonight.

    Let abundance flow from this rite.

    With harm to none, so mote it be.

Allow the candles to burn out on their own.

As they flicker under the full moon, gather the circle in a comfortable spot and talk about what you want to manifest in your lives. The more specific you are in the discussion, the better. This rite bears repeating every once in a while to renew its power.

For Wealth and Abundance: Giving Gratitude to Lord Jove

You should not be surprised to find another Thursday prosperity spell, as this is the perfect day for invoking wealth and success! On any Thursday, or optimally, one occurring on a new moon, light your altar candle at midnight and burn frankincense and myrrh incense. Make an offering of a golden fruit such as apples or peaches to Jupiter, and anoint your third eye with a corresponding essential oil, such as myrrh, frankincense, apple, or peach.

Pray aloud:

    This offering I make as my blessing to all.

    Greatest of gods, Lord Jove of the sky.

    From you, all heavenly gifts do fall.

    Most generous of all, you never deny.

    To you, I am grateful, and so mote it be!

Put the candle in a safe, fireproof place such as a fireplace and let it burn all night. You will dream of your loved ones, including yourself, receiving a bounty of material and spiritual wealth.

Create Your Own Lucky Talisman

If you are presenting your paintings to a curator or pitching your book to a publisher, you can wear a talisman of your own making to ensure a positive outcome. Many performers, athletes, and musicians have lucky pieces of clothing or some token that gives them the courage to put themselves forth in the best possible manner. I have lucky scarves that I have woven with golden thread and scented with my personally auspicious aroma of amber.

To maximize the power of the talisman, consider the following suggestions, which I have used to great success. Keep in mind that this will work even better if you place the item on your altar to imbue it with the right energy. On a new moon night, or at least seven days before you perform or present your work, place your lucky scarf, glove, sock, or kerchief on your altar. Now, here is where a bit of candle magic comes in. Light a green, red, or blue candle, depending on your intention. Green is for abundance, red is for fame, and blue is for creative vision. Burn the candle for one hour every evening. When the big day comes, you will be ready. 

For a speech, presentation, performance, or show, wear a red scarf. If you are preparing for a potentially lucrative deal, you must wear green. If you are trying to empower someone to see and share in your creative vision, blue is the right hue for you.

Prosperous Possibility Enchantment

Cinnamon, which you probably have a plentitude of in your kitchen cabinet, is a major source of prosperity and can even bring it about in a hurry. Here is a Jupiterian Thursday spell that will bring excellent opportunities your way.

Gather some cinnamon, both sticks and the powdered kind, and place it all on your altar. On a Thursday, light incense (preferably cinnamon) and walk through your house, wafting the delightfully sweet smoke into every room. Light two altar candles, one brown and one green. Gather yellow flowers such as daisies and adorn your altar with them. Stand in front of your earthen altar and consider the wonderful, full life you are going to enjoy. Pour the cinnamon spice and sticks into a bowl and pray aloud:

    This humble spice I offer to the gods who provide all.

    I am grateful for all I receive, no matter how small.

    Now, I find I am in need,

    blessings shall come now with great speed.

    As above, so below,

    the wisdom of the world shall freely flow.

    To perfect possibility, I surrender.

    And so it is. Blessed be to all.

Let Your Imagination Prosper: A Spell to Dissolve Creative Blocks

Is something getting in your way? Do you feel stalled out and overcome with procrastination? To overcome any blocks obstructing your creativity and productivity, you can dispel the negative energy by going for a walk in the nearest park. Find a round, flat rock, six to ten inches wide. This will become an altar supplied directly to you by Mother Nature, and it will have the purest energy. Begin by charging this stone on the full moon at your home altar. Light a white candle for purification, and then place your hand on the stone and chant three times:

    Obstacles, take flight!

    Goddess of Night, shine bright.

    Moon of tonight, you give us delight.

    Fill this stone with your light,

    imbue it with all your magic and might,

    surround it with your protective sight.

    So mote it be.

Ideally, you’ll want to perform this spell three times on three consecutive full moons before you begin drawing upon its energy. Like your altar, your stone will be a reservoir you can turn to any time you feel stuck or uninspired. This rock will emanate a quiet power you can draw from whenever you need.

Dream Job Incantation

Here is another spell that will attract new employment opportunities to you, and one that does not have the prerequisite of a particular moon phase. Light a gold candle and place it in a special place beside a chunk of shiny gold pyrite. Repeat this incantation eight times while holding the stone in your right hand. In your mind’s eye, form an image of the job you most desire as you speak:

    To see what the future holds,

    I must be bold.

    I see the perfect job for me;

    I see a place of plenty.

    Upon my heart’s desire I am set;

    my new boss will never regret.

    This job will come to me now;

    harm to none, I vow.

    With harm to none, so mote it be.

Summoned by the Light of the New Moon: A New Vocation Spell

The new moon is an excellent time for ritual, especially when your focus is on bringing new things into your life, such as a job change. If you’re seeking employment, try out the following ritual to manifest your desires. Get your supplies out:

• 2 green candles
• 2 white candles
• 2 gold candles
• 2 pieces of green jade or another green stone
• Cinnamon oil

Line up the candles, alternating the colors. Anoint each one with cinnamon oil, and rub a little oil on the stones, too. Start at one end and light each candle. As you light each one, repeat these words:

    A new career is what’s desired,

    I cast this spell so I’ll be hired.

    By the light of this new moon,

    I need a new job soon.

After all the candles are lit, take each stone and gently pass it through the flames, being careful of your fingers. Then hold the stones in your hands and visualize the type of job you want to get. After the spell, pocket the stones and carry them with you. You should have a new job by the next new moon.

Make Way This Day: A Simple Clarity Intonation

Unless you are already a skilled practitioner of the magical arts, you may well be unconsciously casting spells that throw obstacles in your path. To clear the way to greater wealth and happiness, during the new moon, pick one perfect white rose and sit in front of your altar with it. Light a white candle with your eyes closed. Empty your mind and breathe deeply. When you feel a buzzing at the crown of your head from inhaling and exhaling so mindfully, stare into the flame and repeat seven times:

    I am alive. I have power. It is real.

Thor's-Day Thursday Prosperity Potion

This spell is truly marvelous for getting a new or better-paying job. You will get the best results on a new moon or full moon Thursday night, but any “Thor’s Day” will do. Thursdays are named for Jupiter or Jove, originally Thor of Norse mythology, who represents joviality, expansion, and all things abundant.

To prepare yourself, begin by pouring a few drops of green apple or verbena essential oil into a vessel of hot water. Breathe in the steam deeply ten times, inhaling and exhaling deeply for cleansing. Light a single green candle. As you close your eyes, meditate on your true desires. What does personal prosperity mean to you? What do you really need? What do you most desire?

When you are clear about your answers, focus on the candle flame while intoning:

    Here and now, my intention is set.

    New luck will be mine and all needs will be met.

    With harm to none and plenty for all, blessed be.

After your cleansing breath meditation, perform this tried-and-true prosperity ritual to seal deals and bring new gainful employment and fiscal abundance your way.

Light a yellow or metallic gold candle and light cinnamon incense to go along with the candle. Place a piece of amethyst crystal by the candle and incense, and repeat this incantation eight times while envisioning yourself with perfect abundance at the perfect job:

    I see the perfect place for me; I see a place of plenty.

    Upon my heart’s desire, I am set.

    Prosperity comes to me now.

Place the vessel of water on your altar and let it cool. At midnight, pour the prosperity potion on the roots of a nearby tree.

Witch's Willpower Brew: Invoking the Energy of Success

On a Monday, or any day when you need to ready yourself for important events, meetings, or other high-pressure circumstances, set aside a half-hour of quiet time and brew up some willpower to help you in any creative endeavors. Light a white candle anointed with peppermint oil, and then light spicy incense such as cinnamon.

Take a sprig of mint, some warm milk, and a few cinnamon sticks and stir these together clockwise in a white mug. Say aloud:

    Herb of menthe and spicy mead,

    today is the day I shall succeed

    in every word and every deed.

    So mote it be.

Quaff the cup and “sit for a spell” with your eyes closed, envisioning your new horizons. Keep the cinnamon sticks on your altar as a symbol of the power of encouraging words.

Under the Waxing Moon: A Spell to Banish Bad Luck

Your altar is the heart center of your home, holding the energy of your sanctuary. Yet the world is constantly coming in and bringing harmful energy over your threshold—problems at the workplace, financial woes, or bad news about new virus mutations or the climate crisis. All this negativity wants to get in the way and stay. While you can’t do anything about stock market crashes, the rate of inflation, or a coworker’s divorce, do not allow this bad energy to cling to you. Instead, you can do something about it with a home-keeping spell. The best time to release any and all bad luck is on a Friday the 13th or during any waxing moon. As you know, Friday the 13th is considered a lucky day on the witch’s calendar.

Get a big black candle and a black crystal, a piece of white paper, a black pen with black ink, and a cancellation stamp, readily available at any stationery store. Go into your backyard or a nearby park or woodland and find a flat rock that has a slightly concave surface.

Using the pen, write down on the white paper that which you want to rid yourself and your home of. This is your release request. Place the candle and the black crystal on the rock, and light the candle near an open window. As the negativity is released outside while the candle burns, intone:

    Waxing moon, most wise Cybele,

    from me this burden please dispel.

    Upon this night so clear and bright

    I release ___ to the moon tonight.

Go outside and place the rock altar on the ground and visualize a clear and peaceful home filled with only positivity as the candle burns for thirteen minutes. Stamp the paper with the cancel stamp. Snuff the candle, fold the paper away from your body, and place it under the rock. Speak your thanks to the moon for assisting you. If you have a truly serious issue at hand, repeat the process for thirteen nights and all will be vanquished.

Who Is My True Love? Pendulum Power

If you have any doubts about a friend’s intentions or actions, try using a pendulum to help you determine the truth. I take my pendulum, a lovely striated quartz, everywhere I go to answer those tough yes-no questions that crop up daily. Pendulums are available with many different stones and crystals, but you can make one from any number of herbs, as well.

Take a twelve-inch length of string and choose one of the following herbs. Experiment to see which one works best for you:

• A sandalwood chip, cinnamon bark, a star anise seed, orris root, a lump of frankincense

Your best bet would be a string of natural fiber. If you can, take a needle and poke a hole through your root, bark, or seed to ensure that your pendulum is secure. Start out by asking, “Show me yes,” and “show me no.” Then, ask a question for which you know the answer. Don’t be surprised if the pendulum appears to have a mind of its own. Now you are ready to use this divination tool in all interpersonal matters where questions arise.

Simply Magnetic: Attraction Spell

This is the perfect spell of enchantment to use when you have met a special someone and you wish to enhance your personal charm and allure. With this invocation, you are sure to attract your heart’s desire! You will need the following supplies:

• 1 red candle
• 1 pink candle
• Essential oil (Jasmine and rose have very powerful love vibrations to attract and charm a lover)

Stand before your altar with tokens representing love. Light the candles. Scent your wrists, your throat, and your left breast over your heart with the same oil.

If you desire sexual results, look into the flame of the red candle. If your desire is affection or flirtation, look at the pink candle instead. Said aloud, this spell creates loving energy:

    Venus, cast light on me,

    a Goddess today I’ll be.

    A lover, strong, brave, and true,

    I seek as a reflection of you.

Celebrating Abundance: A Thanksgiving Ritual

This day of giving thanks denotes the high point of the year; the crops are in their fullness, weather is warm and the countryside is bursting forth with the beauty of life. Pagans know we have the heavens above to thank for this and the gods of nature must be acknowledged for their generosity with a gathering of the tribe and a feast, ideally in the great outdoors.  Ask invitees to bring harvest-themed offerings for the altar: gourds, pumpkins, bundles of wheat stalks and corn, fresh pickings from their garden and food to share in thanksgiving made from the same- pies, tomato salads, cucumber pickles, green beans, corn pudding, watermelon, lemon cakes, berry cucumber, apple cider and beer brewed from wheat, hops and barley. This celebration of the reapings from the summer season should reflect what you grown with your own hands. Fill your cauldron or a big beautiful colored glass bowl half-full with freshly-drawn water. Get packets of tiny votive candles for floating in the water. At the feast table, make sure to have a place-setting for the godly guest Lugh who watched over the plantings to ensure this bounty. Place loaves of home baked bread by his plate.

When all guests have arrived, everyone should add a food offering to the plate of the god and light a candle to float in the cauldron.  Cut a slice of the loaf of bread for Lugh and begin the ceremony with this prayer of thanks:

    Oh, ancient Lugh of the fields and farms,

    We invite you here with open arms,

    In this place between worlds, in flowering fields of hay.

    You have brought the blessings we receive this Thanksgiving Day.

Begin the feast and before the dessert course, everyone should go around the table and speak to their gratitude for the gifts of the year.

Two Come Together as One: Marriage Rites

Nowadays, weddings are a big business and can be huge productions that take no less than a year of planning. Weddings are one of our most beloved rituals, and while they often cost a pretty penny, they are usually deeply meaningful for every person in attendance. My friend, the esteemed author Daphne Rose Kingma, wrote a lovely collection of ceremonies called Weddings from the Heart that run the gamut from traditional to highly alternative. This book is a great resource for engaged couples celebrating the journey of love.

I have had the good fortune to officiate at two weddings and have created a variation of the classic handfasting which I will share with you here. These are two very happy couples, so it seems that this particular variation of this ritual is effective.

Handfasting Ritual

Weddings are usually planned at least a year ahead. If at all possible, choose a day during the new moon phase, as a marriage is a very important new beginning. Create a bower of beautiful, scented flowers and burn lightly scented candles. Traditional flowers recommended for the bower include roses, cherry and apple blossoms, and gardenias. As a gift at one handfasting, I gave the happy couple long-burning Votivo candles, which last for days, in mint-pomegranate scent. On their anniversary, I always give them the same candles so that they can rekindle the moment of their wedding, since smell and memory have powerful ties.

In Western culture, it is customary for the bride to wear a veil and some red and blue in her wedding finery. Giving gifts is also an important part of the conventions of weddings. The bride and groom should wrap small, symbolic presents for each other and set them on the altar, which is placed in the eastern part of the room or space. Altar decorations are simple and symbolic: just two white candles and a willow wand. The wedding rings are affixed to the willow wand. At this handfasting, I also gave the bride and groom symbolic gifts of small rings and ribbons of blue to represent the energies of the air, red incense to be lit from the candles to represent the energies of fire, and a gardenia to represent the earth. Wine, which represents water, should be in a chalice on the altar. Wine for all, along with sweet cakes, should also be ready for the celebration and sharing with the guests and witnesses. Wiccan tradition calls for both a priest and a priestess to perform the handfasting, but in this case, and according to the wishes of the bride and groom, I officiated alone.

Since most of this couple’s family members were Methodist and Catholic, we wanted to make everyone as comfortable as possible with the concept of a highly ritualistic pagan marriage. We created little cards explaining the origin of the handfasting and providing the text and instructions for audience participation. The cards were tied to little bells to be rung at the end of the ritual to signal through sound that the marriage ceremony had been completed. Not only were the wedding guests comfortable with the ritual, they loved it. The bride wore a scarlet wedding dress, a lovely red veil, and a willow wand headdress. The groom wore an elegant tuxedo which set off her fiery gown perfectly.

The text of the handfasting is as follows.

The priest or priestess speaks:

May the place of this marriage be consecrated,

for we gather here in the ritual of love and bliss

with two who would be wedded

(Bride’s name) and (Groom’s name),

please step forward and stand here

before your friends and family

and before the gods and goddesses of the world.

Be with us here, O spirits of the air,

and with your swift fingers, tie the bonds between these two who would be married,

and tie them closely and securely.

Be with us here.

At this point, tie the two symbolic gift rings together with blue ribbon, then loop them over the willow wand and replace it on the altar.

Be with us here, O spirits of fire,

and light their love and passion

with your fiery ardor.

Light the incense from the candles and place it on the altar, then say aloud:

Be with us here, O spirits of the earth

and ground deep the roots of their love.

Pick up the willow wand and tie the gardenia to it. Then say:

Be with us here, O spirits of water,

and let joy flow forever for (Groom’s name) and (Bride’s name),

for as long as they are married.

Blessed goddess and merry god,

give to (Groom’s name) and (Bride’s name),

who stand before us in the light of their love,

your love and protection.

Blessed be!

Here the audience responds:

Blessed be.

Hold the willow wand with the rings and gardenia tied to it out to the bride and groom, instructing them:

Place your right hand over this wand and the rings of this rite of marriage.

Above you are the stars,

below you the stones.

As time passes, think upon this:

Like the eastern star, your love shall remain constant.

Like a rock, your love will stand firm.

Possess one another, but always be understanding.

Have patience at all times,

for stormy times come and go, but they leave upon the wind.

Give each other love as often as possible

of the body, the mind, and the spirit.

Be not afraid and do not let the ways of others dissuade you from

your path.

The gods and goddesses are always with you,

now and forever.

After a short pause, ask the bride:

Is it your wish to become one with this man?

She answers.

Ask the groom:

Is it your wish to become one with this woman?

He responds.

Does anyone here today say nay?

Say to the bride and groom:

Place the rings on each other now.

Before the gods, goddesses, and everyone here as witness,

I now proclaim you husband and wife!

Now the bride and groom kiss. Next, they speak any words they have prepared for each other. Finally, it’s time for them to exchange their symbolic gifts. At the end, say:

Now we ring the bells and it is proclaimed—this ritual is done!

Chimes of Change Charm

If you have a dear friend, as I do, whom you occasionally drive crazy, you may sometimes receive the silent treatment. Try this charm to break the tension by literally breaking the silence.

Buy a wind chime, or, even better, make one from odd earrings, old keys, brass bells, and any other potentially musical objects you can find. Bless the chime by smudging it with sage smoke.

While you speak this spell, jangle your chime energetically:

Silence no more;

we’ll be as before.

We’ll laugh, talk and sing;

good times, this chime shall bring.

So mote it be.

Keep repeating and ringing until you practically hear the echo of your friend’s voice. Wait a full twenty-four hours before you call her. Chances are, though, she’ll call you first.

Rite for Parting Ways

Maintaining a healthy balance in your friendships is essential. Occasionally, a friendship takes on an unhealthy aspect and there is no choice but to leave it behind. Ideally you will perform this rite after you have discussed it with this person. It will be mutually healing if it takes place with both parties present. But as often as not, you will perform it alone. You will need a black candle for protection, a gray candle to help you keep a low profile, and frankincense incense. You will also need a sharp knife and a length of cord three feet long. Light the incense, and holding your right hand aloft, say:

    May the place this night

    be consecrated before the spirits of earth,

    air, fire, and water,

    For we gather here to perform a peaceful

    parting of the ways.

    You and your former friend each light a candle.

    (former friend’s name) and (your name)

    stand here today to let love and no rancor fill their hearts 

    as they move separately through life.

    Blessings to all and blessed be.

If you are so fortunate as to have the other person present, he or she repeats the above verse. Each of you takes the knife in turn and cuts the cord, representing the ties that bind you together as friends. If you are performing this ritual alone, get a photo of the other person and place it in the area where you are crafting your spell.

This is one of the more difficult rituals to perform but invaluable nevertheless. I have noticed that when one person exits my life, especially for good and valid reasons, somebody new and wonderful comes in

Fire-of-Love Letters

Love letters are an ancient art that always deepens intimacy. This spell combines candle magic with letter writing to hone the desire between you and your partner.

You will need:

• Special paper and ink
• Perfume
• Wax

Take a sheet of paper and write with an enchanted colored ink, which you can either make yourself with berry juice or buy at the nearest metaphysical five-and-dime. Perfume the letter with your signature scent or one your lover appreciates, like amber, vanilla, or ylang-ylang. Seal it with a wax you have also already scented with a drop of essential oil and, of course, with a kiss.

Before your love letter is delivered, light a candle anointed with your preferred scent and say:

    Eros, speed my message on your wings of desire.

    Make my lover burn with love’s fire.

Make sure you send your letter with a proposal for a tryst, requesting your lover’s RSVP.

The Magic of Massage

Set the stage for hands-on pleasure before you knead your lover’s body into rapturous bliss. Start with your favorite music. I prefer Indian ragas because they seem to have a naturally sexy rhythm. Whether it is the sound of classical guitar, angelic harps, or an ambient electronic band from Iceland, it should relax and bring pleasure. Light pink, red, and brown candles to create a loving, sexual atmosphere that is strongly grounded. Kindle incense your lover has previously complimented, and lay out towels you have warmed and oils and lubricants you have also warmed. Turn up the heat a bit and turn down the lights to simply create a “spa” feeling for complete unwinding. I have some honey, goose feathers, and an edible raspberry-and-mint rub I like to share as well.

First undress your partner, very slowly and gently. If your partner is open-minded to pagan ways, you should speak this incantation in his or her presence. If not, it is your silent prayer:

    I call on you, Pan,

    god of the woods, goat, man, and boy.

    I ask your blessing on this day of joy.

    I call on you, Venus, Goddess of this night,

    may we find new seasons of delight.

    What I want is here and now.

    And so it shall be.

Start with warmed oil and give a classic massage while your partner relaxes face down on the bed or massage table. The basic principles of magical massage are rhythmic yet sensitive gliding strokes, gradually shifting to deeper strokes. Use your body weight for firmer pressure.

After relaxing your partner’s back, legs, and feet, have him or her turn over. Massage the chest, arms, and hands. Then glide down to the legs, occasionally brushing the genitals with a light touch. After you finish the legs and feet, slide back up the body and very delicately brush the genitals in a teasing way. Draw the tease out as long as you can so the energy builds and grows. Now is the time to start shifting the focus to more explicitly erotic activities.

One of the most important tips for an amazing connection: Look your partner in the eye as you pleasure him or her. Locking the eyes and keeping them open during sex will open up new dimensions of gratification.

Lover's Lure: An Enchantment to Entice

https://streetanatomy.com/blog/2009/02/26/human-candles

This conjuration utilizes the secret language of flowers to bring your ideal love into your life. With visualization and daily spell work, you can create the love of a lifetime, custom fit to your specifications. Gather up:

• 2 candles shaped like human figurines, or two pink candles
• Rosemary essential oil
• Rose essential oil
• 2 fresh roses in your favorite color

Any witchy five-and-dime will have candles shaped like human figures; they are usually red in color. Get one each shaped like a man and a woman (or whatever configuration suits your need) and place them on your altar. If you can’t find these waxen figures, use two pink candles. Also take the two fresh roses and place them in a vase on your altar.

Rub rosemary essential oil on each candle, then do the same with rose oil. Rosemary is for remembrance, and rose is for sweetness and affection. Now light the candles and whisper:

    Brother mine, brother fair,

    new friend of my heart,

    merry may we meet and merry may we greet again.

    I draw you with my art.

    One rose for you, one rose for me.

    And so it shall be.

Substitute “Sister” for “Brother” if that suits your need.

Each night when you are going to sleep, you should visualize your meeting and what you will say. Each morning, take a moment to meditate on the roses on your altar. Sooner than you think, your love will appear. Mother Nature, one of the guises of the goddess, will take her course.

Invoke Your Inner Goddess

At the next full moon, make a vow, alone or with your partner, to bring forth all your inner erotic powers. Begin with a blissful bath in oil-scented water; this essential oil must be the one that makes you feel sexiest. For me, it is an equal mix of vanilla and amber; my vamber has never failed me. When I wear this unguent, I feel as if a cloud of sensuality surrounds me.

Sit in a darkened room, encircled by flickering jasmine, musk, or “vamber” candles. Raise a cup of jasmine tea or a glass of wine from a vintage that represents a lucky year for you, and speak this spell aloud:

    Now I awaken the goddess in me.

    I surrender to love’s power.

    Tonight, I will heat the night with my fire.

    As I drink this cup, my juices flower.

    I am alive! I am love! And so it is.

You will radiate passion and be intensely drawn to your lover.

Let Your Love Blossom: Your Magic Garden

A great relationship can be cultivated, literally. By planting and carefully tending flowers that have special properties—like night-blooming jasmine for heightened sensuality, or lilies for lasting commitment—you can nurture your relationship. During a new moon in the Venus-ruled signs of Taurus or Libra, plant an assortment of flowers that will surround you with the beauty and energy of sweet devotion.

Before you place your hothouse posies or seeds into pots or flowerbeds, bless the ground with a prayer of health for your plants, yourself, and your relationships.

Light a black candle to absorb and dispel bad energy and place it in the middle of a circle you have drawn with a stick. Dip your hand into a clay bowl of water and sprinkle drops behind you and before you. Sing out:

    Great spirit, I offer you this petition.

    Please cleanse this land—you are the greatest magician.

    With my hands, I will plant and sow.

    Here, a healing garden will now grow.

    Blessings to you and to the Guardians of the Earth.

Gardenia Ritual for Love and Ecstasy

Tantra, a greatly overused and gravely misunderstood term, comes from Sanskrit, and means “Ritual, Meditation, and Discipline.” It involves a form of mutual worship of the Godhead (lingam) and the Goddesshead (yoni), in which divinity is achieved through simultaneous erotic and emotional union. This exquisite approach to deepening the love between you and your partner requires you to share mutually held intentions.

At the nearest greenhouse or floral show, buy as many gardenias as your purse will allow. Ten or twenty of these heavenly flowers will fill your bower with a sweet, seductive air. Place some of the flowers in crystal-clear bowls of water and some in a warm footbath, and scatter some petals in your bed. Undress and light a single gardenia-scented candle at the head of the bed. Crush some of the petals and rub them into your skin and hair, then chant this love spell:

    From the soles of your feet to the holy lingam

    to the hair that crowns you, I will worship you tonight.

    Love and God, on this evening, I share my entire being in ecstasy.

    So mote it be.

Wearing nothing but one of the priceless blossoms behind your left ear, greet your lover at the door. Sit him in the bower bed and worshipfully wash, dry, and anoint his feet. When the two of you make love, you will reach new heights of sustained passion and spiritual intensity.

Crush the Crush: A Spell for Unrequited Love

To transform the object of your desire into your partner in passion, try this powerful attraction spell. Get together the following elements for this spell:

• Plain muslin cloth
• Dried sage
• 1 pink seven-day candle
• Red thread and needle or stapler

Take the plain muslin and cut it into two heart shapes of the same size. Sew (or staple, if you are in a hurry) the two hearts together, leaving a hole so you can stuff it with dried sage. Then sew it shut, and either write, or if you are really crafty, embroider the name of the object of your affections onto the muslin heart. Put it on your altar.

Each night at midnight, the witching hour, light the pink candle for thirty minutes beside the heart sachet and say aloud three times:

    To [crush’s name] I offer affection.

    To [crush’s name] I offer attention.

    To [crush’s name] I offer joy.

    And in return, I shall have the same.

    So mote it be.

Now, your crush will turn their attention toward you and be ready to return your affection.

Spell for Attracting New Love

To attract new love, two nights before the full moon, take a small pink votive candle and place it inside your cauldron or any large metal pot. Lay a rose and a bell beside the cauldron and your altar. Use either rose or apple blossom essential oil to anoint the candle’s wick. For the next two nights, light the candle, cup it in your hands, and direct loving thoughts into its flame. On the night of the full moon, take a thorn from the rose and carve the name of your heart’s desire into the candle’s wax, reciting:

    I will find true love.

Light the pink candle and ring the bell thrice, saying:

    As this candle begins to burn, a lover true will I earn.

    As this flame burns ever higher, I will feel my lover’s fire.

Ring the bell three more times and watch the candle burn completely.

Seeking and Finding Love Spell

On a small piece of paper, write the name of your would-be love in red ink and roll up the scroll. Anoint the paper with rose or amber essential oil. Tie the scroll with red threads, incanting one line of the following spell per knot:

    One to seek my love, one to find my love,

    one to bring my love, one to bind my love,

    forever bound together as one, so mote it be.

    This charm is done.

Keep the love scroll under a candleholder with red candles at the north corner of your altar until your will is done. Make sure of your desire; this spell is lasting.

True Love's Kiss: A Date Night Ritual

As the world starts to heal, perhaps you are thinking about meeting that special someone for a face-to-face date for the first time in a very long while. And you, clever one, planned it on a new moon night. If this new moon happens to be in the signs of Taurus, Scorpio, Libra, or Pisces, you are really in for a treat tonight! Here is the last-minute preparation to guarantee you will have the time of your life. Gather the following ritual elements:

• 2 red candles
• Your favorite essential oil (mine is vamber, a concoction of equal parts vanilla and amber oils that makes me feel instantly erotic)
• Thorn of a rose

Take the two red candles and anoint them with your essential oil. Take the thorn and scratch your name on one candle and your lover’s name on the other. Anoint yourself between your breasts and over your heart, and then speak these words aloud twice:

    Tonight, under this moon’s light,

    we will fall under each other’s spell.

    Tonight, under these stars so bright,

    we will ignite a fire and never quell.

    With these lips, this mouth, and my art

    I will explore the sacred mysteries

    of the human heart.

When your object of desire arrives, you should both get comfortable. At an opportune moment, ask your lover to light the two candles. Take his or her hand and place it over your heart, lean forward, and very gently kiss him or her. For this magic to blossom into full power, you should remain standing and only kiss, slowly and gently but with increasing intensity, for at least thirty minutes. The art of kissing begins with lips only, gently tickling, licking, and nibbling on your partner’s lips before moving on to the fabulous French kiss.

A Lover's Touch: Sensuality Spell

I always giggle when I see over-the-counter sesame body oil in the pharmacy. Unknowingly, a woman will apply sesame oil and never understand why she feels so much sexier and attracts more glances her way. While that marketplace version will do in a pinch, a potion you’ve made yourself will be ten times as effective. You can use it as a skin softener or a massage oil.

In a cup of almond and sesame oil, add twenty drops of musk, sandalwood, or orange blossom oil. Shake well, then heat very slowly and carefully. I use a clay oil warmer with a votive candle beneath, but the stovetop will do, making sure the flame is set very low.

While you are tending the concoction, look into the candle or gas flame and whisper:

My lover’s eyes are like the sun.

His body like the land.

His skin is soft as rain.

Tonight, we are one.

When the oil is a perfect temperature to your touch, pour it into a pink bowl and place it beside the bed. Tenderly undress your lover and gently lay him down on clean sheets or towels. With each caress, both of you will deepen your desire for each other. Prepare for a trance-like evening of magical lovemaking.

Come-To-Me Love Spell

With so few opportunities to meet new people amidst the pandemic, it often feels like love is constantly slipping through our fingertips, just out of reach. And while this has certainly complicated our love lives, it also has made the interactions we do have so much more treasured. Perhaps you’ve experienced something like this; a stranger caught your eye at a Zoom poetry reading, you had a brief but meaningful moment in line for coffee, or perhaps you exchanged looks of longing across the aisle on your last grocery run. Whatever it was, you can’t seem to shake that person from your mind. Now, your only hope is that chance will bring you together, right? Wrong!

To reconnect with this mystery person, try this surefire reunion spell. Take a man-shaped mandrake root (commonly available from magickal herbalists and metaphysical shops), or any statue, photograph, or figure of a man. Place it on your altar, surrounding the figure’s base with red and pink rose petals, then add red and pink candles. Place two goblets of red wine beside this arrangement, and burn the candles every night for a week starting on Friday, Venus’s Day. Sip from one of the goblets and recite:

    Merry Stranger, friend of my heart,

    merry may we meet again.

    Hail, fair fellow, friend well met,

    I share this wine and toast you,

    as we merry meet and merry part

    and merry meet again.

Make sure you look your best, as you will soon lock eyes again.

Sealed in Friendship: Soul Mate Spell

If you are fortunate enough to have a soul mate, here is a special bit of sorcery to seal your fate together.

Take a white candle for purity, a red candle for deep affection, and two long-stemmed roses complete with thorns. Light the candles and hand each other a rose. Anoint the candles with honey to seal your bond with sweetness and rose essential oil for the sweet connection of friendship. Witchcraft was originally nurtured by groups of friends passing on herbal remedies and working spells together in covens.

Use red ink and a white feather to write a vow of friendship to each other on a piece of parchment. First, each of you should dip the feather in the red ink and write the name of the other on the paper. Both of you should then take a thorn from each other’s rose, prick the ends of your pinkies on your left hands, and squeeze a drop of blood onto the paper atop each other’s names. As each of you completes this, speak aloud:

    Friend so dear,

    friend so near,

    our blood is mingled forever.

    Our bond is true, together forever,

    soul mate true blue.

    So mote it be.

Now your friendship is consecrated, both in the eyes of the gods, and most importantly, to the two of you. Afterwards, bury the parchment, the roses, the candles, and the feather outside in a safe place you choose together. If you don’t bury these things, you risk having your friendship interfered with.