Gather Round the Fire: A Community Needfire Ritual for Winter

Without fire, there would be no life. For this ritual, gather together members of your community to participate in honoring the life-giving power of flame.

Supplies:

• Altarspace
• Wood, matches, kindling, and a safe place for a fire
• Candles
• Cauldron or large pot
• Ice cubes, water
• Drums
• Fire tool or poker
• Apples, apple cider, or apple ice cream
• White ice cream
• Spoons and bowls
• Bowl with tarot cards in it

1. Place the bowl of tarot cards on the space designated as the altar.

2. Ask for a volunteer to be in charge of the fire and to be the leader of the ritual. The fire maker should then select three women to represent the Norns (a.k.a. the Three Fates). One of the fates will be in charge of “giving fire.” With a candle in the cauldron, she keeps the fire safe and gives it to the fire maker. Another fate reads out the future to ritual participants with a one-card tarot reading. The last fate gives life in the form of the ritual foods—the apples, hot cider, ice cream, and so on.

3. The participants should get as cold as possible before beginning the ritual—take off your coats and sweaters, and open all the windows and doors if you are inside. You need to feel the winter deep in your soul. The leader should pass around the ice cubes so the participants engage in a sensory way with freezing cold and the need for fire.

4. While the participants get good and chilly, the leader should start the fire. People who really want the totally authentic experience of firemaking can try to create fire from sparking with a fire drill, but the ritual could then take hours unless the fire maker is well practiced in the art of making fire.

5. The following is the chant to be spoken while the fire is being made. The ritual leader should pass out the drums and begin leading rhythmic sounds to underscore the chanting.

    Winter winds howl and wail.

    We feel the cold in our bones.

    This is an old familiar tale.

    The ice binds and surrounds us all.

    Fates above, please hear our call.

    Fire thaws the ice.

    Fire creates the water.

    The heat warms our bones.

    Fire and ice bind our lives.

    Now feel the fire!

6. Holding hands, everyone should dance slowly around the fire sunwise, feeling the life-giving warmth. Next, repeat the chant.

7. The fate of the future goes around the circle with the bowl of tarot cards and performs one-card readings for each individual. If time allows, she should also do a reading for the group with the full set of tarot cards about the future of the community.

8. Last, the fate who gives life serves the group celebratory food— the ice cream and other cold foods are a remembrance of the cold of the icy times, and the hot cider and other hot foods represent the life-giving heat of fire. The head of the ritual should lead everyone in a discussion of the importance of the ritual of the needfire and any other topic important to every participant and the community.

Saturn-Day Soul Tribe Gathering

It is very important to gather your soul tribe and just celebrate each other from time to time. Here is a pagan ritual I have performed on weekends—I call it “Saturn-day night fever.” Over the years, I have added many embellishments, such as astrological or holiday themes. The basic ritual of cakes and ale, however, is a timeless and powerful classic.

Gather a group of friends either outdoors under the moon or in a room large enough for dancing, drumming, and singing. Have the guests bring a cake of their choice as well as a cider, mead, beer, or juice to share. (Note that the cake can be of any style, so it does not have to be an iced sheet cake; banana bread, Irish soda bread, or a braided honey bread will do just as well.) Place the offerings in the center, on an altar table. Then light green and brown candles for home and hearth.

Once everyone is seated, the host or designated leader intones:

    Gods of Nature, bless these cakes,

    that we may never suffer hunger.

    Goddess of the Harvest, bless this ale,

    that we may never go without drink.

The eldest and the youngest of the circle rise and serve the food and drink to everyone in the circle. Last, they serve each other. The ritual leader pronounces the blessing again. Then everyone says together, “Blessed be.”

The feasting begins, ideally followed by a lot more ale and lively dancing. A wonderful way to keep a group of friends connected is for a different person to host the circle one Saturday each month.

Revealing the True Self: A Group Mask-Making Ritual

The elements needed for this ritual include:

• Posterboard, newspaper, water, and white flour to make a plaster-like paste, paint, glitter, feathers, sequins, colored markers, and sticks at least twelve inches long
• Music—harem music, women’s opera choruses, Eastern
• European women’s choral singing
• Butcher paper (also tape large pieces of butcher paper to the wall)
• Scarves

Whatever room you’re in, create a sacred space there. Light incense, lamps, and candles, and put on belly dancing or other women’s music.

Lay out the mask-making supplies on tables covered with butcher paper. Build a little cardboard wall between mask-making stations to create privacy so each participant feels completely comfortable in disclosing a heretofore hidden side of her sacred self. Before starting to make her mask, each woman in turn should step up to a piece of paper on the wall and state aloud the positive qualities she sees in herself. She should proclaim her affirming, esteem-boosting aspects. This should be as free-form and upbeat as possible.

After the personal statements, other women should chime in with encouraging words. It is amazing to hear the unexpected perceptions of others, and this part of the experience can be life changing. Write everything down. Each woman should then take her affirmations to her workstation. These words will be the source of inspiration for masks of power and beauty.

Next, draw a large version of the mask you envision and cut it out, making sure you have holes for your eyes, nose, and mouth. Mix the white flour and water into a thin glue. Take your newspaper, tear it into strips, and glue it onto your mask shape. Remember to create the features for your mask face, such as a long nose or a beak; use your imagination to the fullest. After it has dried a bit, you can begin shaping the mask into a curve to fit over your face, and then glue on the decorations and adornments. Now, turn up the women’s music, and with paint, glue, and glitter, create an expression of your inner and outer beauty on paper. Listen to the throbbing drums and the hypnotic beats; listen to your own inner rhythms.

Eventually, each woman will finish one or more masks. Glue a stick to the side or base of each mask so that they can be held over the face like Venetian masquerade masks. As these masks dry, dance to the music. When everyone’s masks are dry, each woman should reveal her “secret” self. She can take a turn and step out into the middle of the room, wearing a veil or scarf over her mask. Before casting off the protective veil, each woman should announce her revelatory self. An example might be: “I am the Fire Goddess” or “I am the Selkie of the Irish Coast.” I did a self-portrait mask of “Peacock Girl” that profoundly affected my life. Every time I see it, I feel reaffirmed. 

All of the beautiful, masked women should dance together to the music and raise the energy in the room. While this is taking place, the level of self-esteem in the room will skyrocket.

Our masks should be kept as totems to be worn in the event of poor self-image. Hang your mask on the wall in your bedroom or office as a constant reminder of your true and beautiful self.

Rite of the Wise Age: A Ceremony to Bestow the Crown of Cronehood

The essential elements for this ritual are enough candles to represent every year of the crone’s life, flowers, silver wire, crystals, water, flowering branches, silver moon-shaped paper cutouts, and potluck food. The potluck food served at the party after the ritual will be even more special and good for all if they emphasize “women’s food” such as estrogen-filled yams, calcium-rich broccoli, and yogurt. Soy is recommended as well, and chocolate is essential. 

The first part of the ritual takes place before the honored guest, the new crone, arrives. Working together, women should take the silver wire and form a round crown. Glue semiprecious crystals to this crown, attach charms and amulets, and affix the silver crescent moons. Make it beautiful and meaningful. The silver moon is a sign of the Goddess, and the new crone is a representative of the Goddess’s third aspect. The crystals, which are the stones and bones of Mother Earth, add power and the beauty of Gaia. Charms and amulets are for health, protection, good luck, and good life. As you make it and place the jewels and charms on the crown, state your intentions and hopes for the new crone. When the crown is complete, place it on a beautiful purple pillow or on the altar.

Upon the arrival of the soon-to-be-crowned crone, the eldest woman present should take a flowering branch and dip it in water and sprinkle it on her head, just a few drops, and speak a blessing, such as:

    I bless you in the name of the Goddess.

    I bless you in the name of Mother Earth.

    I bless you in the name of every woman.

    Sister, do you accept the role of teacher and leader as crone?

The crone responds. If she accepts the title, then the eldest woman says:

    She is crowned.

Now the elder places the Crown of Cronehood upon the new crone’s head. Go around the circle and have each woman speak of the gift she added to the crown; here are examples:

    I give you amethyst to represent the healing power of the planet.

    I give you silver, sacred to the moon.

    I give you roses, the flower of desire.

    I give you a sacred heart charm to represent the mysteries of love.

    I give you a blue star because you are a star.

    I give you an abalone shell because you are powerful like the ocean.

    I give you moonstone because you are wise and reflective.

    I give you an angel pendant because you are so beautiful in body and in soul.

Now everyone should speak together:

    We gather together to celebrate that [new crone’s name] is entering the Wise Age.

Now the eldest woman lights one candle, and then each woman present in turn lights a candle until all fifty-six (or the appropriate number equaling this crone’s age) candles are lit.

Singing and chanting now take place with the circle holding hands:

    [Crone’s name], Lady Mine,

    We now honor you; we will never forsake you.

    [Crone’s name], we listen to your wisdom with the love of our hearts.

    We accept your teachings with ears and hands.

    Blessed be the new crone! Long life and good health! Happiness

    and joy!

After everyone has spoken her tribute to the crone, she can speak her thanks. At this point, the crone assumes her leadership role. Leadership is best handled with great gravity and lightness at the same time. “Benevolence” and “wisdom” are the watchwords. The crone should speak anything she is holding in her heart. Doubtless, she will want to speak her gratitude for the support of the sisterhood, but she should also speak forth any concerns she has. The concerns can be specific to her world, which is now her domain—her family, her group of friends, her spiritual circle, her community, or even the planet. The crone can choose to ask a pair of disputing friends to make up and work it out. She can request that a healing garden be made for her people. Whatever comes to her mind that will be helpful and essential to the group and the greater good is what she should speak. I know a cronewho has asked people to help her build a community center, and it is happening.

I know another crone who quit her high-powered corporate job to study the medicine wheel and become a shaman. Still another elder has taken up the brush and is painting beautiful art after years of working for the defense department; this is my mother, Helen, who is a wonderful example of the power of cronehood. When the crone has spoken from the wisdom of her heart, everyone should again hold hands. The eldest woman who inducted the new crone again holds out the flowering branch and hands it to the new crone. The crone speaks her blessing to everyone present, touching everyone’s heads with a few drops of blessing water and saying words from her heart to each person. When she is done, she says: This circle is now open. Blessed be to all.

Now the food is served, and it should be a birthday party to remember for the rest of the crone’s life.

Croning Rituals

Our modern society has taken an unfortunate attitude toward aging, characterized by denial and shame. Rather than embracing the realization of their own highest wisdom, aging women are socialized into unhealthy regimens such as Botox and plastic surgery in vain attempts to turn back the clock. Women should feel good about aging; they should celebrate long, full lives. Women should be respected and honored for the wisdom they bring to the community. One of the roles ritual plays in the world is to change the dynamic between a person and her community. Therefore, croning rituals are the signal to the group that a woman has ascended into a new role of service and leadership to the family, the tribe, the village, and the sisterhood. Theories vary as to when a woman becomes a crone. Z. Budapest in her Holy Book of Women’s Mysteries says it happens to every woman at age fifty-six. Others say it is at age fifty-four, and priestess and writer Diana Paxson says it’s a range from sixty to seventy-one for the evolution from Queen to Crone. Often cronehood is confirmed at fourteen months past a woman’s last period, and when she has come to her second Saturn Return. A woman should decide for herself when she feels she has reached the age of “cronehood,” however; if she is not prepared to take on the title, then by all means she should wait until she is ready. Discussing it with other women will help authenticate what you know and feel inside. Support from the sisterhood is essential, and in many circles of friends and family, women who are of similar ages should sustain each other in life’s passages and honor each other as they wish to be honored.

Handfasting Ritual: A Traditional Pagan Wedding Ceremony

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:

    [Name], is it your wish to become one with this man?

She answers.

Ask the groom:

    [Name], 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, [bride] and [groom].

    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!

Whispers of Hopes and Dreams: A Ritual to Bless Your Engagement

Engagement is a monumental occasion in a person’s life, and so of course it should be celebrated with a little magic to bless your union! The important thing to remember in the engagement process is to make sure you share similar ideas about the path of life. Being engaged is a time to make sure you are compatible on many levels as you enjoy the romance. You will need to have frank discussions on career, home, health, children, sex, and the expectations you have for yourself and your partner in all these areas.

Sometimes when we are in love, we expect people to simply “know” what we want. Magical people expect that even more, feeling that their partner is so intuitive that they should be able to anticipate each other’s actions and opinions on these aspects of life. Though it would be ideal, that’s not realistic thinking. Sometimes it can be hardest to read those with whom we are closest. A good relationship requires good communication. This formalized engagement ritual involves dream sharing, and therefore, it should only be done after such frank discussions so that nothing comes as a shock. Preparing to perform this ritual is a good way to initiate such talks. It can be done right after the acceptance or at any point later in the engagement process. Just make sure you are both aware of each other’s ideas of the future before you begin your life together. When you are ready to move forward and begin the ritual, first go someplace comfortable where you will not be disturbed. This ritual can be done in your home or even at a quiet restaurant or coffee shop. Perhaps you’ll want to take your love to the place where you first dated.

Start with your favorite drinks. I like a good wine or champagne, but it doesn’t have to be alcoholic, just something you both enjoy and can share. Have three glasses ready. Light three candles: one of your favorite color, one of your betrothed’s favorite color, and the third of a color you both like. Unless you choose the same color for all three candles, the third candle should be different from the first two so that neither of you dominates in the energy of the relationship. When in doubt, three white candles work well. Each of you light your candle, and together light the flame of the third with your two candles.

Pour the drink into two of the three glasses, making each about half full. Hold the two glasses near the fire. Don’t get too close—you don’t want to shatter your glasses. The light, not the heat, is the important part. Speak close to the mouth of the glass, and whisper into the wine your hopes, dreams, and blessings for the marriage. What do you feel? What do you want to do? What do you want to create together? Envisioning a long, healthy, happy life together, you can talk about home, family, and careers. See yourselves supporting each other in separate goals and working together for your joint dreams. You each should speak your words into the liquid. Then pour both drinks into the third empty glass, combining your hopes and dreams. Share that one glass, savoring its flavor and reflecting on your future. Do not speak until you have both finished the combined drink. Look into each other’s eyes, and kiss. The ritual is complete.

Song of Self Ritual for Self-Expression and Introspection

This solo ritual is one that I find particularly entertaining. It requires you to look hard at yourself, but it’s also fun. Essential elements that are necessary for this ritual include:

• Big sheets of butcher paper
• Color markers, glitter, beads, shells, cloth, ribbon, yarn—whatever colorful materials you respond well to
• Sewing kit and craft boxes with random scraps, buttons, and/or shiny objects

It is good to undertake this ritual on a Sunday, but whenever you need support, reserve half an hour of quiet time and brew up some willpower to help you with your self-expression. Light a white candle anointed with peppermint oil and light spicy incense such as cinnamon. Prepare for your Song of Myself by sipping this warm drink for encouragement: Take a sprig of mint (homegrown is best), a cup of warm milk, and cinnamon sticks and stir together clockwise in a white mug. Recite:

    Herb of menthe and spicy mead,

    today is the day I will succeed.

    In every word and every deed.

    Today I sing the song of me.

Drink the brew while it is still warm and “sit for a spell.” You will know when you are ready.

Now take the paper and markers and begin your song of yourself. Write with any marker you pick up and finish this sentence at least twenty-four times: I am _______. Be as wild and free and true as you can. You are so many things. Express them here and now, once and for all. I will share some wonderful “Songs of Self” that I have seen and heard:

    I am a wild woman.

    I am beautiful.

    I am wide.

    I am a secret.

    I am sexy.

    I am brilliant.

    I am a blue sky.

    I am all possibility.

    I am a dream come to life.

    I am truth.

    I am the Goddess.

    I am the living incarnation of wisdom.

    I am life.

    I am a living blessing.

    I am the road.

    I am perfect.

    I am a tiger.

    I am yesterday and today.

    I am hope.

    I am angry.

    I am art.

    I am a crone.

    I am a sister to the sun.

    I am a poem.

    I am creative.

    I am me!

This can go on as long as you want it to. Only when you feel you have expressed every aspect of yourself should you put down your marker and begin to decorate the paper. Paint on it; glue mirror shards to it; create one or many self-portraits. Scrawl symbols on it. Write more words, allowing yourself total and absolute creative freedom. There is no wrong or right; there is only you and all your myriad aspects. Celebrate yourself and reveal yourself completely. By the end, you should have a one-of-a- kind self-portrait that tells your real story. Hang your self-song portrait in a sacred place, perhaps near your altar or shrine area. Its energy will permeate the place with your personal essence in a wonderful way.

Mystical Mugwort Spell: Sharpening Your Second Sight

Honing your intuition will enhance every aspect of your life, and this spell, which can sharpen your sixth sense, is an excellent place to start.

Gather together:

• 1 stick of vanilla incense
• Yellow candle
• Small jar or pouch of mugwort herb
• Small yellow citrine crystal
• Teaspoon of dried mugwort
• Ceramic bowl of hot water

Light the candle, and then light the stick of vanilla incense and place it in a fire-safe burner. Now place the single yellow flower in a vase to one side of the incense burner. Yellow symbolizes intelligence and mental clarity. On the other side, place a bowl containing a citrine crystal.

In your teakettle, boil two cups of freshly drawn water. Pour it in the ceramic bowl and add in the teaspoon of mugwort and stir. Once it has cooled completely, dip your fingers in the water and touch your “third eye” at the center of your forehead. Now speak aloud:

    Diana, Goddess of the Moon,

    fill me with your presence divine.

    I seek your vision; lend me this boon.

    Greatest seer, may the second sight be mine.

    And so it is. And may it be soon.

Mugwort has long been used in magical workings, starting in Mesopotamia and expanding to Europe, Asia, and now the world. It is used by seers and shamans for achieving new levels of consciousness. Mugwort is especially good for the mental plane and helps to overcome headaches and soothe anxiety for mental balance and calm. It will help you hone your psychic abilities, which will help and guide you through life.

Symbolic Inscriptions: A Spell to Connect with Your Subconscious

If you wish to make direct contact with your unconsciousness, here is a way to see through the veil between the two worlds and enter the recesses of your mind.

At any herbal store or metaphysical shop, obtain dry mugwort leaves and dried patchouli, as well as some wormwood if possible. The latter is a bit harder to come by, but worth the try. It is the active agent in absinthe. 

Crumble any of these herbs between your hands until it is gently ground into an almost powdery consistency. Pour the herb into a baking pan. Make sure the crumbled herb dust is evenly spread over the surface of the pan. 

Light yellow candles (from your creativity altar) and close your eyes. Take the forefinger of your left hand and touch the center of the pan. Run your finger back and forth in a completely random pattern—don’t think, just rely on your instincts for two minutes. Open your eyes, look at the pattern you have drawn, and write down what the symbols and designs bring to mind. Also write down the thoughts you were having while you were “drawing.” Some of my friends have found that they unconsciously wrote words, which they then used to start a poem or novel, or which generated an idea for a painting.

A Message from the Guardians: Dark Moon Spell

This little spell will take you deep and far inside yourself. It will greatly empower you and instill in you a much deeper understanding of who you are and what you are here to do. Each of us is as individual as a snowflake, and our souls are imprinted with a stamp of specialness. The closer you get to the revelation of your soul’s mission, the more you will know about why you are here, and even more important, what you are here to do. That is real magic.

The best time to perform this spell is during the dark of the moon, when the night sky is at its darkest.

Supplies:

• 1 votive candle
• Incense
• Pine essential oil
• Glass jar
• Compass

Go outside and find a solitary space in which you can cast a circle. Use the compass to find true north. When you feel comfortable and safe to begin, cast a circle of energy. Starting at the north point and moving clockwise or sunwise, acknowledge each of the Four Directions and call in the winter guardians. Stand in the center of the circle, and with your forefinger, anoint your candle with the essence of pine, a tree that stays strong, green, and alive all through the winter.

Place the candle in the glass jar and light it, setting both carefully and securely onto the ground. Then light the incense with the flame of the candle and stick it into the ground beside the votive candle. Breathe slowly and deeply; make yourself mindful that you are here in the darkest night, celebrating the sacred. As you breathe, look around at the majesty of nature and the world around you. Feel the ground beneath your feet. Listen to the silence around you.

Now, open your heart completely to the awesome power of the universe and the magic both inside and outside of you. Using the same forefinger, anoint your third eye, the chakric place above and between your eyes. With your eyes closed, speak aloud this rhyme of rime:

    Sitting here beneath the moonless sky,

    I open my heart and wonder why

    I am here.

    Tonight, I will learn

    the reason why I yearn

    to serve the Goddess and the God.

    This night, I’ll hear the reason

    I serve this darkest winter season.

    Guardians, I call on you now!

Remain at the center of the circle and keep your eyes closed. You may hear an inner voice, or you may hear an outer voice right beside your ear. Listen calmly, staying centered with your two feet on the ground. You will know when it is time for you to close the circle and leave with your new message and mission. Thank the guardians as you seal the sacred space, being sure to leave everything exactly as you found it. Incense, jar, candles, and matches all leave with you.

When you return home, write the message on a slip of paper and place it on your altar, where it will be hidden from any eyes but yours. Place the candle, jar, and any remaining incense on your altar and burn it each Dark Moon night.

Final thought: You may also want to begin a special journal of your thoughts, inspirations, and actions regarding the message you received. You have now embarked on an exciting new phase of your life’s journey. Your journal will help you as you make discovery after discovery. Your journal may evolve into a Book of Shadows.

New Year Prophesies : The Feast of Carmentalia

On January 11, gather a group of women together. Ask them to bring pens and paper and offerings of fruit, flowers, or vegetables to the goddess Carmenta. Use these to build an altar, with the bounty placed around a black bowl filled with water that will be used as the scrying mirror. Place candles around the room and turn down the lights. Form a circle around the bowl and altar, and as each woman places her most special offering beside the bowl, she must speak aloud the name of her offering:

    Pomegranate (or orange or lily, etc.), Goddess’s herb,

    perform for me enchantment superb.

    You give us grain and bread.

    Foretell for me the year ahead.

After placing the offering to Carmenta on the altar, each woman should kneel over the mirror and look upon the water. Some people may see images, but oftentimes the information comes as an impression, thought, or meditative reflection. People should only share their visions if they feel the need to do so, but do make a little time available for each woman in case she wishes to speak what she has seen.

After everyone has had a turn, everyone should chant and sing together:

    Daughters under this sun,

    sisters under this moon,

    tonight, we receive your blessings.

    Carmenta, goddess great and good—

    we thank you for the year to come.

Now open the circle and sit in silence for at least ten minutes so that everyone present can record her impressions and visions from Carmenta in a journal or on the paper each woman brought. In years to come, if you and your circle of women decide to observe the Feast of Carmentalia annually, as I recommend, you can share and compare notes from prior years. This is a wonderful way to process the passages of your lives. Afterward, a feast is called for. The fruit and veggies from the altar should be consumed, and the flowers should decorate the dining table. Make sure to cleanse the space very well with incense smoke at the end of the evening, as remaining energies should scatter and not stay in the home. Water from the scrying bowl should be poured into the earth outside.

Truth Will Set You Free: A Spell for Spiritual Healing and Growth

If you find yourself in need of help resolving a problem or uncovering new resources within yourself, try the following tried-and-true rite. Take a piece of plain white paper and a blue pen and have them at the ready.

On a Thursday, light some blue candles and chant the following affirmation:

    Fears and doubt, begone from me!

    I have the courage to break free.

    I have the wisdom to know and the strength to grow.

    I call upon my inner guide to hear and see my truth.

Repeat this four times while the candle burns. Embrace your intuition and trust it with all your heart. Now write down what comes into your mind with the blue pen. You may even feel tingling at the top of your head, which is a very good sign. Knowing the truth can sometimes be uncomfortable, but it is important as a guide for your life.

Two Paths Diverge: A Parting Ritual for Mutual Healing

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 can take 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 it is invaluable nevertheless. I have noticed that when one person exits my life, especially for good and valid reasons, somebody new and wonderful comes in.

From East to West: A Spell for Collective Healing

The ultimate alchemy is to generate positive energy that spirals outward, improving everything in its path. I know of shamans and wise women who have dedicated their lives to doing good works, including some crones who practice in the ancient rainforest to protect the trees, and aborigines who spend their “dreamtime” repairing the earth.

You can contribute to universal peace and healing by burning a white candle, anointed with rose oil, on your altar during a waning moon on Saturday, which is Saturn’s Day. Place a single white rose in water and lay a garlic clove beside some rose incense. Light the incense, then take an herb bundle, light the end, and pass the smoke over your altar to cleanse the space. Chant:

    War and grief will come to an end

    as we walk the path of peace.

    Love thy neighbor as thy self,

    all we need is love.

    With harm to none, only understanding.

Healing for Your Love Life: A New Beginning Spell

This spell is excellent to use after a heartbreak or a trying time you may have had in your relationship with a current partner. In the event of a breakup, it may help you meet someone new; otherwise, it can heal hurts between you and your partner and bring on a new phase in your existing relationship. On a Monday morning before dawn, light one pink and one blue candle. Touch each candle with lily, freesia, or jasmine oil. Lay a lily on your altar, adding some fresh catnip if you can get it. Place a lapis lazuli stone in front of the lily, and a glass of water next to it atop a mirror. Chant:

    Healing starts with new beginnings.

    My heart is open, I’m ready now.

    Goddess, you will show me how.

    So mote it be.

Drink a cup of hot honeyed cinnamon tea that you have stirred counterclockwise with a cinnamon stick. Sprinkle the powdered version of this charismatic spice on the threshold of your front door and along your entry path. When the cinnamon powder is crushed underfoot, its regenerative powers will help you start a fresh chapter in your love life.

Comfort in Company: A Group Ritual to Prepare for Surgery

Call your friends together before the surgery. The ritual can be at your home or any place that feels safe and secure. I highly recommend raising healing energy at the home of the person who is to undergo the surgery, as it will create an aura of restoration. Ask each person to bring something to comfort, reassure, and cure the celebrant: soup, fixings, a soothing eye pillow, sleep balm, a hand-knitted scarf for warmth, body lotion, herbal teas, books, or lavender-infused slippers are all wonderful gifts. Form a circle of care around the celebrant and light candles. Unscented soy candles are probably best for health reasons (and if a gift is scented, it is wise to check with the healing recipient whether that’s okay in advance of the gathering). As you go around the circle, ask each person to give his or her gift of caring to the celebrant and say what it represents. As examples:

    I give you this herbal tea mix so you can sip tea and draw from it

    healing and heat.

    I give you all my love and healing energy, and I know you will come

    back from the hospital healthier than ever before.

The ritual continues until everyone has had a turn to speak and healing gifts and loving energy surround the celebrant. I suggest giving the celebrant hankies beforehand. It is completely up to the celebrant to say or do whatever he or she feels during the ritual. In many cases, they may say nothing due to the intensity of this event.

Cupboard Cure: A Ritual for Cleansing and Vitality

Salts from the sea have been used to decontaminate the body by way of ritual rubs since ancient times in the Mediterranean and Mesopotamia. From Cleopatra to Bathsheba, these natural salts have been used to exfoliate the skin and enhance circulation, vital to overall body health. While there are wonderful imported Dead Sea salts readily available at most bath and beauty stores, many witches prefer whipping up their own healing beauty magic. To create your own cupboard cure, combine the following:

• Three cups Epsom salts
• One tablespoon glycerin
• Four drops lemon essential oil
• Two drops jasmine oil
• Two drops vanilla
• One drop neroli oil (made from orange blossoms)

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, you could perform the same ritual using rose and amber oils.

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.

Claim Your Health: A Clary Sage 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 as 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.

Rejuvenate Your Spirit: A Garden Witch's Spell

I advise any witchy gardener to have a rain barrel to make the most of stormy weather; you can use it to water your pots of herbs and your garden during sunnier days and dry spells. On the first day of seasonal rainfall, place a blue glass bowl outside as a water-catcher. Once it has filled with water, bring it inside and place on your altar beside a lit candle. Speak:

    Water of life, gift from the sky,

    we bathe in newfound energy, making spirits fly!

Dip your fingers in the water and touch your forehead. Meditate upon the healing work you and your garden can do, thanks to the nurturing rainfall. Pour the water into the ground of your garden, speaking the spell one last time.

Self-Love Healing Rite

This fire element ritual might become a regular practice for you, as it is fortifying to your spirit and feels simply wonderful. Gather the following:

• A large red pillar candle
• An orange
• Bergamot essential oil

Take the large pillar candle, anoint it with bergamot essential oil, and charge it with positivity toward yourself. Scratch your own name into it and write: “I love [your name].”

Light the candle and say four times:

    I love me. I love [your name].

Light the candle every night, and repeat this spell before bed and every morning when you arise. Your mood and sense of self will continue to grow in positivity.

Flame of Restoration: A Long-Distance Healing Spell

As a healer, you will sometimes perform spells for those who are not present. You can set up another altar to represent the recipient of your magic or where you can have candles dedicated to the ailing one.

Begin by setting up two altar candles—one in the northeast and one in the northwest. Light them, then place three red candles on the east side of the altar and one orange candle on the west. The red candles stand for health and strength, while the orange candle lights the way for optimism and encouragement.

Light the orange candle and concentrate on attracting good health and good feeling for the sick. Next, light all three red candles and think of vitality and increasing the flow of energy while you recite:

    Power of Light, Power of Love,

    the fire burns and we heal.