Your Personal Pot of Gold

Cauldron magic is less about the eye of a newt than it is about purification by water and pungently perfumed herbs. For a money-attraction brew, fill a big pot with fresh water and place it on your altar during the waxing moon. Place an offering bowl nearby filled with a tablespoon of honey mixed into a cup of milk. Toss a dry palmful of chamomile, woodruff, moss, and vervain into the cauldron.

Head uplifted, utter:

I call upon you, Gods and Goddesses of old,

To fill my purse with gold.

In return, I offer you honey’s gold and mother’s milk.

With harm to none and blessings to thee,

I honor you for bringing me health and prosperity.

Place the bowl outside as your offering and leave it overnight. Whatever the ancients have left behind, pour it into the ground and bow in gratitude for the generosity of the Gods towards you.

Here's a sweet bit of alchemy available to all, handed down from medieval times. Wise women of old taught their children to watch for falling leaves. To catch one in midair is the best kind of luck, direct from Mother Earth herself. Carry it with you for a season and you will be kept safe from harm and receive unseen rewards. If you are especially blessed and catch more than one falling leaf, share it with the one closest to you. You will be bound by both love and fortune.

Elemental Rituals: Water

 The human body is made mostly of water, and our connection to this sacred element is primal. People are especially drawn to the ocean, whose water is a blend of minerals and water similar to the chemical mix of our blood. Have you ever noticed how blissful you can feel when you’re at the beach? The negative ions produced by water are soothing and create an overwhelming sense of optimism. In the presence of water, we feel refreshed. The ocean tides are a rhythm of life and a regulating force of nature.

Water cleanses and restores us, determines our climate, enriches our crops and forests. Water has long been used in ritual and continues to this day to be employed by nearly every culture. In India, the sacred Ganges River cleanses the souls of Hindus from birth through death, when they often float off to eternity in a river burial. Christian baptisms are done with the sacrament of water. The Chinese deity Kuan Yin, goddess of compassion, offers spiritual seekers the comfort and solace of a holy lake. Aphrodite herself rose up from the ocean, and the Yoruban divinity, Ymoja (Yemaya in Brazil and Cuba), is believed to rule all the waters of the earth.

I was born with both my natal sun and moon in the astrological sign of Pisces. As a double Pisces, I receive much spiritual substance from water and turn to my element for succor. Water is the element that rules Pisces, Cancer, and Scorpio. It reconnects water folk with their native element and keeps them in tune with their true nature.

The Japanese have elevated water ritual to the level of an art form with baths, water meditations, water gardens, and tea ceremonies. Through the centuries, they have perfected the presentation of tea as an inventive and spiritual practice.

 

North, South, East, and West: The Four Directions and the Four Elements in Ritual

There are many layers of meaning to add to ritual that are based on centuries of mystical and spiritual source material that still influence us today. These sources are called “magical correspondences,” and the transformative process that is ritual calls for as many correspondences as possible to add to the overall effect, creating a synthesis of energies to work these changes in your life and in the world. Just as there are the specific astrological influences of the stars and planets, such as the rhythmic phases of the moon, and a range of powers in stones, there are particular powers in the elements you can call upon in your ritual work.

Earth, air, fire, and water are the four elements of the ancients. The pre-Socratic Greek philosopher, Empedocles of Sicily, taught the theory of the four elements about 2,500 years ago. Modern metaphysicians and magicians no longer believe literally in four elements but find them useful tools for magic.

Earth

Earth is the manifestation of the “solid.” It is matter made tangible. Earth represents intransigence, constancy, and durability. We are made of earth, and so we are part of our own planet. Upon our death, we once again return to the earth. Earth is the stable material and the stable element. You can place salt in a ceramic bowl or soil in a small vial upon your altar to represent this element. You can call upon the element of earth to become more grounded or to build a new aspect into your life. Earth signs Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn should perform earth ritual on a regular basis to stay centered.

Water 

Water is the fluid state of matter, the nurturer of all life and essential for all continued existence. The blood that flows through the veins of animals is mostly water with trace minerals flowing within it. Water cleanses, nourishes crops, and washes away what no longer serves a purpose. Water is the opposite of earth in that it flows: it lacks stability. Even ice, water in a stable form, can melt. Water in our rivers, lakes, and oceans is ever-changing. Water is a very important cleansing and blessing element to bring into play in your ritual. A fountain or bowl of water in your home represents the all-important water of life. You can use water for any kind of releasing ritual. Water signs Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces should stay in tune with their sensitive, creative natures with water rituals. 

Air 

Air is an ever-changing element, matter in its gaseous form. Air has ultimate mobility and dynamism. The oxygen in the air we breathe is essential to the continuation of our life.

Air is unseen and is, in and of itself, formless. Wind is the power of air to move and stimulate change. Air signs Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius can maintain their brilliance and superior communication skills with rituals invoking their native element of air.

Fire 

Fire is sheer transformational power, capable of changing the other elements. The most visible form of energy, fire is also heat. Watch the flicker of your candle flame, the ember of your incense, and the blaze of your council fire, and you will see a constant transmutation of matter. Fire has the ability to both excite and incite us and is used to bring about active change. Fire signs Aires, Leo, and Sagittarius will stay strong and vibrant when they employ their personal element, fire. 

Lady of the Silver Moon Charm

Put a silver coin at full moon in a bowl of water. 

Look up at the moon and soak in the light. 

Whisper the following spell three times:

Lovely lady of the moon, bring to me health and wealth. 
Fill my pockets with silver and gold,
As much as my purse can hold.
Blessings to all; blessings to me.
Blessed be.

Indonesian Full Moon Ceremony

Nearly every temple in Bali celebrates this monthly event.

Essential elements for this ritual are incense, offerings of fruit and lots of flowers, rice, and holy or blessed water.

Gather a group of like-minded folks and head to the nearest body of water—a lake, pond, creek, river or the ocean. Nature will be your temple.

Begin by sitting in a circle and making garlands of flowers. You should talk, laugh or be silent as you wish, but most important, be comfortable. When everyone is settled with a garland of flowers, place the garland around the neck of another person. Light the incense and set the rice and holy water in the middle of the circle.

Go around the circle and offer the water to people, sprinkling it on them gently with your fingertips in the Balinese fashion, and offer everyone a cupful of the holy water to rinse their mouths with so the worst they speak will be holier. Each person should make a fruit or flower offering to the gods, and lay it near the cleansing smoke of incense. After the offerings are made, everyone should anoint their neighbor’s forehead with grains of rice and speak blessings aloud for each person. If a body of water is accessible, get wet, even if it is just to dip your hands or walk in the water.

Silently acknowledge the blessings in your life through prayer and meditation, and, again, give quiet thanks to the gods for the gift of your life. Unlike most Western-based rituals, there is not much talking during the Balinese Full Moon Ritual. Bask in the tranquility and listen to your thoughts.

Designing Your Own Water Rituals

From the depths of your imagination, you can create a water ritual of your own by invoking other water deities. By inviting the energy of water into your sacred space, you will find the words will flow into you as you fashion ceremonial language appropriate to that god or goddess.

You can create your own ceremonies and spells to call forth the power of water for psychic development, such as dream work, emotional balance, healing, creativity, joy, love and letting go.

Citrine Serenity Ceremony (All Moon Phases)

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

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

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

Misty Moon Potion (Waxing Moon is Optimal)

If you are dreaming of true abundance, with the understanding that health is more important than wealth, you want to feel your best. You can bring this about with this potent potion:

• 3 drops vanilla oil
  
• 3 drops lavender
  
• 3 drops orange blossom essence
  
• 4 ounces pure distilled water

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

Bay Leaf Money Magic

Harvest several leaves from your neighborhood Bay laurel tree—or just from the space rack in your cupboard—and place them inside a clear bowl on your altar overnight. In the morning, remove the leaves and let them dry in your kitchen window. Touch the water to your fingertips and touch your purse, wallet and anywhere you keep money. If you handle money at your workplace, bottle some of the bay leaf water in a tiny jar and do the same. Once the soaked leaves have dried, place in your wallet, purse and pockets, and it will attract money to you and yours. (It also repels thieves and loss of wealth.) You can also put some bay leaves in your desk at home or work to enhance prosperity for your employer, or before asking for a raise. Thursdays are the ideal day for this but try this anytime the need arises!

Prosperity herbs and plants: bay leaf, bayberry, basil, chamomile, cloves, cinnamon, honeysuckle, Irish moss, mint, strawberry leaves, Tonka beans

Rejuvenation Invocation: The Water of Life

I advise any witchy gardener to have a rain barrel to make the most of stormy weather; you can water your pots of herbs and garden during sunnier days and dry spells. On the first day of the rainfall, place a blue glass bowl outside as a water-catcher. 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.

Green Magic - Basil Abundance Ritual

Take a few sprigs of basil before you cook and put them in a green bowl on your kitchen altar. Boil water as for tea and pour over the herb in the bowl. Now chant this medieval-inspired charm:

With bounteous hand and healthful balm, 
Blessed basil, most verdurous herb
Bring me health and heart and calm. 
Abundance I shall see by every deed and verb. 
And so it is.

Breathe in the steam from the basil bowl and fill your lungs with the smell of prosperity. Repeat the spell once more; leave the basil bowl on your altar for 24 hours. Not only will your thinking be greatly clarified, but you will begin to see signs of your wealth increasing in one week. With basil flourishing in your herb pots, you have a ready source bursting with positive money energy.

White Light of Love: A Waning Moon

To light the flower of love in your heart, time this charm for the waning of  a  New  Moon.  Place  a  green  candle  beside  a  white  lily,  rose or freesia. Make sure it is a posy of personal preference. White flowers have the greatest perfume and either of these beauties will impart your home with a pleasing aura. I like to float a gardenia in a clear bowl of fresh water, truly the essence of the divine. Light the candle and hold the flower close to your heart. Pray, 

Steer me to the highest light; 

guide me to beauty and truth.

Much have I to give.

Much have I to live.

Bright blessings to one and all.