Book of Witchery (20 page)

Quick as a flash, my good luck spell will now take flight.

Slip the paper back into your pocket. Make your wish for good luck, and then chuck the dime out there. (I caution you to stay away from traffic. I also don't want you to accidentally nail a car with the dime as you toss it out there into the middle of the street.) Sprinkle the dill at the curb. As you turn to walk back home, close the spell with:

By all the power of three times three,
As I will it, then so shall it be.

Note:
If you perform this spell and you have your kids along, let them gently toss a penny along with your dime. They'll think it's fun, and that way they'll leave your dime alone. Good luck to you and yours!

Mercury is a mutable energy, and its moods and associations are many and varied. Take a good look at the spell worksheet on page 301 and get to work! What do you think you can come up with to personalize your magick? When in doubt, you can always try the tarot spell for creativity on page 132. Adapt the spell as necessary to suit your needs.

Perhaps you've got a yen to write. Well, go ahead—don't let anyone stop you. Mercury days are also for communication and, after all, writing is communication. It's the writer's way of communicating with their audience. They either tell the reader a story or they teach the reader something new. (This is the part where I really hope that I have managed to teach you something new—and maybe even inspired you to write your own spells.)

Not too sure about that yet? Maybe you should sit down and have a little chat with Athena, goddess of the arts, wisdom, and peace. Don't forget that the arts include writing and music as well. Try meditating on Athena, and see where that takes you. Here is a simple candle spell to help get you going.

Athena's Spell-Writing Charm

Light a purple candle for Athena and a white candle for peace. Now sit before the candles and concentrate on what variety of spell you'd like to write. Close your eyes for a few moments to center yourself. Now repeat the following spell three times:

Computer and printer, ink pens and paper

Send me inspiration sooner than later

Athena blesses me under a Wednesday-night sky

I can create my own spells, now let my magick fly

Using a bit of Wednesday's witchery

As I do will it, so mote it be!

Close this up by writing your own spell or charm. If you'd like to add a little herbal magick to this spell, add some lavender for transformation. It will help to transform your ideas into reality. Check your spice rack, and make use of some dill for good luck. Most of all, just have fun. Don't be afraid to try writing your own spells.

Ritual for Wednesday

clearing the air with blue lace agates

Here is a Wednesday-night ritual that will help clear the air after a nasty argument. This crystal magick will help to remove any family discord in the home. This is also excellent witchery to work if you think that things feel “off” or if you believe that the psychic energy in your home needs a good clearing out.

It happens to all of us—you think you have things all on track energy-wise and then you start to notice that things feel sour or that there are bad vibes lingering. Maybe you had a visitor who dumped their psychic garbage in your living room, or perhaps you had a coven meeting and all that energy is still boiling around in the house, making things feel frantic. Or maybe someone in the family just got over the flu, or the kids have just been wild and crazy lately…whatever the cause, let's clean house!

You can easily and quickly tap into Mercury's planetary magick of the day. Be clever and canny, like our featured gods Hermes/Mercury, and use some of that sense of speed and movement to send any negativity and lingering bad vibes on their way. Bear in mind that the planet Mercury has a mutable energy—it is always in motion and constantly changing, which is perfect for this type of witchery.

As you look over this ritual, you may realize that while you are working crystal magick, which is associated with the element of earth, you are also tapping into some water energy as well (the color blue from the candle and the blue lace agates). If you recall, this particular type of agate is connected to the element of water. Their cleansing energy is very complementary for this spell. In addition, you will be working with the element of air, because this is the elemental correspondence of both Hermes/Mercury the god and Mercury the planet. Finally, just to keep things nice and balanced, you've got yourself a dash of fire energy, too, from the candle flame.

Pretty clever, eh? What you thought was primarily crystal spellwork ends up being a much more advanced and involved witchery. Try it for yourself, and see the difference that it makes when you work magick in balance with all four of the natural elements.

• 1 blue votive candle
  
• 1 votive cup
  
• 4 blue lace agates
  
• A picture of your home and/or your family and pets (whoever lives in the house)
  
• Lighter or matches
  
• A safe, flat surface on which to set up the spell
  

Place the blue votive in the votive cup. Set the photos of your home and family on either side of the candle holder. Next, arrange the four blue lace agates in a small circle around the candle holder. As you place the tumbled stones one by one, say these lines:

Blue lace agates, lend me your power

Cleanse this home in this time and hour

Around this candle I create a ring

These four blue lace agates are just the thing.

Now light the spell candle and hold your hands out and over the stones and candle. (Not too close, we don't want you scorching your witchy fingers.) Finish the spell by saying the following verse:

I now call the four elements on this Wednesday night

On the wings of Mercury, I quickly set things to right

By blue lace agates and candle flame, this spell is begun

Now remove all negativity, and let it harm none.

Allow the votive to burn until it goes out on its own. (Most votives take four to six hours to burn completely out.) When the spell candle is consumed, take the four blue lace agates and place one in each of the four main corners of your home. This will keep the spell moving along quickly, and it will reenforce the cleansing. Clean up the rest of your spellwork supplies, and put up the pictures of your family in a prominent place so you can enjoy them.

Be bold and daring today! Expand your knowledge of the Craft by working with the planetary energies of Mercury on this multifaceted day of the week. Consider the Greco-Roman gods Mercury and Hermes and all of the many lessons they have for you. Embrace change and movement, and work on your communication techniques. Conjure up a little good luck for yourself with that Mercury dime spell. Call on Athena to inspire you to try magickal arts and crafts and to be more creative in your own spellwork and witchery.

Meditate on Odin and see what you can discover about him. I wonder what sort of fabulous and fascinating magickal wisdom you will uncover? Odin is a shaman, after all; he may appear in many guises and faces. I guarantee that he will make you laugh at yourself before he is through with you, but you will learn. It's up to you what you do with that knowledge. Will you let it shapeshift into wisdom?

Wednesday is the wild and wily day of the week, so try to go with the flow; don't fight the quirky energies of the day. Most importantly, follow your heart, and always keep a good sense of humor, because on Wednesdays, you will really need it.

[contents]

Thursday

At-a-Glance Correspondences

Daily Magickal Applications

Thursday comes from the Latin
Dies Iovis
, which means “Jove's day.” Jove, or Jupiter as he was sometimes called, was the supreme god and patron of the ancient Romans. Jove/Jupiter is associated with wealth, leadership, thunder, and lightning. A lord of heaven, Jove/Jupiter was also a god of light, and his sacred color is white. In the Greek mythologies, this deity was known as Zeus.

This fifth day of our bewitching week was eventually turned into the Old English
Thursdaeg
or
Thunresdaeg
, which translates to “thunder's day” or, more simply, “Thor's day.” This day of the week is named after Thor, the popular Norse god of thunder. Thor was the son of Odin. He carried a war hammer called Mjollnir, and it was this that made the thunder and lightning. All of these Thursday gods—Jupiter/Jove, Zeus, and Thor—were wielders of the thunderbolt.

Thursday has the planetary association of Jupiter, and this day of the week is associated with prosperity, abundance, leadership, and good health. Prosperity and abundance are the typical magickal concerns on a Thursday. However, the way people define prosperity can vary greatly between individuals.

Personally, I think prosperity and abundance aren't about owning the biggest house, fanciest wardrobe, or the newest car. It's about living within your means and living well. My definition of prosperity is having enough money in the checking account to cover the bills and to pay for the groceries; anything left over is gravy.

But with a family, there is always something. Just about the time you're feeling confident, something pops up. Somebody has to go to the doctor or the dentist, or someone needs work done on their car. Or my daughter calls from college with the classic “send money” request. It's enough to drive me bonkers! For instance, just this past month, I got hit up for sorority dues, book fees, dentist bills, a bit of car repair and, lest we forget, living money for my daughter while she is away at school. Ouch!

The aspiration to make your budget stretch and to find ways to cover extra expenses is a real need for just about everybody. So on this bewitching day, let's look at some practical, magickal ways to increase your prosperity and try out a few enchanting ideas designed to create a little abundance and, last but not least, good health.

Deities

Thor

This fifth day of the week is dedicated to Thor, for he was—and is—greatly loved. One of the most widely worshiped of the Norse gods, people called on Thor to protect them from evil and to bless them with both fertility and abundance. Thor is referred to as the “everyman's god.” He is pictured with red hair and a red beard, and he is thought to be hearty and hot-tempered. He is married to a golden-haired goddess named Sif. Thor is the strongest of all the Norse gods. When he uses the hammer, he wears a belt, or girdle, that doubles his strength, and he wears magickal iron gauntlets. When Thor rides the earth in a chariot pulled by two gigantic male goats, he brings rain to germinate the crops and to make the fields fertile. The people believed that the turning of his chariot's wheels made the sound of thunder.

Even though he may seem a warlike god, Thor is not. His hammer is thought to be a symbol of the god's beneficence; in fact, the symbol was used to bless both infants and brides. (There are references to Thor blessing a bride by having her hold the hammer in her lap.) Yes, this is a macho-type god of storms and lightning; however, he is also associated with fertility and abundance. Thor is believed to be a guardian for the downtrodden and the frightened. He is both a compassionate friend and a fierce protector. Thor blesses us with stability and helps us to stay strong, grounded, and centered. He is worshiped as a benevolent god, one who protects both the other gods and humanity from evil and destruction. Thor brings fruitfulness to the fields and happiness to marriage.

Jupiter

The Roman sky god and ruler of their pantheon, sometimes called Jove, Jupiter is a god of justice and was originally a god of (believe it or not) agriculture; in that capacity, he was called Jupiter Lucetius. As the god Jupiter brought the rains that the crops needed to thrive, the older agricultural tie makes sense. As Rome developed over time, Jupiter became more of a dignified and stoic protector and the guardian of the city and state of Rome. In this incarnation he was called Jupiter Optimus Maximus, “the greatest god.” The color associated with this Roman god of the heavens is white. Jupiter had a chariot pulled by four white horses, and his priests all wore white robes. The ram and the eagle were sacred to Jupiter. Foreseeing the future was also associated with Jupiter by ways of divining the signs in the heavens and by reading and studying the flight of birds.

Jupiter is often linked with Zeus in Greek mythology; many of the images of Jupiter are stylized after the Greek Zeus. He was later identified by the German people with their god of thunder, Thor. The Roman Jupiter/Jove was associated with hospitality (probably because he always rode herd on the squabbling gods and goddesses). Jupiter Optimus Maximus, as the protector of Rome, was also in charge of laws and social order on earth. Oaths, treaties, and alliances were sworn in his name, which led to the custom of swearing in his name “By Jupiter!” or “By Jove!”

Zeus

The leader of the Greek gods and the head honcho of Olympus, Zeus was the god of the sky, and his weapon was the thunderbolt. Zeus was called the cloud collector and was typically portrayed either sitting on a throne or standing with one arm back, ready to hurl a lightning bolt. He was married to Hera and was known for his weakness for the ladies. Zeus had numerous children by scores of different lovers. His symbols include the eagle, oak tree, and lightning bolt. Zeus's image appeared on gold coins, and the sculptor Phidias carved a giant statue of Zeus made entirely of ivory and gold. (Though some sources suggest the core of the statue was wood, and it was then covered with ivory and gold.) This statue was built in Zeus's temple in Olympia. According to legend, the temple was spruced up for the Olympic games, as it was thought that the temple needed to be more grand to celebrate the deity that the Olympics were dedicated to. The statue of Zeus was fashioned to have the god sitting on a throne, holding a scepter of many metals in one hand while the winged goddess Nike (a goddess of victory) stood in the palm of his other hand. The statue of Zeus was believed to be forty feet tall and over twenty feet wide. Apparently the head of the statue almost touched the roof of the temple. The ancient statue of Zeus at Olympia became one of the most famous images in ancient times and was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.

Juno

Juno was an ancient Roman great mother goddess. The mature and powerful Queen of Olympus, she was a powerful matriarch. Juno was a source of fertility, a goddess of marriage and childbirth, a guardian of women and children, and a goddess of money. She was known by many names, including Juno Augusta, the harvest mother; Juno Februata, the mother of Mars; and Juno Lucina, the mother of light. In this latter aspect, the goddess was pictured as carrying a torch, or scepter, of light.

Juno was associated with the lily, the cuckoo, and the peacock. In processionals, Juno's priestesses carried fans made of peacock feathers. The many “eyes” on the feathers were thought to watch over women, and they symbolized the fifty priestesses who served at Juno's temple.

To tie in with our Thursday theme of prosperity and abundance, Juno was also known as Juno Moneta. The word
money
actually comes from the word
moneta
. In ancient times, Juno's temples housed the Roman mint. Coins that were made there were considered to be blessed by the goddess herself.

Thursday's Witchery

Today is the day for prosperity work of all kinds. It can also be used for healing work, whether that is a physical healing of an illness or an emotional healing. Also remember that you have to follow up your healing work and prosperity magick with physical action.

I can't tell you the number of times I have met new Witches who complain to me that their prosperity spell or “I need a better job” spell did not work out as they expected. They'll ramble on and on about how much time and money they spent working their magick . . . but, alas, they had no glorious manifestation of wealth or fabulous job that suddenly dropped out of the sky and landed in their laps.

Then, when I gently ask them, “Did you enchant your résumé or application when you filled it out? Did you do a little confidence-boosting spellwork when you went to apply for the job or went to the interview?” typically they give me a blank, confused stare.

Nine times out of ten, their response is, “You mean I have to go out and actually
look
for the job too?” Um, yes, my dear, you certainly do. Magick follows the path of least resistance, which means it's going to manifest along the simplest, quickest route. Get out there and hit the pavement. See what you can find. Times are tough and competition for good jobs is fierce, so you need whatever edge you can get. For folks like us, we're going to get the edge by using our magick and our spellcraft.

Thursdays have such a rich source of magick for us to draw upon that, honestly, the sky is the limit. This is the day associated with the gods of the sky and heavens, after all. Get to know these deities, and add their wisdom and magick into your days.

Meditation