Book of Witchery (25 page)

Meditation

Begin this guided meditation by making yourself comfortable. Sit or lie back and relax. Visualize that you are sitting comfortably before a sturdy old fireplace with a warm fire. Around you is a rustic and homey lodge, and you are relaxing and watching people come and go throughout the hall. You are alone but not lonely as you enjoy the sounds of the other folks who are laughing, talking, and drinking in the hall. The fireplace you are sitting in front of is made of stone, and on its wide hearth, off to the side, is a set of fireplace tools and a large woven basket full of additional logs and kindling. The burning logs in the fireplace crackle and pop cheerfully, and you stretch out your toes toward the heat and snuggle deeper into your chair.

As you sit and watch the flames, a sleek gray cat hops up into your lap. The cat pads up your chest and begins to purr and to rub its face along yours. You reach down to give the cat an absent stroke, and it continues to purr lustily and to demand your attention. You shift your focus from the fireplace to the cat and give the smoky cat a face rub. You run a gentle finger under the cat's collar, and it tips its head back; you notice that a small polished amber stone hangs from the cat's collar. How cool. The cat is now purring loudly, and in pleasure, it stretches itself out on your chest and throws one paw out and up your shoulder as if to hug you. With a feline sigh, it closes its bright blue eyes. Amused, you chuckle to yourself, and then you both settle in, and you begin to drift off into a nice nap.

A short time later, you awake with a start and look around. The fire has gone out, and it is dark. You are cold, and the large hall is quiet and appears to be empty. Also, the friendly little cat that you shared a nap with is gone. You decide to get up and get the fire going in the fireplace again. You choose the smaller logs from the basket on the hearth and get to work. A few moments later, you have a nice fire burning away, and the flames are lighting up the area a bit. Tending the fire, you stay kneeling by the hearth and enjoy the light and the scent of the burning wood. As you look around you, you wonder where all the people that you saw earlier could have gone to. Perhaps they are off to dinner, you think to yourself. As you kneel by the stone hearth, a tall woman approaches and joins you at the flames. You look up and say hello in greeting, and in a friendly manner, she sits down in the chair that you just vacated and smiles at you.

You introduce yourself and ask for her name. In turn, she only smiles at you and flips her long blond hair over the shoulders of a soft, fuzzy gray sweater that she wears. She replies mysteriously that she has many names. Her blue eyes are direct, and you start to wonder if you have met her before.

She stretches out her long, blue-jean-clad legs, and you realize that you won't be getting your chair back anytime soon. So you turn, sit on the hearth, and face her. As she crosses her ankles, you notice that she is wearing soft and elaborate leather boots. They appear to be handmade, and you observe that there are runes worked into the leather. You raise your eyes and look at her a bit more carefully, and you note a large amber pendant that she wears around her neck. Those blue eyes watch you carefully, and you think to yourself that they are the same shape and color as the cat that you shared a nap with earlier. Now you know for sure. “Hello, Freya,” you say with a smile.

She nods her head in return and grins at you. “Did you not know me?” she questions you seriously with the lift of one blond eyebrow.

“Well,” you confide, “the modern clothes sort of threw me off.”

“My dear, you should remember that I am, after all, also a shapeshifter. Would you have been more comfortable if I would have visited you as a falcon or lynx instead of a domestic cat?” she inquires.

You reply no, while thinking to yourself that it would be tough to cuddle a bird of prey, not to mention a wildcat.

“There is more to me than you may realize,” Freya states, leaning forward in her chair toward you. “I have many moods, many forms, and my magick is powerful.” As if to punctuate her words, the fire blazes to life. You jump as the fire behind you gets larger. She looks at you intently and then explains to you carefully, “Yes, I am a goddess of love and sexuality, but I am also a goddess of war, death, divination, and witchcraft. I can be like a gentle loving pet, playful and full of fun . . . or I can be like a falcon, striking swiftly and without mercy. For any magick that works with love and the romantic feelings of another must be done precisely, with good humor as well as self-discipline.” She lets you take that in and then asks, “Are you afraid of all the knowledge I possess, or are you up to my challenge?”

You tell her in your own words that you are up to the challenge that she presents to you and that you are willing to learn.

Listen carefully as Freya tells you about the magick of her special day, Friday. Pay attention to whatever images come to mind and what lessons she shares. When she is finished speaking, thank her for her time.

Freya smiles at you and says in a businesslike manner, “I have many things to attend to. You are welcome to return and to come visit me in my hall whenever you like,” she tells you with a little smile.

“Thank you, I'll look forward to it,” you say.

Freya starts to stand up and suddenly, in a blink, she is gone. Now perched in the comfortable chair is the blue-eyed gray cat that you took a nap with earlier. You grin at the goddess in her guise as a cat, and she hops down and waltzes over to where you are seated. She bumps against your leg, and you run a hand down the cat's back. In return, she reaches up toward your face, and as you lean over, she gives you a playful pat on the cheek. You smile and say goodbye, and then, with a flip of her tail, she strolls off.

Now, take a few deep, cleansing breaths, and ground and center. Hold the image in your mind of Freya's warm and inviting hall, the stone hearth, and the roaring fire. Know that you may return here on other meditative journeys anytime you choose to visit with the goddess again. Take in a final deep, cleansing breath, and slowly blow it out. Stretch gently and return to awareness.

Magickal Plants & Flowers

The plants associated with the planetary influence of Venus and Friday's magick of love and desire are the rose, feverfew, violet, lady's bedstraw, and wild strawberry. The tree associated with today is the apple.

Rose

Very few flowers have so many ties and connections to folklore, mythology, and love magick as the rose. The rose (
Rosa
spp.) corresponds to the planet Venus, as you'd expect, and is linked to the element of water. In modern witchery, rose petals are typically added to spells and flower charms to “speed things up.” Furthermore, just as in candle magick, the many different colors of the rose may be used for various magickal workings. Here is a nifty bit of floral mythology for you: did you know that it was originally thought that all roses were white?

The story goes that originally all roses were white. One day, the goddess Aphrodite accidentally scratched herself on the thorns of a wild rose, and her blood splattered on the petals. In apology, the rose then turned the petals of the flowers pinkish red. The goddess of love was so moved by the plant's remorse that she adopted the rose as her sacred emblem of love.

This fabulous, enchanting flower is well worth adding to your own various spells and charms. Try out a little flower fascination and see how it works for you. Here is a brief list of the various colors of roses and their magickal meanings:

It is also interesting to note that according to some plant folklore, a seven-petaled rose signified the seven days of the week, while a five-petaled rose is a symbol for the Goddess, as the shape and arrangement of the petals resembles a pentagram. In mythology, there are many goddesses with ties to the rose, including Aphrodite, Venus, Freya, Diana, Flora, Juno, Selene, and the Faerie Queen Titania.

Feverfew

The feverfew (
Chrysanthemum parthenium
) is a fabulous magickal flowering herb. It too has the planetary association of Venus and the element of water; however, its magickal energies are thought to be masculine. This is one of my favorite blooming herbs in my gardens. They are so cheerful, spunky, and fresh; plus, they grow and reproduce well, and I enjoy cutting them often for bouquets throughout the gardening season. The feverfew's tiny, daisylike blossoms make terrific fillers in arrangements. Herbalists recommend eating a few of the herb's green leaves to alleviate migraines. The feverfew plant is a protective one and may be added to charm bags or worked into herbal spells to protect you from accidents, to boost a little cheer in your life, and to help you maintain good health.

Violet

The violet (
Viola odorata
) is also sometimes referred to as sweet violet or the wood violet. The wild violet corresponds to the planet Venus and the element of water. It is often used in magickal potpourri and charm bags to cure distress, encourage a romantic love, and to absorb negativity and manipulations. The violet is sacred to Venus/Aphrodite, as are most of the true blue flowers. In the language of flowers, the blue violet signifies humility, while a white violet stands for the truth. If you gather violets in the spring and tie them together to form a chain, or necklace, you may wear this to protect yourself from deception and from the faeries' mischievous ways. This information may come in handy, especially on Beltane Eve.

Lady's Bedstraw

This particular variety of perennial is from the sweet woodruff (
Galium
) family. Lady's bedstraw (
Galium verum
) bears clusters of sweet-scented, yellow flowers. Folk names include Frigg's grass, bedstraw, and fragrant bedstraw. This particular flowering herb is sacred to the Norse goddess Frigga. This plant is also associated with the planet Venus and the element of water, and it carries feminine energies. Once, the fresh leaves were added to punches and wines for flavor as well as to fruit. The dried “new-mown hay”–scented leaves were added to potpourri as a fixative, meaning that it helped the other dried plant materials hold their own scents. Also, the dried leaves of the bedstraw herb were used to discourage insects and to perfume linens. In medieval times, this herb was stuffed into pallets (mattresses), as it smelled fresh and discouraged fleas. Because of this and its links to Frigga, the plant is also associated with childbirth. On an interesting note, the rhizomes of the plants in the Gallium family all produce a red dye, while the flowers produce a yellow dye that is actually used to color cheeses. According to florigraphy, the bedstraw symbolizes humility, birth, and new beginnings.

Wild Strawberry

In keeping with our planetary and elemental theme, the strawberry (
Fragaria vesca
) is also associated with the planet Venus and the element of water. The strawberry is considered to possess feminine energies. It is associated with love and good luck and is sacred to the goddess Freya. The foliage and small berries of the wild strawberry may be worked into floral fascinations and charms to encourage fertility and desire. (Which means that those wild strawberry “weeds” that you find in the garden may come in handy for witchery and natural magick.) Allow these plants a small spot where they can grow. I have a small patch that grows under my privacy fence. I leave the dainty berries for the birds and incorporate the foliage into hand-held bouquets, called tussie-mussies, or into various herbal spells and charms. In the language of flowers, the wild strawberry plant symbolizes perfection.

Apple Tree

The apple tree (
Malus
spp.) is a tree of ancient magickal lore and power. The apple is a sacred symbol of the goddesses Venus and Aphrodite and to many magickal cultures, including the Celts, the Norse, and the Druids. The apple is used in magick for love, healing, and inspiration; it is also linked to the Norse goddess Freya. Apple blossoms may be added to spells designed to encourage romance, or they may be scattered around your altar or circle to celebrate Friday and wisdom, love, and fertility.