Book of Witchery (28 page)

Set up this spell in an arrangement that pleases you. Place the grains or the flour inside of the cauldron to keep the area tidy. Try propping up the tarot cards and photo against the candle, cup, or cauldron. During the pregnancy, I would repeat the spell once a month. As you get into the last week of the pregnancy, I would repeat it every day. (The seven-day candle will come in handy for that.) If you are working this together as a couple, then adjust the words accordingly.

Frigga I do call, protect and watch over me today
Bless this child that I carry as it grows stronger each day
Tokens of fertility are the grains and the flowers
Candles and cards are symbols of a new mother's power
Guard us both during the labor and delivery
Help me to be strong and to have a healthy baby.

Close the spell with this line:

By the Mother Goddess, the moon and sun
By the power of love, this spell is done.

Allow the candle to burn for as long as you wish, just be sure to keep an eye on it. Replace the grains and flowers with fresher ones as needed. Good luck to your family, and best wishes for a safe delivery and a happy, healthy baby!

Daily Witch Craft

attraction potpourri

Today's witchy craft is a sachet bag with an attraction potpourri recipe. By creating this recipe and by carrying this mixture, you are sending out a message to the universe that says, “Hey, I'm a fabulous and enchanting individual—don't you want to get to know me?” With the idea being that those folks who are intrigued by your sparkle may then be drawn to you of their own will, all you are doing is bumping up the package, so to speak.

• 1 organza favor bag in pink or red
  
• Fresh red rose petals
  
• Violet blossoms or leaves
  
• A crumbled head dried yarrow flowers (yarrow is an all-purpose herb)
  
• 1 small rose quartz stone for attraction and warmth
  
• 1 drop rose geranium oil
  
• 1 cotton ball
  
• A clean dropper
  

Stuff the little bag full of the rose petals. Put one drop of the oil on top of the cotton ball and tuck it down inside of the herb mixture. Put the rest of the herbal components on top. Add the rose quartz stone to the mixture, then tie the bag closed, knot it three times, and say the following verse while tying the knots:

By the magick power of three times three
I enchant this sachet for love and beauty.

Hold the sachet in the palms of your hands. Lean close and take a whiff of its fragrance. Visualize a bright pink energy radiating from the sachet bag. Now repeat the spell verse:

Fresh red rose petals for love and to boost attraction
Rose geranium oil to encourage affection
Witch's herbs bind the magick and keep it true
A rosy quartz will bring warmth and kindness too
The strongest magick does indeed come from the heart
This spell is sealed by a rhyme and a Witch's art.

Give the sachet bag a little shake and you are good to go. Keep it with you, in your pocket or purse, for one month. You may then either refresh the charm or return the herbal ingredients to nature and dispose of the cotton ball. When finished with this spell, wash the organza sachet bag out by hand and allow it to air-dry. This way, you may reuse the organza bag another time.

Custom-Made Daily Magick

Here are a couple of spells for you to experiment with. These spells fit right in with our chapter's theme of love and romance. They feature two of our deities for Friday, Eros and Freya. The first spell works with the Greek god of passion, Eros. This spell is designed to bring a little more drive and passion into your life, and it is easy and simple, with few supplies, so you will be able to set it up and perform it quickly. It will help you get inspired, enthusiastic, and fired up to face your challenges and embrace life.

Eros's “Passion for Life” Spell

Gather a white feather (symbol for Eros and his mighty wings), a rosy pink candle, and a coordinating candle holder.

Carve a simple figure of a bow and arrow on the side of the candle. Place the feather off to the side, away from the heat of the candle flame. Picture the winged god Eros in your mind, and meditate on this image for a moment. Now, ask Eros in your own words to inspire you with passion and enthusiasm. Then repeat the following spell three times:

Eros, winged Greek god of passion and delight
Aid me in my quest for inspiration tonight
Passion is more than sexual, it conveys ambition too
Help me face my challenges and succeed in all that I do.

Allow the candle to burn out in a safe place. Close the spell by saying:

For the good of all, with harm to none
By flame and feather, this spell is done.

Ritual for Friday

freya's jewelry-cleansing ritual

Last but not least, here is a Friday ritual that works with the energies of the Norse goddess Freya. Freya was the mistress of cats and a supreme goddess of magick, sexuality, and enchantment. The idea behind this Friday/Freya's-night spell is to empower and to protect your magickal jewelry. Since Freya went above and beyond to obtain her sacred necklace Brisengamen, I think she'll work out beautifully for this ritual. (And no, you don't have to sleep with any gold-smithing dwarves to get it to work, either.)

Most Witches wear special jewelry; usually that's how we identify each other in public. Who needs a secret handshake? I mean, think about it. How many times have you spotted a fellow Pagan or Witch by their necklace and commented with a smile, “I like your necklace”—or my personal favorite, “Nice jewelry”—while you hold up your own pentagram? Then you stand there grinning at each other.

Anyway, it's easy to forget to recharge those magickal pieces from time to time. Yes, that goes for me too. I'm not a super Witch, and life happens. We all get busy and distracted, and the next thing you know, you're holding up that piece of favored jewelry and looking at it with one squinting eye and wondering . . .
When was the last time I cleansed and recharged my pentagram, or my magickal jewelry, anyway?
Well, here is just the ritual to fix that.

You may work this Friday-night ritual during any moon phase. If it is a during a waning moon, then banish and remove all negativity and strengthen your magickal talismans. If it happens to be a waxing moon phase, then boost the magick of the jewelry and draw protection and happiness to you. After all, the whole point of this Book of Shadows is to teach you how to work your witchery every single day. Yes, the moon phases are important, but we do not always have the luxury of sitting around and waiting a few weeks for the moon's phase to be where we want it. So learning about and working with the mysteries and energies of the days of the week is the most practical and powerful answer.

Look over the supply list carefully. Feel free to arrange the altar setup however you'd like. In case you haven't noticed, I have been harping on that individualizing and personalizing theme for quite a while now—so have fun, harm none, and be imaginative.

This ritual also employs a bit of feline fascination—in other words, cat magick. Cats have their own special magick, and they are sacred to the goddess Freya. This ritual calls for a small amount of loose cat hair. Now, if you are allergic to cats, don't panic; you can still work this ritual. Simply use a photo of a cat to focus on during the ritual instead.

If you have a pet cat and they enjoy working magick with you, then you can also invite your feline familiar to come and sit by you or stay in your lap while you work this ritual. Now, we all know you can't make a cat do anything. But if you treat them with respect and request their presence, your cat will probably lend you a magickal hand, so to speak.

Gather the following supplies:

• Your jewelry to be enchanted
  
• A few strands of loose cat hair—check the couch or their cat brush. Let's be absolutely clear on this ingredient: do not pull hair from a live cat. If you gently pet any cat, a few stray hairs are bound to shed off of their coat. You'll only need a few, and those loose hairs will work out fine. If you work with shed hair, then place the cat hair under the candles and within the candle holders. Alternatively, you may use a picture of a cat.
  
• Amber-scented incense, cone or stick, for the element of air
  
• An incense holder
  
• A small bowl of water
  
• A small dish of salt to represent earth
  
• A pale green votive or taper-style candle for Friday and Venus's planetary energy
  
• One gold votive or taper-style candle for Freya
  
• 2 coordinating candle holders
  
• A small, clean hand towel
  
• Lighter or matches
  
• A safe, flat surface on which to set up the ritual
  

Place the jewelry on the work area. Tuck the shed cat hair under the candles, inside of the holders, or set the picture of the cat in a prominent place. Next, light the candles, then the incense, and then ground and center yourself. Take a few deep breaths, and let go of any stress or worries you are carrying around. Enjoy the flicker of the flames and the fragrance of the incense. If applicable, invite your cat to join you. Their presence in the work area is sufficient; they should not be on top of the altar. (For safety, always keep a curious kitty away from the burning candles and the incense.)

Cast a circle big enough to encompass your working area, including you and your cat. Start in the east. Point your index finger to the floor and visualize a blue circle of light forming around you. Now turn clockwise to the right. As you turn slowly around in a complete circle, say:

As above, now so below; the elemental powers spin and my circle holds.

Move to your altar. To begin, you will invite Freya to assist you with your witchery tonight. Say:

Lady Freya, Norse goddess of magick, enchant this jewelry of mine.

Pass the jewelry between the two candle flames. (Be careful not to burn your fingers.) Now say:

By the element of fire, its power will continue to shine.

Next, hold the jewelry up so it swings back and forth through the smoke of the incense. Continue with:

By the element of air, I remove all negativity.

Sprinkle a bit of water on the jewelry, and state:

By the element of water, I cleanse this magickal jewelry.

Dust the jewelry with a bit of salt, and say:

By the element of earth, I recharge the metal and freshen the charm.

Finally, wipe the piece of jewelry clean of water and salt with the towel, and slip the item back on. Then speak:

By the element of Spirit, may I wear it proudly and cause no harm.

Follow these steps and continue working on all your jewelry, one piece at a time. As you finish with them, place the items carefully to the side of the candles. When you have completed this and have blessed every piece, close up the ritual by repeating these lines:

Now I seal this witchery right up with the sound of a rhyme

I'll work magick with these jewels wisely, in all places and times

Lady Freya, I thank you for your attention, time, and care

I close this ritual up by earth, water, fire, and air.

Open the circle:

This circle is open but unbroken
Merry meet, merry part, and merry meet again!

Thank your cat for their assistance. Give them a kitty treat or some fresh catnip from your garden. Allow the incense to burn until it goes out on its own. You may snuff and then save the candles to reuse at a later time, if you wish. Tuck away your jewelry in your jewelry box or put it all back on. I would recommend recharging your magickal jewelry pieces once a month, no matter what the phase of the moon is.

Something else to consider if you really want to crank up the intensity of this ritual would be to work it on Friday the thirteenth. Since thirteen was a sacred number to Freya and Fridays are named after her, you can't get much better than that.

Fridays are days of loving enchantments and passionate emotions. Take a good look at this chapter, peruse that
spell worksheet
, and adapt or create a few spells of your own. See how many ways you could add a little loving enchantment into your life and the lives of your loved ones. If you wish to explore the topic of love and romance witchery even further, then check out my book
How to Enchant a Man: Spells to Bewitch, Bedazzle & Beguile
.
If cat magick has tickled your fancy, then for further study read my book
The Enchanted Cat: Feline Fascinations, Spells & Magick
.

In the meantime, try sharing red berries with your partner some enchanted evening. Work that meditation, and see what other mysteries Freya has to teach you. Wear a Venus planetary color and call on the Goddess for a little inner sparkle. Burn some floral incense, light up some rosy candles, and set a romantic mood. Try wearing a little copper jewelry, and see how it affects you and your Friday magick. Get those potpourri and philter recipes going, and see what you can conjure up.

Advancing your magickal skills takes drive, ambition, and passion. Work with Eros to discover just how much enthusiasm, inspiration, and drive he can bring into your days, for the imagination is a place where dreams flourish and ideas come to fruition.