HedgeWitch (12 page)

Tenth Night

Your affirmation for today:
In gratitude I find accomplishment. In accomplishment I find gratitude.

Your symbol for today:
stone

Begin your day:
Begin in the morning by reading the affirmation and the focus for the day. Today's segment concentrates on stone, associating the energy of accomplishment with that of Spirit. Close your eyes, quiet your mind, smile, and allow Spirit to fully enter your body. Then repeat the word
stone
softly, conjuring your vision of stone in your mind. Open your eyes, and repeat the affirmation at least three times. Remember to smile as you finish! Throughout the day, repeat the affirmation as many times as you like. Begin and end with a smile. Write down in a small notebook (or your HedgeWitch journal) anything unusual about this day and events, people, or places that carry a strong stone association. In this way, you will be prepared to perform the tenth night Rite of Stone.

To do today:
Choose thirteen gemstones or small pebbles from your property or a local stream. If you have a garden, you may wish to arrange thirteen stepping stones in a prominent area to represent your HedgeWitch journey.

Today I will release…
anything that reminds me of a failure I am holding on to. As I clear out my living space, I will keep repeating: “I am making room for success!” I will get rid of broken or unappealing statues, knickknacks, trinkets, and baubles that are cluttering up my personal space. I will make arrangements to fix cracks in walls.

Weekly planner:
If you are spending a week on this rite, build or create something out of stone for sacred work. This could be pouring and decorating a stepping stone for your garden, making an outdoor stone altar, working with mosaics that also incorporate gemstones, or even stringing gemstone jewelry. You may wish to make a set of HedgeWitch prayer beads (see Section 5).

Herbs for today:
lavender, rose, eyebright, myrrh resin

Supplies for tonight:
incense, white candle, the candle you have chosen for your final dedication ritual, thirteen gems or small pebbles, the above-listed herbs, freshly prepared in the same way you blended the herbs for the ninth night rite

***

Stone represents your steps (stepping stones) and your accomplishments along the way in your personal journey of transformation, and your ability to be grateful for what you have accomplished and received. Gemstones carry their own inherent beauty and power and can heighten our herbal magickal abilities. Also, stones—whether gems or the stones in your garden—come in many shapes and sizes. The shape of an item also has significance in the practice of HedgeWitchery, as all shapes carry a mathematical vibration (their volume, shape, and size) as well as a correspondence associated with the type of stone (granite, quartz, lapis lazuli, etc.). We can also create shapes and patterns by arranging small stones on the altar top. Here is an easy-to-follow magickal list to use in tonight's rite as well as in future practices.

Note:
The list is a combination of Eastern and Western cultural beliefs.

Square—Earth Element (Roots/Stability)

Colors:
Tan, beige, caramel, toffee, orange, gold

Directions:
Northeast and southwest

Purposes:
Education, learning, luck, romance, love, mother's luck, stability, foundation

Circle—Metal Element

Colors:
White, silver, gold

Directions:
West and northwest

Purposes:
Family luck, father's luck, guides and mentors, assistance, protection

Triangle/Chevron—Fire Element

Colors:
Red, purple

Direction:
South

Purposes:
Success and recognition, action and movement, target, passion, the spark of creativity

Rectangle—Earth Element (Growth/Flowering)

Colors:
Green, brown, sienna, red ochre, bronze

Directions:
East and southeast

Purposes:
Good health, growth, prosperity (primary ruler of paper magick)

Wave—Water Element

Colors:
Blue, lavender, black

Direction:
North

Purposes:
Career advancement, life work, emotions, movement through flow (secondary ruler of paper magick)

Rosette (Six-Petal Flower Design)—Earth and Sky

Colors:
Green, blue, gold (plants, sky, sun)

Direction:
Center

Purposes:
Balance, harmony of heaven and earth, spiritual growth

Stars—Fire and Ice

Colors:
Gold, white

Direction:
Heaven

Purposes:
Protection, good luck, good fortune (the number of points make the stars more significant)

Hearts—Spirit Element

Colors:
Red, pink

Direction:
None (as love infuses everything)

Purposes:
Love, compassion, humility, healing

Crescent/Archway—Combination of Spirit, Metal, and Water

Colors:
White, silver, gold, blue

Directions:
West or north and northwest

Purposes:
Moon magick, timing, protection, women, children, creativity, luck from heaven

Rite of Stone

Arrange your thirteen chosen gemstones around your dedication candle. You will not light your dedication candle tonight; instead, we are preparing your altar for the final ceremony. Put your magick key beside your dedication candle. Light the incense and pass it over all the items on your altar.

On a white candle (not the dedication candle), inscribe the word
stone
with a pin, nail, or clay-inscribing tool. Place the candle in safe holder, and light. Sprinkle your herb mixture around the base of the candle. Intone the following charm, holding your hands over the stones:

Herbal magick, speak to me

Of gems' and stones' ability

In dark of night or sun's bright day

To help me in my witching way!

Pick up one stone and say aloud three times something that you are grateful for. Then say, “Thank you, it works, always a blessing,” and smile. Do this with the remaining twelve stones, indicating something different you are grateful for with each successive stone. Meditate for fifteen minutes on the meaning of stone in the life of a spiritual person. Using the stones or gems, create a shape that signifies accomplishment to you. This will be your magickal stone shape. Be sure to draw this image in your HedgeWitch journal. Allow the candle to burn completely. Leave your gemstones in the shape you chose near your dedication candle until your final ceremony night. Take an extra fifteen minutes this night to contemplate the changes you have experienced and what you truly desire in the transformation of the self. And most of all, never forget to be grateful!

Before you drift off to sleep, close this evening by saying:

Peace with the gods

Peace with nature

Peace within.

It always works.

Always a blessing.

Remember to smile!

Eleventh Night

Your affirmation for today:
Just like the sun and the moon, I bring light to the world. I shine in everything I say and do. Just like the power of the sun, I attract all good things into my world and share this light of good fortune with others.

Your symbols for today:
sun and moon

Begin your day:
Begin in the morning by reading the affirmation for the day. Today's segment concentrates on heavenly energies, specifically that of the sun and moon, but all planets and stars can be a part of your contemplation, especially if you currently study astrology. If you can catch both the sunrise and the sunset today, all the better!
Close your eyes, quiet your mind, smile, and allow the peace of Spirit to fully enter your body. Then repeat the words
sun and moon
softly, conjuring your vision of these glowing orbs in your mind. Open your eyes, and repeat the affirmations for today at least three times. Remember to smile as you finish! Throughout the day, repeat the affirmations as many times as you like. Begin and end with a smile. Write down in a small notebook (or your HedgeWitch journal) anything unusual about this day and events, people, or places that carry a strong sun and moon association. In this way, you will be prepared to perform the eleventh night Rite of Celestial Power.

In HedgeWitchery, the sun, or Greater Light, stands for your will, and the moon, or Lesser Light, equates to the second sight of Spirit. In primordial speech, the sun translates to “I want,” and the moon is your connection to Spirit, which is communicated through your emotions. If you feel good, then you are in harmony with Spirit. If you are unhappy, angry, or sad, this is your signal that communication is blocked, and the manifestations you desire in your life will either take a very long time or not occur at all.

Sun/moon is an example of partnership as well as duality. There is always a “have” and a “have not” to any situation. Be sure today you are not concentrating on the “have not” while you are trying to think of the “have.” Go over primal language again, and double-check your thoughts and visualizations today. Be sure you are not concentrating on “lack” in your life. Instead, fill this void with the light of promise by your thoughts and actions focused on the attractive power of the universe.

To do today:
The number eleven stands for the empowerment of the mind. It is through the perfection of our thoughts and our connection to Spirit that any change or manifestation can take place. Today you are to find a calendar that marks the new and full moons for the next thirteen months. You can find this information in the wide selection of Llewellyn calendars and datebooks, on the Net by visiting the Farmers' Almanac website, or by picking up an almanac at your favorite bookstore. Garden shops often carry calendars and almanacs as well. Write the dates and times of the new and full moons in your HedgeWitch journal. Beside each moon, write what astrological sign the moon is in on that day. Next, using primal language, write a goal beside each new and full moon. Use the information below to help you determine what type of goal fits each type of moon. I've also provided the quarter information, as you may find this helpful in the future as well.

New Moon and First Quarter:
Beginnings

Second Quarter:
Building, growth

Full Moon:
Harvest and additional power

Third Quarter:
Adding finishing touches, closing

Fourth Quarter:
Complete endings, review (strongest the day before new)

If you understand astrology, you may wish to match your intended goal to the energy of the astrological sign. Remember not to focus on “lack”—only on attraction. Next, research the lunar and solar eclipses for the coming year. Write down where the moon and the sun will be (in terms of astrological sign) on those days. Write a goal for each that matches the astrological sign energies present at those times.

Today I will release…
trapped energy. Clear out and illuminate a dark corner in your house. Go through your kitchen cabinets, and throw out old cans, boxes, bottles, and jars of food. Wipe down the refrigerator, microwave, and other electrical appliances.

Weekly planner:
If you are spending a week on this rite, learn to make the magickal berry ink and quill pen in Section 5. Use this ink in your magickal petitions and to write your goals for the coming year.

Herbs for today:
Choose any seven herbs or resins from the list provided below. Combine your choices to make your own herbal power mix; a blend that can be used in a variety of future workings. This will become your signature blend. You can also substitute scents rather than the herb. For example, you might choose a combination of sandalwood, myrrh, cedar, clove, copal, and orange rind mixed with a few drops of gardenia or jasmine essential oil or fragrance. This particular blend is suited to use as a potpourri or burned loose on an incense charcoal tab. Both lists were chosen for what you may readily be able to obtain from the grocer, florist, your own garden or property, or from your favorite magickal store. There are many more herbs with sun and moon correspondences. For a fuller selection of what you might choose, see
Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs
.

Sun herbs:
allspice, ash, basil, bay, carnation, cedar, celandine, chili pepper, cinnamon, clove, copal, dill, dragon's blood, fennel, ginger, hyssop, juniper, lime, marigold, nutmeg, orange, pepper, peppermint, pine, rosemary, rue, sunflower, walnut, woodruff

Moon herbs:
coconut, eucalyptus, gardenia, jasmine, lemon balm, mallow, myrrh, poppy, sandalwood, willow

Supplies for tonight:
your signature herbal blend, one gold and one silver candle, the calendar with your goals, your magickal bell or chimes, incense of your choice

Rite of Celestial Power

Place your calendar on the center of the altar, along with your magickal key. Ring your bell or chimes eleven times. If you can, go outside and light your favorite incense. If you are confined inside, try to position yourself near a window with a good view of the heavens. Stand looking up at the heavens, and say:

Celestial magick, speak to me

Of sun and moon and heaven's sea

Of signs and lights of starry sky

That shine within the HedgeWitch eye

That flow around the HedgeWitch heart

To focus into HedgeWitch art.

Thank you!

You may wish to bless your herbal mixture with the following charm:

Sacred Spirit, light the way

Bless my work with herbs this day!

Air bestowing…

Sunlight glowing…

Droplets flowing…

Field of sowing…

Moonlight nourish garden growing!

Hand of joy and heart of knowing…

Leafy vines and sweetened fruit…

Cast the pattern of pursuit!

HedgeWitch power I invoke

Heaven's prayers like sacred smoke

Clear the way to manifest

That desire which I think best. Thank you!

Place the herbs on top of the calendar. Write the word
sun
on the gold candle. Write the word
moon
on the silver candle. Ring your magick bell to match your personal power number. This is to help you focus. Light the sun candle, and say:

I focus my will.

Light the moon candle, and say:

I empower my will with my emotions.

Ring the bell eleven times to match the mind-mastery significance of the number eleven.

Sit quietly and stare at the dual burning candles. When you are ready, intone the HedgeWitch incantation of power, focusing your mind on those thirteen goals you wrote in the calendar. Once you have focused on the goals in this ceremony, you will let them go. You won't look at this calendar for a full year, until the anniversary of this night.

Incantation of Power

Power of the east, winds of sacred birth

Gather all your forces and bring desire to earth.

Power of the south, winds of hot creation

Separate the earth by fire, refine this incantation.

Power of the west, winds of down below

Bubble up to meet the sky and make the pattern so!

Power of the north, winds of sacred treasure

Solidify my own desire and formulate the measure!

Power of the spirit, winds of dusk and dawn

Align the planets in their places, words convey the song!

Power of myself, the winds of my demand

Emotions seek to formulate and bring about my plan!

Power of the still point, from which I manifest

I have the key to make it be, and Spirit does the rest!

Ring the bell eleven times, and then say: “Thank you! That was easy! It always works. Always a blessing!”

Meditate for five minutes on the meaning of the sun and moon in your magickal life and how your thoughts and actions bring light to the world. How have you changed in the past eleven days? How do you wish to continue to shine your light into the world? In your own life? In the lives of your family members and friends? Draw your secret symbol for the celestial power of the sun and moon in your HedgeWitch journal. Allow the sun and moon candles to burn completely if you can. Wrap the calendar and herbs together in a brown paper bag. Seal securely with tape and write
to be opened on:
and next year's date. Put in a safe place.

Before you drift off to sleep, close this evening by saying:

Peace with the gods

Peace with nature

Peace within.

It always works. Always a blessing.

Remember to smile!