I am Pagan, and have been studying and practicing various forms of Paganism, Wicca, Witchcraft, and Southern Folk Magick for approximately 17 years. I practice a tradition of the craft which is commonly called Kitchen Witchery, but I also include various aspects of Southern Folk Magick as part of my practices. For me, Wicca is first and foremost a religion; and while it is a religion that accepts the practice of magick as part of it's belief system, the practice of magick does not represent the whole of Wiccan Beliefs and practices.
To perform this spell you will need the following:
A Lavender Pillar Candle
Lavender Buds
Powdered Ginger
Safflower
Drawing Powder
Lavender Fragrance Oil
Vanilla Extract
Cinnamon Stick
Pen and Paper
Saucer
To begin, prepare your oil by placing nine Lavender Buds and 3 drops of Vanilla Extract and one piece of cinnamon stick in the Lavender Fragrance Oil. Next, prepare your name paper by writing the name of the person you wish to attract on paper three times. If you have no specific person in mind, then simply substitute “My Boyfriend” or “My Lover”. Turn the paper 90 degrees and write your name also three times crossing and covering the other name as you go.
Anoint the four corners and center of the paper with your oil, sprinkle some drawing powder over the names then fold the paper towards yourself three times rotating the paper once clockwise between each fold. Place the name paper under an overturned saucer.
Bore six holes in the top of the Lavender Pillar Candle. Place one Lavender Bud in each hole and anoint each hole with one drop of Lavender oil. Sprinkle the powdered ginger, safflower and drawing powder over the top of the candle.
Finally, pray over the candle for your desire for a boyfriend or lover. When you are done, place the candle on top of the overturned saucer and light the candle.
Note: This spell includes elements of both Wicca as well as Hoodoo.
Tonight, I performed a spell which I intended to share with my readers but in explaining some of my herb choices, etc... it occured to me that someone new to the craft (and even some intermediate practitioners) may not have yet come to a vital realization in the craft.
The realization I speak of is actually quite simple, but it may also be one that is so obvious that many people may not have yet realized. The warning I wish to give you all concerns using the spells written by others.
It is very important when you find a spell that someone else has written that you do your own research into the choices that person has made before attempting to cast the spell yourself. This is done in order to understand why the person made that choice and to determine if that choice is appropriate for you.
For example, the spell I was going to share with you tonight (which I will post tomorrow) is a love spell to attract a boyfriend (no one in particular). Some of the choices I used in this spell include Lavender and Safflower. Now if I simply list my ingredients and don't explain why I chose those correspondences another person my decide to use the same spell but get more than they bargained for.
As a gay man, the love spells I write/create/perform will be intended to attract men, specifically gay men. Therefore I choose herbs that are reputed to do just that. Although Lavender can be used in any type of love spell, lore dictates that it is especially effective in attracting men. If you are a straight woman, or a gay man this will pose no problem for you. However, if you are a lesbian, or a straight man, then you may wish to use some other herb.
Safflower is another love type herb that is rarely used alone, but favored by gay men to attract a dominant lover (usually along with Sampson Snake Root). Again, if your desire is not to attract a male lover, you may wish to use a different herb.
As you can see someone who finds a spell online and takes it at face value without proper consideration may find themselves getting way more than they bargain for, or may simply find that although the spell was successful for it's creator, it failed for them.
As I announced on my own website carolinadean.com today, I've begun adding a section at the bottom of each chapter in my online Book of Shadows entitled Your Workbook of Shadows. Here, you'll find exercises and activities that you can do to assist you in beginning your own Book of Shadows and help you turn your knowledge into experience. Going through my own journals writing these exercises, I came across the technique below and decided to share it with my readers here on covenspace.
Think of a goal that you would like to achieve. Write the goal in your journal. For example, you might write My goal is to be prosperous.
Find a symbol, such as an astrological sign, a planetary sign, a rune, a number, etc...which represents your goal and draw that symbol below your written goal. For example you might choose the symbol for Taurus (wealth), Jupiter (expansion), Feoh (money), or even the dollar sign ($)
Below the symbol write three positive statements concerning your goal. Such statements may include:
I am receiving all good things.
I am a money magnet.
All my needs are met and more.
Repeat one of your positive statements throughout the day while visualizing your chosen symbol. Continue this practice until your goal is achieved then choose a new goal.
Put the paper with your goal, symbol, and statement in a conspicuous place where you will often see it, such as your bathroom mirror, your refrigerator, your vision board, etc…
Do not rely on this method alone to achieve your goal. Determine at least three things you can do in addition to this technique that will assist you in achieving your goal. Choose at least one of these actions and do them. Such actions can include:
Binding: A spell cast with the intention of preventing harm or disaster, or to stop someone from performing a particular act such as a murder or rape, or something as inoffensive as spreading gossip.
Items Needed:
Black Candle
Athame
Mirror
9 Pins
Directions:
The ritual begins with the first person cutting the head off the candle. The second person then digs the wick out of the foot. Finally, the third individual scratches the name of the individual to be bound on the candle so that the letters appear backwards.
Next, the three witches take turns inserting a pin one at a time in the candle as they state their intention.
• 1st Witch: (N) I bind you by thought that you may not think ill of me.
• 2nd Witch: (N) I bind you by word that you may not speak ill against me.
• 3rd Witch: (N) I bind you by deed that you may not act against me.
As this is done the candle is passed counter-clockwise among the witches. The process is repeated two more times, so that by the time you are finished there are nine pins in the candle.
The candle is then placed in a holder, on top of a mirror. Next, one at a time, each witch holds their hands a few inches over the candle and says
• 1st Witch: (N) I bind you by thought
• 2nd Witch: (N) I bind you by word
• 3rd Witch: (N) I bind you by deed
Finally, the witches join hands and say in unison "(N), we bind you forever!" After which the candle is then lit and allowed to burn out on its own.
So I was feeling artsy today and got out my markers and trusty compass. I was designing a symbol for my Wiccan Study Group (which I'm not ready to share yet) and playing around, came up with this as well.
Since it has eight spokes, I thought this would be a good representation for the Wheel of the Year. The red represents the blood of our ancestors, the white represents Spirit, and the black represents the fertility of all things.
Those of you who are loyal readers of this blog may have already read how I create talismans using magick squares. If you're new reader to this blog, or have forgotten, you may wish to re-read that entry How to Create Talismans With Magick Squares, as this entry will be an extension of the previous one.
While at work the other day, I had occasion to look through our clearance section in hopes of getting some good deals on items I thought that either myself or my Wiccan Study Group could use. I was able to find a good deal on some tea lights, small notebooks, and such for 50 percent off, on top of which I also got my 15 percent employee discount! I also came across an item that I had seen before and the idea I am about to share with you came to me. The item was a Lifestyles brand of Button Frame (with pinback). Basically this items is a circular plastic frame in which you can place a photograpsh, snap the back on the button, and wear as a pin.
It was then that the idea came to me that instead of a photograph, why not place a talisman in the frame, and remove the pin! Since many of the talismans I make are designed on paper, or sometimes heavy paper stock, I thought that the plastic frame would protect the talisman from wear and tear and make it last longer.
If you hand-draw your talismans, you simply have to trace the frame to determing the correct size of your design in order to get the talisman to fit inside the frame. If, like me, you design your talismans on your computer you may have to print the design a few times to get it to determine the correct size.
Using the buttom frame is fairly easy, but I've taken a few photos just to make the idea clear for all my readers. For the purposes of this example, I cut a black piece of construction paper out to substitue for the talisman since it offers a greater contrast against the clear plastic frame.
Next, I simply placed the 'talisman' in the photo button with the obverse (the side with the talismanic design) facing out, then turned the plastic frame over. The picture below shows the reverse of the talisman, inside the plastic frame without its back piece snapped on.
Rather than write a petition on the reverse of the talisman, I decided to write a petition on a square of paper, then anoint the four corners and center with an appropriate oil. The oil that you choose will depend on the purpose of the talisman. For example, if you have created a love talisman, you will not anoint the petition with an money drawing oil.
After that, a small amount of herb(s) that also correspond to the goal can be placed in the center of the paper. The paper is then folded either towards you, to draw influences; or away from you, to move influences away; and finally placed on the back of the talisman.
Finally, the back of the button frame is snapped into place, holding the whole thing together as in the photo above. The photo below shows the front of the 'finished' talisman.
Now your talisman can be blessed and consecrated as dictated by your personal practices or the directives of your tradition. Once blessed and consecrated, the talisman can be carried on your person, placed in a purse, lain on your altar, etc...
If Shakespeare was correct that “all the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players” then Charlie Nancy would much rather be a passive viewer sitting in the dark corner of a back row in the theater of life. Charlie is so self-conscious and awkward to the point that everything and everyone (including himself) is a constant source of embarrassment to him. The main source of his embarrassment (other than himself) is his father, a man who loves (and is much loved by) women and who never seemed to hold down a job or had any visible means of income.
Mr. Nancy, Charlie’s father, gave him the nickname of ‘Fat’ Charlie at a very young age; and despite the fact that Charlie isn’t fat or even pudgy, that nickname has followed him throughout his life and everywhere he goes, even as far as England where he now lives and works. Despite his poor self-image and low self-esteem, Fat Charlie has managed to find gainful employment with the Graham Coates Accounting Agency and become engaged to Rosie Noah, who works for a charity.
As the story opens, Rosie has reluctantly convinced Charlie to invite his father to their wedding only to discover upon attempting to contact Mr. Nancy that his father has died. As his father’s only son, Fat Charlie travels to Florida to do right by his father and get his house in order. True to form, Fat Charlie is late to his father’s funeral and ends up causing a scene by giving a eulogy to his father at the wrong funeral!
Later, after the funeral, Charlie is visiting his old neighborhood and while talking with some of his father’s friends, four elderly black women, learns that his father was, quite literally, a God. At first Fat Charlie doesn’t believe the women and humors them, but they insist that Mr. Nancy was a God. In fact, he was Anansi, the Spider God, a trickster who own all stories. Even Mrs. Dunwiddy, at 104 the eldest of the women, remembers Mr. Nancy being a man when she was but a little girl. In addition, Fat Charlie is surprised to learn that he once had a brother, who inherited his father’s god-like powers, but who was sent away by Mrs. Dunwiddy many years prior after he broke her garden gazing ball. Before leaving to return to England, Caroline Higgler (Mr. Nancy’s neighbor) tells Charlie that if he ever wishes to meet his brother, just tell a spider and that he will get the message.
On his first night back in England, Charlie’s girlfriend is startled by a spider in his bathtub and asks Charlie to take it outside. While removing the spider, Charlie remembers Mrs. Higgler’s instructions and asks the spider to pass a message along to his brother. Not long after, Spider Nancy shows up at Charlie’s door and Charlie must give Spider the bad news that their father has died. Spider promptly disappears through a photograph to verify his father’s passing for himself leaving Charlie to wonder if their meeting had actually occurred. When Spider returns, he takes Charlie out for a night on the town to mourn the death of their father and celebrate his life with ‘wine, women, and song.’
Charlie drinks too much and embarrasses himself at a karaoke bar, only to pass out and be taken home by Spider and Daisy (one of many women that Spider charmed into tagging along on their night out). The following day, Charlie oversleeps and wakes up in bed with Daisy. He learns that Spider has gone into his office pretending to be him, although Charlie doesn’t quite understand how every would believe that Spider is Charlie. Spider actually does a very good job impersonating Charlie, in fact his was too good at his job.
Spider discovers that Graham Coates, Charlie’s boss, has been embezzling funds from his client’s accounts and has been doing so for some time. When Graham Coates calls Spider (who he thinks is Charlie) into his office to terminate his employment, Spider reveals he knows all about Graham Coates’ embezzlement without making a direct accusation. Graham Coates then gives Charlie two weeks off with pay and a bonus, which he believes will get Charlie out of his way until he figures out how to deal with the situation. Graham decides that the best solution to his problem is to make Charlie the scapegoat for his crimes and sets about covering his tracks and planning his escape. Before he can complete his plan, Graham is forced to murder a client who has discovered his theft and confronted him with the evidence.
Spider begins to discover that he actually likes being Charlie, and so he slowly land deliberately begins to take over Charlie’s life and identity. However, it is when Charlie discovers that Spider has slept with his fiancé Rosie, he resolves to get rid of Spider. Charlie returns to Florida where he seeks the advice of the four elderly women whom he compares to the witches in Macbeth. He convinces the women to help him and they perform a ritual which sends him to the Beginning of the World, a magickal place inhabited by animal totems. Here, Charlie travels through a series of caves meeting with various human/animal hybrids seeking their assistance in getting rid of Spider.
Charlie strikes a bargain with Bird Woman offering her Anansi’s bloodline in return for her getting rid of Spider. At this point the action really begins to accelerate as Spider begins to be attacked by birds everywhere he goes and Rosie discovers Spider’s deception. She declares that she won’t have anything to do with either Spider or Charlie, who has been arrested for suspicion of embezzlement. In an effort to distance herself from Spider’s betrayal as well as to examine her feeling, Rosie goes on a cruise with her mother. Spider is captured by Bird Woman, stripped of most of his powers and left at the mercy of an old enemy; while Rosie and her mother are captured by Graham who wishes to take his revenge upon Charlie by killing them. With Spider unable to assist him and without Rosie’s support and encouragement, Charlie is forced to embrace his heritage and save the ones he loves.
The characters in Anansi’s Boys are multi-dimensional, colorful, full of personality, humorous, flawed, and best of all human (even when they’re not). I really liked the inclusion of traditional tales and mythology concerning Anansi and the animal kingdom as well as the casual manner in which the elderly women in Florida discuss and practice magick. Neil Gaiman is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors. Gaiman’s love of writing and passion about his subject matter clearly shows in the details which make up his stories; which makes him a story-teller worthy of Anansi himself.
Most of us are familiar with the basic techniques of candle magick, which entails choosing a color which matches our goal, marking the candle with words or symbols indicative of our wishes, anointing the candle with oil, employing herbs, charging the candle and finally releasing its energies.
When casting candle spells, most of us have been taught to use tapers, household candles, and/ or glass encased candles. In my experience, most people use votive candles as offerings to deities, the ancestors, or other Higher Powered energies; the burning of votive candles can also accompany prayer as well. However, very little has been said or written about casting spells using votive candles or tea lights.
Some of the reasons people fail to utilize tea lights in candle spells may include:
They believe that the odd familiar size and shape of the candle is counter-productive to casting spells in the same manner that they are accustomed to.
They may believe that because tea lights are small and do not burn as long as larger candles that they lack a certain degree of power.
The thought may have not occurred to them.
I began casting spells with tea lights some time ago when I was low on supplies but found a bag of 50 tea lights in my magickal cabinet that I had previously bought. With a little practice and experimentation I was able to translate my own methods of Candle Magick to use with Tea Lights. Below are some steps to help you along.
First of all, most tea lights come in white which is fine as white candles can be utilized for any purpose. Second gather together any herbs, oils, personal concerns, etc… that you would use for any other candle spell.
Next, remove the tea light from the little tin cup that it comes in, and using a pin or needle carve your wish around the rim candle. I usually try to space out the letters so they go all the way around the candle and meet on the other side. Next, put a very tiny bit of your chosen herb(s) inside the bottom of the tin cup and add one to three drops of oil. Place the tea light back in the tin cup. Place some of your chosen oil on the tip of your finger. You will then place your finger on the top of the candle and run it around the wick three times. If you are drawing something towards yourself, move your finger clockwise; if you are moving something away from yourself, move your finger counter clockwise.
Finally, charge your candle by placing your hands a few inches over it and visualizing yourself inside a circle of light. Drawing energy from all around you, channel this energy into the candle while reciting an incantation. Repeat your incantation a total of three times, feeling the power grow stronger and stronger with each recital.
Finally, light the candle and let the magick do its work.
Many of us (by us I mean the over 30 crowd) have fond memories of our own mothers schlepping about the house in a well-worn apron. I remember a time when a woman would put her apron on in the morning and leave it on all day while cooking, cleaning, and doing various household chores.
Mama's apron was magickal. The pockets always held treasures like candy, shiny coins, or toys she'd taken away and forgotten. There was always a handkerchief or a tissue in there for cleaning our faces or wiping our noses. It seemed that everything she, and we, needed could be found in that apron.
Today, it seems that wearing an apron is no longer in fashion. Occasionally, you'll see men wearing them while barbecuing in the back yard; but rarely will you see the average homemaker going about his or her chores in one of these garments.
Some time ago it occurred to me that as a Kitchen Witch, it would be quite appropriate to make use of a ritual apron rather than a ritual robe. In addition, the straps that one ties around their waste to secure the apron can also double as one's magickal cord.
Such an apron can be decorated in many different ways. They can be embroidered with sigils and other magickal designs, the waist straps can be decorated with colorful buttons, or bells. In addition, the pockets that can often be found near the waist can double as a sort of medicine bundle, holding one's mojo bags or medicine bags; a small lighter for lighting candles, amulets and various charms, etc...You can even pin broaches or other special pins to your apron. The possibilities are limited only by your imagination!
Right now, I have a black, half-apron that I use as my ritual apron; but I recently mentioned by idea to a good friend (who can sew) and she's working on creating something more in line with my vision. When it's done, I'll be sure to share some pictures with you.
Posts
Tonight, I performed a spell which I intended to share with my readers but in explaining some of my herb choices, etc... it occured to me that someone new to the craft (and even some intermediate practitioners) may not have yet come to a vital realization in the craft. 
If Shakespeare was correct that “all the world’s a stage and all the men and women merely players” then Charlie Nancy would much rather be a passive viewer sitting in the dark corner of a back row in the theater of life. Charlie is so self-conscious and awkward to the point that everything and everyone (including himself) is a constant source of embarrassment to him. The main source of his embarrassment (other than himself) is his father, a man who loves (and is much loved by) women and who never seemed to hold down a job or had any visible means of income.
Most of us are familiar with the basic techniques of candle magick, which entails choosing a color which matches our goal, marking the candle with words or symbols indicative of our wishes, anointing the candle with oil, employing herbs, charging the candle and finally releasing its energies. 
Many of us (by us I mean the over 30 crowd) have fond memories of our own mothers schlepping about the house in a well-worn apron. I remember a time when a woman would put her apron on in the morning and leave it on all day while cooking, cleaning, and doing various household chores.