Heartsong's Book of Shadows

[Heartsong]

I love this chant and decided to make it my invocation, with some added lyrics of my own invention.

INVOCATION TO THE GODDESS

Mother of darkness, Mother of light
Earth beneath us, soul in flight
Songs of love and love of life
Guide us to our hearts

Mother of roses, Mother of toil
Seeds bestowed in rich dark soil
Chants of warmth and souls unveiled
Guides us to our hearts

Mother of stormclouds, Mother of winds
Silver beams on heath and fen
Sighs caress, a seer’s dance
Guide us to our hearts

Mother of seasons, Mother of stars
Goddess of moons, waters far
Wisdom’s words, maiden revealed
Guide us to our hearts

1st stanza © Alice Di Micele - Circle Of Women album

[Heartsong]

A SPELL TO INSPIRE CREATIVITY

Requirements:

~Dried Chamomile Flowers (or any flower that puts you in a contemplative mood)

~An object that symbolizes your art or craft

~Lavender Oil (for clarity)

Set the items on your altar. Cast a circle if you wish. Rub the lavender oil across the object that represents the medium of your creative energy. For me, this is a pen and paper. Sprinkle the dried blossoms across the object. While doing this, speak a chant of your own composition. By doing so, you are putting more of your energy into the spell and more creativity. For me, I say:

Element of airy light and wind
To me I ask your soft breeze to bend
Let your touch caress my ear, my heart
Grant me a bright seed to plant my art

[Heartsong]

(This is a spell I found in Spells for the Solitary Witch by Eileen Holland. I thought it was beautiful. )

LADY OF THE LAKE SPELL

Every lake is presided over by a goddess or female nature spirit. It isn’t necessary to know her name in order to call upon her powers, because you can address her by the title of Lady of the Lake.

This spell can be cast early on any day (except when the lake is frozen), but it is best cast at dawn on a misty morning. You will need:

~ A small glass bottle with a cork or cap
~ A red candle
~ A piece of paper with your wish written on it (if you like, you can use a color of ink that relates to your wish, such as
pink for romance, dark blue for justice, light blue for peace, orange for action, red for strength, purple for wisdom,
green for healing or fertility, and so on.)
~ Enough sunflower seeds to fill the bottle (Substitute sunflower oil or sunflower petals if the neck of your bottle is too
narrow for sunflower seeds to pass through it. Don’t be concerned if you use oil and the ink runs, because your words
will still be in the bottle.)

PREPARATION

Get into a magickal mood(i.e. a good mindset for spell craft), and gather the spell ingredients. Light the candle, and create sacred space around the area where you will be working. Keep repeating your wish aloud as you prepare the spell bottle.

Roll up the paper on which you have written your wish, and insert it into the bottle. Fill the bottle with the sunflower seeds, and seal it. Drip candle wax over the top of the bottle to create a waterproof seal. Use as much wax as you like for this, until the bottle looks magickal and feels enchanted to you.

Place the bottle beside the candle. Concentrate on your wish, as you monitor the candle until it burns itself out. The spell bottle is then ready.

THE SPELL

Take the bottle to a lake. The spell will be cast when the bottle is thrown into the water, so choose a good spot from which to do this.

Breathe deeply. Listen to the sounds of the lake and any of its creatures who may be up and about. Notice the colors, scents, and beauty of the location. Allow yourself to experience the magick of the lake. Raise power, and say aloud:

Awake, awake, Lady of the Lake!
I will give my wish for you to take.
By the power of daybreak,
Please grant it quickly, for my sake.

Shake the spell bottle, and say:

Lady of the Lake, awaken!
Bottle shaken, bottle taken,
Don’t grant my wish if I’m mistaken.
Lady of this Lake, awaken!
Bottle shaken, bottle taken,
Heart’s wish unforsaken,
No harm done when it’s betaken!

Throw the bottle into the lake, as far out as you can, as you say again:

Awake, awake, Lady of this Lake!
I give my wish for you to take.
By the power of daybreak,
Please grant it quickly, for my sake.

Ground the power that you raised. Contemplate the lake quietly for a few minutes, then leave.

AFTERWARD

Remember to thank the Lady of the Lake when your wish is granted. If your wish is not granted, know that this is because granting it would have caused harm to you, or to someone else. Meditate on your wish. Look for any ethical problems with it. Try to think of another way of making the wish (such as wishing for the love of a good person, rather than the love of specific person; or wishing for a better job, rather than wishing for someone else’s job). If you can come up with an alternate wish, ask Lady of the Lake to grant that.

**If you’re uncomfortable with throwing the bottle into the lake, then I would suggest burying it as close to the water as possible.**

[Heartsong]

Another spell by the lovely Eileen Holland.

COOLING ANGER

This is a spell to help cool your anger or negative feelings towards a person or situation. It can also be used if you have a difficult temper and feel the need to help yourself better control it.
You will need:

~ a poppet of yourself (This could be anything from an actual sewn doll to a chess piece to a paper cut out, anything that represents you in your mind.)

~ a pen or marker that will write on the poppet

~ a cup of sweetened mint tea (mint has cooling properties)

~ a sealable plastic bag that is large enough to hold your poppet

~ your freezer

Cast your circle and ease your mind into the best mood for you to Craft. Create sacred space around the area where you’ll be working (since you’ll be making tea, I would suggest clearing some space either on your counter or on your table). Since the planet Mars rules anger, inscribe the poppet with its symbol: . Make a cup of mint tea and add your choice of sweetener (you’ll want it to taste good!). Drink half of the tea, then put the rest of it into the refrigerator. Leave it there until it has grown very cold, but not frozen.

Focus on your anger while you wait for the tea to cool. Think about all of the problems that it’s caused for you and for others. Own that anger, and accept responsibility for it. Know that you are the only one who can do anything about it. Visualize all the positive changes that will likely be made in your life, and the lives of others, once you get your temper under control.

Take the tea out of the refrigerator once it’s cold. Raise power. Hold the poppet in your projective hand (or the hand you primarily use), and command it to cool off. Speak to it as if you were talking to yourself. Tell it that this is it for your bad temper. Put the poppet in the bag and pour the cold tea over it. Seal the bag, and put it in your freezer, somewhere that it won’t be easily seen when you open the door (Out of sight, out of mind). Visualize your anger cooling as the tea freezes. Tell yourself that you’ll now rule yourself, not your temper or emotions. Ground the power that you raised.

Summon the feeling of ice water into your veins whenever you feel yourself getting angry. If you lose your temper, or indulge it, get the popper out of the freezer and hold it until you cool off.

[Heartsong]

(Another great spell by Eileen Holland in Spells for the Solitary Witch)

SEVEN BLESSINGS BOUQUET GARNI

A bouquet garni is a small bundle of herbs that is added to a soup or stew while it cooks to flavor it and then removed. A magical bouquet garni will draw its blessings to everyone who eats the food it was cooked in.

You will need:

~ a six-inch square of new cheesecloth

~ kitchen string

~ 1 tsp each of the following fresh or dried herbs:

~ thyme (for health)
~ majoram, savory, or oregano (for happiness)
~ coriander seeds (for love)
~ sage (for prosperity)
~ basil or rosemary (for peace)
~ black peppercorns (for protection)
~ a bay leaf (for good fortune)

Gather all of the spell ingredients. Get into the best mood for you in order to Craft, and create sacred space around the area you will be working. Place the cheesecloth flat on your working surface, and put on spoonful of each herb in its center. While you do this, focus on the blessings that each herb will attract and say:

With health and happiness, enchanted be.
With love and prosperity, enchanted be.
With peace and protection, enchanted be.
With good fortune, enchanted be.
Simmered in soup or another food,
Let all who eat it receive good.

Gather the corners of the cheesecloth and form in into a bundle around the herbs. Tie it tightly with the sting.

A bouquet garni made with fresh herbs should be used immediately. One made with dried herbs has the same shelf life as its contents, so any number of these may be made at the same time and stored in an airtight container for future use. It’s best to experiment with the herbs a bit to find the mixture whose flavor is most pleasing to you before making a lot of bouquet garnis.

Prepare your stew, soup, or other long-simmered dish as usual. Raise power when you turn the burner on below it, and add the bundle of herbs to the pot. Stir it deosil (clockwise) a few times as you concentrate on enchanting the food with the magic of the seven blessings.

Ground power, and continue cooking as usual. Remove the bouquet garni before serving, and discard it.

[Heartsong]

Another really cool spell by Eileen Holland.

COMPUTER REPAIR

This is a great, practical spell for those of us who love our computers! It works best with computers that you use frequently and have a feel for.

First, run whatever diagnostic and repair program is recommended for your computer. If that does the trick, awesome, you can skip this spell entirely! If it didn’t, shut the computer down, and allow it to rest for a while.

Rub the palms of your hands together, then separate them, but continue to make the same motions. Turn the computer back on, focus on it, and concentrate as it starts up until you can sense the computer’s energy field. Restart the diagnostic/repair program, but this time hold your hands over the hard drive while the program runs. Focus your whole attention on channeling the energy in your hands to the computer and on helping it to repair itself. It’s really neat, feeling the computer’s energy and yours melding together!

Ground the power that you raised as soon as the computer notifies you that it has repaired itself.

[Heartsong]

Found in Scott Cunningham's Earth Water Air & Fire.

YOUR STAR OF POWER

First, take the time to learn and explore the constellations in the night sky. When you are familiar with them, choose a star that would have some significance to you. Preferably, you'll want a star that you can easily find every time you need it, no matter the time of year. Sadly, this limits your choice to the highest stars in the sky, since those near the horizon will disappear for months at a time. You'll also want to avoid any stars that doesn't twinkle or blink (those are actually planets).

When night falls, go outside (if you can. If not, find a window with good visibility of the night sky). Take a deep breath, close your eyes and let the natural quiet of the night seep into you. Take another deep breath and smell the earth around you, taste it on your tongue. Still your mind, letting any thoughts just slip away like water between your fingers. Tilt your face upwards and open your eyes. Find your star.

Take the time to just look at it, study it. What color is it? Don't really think about it, just observe and let yourself attune with it. Don't forget to blink normally so you don't strain your eyes. If your mind wanders or your eyes rove, gently pull them both back to your star and try to keep it there for at least two to three minutes. As you look at your star, accept its energy. Just, open yourself to its power and energy. Feel its cool warmth, strong and pure flow into you.

Repeat this ritual as often as you can, and eventually, you'll learn to expand your awareness to the entire sea of stars.

[Heartsong]

I love this spell, also by Scott Cunningham.

PROTECTION CHIMES

Wind chimes come in a wide variety and are easily purchased from practically any local store. They're also ruled by the element of Air and can be used to guard against negative entities and energies entering your home. Choose or make a set that appeals to you, but also bear in mind that you want a set that has a definite sound to them when stirred. Before you suspend them outside, you'll need to charge them to do their task. Here's a simple ritual to accomplish that:

Place the chimes in your place of power (your altar or a similar magical workspace). Look down at them for a moment or two and note how lifeless and still they are.

Then wave your projective hand over them (or both hands, if you like) and say:

Wind chimes;
Spell rhymes;
Spell chimes;
Wind rhymes.
Air primes
Spell chimes;
Nine times
Nine.

Lift the chimes by their string and hold them before your face. Blow against them, visualizing their tones scattering and driving away negativity.

Hang them up outside, visualizing them driving away negativity all the while, and let them do their magic!

Suggestion: Repeat this ritual every nine days for best results.

[Heartsong]

Read this in one of Scott Cunningham's books.

A LEAF IN THE WIND

This rite can be used for any positive purpose.

Requirements:

~ a large, pliable leaf

~ a pen

The Spell:

Go to either a very high spot or wait till the wind is blowing. Then, visualizing your need, draw the symbol that represents your need onto the leaf (make sure you thank whatever plant you're borrowing it from unless you plucked it from the ground). Keep the symbol simple, like a heart or a happy face. Still strongly visualizing, toss the leaf into the wind. If the breeze catches it and flings it from you, the power has gone forth and it's done. If the breeze doesn't transport the leaf, draw the same symbol on another leaf and try it again.

[Heartsong]

A gorgeous spell by the lovely Ann Moura in her book: The Green Witch's Grimoire.

ATTRACTING FAERIES SPELL

It is best to perform this spell on a Full Moon, preferably when it falls on a Monday, Wednesday, or Friday, at the hour of the Moon or Venus on the day that you are performing this spell.

Requirements:

~decorations of choice to create a grotto or shrine area to attract Faeries (may use a flagstone base, add potted or planted herbs or shamrocks, and hang near it delicate wind chimes that tinkle)
~spring water
~lavender incense
~pale lavender votive or small pillar candle
~muffin (whole grain or cornmeal are best) in offering dish
~wine in a shallow bowl

The Spell:

Set the grotto to attract the Faeries. Light the lavender incense and lavender candle, then sprinkle the grotto with spring water. Hold the offering of muffin and wine in front of the grotto and say:

I call upon thee, Fair Ones, with gifts of cake and wine,
I offer blessings unto thee, and bid thee dance and dine.
Come dwell at hand and share this land.
That by thee my home shall blessed be.

Set the offerings in the grotto. When the incense is burned out, extinguish the candle and leave quietly. Light the candle occasionally as desired, and when it's used up, bury it's remains and replace it with a new one. Burn the incense occasionally as desired.

Tend the grotto regularly, leaving tokens, and offerings of milk and grain or muffin. On special occasions, leave wine or whiskey instead of milk.

[Heartsong]

Since I'm in a faerie mood this evening, I'll also post a little recipe for Faerie Tea (written by Ann Moura) to offer to the Fair Folk and invite them to Tea. As you blend the ingredients together, speak the words in bold with each ingredient added.

3 tsp. black tea

Black for strength;

1 tsp. chamomile

Then apple of night;

2 tsp. dandelion root

Wild grown root;

1 tsp. elder flower

And Lady's blessing;

1 tsp. hops

Hops for joy;

2 tsp. mullein

Then between the worlds;

2 tsp. raspberry leaf

Tangle of bramble and faerie knots,

2 tsp. rose hips

Kissed with love,

Brewed to invite the Fair Folk to Tea.

[Heartsong]

I'm posting a link to another wonderful tea that I put up in another thread. This one I use for divination and meditation, one of my absolute favorites!

http://everythingunderthemoon.net/forum ... meditative

[Heartsong]

On the suggestion of the magnificent Kassandra :

This is a list I complied not only for those who feel that they are being attacked by aggressive entities, but also as a simple checklist for regularly cleansing your home:

1. Do you regularly cleanse your aura?

2. Have you cleansed your home?

3. Is your home protected and warded?

4. Have you tried a personal protection spell?

5. Have you tried to banish the entity from your home?

[Heartsong]

Written by Eileen Holland

One Big Thing Spell

This is a spell that is designed to help you overcome that one big thing that is just weighing you down and keeping you from moving on in your life.

Requirements

~a white balloon with a string attached to it (helium works best, but one blown up by mouth will do.)

~a felt-tip pen

~four sticks of incense (preferably all in the same scent and in one that brings comfort and peace to you.)

The Spell

Take the balloon and incense to a nice open space outdoors, like your yard or a nearby park. Close your eyes and let yourself feel the magical energies that flow around you. Let them flow into you, raising and enhancing your power. Light the sticks of incense as you cast the spell. Begin by turning to the North and saying:

Guardians of the North,
Powers of Earth, powers of clarity,
Make this spell a reality

Push one stick of incense into the ground and light it. Then turn to the East and say:

Guardians of the East,
Powers of Air, powers of thought,
Make this spell work as sought.

Push another stick into the ground and light it. Then turn to the South and say:

Guardians of the South,
Powers of Fire, powers of energy,
Makes this spell work immediately.

Push the third stick into the ground and light it. Then turn to the West and say:

Guardians of the West,
Powers of Water, powers of emotion,
Put this spell into motion.

Push the last stick into the ground, light it, and grasp the balloon by the string.

Stand in the center of the space that you have defined with the sticks, holding the balloon. Concentrate on releasing your issue with the balloon. Hold it up, and let go of the string. Watch the balloon take flight, and visualize the burden that you have been carrying soaring away from you. You should feel uplifted and relieved as the balloon moves away from you. Don't worry if it pops, that's ok.

Remain in the center until the incense burns down, and then clean up.

Afterward

Whenever something reminds you of your one big thing, recall the sight of that balloon sailing away from you. Remember that this thing no longer has anything to do with you, and rejoice in the freedom from it.

[Heartsong]

I really like this spell, not only as a means for gaining new insights, but also as a way for forging a deeper connection with the Earth element.

Charm of the Oak

This spell is intended as a way to connect to the deep wisdom and knowledge embodied in the oak tree. It's a more spiritual and somewhat intangible spell than most others.

Requirements

• 4 acorns
• Small bag of brown fabric
• Patchouli oil
• A brown or green candle

The Spell

Best if you can collect the acorns yourself. Anoint the candle and the acorns with oil, and light the candle. While you hold the acorns in your hands, repeat the following:

Sacred oak
Blessed seed
Growth and wisdom
Mine indeed

Visualize a mighty oak tree, and all the things it may have to teach you. Place the acorns in the bag, and leave it near the candle. Let the candle burn out on its own, and leave the bag somewhere where you will see it every day. Opportunities to gain new knowledge will soon present themselves.

Source: http://www.free-witchcraft-spells.com/earth-spells.html