Start your own thread named "[Name's] Book of Shadows" and add spells, rituals, correspondences, music, videos, etc. that you would like to keep for future use or share with others. Use as many posts as you'd like. It's not private, but at least your family won't see it. You can also get ideas from other people's Books of Shadows.
Items:
1 standard wall hanging calendar
An assortment of items to represent different events (good days, bad days, etc.) The items should be small enough to fit in each square. You will want to have 2 or 3 of each item.
A pouch or bag (the size depends on the size & quantity of your symbols)
*This is a cast based system, so if your symbols aren't uniform (size, shape, color), don't worry.
Timing:
To do a monthly divination, cast on the last day of a month to determine the new month ahead.
To empower your items, you will want to do such while the moon is full or in Pisces
Part 1: Preparation
1. Choose your symbols. Pick 2 or 3 items to represent each idea & make sure its small enough to fit in a single calendar square.
Suggested items (coins, stones, shells, buttons, game pieces, candy)
Suggested symbols (good day, bad day, lucky day, good day for love, yes/no)
2. Make or buy a pouch that's large enough to hold all of your items. A drawstring pouch is perfect because you can hang it up right by your calendar.
3. If you want your calendar to include moon phases & moon signs, this is the time to include them if your calendar doesn't already have that information printed on it. You can find this information in an almanac or online.
4. Cleanse & empower all of your items.
Part 2: Divination
1. Lay your calendar on a flat surface with the month you are divining laying face up. If you want to, you can lay a piece of yellow paper or cloth under your calendar, as yellow represents divination.
2. Prepare your pouch. If you are doing a monthly divination, use all of your items except for the ones that represent yes & no. (the yes/no divination will be explained below)
3. Concentrate on the month ahead as you shake the pouch.
4. Cast the items by gently shaking the bag over the calendar. Wherever each item lands, record each result.
For example, if your symbol for a good day lands on the fifteenth, write something like "good day" in that square.
5. If you wish to find out if you should perform a task at a specific time (day, moon phase, moon sign), place only the items that represent yes & no in the pouch. Cast the items onto the calendar. The item that lands closest to the time in question is your answer.
The purpose of this item is to store the energy of the circles you cast so that later you can create a circle just using visualization and the talisman. I recommend using this for small, personal, temporary circles.
1. Cast a circle as you normally do. If your talisman is small enough, carry it with you as you cast the circle.
2. Keep the talisman in the circle for as long as the circle is up. If you have no spell work or ritual planned, you may simply stay and enjoy being in the circle for a time.
3. When you are ready to release the circle, carry the talisman with you and visualize the energy of the circle moving into the talisman.
4. Repeat steps 1-3 every time you cast a circle. After a few times, you should have enough energy stored to start using the talisman.
5. When you are ready to cast a circle using the talisman, hold it in your perceiving hand. Visualize a beam of light coming out of the talisman and creating a circle around you. Place the talisman on the floor/ground near the edge of the circle.
6. When you release the circle, repeat step 3.
To recharge your talisman, repeat steps 1-3. How often you recharge your talisman depends on how often you use it. If you are unsure if your talisman needs a charge, use your intuition and/or meditate.
*I was just looking at some of the new posts and I read the title of the thread "Light of the Sun, Dark of the Moon...", and instantly my brain says "Hey! I can do something with that!" Here's my result:
*Here's another idea that popped into my head shortly after reading a post on here.
Personal Water Recipes
Empower some water on a night that the moon is in your personal moon sign. Sun water can also be made pretty much the same way, just with the sun in your sun sign.
If you don't know what your moon or sun sign is, you can get a natal chart that will tell you where all the heavenly bodies were in the sky when you were born. For example, my moon sign is Virgo and my sun sign is Sagittarius. Here's a link to a site that will give you a free natal chart and an interpretation. http://www.alabe.org/freechart/
You could make several different batches of this water depending on what phase the moon was in when it was in your sign. New Moon, use for: New beginnings of any sort, beauty, health, personal improvement or new employment. Waxing Moon, use for: Courage, motivation, inspiration, friendship, elemental magick, healing or luck. Full Moon, use for: Artistic projects, love, romance, fertility, psychic abilities or making decisions. Also healing, guidance, and completion spells. Waning Moon, use for: Banishing bad habits, addictions, or ending relationships. Dark Moon, use for: Healing, renewal, psychic spells. A good time to meditate on the inner self.
You could also make different batches for different purposes depending on what day the full moon occurred, what day the sun entered your sign etc.
Anniversary water can be made on a special day or night, like your birthday, the day you first started practicing magick/Witchcraft/Wicca etc., or the day you were initiated.
Sabbat water can be made during the sabbats and used either for sabbat specific workings, or for rituals that share a theme with a particular sabbat.
This list is to get you started. I'm sure you can come up with other ways to personalize charged water.
*If the Moon information looks familiar, it's because I did some copying and pasting from this site.
Echo's All Purpose Herb Blend
This can be used for pretty much anything, including protection, purification, banishing, exorcism, healing, love, good fortune and prosperity. This is what I used when I first blessed my current home.
patchouli
nutmeg
rose
thyme
sandalwood
myrrh
salt
basil
cinnamon
allspice
ginger
cloves
sage
rosemary
This spell is similar to its predecessor. The difference is that with this spell you are specifically sending love, but what kind of love is up to you. There is romantic love, family love and friendship love, just to name a few.
*This was inspired by "Inner peace for another" written by Moonface. Thank you for the inspiration.
Sending My Love Spell 2
Supplies: 1 pink taper candle
Olive oil (or any of the oils listed below if you're not allergic to them)
Pink ribbon
1 pen/pencil/crayon/marker (pink if possible)
A picture of your loved one, something that belongs to them, or something that reminds you of them (optional)
1) Take a ritual bath, adding any of the plants listed below to the tub.
2) Anoint your forehead and heart with the oil, making sure to banish all negative thoughts.
3) At this point, you can create ritual space, cast a circle, call the quarters, and invoke a deity if you wish. If you do invoke a deity, make sure that at some point you specify to them what type of love you're sending. You don't want to accidentally send romantic love to a sibling.
4) Carve the name of your loved one into the side of the candle, starting from the bottom and working your way to the top.
5) Anoint the candle in a manner of drawing things in. Though there are a couple ways to do this, for this spell you will lightly rub the oil from the bottom of the candle up, just as you carved your loved one's name from the bottom to the top.
6) Light the candle and place it on your altar. If you have any of the optional items listed above, place them on the altar as well. Spend a little time thinking of your loved one.
7) Write your loved one's name on the ribbon and tie it into a bow, to represent the infinity symbol.
8) Spend some time holding the ribbon in your hands and imagine your loved one feeling the love that you are sending to him/her.
9) Pin or tie the ribbon in your hair for a week. Or you can keep it in your pocket.
10) Extinguish the candle and keep it for step 13. You can also use it with step 12.
11) If you have done step 3, go ahead and release the deity and energies you called.
12) Before bed each night, take some time to visualize your loved one surrounded by your love, feeling happy and at peace. You can add in any other good thoughts you can think of for them. If you want to, you can also light the candle during this step.
13) After the last day of the week that you have had the ribbon with you, use the pink candle to burn the ribbon. The ashes can be scattered in the wind, buried, or if you have a favorite house plant, put it into the soil. The candle can either be burned down, if there's any left at this point, or you can bury it.
14) About a week later, do a nice gesture for your loved one to remind them they are loved, and deserve to feel love and all the good things you wish for them. You might want to give them a small gift, bake some cookies, share a home cooked meal, a shoulder to cry on, whatever they need that you can give.
*This is by no means a new concept. Instead, it is my twist on a favorite.
To Move On
Supplies:
1 piece of string, yarn or ribbon
Incense (optional)
1. Find a quiet place where you can sit undisturbed for a while.
2. If you wish to use incense, pick a scent that makes you feel happy and uplifted.
3. Spend some time getting yourself to a relaxed state. You don't have to meditate, but do strive for inner peace.
4. Hold the string with an end in each hand. Visualize the string being inside your chest, next to your heart.
5. Think about what you want to be free from. Freely feel any emotion that comes along, good or bad. As you reminisce and/or relive the situation, slowly take the string and tie it in a loose knot. As you tie the knot in the physical string, visualize the string in your chest being tied around your heart and knotted. Spend as much time on this step as you feel you need to.
6. Take a deep breath and slowly bring your focus back to the present. When you feel that you are fully in the present, untie the knot. Visualize the string around you heart coming unknotted and pulling the memories away from your heart.
7. See the memories all strung along the physical string.
Supplies: Loose, dried herbs or spices
Cigarette papers*
Newspaper or a plate (this isn't a messy project, but any spilled herbs can easily be cleaned up and reused if you have paper covering your work area)
1.Pick a flat surface to work on, and cover it with newspaper. You can also do this on a plate.
2.Take one cigarette paper from the package and lay it flat on your work surface. You want the glue strip to be facing up on the top most edge.
3.Carefully sprinkle you herbs along the midpoint of the paper. Most cigarette papers have a crease in the middle, this is what you want to aim for. You can use more than one kind of herb, but be careful not to add too much overall.
4.Roll the paper as you would a cigarette. If you don't know how to roll, you can Google this step. I can't give you the instructions for hand rolling because I can't hand roll to save my life. If you have a cigarette roller of any type, this step is easier. Just remember to clean the roller afterward or future cigarettes will taste odd.**
That's all there is to it. These don't last nearly as long as traditional incense sticks, but they work nicely in a pinch. I was able to circumnavigate my entire place with one of these and it burned just a little more than half way down. If you pinch an end and make it small enough, it can fit into a regular joss stick holder. These can also be placed vertically inside a container filled with sand or salt. The nice thing about these is that the paper doesn't burn with any strong odor. On the downside, the incense doesn't produce a very strong scent. That may or may not be so bad depending on your wants and/or needs.
*Cigarette papers are considered tobacco products, so you will have to be of a certain age to purchase them. Check your local laws. I am of legal age to purchase tobacco products in my state of residence.
**I am in no way shape or form advocating the use of tobacco products.
The concept of a spray to banish monsters has been around for a while. I've had a recipe for monster spray given to me by my former high priestess 9 years ago. You can easily find recipes for it online. I am expanding the list of essential oils that can be used in the spray so that parents can help their pagan children choose what “effects” the spray will have.
Supplies:
Empty spray bottle (a small bottle is easy for small hands to hold. Big bottles are okay if an adult will be spraying the monsters.)
Water (enough to fill most of the bottle)
Essential oil (anywhere from a 3 or 4 drops, up to 8% of the weight of the water. Make according to preference.)
Craft supplies (optional)
To Make:
1. Decide if you want your child to help make the spray. Some children may believe in the magick of the spray if they don't see how it's made. Other children may hold a higher belief in the spray if they have a say in what the spray can do. How to precede is up to you as the parent.
2. If your child will be helping, allow them to pick out a spray bottle and to decorate it. An alternative to to decorating the bottle is to make a monster spray label on a computer and printing it to stick on to the bottle.
3. Fill the bottle almost to the top with water. Monster spray needs the occasional shake, so leave enough room in the bottle.
4. Your child can choose an essential oil or two based on which “effects” s/he would like the spray to have. Some “effects” you might consider are: beauty, courage, love, etc. Tell your child what the “effects” will do to the monsters. For example: “Monsters are allergic to beauty,” or “Monsters are scared of brave boys and girls.” Add a few drops of the essential oil(s). With some oils, less is more.
5. If your child is helping to make the spray, you can have them shake the bottle and create a chant naming the oils and the “effects” For example: “Rose for beauty, give monsters allergies,” or “Musk for bravery, monsters are scared of me.”
To Use:
1. If your child will be spraying the monsters, show them how to use the bottle, encouraging them to remember that “less is more.” One or two sprays per monster hiding spot is good.
2. You and/or your child will want to shake the bottle each time it is used. Think of it as activating the magick. You and/or your child can say the chant your child said when making the spray, or you and/or your child can create a new one. For example: “Monsters, monsters, stay away!”
3. Have your child point out monster hiding spots. Some monsters hide under beds, in closets, or behind large objects such as dressers and toy chests. Both you and your child will visit each spot and spray a couple times to make the monsters go away.
"Effects" and their oils: Banishing – basil, peppermint Beauty – ambergris, gardenia, ginger, jasmine, rose Courage – musk, rose geranium, sweet pea Happiness – hyacinth, lavender, lily of the valley, morning glory Harmony – basil, lilac, magnolia, narcissus Love – basil, cinnamon, clove, gardenia, hyacinth, jasmine, lavender, lotus, patchouli, peach, peppermint, rose, rosemary, vanilla, violet Protection – angelica, basil, bergamot, cinnamon, cinquefoil, eucalyptus, frankincense, gardenia, hyacinth, lavender, lilac, lotus, myrrh, nutmeg, rose, rosemary, sandalwood, violet, peppermint, patchouli Sleep - anise, lavender, peppermint, rosemary, sandalwood
Supplies: Loose, dried herbs or spices
Cigarette papers*
Newspaper or a plate (this isn't a messy project, but any spilled herbs can easily be cleaned up and reused if you have paper covering your work area)
1.Pick a flat surface to work on, and cover it with newspaper. You can also do this on a plate.
2.Take one cigarette paper from the package and lay it flat on your work surface. You want the glue strip to be facing up on the top most edge.
3.Carefully sprinkle you herbs along the midpoint of the paper. Most cigarette papers have a crease in the middle, this is what you want to aim for. You can use more than one kind of herb, but be careful not to add too much overall.
4.Roll the paper as you would a cigarette. If you don't know how to roll, you can Google this step. I can't give you the instructions for hand rolling because I can't hand roll to save my life. If you have a cigarette roller of any type, this step is easier. Just remember to clean the roller afterward or future cigarettes will taste odd.**
That's all there is to it. These don't last nearly as long as traditional incense sticks, but they work nicely in a pinch. I was able to circumnavigate my entire place with one of these and it burned just a little more than half way down. If you pinch an end and make it small enough, it can fit into a regular joss stick holder. These can also be placed vertically inside a container filled with sand or salt. The nice thing about these is that the paper doesn't burn with any strong odor. On the downside, the incense doesn't produce a very strong scent. That may or may not be so bad depending on your wants and/or needs.
*Cigarette papers are considered tobacco products, so you will have to be of a certain age to purchase them. Check your local laws. I am of legal age to purchase tobacco products in my state of residence.
**I am in no way shape or form advocating the use of tobacco products.
Thank you