Elementary, My Dear Pagan! (Reconnecting with the elements)

 

These candles are the result of a month-long journey that I took from Full Moon to Full Moon, starting from the February FM and lasting until the March FM. The purpose of this month-long spell was to help myself reconnect with the four elements of earth, air, fire, and water. I was very much in need of a reminder that nature and I are one and the same, and I had been wanting to do something like this for a very long time. After gaining some inspiration from my friend Monica, I decided to get cracking!

I created a separate candle for each element, and for the week that I was working with that particular element, each morning and evening I would light the candle, say the appropriate incantation (which I got from Silver Ravenwolf's book Hedgewitch, which I borrowed from Monica), and meditate on the element for about ten or fifteen minutes. For the air candle, I used a yellow votive candle, anointed it with oil (I don't remember what kind unfortunately), and rolled it in lavender; for the fire candle, I used a red votive candle, anointed it with Fire oil that I purchased at the NYC Pagan Pride festival a few years back, and rolled it in crushed cloves; for the earth candle, I used a green votive candle, anointed it with Eucalyptus oil, and rolled it in salt; and for the water candle, I used a blue votive candle, anointed it with rose oil, and rolled it in crushed rose petals. I worked with the elements in that order: air, fire, earth, and water.

As an example of me using shiny things as talismans, I wore this pendant for the entirety of the spell:

I found this on an Etsy shop back in June 2011, about eight months before I even began to think about starting this journey, and I had worn it pretty frequently before then, but the moment I decided to commit myself to the process, I felt that this was the obvious choice as a representation of it. This happens to be one of my favorite pendants, and it's probably the one I wear the most these days, so I had absolutely no problem with wearing it non-stop for a month while I completed the venture! 

I found that with each week, depending on the element that I was working with, I noticed that element in relation to nature and in relation to its more "mundane" characteristics (for lack of a better term). During air week, not only was I paying more attention to the feel and scent of the air itself (the air had that "snow" feel/smell), as well as other scents (both pleasant and not-so-pleasant) of NYC, I noticed that anything sensory was very much amplified. My music seemed more meaningful, the scents more potent, the sights more beautiful. During fire week, everything having to do with creativity and passion was amplified tenfold; fire week also happened to correspond with my menstrual period, and that was definitely an interesting combination (I blame Sekhmet). During earth week, the focus was on the varying meanings of abundance, and also on mortality; one of my dad's friends died during this week, and as a result, my subconscious fears about death and mortality came to the surface. However, because of the element I was working with, I was able to work through and move past these issues. During water week, it rained almost the entire week, and I noticed that it was much harder to hide my emotions; I was wearing my heart on my sleeve that whole time. 

By the end of the lunar cycle, I felt that I had learned a lot, not just about the elements, but about myself. These were all lessons that I needed to learn, all experiences that I needed to have, and I am very happy that I decided to commit myself to this.

Earth My Body (A Healing Spell)

This is a healing spell I did in mid-February when I was having some issues under the belt (I think we've all been there at least once). I had a nasty yeast infection that I didn't realize was a YI until after it was already well in full swing (the bastard snuck up on me ): ). I had also been having issues relating to recurring urinary tract infections that I had finally cured with a three-month-long course of low-dose antibiotics, but I had some residual pain from having one after the other after the other for so long. I decided that my body, specifically my reproductive and urinary systems, needed a thorough cleansing and healing, and that was how this spell came to be!

The ingredients I used for this spell included the medicine (which worked like a charm, no pun intended), a red yoni candle, a blue chime candle, Hygeia oil (specifically made for women's health issues), raspberry leaf, and hyssop, all from the shop Enchantments located in New York City. There's actually an interesting story behind the blue candle, which is that while I was browsing the other candles on that particular shelf, this candle actually rolled itself towards me from inside the box where it was located...and nobody had touched or shaken that shelf. I took that as a sign! As for deciding to place the medicine on my altar, ever since I became more adept at crafting my own spells, whenever it came to healing spells, I would always charge any medicine that I was going to use, and I figured that this time should be no different!

For the blue candle, I carved my name and some symbols for healing, anointed it with the Hygeia oil, and rolled it in the hyssop/raspberry leaf mixture. For the red yoni candle, I honestly don't remember if I carved any symbols or anything into it...I think I decided to leave it be, since I didn't really like the idea of carving anything into my vagina, and simply anointed the anatomical portion with the Hygeia oil, along with the hyssop/raspberry leaf mixture. I did the same with the YI medicine, anointing the box with the oil and the herbs. After I was finished with all of this, I lit the blue healing candle, and then lit the red yoni candle with the blue healing one in order to transfer that healing power to myself. I can honestly say it worked wonders; ever since then (knock on wood), to date, I haven't had any women's health issues!

Salt and Thorns (protection spell)

This is a protection candle spell I did for myself a few weeks ago.  It was for both general protection and to repel negative energy directed at me by others, whether deliberately or unconsciously.  This was one of those happy instances in which my mood was perfectly in line with the aim of my spell, so everything seemed to fall into place easily and I didn't really have to think too hard about what to do.  I also performed it when the Moon was waning and in Scorpio, and I was really feeling that dark lunar energy.

I used a black candle which I'd carved with my name and various words and symbols of protection.  I anointed it with Szemmel Veres oil from Conjured Cardea's Etsy shop and then rolled it in fine sea salt.  Then I placed it in the center of a circle of sea salt on a black metal candle plate and surrounded it with a small piece of hematite, a compact mirror (one which I keep for use in spells), and a small twig with thorns.  (No, I don't know the type of plant the twig was from.  Although I have a few pieces of blackthorn, I didn't feel the need to use them for this spell.  I decided to use this tiny bit of twig that I found quite some time ago, fallen from a hedge on the street where I live.  It's been in my magic cabinet ever since, waiting to be called into service.)  I also poured a bit of spring water at the base of the candle

The music I used to raise energy was Hex by Jade Sol Luna, which is one of my favorite songs/chants to use for this purpose.

As I said, the timing worked out so that both my mood and the lunar energy of the day were perfectly in sync with the spell and everything seemed to work smoothly.  Everything I needed was just right there, waiting to be used.

In the background, you can see Hekate's candle and the figure of Kerberos that always stands beside it.  I didn't invoke them in working this spell, but they are always present on my altar.  There used to be a statue of Hekate there, as well, but one of my cats knocked it off the altar so it broke *shakes fist* and I have yet to find a replacement that I like.

Introduction: Ilyssa

Hello folks! My name is Ilyssa, and I'm the other resident witch here. I'm a Pagan and a Witch, and like Thea, I consider Witchcraft to be a part of my spiritual path. I started walking this path eleven years ago when I was eleven years old (there's gotta be some numerological significance there!). I began as a Witch, only doing spells and honoring the elements sort of offhandedly, and added the Pagan spirituality later on, when I was about fourteen or fifteen. I worship both Sekhmet and Dionysos (which makes for very interesting rituals); Sekhmet called me in October of 2008, and Dionysos not too long after! I consider myself to be a Fire witch, since that's the element that I work with the best (and the most!).

That being said, candle magic is my strong point, and with the help of herbs, stones, oils, and all sorts of magical goodies, I tend to have my strongest and most immediate effects when I use it. I very much enjoy making my candles look pretty, although I don't always do it consciously! Sometimes they just come out that way. I'm a big fan of sympathetic magic, and I enjoy using the principle of "like attracts like" to my advantage. For example, if I want to sever ties with someone, I'll create two candles (one for each of us), tie the candles together with a ribbon, and then cut it. Afterwards, I'll cauterize the ribbon with a lit match to prevent the connection from re-forming. I also very much enjoy using shiny things as talismans, often using a combination of candles, herbs, oils, and stones to charge them up with energies that I need.

Again, much like Thea, I don't believe that you have to go bankrupt in order to create effective magic. I used to believe that you needed all sorts of mystical, "special" props in order for my magic to work, but I've found that cloves from the grocery store work just as well as cloves from the local Pagan shop. Do I enjoy using stuff from local Pagan shops? Of course (and I'm a HUGE proponent of supporting your local Pagans!), but sometimes I just can't afford it, and that's where the supermarket comes in handy. Remember: you don't have to break the bank to be magical!

Introduction: Thea

Welcome to SpellCrafting!  My name is Thea and I'm one of the resident witches here.  I'm a Pagan and a witch, and I consider those to be two separate things.  However, I do view witchcraft as part of my spiritual path because my matron goddess is a goddess of (among other things) magic.  I live in New York City, so while I'm as Nature-loving as the next Pagan, I'm definitely a city witch.  And a Water witch.  And a crossroads witch.  Hey, I'm a multitasker!

My spells are usually pretty straightforward--a carved candle dressed with oils and herbs, salt and stones, and occasionally backed up with a few more props.  I like to raise energy with the help of good music.  My iPod has turned out to be an invaluable magical tool, although sometimes I rely on my own voice.

One of my favorite aspects of spellcrafting is finding spell components in everyday places such as the supermarket, the home goods section of my local department store, the office supply store, and of course the natural world.  I don't believe it's necessary to spend buckets of money on making magic, and I find that having to hunt around a bit helps me to be more creative, which is a fun challenge.

Speaking of creativity, despite being one of the least craft-y (in the non-magical sense) people I know, I really enjoy magically and spiritually themed craft projects such as making spell boxes and--still in the planning stages--deity masks.  Being able to totally customize spells and magical items in such a way makes them feel more personal.  And, if I'm being really honest, I have to admit that I'll take just about any excuse to throw some glitter around.