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Guided Meditation (To Connect to the Land)

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If you are able, go outside to someplace where you can see the contours of the land. It might be on a hill or where you can see a road cutaway showing hte layers of stone. It might be in the middle of a wide field or plain stretching as far as the eye can see. Even if you are staying in your own home, try to find a good picture that represents your alnd and perhaps a handful of the soil found nearby.

Make yourself as comfortable as you can, inphysical contact with the ground if possible. Slow your breathing and close your eyes. Then imagine that your awareness is sinking into the ground like a taproot, down through your skin and into soil. Explore that soil for a moment, countless tiny particles ina thin layer across the land, shot through the plant roots and fungal hyphae and the tunnels of tiny creatures and so many bacteria and other microscopic beings that hte soil is alive! Consider how in millions of years this very soil that you tcouhc ay someday become shale or sandstone or some other sedimentary rock.

Now explore deeper, below the soil. Remember what you learned about what’s beneath your home; allow yourself time to “dig” down through the layers of geological history, millions of years measured in inches and feet. Think about how the stone first came to be, whether as magma, ash or cinders, a volcano; sediment washed up by watery currents; or older stone pressed into new forms by heat and tectonic forces. Think about what beings may have first walked upon the stone when it was young and open to the sky, and how their memories may still be recorded there in spirit, if not in form.

Remember the water that has sluiced across teh layers of land here time and time again. think of the rain falling down on ancient mud flats and sandy beaches, sizzling on fresh magma, cutting channles shtrough beds of volcanic ash. Imagine how ponds and lakes have formed in depressions, deepened, then filled in again to become meadows and forests that press the old silt beds down into the earth.

And when you are ready, come back to yourself, but bring back a thin core of these layers with you. Embed them into yourself so that whenever you call upon the elements, you know their presence in the history of the land. When you go outside, know that you are poised on the newest page of a book of ancient history, contributing your tiny part to the grandest story the land has ever told.

Charge the Air with Intention

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One of the most practical and magical applications that I’ve enjoyed lately is to infuse the air with my intentions. This is a great way to promote a certain emotion or feeling at a location. It creates a purposeful atmosphere that’s best suited for your needs.

Before beginning, you may wish to cleanse the space by bell, besom, or incense. A good cleansing will neutralize any negative energy in the space, but the end result is netural energy, bot positie energy. It’s sort of like washing a dish – you remove the food particles and germs frm it, but at the ened of your cleansing, it’s just an empty dish. It’s certainly not filled with pie or stroganoff or some other delectable food.

There’s nothing wrong with neutral energy, but in an environment, it can create an energy gradient that could bring some high-energy people down. It also could make energy raising more labor-intensive and tiring, which is not ideal in a magical setting.

Charging the air with intentions ensures that youwont’ be starting from scratch. It magnifies your magical and mundane workings by lifting them up before you’rve even begun. It can also change any lingering energy patterns in that area. Depending on how successful your magic is, it might even reduce your need to cleanse hte space as often.

The first step to charging the air with your intenitons is to choose a location. Once you’re there, evaluate what happens there and what you wish would happen there. With that in mind, create an intention that states what you want the space to do: “This living room is a place of relaxation, love, and happiness.” “My home office helps me focus so I can create my best work.” “This park is a clean and safe space. Anyone who comes here will respect thel and or feel the urge to leave immediately.” “My ritual space is a protected and sacred area that facilitates powerful magic.”

Be specific, and use language that is positive and present tense. Write your intention down so you can refer to it during this practice and whenever you wish to use it again in the future.

When you’re ready to charge the air with your intention, stand in the center of the space with your feet about hip-width apart. Feel the energy of the air. Start to breathe more consciously, and then connect with the magical element of air.

Once you feel the magical element of air within you draw a deep breath and speak your intention out loud. If that’s not possible, speak it in your mind. Your words will be imbued with the magical element of air. Envision your magical words traveling through the place as a specific color and vibration or feeling. See your intention touching and coloring the items in your immediate area. Hold this image in your mind for about ten seconds before releasing it. Breathe regularly for a few rounds.

When you’re ready to do this again, breathe strongly again to take in the magical element of air within you. Allow it to build for a few breaths. When you feel up for it, take an even deeper breathe strongly again to take in the magical element of air within you. Allow it to build for a few breaths. When you feel up for it, take an even deeper breath than the last time. Let the magical element of air fill your lungs. Recite your intention a second time, louder than before. Envision your intention as an even more vibrant color and vibration that connects with all the molecules in the air around you. See this energy interact with the first intention – see it build upon the energy there and strengthen it. For about twenty seconds, imagine that your intention fills the area. Release the image and breathe naturally for a moment.

When you’re ready for the last push, inhale the magical element of air again. Let it grow within you, then take your deepest breath yet, inhaling as much of themagical element of air into your lungs as possible. Recite your intention with your loudest voice. Envision the energy of your words saturating the place entirely, building upon the other layers of intention in the room with the most intense color and vibration. Hold this in your mind for about thirty seconds, and then release it.

To tether the intention to the room, imagine there’s a thread in the energy that you could pluck that connects to the center of the energy, sort of like a cloud ona string. Grasp the invisible thread and tie it to soething that won’t be cleansed soon, such as a light fixture or a tree branch. Do this again a few times aroudn the space. These threads will help anchor the energy there. Close your eyes and envirion the threads holding hte intention for a minute. When you’re satified with your magic, thank the lement of air for its assistance.

Your charged intention can last for anytime from a couple of hours to several months. It depends on the strenght of your intention, the strength of your energy, and how much traffic it sees. Recharge the intention every once in a while, especially if it dissipates quickly.

If anyone else uses the space, be aware of whether they would consent to you altering the energy or not. It’s likely that your coven wouldn’t mind if you created a spiritual intention in your group ritual room. When consent gets blurry, though, be aware of your ethics and repercussions fro your actions.

Simple Consecration Ritual for Your Pentacle

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You don’t need a full temple space. A corner of your bedorom will do. A convenient tabletop, desktop, dresser top, or mantle top can be covered with a white or black cloth and used as a temporary altar. It’s best if the altar top faces east but not absolutely necessary. candles and incense will help set a solemn mood and focus your intention. Have a white linen or silk bag nearby for wrapping your pentacle. Place your pentacle on the cente of your altar top.

Begin with slow rhythmic breathing to relax the mind and body. When ready, perform the Qabalistic Cross by touching (1) the top of your head, (2) center of your chest (3) right shoulder and (4) left shoulder whle intoning “Atah” (head), “Malkuth” (chest) “VeGeburath” (right shoulder), “Ve-Gedulah” (left shoulder). Clasp your hands together and intol “Le-Olahm, amen.” The meaning of this is “Thou art the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever, unto the ages.” Imagine a vibrant cross of brillaint divine light in the center of your body, connected by the points your have activated.

Place your hands directly over your pentacel, thumb touching thumb and index finger touching index finger so that your hands form a triangle over the pentacle. Then say,

The heaven is above and the earth is beneath. And between the light and the darkness, the energies vibrate. I call upon the Sacred Source of All that exists, by the majesty of hte divine names and words of power YOD HEH VAV HEH, ADONAI EHEIEH, and AGLA, to bestow this present day and hour, and confirm their mystic and potent influence upon the energies linked to the sigils on this Pentacle of teh Universal Forces, which I hereby dedicate to purity and occult work, andm ay its grasp strengthen me in the work of the magic of light!

Imagine a halo of light surrounding your pentacle, charging it with divine power and light. Take as much time as you need before thanking the Sacred Source of All and any other personal deities or angels who may have aided your ritual. Finally, wrap yoru consecreated pentacle in the white linen or bag. Take some time to contemplate the ritual you ahve completed before extinguishing any candles and ending the rite.

Your pentacle can now be used whenever you wish to work with any of the energies whose symbols re inscribed on it. When calling upon a specific energy, grasp the pentacle so that your thumn, the digit assigned to the element of spirit, touches the symbol of the force you wish to work with.

You can also use the pentacle as a magical basis for charging other talsimans, placing objects on it for consecration or blessing.

Magick in the Air: Homemade Incense by Monica Crosson

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If you are using smoke to honor hte spirits of the land that surround you, doesn’t it make sense to make incense form ingredients founds or grown in your own region? Gathering resins or plant materials from your local wild areas or from your own backyard garden allows you to make a deeper onnection with your region and relieves some pressure form popoular resinous trees and plant materials whose demand is leading to overharvesting.

Resins from conifers such as pine, fir, cedar, spruce, and hemlock are just as wonderul as the more exotic resins that we are more familiar with. And though they carry subtle differences in scent and energy, they are no less powerful. For example, resins front the trees in the pine family are a great substitute for the resins of non-native trees such as Protium copal (copal tree) of Central America and the Boswellia sacra (frankincense tree) whose sustainability is under threat because of its popularity. Common garden herbs such as garden sage, rosemary, and lavender, whcihc an be grown in your backyard or in pots, along with teh bark, berries and leafy material from many of your local deciduous trees and shrubs make a magickally potent addition to your incense blends.

Coniferous Trees that Best Produce Resin

Cedar. Use in incense blends for calm, spirituality, healing, and denoting sacred space.

Fir. Use in magick for ancestral work, healing, blessings and past-life regression.

Hemlock. Coniferous hemlock can be used in magick for transformation and illumination. It blends well with lavender and is used for meditative blends.

Juniper. Teh resin, berries, bark, and wood have a calming and relaxing effect and have been used to sharpen mental clarity, for protection, and to raise spiritual energy.

Larch. Use in mixes for connecting with the otherworld, for confidence, and for protection.

Pine. Can be used as substitute for copal or frankincense in blends and is used for healing, cleansing, strength and grounding.

Redwood. Use to connect with the otherworld, abundance, healing, and protection.

Spruce. Use in magick for constancy, versatility, and determination.

What Is Resin?

Resin is a main component in most incense blends. … Resin is produced in special resin cells in plants to protect them from insects or pathogens and is made in response to an injury to the plant. Resins can be produced through the bark of a tree, the flowers of an herb, or the buds of a shrub and can occur as part of other compounds, such as latex.

Some folks use the terms sap and resin interchangeably, and though both are secreted by plants, sap is a thin, sweet liquid that carries nutrients to the living parts of the tree. Resin, on the other hands, is a sticky secretion that is located in the outer cells of the tree and is produced as a seal that prevents infection when a tree is injured. Gathering your own resin is actually easier than you might realize, and you are benefited with the knowledge that your material was gathered ethically and with love.

Harvesting Resin

You will need:

  • Designated dull knife or small metal paint scraper
  • Jars, baggies or wax paper to hold the resin
  • Gloves (optional)

You know that thick, sticky substance you see dripping down the trunk of a tree typically where damage has been done? That is resin. You can easily harvest it by using a dull knife to gently remove the resin from the bark. But remember to keep way from the injured part of the tree and harvest only the drips or what has collected on the ground. The resin acts as a bandage to help keep infection at bay, and you don’t want to further injure hte tree by opening the wound. If you keep resin in a plastic bag, it will remain sticky. to dry it, place on a cookie sheet in the sun or a warm dry place and wait . . . but be patient: it can take months for resin to dry out completely.

Another option (what I do) is to harvest already dried resin from the tree. The pieces can be removed very easily from the trune and around the base of the tree with little mess.

Remember, resin is very stick and does not clean up easily. Alcohol works for cleaning your tools, and olive oil, shortening andhand cleaners such as Goop work on your skin.

After your collected resin has dried, the easiest way to utilize it to simply burn small chunks of it on a charcoal black in whatever amount you may require. Remember to test a small amount first to see how much smoke you get. You might be surprpised at how little you will need.

Other Plant Material

Once you have collected and dried your resin, you may want to add dried plant material or essential oil to create a unique incense blend that is suited to your magickal needs.

Correspondences for Common Woody and Fragrant Material

Alder. Use in mixes for journeying, for self-love, and to ease fear.

Angelica. Use in mixes for protection and clearing negativity.

Ash. Burn the bark of ash in blends for prosperity, protection, and good health.

Aspen. Use for protection, antitheft, and eloquence.

Basil. Use in belnds for improving memeory, to cleanse and purify, and to induce calm.

Bay. Use to promote healing, sharpen your psychic abilities, for protection, and for purification.

Birch. Use in magick for new beginnings, protection, resilience, and inspiration.

Chamomile. Use for peace, healing, divination, and dreamwork.

Dill. Sporting beautiful fragrant fronds, dill is used in blends for love, money and protection.

Elecampane. Use to work with elves, for purification, and for divination.

Elderberry. The perfect addition to working magick with the fae, for protection, or to break curses.

Eucalyptus. You can’ tbeat this tree’s cleansing abilities. Great for protection and to zap negative influences from your surroundings.

Fennel. Use fennel in blends for courage, strength, and transformation.

Fern. Use in faery magick, for luck, for health, and for protection.

Ginseng. Use for love, lust, prosperity, and protection.

Hawthorn. Use in magick for protection, faery magick, and happiness.

Lavender. The smoke of lavender creates a calming, peaceful atmosphere that can be used in mixes for loving vibes, to induce sleep, for meditation, for purification, and for healing.

Lemon Peel. Use dried peel in mixes for summertime rituals, cleansing, happiness, and friendship. Great added to a ritual bath.

Maple. Use in magick for prosperity and love.

Mint. Can be used in mixes to aid in meditation, sleep, and psychic awareness. Use for love, for peaceful vibes, and to stimulate mental clarity.

Mullein. Use for protection, strength, and astral travel.

Mugwort. Use to cleanse a space of negative energies, for dreamwork, and in divination.

Orange Peel. Dried citrus can add an uplifting scent to your incense blends and can be used in blends for mental clarity, luck, for joy, or to raise energy.

Poplar. Use the sticky, sweet resinous buds in magick for success, money, endurance, hope, and rebirth.

Rose. The lovely dried petals of the rose can be used in incense blends for love and healing and to promote a peaceful vibe.

Rosemary. Can be used in mixes for peace of mind, for luck, to stimulate mental clarity, for protection, for healing, and to designate spiritual space.

Sage. Use in mixes for cleansing, promoting spirituality, increased memory, and healing.

St. John’s Wort. Use for happiness, positivity, and protection.

Thyme. Lends well to blends for health, healing, strength, and purification.

Yarrow. Use in mixes for psychic awareness before divination and for clarity.

A Threshold Spell

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For this spell you’ll need:

  • some salt
  • a few drops of lemon juice or vinegar
  • one clove of crushed garlic

Begin by sprinkling some salt along your threshold. In a small dish, mix together a few grains of salt, the lemon juice or vinegar, and the crushed garlic. Now, bury the garlic near your front door. Next, with a broom, sweep the salt you’ve sprinkled along your threshold away from your door. Continue sweeping the salt away from your home and off your porch or steps if you have them. As you sweep, say this charm: 

Spirits dark and spirits that I dread,  
Leave this threshold where I tread.

Repeat this spell once a year, or more if you feel it’s necessary.

Incense Balls

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These are a favorite of mine to make and are a fun way to get the kids involved when creating incense.

You will need:

  • Dry fragrant materials such as dried herbs (lavender, rosemary, mugwort, thyme, sage, etc.) and/or dried resin
  • Mortar and pestle
  • Sticky resin that is cleaned (as best you can) of bark, twigs and needles
  • Essential oils (optional)
  • Cookie sheet

Coarsely grind fragrant materials and optional essential oil with a mortar and pestle, then take a pea-sized glob of resin and knead it together with dry fragrant incense materials. You can use hte back of a spoon or some other tool for kneading to keep your hands clean. When you are finished, your resin balls should have neough dry ingredients added to no longer feel sticky.

Spread them out evenly on the cookie sheet and set it in a warm place with good circulation.

To use them, simply burn them on a charcoal black in a heat-proof container.

Other Hair Magick

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Hair magick can be performed without removing a single piece form your head. There are lots of ways to add some enchantment to your hair care routine, to attract the energies you desire, and to repel those you don’t.

Essential Oils: You can add a few drops of essential oil to your shampoo or conditioner. Remember to only add a small amount so that it doesn’t compromise the product. Try mint for prosperity, rosemary for protection, or chamomile for peace.

Braids: If you have long hair, you can use knot magick to attract your desires. While braiding your hair, visualize what you would like to bring into your life. When you tie the elastic in place, state, “It is done.” Repeat this every time you braid your hait until the thing you seek comes to you.

Cleansing: Every New Moon, pull the hair out of your hairbrush and safely burn it while letting go of everything you no longer need. This will clear out all the stagnant energy from the last Moon cycle, clearing th way for growth and new beginnings.

Crystals: Quartz crystal amplifies your personal power and boosts spiritual awareness. Place a quartz crystal in your bottle of shampoo or other hair product. The energy from the quartz crystal will linger every time you wash your hair. You can do this with other crystals as well according to what you want to attract. Just make sure the crytals you choose won’t be ruined by being immersed in liquid.

Noncombustible Incense

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Noncombustible incense is made up of loosely ground aromatic plant material, resins, and essential oils and releases its smoke when sprinkled onto a hot ember (typically an incense charcoal tablet) in a censer or a heat-proof container. Wht’s great about noncombustible incense is that it’s easy to make, you’re in control of the ingredients, and you can specialize blends to fit your intentions.

You will need:

  • Mortar and pestle
  • Coffee grinder (optional)
    • Works great for hawthorn or juniper berries but destroys some of ht eessential oils for most material
  • Essential oils (optional)
  • Self-lighting charcoal tabs
  • Censer or firesafe container

Creating your own incense blends helps you infuse your perosnal power into the incense. And by using resin that you collected, along with either homegrown or locally sourced dry plant material, you will find that there is not only a pleasant difference in the scent of the smoke but a stronger energy that raises gooseflesh.

Grind your material. Then add optional essential oils. Store in a jar in a warm, dry place and your incnese will keep for years. Noncombustible incense can be burned on a charcoal tab in a censer or other firesafe container.

Black Cat Witch’s Amulet

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Black cats are universally associated with witchcraft and the occult. A black cat is often portrayed as the ultimate witch’s familiar and is believed by some to house a spirit or otherworldly being. Sometimes they’re considered good luck, other times bad luck. Over time, the image of the black cat has become a repository of witchy attributes and associations.

Even if you don’t consider yourself a cat person, you can make and wear this amulet to call upon the archetypal trats of the famous black cat: luck, connection to spirits, mysticism, and, of course, witchcraft power. This amulet is meant to increase magickal abilities, aid in occult studies, and generally bring out your inner witch.

You will need:

  • Small tiger’s eye crystal that will fit in the bottle
  • Small glass bottle with a cork, available at craft shops
  • Pinch of dried catnip
  • 3 strands of hair from a black cat
  • Glue
  • Piece of cord or string long enough to go around your neck

On the night of the full moon, find a quiet place ot make your amulet. It’s preferable that you’re able to see the moon, but if you can’t, visualize it in your mind instead.

Hold hte tiger’s eye up toward the moon. Think about how a cat’s eye glows in the dark just like the moon does, and say: 

Cat's eye, cat's eye, 
Moon shining bright.  
Guide my way in darkness 
Like a black cat in the night.

Add it to the bottle. The stone represents your inner vision, helping you see mystical undercurrents and increasing your psychic senses.

Put the catnip in the bottle. Catnip attracts most cats and is a favorite tempting treat for them. Say: 

Fetch and summon, come to be.  
Black cat spirit, come to me.

Place the cat hairs in the bottle. Say, 

Black cat power is here with me, 
With secrets, luck, and wile.  
A witch's companion spirit
Now lives wihtin this vial.

Put the cork in the bottle and glue it in place. When it’s dry, string it on the cord and wear it as an amulet during rituals and spells or in situations when you need extra power form the black cat spirit.

Airy Walks

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Whenever I feel troubled or I want to change my mindset I go outside and take a walk. I’ve found it’s a great way to get in touch with the magical element of air. Physically, walks increase our breathing rates and circulation, creating aerobic respiration on a whole-body, cellular level. Walks also have numerous magical applications as well. Here are my favorite hacks to do my “airy walks.”

  • While you’re walking, look up at the vast sky above you. Connect with how big it is in all directions. You may start to feel your energy expand and decompress as you take in its enourmous beauty.
  • Pagans and witches talk about the practice of grounding a lot, but hardly anyone talks about the magical practice of elevating. It’s just as important, and it can raise your energy and give you fresh perspectives. To elevate, align your mind or your upper chakras with eh sky high above you. Imagine that your arms are branches, adn feel them grow upward into the sky. Envision them being caressed by a gentle breeze. Allow these snesations to lift you up. Another way to elevate is to connect with a flying bird or a cloud passing overhead.
  • Trees, bushes, and other plants are so in tune with the element of air that even when there’s no breeze that we can feel, they may be dancing in an unseen wind. While walking, look for leaves or branches that are waving at you. Wave back at them or acknowledge them mentally. If you feel moved to do so, ask them for a message. They may just share some arcane wisdom with you.
  • As you walk, gather a ball of air energy around yourself. This is an uplifing experience that’s easy for anyone who has every played with a ball of energy in their hands. to gether a ball of energy while you walk, swing your arms naturally. Cup your hands slighty so that when your arm is moving backward and toward you, your hand brings energy toward the center of your body. Continue walking this way unti lyou’ve getaered a ball of energy around you that doesn’t seem to be growing any bigger. With a deep breath, breathe it in.