Tools Of the Trade

I. Opening RitualAltar:

Use a round altar to symbolize the wholeness and completeness of women. Cover the altar with a beautiful scarf or cloth to symbolize the enveloping nurturance of women. To symbolize your creative and sustaining essence, use an attractive basket containing eggs colored with natural dyes, a bouquet of flowers, a chalice of water and a bowl containing mud or clay.

Invocation: Invoke the five directions and their corresponding elements. (East/air, South/fire, West/water, North/earth, Center/Spirit)

A Blessing Ritual: To honor women as the creators and sustainers of life: Each person takes the bowl of clay and does a blessing by applying clay to the part of the body where that person is concentrating or wants to concentrate their most creative work. For example, a woman completing a degree might bless the forehead, a pregnant woman might bless the womb, or a potter might bless the hands. Poem A Eulogy from the 2nd Century A.D.2 Holy Goddess TellusMother of Living Nature,The food of life Thou metest out in eternal loyaltyAnd, when life has left us,

We take our refuge in Thee.Thus everything Thou dolest outReturns into Thy womb. Rightly Thou art called Mother of the GodsBecause by Thy loyalty Thou hast conquered the power of the Gods.Verily Thou art also the Mother of the peoples and the Gods,Without Thee nothing can thrive or be; Thou art powerful, of the Gods Thou artThe Queen and also the Goddess. Thee, Goddess, and Thy power I now invoke; Thou canst easily grant all that I ask,And in exchange I will give Thee, Goddess, sincere thanks.

CLEANSING AND CONSECRATING TOOLS

This is a continuation of "Cleansing and Consecrating Your Sacred Space"
1.. Stand before the altar and pick up the first item to be consecrated.
2.. Imagine a glowing light from the heavens spotlighting the item.
3.. Pass the item over the incense and say:
I cleanse and consecrate this ________ for positive means.
All negativity is removed from it in any time and space
4.. Repeat this process through the remaining three elements. Pass it through the flame,
sprinkle it with water and finally with the earth element.
5.. Now lay the item down on top of your pentacle.
6.. Now place your palms about one inch from the item, then form a triangular opening with
your hands.
7.. Imagine a silver orb in the opening of your hands.
8.. Let it glow brighter and brighter.
9.. Raise energy from your body and gently push it out between your hands and into the silver orb.
10.. With your mind, lower the orb onto the item and let it be encompassed.
11.. When the energy dissipates, say:
By the Will of the Lord and Lady I have empowered this ______.
May their blessings shine upon and through it always.
By the Free Will of All
And with harm to none&127
As I will
So shall it be done!
12.. Do this for each tool that you wish to cleanse and consecrate
13.. Thank the Goddess and the God as well as the elements
14.. Ground your energy
15.. Raise your right hand over your head and in a counter-clockwise motion, circle it around
the room and say:
The circle is open
May it never be broken!&127
16.. Take the remaining earth and Holy Water and pour it into the ground, and
Say:
I thank thee for the use of thy Power
17. After you have put everything away…relax and go find something to eat and drink before
you record the event. This will help you to ground your extra energy….a little bird told me that it
also helps to run water over your hands!!

An Easy Way To Make Your Own Book Of Shadows

Materials:

3-Ring Binder (1/2"- 5" your choice)
1/2 Yard of material
Tacky Glue
Scissors
Decorations such as ribbon, rhinestones, charms, etc.

Take the binder and center it on the material for fit. Take one end of the material and glue and tuck it under the metal binder spine. Measure the opposite end of the material, then cut and do the same under the other end of the binder spine. (NOTE: You may wish to spot-glue the material to the inner and outer sides of the binder to keep the material in place. However,
this is optional for if you get a good and tight glue and tuck under the binder spine, this is not necessary.) Cut the material that is extended from the top and the bottom of the binder to 1/2" - 3/4" from the ends. On the corners, cut a slit on the material so you can fold and glue each half individually around the binder and tuck the ends. (This is sort of like wrapping a present.)
Glue and tuck any "corner-ears" that may have formed, and flatten nicely. Let the binder dry 3-4 hours, then decorate to your desire. (NOTE: use ribbon to cover any seams you may have.) Now the hard part, decide what information you want to include in your B.O.S. But, I'll leave that up to you!

"Therefore, you are also your own altar. Always do what feels right at the time; listen to the advice of others, follow it if it feels right, but most importantly, do what feels right to you as you worship your deities in your own way. The setting up of an altar may or may not be important to you; if it is important, fine, do it, but do it your own way, so it'll be an extension of you, rather than some table that eventually becomes disused and a nuisance."

By George Booth

WARINING: DO NOT USE ANY INGREDIENTS OR TRY ANY OF THIS UNLESS YOU KNOW IT TO BE SAFE! Just because it came out of a well known book, always check the ingriedients for side affects and other things.

Have you exhausted all your means?

First off, I believe that spells are to be used only as a last resort. I think you should always try to solve problems or desires in the conventional way: hoofing it out by hand. For example, if you are in dire need for money, don't do a money spell right off the bat, try to get an odd job first. Try every possible outlet you can think of to help you out in every situation. Only when you have exhausted all means should you consider writing a spell. And talking of writing spells, that brings us to another topic that needs attention...

Write Your Own spells!!

I am sure you have all seen the spell recipe books out there. I don't mean to badmouth any of them, but I want to say that they are the authors spells. They don't have your thoughts and emotions tied into it. I do not believe that you can just read a spell from a book and make it work for you. It just isn't going to happen. A spell is full of ingredients that are not listed in the book. Could you make someones special cookies without a complete recipe? You could make them close, but not exactly how they were intended to come out. The same holds true for spells. You need a complete recipe and the only place it exists is in your heart. No one elses. But, on that note, the spell books are a good reference point for beginners. They give excellent spell design and can give you new ideas when it comes to writing your own. I used them myself when I first began. I learned the format that was used by DJ Conway and then adapted it to my own use. I began writing more and more and finally came up with my own style. But without my first spell book, I would have had no idea where to begin. So here are some simple guidelines that I use in all spell creation. Follow this and you can be writing your own in no time!

Dramatization

Dramatization is the acting out of your desired result. You should get into the mood by acting out your event with as much detail as possible. You will also want to have a key word and action to release your energy at the apex of your rite, such as a loud clap and shouting a word.

Imagination

Here is where you need to visualize your results in your third eye. Unlike
dramatization where you actually act out a scenario, imagination is used to sense and feel your results. It is equivalent to viewing a movie in your head, with all the details and scenes needed to attain your result.

Identification

In this step, you must realize what exactly is going to change. You must consider all the things that may be influenced by your spell. If you are doing a spell to gain a million dollars (which is unrealistic), you had better think twice where that money comes from. You may get your million dollars from the death of a loved one that had a million dollar life insurance policy taken out! This is where the most important element of Spellwork comes in.

Precise Intent and Precise Content

This step may take days to months to word properly. What is the purpose of this spell? Do you want money to be wealthy and powerful? Do you want money to feed your children? You had better make sure you are doing this spell for the
good of all. Once you considered what you want for a result, and what will be influenced by that result, you need to put your spell into words. You must choose each word carefully and consider the meaning of each word you choose. You do not want to leave any loose ends hanging. You do not want a vague spell that will be interpreted differently during your ritual mindset. Keep it simple, butprecise.

Will Power

The key to will power is keeping your thoughts from wandering. You need to be focused with all your attention placed on the magick at hand. You need to create the image of the spell in your mind and keep it focused. Visualization held by will power helps make mental identification more dramatic.

Components of Spellwork

Components of Spellwork help aid in visualization. There is no set limit to what to include or exclude. The Kitchen Witch uses no components or elaborate setups, while the ceremonial magician may include everything from the precise wording to the time of the year and what planet is in what sign. I have heard of Witches that plan a ritual over a year in advance where a certain planet is in a certain constellation and the ritual must occur at the peak of this time which is a three minuet window for achievement. I suggest you use only the components that will help you along the way.

Amulets and Talismans

Amulets are naturally made items such as stones, sharks' teeth, shamrocks etc. Talismans are carvings coin metal or wood, geometric symbols, numbers tables etc. These are used in protection or for charging during a spell. Another class may be devoted to these in the future.

Dolls

Little 'voodoo' dolls (or poppets) can be used for helping cure ailments by
placing oils and herbs on the doll that is representing the person you are helping. These poppets should be made very distinguishable and stuffed with curing herbs.Dolls should never be used to harm.

Candles

Candles are used in color magick, smudging or just to help set the mood. There are many books on what color candle does what for you. Candles can also be carved, shaped or molded for your specific purpose. (I carve my intent with runes on my candles).

Herbs

Herbs have specific energies that are beneficial to certain spells. Again, check your reference books to see what herbs can do for you. I find them useful in teas or for tuffing dolls.

Lunar Phase

The lunar phases are very influential when using magick. I urge extreme care when doing magick to see you need not worry, but when planning a spell, plan on the phase of the moon as well. Listed below are the four phases and what type of
work should be done during each:

Waxing=Growth
Full=Peak of Psychic
Waning=Diminishing
New Moon=Banishing

Other Constituents

There are many other things you may want to consider, but I deem this spell overkill. Some ceremonial magicians do include it, which is fine for them, so I will just mention it here. They are:

Hour of Day
Day of the Week
Week of Month
Month of Year
Sign of Zodiac moon is in

Preparation

To prepare for any ritual or Spellwork, I strongly recommend fasting. I use some simple guidelines before doing any spell:

Fasting begins 12 hours before ritual
Keep off sex and solid foods
Drink only pure spring water
Eat only whole wheat bread
Do not sleep during these hours
Get into a slightly altered state one hour prior
Try and keep silent that hour
Begin an herbal bath to enhance relaxation one hour prior
Anoint yourself with a magickal oil after your bath
Put on you ritual jewelry and clothing

Once your preparation is complete, you are ready to prepare your magickal circle for the rite. Be sure to cast a thick shielding layer in addition to your regular shield. You will be raising a lot of energy and will need the added
protection.

Raising Energy

There are several ways to raise energy during your spell. Here are a few that
I like to incorporate during Spellwork:

Chanting
Dancing
Drumming
Deep Breathing
Tensing and Relaxing Muscles

At maximum point of energy, hold it_s long as possible, visualize the result of
your spell, and shout the keyword.

Spell Completion

If you are doing spell work during a ritual, be sure to do it after the Wiccan Rede so that those words are still echoing in your head. Do not expect immediate results. Patience is the key to Spellwork!

Once your spell is complete, you will more than likely be drained of energy. You may go outside and ask a tree for assistance in raising your energy back up. To do this, place your hand on the tree energy cycling through you. If you have too much energy, place your hands on the Earth and visualize the energy leaving you to go someplace safe.

Colors

Colors are used to enhance our magickal workings. They work on our subconscious and increase our concentration. Choosing the color you wish towork with on spells or ritual work is entirely up to you. Here are some common colors associated with the God, Goddess, Sabbats, Esbats and other common rituals:

1. The Goddess - Silver
2. The God - Gold
3. Air (East) - Blue
4. Fire (South) - Red
5. Water (West) - Green
6. Earth (North) - Yellow
7. The Gate - White
8. Samhain - Orange
9. Yule - Purple
10. Imbolg - Red
11. Ostara - Light-green
12. Beltane - White
13. Litha - Yellow
14. Mabon - Dark-green
15. Lughnasadh - Brown
16. Full Moon - Milky-white
17. Initiation - Astrological color of student
18. Handfasting - White
19. Wiccaning - White
20. Requiem - Black
21. Love - Pink or Red
22. Banishing - Black
23. Prosperity - Green

A Pagan Alphabet

To learn your letters you must start. With a clever mind and a willing heart Each one is special, just like you And you will learn them all by the time we are through!

A is Athame, the knife that we use
B is for Beltaine, when partners we choose
C is for Circle where we all are one.
D is for Deosil, path of the Sun.
E is for Esbat, when we gather round
F is for Fire and its crackling sound
G is the Goddess in beauty and love.
H is the Horned One, our Father above.
I is for Imbolg, candles light the way,
J is for June when it's Midsummer's Day
K is for Karma, the things that we do
L is for Lammas, harvest's almost through!
M is for Moon, riding way up so high,
N is for Nighttime, which darkens the sky
O is for Ostara, when we hunt for eggs,
P is for Pan, with hairy goat legs
Q is the Quarderants and there are just four,
R for the Rites when we open the Door
S is for Samhain, end of the year,
T is for Tarot cards, futures to hear
U is Undines from the watery West
V is Vervain for protection and rest
W is Widdershins, the path of the moon.
X is the sign that's the sign of the God
Y is for Yule and the sun's return
Z is the Zodiac, 12 signs to learn

Elemental Condensers

Condensers are prepared fluids that are used to carry magical charges. One method of charging them is to place your hands together, palms down so that the index fingertips meet as to the tips of the thumbs. If done properly you will form a triangle in the opening between your hands. Nextinhale deeply visualizing the full moon above your head.

Bring the triangle opening in your hands over the condenser liquid and exhale three times through the opening and onto the liquid. As you do this visualize the light of the moon pouring down through your head and into your lungs as you inhale and then visualize it flowing out with your breath as you exhale.

It is always wise to prepare bottles containing Elemental charges so that you have them when needed. Amber colored bottles are best because they dilute the light entering through the glass. Sunlight will deplete astral charges and your magickal liquids are best kept away from it as much as possible. Also other types of colored glass tend to pass on the charge of the color itself, while amber is neutral and will not contaminate a pure or specific charge.

Once charged, an Elemental condenser can be used to empower a spell or ritual tooL Letters can be anointed with them to convey a specific feeL Statues can also be anointed with an Elemental charge for ritual work or spell casting. One example would be to take a fairy figurine and anoint it with an Air condenser The statue can then be used to invoke a fairy spirit or simply to empower a fairy magick spelL Ritual tools can be charged with the Element they represent to add additional power Traditionally the pentacle represents Earth, the wand is Air the dagger represents Fire, and the chalice is Water.

Simple Condenser

This condenser can be used magically to stimulate one's psychic nature and to improve clairvoyance in generaL To make this condenser take two level teaspoons each of camomile flowers and eyebright and place them in a bowl Boil two cups of water on an open flame and then add the herbs. Set the mixture aside to cool for fifteen minutes. Then filter the mixture through four layers of clean linen cloth or cheesecloth. For clairvoyance soak two cotton balls close your eyes and place the balls on your closed eyelids for about twenty minutes. To increase occult sensitivity in the palms of your hands for the purpose of psychometry, place cotton pads on the
palms of your hands for the same period of time. A simple condenser can also be drunk as a tea before employing a form of divination such as the Tarot cards or rune stones.