As you wind your way up the path to the Magickal Cottage, knock on the door, for you are most welcome! The kettle is about to boil and I’ll brew us some tea so we can sit and discuss how to create a magickal life. Merry Meet!
Do not do what you desire – do what is necessary. Take all you are given – give all of yourself. What I have – – – I hold! ~ Robert Cochrane
So, you have watched the first two videos on cleansing and protection on my YouTube channel and you feel ready to cast a spell. Good for you! Here is the link if you need a review 😀 The Magickal Cottage on YouTube But first, let’s take a step back and consider all that is involved in spell work.
Just as the magickal path in general involves constant study and work, so, too, you must carefully “craft” your spell craft. I know, I know, I’ve seen these people, too, on social media who say they do “whatever they feel is right” with no rules to bind them. But please consider what I’m about to tell you about spell work before deciding on how to proceed.
At the risk of oversimplifying, I’d like to mention something about “karma”. To my way of thinking karma is a metaphysical term related to the mundane principle of cause and effect. You stick your hand in a flame and you will get burned. And I know there are those who don’t want to equate anything in the astral with things on the physical plane, but isn’t that what “As above, so below” is about? Enough said. I will give you my take on spell casting and you can decide for yourself how to go about things. I do like the quote above by Cochrane: “do what is necessary”. Being a light in the darkness for others is sometimes the best use of magick.
If you click on the menu tab of this blog site for the “Correspondences” page you will see a list of very useful information that should be helpful in spell casting. I will be adding to this page over time, so be sure to check back occasionally to see what is there. Feel free to copy this information into a word document and print a copy for your book of shadows. I will be referring to this information in this post on spell casting.
The Witches’ Pyramid
The Witches’ Pyramid (pictured above) has been around for quite a long time and has been a model for following a magickal path. There are lots of great blog posts and videos on the general meaning of the pyramid, so do some research on the topic. I have also found that the witches’ pyramid can be used as a model for spell casting, and that’s how I will be using it in his post. We will take each of the components of the pyramid in order and discuss how they can be applied in creating and casting a spell.
To Know
This is the part of the spell that involves doing the research. This component can make or break your spell. If your timing is off or your wording is wrong things might just go haywire, and they probably will.
I’ve heard it many times: “I tried a spell and it didn’t work!” If you sent out energy with intent it did work, just not the way you wanted it to. If you ALWAYS bear in mind that energy follows the path of least resistance it will serve you well. If you do a spell to “win the Lotto“, the Universe might present you with a child’s Lotto game. That would probably be the easiest way for the Universe to deliver what you asked for. That might be the path of least resistance. See what I mean?
And then there is timing. I make it a policy to never do spell work during Mercury retrograde or when the moon is void of course. You can find the Mercury retrograde periods for each year online with a simple search. For finding the moon’s void of course you can use a lunar app such as ILuna. The void of course period is when the moon is changing signs. With both the Mercury retrograde and the void of course periods Mercury ( about communication) and the moon are not able to lend their energies to your spell. And let’s face it! We will take all the help we can get in our spell work. It’s not just that these heavenly bodies can’t lend their energy, but they can’t lend their control the way they usually do. You may also consult the tables for the BEST moon sign or day of the week to work your spell. Consider all of the energies you would like to incorporate to help bring about your magickal goal.
So you have decided you have a need for a spell. If the spell is for yourself then you can proceed. If the spell is for someone else then you need to get their permission. There’s a little thing called “free will” that I like to respect. Take it from me, casting a love spell on another person not only violates their free will but is manipulative. You don’t like being manipulated, right? It probably makes you angry, right? That’s exactly how it will make your “target” feel.
I have included a “Spell Worksheet” on the Correspondences page. You can create a document by copying and pasting the text into a word document and make copies for planning your spells. You can even change the font to something more “witchy” and add artwork. Have fun!
Go ahead and fill in the spell worksheet by stating your purpose, figuring out your timing and correspondences and what supplies you will need. I plan to go into various types of spells in future posts, but for now let’s just go through the steps. You are making a plan. Here I would like to add that the wording of your petition is SO important! Here are pointers for writing a good spell petition:
1. State your request in simple terms that cover every aspect of what you really want.
2. Don’t use euphemisms or expressions because the Universe is very literal. Asking for “showers of blessings” could bring a downpour of rain or a leaky whatever…be specific.
3. State things in a positive way. Avoid negative words if possible.
4. Cover every possible outcome with “for the highest good in a happy, joyous way for all concerned“ … or something similar. You don’t want your new found income to be the result of an inheritance gained from the death of your favorite uncle.
5. “To bind the spell every time, let the words be spoke in rhyme.” This is worth the trouble of doing if you can manage to write your request in rhyming phrases. For one thing, it makes it easier to remember your request and say it without reading it. It also seems rather like a chant….very magickal! If you can’t manage a rhyme, then skip it. You don’t need to stress yourself out over this.
To Dare
So now you are ready to take action! You gather your supplies making sure to cleanse them. You ground yourself. You create a sacred space by either putting up your protective shielding, or you can cast a circle. There is a video on my YouTube channel that covers circle casting. Here it is: Casting a Circle
Remember that circle casting is not just for protection but to help with focusing the energy. You can decide if shielding or casting a circle are called for. I would say a simple healing tea light for someone’s headache could be done with a simple shielding. A more elaborate spell for protection or uncrossing might merit a circle casting. Call in or invite any guides, angels or ancestors to help you with the spell.
To Will
As you perform the actual spell you are going to want to generate some energy to charge the spell and send it on its way into the cosmos. You will raise energy over the area where you have performed the spell on a table or altar. There are lots of ways to raise energy like chanting, dancing, making sounds with rattles, drums and chimes, OR you can create what I call an “energy ball”. Above your spell work area, place your hands with your palms together and rub them back and forth to create friction. Then slowly separate your hands to feel the energy you have generated. There should be a springy feeling between your palms.
Shape the energy into a ball with your hands. Don’t worry if you don’t see anything! You can infuse the energy ball with your spell intent repeating your petition three times, allowing the energies of your spell ingredients to rise up into the energy ball and, when ready, you can release the ball along with your intent upwards into the cosmos. When you are infusing the energy ball try to visualize the outcome of your spell in the ball as if you are seeing it as a scene in a crystal ball. Use your inner knowing to decide when you have generated the right amount of “intention energy” into the ball, and then let it go by giving it a little (or big) push with your hands. Sometimes you get the feeling of that energy ball taking off like a shot! Sometimes it just drifts upwards and away. Just trust in whatever happens.
Ground yourself. Take three deep breaths and release the circle or shield. As you do this be sure to thank any spiritual helpers you may have enlisted and bid them farewell along with your blessings.
To Keep Silent
Congratulations! You cast a spell! You may feel like sharing this on social media, but DON’T. It’s important to keep silent. You don’t want other peoples’ energy adding to your spell and possiblyaltering the outcome. Make note of any events, contacts or other occurrences that may reflect the results of your spell work as well as opportunities that come your way as an answer to your spell request. The spell may bring opportunities for success but it’s up to you to act on those opportunities and do your part on the physical plane. You can cast a spell for a great job, but you still need to do the legwork and conduct a job search. So be silent and observant and receive your blessings quietly! It’s ok to smile like the Cheshire Cat as you do so! (Wink)
To Go
Now go about your business! Trust in your spell work. Have faith. No, you don’t need to rethink anything. No, you don’t need to do the spell over again. Release the spell and don’t take it back. You are the magick!
I know it seems like I was living at my last magickal cottage, Crow Hollow, for only a short time (5 years seems short), but life takes some unexpected turns sometimes and we are called to make changes.
I won’t go into the crazy year I’ve lived through in 2018. Suffice it to say, there have been some sorrows and, as always, some great joys. Moving was stressful and exciting as well.
Sycamore Hill is an amazingly magickal place that seemed to call me to come live on this spot of land. Twin sycamore trees guard the house at the front and the back, and the view from the backyard is inspiring!
There is a steep slope at the back of the property and the idea of terracing and cultivating the land seems daunting. Homesteading here would be a dream fulfilled, so wish us luck!
I know I have been called to work with the earth and to help the pollinators flourish. I have already bought some native plants and seeds to start this fall.
The decorating to bring out the magick here is coming along. That takes time. We have a new puppy and the cats are on strike so I’ve had to work around that. One thing I have adopted for creating seasonal magickal vignettes is an old armoire.
Some tension rods, fabric and curtains and we have an interesting beginning. I’ve decided September is Apple Month. Mabon always makes me think of apples, so I plan to make candy apples a family tradition in a kitchen witchy way.
I was thinking how the Apple is so representative of the goddess and the witch: very apropos to this time of year. Our coven assigns the element of water (very feminine) to the harvest quarter of Lughnassadh, Mabon and Samhain.
As the autumn equinox approaches we anticipate the time of balance. There will be an equal number of daylight and darkness hours, and hopefully we will all find ways to bring more balance into our physical, emotional and spiritual lives. Our coven will celebrate Mabon with a burning man and offer up a part of our personal harvest in whatever form it has taken. There is always a harvest, and this Witches Thanksgiving is the time to remember that.
Brightest blessings to you all, and may you have a wondrous and magickal Mabon!
It’s been hot here lately at the Magickal Cottage! The summer sun has been absolutely oppressive. Fortunately, tomorrow it’s supposed to start cooling off a bit. It’s the Dog Days of summer! According to Factmonster: Dog Days is the name for the most sultry period of summer, from about July 3 to Aug. 11. Named in early times by observers in countries bordering the Mediterranean, the period was reckoned as extending from 20days before to 20 days after the conjunction of Sirius (the dog star) and the sun.
All a body feels like doing on days like these is to kick back and move as little as possible, sort of like the way my dog chooses to spend most of her time year round. Our dog, Sheila (she’s Australian), has a couple of “beds” around the house and usually chooses to lie down on the one that is closest to her human. Except for when the mail carrier or delivery truck threatens her home, she is fairly laid back and sleeps a lot.
Three cats make their homes here as well. However, the big difference between the cats and the dog seems to be in the way that cats will sometimes “honor” you with their presence and dogs “cherish” your presence. I am a crazy cat lady, sure, but can just as easily become a crazy dog lady as well. I was the dog mom of three dogs at one time, so there you go! I’m a sort of a switch hitter when it comes to animal parenting.
The thing about dogs is that they just love to hang out. There is something very comforting about a dog who likes to curl up next to you when you are taking a nap or feeling under the weather. There is speculation that humans first domesticated dogs because they were helpful in alerting them of danger and proved useful in hunting prey with their sharper senses. But over time it seems that the bond became much closer between dogs and humans. The goddess, Hecate, is fond of dogs, especially black dogs. And dogs are said to guard the gates of the Underworld which is proof of their reliability as a watchman. I can’t picture a cat agreeing to sit and guard anything that they were told to guard by human or deity!
As an animal totem or guardian, this is what we are told about dog:
The Dog is a symbol of the small becoming the great.
People with this totem have great spirit
and a great ability to love.
It takes a lot to break a dog spirit.
People with a Dog totem are usually helping others or serving humanity in some way. Dog medicine embodies the loving gentleness of best friend and the fierce energy of protector. You will have a deep understanding and compassion of human shortcomings.
As an animal totem I think dog is one of the great ones. And people with this totem are true humanitarians. Sure, they aren’t as exotic as a dragon or a phoenix (I love dragons and phoenixes, btw), but wouldn’t you love to have a dog person as a best friend or partner? I would!
So kick back with your canine companion and enjoy these final days of summer. What? You don’t have a dog? Well, there are plenty of them just yearning to hang out with you! Go and get you one! And remember: Adopt, don’t shop.
Since my last blog post my life has been turned upside down, in a sense. At the beginning of this year I suddenly found myself faced with the fact that I would be moving from Texas to California. I was born in California and I have family there, so this will not be the traumatic culture shock I experienced when I moved to Texas 14 years ago.
I have also had to close my business, and that, plus changing houses, has caused me to have to reinvent myself….again.I use the popular phrase “reinvent” because I feel that is what I have done over the years. I decide how I will express myself to the world. Five years ago I went from being a teacher of 5 and 6 year olds to a healer, therapist and counselor. I was doing pretty well at it, too. I got a spot doing readings at the top psychic fair in the metroplex. The phone rang all the time. Life was good.
So why did I agree to the move? Well, I expect to become a grandma in the next year or so. I have also missed my family enormously over the years, and even though my magickal cottage has been my haven and source of constant energy, I must leave it behind. People, especially family, are more important.
So we found our perfect new home. It will be a wonderful magickal cottage; of that I am sure! I know all will be well, but THE LAST FEW MONTHS HAVE BEEN SOOOO STRESSFUL! Pardon my venting, but the energy in my home has been so chaotic. You see, we decided the expense of hiring a moving company would be too great, so we are moving ourselves with the help of Uhaul and PODs. At one point the boxes were stacked so high it was hard to move through the house. Next week the final load will be taken (via a POD) to our new home in California, so right now the house is fairly clutter free. The dust is starting to settle, as they say.
One of the biggest lessons (I always look for the lesson ;-)) that I have learned is that there is really something to all this energy / fengshuy stuff. OK, I already knew that, but sometimes we need a slap in the face to remind us. Yesterday I cleaned, lit candles and enchanted the space I have called home these many years. I feel much better. Whew! What I failed to remember in the midst of all this chaos was that the sanctity of my home was not lost. I just failed to see it from behind all those boxes. This morning I reread my post of Feb. 24, 2012 about the Divine Domicile. Ah yes, recognizing what is there is what is needed. There is really nothing to be found because it was never lost.
A little less than two weeks and I will be discovering the magick in our next magickal cottage. I look forward to all the wonderful energies and good entities I will meet. Oh, and I have been reassured by my own guardians that they will be coming with me on the move, with the exception of the earth dragon who sits atop the house. He will remain to guard my son and his family who will be taking care of the house for the next year. Our new magickal cottage already is being watched over by a blue water dragon, and she is doing an excellent job!
I know it seems like I was living at my last magickal cottage, Crow Hollow, for only a short time (5 years seems short), but life takes some unexpected turns sometimes and we are called to make changes.
The Magickal Cottage 
