The Witch's Guide to Ritual. Cerridwen Greenleaf
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is the best moon phase for me to work rituals of change. After documenting this information and performing both new and traditional, time-tested rituals and spells with the new moon in Pisces, I learned from a professional astrologer that it is my natal placement—the moon is in the same phase and sign in which is positioned at the time of my birth. Thus this moon phase and sign accords with my own energy and creates a time when my personal power is at its peak. Through trial, experimentation, and much practice, you will discover secrets of the universe for yourself and record what you learn in your own BOS.
The Book of Shadows can be a tremendous aid if you use it daily or as often as possible. Whenever you come upon a bit of wisdom regarding the nature of ritual or magical work, write it down. This should also be a book of inspiration, filled with your own thoughts, poetry, and observations. Most importantly, it should be a record of results. If you track the effectiveness of a ritual, you can use this information and newfound wisdom in the future. Your BOS should be a book you turn to again and again. It can be a gorgeous, hand-crafted volume of handmade paper and ribboned bookmarks or a simple three-ring binder. Just make sure it appeals to you so that you will use it often and well.
Broom
As a magical tool, the broom was born of the practical magic of sweeping the ritual area clean before and after casting a spell. With focus and intention, you can dispel negative influences and bad spirits from the area and prepare a space for ritual work. In bygone days, pagan marriages and Beltane trysts took place with a leap over the broom, an old traditional element of handfasting, or pagan wedding. While this happens more rarely now, the broom has grabbed the popular imagination as the archetypal symbol of witches.
Your broom is an essential tool for energy management. Obtain a handmade broom from a craft fair, not a machine-made plastic affair from the supermarket. A broom made of wood and woven from straw will be imbued with the inherent energies of those natural materials. Also, do not use your ritual broom for housework, as this would mix up energies in your home and sacred space. Many of you may well consider your home to be sacred space in its entirety. Keep your regular household implements separated from your ritual tools nonetheless. This is a matter of protecting yourself and the energy of your sacred space. Any of your cleaning implements, such as a broom, can very easily have chemicals from regular housecleaning remaining on them. In general, it is not advised to use tools such as a ritual knife to debone a chicken, for example, as this reduced the effectiveness of your ritual tools and risks a confused blending of mundane and magical energies. If you treat your ritual tools with the utmost respect, they will serve you well. Over time they will become deeply imbued with magical energy through exclusive use in your workings. The Wiccan tradition holds brooms in high regard, and some witches have an impressive collection of brooms, each named to distinguish between their roles as “familiars,” or kindred spirits.
Candles
Nowadays, the popularity of candles has reached an all-time high. Candles are used by folks of all walks of life for relaxation, meditation, and aromatherapy. This simple yet profound tool can make powerful magic. Notice how candlelight transforms a dark room and fills the air with the energy of magical light. Suddenly the potential for magic is evident.
Candles contain all four of the elemental energies:
Air—Oxygen feeds and fans the candle flame.
Earth—The solid wax forms the candle.
Water—Melted wax is the fluid elemental state.
Fire—The flame sparks and blazes.
How to Charge a Candle
“Charging” a candle means instilling it with magical intent. A candle that has been charged carries that intention through all four elements and up to the heavens. It fills the very air with your magic. Ritual candles are chosen for their correspondences, carved, and “dressed,” or anointed, with the energy of an essential oil.
Candle Color Correspondences
Black: banishing, absorbing, expulsion of the negative, healing serious disease, attracting money
Brown: home, animal wisdom, grounding, healing
Dark Blue: change, flexibility, the unconscious, psychic powers, healing
Gold: solar magic, money, attraction, the astral plane
Gray: neutrality, impasse, cancellation
Green: money, prosperity, growth, luck, jobs, gardening, youth, beauty, fertility
Light Blue: patience happiness, triumph over depression, calm understanding
Orange: attraction, success with legal issues, mutability, stimulation, support, encouragement
Pink: love, faithfulness, friendships, goodness, affection
Purple: healing, ambition, business success, stress relief, power
Red: strength, protection, vitality, sexuality, passion, courage, power, love, good health
White: purification, peace, protection, truth, binding, sincerity, serenity, chastity, happiness, spirit
Yellow: mental power and vision, intelligence, clear thinking, study, self-assurance, prosperity, abundance, divination, psychism, powers of persuasion, wisdom, charisma, sound sleep
Once you clarify your intention, cleanse your candles by passing them through the purifying smoke of sage or incense. Further charge your candle by carving a symbol or sigil into the wax. You can warm the tip of your ritual knife using a lit match and carve your full intention into the candle wax. As you engrave the appropriate magical words onto the candle, you are charging it with energy and intention. Next, you should “dress” your candle with specific oil. Every essential oil is imbued with a power that comes from the plants and flowers of which it is made. The appendix gives correspondences that you can use. You can also use oils to anoint yourself at the crown of the head or at the third eye to increase mental clarity. By using the inherent powers of essential oils, you are increasing the effectiveness of your rite and “doubling” the energies by anointing both your tool—in this case, the candle—and yourself.
Essential oils are highly concentrated extracts of flower, herb, root, or resin extract, sometimes diluted into base oil. Try to ensure that you are using authentic essential oils instead of perfume or fragrance oils, which are synthetic versions. Always treat the oils with great care, as some are highly irritating to those with sensitive skin. For this reason, some people choose to wear clean cotton gloves when handling oils. Use droppers to measure the oils carefully, and avoid touching your face and especially eyes when working with them. Never drink your essential oils and use caution when inhaling them, as some of the stronger ones can have a negative effect on your sinuses. Different people have different reactions to various essential oils. My friend Nancy, for example, gets migraine headaches any time amber oil is in use. If possible, find an herbalist who will guide you as you experiment with oils in rituals and workings. I am fortunate in that I may consult with Randy, my trusted oil mixer at San Francisco’s The Sword and the Rose. He is extremely knowledgeable and generous with his wisdom. Research and explore the wide varieties of essential oils now available, and eventually you will discover those that work for you.
Essential Oil Magical Correspondences
Astral Projection: jasmine, benzoin, cinnamon, sandalwood
Courage: geranium, black pepper, frankincense
Dispelling Negative Spirits: basil, clove, copal, frankincense, juniper, myrrh, pine, peppermint, rosemary, sandalwood, Solomon’s seal, yarrow, vetiver
Divination: camphor, orange, clove
Enchantment: ginger, tangerine
Healing: bay, cedar wood, cinnamon, coriander, eucalyptus, juniper, lime, rose, sandalwood, spearmint
Joy: lavender
Love: apricot, basil, chamomile, clove, copal, coriander, rose, geranium, jasmine, lavender, lemon, lime, neroli, peppermint, rose, rosemary, ylang-ylang, vetiver
Luck: orange, nutmeg, rose, vetiver
Peace: