Working with Spirits

How did people first learn to work with spirits? The short answer is that the spirits taught us. The first shaman taught people and they taught other people how to work with spirits, sharing information, techniques, materials, and methods.

Working with spirits is an intrinsically sacred art, but a practical one, too. If spirits deliver on their promises, devotions increase. Weary or disenchanted spirits seeking to retire stop producing. Those spirits who consistently deliver, who dependably demonstrate generous or hard-working natures develop reputations. Word gets around. Some spirits are eager human companionship, hungry for our love and attention.

It is in the nature of many spirits to be workaholics. This works to our benefit. However, like other workaholics, they become impatient with slackers. You will be expected to hold up your end of the bargain.

Spirits work, but so do people. It’s called working because you are not a passive recipient. People don’t just sit back and wait for generous spirits to shower us with blessings. Relationships between people and spirits are symbolic: that means mutually beneficial. They work for us, and we work for them.

Types of food or drink offered to spirits may differ; specific songs or drumbeats may differ; which incense is burned may differ; but basic methods of working with spirits are universal and eternal. Spirits communicate via symbols, oracle, and dreams. Most enjoy, crave, and expect small gifts. When the basics structure of independent spirit working is consistent, two factors are unique to each individual transaction and will affect their direction and out come:

• Will the spirit respond to a petitioner as desired or even respond at all?
• What are the individual petitioner’s hopes, fears, beliefs, and level of expertise or desperation?

How one works with spirits depends somewhat on what it is one hopes to receive from them.

• Study the deity you want to work with.
• Your goal.
• Consider your purpose carefully, before you make offerings or prayers to a particular god or goddess.

Examples with Norse Deities:

Freya: Feminine energy; love; fertility; magick; war; conflict; death; wealth

Thor: Masculine energy; war; conflict; protection; earth fertility and abundance; bullies whether its spirit, human, corporate, commercial, or bureaucracy

Odin: Masculine energy; wisdom; war; death; illness

Loki: Chaos; artisan; craftsmen; not recommended unless you are a devotee first

Skadi Death; hunting

Tyr: War; justice

Valkyries: Life, death, battle, and magick

Sometimes there are times you are grasping a straws to solve a problem and your last resort is petitioning a spirit. You are a beginner, a novice and may have doubts about the reality of spirits, let alone your own ability to reach them, if they exist. You lack experience but you need help now. What do you do next? Where do you start?

Here is a method in a nutshell:

• Identify a spirit who can help you or the spirit who is your personal patron.
• Familiarize yourself with this spirit; are you comfortable requesting their assistance?
• Respectfully but straightforwardly and clearly articulate what you seek, going into as much detail as needed. You cannot be too clear and precise.

Nothing in life is free. This is important: if there is a single key word that must be remembered about working with spirits, it is reciprocity. Relationships between people and spirits are mutually beneficial: in other words, spirits expect to receive something in return for favors rendered, if only sincere gestures of love and veneration.

Spirits don’t want your soul or your first born. Put the knife down; no need to draw up a contract in your own blood. There’s no need for a written contract at all. That’s all propaganda intended to induce fear. Horror stories and religious propaganda present perverted distortions of the ancient art of negotiating with spirits.

In general, spirits seek veneration, relationships, some care and feeding, good deeds on their behalf, and gestures and testimonials to their power and generosity. Thus, the final two steps of working with spirits:

• Explain precisely what it is that you will give in return and exactly when the spirit should expect payment. Never promise something you know you can’t or won’t deliver.
• If the spirit fulfills its end of the bargain, make sure that you fulfill yours, too.

Some spirits are more flexible and good-natured, more or less acquisitive, compassionate, or generous than others. Some like to bargain or negotiate.

There are many paths to spirits. Different individuals approach spirits for a wide variety of motivations. If seek nothing from them, if all you desire is to bask in their presence, then this process doesn’t really apply (or at lest until there is something you desire or need). Since the spirit has not been asked to do anything, nothing is owed in returned. Should the devotee become bored or decide to explore a different spiritual path, veneration may simply stop at any time. (Sometimes this is the moment when previously silent spirits rear their heads and make their presence known.)

The relationship is more complex, however, if you actually desire something or expect to receive something, even just general patronage and protection. You may vaguely hope that venerating a spirit will earn good fortune, but if and when you really need something, you must ask for it specifically and explicitly, naming your desire.

These requests are referred as petitions, not the sense of the modern political petition, a paper signed by vast number of people, but in the old-fashioned sense of a petition as formal requests for a favor, presented to royalty.

There are two ways of effectively presenting petitions:

• Petitions are offered spontaneously or impulsively in a moment of passion or despair.
• Petitions are formally presented within the context of rituals. This type of petition is planned in advance. An awful lot of expense and trouble may be taken to offer this petition, with the person sometimes journeying great lengths to be a shrine at a specific moment. This petition may or may not be accompanied by offerings, the equivalent of a down payment on favors expected or show of good faith.

If you have the time to plan, then the second method can be extremely effective, but sometimes a sincere cry from the heart is all it takes to catch a spirit’s attention and sympathies. This is especially true if a spirit is already waiting for your call.

I have had one experience with just a sincere cry from the heart. I was doing an exercise on gods in my year and day book and the response I received was heard telepathically in a male voice “don’t worry child, we will get through this.” I use to be a “worry wart” but after this experience I have not worried near as much I use to.

You will know within a reasonable amount of time whether a spirit has accepted your offer or wishes to negotiate further, because indications will appear. Sometimes immediate fulfillment of the request is the indication, but not always.

Those seeking help with any aspect of pregnancy should advise the spirit that payment will only be made after the birth of a healthy child-not just upon conception. Vowing to bring a healthy child of a certain age to visit the spirit’s shrine is a very traditional payment. Likewise someone seeking assistance with healing might specify that payment will be made six months or one year following the cure just to ensure that it’s lasting.

Terms and conditions depend upon the nature of what’s sought and the nature of the particular spirit. Of course, the longer a spirit must wait, the more substantial and thoughtful payment should be: you will have had time to prepare.

Spirits frequently work through people. We are their hands, tools, mouths, servants, and messengers, albeit often unknowingly. Although you are petitioning a spirit, do not be surprised to find a miracle arriving via human hands. Miracles frequently look very normal; they don’t always arrive with flashing lights and special effects as on TV. If you have a medical condition that has defied treatment and so have petitioned Raphael, preeminent spirit of healing, and suddenly there is a medical breakthrough that results in your cure, that’s your miracle.

This system is called the promise. It is a reciprocal vow, contract, or covenant between a practitioner and a sacred being. Who is making the promise? Both spirit and human alike: it is a sacred vow and bond.

I had a dream of the goddess and all I remember is she says I’m a part of the covenant. At that time I didn’t know what she meant.

Spirits expect to be paid for miracles provided. You want a miracle; what’s it in for them? That may sound callous, especially in regards to a sacred being, but it’s crucial to be blunt so that this point is understood:

• People who love and venerate spirits all the time, in good times and bad, tend to recognize gifts and miracles when received. They are quick to render gratitude, affection, tribute, and payments.
• Those who may have petitioned a spirit as a whim or long shot are more likely to dismiss experiences as coincidence and hence offer no payment or renege on a deal.

Believing in spirits is not necessary. What is required is the belief in the possibility that just maybe there is something out there that can help you. If it doesn’t, well then you are back in the same place where you started, problems and all. If you are helped, however, then it’s crucial to acknowledge the reality of what helped you, even if only to yourself and the spirit.

Whatever you perceive spirits to be, it is crucial, if you intend to work with them, to see them as something alive and independent from you. Many people have a hard time accepting spirits as distinct living entities. Instead spirits are understood as archetypes, metaphors, or other abstract emanations of the human mind. Working with spirits without acknowledging them as independent entities inevitably leads to trouble. How can you ask an archetype for assistance? You can’t. How can a metaphor provide miracles? It can’t.

Archetypes and metaphors come from the human brain; miracles and favors produced by archetypes and metaphors clearly also stem from the human brain. If it’s all from the human brain, then you can provide your own miracles without asking for outside assistance. (And maybe you can. Some swear by the power of positive thinking. But that’s not the same as working with spirits.)

The problem is that many people believe in spirits when they need something and then, when the emergency is over, rationalize that spirits don’t really exist and that the solution to their problems derived from coincidence or their own efforts. The result is the tendency to fail to pay off a spiritual debt or fulfill a vow. No one likes an ingrate, especially not spirits. You don’t want their reality proved to you via their anger.

Trouble can be avoided very easily. If you can’t accept their reality, if you have a deep emotional investment in spirits not being real, then just don’t address them as living beings. Don’t ask for anything. Don’t promise anything. Don’t fool around.

What’s the going cost for a miracle? Again, spirits don’t want your soul or your firstborn, either. Miracles provided are not tricks intended to make you relax your guard so that later you can be more easily harmed.

So what do you offer in exchange for a miracle? What do you give a spirit who has everything? What do you give someone who may have saved your life and whom you may wish to contact again, should the need arise?

The magnitude of the miracle (how badly it was needed; whether it was a matter of life and death) determines the magnitude of the offering. There are small petitions and major petitions: “Help me find a parking space” versus “Save me from cancer.”

Never make vague, hysterical, grandiose promises like “I’ll give you anything! Or “Take whatever you want,” or “I’ll give you the most valuable thing I have!” You can see this right away how this leads to misunderstandings and trouble.

Likewise, never offer something you know you won’t deliver or that you’re not sure you can deliver. If you have no money, don’t offer something expensive. It is, however, very traditional to base an offering on the requested miracle itself. Delivery of payment is dependant on delivery of the miracle: they are truly symbiotic. The Romans often inserted a little verbal proviso into spiritual petitions; it translates into English as “I’ll give when you have given.”

• If you are asking for financial assistance, offer to give a percentage of the riches received to a cause close to the spirit’s heart.
• Those seeking fertility often name a child after the spirit, bring the child to visit a spirit’s shrine when the child is old enough, and/or raise the child to be an active devotee.
• Those seeking cures may vow to help those suffering from the same affliction should they recover enough to be able to do so.

Historically, working with spirits has been the province of poor and working people. Spirits’ desires are often very modest. Mostly, they seek attention, acknowledgment, and gestures of gratitude. The most important aspect of an offering is that it is given lovingly and respectfully, not grudgingly. True gifts of the heart are more valuable than lavish donations offered carelessly. Here are some generally appropriate payments:

• Provide an artistic tribute, whether created by yourself or commissioned from another.
•  Create an altar, whether an actual physical one or a virtual one in cyberspace.
• Throw a party in the spirits’ honor, or offer a more private ritual meal.
• Name something important after the spirit, or post its image in a prominent place.
• Testify to the miracle in some public manner.
• Get a tattoo that references the spirit (name, image, or sacred symbols).
• Make a pilgrimage to a shrine or place strongly associated with that spirit.
• Many spirits are associated with specific animals, plants, and sacred sites. The world being what it is, most of them are endangered. Any efforts or charitable donations on their behalf will be greatly appreciated. Thus Freya has powerful association with cats; if she helps you, do something to help them, whether directly or financially.

For info on a particular spirit, go to the Pagan Gods, Goddesses & other Spirits album. https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.620096748031571.1073741829.441928695848378

Info from:
Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses by Judika Illes
http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/godsandgoddesses/a/WorkingWithGods.htm

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~Lavender Luna’s Cauldron

Pagan General Beliefs

I don't mind someone asking me about my beliefs. Just as long as they  listen to what I have to say, not being hateful and a have an intelligent conversation. I have studied some of the general beliefs of others.

What you see in Hollywood movies doesn't even come close to portraying what witches and Pagans do in their spiritual practices. There is no “Devil” or “Satan” in our spiritual path; it’s only in monotheistic Abrahamic beliefs. The image of the God Pan was taken as the prototype of the “Devil.” Paganism is an umbrella term for polytheistic beliefs in multiple deities.

We don't just go around and curse whoever we want. Some believe in the 3-fold law also known as Karma. Some of us will bind an abusive person (or bad habits like drug or alcohol abuse) to protect ourselves and loved ones.  Some of us were raised in Christian households and it felt it’s not our true path in this life. We are drawn to nature, care for the Earth and it nurtures our souls.

What we sacrifice are herbs, incense or food for a bountiful harvest to give our thanks to our god(s) for helping or protecting us. Yes, in the past there were human sacrifices but modern day Pagans and Witches don’t do that. A deity is not going to stick around and help you if they don’t get anything in return. Even ancestors need at lest water to stay around. Some deities and ancestors have favorites like alcohol; tobacco; favorite food; a type of flower or herb; ect.

If you ask each Pagan what their beliefs are; you are going to get a different answer. These beliefs are from Pre-Christianity.  Some follow the Celtic, Norse, Egyptian, Greek, or Roman pantheons and some take from each they studied and form an eclectic belief like I do.

I draw from many pantheons to fit my personal practice but mostly Norse. I study Herbs, Kitchen Witchery, Runes, Crystals and Ceremonial Magic. My Norse patron Goddess and God are Freya (Goddess of Warcraft, Witchcraft, Seer, Love, Sex, and Death) and Thor (Lord of Thunder; Protector of mankind; rules Earth’s fertility and abundance.) My home and hearth Celtic Crone Goddess is Cerridwen (Goddess of rebirth, transformation, and inspiration; Enchantress.) I view the Wiccan Rede as Do No Harm (but take no sh*t!)

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~Lavender Luna’s Cauldron

White-Lighters

This is merely my experience with White-Lighters and opinion. Many moons ago I was in an online study group with several friends. We would have many discussions about our paths and what we wanted to learn about. One discussions was about Wicca and many didn’t follow that path and why. I said I was Wiccan and I was learning about the “light” and the “dark” side of witchcraft and I felt balance was the key to understand this path. Well this one person was saying I wasn't Wiccan because I was studying both. I was young in my path and I didn't know at the time this person was a “White-Lighter.”

I was a little upset and I started questioning myself for about 20 minutes. A White-Lighter is a disparaging term used to describe a zealot devoted to what they perceive as the good or light side of spirituality and which typically attempts to change, cleanse, destroy, exorcise, or attack that which they perceive as dark, negative, or evil.

I learned that I was right the whole time and the White-Lighter was being prejudice. Wicca is not: black or white; right or wrong; good or bad. Wicca as in Nature is about finding a balance, accepting your dark as well as your light, both are equally important as one could not exist without the other.

If I was wiser at the time I would have explained the Wiccan Rede and the Sabbats to them. Yes the Wiccan Rede states harm none but it also states that we should not allow ourselves to be a victim and have harm done to us. We celebrate the light half and the dark half of the year. To understand light, you must understand darkness first.

If you are going to act like a fundamentalist in the Pagan path then celebrate only the light half of the year. That means no Samhain, Yule and so on. Just please leave us alone and follow your own path and not worry about what we do in ours.

Don't let anyone tell you your path is wrong. Everyone has their own path that fits them personally. Every religion has its fundamentalists. You have to cut these type of people out of your life to have a happy spiritual life.  

Ritual Attire

Many Pagans do rituals and spellwork naked, referred to in the Craft, as skyclad- “Clad only by the sky.” This certainly seems a preferred and recommended practice. But there are times due to temperature; you may wish to be robed. It may even be that you just prefer to be robed most of the time and that is ok.  Personally, I prefer to be robed.

Robes can be as simple or as elaborate as you like. I’ll give you a few ideas to make ritual clothing. Two of them I have made for my husband and myself.

Any type of fabric will do, the choice is up to you. Natural fabric is usually preferred. Polyester (if you must!), silk, cotton, or wool. Consider, though, its weight: will it be too heavy and hot, or too light and cool? Also consider how easily it creases and wrinkles. Will it stretch too much? Is it washable? Will it itch? Since witches wear nothing under their robes, this last is a serious consideration!  Personally, I wouldn't pick wool, it makes me itch. Instead I choose cotton and it is breathable. If it is cold I have a velvet cloak to go over it.

The fabric you buy must be 46 to 60 inches wide. To determine how much fabric you will need, measure in inches from your shoulder to the floor, and then add 2 inches. Divide that number by 36 inches to determine how many yards of cloth you will need. It will most likely not end up with an even number, and it is best to buy a little extra. This measurement for me was 3.24 yards.

If the fabric is washable, prewash it. This will take out the chemicals used to treat the fabric and preshrink it so that it doesn't shrink after you have sewn the robe. If not washable it will need to be dry cleaned and it can get expensive.

Here are the measurements you will need to take:
1. Shoulder to floor + 2 inches=______ divided by 36 = ______.
2. The distance from shoulder to shoulder=_____.
3. The circumference of your head (for the neck opening) =_____.
4. The measurement of the fullest part of your upper arm=_____ + 4 inches ( you don’t want your sleeves to be too tight) =_____.
5. The length of your arm from your shoulder to your wrist = _____ + 1 inch = _____.

Robe:
Take the material and fold it in half. If the material has an “outside” and an “inside,” fold it inside-out. Draw out a more or less T shape. Another way is to use a loose fitted T-shirt and trace the outline and extends, belled out to the bottom of the fabric. Make a cut in the middle at the neck hole. The T-shirt method helped me since I had problems with the sleeves being too tight with a previous attempt, resulting to be turned into a sleeveless tunic for my husband. Sew along the bottom of the sleeves, down the sides and if you did the T-shirt method, the shoulders. All that remains is to turn it right side out again, try it on, and hem the neck hole, sleeves and the bottom of the robe to a convenient length (e.g., an inch or so above the ground). A few patterns are McCall’s M6630, Simplicity 4055 and 9891.  Long sleeves are one thing you want to think about. The last thing you ever want to do during a ritual is catch your sleeve on fire. It is best to be safe than sorry.

Add a cord around the waist as a finishing touch. The cord I use to use is made from nylon cord found at the hardware store. This cord is thin and comes in a variety of colors. I crochet three rows each of black and white together. My new cord is made from 550 paracord, 100 ft found at A. C. Moore's.

Think about the color of your robe. Some Witches will wear white or black but more people in this day in age are wearing other colors to symbolize nature.

Yellow is an excellent color for those involved with divination.

Purple is favored for those who work with pure divine power (magicians) or who wish to deepen their spiritual awareness of the Goddess and God.

Blue is suited for healers and those who work with their psychic awareness or for attuning with the Goddess in her oceanic aspect.

Green empowers herbalists and magical ecologists.

Brown is worn by those who attune with animals or who cast spells for them.

White symbolizes purification and pure spirituality, and also is perfect for meditation and cleansing rituals. It is worn for full moon celebrations, or to attune with the Goddess.

Orange or red robes can be worn to Sabbats, for protective rites, or when attuning with the God in his fiery solar aspect.

Black robes are quite popular. Contrary to popular misconceptions, black doesn't symbolize evil. It is the absence of color. It is a protective hue and symbolizes the night, the universe, and lack of falsehood. When a Wiccan wears a black robe, s/he is donning the blackness of outer space-symbolically, the ultimate source of divine energy.

Sleeveless Tunic:
For the tunic you can follow the same steps for the robe just leave out the sleeves or use a sleeveless shirt. Measure from just above your knee to the floor. This measurement is used to mark a 1/8 inch cut on both side seems of the tunic and hem up the side slits. Finish by hemming the neck hole, sleeve holes and bottom of the tunic.

Hooded Cloak:
This project is a bit more difficult, but the results are well worth the effort. You might want to use the same fabric used for the robe-natural fibers. If you want your cloak to be fancier, try using wool crepe or velvet. This will be considerably more expensive than the heavier cottons, but if you watch for sales after the winter holidays you can often find some good bargains.

You will want to line your cloak, so you need to buy lining fabric. It’s very difficult to find lining fabrics made from natural fiber. Rayon or silk are both good choices. Avoid fabrics that are too lightweight and slippery. They also have a tendency to pucker and gather when you sew them. If the fabric is going to be heavy it is best to have a heavy metal hook and eye. My hooded cloak was made from velvet and satin lining using the McCall’s Costumes P409 or M4139 by a seamstress since at that time I didn’t have much of a sewing skill. It had a light frog clasp and the weight of the cloak just made it pull apart and tear. A few weeks before Pagan Pride day I replaced it with a metal hook and eye and it works much better with the heavy fabric. Other hooded cloak patterns are Simplicity 1582, 5840, 5794 and Wal-Mart exclusive 0882; McCall’s M4698, and M5957.

Jewelry:
In some traditions certain jewelry such as a wide bracelet with inscriptions, a bracelet, or a Moon crown to signify rank. Many Witches usually female wear a headband. Necklaces and pendants are very popular. Rings often bearing inscriptions or depictions of deities are also very popular. There are some very talented Witch jewelers who make incredibly beautiful items that deserve to be displayed.

But some people feel that jewelry has no place in the Circle. There are some who feel that it is a hindrance to the raising of power. I respect those who feel this way. If they truly believe that it restricts, then it will restrict. So decide for yourself whether to encourage the use of jewelry; whether to limit its use or prohibit it altogether. I wear a necklace 24/7 of a dragon holding a pentagram in its wings. My husband is making me a wide bracelet with my deities’ names with symbols and a headband I plan on using for ritual use only.

Emblems or Insignia:
Many covens design their own individual emblems or insignia, which they use on notepaper and put on flags and banners for Craft festivals. I've created two versions for my coven with a pentacle and Holly. Since then this article was written, I've learned how to do bead embroidery in 2017 and plan on making brooches.

Info from:
Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft by Raymond Buckland
Wicca: A guide for the solitary practitioner by Scott Cunningham
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Wicca Craft by Miria Liguana and Nina Metzner

So you want to do a spell?

So you want to do a spell? First you need to understand what magick is. Magick is the movement of natural energies (such as personal power) to create needed change. Energy exists within all things-ourselves, plants, stones, colors, sounds, movements. Magick is the process of rousing or building up this energy, giving it purpose, and releasing it. Magick is a natural, not supernatural, practice, though it is little understood. A spell is a magickal ritual, usually nonreligious in nature and often accompanied by spoken words.

There are different ways to do a spell. You can use candles, runes, herbs or stones. What matters is intent. The moon phases are important to the proper working of magick. The two main phases are as follows: the time from the New Moon, through the First Quarter, to the Full Moon, through the Last Quarter, to the New is known as the Waning Moon. When the moon is growing in size, it is waxing; when it is decreasing in size, it is waning.

Basically, constructive magick (for growth) is done during the waxing cycle and magick for destruction is done during the waning cycle. Constructive magick would include love, success, protection, health, fertility, luck. Destructive magick would include binding spells, separation, elimination, extermination.

The second basic of magick is feeling. You must want whatever you are working at to really happen. You must want it with all your being. You must put infinite particle of power into that desire, and that urge for the act to come to pass. For this reason it is usually far more effective to do magick for yourself than do it on someone else’s behalf. It is seldom that another person can feel as intensely about something as the one directly concerned. This strong “feeling” is in effect the raised “power” used in magick. As a aid, a booster to your power there can be used as a number of amplifiers.  One of these is chant and the other is rhyme. The rhythmic chanting of a spell, with a solid, regular beat can do much to intensify your feeling and, thereby, increase your power.

Whenever doing magick, always consider the Wiccan Rede. Will your action harm anyone? If the answer is “Yes…” do not do it. Some sources state magick should be a first resort to a problem, others state magick should be a last resort.  Personally, I use spells as a last resort to a problem. I don’t use spells often because from my experiences the situation is resolved before I resort to using spells. Its not the timing is off, I simply choose to wait it out.

Writing your own spell is far more powerful than using someone else’s spell. Figure out the goal or intent of the spell. Are you looking for prosperity? Hoping to get a better job? What is the specific aim of the spell? Whatever it may be, make sure you're clear on what it is you want- “ I will get that promotion at work!”

Determine what material components you'll need to achieve the goal. Will the spell require herbs, candles, stones, runes? I use Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs by Scott Cunningham for herb and candle color correspondents. If I use pepper or a kitchen spice, I would find its correspondents in Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Wicca in the kitchen by Scott Cunningham. If I’m using runes, I use the Futhark runes in Norse Magic by D.J. Conway. If I’m working with a certain deity for a spell, I will look for the day, attributes and offerings in the Encyclopedia of Spirits: The Ultimate Guide to the Magic of Fairies, Genies, Demons, Ghosts, Gods & Goddesses by Judika Illes.

Moon phase is crucial in most traditions. Remember positive or constructive magick is done during the waning phase. Negative or destructive magick is done during the waxing phase. Some spells are done on certain day of the week or hour of the day. You do not have to feel obligated to be right down to every detail.

Figure out what wording or incantation-if any- will be verbalized during the spell. Are you going to chant something formal and powerful, calling upon the gods for assistance? Or is it the sort of spell where you simply ponder the Universe in silence?

Put all of the above together into a workable form and then perform the spell. If a spell hasn't begun to manifest within a few weeks-some traditions within 28 days, a lunar month- you may want to stop and revise the spell. Figure out what variables may need to be changed.

Remember magick is a tool and a skill set, but some common sense should prevail as well. You can cast a spell all day to get your self a job, but your chances of success are greatly reduced if you haven’t sent out copies of your resume.

You can ask a mentor or a Pagan/Wiccan practitioner to help you with magick but they are simply not going to spoon feed you all the information. They will however point you in the direction to find the answers and do the research yourself. Everyone has their own path and methods of doing magick. This is one of the reasons we don’t proselytize. It’s none of our business to pry into your personal life. Only seekers come to us when they are ready to learn and develop their own path that fits them personally. Unlike organized religion, you follow blindly on what you are told. By choosing your own path, you are a free spirit to decide what fits you.  

Information from:
Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practitioner by Scott Cunningham
Buckland's Complete Book of Witchcraft by Raymond Buckland.
http://paganwiccan.about.com/

Sneak Peek of the Website

A sneek peek of the Lavender Luna’s Cauldron website I'm working on. Lots of work to do. Recommend books, articles, Book of Shadows, shop and etc.

35+ pages in progress. Open to everyone. 

Members only access to the Book of Shadows.  

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What's new?

It's been awhile since I've updated this blog. Lately I've been building a website and working on my Facebook page. Trying to find a way to sell my art and Etsy didn't go so well. Maybe I'll try Etsy again later.

Crow Bowenite (New Jade) Pendulum 

Yellow Jasper and Clear Quartz Pendulums 

I've made new pendulums with bead caps, also going to make a personal size Book of Shadows with a spirit animal and college ruled paper. The cover will be neutral colors with Zinc plated hardware.  I'm going to let my Facebook fans choose with the most votes. I haven't decided how long I'll let the voting go, maybe a month long. When finished, the new Book of Shadows will be available for sell, or may do a giveaway. Haven't decided yet and never done a giveaway before.

Our coven Book of Shadows 

Book of Shadows Poll: Vote Now  

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