The Modern Witchcraft Grimoire Read online

  Burning the Yule log is another ancient tradition with which Wiccans mark the Winter Solstice. On the eve of Yule, build a fire from the wood of nine sacred trees. The central element in the Yule fire is an oak log, for the oak tree represents strength and longevity. After the fire burns down, collect the ashes and wrap them in a piece of cloth. If you place the package under your pillow, you’ll receive dreams that provide guidance and advice for the coming year. Write about the experience in your grimoire and perhaps paste some pine needles into these pages of your book of shadows.

  Yule Greenery

  The Druids considered the evergreen holly a sacred plant and valued its incredible hardiness. According to Celtic mythology, holly bushes afforded shelter for the earth elementals during the wintertime. The Druids also valued mistletoe, an herb of fertility and immortality. It has long been used in talismans as an aphrodisiac—perhaps that’s the reason people still kiss beneath it today.

  IMBOLC OR BRIGID’S DAY

  This sabbat honors Brigid, the beloved Celtic goddess of healing, smithcraft, and poetry. A favorite of the Irish people, Brigid was adopted by the Church when Christianity moved into Ireland and was canonized as Saint Brigid. Her holiday is usually celebrated on February 1, though some witches mark it around February 5, when the sun reaches 15 degrees of Aquarius. In the Northern Hemisphere, daylight is increasing and the promise of spring is in the air.

  The Holiday’s Significance

  Brigid is one of the fertility goddesses, and Imbolc means “in the belly.” This holiday honors all forms of creativity, of the mind as well as the body. Illustrations of Brigid sometimes show her stirring a great cauldron, the witch’s magick tool that symbolizes the womb and the receptive, fertile nature of the Divine Feminine. As goddess of inspiration, Brigid encourages everyone, regardless of gender, to stir the inner cauldron of creativity that exists within.

  Although Brigid represents an aspect of the Divine Feminine, her day falls under the zodiac sign Aquarius, a masculine air sign in astrology. Her blazing hearth brings to mind both the metalsmith’s forge and the homemaker’s cook fire. Thus, she represents mind and body, a blend of yin and yang energies, and the union of polarities necessary for creation.

  Imbolc Magick

  On Imbolc, the Sun King’s chariot ascends in the sky; the sun’s rays grow stronger and days grow longer. Witches celebrate this spoke in the Wheel of the Year as a time of hope and renewal, a reaffirmation of life, and a time to plant “seeds” for the future. You may wish to build a fire in a magick cauldron to honor Brigid. On a piece of paper, write wishes you want to materialize during the year, then drop the paper into the cauldron. As the paper burns, the smoke rises toward the heavens carrying your requests to Brigid.

  In keeping with the holiday’s theme of fire, many people light candles to honor the Goddess. Candles are the most common tool in the witch’s magick toolbox, used in all sorts of spells and rituals. Engrave words that represent your wishes—love, prosperity, health, etc.—into the candle’s wax. Then light the candle and focus your attention on its flame, while you envision your wishes coming true.

  The Name of the Goddess

  Brigid goes by many names, including Lady of the Flame, Goddess of the Hearth, and Bright One. Her feast day is sometimes called Candlemas because of her association with fire. In magickal thinking, the fire element fuels inspiration and creativity.

  SPRING EQUINOX OR OSTARA

  Pagans and witches celebrate Ostara when the sun enters 0 degrees of Aries, around March 21. In the Northern Hemisphere, the Spring Equinox ushers in warmer weather, days that are longer than nights, and the advent of new life. Ostara gets its name from the German fertility goddess Eostre; the word “Easter” derives from the same root. Both holidays celebrate the triumph of life over death.

  “This is the time of spring’s return, the joyful time, the seed time, when life bursts forth from the earth and the chains of winter are broken. Light and dark are equal: It is a time of balance, when all the elements within us must be brought into a new harmony.”

  —STARHAWK, FROM AN OSTARA RITUAL IN THE SPIRAL DANCE

  The Holiday’s Significance

  The Sun King’s chariot continues climbing higher in the sky, reaching the point at which day and night are of equal length on Ostara. The Spring Equinox marks the first day of spring and the start of the busy planting season in agrarian cultures. Farmers till their fields and sow seeds. Trees begin to bud, spring flowers blossom, and baby animals are born. Ostara, therefore, is one of the fertility holidays and a time for planting seeds—literally or figuratively.

  Ostara Magick

  On Ostara, sow seeds that you want to bear fruit in the coming months. This is an ideal time to cast spells for new beginnings: launch new career ventures, move to a new home, or start a new relationship. If you’re a gardener, you’ll start preparing the soil and planting flowers, herbs, and/or vegetables now. Consider the magickal properties of botanicals and choose plants that represent your intentions (see Chapter 16 for more information). Even if you don’t have space for a garden plot, you could plant seeds in a flowerpot to symbolize wishes you hope will grow to fruition in the coming months.

  According to an old German story, a rabbit laid some sacred eggs and decorated them as a gift for the fertility goddess Eostre. The goddess liked the beautiful eggs so much that she asked the rabbit to share them with everyone throughout the world. Eggs represent the promise of new life, and painting them bright colors engages the creative aspect of the sabbat. And rabbits, of course, have long been linked with fertility. You might enjoy decorating eggs with magickal symbols, such as pentagrams and spirals.

  BELTANE

  Wiccans usually celebrate Beltane on May 1, although some prefer to mark it around May 5, when the sun reaches 15 degrees of Taurus. The sabbat is named for the god Baal or Bel. In Scottish Gaelic, the word bealltainn means “fires of Belos” and refers to the bonfires Pagans traditionally light on this sabbat. The joyful festival celebrates the earth’s fertility, when flowers bloom and plants begin sprouting in the fields.

  The Holiday’s Significance

  The second fertility holiday in the Wheel of the Year, Beltane coincides with a period of fruitfulness. To ancient and modern Pagans alike, this holiday honors the earth and all of nature. In early agrarian cultures, farmers built fires on Beltane and led livestock between the flames to increase their fertility.

  Sexuality is also celebrated on this sabbat—the Great Rite has traditionally been part of the holiday’s festivities. In pre-Christian days, Beltane celebrants engaged in sexual intercourse in the fields as a form of symbolic magick to encourage fertility and a bountiful harvest. Children conceived at this time were said to belong to the Goddess.

  Beltane Magick

  If possible, celebrate Beltane outdoors in order to appreciate nature’s fullness. Because Beltane is a fertility holiday, many of its rituals contain sexual symbolism. The Maypole, around which young females dance, is an obvious phallic symbol. You can decorate the Maypole with flowers in recognition of the earth’s beauty and fruitfulness. Consider pressing one or two of those flowers between the pages of your grimoire.

  Sometimes a woman who seeks a partner will toss a circular garland over the top of the pole, signifying the sex act, as a way of asking the Goddess to send her a lover. Another fertility ritual utilizes the cauldron, a symbol of the womb. Women who wish to become pregnant build a small fire in the cauldron, and then jump over it. If you prefer, you can leap over the cauldron to spark creativity in the mind instead of the body.

  Beltane’s connection with the earth and fullness makes this sabbat an ideal time to perform prosperity magick. Incorporate peppermint, parsley, cedar, or money plant into your spells. This is also a good time to make offerings to Mother Earth and the nature spirits.

  SUMMER SOLSTICE OR MIDSUMMER

  In the Northern Hemisphere, the Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year. The Sun King has
now reached the highest point in his journey through the heavens. Wiccans celebrate Midsummer around June 21, when the sun enters 0 degrees of the zodiac sign Cancer. This is a time of abundance, when the earth puts forth her bounty.

  The Holiday’s Significance

  In early agrarian cultures, Midsummer marked a period of plenty when food was abundant and life was easy. Our ancestors celebrated this joyful holiday with feasting and revelry. At this point, however, the sun has reached its pinnacle and begins its descent once again. Celtic Pagan mythology depicts this as the end of the Oak King’s reign as he is overthrown by the Holly King, who presides over the waning part of the year. This myth sees the two “kings” as two separate aspects of the God. These rivals are the Goddess’s lovers, and each has his season.

  Folklore says that at Midsummer earth spirits abound—this belief inspired Shakespeare’s delightful play A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Apparently, life on every level rejoices in the fullness of the season. If you wish, you can commune with the elementals and faeries at this time.

  Midsummer Magick

  Just as we’ve done for centuries, witches today celebrate the Summer Solstice with feasting, music, dancing, and thanksgiving. Remember to share your bounty with the animals and birds too, and return something to Mother Earth as a sign of gratitude.

  Midsummer is also a good time to collect herbs, flowers, and other plants to use in magick spells. Legend says that if you wish to become invisible, you must wear an amulet that includes seeds from forest ferns gathered on Midsummer’s Eve. Perform spells for success, recognition, and abundance on the Summer Solstice.

  LUGNASADH OR LAMMAS

  Named for the Irish Celtic god Lugh (Lew in Wales), this holiday is usually celebrated on August 1, although some witches prefer to mark it around August 5, when the sun reaches 15 degrees of Leo. According to Celtic mythology, Lugh is an older and wiser personification of the god Baal or Bel (for whom Beltane is named). Lugnasadh (pronounced LOO-na-sah) is the first of the harvest festivals. The early Christians dubbed the holiday Lammas, meaning loaf-mass, because farmers cut their grain at this time of the year and made it into bread.

  The Holiday’s Significance

  In agrarian cultures, this holiday marked the time to begin preparing for the barren winter months that lay ahead. Our ancestors cut, ground, and stored grain, canned fruits and vegetables, and brewed wine and beer in late summer. The old English song “John Barleycorn Must Die” describes the seasonal ritual of rendering grain into ale.

  Early Pagans sold their wares at harvest fairs and held athletic competitions at this time of the year. You can see this age-old tradition carried on today at country fairs throughout rural parts of the United States.

  “Threshing of the harvest was considered a sacred act and the threshing barn a sacred place. An old fertility custom is still practiced when a new bride is carried over the threshold.”

  —DEBBIE MICHAUD, THE HEALING TRADITIONS & SPIRITUAL PRACTICES OF WICCA

  Lugnasadh Magick

  Today, Wiccans enjoy sharing bread and beer with friends on Lugnasadh, just as we’ve done for millennia. You might like to bake fresh bread from scratch or even brew your own beer as part of the celebration. While you’re kneading the bread, add a dried bean to the dough. When you serve the bread, tradition says that whoever gets the bean in his or her piece will be granted a wish.

  If you like, you can fashion a doll from corn, wheat, or straw to represent the Sun King. To symbolize the time of year when his powers are waning, burn the effigy in a ritual fire as an offering to Mother Earth. The custom of decorating your home with dried corncobs, gourds, nuts, and other fruits of the harvest also has its roots in Lugnasadh.

  AUTUMN EQUINOX OR MABON

  The Autumn Equinox usually occurs on or about September 22, when the sun reaches 0 degrees of Libra. Once again, day and night are of equal length, signifying a time of balance, equality, and harmony. Mabon is also the second harvest festival, and witches consider it a time for giving thanks for the abundance Mother Earth has provided.

  The Holiday’s Significance

  This sabbat marks the last spoke in the Wheel of the Year. From this day until the Winter Solstice, the Sun King’s path arcs downward toward earth. As the days grow shorter in the Northern Hemisphere and the cold, barren winter approaches, reflect on the joys and sorrows, successes and failures of the year that is nearing its conclusion.

  Mabon Magick

  Mabon is a good time to do magick spells that involve decrease or endings. Do you want to let go of self-destructive beliefs or behaviors? Lose weight? End an unfulfilling relationship? Now is the time to break old habits and patterns that have limited you. Anything you wish to eliminate from your life can now be released safely, before the New Year begins with Samhain.

  Because the Equinox signifies a time of equality and balance, try to balance yin and yang, active and passive on this day. Seek rest and activity, solitude and socializing in equal portions. You may also enjoy engaging in creative endeavors to mark the sabbat.

  At each turn of the Wheel, note in your grimoire your feelings, insights, and the results of your magickal workings. Each year, you may enjoy rereading what you wrote the previous year. It’s interesting to look back over time to reminisce about your sabbat celebrations and compare your experiences as you grow in the Craft.

  Chapter 8

  SOLAR SPELLS

  Without the sun, life on our planet would not exist. As the center of our solar system, the sun plays a central role in our lives. Therefore, you’ll want to describe in your grimoire your relationship to the sun and the seasons that result as the earth revolves around it.

  Witches understand the close connection between magick and the heavenly bodies. The positions of the sun, moon, planets, and stars influence our personal cycles, plant growth, animal behavior, weather patterns, the secular and sacred rituals we enact, and the spells we perform. The Wheel of the Year bases the eight Wiccan holidays (known as sabbats) on the sun’s movement through the twelve signs of the zodiac, as discussed previously in Chapter 7.

  Ancient Observatories

  For thousands of years, people have gazed at the sky and considered how the heavenly bodies affected life on earth. Some researchers believe the pyramids were erected as astrological/astronomical observatories. Stonehenge, begun more than 5,000 years ago, accurately predicts the solstices, eclipses, and other celestial events.

  If you’re like many people, you notice that your emotions and energies shift with the seasons. You may feel more physically vital, sociable, or adventurous during some months and more introspective, imaginative, or sensitive during others. Most likely, you’re reacting to the natural energies of the zodiac signs and the movements of the heavenly bodies. By keeping track of your reactions in your grimoire, you’ll discover the most auspicious times to do magick work and when to perform certain types of spells for best results.

  ASTROLOGY AND MAGICK

  When doing magick spells, it’s a good idea to take celestial influences into account in order to choose the most auspicious times to perform spells and rituals. The sun and moon, and their ever-changing relationships to our planet, have fascinated human beings since the beginning of time. Our ancestors noticed that the sun’s apparent movement brought about the seasons and that the moon’s phases altered the tides and affected fertility in both humans and animals. Even today, we can easily see how solar and lunar forces operate in everyday life.

  The ancients believed gods and goddesses inhabited the heavenly bodies. From their celestial abodes, the deities governed every facet of life on earth. Each deity—and each planet—possessed certain characteristics and powers. Modern astrologers don’t usually think of the planets as the actual homes of gods and goddesses; however, we still connect each of the celestial spheres with specific properties, influences, and powers that affect human and earthly existence.

  Planetary Powers

  Aligning yourself with planetar
y powers that support the nature of your spells can improve the effectiveness of your magickal workings. The following table shows each planet’s areas of influence. (Note: For convenience, astrologers often lump the sun and moon under the broad heading of “planets” although, of course, we know they’re not.)

  Planet Areas of Influence

  Sun Sense of self/identity, public image, career, creativity, leadership, well-being, masculine power

  Moon Emotions, intuition, dreams, home/domestic life, family/children, feminine power

  Mercury Communication, mental skill/activity, learning, travel, commerce

  Venus Love, relationships, social interactions, art, creativity, beauty, women

  Mars Action, vitality/strength, competition, courage, men

  Jupiter Growth/expansion, good luck, knowledge, travel

  Saturn Limitations, responsibility, work/business, stability/permanence

  Uranus Change, independence, sudden or unexpected situations, unconventional ideas or behavior

  Neptune Intuition, dreams, imagination/creativity, the spirit realm