Rose Ariadne's Chitchcraft Blog

Dear Friends,

From time to time I like to take a moment to step back and reflect on the basic elements of our craft. Those of you who have been practicing for many years have probably cast so many circles that you could literally do it in your sleep. Novice witches naturally often feel a bit unsure and intimidated about performing their first rituals. Taking the time to carefully cast a circle does wonders for your energy level, concentration and ritual’s power. In addition, a properly cast circle is important for keeping negative and unwelcome energies out of your ritual or spellwork.

Casting a circle does not always have to be done with extravagant invocations and a bag full of tools, though it certainly can be. I know many witches who cast their circles with just chalk, salt, incense, soil, or even by simply envisioning the circle with no physical representation at all. As with many things, the methods that you choose to create your circles will likely be highly individualized and may often depend on the type of ritual or spell you are performing. You may have to experiment with different types of circles before finding what works best to enhance your individual power and concentration.

Circles are opened deosil (clockwise) and closed widdershins (counter-clockwise) when your work is complete. For a solitary practitioner, a three- to five-foot-diameter circle is sufficient for most spellcraft. If you are practicing with your common or a larger group the size of the circle will need to be adjusted accordingly.

Rituals for casting and opening the circle vary among practitioners and covens, but most typically begin at the North, drawing to the East, South and West before finally drawing back up to the North to seal the circle.

One of my favorite circle-casting incantations is:

Guardians of the North, I call upon you
to watch over the my rites.
Powers of endurance and strength, guided by Earth,
I ask that you keep watch over me
tonight within this circle.
Let this circle be cast under your guidance
in perfect love and perfect trust.

Guardians of the East, I call upon you
to watch over my rites.
Powers of knowledge and wisdom, guided by Air,
I ask that you keep watch over me
tonight within this circle.
Let this circle be cast under your guidance
in perfect love and perfect trust.

Guardians of the South, I call upon you
to watch over my rites.
Powers of energy and will, guided by Fire,
I ask that you keep watch over me
tonight within this circle.
Let this circle be cast under your guidance
in perfect love and perfect trust.

Guardians of the West, I call upon you
to watch over my rites.
Powers of passion and emotion, guided by Water,
I ask that you keep watch over me
tonight within this circle.
Let this circle be cast under your guidance
in perfect love and perfect trust.

Use whatever incantation speaks to you as you call upon the elements. Many witches choose to use various magickal tools, such as a wand, staff, athame or candle while pouring energy into the opening of the circle. You may choose to light a candle at each of the four points of the circle. These can be color coded to represent the elements: Brown or green for the North (Earth), yellow or white for the East (Air), red for the South (Fire), and blue for the West (Water). Other witches choose to place physical representations of the elements at each of the four points, such as soil or a stone for Earth; incense or a feather for Air; an oil burner, candle or lantern for Fire; and a bowl of water or a piece of ice for Water. Again, do what feels right to you for the particular ceremony or spell you are performing.

To close my circles, I typically begin at the North again and close widdershins (counter-clockwise) while imagining the energy shrinking back around the circle. I stop at each point and vocalize a short thanks to the element for blessing my circle and aiding my magick. Of course, if you are more comfortable thinking this “thank you” to yourself, rather than saying it aloud, by all means do so.

I hope this has been a good refresher for all of you on the various ways and importance of casting our circles. As always, if you perform your casting with love and the absence of fear and negativity your work should be a success!

Brightest Blessings,

Rose Ariadne
Your Warm and Caring “Resident Witch In Charge”

Dear Friends,

Last week I shared with you some of the more commonly used stones that are used in rituals and spell working. Today, I’m going to share with you how to use these stones in your magick for the best outcome, as well as how you can use these stones to benefit you in your everyday life.

Now I must confess a small secret of mine. I am a gemstone junkie! Yes, I admit. Gemstones are one of my favorite sources of magick and I use them extensively. In fact, there is rarely a time when I am without a gemstone, and I often have more than one of them on my person at a time. I just can’t help myself. But the reason for my addiction is because they are so powerful and have such a positive and profound effect on my life.

Using Gemstones in Your Magick

Many spells and rituals call for the use of a gemstone. Even if they don’t, you can always incorporate a gemstone into your work to help increase the intensity of the spell. Some gemstones add a certain level of power to the spell. Others, like crystal quartz, can intensify the power of other magickal elements that you are using.

There are a variety of ways that you can use gemstones in your magick. They can be placed upon the altar, included in totem bags and even ground up for use in powders. The number of ways that you can use gemstones in your magick is about as extensive as the types of magick you can work.

When choosing the gemstones that you will use in magick, in my opinion it is best to find rough, uncut stones that remain in their completely natural state. This is however, just my opinion and if you find a cut and polished stone that speaks to you, you should of course use it in any way that you see fit. Do not forget to properly cleanse your stones of any negative energy before using them, and cleanse them regularly so that they remain working well.

Using Gemstones in Your Everyday Life

Gemstones are not only for use in your magick spells and rituals. You can also enjoy the benefits of these stones in your everyday life as well. The benefit of gemstones is that they can easily be carried anywhere and be kept on you at all times. If you have used them in a spell, you can continue to carry that gemstone with you to help the spell be more successful. Or, you can simply carry certain gemstones with you to enjoy the powers that they hold at any time.

For example, I myself carry an amulet that contains a number of different stones in it that help me to remain balanced and at peace. This amulet is inconspicuous, but gives me great comfort knowing it is there. I can carry it in my purse, or in my pocket, and at night I can simply slip it under my pillow. Of course, I also have various pieces of gemstone jewelry which I wear quite often that are made from stones that are quite powerful. To others, these are nothing more than pretty baubles. But I know the secret to those baubles and understand the strong power that they hold and provide to me when I wear them.

If you haven’t already experienced the benefits of gemstones and the power that they can add to your magick and your everyday life, I strongly encourage you to do so. Having a supply of various stones is beneficial because it allows to you complete a number of different spells from them and provides you with a source of power for almost any issue that you face.

Get yourself some gemstones today and start enjoying them not only for the natural beauty that they hold, but for the awesome power which they contain as well. I promise, you’ll be glad that you did and may too find yourself to be a gemstone junkie!

Brightest Blessings,

Rose Ariadne
Your Warm and Caring “Resident Witch In Charge”

Dear Friends,

Do you ever have one of those days where you just feel like the best idea would be to crawl back in bed? Where no matter what you do, you just can’t feel energized, even after drinking that pot of coffee? Everyone has those days and it’s perfectly natural. But what many people don’t realize, is that there is a never ending source of energy right at your fingertips. By sharing energy with the universe, or even with those around you, you can feel more energized and alive than you ever imagined possible.

Energy sharing is a very powerful and magickal thing. However, though we have an over-abundance of energy in the universe for our taking, many people are not aware of how to tap into that source. Even more are not aware of how to take that energy properly. Energy sharing can be beneficial to both you and those around you, providing you learn when it is OK to share that energy and when it is not.

Energy Sharing with the Earth

The best source of energy is the universe around you. Everything that exists in this vast universe surrounding us is filled with energy. For those of us here on earth, the best source of energy is Gaia herself. In all of her love for us, Gaia is more than happy to share her energy with us and help to empower us so that we feel our best. And fortunately, sharing energy with Gaia is a very simple thing to do.

Energy sharing with the earth is easy, and only takes a few moments. It does however, take focus and concentration. The way that I find easiest to enjoy this sharing magick, is to take it directly from the earth. Go outside and sit on the ground. You can take a blanket or altar cloth with you to sit on so that your clothes do not get soiled, and still reap all of the energy benefits.

Sit, or even lie, on the ground in a comfortable position. Place your hands upon the ground and close your eyes. Visualize the energy from the earth slowly seeping into you. Be careful! Don’t try and take too much energy or you’ll wind up feeling like you just ate a pound of pure sugar. Simply visualize it slowly seeping in, providing you with the energy that you need to feel better. You will actually be able to feel the fatigue fading away. Stay this way for a few minutes, then thank the earth for sharing it’s energy with you and go on about the rest of your day fully energized and feeling great. Keep in mind this only works if you are connected with the actual earth, not sitting on a piece of concrete or other man-made structure.

Energy Sharing with People

It is also possible to share energy with the people around you as will. Energy sharing with people however, is a bit more complex and comes with some moral issues. You should never, ever take energy from a person without their knowledge and permission. This is not sharing, it is stealing and makes you what is referred to as an energy vampire. Stealing energy from others is not an ethical practice and can cause a good amount of harm to them.

Now giving energy to another person without their knowledge can be a topic of great debate. Many people feel that giving your energy freely to another that is not feeling well is purely helpful and safe, and that there is no reason to share the knowledge that you are doing so with them, particularly if they are a non-believer.
I personally feel that is a decision that each person must evaluate and make on their own. I will admit, there have been a few occasions when I have given my energy to another without their knowledge. While no ill has seem to come of it, it is not something I do often and feel that it is an act that must be taken into consideration greatly before doing it.

To share energy with another person, you simply need to touch the other individual in some way and visualize yourself giving or taking the energy. Open yourself to feel the energy coming in to you, or going out into the other person. It should only takes a few seconds. In fact, you can transfer energy as quickly as you can shake a hand. Do not let it take more than a few seconds though, or you may take or give too much energy causing the person giving the energy to become too fatigued.

The magick of energy sharing is a very powerful thing. My personal beliefs are that you should take your energy from the earth whenever possible, as energy sharing with another person can sometimes develop a co-dependent relationship that is not healthy. In some circumstances though, sharing energy between two people is the only option. As with all things in Magick, it is up to you to evaluate each situation, and determine what the right choice is for you at the time.

Brightest Blessings,

Rose Ariadne
Your Warm and Caring “Resident Witch In Charge”

Dear Friends,

As children, we are often taught the importance of sharing. As we get older, many of us hold on to these ideals and try to share with others whenever we can. Some of us on the other hand, can become quite stingy and not want to share the things we have worked so hard for with others. It is important to realize though, that sharing is a wonderful and magickal experience that can not only be beneficial to others, but to ourselves as well.

However, there are some cases when sharing can be detrimental, particularly when dealing with magick. Over the years I have come to learn there are times to share, and times not to share. Mind you, I’m in no way condoning stingy behavior that is unbecoming of a good witch. But in order to not cause more harm than good, it is important to learn when to say no.

Sharing Energy

One of the best things that we can share with others is energy. Of all the gifts that Gaia has given us, one of the most abundant is energy. The universe is literally an endless fount of energy that is there for the taking or the giving. Not only do we have the ability to take and share energy from the universe, but we have the ability to take and share energy from ourselves and others as well.

That being said, it is important that one learn when to take and give that energy to, or from, those around us. Sharing your own personal energy with others is a wonderful gift, but should not cause you personal harm. If you are ill or suffering from sickness, it is not a wise choice to share your energy with others as it will not only cause you to become more ill yourself, but may cause the individual you are sharing with to become ill themselves.

Additionally, you should never “share” energy with another by taking it from them without their permission. That is not sharing, it is stealing. One does not need to be an energy vampire to increase their own energy when there is the ever-abundant energy from the universe that you can take into yourself as well. Next week I plan on sharing more information with you about the power of energy sharing, but for now I simply wanted to make reference on when it is good to share energy and when it is not.

Sharing Magick

One thing I often find people sharing are their magick working tools. Sharing your tools is another area where it is sometimes good to share, and sometimes not. Magick tools are very powerful. Some of these tools however, can lose some of that power if used by others to perform a spell or ritual. In these cases, it is of course not very wise to share. The last thing you want is for your tools to lose power, thereby making your rituals ineffective.

In some cases, this is of course unavoidable. If you perform your magick in a group, there are often ceremonial tools that are shared by the entire group and handled by each person. This is completely acceptable, as that is what those tools are made for. The tools absorb the energy from each individual, making them powerful for each person in the group.

However, each individual should have their own tools that no one else uses. These are tools that are handled only by you for your magick working purposes. It helps to keep the tools filled with your own energies, which makes them much more effective for when you use them for spell work. If for some reason another person must absolutely use your own personal working tools, you should first meditate with the tools and ask their permission to share them with another. You will very easily be able to tell if this is something your magick working tools are comfortable with, and whether it is a good choice or not.

I personally believe that sharing is divine. It is one of the simplest and most wonderful things a person can do for another. But it is also impossible to ignore the fact that sometimes, sharing just is not practical or the right thing to do. Ultimately, you must look inside yourself to determine when is the right time to share, and when is not. But I have no doubt, and complete faith that all of you will be able to look at each situation and make the right choice on what to do.

Brightest Blessings,

Rose Ariadne
Your Warm and Caring “Resident Witch In Charge”