Rose Ariadne's Chitchcraft Blog

Dear Friends,

Candle magick is one of the most popular forms of magick. There’s just something about declaring your intention and then lighting a flame that has a certain power to it. Candles are so pervasive in magick that they have worked their way into mundane society. How often have you seen non-magickal people light candles to warm their homes, bring cheer and set the mood for the evening?

Candle magick is appealing because it’s very simple. You don’t need to do a whole lot of ritual preparation. The tools for candle magick are easy to get and you can often pick them up at your local Wal-mart! You can practice candle magick in any place at any time, as long as you take precautions to make sure you won’t light the room on fire!

You’ve probably been practicing candle magick without even realizing it! Think about your birthday each year. You make a wish and then you blow out a candle. It’s a purely magickal act and is based on the three principals of magick: concentration, will power and visualization. You concentrate making on what you want to occur in the coming year, you will it to be so and then you visualize it coming true.

A lot of people worry about the type of candles that you use. Although I’m always a fan of using specific colors for candle magick, the size, shape and type of wax that you use aren’t very important. If you’re doing a spell that requires you to leave a candle burning, you may want to use a small candle or at least one that will burn out within a few days. Most magickal shops have candles categorized by “hours” or “days.” I have a specific size of candle that I enjoy using and all of my candle holders hold that size.

Make sure that you use candles that haven’t been used before. If you have some candles lying around from a holiday, leave them be. You need to use “virgin” candles that haven’t been burnt before. When you use brand new candles, you won’t have to worry about any previous energy coming into your circle and disturbing your work.

If you’re so inclined, you can make your own candles. The benefit to making your own candles instead of using store bought ones is that you’ll have an extra touch of your own personal energy. The mere act of making the candles is a magickal act.

You can buy candle making supplies at a craft store or metaphysical shop. As you are making the candles, keep your intention focused and add your energy to the wax. You can add special oils to the candle wax in order to make them more appropriate for different types of magick. You can also mix in herbs and colored dyes. Make a day of creating candles for your future magickal workings. For more advice on making your own candles, you should find an appropriate craft book.

Once you’ve bought or made your candles, you need to consecrate it with oil before you use. This is also called “dressing” a candle, and is important to establish a psychic link between you and the candle. This allows the candle to become an extension of yourself, which allows you to effectively work your magick. When you touch the candle, you are adding your own energy and the psychic impressions. While you dress the candle, make sure to focus on your intentions for the magick and use an oil that corresponds to your spell. I have a special blend that I dress all my candles with that is appropriate for any type of work, but I also have specific oils that I’ll use for money magick and psychic work.

You need to apply the oil in a specific way in order to dress the candle properly. Imagine that the candle has a North and South pole, just like the earth. Start at the center of the candle, and then rub the oil into the candle toward the top or North end. Then flip the candle over and coat the candle from the middle to the South end. After you dress the candle and let it dry, it’s ready to be used in your spells.

The following correspondence chart can be used to identify the right types of candles for your magickal work.

White candles are appropriate for magick that deals with spirituality and peace. They are also general purpose candles that can be used in place of other colors if you don’t have anything else to use.

Red candles represent health, energy, strength, courage and sexual potency.

Pink candles are for love, affection and romance.

Yellow candles represent intellectual powers, imagination, the mind, memory and creativity.

Green candles are used in money magick, spells dealing with abundance, good luck and harmony.

Blue candles are for inspiration, devotion, protection and wisdom.

Purple candles represent material wealth, higher psychic abilities and spiritual power.

Silver candles are for clairvoyance, inspiration, astral energy and intuition.

Orange candles are used for career, the law and energy magick.

Brightest Blessings,

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

Dear Friends,

Every time I see another ad on television for another sleep medication, I have to laugh to myself. If only all of these people on prescription medications would try some of the following spells, they may find themselves sleeping easily without all of the harmful side effects. This post is a collection of the sleeping spells that I’ve found most helpful. A lot of these spells are similar to aromatherapy and with good reason! A lot of aromatherapy and other herbal practices are based on the knowledge that witches obtained throughout the centuries. Understanding herbal magick is an important part of witchcraft and these herbal spells will help you sleep.

Insomnia is a major problem that can either be chronic, or it can crop up from time to time. I know that anytime I am under a lot of stress I’m not able to sleep and I’ll do the following spell in order to get my mind sleepy and be able to relax. You’ll need a large square of cheesecloth, folded twice, as well as oats, chamomile flowers and mandrake. You need to wrap handfuls of uncooked oats, dried chamomile flowers and a pinch of mandrake into a square cheesecloth. Filter hot water through the cheesecloth package. Light some incense that is relaxing, like lavender or vanilla.

Breath the aromas deeply into your lungs and place the cheesecloth package over your eyes for a few minutes. Make sure not to fall asleep with the package on your eyes since it will get rather sticky overnight. After you relax with the pack on your eyes for a while, remove it and then visualize a field of chamomile flowers spreading out before. Feel yourself drawn to the field and lie down. Breathe deeply and then imagine yourself falling asleep in the field of flowers. You’ll be asleep in no time.

If you have no problem falling asleep, but have trouble staying asleep, you can try this spell. Before you go to bed, fill the sink with warm water and then add five to ten drops of lavender oil. Splash this water on your face, on the back of your neck, your wrists, elbows, knees and ankles. These are your pulse points. This will help you stay asleep longer and sleep more deeply.

You can also use lavender with a sachet under your pillow. As you place the lavender sachet underneath your pillow, say the following:

Peace be mine
In this sleeping time
Dreams be sweet
Allow me to sleep.

The following spell is a more traditional type of spell that you can use to ensure deep sleep. You’ll just need a white candle. Take it into your bedroom and light it after casting a circle of protection. Walk counterclockwise around your bedroom three times. As you do this, concentrate on restful and calming thoughts.

Then walk clockwise three times in silence around your bedroom. Meditate on some positive, restful sleep images while you do this. Finally, stand at the foot of your bed and whisper “sleep” before blowing out the candle.

You don’t need to do this spell in it’s entirety each and every night. After the first night, you can simply light the candle and whisper “sleep” before blowing it out. When the original candle is completely used, do the entire ritual again with a new candle.

Sometimes it’s not the act of sleeping that people find difficult, it’s the dreams. Being plagued by nightmares and disturbing dreams each night is definitely troublesome. I’ve found that nightmares are normally a way for your subconscious mind to deal with issues that you’re having trouble with in real life. Even though they represent real fears, they certainly aren’t pleasant to go through. If you use the following spells, make sure to try to identify the reason you are having nightmares and deal with those issues in your waking life. If you do this in addition to the spells, you’ll eliminate your nightmares completely.

These spells are also appropriate to use with children. Since children definitely can’t analyze and deal with their dreams the way adults can, it’s important to give them tools to empower themselves to eliminate nightmares. Both of these spells can be very empowering for children and give them a sense of control over their dreams.

The first spell requires you to get a little pillow case (a child’s size will do, or you can create a little pocket from some breathable fabric). Fill the pillow case with anise seeds, dragon’s blood and lavender. Trace out a pentacle with your finger and repeat the following three times:

Mare, Goddess of Dreams
Make mine sweet, calm and easy.

Mare (MAH-re) is the Celtic Goddess of dreams. Place the pillow case under neath your pillow when you go to sleep.

Another helpful nightmare reducing spell requires a small carved figure of a bear. Place the bear underneath your pillow (after consecrating it with some lavender oil) and then repeat the following three times:

Bear of great wisdom,
Take away the Nightmare madness
And bring deep slumber in it’s place

Make sure the bear is smallish so you won’t be disturbed during the night. If you’re doing this spell for a child, you could even use a small teddy bear.

Hopefully these spells will help you rest easily!

Brightest Blessings,

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

Dear Friends,

Your home is your castle and just like a Medieval castle, it requires protection. Your home is full of the energy of it’s previous residents, and you are adding energy to it each and every day. The
energy that you have in your home is important. If you are moving into a new home or need to protect your home energetically, you can use the rituals in this post to help you do just that. You’ll do one after another, since they work in tandem. Make sure that you have enough time to do them, since they are rather labor intensive.

For this ritual, you’ll need a white candle, two small bowls for water and salt, a large bowl of water, your censer and an incense holder. You need to do this ritual on the New Moon. Start your ritual by casting your circle as you normally would. Meditate for a few moments on the task ahead, and then invoke the God and Goddess. Ask for their help in the work that you’ll be doing.

Light your white candle in the candle holder, and then light your incense. Add salt to your water, and then take your water bowl and raise it up to the North. Say the following:

In the name of the Goddess and God, I banish with Water and Earth

Sprinkle water around the perimeter of your circle and then raise your incense to the North, and then say the following:

In the name of the Goddess and God, I banish with Fire and Air

Take the incense and walk around the perimeter of the room just as you did with the water.

Light the candle and then cast a pentacle toward the North. Do this by by starting in the upper right hand corner and tracing a pentacle in the air. As you do this, say

With this Sign I banish ye, foul shades of the North!
Let this home be freed of negative influences.

Go around the perimeter of the room and cast a pentacle at each quarter. Repeat the phrase at each point, obviously replacing the word “North” in the statement. After you do this in each corner, return to the center of the room and take your bowl of pure water.

With your hands, draw in any negative vibrations or energy that you sense in the room. Cast them into the water by flicking your fingers at the space and then in the water. Continue to do this until you feel like you’ve cleared the space completely. Make sure to avoid touching the water, since it is becoming full of the energy that you are getting rid of.

Move the water, salt, incense, candle and bowl of water into each room of your home. Repeat the same ritual in each room taking care not to touch or spill the water. Make sure to banish from closets, bathrooms and pantries. Anywhere there is a door, you should complete this spell.

When you’re done, you need to empty the large bowl of water with the negative energy into running water. You can use the toilet or the sink, just make sure not the spill the water anywhere else. Wash the bowl with cold water and then scrub it out with consecrated salt.

After you’re done banishing, you need to seal your home to protect it from any negative influences. This sealing ritual will protect your home magickally and keep you secure. You’ll use the same items that you did in the first ritual (salt, water, incense and candle). You should have saved the wax drippings from your candle, the ashes from your incense, the salt and the consecrated water. Mix all of them together into a paste.

Dip your first finger into the paste and draw a pentacle on the inside of each door that leads outside. Make sure to do this on the windows as well. You can make two pentacles at each opening if you want, one on the sill and the other on the door or window itself. As you are drawing these pentacles, make sure to concentrate on protection and only the good coming into your home. Know that all of the energy that was put into the your home in the past, good or bad, is now gone. You’ll be able to fill it with positive helpful energy in the future.

This is an intense ritual so you shouldn’t have to do it more than once. If you want to refresh your home every once in a while, you can do this ritual once per year. The best time of year to do this is during the spring. Think of it as magickal “spring” cleaning, and your house will always be protected. Each time you do this ritual, the effect of it will be increased and multiplied.

Brightest Blessings,

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

Dear Friends,

Whenever you do any magickal work you are taking energy from your body and putting it out into the universe. There’s got to be a place that the energy comes from, so this article is full of tips on how to increase energy for your magickal work. When you are completely energized through these activities, you’ll find that your spells and rituals are much more effective.

Raising your energy is a bit like climbing up a ladder toward another plane of existence. There are many different ways to raise energy. You can sing. You can dance. You can chant. And you can use visualization to raise your energy as well. Personally, I’ve found that raising your energy through physical movement is more effective, but visualizations can be powerful depending on what kind of energy you are looking to build.

You can use the following visualization to build up energy. Close your eyes and imagine your feet sink into the ground. You are becoming one with the roots in the ground and are growing deeper into Gaia, the mother earth. Her energies are all around you, rising up like the sap through your feet and your legs. The energy fills your body and envelops each and every one of your cells. Feel yourself becoming one with Gaia.

Feel yourself becoming a great strong tree and stand up with your arms stretched out. Your arms will feel like branches reaching up to Father Sky. You feel your leaves drink in the Sun. You can feel the energy coming down into your body and feeling you more and more with each breath. Continue to draw the energy in and send it out into your limbs. You are at one with everything that surrounds you and you feel life pulsing through you.

This type of exercise is perfect to use before a ritual or powerful spellwork. In addition to using a visualization like this, you can also use mantras. Mantras are simple chants that use the names of the Gods and Goddesses to build up energy. You simply need to pick the deity that is most appropriate for your upcoming magickal work. For example, you could chant “He-ca-te” or “Ven-us.” You can add power to the mantra by adding drums, rattles, tambourines and other items that will help build energy.

A zen like trance is another way to build up energy. You can do this by finding a quiet place to sit that is dark. The darkness will help your concentration. Sit down in a comfortable place and the hold out your arms so that they face one another. Focus on the space between your hands and clear your mind of all thought. Imagine the energy pouring out of the universe and into your body. It comes through your dominant hand and then circulating in your body, and then back out into the universe through your non-dominant hand.

Yet another way to raise energy is to charge a beverage with power and then drink it. Use the following method to create power tea. Brew your favorite tea and then hold your dominant hand over the top of the tea. Move your hand in a clockwise direction and say the following three times:

I am the tool you are the fire,
Fill this cup with all I desire.

Once you’re done, drink down the tea and then feel yourself empowered.

If you feel like you need a lot of energy or just want to take your energy building powers to the next level, use the following spell. You’ll need a bright red or orange candle, some sandalwood incense, a glass of water and a bowl of sea salt. Cast your circle as you normally would and then sit in front of your candle and repeat the following:

Give me energy to happily complete the task I have been given to do.
I will feel better for having done it. The completion of the task will be my reward.

Sprinkle the sea salt around the candle and say the following:

Give me strength, O sacred Earth.

Pass your hand near the candle and say the following:

Give me strength O sacred Fire.

Pass your hand through the smoke of the incense and say the following:

Give me strength, O sacred Air.

Drink the water down and say the following:

Give me strength O sacred Water.

Now immediately move on to a ritual spell that you need energy from.

Finally, I’d like to share a little “craft” project that you that will help you build energy. You need a small jar to hold several tablespoons of herbs. You need to fill the jar with the following herbs:

Cinnamon (which is for dreams)
Nutmeg (an herb for good luck)
Allspice (for healing)
Ginger (for lunar magick)
Basil (for protection)
Fennel seeds (spiritual healing)
Garlic (spiritual purification)
Marjoram (protection)
Sage (spiritual purification)
Cloves (protection)
Mustard seed (protection)

Stir spices together three times and then close the jar. Whenever you need an extra burst of energy, take a sniff from the jar and feel the power of the herbs enter you.

Brightest Blessings,

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