Rose Ariadne's Chitchcraft Blog

Dear Friends,

Crystals are another aspect of the magickal life that aren’t specifically magickal but fall under the realm of witchcraft. Lots of people from different paths use crystals. Although they are generally associated with the New Age movement, they are also used by a lot of Pagans like myself. One of the downsides of crystals become so popular is that there is a lot of misinformation about how to use them. You’ll see a lot of people selling crystals in rings, earrings and necklaces. While these pieces are definitely pretty, they don’t serve the magickal practice that a lot of people think they are.

Crystals are more than just decorations or jewelry. They hold energy. That energy can help balance your energy and add to your magickal workings. It isn’t an instant fix though. You can think of crystals as a repository of energy. The more you work with them, the more energy they collect and the more effective they are in your work. Just like with your other magickal tools, you’ll want to treat crystals with the reverence that they deserve. The energy and respect that you give them will help you tremendously in your attempts to work with crystals.

If you want to work with crystals, your first step is to select a crystal. Instead of providing you a lengthy list of what crystals correspond to which properties, I think it’s much better for you to choose a crystal based on intuition. That’s why it is so important that you try to buy a crystal in person instead of online or through a catalog. You really need to choose one that calls to you. If you don’t have a local metaphysical shop, you can always attend a geological show and purchase a crystal there. Sometimes state fairs or county fairs that are held each year. You can sometimes find great deals at these types of events.

Ask if you can handle crystals as you’re shopping for them. It’s important for you to hold the crystal in your receptive hand. Normally this is the hand that you write or draw with. When you hold a crystal that is perfect for you, you’ll feel it. I really can’t describe this feeling in words, and it may be different for you. When you hold a crystal that you need to have for some purpose, you’ll know it immediately. Try not the judge the crystal as you look at it. You need to evaluate it on it’s feeling instead of on it’s appearance. An imperfect crystal with the right feeling is better than one that is flawless yet doesn’t speak to you.

If you feel comfortable doing so, ask the crystal if it’s right for you. You can do this silently. You can also keep your intention in mind while you are looking for your crystal. For example, if you are using a crystal to heal, you should focus your attention on the healing process while searching for your crystal. This will help you draw the right crystal to yourself.

Clear quartz is a good choice for your first crystal if you’re ordering online or just don’t know what to pick. It also has the most applications for use. It is good for purifications, removing negative energy and aligning your spiritual, mental and physical selves. Once you get your crystal home, you need to clear it of all of the energy that it is bringing into your home. You can do this through smudging or using a salt water bath for your crystals.

You can make your crystals part of your regular altar layout, or you can bring them out for special occasions. Depending on their purposes, you could lay your crystals underneath your pillow, on your desk or even in your living room. I have crystals all over my home for different purposes. I have them on my bookshelf, in my bedroom and even a few in my bathroom!

Some of my favorite crystals are amethyst, cat’s eye, jade and opal. Amethyst can eliminate negative influences, increase psychic awareness and improve feelings of wellbeing. Cat’s eye is responsible for increasing awareness, stimulating your intuition and allowing you to communicate with the spirit world. Jade helps inspire ambition and allows you to complete your goals. Opal promotes balance and harmony. You may want to consider adding one or all of these stones to your collection if they call to you in person.

No matter what type of crystals you purchase, make sure to use them. Since you’re walking this path, you know that they are much more than decorative objects. Hold them while you are doing psychic work, make them part of your rituals and treat them with the reverence that they deserve. When you treat your crystals with respect, you’ll get what you are meant to get out of them.

Brightest Blessings,

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

Dear Friends,

In the last post, I went over a basic technique that is important in your magickal practice. Just like that post, this one is dedicated to explaining something that is very important and sometimes misunderstood. Smudging is as essential practice in magick and it’s important to know how to use it effectively.

Smudging is the practice of using smoke from burning incense or herbs as a way of cleansing. You can use smudging to cleanse an object to consecrate it for your magickal work. You can also use it to cleanse your body before a ritual, or to protect your home or circle. The smoke from herbs can help dissuade negative energy and lingering bad feelings.

Just like you want to take a long, hot shower after a hard day at work, you can use smudging to take a “spiritual” bath. This removes all residue from your day and cleans up the space you’re going to work in. It is akin to salt water in this way in that it can cleanse and purify. The type of incense or herbs that you use for smudging can make all the difference in your success.

One of the most common herbs used for smudging is sage. I use it myself, and until I started researching for this article, I had no idea there were so many types of sage available. I knew that there were differences between the sage that is used as incense and the sage that is used for cooking, but there are also several subspecies of each of these types of sage. The type of Sage used for cooking is called Salvia, and has two major varieties: Garden Sage and White Sage. Evidence of sage’s healing and cleansing properties are evidenced in the name, that is based on the Latin word salvare which means to heal. Even though Salvia is commonly used for cooking, it can also be used for smudging.

Artemisia is the other common form of sage, that is also referred to as sagebrush. It’s found growing wild in California and other western states. Common Sagebrush and Mugwort are the two most common varieties of this type of sage.

Sage has a long history of being used in ceremonies for purification and protection. Native Americans used sage frequently in their ceremonies to banish evil spirits, remove negative thoughts and cleanse an area for ceremonies. The floors of sweatlodges of the Plains Natives were composed of sage leaves intermingled with the dirt. They were also rubbed on the body during the sweatlodge ceremonies. The Sioux Indians used a Sacred Pipe in their ceremonies filled with sage.

Cedar is another common natural element used for smudging. Although it’s not technically an herb it has very powerful properties that trace back to Native American traditions. The most common forms of cedar used for smudging is Western Red Cedar and California Incense Cedar. The Plains Natives burned Cedar while praying to the great spirit.

Today, you can use it to bless a house before moving in and to purify your house that you are already living in. Cedar is also known for attracting good energy to your home, so I always keep a bit around to burn on a weekly basis. You can never have too much help when it comes to attracting good energy! You can normally find Cedar in chips at herb stores. In order to use it, you need to add it to charcoal in a brazier. Make sure to light your brazier in a safe place and keep an eye on it while it is burning.

Sweetgrass is a favorite of mine when it comes to smudging. It has a crisp scent that reminds me of the outdoors. Sweetgrass was most commonly used by the Sioux and Cherokee Native Americans. You may already be familiar with sweetgrass or at least recognize it from your local herb or magickal shop. It’s sold in braids, like hair. I used to just light the end of the braid of the sweetgrass, but I went through a lot of the incense that way! If you’re on a budget, or just want to be economical, you can scrape parts of the braid into your brazier. It’s traditional to use sweetgrass after smudging an area with sage to call in the the good spirits.

No matter what type of ingredients you use for smudging, you should pay attention to your intentions as you allow the smoke to sweep over your body, through your space or around your tools. Picture the smoke acting as a broom and sweeping away the negative energy. Remember to thank the plants that the incense came from and honor their sacrifice for your benefit. When you keep things in this perspective, you’re smudging correctly. Hopefully you’ll make it a major part of your practice inside and outside of the circle.

Brightest Blessings,

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

Dear Friends,

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you know that I often give the instruction to “cast a circle as you normally would” before launching into ritual. You may have wondered what a circle is and why it is important in magick. In magickal practice, or any type of spiritual practice, it’s as basic as learning the ABCs. Casting a circle is not just something to be taken lightly. Even though I sometimes gloss over the process when I write of rituals, it doesn’t mean it’s significance is any less than that of the actual ritual. My gloss over from time to time is simply a result of having this part of the process so ingrained into my understanding that I tend to forget that I need to explain it.

Circles are cast in order to protect you (psychically) from dark forces that you can be susceptible to during your magickal work. By dark forces, I mean that there is dark and light to everything….and that includes energy and spirit. When you put yourself into a highly positive spiritual state, like you do when you are doing spellwork, while you are meditating or while you are attempting to do psychic work, you are sending out a little beacon to the dark that exists around you. Your normal psychic defenses are incapacitated on these moments. When you open yourself up to being spiritual, you are relinquishing control over your life. It’s a state of being “open.” Casting a circle ensures that you are opening yourself to the right types of things.

Being a wise Pagan, I’m sure you always cast a circle before you start magickal work. But if you don’t the time to start is now. A circle is like a psychic shield that goes out and prevents anything that you do not want from coming in. It’s like a sandbox. You decide what comes in that you want to “play” with, and everything else stays out according to your will. Casting a circle is the most basic and most important type of protective magick.

It’s vitally important that you cleanse yourself and your space, cast a protective circle and then do your magick. Doing it in this fashion will help you stay safe while you open yourself psychically and spiritually. Before doing a ritual, you should also take some steps to cleanse and clear yourself from any “residue” you may be carrying from the outside world. Take a ritual cleansing bath, immerse yourself in incense or sprinkle yourself with some salt water.

Some could argue that the act of making a circle is more psychological than physical. And there’s definitely some validity to that point. I can’t physically see my circle. I can feel the subtle vibration of energy around me. And I feel the energy flowing between me and the rest of the room. But I’m not sure if my circle would stand up to scientific tests. That being said, there’s no reason why a circle shouldn’t work…even if it is just psychological and not physical.

Drawing out the circle and taking the steps to make it “real” to you is a powerful action, whether it is physical or not. When you create the circle you are declaring that “this” is in your control. The space inside of the circle is under your command. Anything outside of the circle that you do not want to come in is not welcome. You decide what enters your space. This declaration combined with the physical action of walking around your circle signals your subconscious mind that something special is happening and that this time needs to be revered.

Creating a circle is creating a shift in your mind. So much of the time, we walk through life without taking notice of what is really happening around us. We live half lives with our energy scattered here and there. We don’t realize the impact that our energy has until we focus it. Rituals help focus our energy, and it all starts with casting a circle.

Casting a circle should be done before every ritual, spellwork or even meditation. I know many people, including myself, that do a modified circle casting before we read tarot cards. This was we can focus our attentions and block negative energies from entering the space.

Begin your circle casting by purifying the area with sprinkled salt water. Walk the boundary of your circle and sprinkle the water as you go. Then ask for protective spirits to enter and stand watch over the circle. Many people call upon the elementals to serve this purpose. You could used Christian images, like angels, or specific Gods from a pantheon that you are attracted to.

Once you call in the protectors, you’re ready to being doing the work that you are intending to do. This may include invoking the God and Goddess for an elaborate ritual, or doing something as simple as telling your own fortune with some runes. Whatever the purpose, you can go foreward knowing that you are adequately protected.

Brightest Blessings,

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

Dear Friends,

Hard times befall everyone from time to time. They definitely aren’t exclusive to Pagans, but I think that those of us who are walking this path can take in stride. In today’s post, I want to speak to you about how to overcome your personal troubles and allow them to take you to the next level in your life. When trouble comes your way, you have two choices….you can take things in stride and allow them to help you grow. Or you can let a bad situation ruin your life as you obsess over what happened to you in the past. The choice is yours.

I think one of the main reasons that Pagans have an easier time accepting difficult times is because we see life as cyclical instead of linear. The wheel of life turns and just as there are good times in life, we also experience the bad. Nature operates just like this. A bountiful fall turns to a cold winter. A beautiful blooming spring turns to a scorching hot summer. Nothing stops this turning of the wheel of life.

As a Pagan, I know that this wheel of life is internalized as well. Just as I know that this year’s Beltane celebration will be repeated next spring, I know that no matter whatever troubles I am having right now, I will experience happiness again. It is inevitable.

Of course, this doesn’t cure the problem I’m experiencing at the time, but it does give me strength to hold on to my sanity while I’m going through a tough time. I look for opportunities to learn from my difficult experiences. I ask myself “How can I prevent myself from experiencing this again in the future? What can I do now to make it more tolerable?” The answers to these questions help me grow as a person.

You should approach hard times in your life with the same type of perspective. Anger, resentment and bitterness create nothing but more of the same. You have a choice with how you approach the world. The experiences you have do not mean that the Gods or against you or that you are somehow cursed. They happen to everyone. The only difference is that different people approach their circumstances differently.

I’m not implying that you should revel in your misery or enjoy it in any way. Tough times are tough, but your approach to them can make a difference. Spending all your time wallowing in misery is no way to live. Approaching your troubles with peace and patience is the best way to get through hard times in your life.

So today’s spell is all about developing peace in your life so that you can grasp onto the “good” parts of your troubles. For this spell, you’ll need a white candle, four pink candles and a piece of paper. Ground and center yourself and cast your circle as you normally would. You can add a special touch to this spell by burning some peaceful incense like chamomile, rose or vetivert.

Start your ritual out by calling the four corners, as well as the God and Goddess. Before their presence, work on releasing all of your feelings about your difficult time. Write down everything that is troubling you on the piece of paper before you. Let it all out and put your emotion into your writing. Not only are you writing words on a page, but you are imbuing that page with all of your negative emotions, your fears and your worries. Let them go as you are writing them on the page.

Once you’re done writing, fold up your piece of paper and place it underneath your white candle. Place the four pink candles in the four corners around the white candle. Light the white candle first and repeat the following words:

I release my worries, and accept peace from the God and Goddess.

Light the pink candle to the North and say:

I send peace to the North.

Light the pink candle to the West and say:

I send happiness to the West.

Light the pink candle to the South and say:

I send calmness to the South

Light the pink candle to the East and say:

I send love and light to the East.

Focus your attention on the center candle and say:

And I feel all these things coming back to me.

Take a few deep breaths and experience the peaceful, calming feelings flowing back to you from all four corners. As you breathe in each breath, know that your worries have been released and are no longer yours to carry.

Hopefully this ritual will have you feeling peaceful the next time you feel overwhelmed. Life has it’s ups and downs, but with the right attitude and a little bit of magick, you don’t need to worry about your downs.

Brightest Blessings,

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