Rose Ariadne's Chitchcraft Blog

Dear friends,

One of the most sought after spells and rituals has to do with love: finding love, keeping love, and having a person return your love. Do these really work and are there any drawbacks to them?

Whether or not love spells actually work is debatable. I tend to lean on the “no” side as far as feelings go. I really don’t think you can make someone feel something that they do not. On the other hand, I do think that you can help a person out if they are on the fence, or create opportunities for the person to get to know you better and to see you when they previously couldn’t.

One of the biggest drawbacks in making a person try to love you is that eventually, they’re going to figure out what happened. Now, I don’t mean that they’re going to one day wake up and realize that you put a spell on them, but other things can happen.

For one thing, if you try to make someone love you by using spellwork, then they’re never really going to love you for you. They’re simply going to be infatuated with you due to reasons that they don’t understand. And that’s not really love.

So maybe you’re okay with that. Perhaps you imagine that as long as you have them in your life it doesn’t matter to you why they’re there. Well, that might be okay for awhile, but is that always going to be enough? And exactly how long can that spell last?

Eventually, the person that you put the spell on is going to get disillusioned and upset and might even come to resent you because they don’t understand why they’re with you. This can only lead to heartache and disaster.

That doesn’t mean, however, that you can’t help things along from time to time.

If there is someone that you have your eye on but they don’t even seem to notice that you exist then you might want to try a simple spell that doesn’t necessarily make them love you, but does open up the lines of communication in order for them to get to know you better. That, in turn, might lead to love if the situation is right.

You might also do a ritual that creates the right atmosphere for love to find you. I remember when I was younger I really wanted someone to spend time with that I could love. I meditated on it and thought about it and really tried to put myself out there. It just wasn’t happening, however. Finally, I did a ritual that opened my heart up to love and friendship. Within a couple of weeks I had met someone.

Sometimes, the spells that you do on yourself are far more powerful than the ones that you can do on other people.

Keep in mind, too, that sometimes love spells can backfire. You might try to make someone love you who turns out to be a real frog. And then where will you be? You’ll be stuck with a lovelorn fool who doesn’t even understand why they are in love with you in the first place.

I think about times when I was very young and how I would be so in love with one person and think that if I could just have them my life would be perfect. Had there been a magic potion to buy, I would have bought a caseload. Now, I look back on those people and I thank the stars that I chose a different path. (Or that they chose one.) Sometimes, what we want isn’t necessarily what we need and it’s really difficult to tell that when we’re actually in the situation.

Binding spells, which are really a kind of love spell, can be very, very tricky. Binding someone to you for any reason almost never has the effects that we think they’re going to have. As a matter of fact, they are often disastrous.

Some people try love spells on partners who are going astray or at least thinking about it. Again, trying to control someone is almost useless. Helping them see the situation that they are considering for what it is, however, might be more helpful. People really have to choose their own paths, although sometimes a little clarity can help them choose the right one.

We spend a lot of time trying to “fix” other people when we should really start inwards. I know that’s hard to do, but it’s the only real way that we can hope to be happy. It’s difficult to count on other people changing, but we can always have control over who we are and what we do. People are very fickle with fickle emotions and fickle ideas. The only person that we really have a handful of control over is ourselves.

I do hope that your life is filled with love and magick.

Brightest blessings,

Rose Ariadne

Your Warm And Caring “Resident Witch In Charge”

Dear friends,

We love to celebrate in our house and there’s nothing quite like getting everyone together for food, drink, camaraderie, and merriment. Sometimes, we are merely celebrating birthdays while other times we are celebrating the changing of the seasons. There is always a reason to celebrate.

So what are some of the festivals of the year that fall in the Wiccan calendar?

Samhain – October 31st

The rest of the world might know it as “Halloween”, but to use, Samhain is a time to bring in the New Year, according to the Celtic calendar. This is a great time to say goodbye to the old and hello to the new. It’s also a good time to do any remembrance rituals, pay respects to those who have gone on, and even try to receive or send messages to those who are residing in the other realm.

Traditionally, fires were lit during this time in order to help souls reach the Otherworld. Some people still make bonfires today for this festival. In addition, masks were worn to scare off evil spirits and cakes and other treats were left at crossroads for the good spirits.

Samhain could also be thought of as the end of harvest so a lot of emphasis is placed on food. Depending on where you live, you might go ahead and pick the rest of your vegetables in your garden at this time. If you live in a colder climate, of course, you may have already done this.

Yule-December 21st

This is the shortest day of the year and is typically when the holiday season starts for us. (Although with little ones in the house, let’s be honest, by this point we’ve probably been decorating for weeks.) Many traditions that are used today for Christmas were started by the Druids and other groups found throughout Europe. Mistletoe, Yule logs, Christmas trees, holly and ivy, and even caroling all got their start here.

There isn’t one particular way to celebrate Yule, although there are some common denominators, such as the Yule log, that many people share. This is a good time to get together with your loved ones and spend time together. While there are many solitary rituals to choose from, this is also a fantastic time to do some group rituals that even involve children. Decorating a wreath, burning the log, and hanging up evergreen boughs are all nice ways to do things together.

Imbolc/Candlemas- February 1st

The good news is that for us, we don’t have to wait too long after the winter holidays to start celebrating again! Candlemas is a very fun festival that centers around light. Symbolically, it is known for new sprouts trying to break through the winter snow and ice. It also means “purity”, which is another way to look at light.

Some very famous items are associated with Imbolc, including Brigit and the Rowan tree- a very powerful source of energy.

Eaostre/Spring Equinox- March 21st

Eaostre was the Goddess of the dawn and of the spring. Christianity’s “Easter” is also celebrated around this time, another clue that many Christian holidays are offshoot of traditional Pagan celebrations. Easter eggs, coloring eggs, and even the Easter Bunny can all be traced back to Pagan rituals so you don’t have to give these up if you still want to use them in your celebrations.

During this festival, we celebrate new beginnings. New plants are growing, new animals are being born, and new fires are being lit. It’s a fresh and pure time of the year and hopefully the weather will start turning a little warmer.

On your altar, you might want to consider using pastel colors, lots of flowers, and other signs of spring time.

Beltane/May Eve-April 30th
This is by far one of my favorite festivals. Beltane has always been a magickal time for me and I feel a lot of power during these celebrations. And why not? It’s very nearly a celebration of sexuality and womanhood.

Beltane was traditionally known as a fertility festival. Of course, this doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone is going to conceive on this particular holiday, but you can still celebrate without the rituals actually leading to conception.

In the old days, crosses were tied to cows’ tails so that they wouldn’t become bewitched, greenery and fruit were left at houses as decorations, and fairs were even held.

Midsummer-June 21st

Another extremely magickal time of the year, Midsummer is always a fun festival because the weather is usually pretty good so doing rituals outside is possible. This is the longest day of the year and also the midpoint of the year.

Lammas- August 1st

Although Lammas might not be as celebrated as some of the other festivals, some people use it to celebrate the first harvest. It’s possible, however, that you’ve already had a harvest depending on where you live and when your crops come in.

Autumn Equinox- September 21st

This is the end of the witch’s year and a perfect time to celebrate your harvest. Although summer is now over, there are still things to look forward to. The leaves are changing, the weather is changing, and even attitudes change as the year draws to a close. Hopefully, there will only be good things ahead.

I hope you have an enjoyable year of festivals, however you may choose to celebrate.

Brightest blessings,

Rose Ariadne

Your Warm And Caring “Resident Witch In Charge”

Dear Friends,

According to much of the rest of the world, Salem is the place to be for all things witchy. After all, they did have the famous witch trials there. Of course, most people tend to overlook the fact that the “witches” placed on trial were not actual witches at all.

At any rate, I have often wondered about Salem and what kind of energy it had and so a few years ago when I was in the Boston area I took it upon myself to visit it. This is what I discovered…

For the most part, Salem seems to have embraced its witchy past. You will find lots of gift shops focused on New Age memorabilia. Some of it is useful, some of it is not. While I am a firm believer that the use puts a lot of the importance and energy into an object, I can’t ignore the fact that the object has to have some sort of power itself. With that in mind, you really have to figure out what is “real” and what is simply manufactured tourist hocks.

I went in one shop that specialized in gemstones and crystals and asked the women working there what some of the better Salem sites were. She replied that she wasn’t a “witch” and that she merely worked in the store. I found the answer a little interesting, since I could have simply been coming at the question from an historical standpoint and not a Wiccan one, and then, of course, there was the fact that she WAS working in a gemstone magick storefront. It made me wonder if the stores really believed in what they were selling, or if they were merely trying to make a profit.

Still, I gamely took one of those hop on/hop off tours and went around town seeing some of the sites. And what did I come up with? Well, not much. As I later learned, many of the historical sites that were around during the infamous trials have since then been destroyed. In addition, many things that I thought happened in Salem actually occurred in nearby Danvers. Granted, Danvers and Salem kind of run in together so it’s difficult to tell where one stops and the other begins. Danvers appears to be a typical suburb, although there was something interesting there that I will get back to in a minute.

There were a couple of museums that I went into and one was supposed to recreate the trials. It fell short of my expectations. Another one used mannequins that weren’t very realistic looking at all and I still walked away with the sense that the “witches” were not unfairly persecuted at all.

My favorite part of the day was looking at the beautiful Northeastern architecture and scenery. Salem used to be an important maritime station and I do wish that they had focused more on that aspect of it than the “witchy” one. On the other hand, The House of the Seven Gables was amazing, and barely publicized at all! (I didn’t know there was a real house, nor was I aware that it was in Salem.)

Throughout all of the blatant tourism, I did feel a real sense of history and sadness permeating the air. We might never know if any of the people on trial were truly witches, but history points to them not being so. That doesn’t mean that there weren’t people living there who were sensitive or had beliefs that diverged from what they had been brought up to believe and I think that I got a sense of that as I walked through the streets, and especially around the harbor. They must have been confused and terrified. It’s a very sad part of American history and one that has been talked about so often that it’s almost gotten to the point in which the real meaning has become moot.

I did say that I would mention Danvers. I was aware of an old mental hospital that existed there and it intrigued me. For many, many years it was abandoned and a place where people would often sneak into in order to try to catch glimpses of spirits and to cause mischief. Recently, it has been turned into condos. (I see some humor in that, myself.) So I drove up there to check it out.

I must say, I felt more energy surrounding those buildings than in much of Salem. Like many state hospitals of the time, it fell victim to underfunding and overcrowding. There were many patients there who didn’t need to be there and a lot of the patients didn’t receive the treatments that they needed. This was the place where the lobotomy was revolutionized, after all. I felt such an overwhelming sadness there that it was almost too much to take.

If you are in the Salem area, then I urge you to check it out. It might not be what you expect, but it can definitely give you an idea of what can happen when Witchcraft becomes commercialized. Good or bad, I do believe it is there to stay.

Brightest Blessings,

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

Dear friends,

I was recently watching an episode of “Designing Women” and it immediately made me think of this blog. Although I usually enjoy Julia’s rants and raves, this particular one did not set will with me. Apparently, the firm’s phone number accidentally got mixed up with a psychic bookstore’s number and a lot of people were calling the girls thinking they were calling the bookstore. At one point, Julia answered the phone and pretended to be the bookstore. She proceeded to tell the customer that they no longer carried books on mediums because they had discovered that it was just a farce and that crystals were “just rocks.”

Of course, the audience laughed and everyone assumed that Julia was right. It was just a reminder to me; however, of how little respect Wicca actually receives from the general population.

But that’s really an aside. Today I wanted to focus on a prevalent concept in Wicca-the triple Goddess. Dating back to the legend of Persephone and Demeter, the triple Goddess consist of the maiden, mother, and crone. (Not to be confused with the father, the son, and the Holy Spirit.) So who are these people and what do they do?

The maiden, also known as the “new moon” in the cycle, is the youngest of the three. She is the innocent, the virgin, the seeker. In terms of my own life, I think of myself as the maiden up until the point that I had children. The maiden asks questions, is sometimes lead astray, and is full of passion. Her love is quick and powerful, but not always long-lasting. She is not flighty, but she moves.

The maiden is also fierce and strong. She can be gentle as well as a warrior. Diana was a maiden, with her horses and her weapons. The maiden belongs to no one and to everyone.

The mother is the nurturer. This is the face that you see as you are dying. The mother is not always kind, but always takes care of you and makes choices out of love for you. The mother is the creator and is often referred to as “Mother Earth”, “Mother Nature” and so on. A tumultuous relationship often exists with the mother, but that’s the way it goes in child/parental relationships.

The mother holds the keys to a lot of life’s mysteries. As the person who gives birth, she is all-knowing and is able to offer comfort and love, but can also seem cruel and unkind. She is the full moon.

The dark moon is the crone. The crone is often the image that we get of witches at Halloween, and it’s not an altogether inaccurate depiction-except for the black hat and warts. The crone is considered an older woman, although she doesn’t have to be decrepit. There is no certain age that pertains to this phase.

The crone is the vessel of life. She holds the traditions, knowledge, and secrets that have been passed down for generations. She is a healer, a fighter, and at peace with the world. She is no longer a young maiden or a mother, in a sense that she has performed the duties that were required of her, yet she still holds onto those aspects as well. She is all-knowing. She judges and watches over time.

A lot of women, and men too, fear the crone. As women, we don’t really want to age. Yet, the crone is as essential as the maiden and the mother. In the cycle of life, we must have death before we can have rebirth.

In effect, the Triple Goddess is merely the cycle of life. You don’t have to be A mother to be THE mother. The different stages don’t come at set time period or ages, either. Every women is capable of being all three, just as every woman holds the Goddess inside of her.

As I get older, I find comfort in the fact that the Goddess exists in three forms. I have many friends who say that you couldn’t pay them to return to high school again, and I kind of feel like that with the maiden. As for myself, I am the mother now and I am content in that. I miss being young, feeling like the warrior, and having the carefree nature that comes with the maiden, but I also like the more womanly feeling that I get at this stage in my life.
I do sometimes fear the crone-not just becoming her but of the idea of her in general. Sometimes I feel her eyes watching me and judging me and this makes me nervous. On the other hand, I know that when I reach that point in my life I will undoubtedly find peace within her, as I have found it in the other two as well.

In the meantime, enjoy the person that you are. You won’t be able to go back to that again. And perhaps you won’t even want to.

Brightest Blessings,

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