Rose Ariadne's Chitchcraft Blog

Dear Friends,

Blessing is one of the most important things you can do as a Witch. You bless those around you through your positive energy and light. You bless your home by keeping it clean of clutter and stale energy. You bless your money as you send it out because you know it will return to you, as is the law of abundance. Blessing spells are some of my favorite spells and this week, I wanted to share some of most cherished blessing spells. The following are for blessing in many areas of life. Remember, when you are blessing others you are blessing yourself and the universe.

Book of Shadows Blessing

Preparation: At the time of the Full Moon, take your Book of Shadows (one that hasn’t been written in yet) and some incense (pennyroyal, anise or rue) outside. Ritual: Under the light of the Full Moon, draw a pentagram on the first page and under this write the following information: date, time, place, your magical name (and sigil if you have one), the moon’s phase and any other info you feel is important. Hold the book up to the Moon and say:
“Here as the Full Moon shines upon me,
Bless this Book I’ve made tonight.
I humbly ask this of thee,
Underneath your most sacred light.”

House Blessing
Find the center point of the house. If there is more than one level, then use the stairs as the center. Take a cup of red wine and take a sip at each turn.
Drain the cup at the end Face the East saying:
Lady of Love and power and all blessings,
breathe Love into this house. Fill the air with good.
Through you and in you, I bless this house.
Face the South saying:
Lady of Love and living and all blessings,
warm this house with comfort. Make whole its hearth.
Through you and in you, I bless this house.
Face the West saying:
Lady of tide and time and all blessings, let every hour flow sweetly in this house.
Make pure its tides. Through you and in you,
I bless this house.
Face the North saying:
Lady of earth and stability and all blessings,
plant security within this boundary. Make strong its defenses.
Through you and in you, I bless this house.
Turn to all four points twice more and repeat each time, for a total of three recitations.

I’m Blessed to Have you Spell:

This spell is worked to build appreciation and thankfulness for the loving Goddess and Spirits who have brought you together with the one you love.
Take a white candle. Clean it for ritual use. Anoint it with Gratitude or I’m Thankful Oil.
Light it every night or morning as part of your daily prayer or meditation time holding the thoughts of thankfulness and gratitude for all that you have including the love in your life. When finished, take the wax and sprinkle it with salt. Rinse in running water.
Place in a white bag with pinch of salt and dispose of it.

White Candle Spell for Blessing:

Get a white candle — either a plain one or a figural one in the gender of the person you want to bless. Carve the person’s full name on the candle, and then dress it with Blessing Oil or Holy Oil. For more power, you may place a name-paper of the person, or a photo, or some personal item of theirs (such as a bit of hair or a snippet of clothing) either under the candle or next to it. One easy way to do this is to place the paper or personal concerns under an overturned saucer and put the candle on top of the saucer. Burn a portion of the candle every day for seven days, pinching it out between burnings.

As you light it each day, say this:
[Name], may you be blessed
May all good things come to you
May nothing whatsoever harm you
May your heart be light
May your travels be safe
May your health be good
May your mind be sound
May your friendships sustain you
May you be blessed in every way

* If you have a special request for this person (such as that they find a lover, get a good job, come home safely from a war, or whatever), just add it to the list. Some people use a large pillar-type candle and keep it going for longer than seven days. They may make a habit of burning such a candle every day — or once a week, on Sundays — for as long as their friend or relative needs help, even doing so for months at a time. If the candle is large and it is to be burned in this way, it should be re-dressed with Blessing Oil or Holy Oil once a week: after the initial dressing, you can drop a tiny bit of oil into the “well” or hole in such a large candle just before lighting it each time.

Enjoy blessing yourself and those around you!

Love And Light,

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

Dear Friends,

As you begin to research herbs and plants for your magickal learning, you’ll no doubt encounter the practice of aromatherapy. Although this practice has been co-opted by the New Age movement, aromatherapy has magickal purposes as well. As you use specially blended oils to consecrate candles, tools and yourself, the scents of the oils trigger your aura and your spirit to become in line with the magick you are about to produce.

Aromatherapy is essentially the therapeutic use of the essential oils of plants. When used correctly, it can help enhance your magick, relieve stress, restore balance to your life and contribute to your rejuvenation and regeneration of the individual. It has its roots in Egypt, India and Mesopotamia.

Essential oils are the pure substances that are distilled from flowers, herbs, trees, fruits and roots. They have their own specific properties and the essential oils can be blended to bring about certain types of magick. For example, I frequently use Prosperity Oil, Money Oil, Energy Oil, and many other blends to consecrate my tools and add to my incense blends.

According to science, aromatherapy works in four different ways: pharmacological, physiological, psychological and holistic. The pharmacological response measures the effects of the chemical changes that take place in the blood stream when you inhale the fragrance. The physiological effects are measured on the body, and oils are either sedating, tonic or stimulating. The psychological response is completely individual. If you have good memories associated with vanilla (perhaps your grandmother’s baking comes to mind?) the scent will relax you. The holistic response is a total body response that happens to your physical body and your aura as well.

I use essential oils in create special oil blends for my magick. Before I make the oil blends, I make sure to cleanse your body energetically. Aromatherapy works better when your aura is clean. This also applies to the process of making the oil. Essential oils are a life force, and your psychic energy is imprinted upon them as you work with them.

Once you make a special oil blend, you can use it in several different ways. I’ve already mentioned the use of them in consecration, but their magickal energies can be released through several avenues. You can try an aromatic bath with your oil blend. Just fill a tub with slightly lukewarm water. After filling, add just 3 to 5 drops of your oil blend as you enter. As you soak in the energy, breathe deeply and massage the skin.

You can have a “mini” bath by using a footbath. In this case, you’ll want the water as hot as possible and you can add oils after you add your feet.

Oil blends can be inhaled directly for energy, calming or divination. Add 1 to 3 drops of your oil blend to a cotton ball, or a pot of steaming water. Take three deep inhalations per minute. This will change your vibration and infuse your spirit with the properties of the oil blend.

Aromatherapy is indeed magickal. Just as with other items, making your own oil blends will have more magickal power for you then store bought ones.

Here are some of my favorites:
Anointing Oil:
5 drops Sandalwood
3 drops Cedarwood
1 drop Orange
1 drop Lemon
Money Drawing Oil:
Bayberry Root
Bayberry Oil (usually only available as a synthetic)
Pyrite Chips
Top with carrier oil (e.g. almond oil)
Energy Oil:
4 drops Orange
2 drops Lime
1 drop Cardamon
1/4 oz. Base Oil
Wear to increase your energy.
Prosperity Oil:
5 drops Clove oil
4 drops Patchouli oil
5 drops Frankincense oil
A bit of Hyssop
1 star anise
1/2 oz. Carrier Oil

Brightest Blessing,

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

Dear Friends,

Since we discussed the Triple Goddess in the last message, I thought it was best that we pay due to her consort, the Horned God. The Pentacle which we wear and use so proudly in Wicca is a representation of their Union’the three upper most points are the three aspects of the Triple Goddess, and the two lower points represent the Horned God.

The Horned God is a symbol of male energy in the form of the divine. He reigns over the woodlands, the hunt and animals. He provides strength and is the Lord of Life, Death and the Underworld. He provides the Sun to the Goddess? moon. He alternates with her in ruling over the fertility cycle of birth, death and rebirth. He is reborn every Winter Solstice, unites with the Goddess in marriage and Beltane and dies in the Autumn in order to bring fertility to the land.

The Horned God is a Wiccan Deity, but does not belong soley to Wicca. He has appeared throughout mythologies all over the world. He is:

- Cernunnos, The Celtic God of fertility, animals and the underworld.

- Herne The Hunter, a specter of Britain.
- Pan the Greek god of the woodlands,
- Janus the Roman god of good beings.
- Tammuz and Damuzi, the son, lover and consorts to Ishtar and Inanna.

- Osiris, the Egyptian Lord of the underworld.
- Dionysus, the Greek god of vegetation and vine.
- The Green Man, the lord of vegetation and the woodlands.
No matter what form he takes in your Wiccan practice, he is as equally important as the Goddess. He contributes the male part of the male-female polarity. During rites in a coven, the High Priest personifies him. In fact, the use of an antlered headdress or a horned helmet by High Priests is what may have contributed to the misconception that Witches were cavorting with Satan.

The concept of Satan is a perversion of what the Horned God represents. The horns on his head represent the domain over the woodlands and his association with the bull and the ram. The two horns also symbolize the cycle of birth and death, creation and destruction, separation and return. Just like nature, the Horned God contains both powers within him. He is both the God of Life and the God of Death. Nature requires balance and the Horned God shows that balance.

He is sometimes depicted as half man and half animal, such as the Horned God seen as Pan or Cernunnous. This represents the natural union between man and nature, something our modern world has sadly forgotten.

Some may fear the Horned God, because he is the primal and active force within all things. We humans try to deny our primal aspects, and origins from the wild. He is a God who is unfettered by civilization. He is driven by his primal instincts and calls us to either do the same, or at least acknowledge that we have them. He is both the hunter and the hunted, with his death he is slain so others can live. He starts the natural cycle and allows the harvest to take place.

Honoring the Horned God is as simple as acknowledging our connection with nature. We also honor him when we learn that life is full of balance. He is brought into our lives through our courage, our passion and our will. Adding a small picture or figure of his visage to your altar is always a good complement to a representation of the Goddess. Remember that in magick, just as in nature, balance is the key.

Love And Light,

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

Dear Friends,

I had an embarrassing question at one of my Wicca classes last week. It wasn’t embarrassing for the student; it was embarrassing for me because I realized that I hadn’t yet explained to this poor young lady who and what the Triple Goddess is. If you’ve been wondering that yourself, hopefully today’s message will enlighten you.

The Triple Goddess is a conception of the Great Goddess that helps us to understand her in all of her forms. She is split into three aspects – Maiden, Mother and Crone. These aspects relate directly to the phases of the moon. The Maiden represents the Waxing Moon’slim and full of promise. The Mother is the Full Moon, bursting with new life. The Crone is the Waning Moon’regal as she fades into darkness. The Moon, of course, has another phase’the dark moon, which some identify with a Dark or Unseen Goddess. Personally, I see this phase of the moon as the extension of the Crone into the Afterlife.

The Gardnerian witches most definitely focused on a Moon Goddess, and spread the concept of the Triple Goddess that permeates Wicca today. However, this does not mean that every Goddess is a Triple Goddess. The Triple Goddess example can be used a template for our understanding of the Deity and ourselves. The Goddess reminds us that despite our differences, we are part of a whole. We are connected, just as the different phases of Goddess are part of the same Deity.

The three aspects of the Triple Goddess have separate correspondences. The Maiden Goddess is associated with childhood, adolescence, purity, virginity, new beginnings, independence and courage.

The Mother Goddess is motherhood (obviously), fertility, growth, protection and sexuality. Many of us do not associate our mothers with sexuality, but how do you think mothers become mothers in the first place?

The Crone represents old age, wisdom, change, transformation, death, rebirth and banishing.

There is one thing I want to clear up that I have heard countless well meaning but misinformed intermediate Wiccans repeat over and over again. I know a lot of people see the three parts of the Goddess and make the connection between that and the Trinity used in Christianity. This then leads to some kind of convoluted logic that eventually results in a declaration that this is yet another things that the Christians ‘stole’ from Paganism. And then that leads to a rant about the burning times, religious persecution and the like.

While I’ve had my fair share of heated debates with Christians, I’ve also had my fair share of debates with Pagans regarding the previously mentioned assumption. In actuality, the Celts viewed many (that’s right, many) of the Goddesses (and Gods too!) in a triple form. However, they weren’t divided into maiden, mother and crone. For example (I knew you’d want one!), The Morrigan was a Triple Goddess whose parts were Badb, Macha and Nemain – which were all goddesses of war and death.

For the record, there are over 400 Celtic deities on record. To suggest that the Celts were a monotheistic religion, worshipping a Triple Moon Goddess which the Christians ripped off is fallacy.

The Triple Goddess that is present in Wiccan theology is a completely Wiccan concept. Pagan cultures didn’t divide their goddesses into the categories of Maiden, Mother and Crone. There are female trios in mythologies from around the world, but they aren’t necessarily triple goddesses. For example, the Three Fates of Greek Mythology are a trio, but not aspects of one goddess. They were three closely related Goddesses nonetheless. For Wiccans, however, our Goddess follows the Moon through the phases. We see her in her three aspects just as we view the Moon in the sky. Each month pay vigil to the transformation that the Goddess makes and think about the transformations you go through as well.

Brightest Blessing,

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