Creating A Goddess Box

Currently, I'm taking online courses with this amazing online Goddess School at The Goddess Tree School. Each lesson is filled with enlightening things to discover such as cleansing your life of spiritual "junk food" and partaking in mini-rituals to help create a deeper and long lasting relationship with your inner Goddess. I recommend these lessons for anyone who is trying to rediscover their inner power and become closer with the Goddess on a fulfilling level.

For my very first lesson in the Goddess School, I was instructed to create a Goddess Box which was something I had never done before even though I had read about things similar to a creation such as this in other books. I do have a power chest but I had never considered it a Goddess box, only a tool to intensify my spellwork. I decided that it was time to finally try it and see how it worked out for me. A Goddess Box is a box that is meant to hold your wishes or your intentions that you wish to come to fruition over time. Your box gives your intentions power through the Goddess. I suppose you could equate this to leaving your prayers in the Goddess's hands; she'll take care of you.

Your box is meant to inspire creativity within you. You can put whatever you want on your box and you can use any medium as your box. For myself, I bought a little cheap wooden box from Micheal's and then I decorated it according to how I felt. Here are some supplies you may need:

• A box
• Glue
• Glitter
• Paper
• Paint
• Ribbon
• Crayons/colored pencils
• Scissors
• Stones
• Beads

Anything else that you deem necessary. These supplies will vary depending on what your heart tells you to do. There are no limits to your creativity. When you've created your Goddess Box, dedicate it to it's purpose. You may do this through your own dedication ritual or you may write out it's intention and place it within the box. Watch as all the intentions that you place within the box unfold. You can take your intentions out of the box every couple of months and see which ones have come to pass. 

Remember, the Goddess works in mysterious ways, and not all prayers or spells are meant to be granted or work. If an intention has not come to fruition, it may mean that it is not time for that to occur or is not meant to occur.

Here is a picture of my Goddess Box. It reads: Thou Art Goddess

Divine Divination

The book that I'm currently engrossed in had a very long chapter dedicated to just talking about divination, the divination tools, divination techniques, and how to connect yourself to the Divine through divination. I wanted to make a post about this because I rarely use divination for myself unless it's during spellwork such as scrying or having a tarot card image or rune stone that goes along with what I'm doing. Before reading this chapter, I had just sat down with a friend and talked about how I feel really disconnected with divination.

This book put a lot of things into perspective for me. So first off, what exactly is divination? Divination is a form of magic and prophecy that helps us make practical decisions in our every day lives by revealing truths about our past, present, and future. It aids in our personal growth as Witches by explaining how our past shapes us and clarifies what we are going through in the present. Phyllis Curott in her book Witch Crafting explains it this way:

The word divination comes from the Latin word divi, which means deity. Divination is the means by which you engage in dialogue with the Divine. Communication with deity provides proof that you are not alone, that the Universe is alive, and that it is aware of your presence, your longings, fears, needs, wounds, gifts, and truest self. As you craft yourself as a Witch, you will find that divination provides divine guidance when you most need it.

Divination is a very unique tool that helps us know thyself. These words were inscribed over the entrance to the temple at Delphi. Before you were to enter to see the oracles, every visitor had to receive their own vision of themselves first. In order to know your future you must first become self-aware. You don't have to by psychic in order to work with divination; the tools help you with this second sight.

There are many divination tools to assist you on this journey such as rune stones, tarot cards, I Ching, pendulums, astrology, and even tea leaves! When starting out, you may wish to start with tools that you have heard of before and are somewhat familiar with such as tarot cards. Take some time and meditate on which deck is right for you or which tool calls to you more strongly. You don't have to immediately understand how to use the tool. Many tarot decks come with books that already have the meanings of each card, layouts, and how it all works. Try meditating on one card a day or one rune stone a day to become more familiar with the deck or stones. Even highly experienced practitioners do this technique to stay in tune.

You can even use your practices with divination as a daily devotion to your deities. Since divination is strongly connected to your own inner power and connection with the Divine, try seeing this time as strengthening that bond. By doing this, readings may be clearer. If you don't understand a reading you can always ask for clarification as well. Be weary and don't ask the same question over and over again expecting a different answer because you didn't like the first one you got. They only tell you what you need to hear. You don't have to limit your divination abilities to just when you are using tools. Observe the world around you. There are signs and symbols all throughout nature.

Animals are very instinctual creatures and we can learn a thing or two from them. My familiar assists me quite frequently when I'm needing some spiritual guidance. He knows when I should be devoting my time to my deities and tells me so. He also helps me pay attention to other things in life. He's a very skittish but intelligent cat and probably the best judge of character I've ever known. As I'm writing this, he's laying on me right now purring comfortably with content. He knows that I'm setting out on what I need to do by spending this time being reflective about my own studies.

Another form of divination that I have always paid attention, but never really considered it divination, are dreams. I have very vivid dreams and much of it is lucid dreaming, which is something you can train yourself to do over time. A couple of nights ago I had a dream about my friend who runs the Grove with me. In the dream I was at her house after a ritual and needed to leave or at least felt the urge to leave although there was a terrible storm outside. She had provided me with a place to sleep but I chose to leave and embrace the storm instead. This dream can have several meanings and I invite my readers to interpret it as they wish (a little dreamscaping exercise if you will). Dreams like this and all dreams should be paid attention to because our subconscious is directly in connection with the Divine and we receive messages all the time and all around us.

Keep practicing and devoting yourself to your Craft. The outcome may mean a better and brighter future for you.

Wordplay: Casting a Circle vs. Creating Sacred Space

So I'm starting to realize that my definition of casting a Circle and creating a sacred purified space are a little different from other people's and a I just wanted to clarify. So when I cleanse a space, I physically sweep, vacuum, mop, etc, the area. I sweep all the negativity away physically. When I purify a sacred space, I call upon the elements in a chant to drive negative energies away. I usually use a physical representation of each of the elements (Water, Salt, Candle, Incense) and walk around the space with each while chanting. I may also smudge the area as well. I am casting the Circle when I am calling upon the Watchtowers, Goddess, and God to protect the space and aid with the ritual at hand.

Some people may say I'm being a little bit picky about this but the only reason I want this to be known is because words have power. Names have power. Everything you say gets sent out into the universe physically; I believe your words can be even more powerful than your thoughts. So to me, it only makes sense to be as clear as possible when stating your intentions for ritual or spellwork. This is why spells are called spells! Grammar is tremendously important!

In Druidic traditions, teachers don't give their students the names of sacred tools such as wands, athames, and cauldrons until they know their student has an in depth understanding of what the tool is for. They describe their tools to the student instilling this understanding and then, only after, do they divulge the name - because it has power.

So I invite you, dear reader, to explore these words and come to an understanding of what they truly mean. Let's not use them interchangeably but for the specific purpose for which they were constructed. Let's not interchange words such as Witch and Wiccan either. We can't assume everyone who is Wiccan is a Witch and all Witches are Wiccan. That's for another rant though.

Sympathetic Magic

I, for one, love using this technique as I find it to be very effective for myself. Other people may prefer a different method but this is my go-to method for me in spellwork. Sympathetic Magic is defined as:

noun

1. primitive or magical ritual using objects or actions resembling or symbolically associated with the event or person over which influence is sought.
2. 
   

*As defined by Google

Sympathetic magic encompasses a lot of things: poppets, candle magic, the Great Rite can all be examples of sympathetic magic. To use this type of magic you will need tools other than your intentions (which of course, are just as powerful). Whenever you are creating a spell, look at what you are trying to achieve. Don't immediately go to websites trying to copy spells because these spells don't have anything personal to you in them. Think about it first.

For example: Let's say you were creating a spell to help fill your life with financial abundance. What does this abundance entail? A promotion? A raise? Both? If so, what do you associate with this? What colors represent abundance to you? Which element? What God or Goddess? What herbs? What crystals? What actions?

These are just a few of the questions you should answer for yourself and then create a spell around it. Let's say you want to have a raise. You associate with money with the color green and therefore with the Earth element. You associate this with the Goddess and her ever flowing womb so you wish to incorporate your matron Goddess. Pretty soon you're encircling yourself with salt and meditating on a green candle while envisioning yourself with money and love your Goddess.

Don't be afraid to make your own spells. No matter how simple they seem, or how over the top, do what works for you. Put your heart in it and things will happen for you!

Positive Affirmation Seal

Last night I performed an Esbat ritual and I thought that some of the elements I put into it would be very beneficial to those setting their goals for the New Year. I'm going to call it, a Positive Affirmation Seal. You can either perform this as just a spell or in a ritual all it's own. So to begin you will need:

• Parchment paper
• Pen (may be previously enchanted or not)
• Anointing Oil
• Bowl of Salt and Water
• Frankincense incense
• Red candle
• Pentacle
• Cauldron
• Loose Sage and igniting coal
• Sealing wax and seal

Set up your altar and say your blessings. Light the sage on the coal within the cauldron on the pentacle. Make sure the smoke permeates the air accordingly so that the space is cleansed. You may also consecrate, charge, or bless the area in your own fashion. Once your sacred space has been prepared, you will begin by meditating. The purpose of this meditation is to divine your positive affirmations. Light the red candle and the incense and sit for several minutes. As soon as these affirmations enter your mind, write them down upon your parchment paper. Once you have completed this to your satisfaction sprinkle the paper with salt and say:

"By the strength of the Earth,

I charge these affirmations.

As I do will, so mote it be!"

Run the paper over the flame of the red candle and say:

"By the vitality of Fire,

I charge these affirmations.

As I do will, so mote it be!"

Sprinkle the paper with the water and say:

"By the love of Water,

I charge these affirmations.

As I do will, so mote it be!"

Run the paper through the smoke of the incense and say:

"By the intuition of Air,

I charge these affirmations.

As I do will, so mote it be!"

You may wish to call upon your deities to bless your affirmations as well. You will then fold the paper three times as you would do putting it into an envelope. You will then seal the paper with your sealing wax and keep the paper in a safe place such as a power chest for the rest of the year. Leave it somewhere you can see it so you are reminded of it. At the end of the year you may break the seal and burn the paper to release its energy. This is also something you can also do during the lunar cycle.

Abundance Bag

Everyone needs a little help every now and then, especially in the area of finance. I had been going through a tough time after my car accident on New Year's Eve last year. I was out of work for quite sometime and had to endure  months of physical therapy. Fortunately, I didn't lose my life in that accident. So since I was out of work, finances were tight. I created an abundance bag to help with these finances, buying a new car, and my taxes. It certainly helped and I still carry this bag with me today in my purse. I put it on my altar every full moon to keep it charged.

Here is a list of ingredients you'll need:

• One small green bag - green represents the Earth, success, abundance, and wealth
• A dime - this will represent wealth; it contains trace amounts of silver
• Allspice - abundance
• Bay Leaves - To write your wish upon
• Basil - wealth
• Almond Oil - Prosperity and anointing
• Elder Flower - Prosperity
• Something personal of yours - your hair, spit, blood, etc.
• Three green candles

First, you want to create your sacred space and have all these ingredients consecrated. Cleanse the area with sage. Place some bay leaves, sage, and elder flower in your cauldron. Place the three green candles in a triangular formation around your cauldron. Place a few drops of almond oil in the cauldron and anoint each candle with it before lighting them. Light each candle while visualizing your intent and then light your cauldron. Run your bag over each candle and through the smoke from the cauldron and anoint with almond oil. Place each herb except the bay leaf inside the bag and run through the candles and smoke. Do the same with the dime and place it in the bag. Write your wish upon a bay leaf, run over the candles and through the smoke and place it in the bag. Take your personal item (I used my hair) and place it in the bag. Run the bag with all the contents over the candles and through the smoke again.

Before tying the bag closed speak your intentions aloud to the God and Goddess and to the contents within the bag. Seal the bag and keep it on you at all times. It is best if you perform this during New Moon.

Spell for Motivation

The New Moon is approaching and I'm feeling like I need a little motivation to get through this month of December! Whatever you're trying to accomplish it's best to have motivation to help push you forward with your goals. I hate feeling stagnant and a little motivation can take you a long way. Here's something you can do to help you get back some of that motivation.

This spell involves simple candle magic and meditation. You may want to start this spell with a sacred Circle or a simple Salt Circle depending on your preference. Here's what you'll need:

~Materials:

• 3 Candle Holders
• 3 Taper Candles (1 green, 1 red, 1 blue)
• Bowl of Salt
• Bowl of Water
• Sage 
• Incense (bergamot and cardamom are good for motivation!)
• Anointing oil (cedarwood, rosemary, or any of your choice!)

You may want to begin by relaxing with a nice bath and cleansing yourself before starting the spell. It will help clear your mind. If you choose to do this, use bath salts with the properties you are trying to seek, in this case motivational, uplifting properties.

Begin by preparing a nice relaxing space and altar for yourself and your tools. Make sure this space is relaxing and without distractions so that you may focus on your intentions. Each color corresponds with what you are trying to achieve. Green symbolizes grounding energy and strength for your motivation. It is the base upon which your motivation stems from. This candle will be placed in front center of yourself.

The color red symbolizes the power you wish to possess and achieve with your goal. It is your inspiration and your desire to change, grow, and flourish. It is as vibrant and intense as your will and it burns within you as you travel the path to what you seek. This will be placed to the back left of the green candle.

The color blue symbolizes aspiration. Your hope will prevail and motivate you to achieve your goals. It reminds you of what will be gained and what you must shed in order to reach your goal. Blue brings about change for the better. It will be set to the back right of the green candle.

Cleanse and consecrate all items. Be sure to cleanse the water as well. Let the incense burn as you anoint the candles with oil. Let your thoughts rise into the air with the smoke from the incense. Light the candles starting with green, then red, then blue, focusing on each one's meaning. Meditate on the goals you wish to achieve. Plan how you are going to achieve them. You may want to whisper what you desire from each candle. These words will rise into the air as the candles burn. You may want to say prayers to the God and Goddess as well.

Let the candles burn out completely. Close the Circle and give thanks to the God and Goddess.

For more on candle magic, click here.

Justice Spell

This is a spell that will affect the outcomes of certain events. These events include justice in the matter of: civil proceedings, criminal cases, trials and hearings. It is meant to restore balance and peace to the lives of those who deserve it. It is not meant to pass judgment or to be done out of spite. The karmic law still applies to this spell so it is to be used with extreme caution. It is to be used to right a wrong that has been done but keep in mind that what we perceive to be wrong may not be so in the eyes of the God and Goddess. The final outcome is left up to them to decide upon.

This spell can also be modified to suit your needs as any other spell. You may use the colors you wish, the symbols you wish, etc. Black and white are traditionally used to represent justice as someone is right and someone is wrong. There is no gray area in between. You may also want to use the color blue to represent peace.

Here's what you will need:
~One black candle
~One white candle
~One blue candle
~Anointing oil (representative of protection, justice, or peace)
~Bowl of Water
~Bowl of Salt

Note*- Use smaller pillar or votive candles as you will need to let these candles burn out completely. That way it won't take many hours/days for them to burn.

Set the black candle to the left, the white candle to right of the black, and the blue candle center front. They should be in the form of an upside down triangle with the blue candle closest to you representing the tip of the triangle. Set the bowl of water to the left of the triangle and the bowl of salt to the right of the triangle. Cleanse the bowl of water with a pinch of salt. You will use the bowl of salt and the bowl of water to make a quick cleansing circle around you. You may chant: "I cleanse this space of negative energy and ill will. Only positive energy shall remain. So mote it be."

Once you have cleansed the area to your liking, anoint each candle with the oil by touching the tip of your finger to the top of each and declaring in the name of the God and Goddess (you may want to use specific deities that represent Justice) that they are sacred. After doing so, light each candle and visualize the wrong you wish to be righted. Start with the black candle, then white, and last, the blue one.

Say this invocation:

"Injustice, I do see thee,

Right the wrong I do decree.

Dear Goddess hear my plea,

Right the wrong as you do see.

As I do will, so mote it be!"

Repeat this chant 3 times. Let the candles burn out completely. Blessed be everyone!

Healing a Broken Heart Spell

Everyone needs some sort of healing to occur for them throughout their life whether it is physically, emotionally, mentally, or spiritually. We need healing from sickness, from broken hearts, from disastrous relationships, from many things. I performed this healing spell when I needed to heal my broken heart after a terrible break up so now I'd like to share it with my readers.

Here's what you'll need:

7 Rose Petals (dried)

Pinch of Rosemary

Pinch of Thyme

Rose Quartz Chip

A piece of Paper and Pen

Cauldron

Pentacle

One pink candle

Rose oil

Before beginning the spell, be sure to cast a Circle of Protection with the 4 elements. You may review how to cast a circle here or you may perform a simple Salt Circle of protection. Once the Circle has been cast, place the cauldron upon the pentacle and set the pink candle to the side. I would suggest using a simple pink votive candle.

Cleanse the rose quartz chip in a bowl of water with salt and then place inside the cauldron. Sprinkle the herbs around the stone within the cauldron. Drizzle rose oil over the herbs and stone in the cauldron. Write on the paper what you wish to heal within your heart. Set the paper aflame from the candle and drop it into the cauldron to burn. Once the contents inside the cauldron have burned, cover the cauldron with the lid and set it in a safe place for 7 days. Let the candle burn itself out by the cauldron.

After 7 days, remove the rose quartz chip and place into a small satchel for safe keeping and release the rest of the contents into running water or upon the ground. The rose quartz chip has been charged with your words of healing. Carry this on you for as long as you need till you have healed. Bury the rose quartz chip within the ground afterward symbolizing ridding yourself of all pain.

Healing Moon Chant

I thought this was a very simple and powerful affirmation to use during rituals recognizing the lunar phases. The Full Moon is a good time to do a healing ritual whether it be for yourself or for a loved one. The energy from the moon can be quite powerful and potent for spells and rituals. Use it wisely!

Tips on Wording Your Spells

When creating your spells, the words you speak are just as powerful, if not more so, than the elements you use such as candles, colors, etc. Before casting spells of my own, I like to make sure I have all the things I need and also go ahead and write out what I want to say. On Full Moons, I let the words come to me while I'm in my Circle but I always have a paper and pen ready to write down what I say.

Here are a few things you should think about when wording your spells:

Choose your words wisely!
Whatever you send out, it will come back to you 3 fold. When casting your spells try to make them specific to your needs. Think of it as telling someone directions to an unknown destination. You don't want them to get lost along the way and take a wrong turn so make your directions specific to the goal you wish to accomplish.

Don't cast out of anger!
If you are upset, angry, or feel resentment, wait until those emotions subside. You don't want to have any negativity come from your words. They are powerful and the more emotion you have behind them the more powerful they will be. This includes those negative emotions. Wait until you are in the right frame of mind and have calmed down. (Please be aware that I do not advocate curses, hexes, or any of the sort.)

Speak from the heart!
Don't be shy when asking for what you want. Cast boldly and strongly. Be assertive. Don't use passive words and incorporate action words.

Be poetic!
With my spells, I make them rhyme. Rhyming adds rhythm, tone, and creativity to your spells. You most certainly don't have to be poetic with your spells but this is something I do because I feel it creates an energy with the words. It makes them sound almost like chanting and they're easier to remember if you're not writing them down.