Simple Banishment Ritual

I have done many Banishment Rituals on my journey and I’m not one to do the same kind of ritual twice. I’m always tweaking my rituals to fit the need of that time. I thought I’d share a ritual that I will be leading tonight with my own Grove for New Moon. This ritual doesn’t have to be limited to being done on the New Moon but I chose this particular time because I believe that New Moon’s are the best time to tie up those loose ends, release those negative emotions, and fill the void with positive energy.

Important Note: Whenever you banish energy or remove something from yourself (internal magick) you MUST FILL THE VOID. Otherwise, all types of energy will be attracted to you and fill the void for you such as that negative energy you just banished. You must fill the void with your intention so that you are whole once again.

For this ritual you will need:

• Salt water
• Incense (cone or stick with your preferred scent)
• Altar
• Cauldron
• Coal and Herbal Mix (for deity or elemental offering)
• God and Goddess Candle
• Paper and Pen
• Snappers Fireworks- found at firework shops and sometimes Party City

You can do this ritual without the fireworks but I think they add a little punch to the ritual. If using the fireworks you may want to host the ritual outdoors.

The Ritual:

• Purify your sacred space through physical cleaning and through sage cleansing. Sage cleanse yourself as well.
• Purify your Circle by casting the salt water thrice around the Circle widdershins (counterclockwise) to cast out negative energy.
• Take the incense and walk about the Circle thrice deosil to charge the circle.
• Cast the Circle by calling in the Quarters
• Call upon your deities
• Charge the fireworks with the four elements and then with your own spirit
• As you throw the fireworks upon the ground, shout what you are banishing from your life. Feel the intention seep into every firework and explode with a popping sound signaling their release.
• Once the fireworks are gone, write on the piece of paper the qualities you wish to fill the void with. These can be positive energy or attributes such as love, strength, and courage.
• Burn the paper within your cauldron
• Burn your offerings within the cauldron
• Open Circle by stating your gratitude to your deities and Guardians and say farewell
• Offer your ashes to the Earth

You may also want to participate in the rite of Cakes and Ale before opening your Circle

Remember to always ground yourself after your ritual is complete!

If you can’t find the fireworks, you can always use other materials such as soft stones that easily break apart upon impact such as typical sandstone. You can also burn slips of paper with your negative emotion or attribute.

Familiars

What are Familiars?

The concept of Familiars can be found in European Folklore dating back to the early Medieval period. Familiars have appeared throughout history in multiple forms but often being in the form of an animal such as cats, dogs, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. Some cases even describe them in human form or humanoid form. Others even describe them as being faeries.

Familiars are described as being companions to witches and assist them in their magickal work. In early times, familiars were feared to be lesser demons that fed from the blood of witches and assisted in malevolent magic. They were even considered to be imps, bestowed upon witches by the Devil. Many cats were killed around the time of the Black Plague which only brought more death in Europe. The cats would eat the mice and rats carrying the fleas that spread the Plague. The mass murder of cats caused an increase in the flea population leading to more deaths. Almost poetic justice.

How do you choose a Familiar?

Familiars are not chosen; they choose the person. Typically, a strong link or connection is felt between the person and their Familiar. This can be with any animal the person feels an affinity to but in modern times, is typical a household pet. These pets are treated as a member of the family and are often considered magickal partners.

However, some people do not discover their Familiar in the physical realm but instead accumulate pictures, statuary, or other research of an animal or creature that they feel strongly drawn to. This can be a Familiar that has reached out to you from the astral plane.

You may also have more than one Familiar. It is not uncommon to have a connection to multiple Familiar Spirits as they all may have a different function in your life to better assist you.

Magickal Workings with Familiars:

As partners in the Craft, Witches tend to treat their Familiars with respect, love, and wisdom. You can learn a lot from having a Familiar, such as patience, love, understanding, partnership, respect, and gratitude. These creatures can not only teach us about ourselves and our own Craft but also about nature and the Universe.

They can assist you in ritual or with spells by bringing with them a certain mood or tone you wish to set within Circle. They are able to enter and exit the Circle without breaking the energy surrounding you. Sometimes, they allow you to use their fur, scales, and nail clippings within your magickal work.

Familiars are beneficial mentally and emotionally. They provide stress relief and help keep people emotionally balanced. They tend to know our moods and will often act on a course of judgement to put their partners (us) in the right frame of mind so that we can continue with our path.

Familiars can also assist us on the astral plane. Since they live between worlds, they can enter with us on our shamanic journeys. In this plane. They may appear in a different form or even be able to speak. They can guide us to the answers we seek in our Craft.

Honoring Your Familiar:

Familiars are our partners, not our servants. The idea of a Familiar and their role in the Witch’s Craft has greatly changed over time. At first, Familiars were believed to be servants to Witches, doing their bidding without hesitation. Since the New Age, that thinking has changed. It is accepted that we show our gratitude towards our guides and honor them. This can be as easy as giving them love and attention during the day.

I, personally, spend time with my Familiar every morning and every night. I give him love and affection, I brush his fur, I brush his teeth, I keep him fed and healthy, etc. I also keep a small statue on my altar just for him. You can even work with Familiar Magic which helps strengthen your bond. Brown is the traditional color for Familiars if you wish to use candle magic. There are also stones and herbs that show your appreciation. Go out and buy your kitty a new toy or some catnip. Or you can get your dog a new rawhide.

Protecting your Familiar:

Most people look at the Familiar as their protector. They are protectors but they also need it too. You can place protective amulets or charms on their collar. I actually enchanted my Familiar’s collar so he would be protected even when I’m not home. I also have a certain space for him in the house where he can go to a be protected. You can do this by enchanting their bed.

Protection Enchantment

Materials:

• Collar (blank or with symbols)
• Brown Candle
• Salt
• Bowl of Water
• Incense such as mugwort or St. John’s Wort for protection and calming
• Markers (optional)

Begin by creating a salt and water protection Circle around you (and your Familiar if present). You may cast any Circle you wish. At this time, state your intention within the Circle and light your candle and incense. If you have chosen a blank collar, you may wish to draw your own protection sigils upon it or you can simply proceed with the next step.

Pass the collar through the four elements. Sprinkle the color with the Salt of the Earth and state your intention.

Pass the collar over the flame, but not too closely, and state your intention

Sprinkle the collar with the water and state your intention.

Pass the collar through the smoke of the incense and state your intention.

The collar has no been imbued with the power of protection from the four elements and is ready to be worn by your Familiar.

I would like to introduce my own Familiar as I find him quite the character. His name is Salem, a 2 year old Tuxedo who rescued me from the animal shelter. 

Quick Morning Magick

Here are some quick magickal techniques you can use first thing in the morning to help make your day go a little easier!

Morning Shower Meditation - use the element of water to cleanse yourself of any lingering negativity from the previous day. Use herbal soaps, herbal bags for aromatherapy, oils, or other means to help you focus on your intent to wash away negative energy down the drain.

Light some incense - I do this on most mornings to set a tone for how I want the day to proceed. Aromas can produce powerful emotions and moods. Here’s a brief list of some of my favorites scents and some of their attributes.

• Frankincense and Myrrh - uplifting

• Amber - comfort, healing, and happiness

• Cinnamon - success and strength

• Jasmine - love and wisdom

• Pine - grounding

Altar Devotion/Invocations - You can light some candles on your altar and speak some invocations for your deities to guide you throughout the day. I do a Goddess Devotion every morning to ask Her for her strength, vitality, love, and intuition to guide me.

Breakfast - Even your breakfast can be spiritual! You are filling yourself with the nourishment that the Earth has provided you with. Be conscious of what you eat. Try fruits, oatmeal, grits, milk, juices, meats, and breads to start your morning by showing your gratitude to all that is.

Glass of Water - Having a glass of water in the morning can be used to cleanse the body, just like the shower. You can even do an herbal tea blend to incite a mood just as the incense does.

Yoga and Exercise - This can also be a form of meditation in the morning.

Dream Journals - You can keep a dream journal by your bed so you can record your dreams in the morning when you first wake up. Writing can also be considered a form of meditation and getting into a routine can become your personal ritual.

Greet the Sun - Going for a walk outside or just watching the sunrise can be a very powerful ritual. The Sun lends us its strength, passion, and love as we go about our busy day. Greet the sun and ask it for guidance.

To Be A Witch

This is important.

If you practice the art of belittling, degrading, bigotry, mockery, or any other vile form in order to bring a person down or make them feel bad about how they practice their Craft, then you are NOT a Witch. I'm not even going to sugarcoat this for you because I am utterly sick and tired of seeing people do this to solitaries, to eclectic covens, to anyone and everyone who practices their craft differently. That's the whole point of witchcraft: unification in diversity, love, reverence, and peace.

I was bashed today, publicly, for practicing my Craft in a different and obviously, an unaccepted way by this one person. In fact, they used Gardnerian Wicca as an insult to my practice. When the fuck did that happen? When did Gardnerian become such a nasty word? Only everyone and their mother have some similarity to this sect of Wicca. Just stop. Just stop it right now. People who do this are the reason the Pagan community can't get its shit together and are so unorganized to the point where people of other religions don't even want to be associated with us. Catholic Church, I understand you now! You liked our seasons and holidays, just not us as a people.

I don't blame this person for not understanding my form of Witchcraft. My practice is not very well known but it's a mystery tradition for a reason. I was formally trained in a Celtic/Welsh Witchcraft Tradition that was brought over to the U.S. in the 1960s by my High Priest who learned it from the Coven in Wales that had been practicing this form for over 200 years. Does that make me better than anyone? Hell no. It just means that I have a few things I could potentially teach someone if the opportunity arose. Just like a Solitary may have some things they could teach me.

My problem is that this person decided to mock me for how I practice and proceed to try and make me feel invalid. I'm sorry, but I thought we got away from "this is the way and the only way" a long time ago. So specifically, I cast my Circles differently. My elements are at different directions. Not all of them, just two. Earth and Air. I've read the books. I know where everyone says they're "supposed" to be, but with a little more research, you'll find that that really doesn't matter. There's a reason behind why I cast the way I do. Just because you may not possess the knowledge as to why, doesn't mean you have to be a dick to me about it. Just fucking ask me and I'll tell you. Or better yet, just learn to be accepting that not everyone is like you.

I'm writing this, not just for me, but for everyone that has ever felt this way. Everyone was new at this once upon a time. I'm not going to conform to the Pagan's community's standard of witchcraft because it doesn't suit someone else. I'm not going to change myself to please my fellow Pagans because it doesn't look like anyone is changing their attitude for me.

You literally do not need a damn thing to be a Witch. You don't need a fancy altar, you don't need ritual tools, and you don't need the robes. You just need yourself. Your power comes from within whether you cast Circle backwards, forwards, or fucking sideways. You just have to point your finger and it's all you baby. So if you're being looked down upon because you don't have the fancy "witch" shit that everyone is buying, you just hand them this article and tell them Lady Rowan has your back.
You take that wand and tell them to shove it up their ass because they're already acting like a huge tool anyway.

Seriously, just walk away because you don't need that kind of negativity in your life. Just relish in the fact that you have progressed in your training to the point where you have become more spiritually enlightened. That you don't have to feel better about yourself by putting others down. That you can accept people for who they are and learn from them. Don't ever lose that will to learn and grow. There is always time for improvement. Those people are your tests and tell them thank you for showing you how not to be a witch.

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

Witch Trials: Secret of Loudun

I just published my first novel and it's live on amazon as a kindle version and as a hard copy. It's a historical fiction based around the witch trials of Loudun, France in 1633. If you're looking for a good novel to read that includes some actual details from history then I believe you would admire my book. Here is the complete synopsis:

Accused of murdering a prominent French Lord, Sarah and Anne flee their home in order to escape being persecuted for witchcraft. Sarah is captured by the royal guards and escorted to Loudun Prison, the heart of the witch trials, while her friend devises a plan to rescue her. While Anne is busy building an army to aid her in saving the prisoners in Loudun, the Bishop and his disciples are hard at work executing those in the way of his political advances. With new alliances being formed and the Catholic Church being threatened, will these girls be the downfall of an empire built upon fear or will they suffer the same fate as their Pagan ancestors?

If you do read the book, please leave a review! I would greatly appreciate it!

Recognizing The Goddess Within

"Thou art God/Goddess" is not just a phrase one says in greeting another at a Pagan gathering or festival. It is a saying that gives recognition to the God/Goddess within each and every human being, creature, and plant. It acknowledges divinity within all of the Universe's creations and thus, respect should be given to all you encounter. When in ritual or ceremony, this phrase has ultimate power and can bring out the divinity showing that person that the Divine is not just attainable but is ever present within you.

I've been reading a book recently with the Goddess School entitled Casting the Circle by Diane Stein which is all about recognition of this divinity in all women (and men). There is one paragraph that strikes a real cord with me that I feel must be shared with everyone:

Abuse of another is abuse of the Goddess, and since Goddess resides within, it's also abuse of the self. Abuse of the earth is abuse of the Goddess and the self, and abuse of perfection. Every woman is Goddess, a Be-ing to honor and worship. Every living thing is Goddess. In worshiping deity as female, a woman worships her own divinity, herself as Goddess-within. 

Let that resonate with you for a moment. I find the choice of using the word 'abuse' to really hit the message home in this as a lot of people don't look at what they do to themselves as abuse. For example: withholding food as punishment for indulging in a small cup of ice cream and believing yourself to be, by societies standards, as "fat"; or perhaps hurting yourself because you feel unworthy of your life; or even just looking in the mirror in the morning and mentally telling yourself that you are pathetic, unintelligent, or unlovable.

Stop it. Stop it right now and look at this paragraph above. To abuse yourself is to abuse the Goddess because she is within you.  You are the Goddess. Each and everyone of you possess the power, the strength, the passion, and the love of the Goddess and you can deal this out to everyone you meet and they can give it back to you.

Abusing others, the earth, or creatures is also abuse of yourself because everyone is connected through the divinity of the Goddess. They are you, you are they, and we are all She. I know it may be difficult for people to connect to the Goddess within because the patriarchal layout of religion has beaten us to believe that God, that Divinity is some figure looking down on us from far above, something that we cannot attain without direction from a Church and those appointed to facilitate the teachings of this unattainable figure to you.

In the Craft, this is simply not so. The Goddess and God are all around encompassing us and within us. We can reach the Divine simply by living our life and feeding our souls with knowledge and compassion. We can see the Divine every time we look into the mirror in the morning on the way to work, when we pass our friends in the hallway, when we gather around a bonfire to drum up the Earth. She is with us always.

This is one of the many beauties of Wicca and the Craft. I want to outline a mini-ritual for people to do in order to get in touch with their Goddess.

Recognizing the Goddess: Mini Ritual

You do not need any tools to do this for the most powerful tool is yourself. You may not even consider this a ritual but all things done with intent are, in fact, rituals. When you wake up each morning, take a look at yourself in the mirror before and after you are finished getting ready for the day. Say at least one positive thing about yourself physically, mentally, and spiritually.

Example: "I am beautiful. I am intelligent. I am in tune with the Earth."

You may not believe these at first but eventually your conscious will begin to shift and you will hear the truth in your words. For that is the purpose of ritual, to shift the conscious mind.