A Reading From The Kalevala

The epic poem, Kalevala, is celebrated by the Finns this day (February 28) with parades and readings from the poem. The Kalevala recounts a battle of wits between three wizard brothers and the witch goddess, Louhi. It is a treasure trove of ancient shamanistic practices and spells. Here's a reading:

Wainamoinen's Harp Songs

Then the singer of Wainola

Took the harp of his creation,

Quick adjusting, sweetly tuning,

Deftly plied his skillful fingers

To the strings that he had fashioned.

Now was gladness rolled on gladness,

And the harmony of pleasure

Echoed from the hills and mountains:

Added singing to his playing,

Out of joy did joy come welling,

Now resounded marvelous music,

All of Northland stopped and listened.

Every creature in the forest,

All the beasts that haunt the woodlands,

On their nimble feet came bounding,

Came to listen to his playing,

Came to hear his songs of joyance.

Leaped the squirrels from the branches,

Merrily from birch to aspen;

Climbed the ermines on the fences,

O'er the plains the elk-deer bounded,

And the lynxes purred with pleasure;

Wolves awoke in far-off swamp-lands,

Bounded o'er the marsh and heather,

And the bear his den deserted,

Left his lair within the pine-wood,

Settled by a fence to listen,

Leaned against the listening gate-posts,

But the gate-posts yield beneath him;

Now he climbs the fir-tree branches

That he may enjoy and wonder,

Climbs and listens to the music

Of the harp of Wainamoinen.

~RUNE XLI.

~The Kalevala is a 19th century work of epic poetry compiled by Elias Lönnrot from Finnish and Karelian oral folklore and mythology. The above translation is by John Martin Crawford,

Wishing It So Now

Wishing it so now, let the gods make merry and take leave and as they walk may you also walk, in beauty. With nothing above you but the purity of stars, before living language may you walk; and may you remain like the gods remain, who in their leaving, come and in their leavings talk in all things in the living language of poetry.

~Stephanie Pope

Regifugium - Day of the Abdication of the Sacred King

Colors: Gold and black
Element: Fire
Altar: On a black cloth set a crown of gold in a bowl of ashes, three lit black candles, and two lengths of cloth - one golden silk sewn with trim and jewels, and one plain rough handwoven cloth in the colors of the Earth.
Offerings: Prostrating oneself on the ground before the altar. Giving up something in which one has great pride that is no longer useful to anyone.
Daily Meal: Food that is plain, unseasoned, simple, and coarse.

Regifugium Invocation:

Hail to the King in his glory!
Yet turn away your eyes
For he has grown weary of his throne
And he finds that power
No longer brings him joy.

On this day in cold Solmonath
Before the coming of the Spring
He finds that pride has fallen
Into ashes
And that he longs for a morning
That breaks on a simpler life.

Hail to the King as he descends
From the high places
Where he has grown accustomed
To ruling and serving.

He will now serve a greater purpose
Within a smaller boundary.
May the Gods smile on those
Whose soul tells them
When they must step down.

Hail to him who is no longer King
And blessed be the rest of his days.

Chant:

The King hath died to the world of the Crown
Let the trumpets sound - away he rides
Yet life goes on - Regifugium.

(All prostrate themselves, are sprinkled with the ashes, and contemplate what they must give up.)

From: Pagan Book of Hours

The Circle I walk

"I walk to the North of my sacred space;

Herein all negativity be erased.

I walk to the east where the magic winds dance;

Here I evoke the power of abundance.

I walk to the south where the fires burn bright;

...There I shall banish, all evil, take flight!

I walk to the west, where clear waters flow;

The circle's completed, blessings bestow!"

- Trish Telesco

Festival of the Boundary Markers

Termini in Roman mythology began as boundary markers between wilderness settings. The termini were rural boundary stones marking property lines between fields and neighbors. There was an annual ceremony each 23rd day of February called the Terminalia when first fruits were offered and libations of oil and honey were poured over the termini to renew the power or forces within the boundary stones between properties. Ovid presents the story as follows

When night has passed, let the god be celebrated
With customary honour, who separates the fields with his sign.
Terminus, whether a stone or a stump buried in the earth,
You have been a god since ancient times.
You are crowned from either side by two landowners,
Who bring two garlands and two cakes in offering.
An altar’s made: here the farmer’s wife herself
Brings coals from the warm hearth on a broken pot.
The old man cuts wood and piles the logs with skill,
And works at setting branches in the solid earth.
Then he nurses the first flames with dry bark,
While a boy stands by and holds the wide basket.
When he’s thrown grain three times into the fire
The little daughter offers the sliced honeycombs.
Others carry wine: part of each is offered to the flames:
The crowd, dressed in white, watch silently.
Terminus, at the boundary, is sprinkled with lamb’s blood,
And doesn’t grumble when a sucking pig is granted him.
Neighbours gather sincerely, and hold a feast,
And sing your praises, sacred Terminus:
‘You set bounds to peoples, cities, great kingdoms:
Without you every field would be disputed… These rural termini and feast of landmarks had their state counterpart in Terminus. The story told by Ovid about the sacred boundary stone which stood, in the temple of the Capitoline Jupiter, continues:

What happened when the new Capitol was built?
The whole throng of gods yielded to Jupiter and made room:
But as the ancients tell, Terminus remained in the shrine
Where he was found, and shares the temple with great Jupiter.
Even now there’s a small hole in the temple roof,
So he can see nothing above him but stars.
Since then, Terminus, you’ve not been free to wander:
Stay there, in the place where you’ve been put,
And yield not an inch to your neighbour’s prayers …

Ovid, Fasti Vol II

Source: Stephanie Pope

Festival of Terminus

Festival of Terminus, the Roman god of boundaries and border markers.

In Roman religion, Terminus was the god who protected boundary markers; his name was the Latin word for such a marker. Sacrifices were performed to sanctify each boundary stone, and landowners celebrated a festival called the "Terminalia" in Terminus' honor each year on February 23. The Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus on the Capitoline Hill was thought to have been built over a shrine to Terminus, and he was occasionally identified as an aspect of Jupiter under the name "Jupiter Terminalis".

Ancient writers believed that the worship of Terminus had been introduced to Rome during the reign of the first king Romulus (traditionally 753–717 BC) or his successor Numa (717–673 BC). Modern scholars have variously seen it as the survival of an early animistic reverence for the power inherent in the boundary marker, or as the Roman development of proto-Indo-European belief in a god concerned with the division of property.

The name of the god Terminus was the Latin word for a boundary stone, and his worship as recorded in the late Republic and Empire centred on this stone, with which the god could be identified. Siculus Flaccus, a writer on land surveying, records the ritual by which the stone was sanctified: the bones, ashes, and blood of a sacrificial victim, along with crops, honeycombs, and wine, were placed into a hole at a point where estates converged, and the stone was driven in on top.

On February 23 annually, a festival called the Terminalia was celebrated in Terminus' honor, involving practices which can be regarded as a reflection or "yearly renewal" of this foundational ritual. Neighboring families would garland their respective sides of the marker and make offerings to Terminus at an altar—Ovid identifies these, again, as crops, honeycombs, and wine. The marker itself would be drenched in the blood of a sacrificed lamb or pig. There followed a communal feast and hymns in praise of Terminus.

These rites were practised by private landowners, but there were also related public ceremonies. Ovid refers to the sacrifice of a sheep on the day of the Terminalia at the sixth milestone from Rome along the Via Laurentina; it is likely this was thought to have marked the boundary between the early Romans and their neighbors in Laurentum.

Also, a stone or altar of Terminus was located in the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus on Rome's Capitoline Hill. Because of a belief that this stone had to be exposed to the sky, there was a small hole in the ceiling directly above it. On occasion Terminus' association with Jupiter extended to regarding Terminus as an aspect of that god; Dionysius of Halicarnassus refers to "Jupiter Terminalis", and one inscription names a god "Jupiter Ter."

There is some evidence that Terminus' associations could extend from property boundaries to limits more generally. Under the Republican calendar, when the intercalary month Mercedonius was added to a year, it was placed after February 23 or February 24, and some ancient writers believed that the Terminalia on February 23 had once been the end of the year. Diocletian's decision in 303 AD to initiate his persecution of Christians on February 23 has been seen as an attempt at enlisting Terminus "to put a limit to the progress of Christianity".

Source: Wikipedia

Caristia

Also called Cara cognatio, it is the occasion of family reunions, on this day Roman fathers would pay special attention to their families. This particular festival did not have any religious obligations or affiliations, and was considered by some to be a break in February for Romans from the multitude of festivals celebrated in this month.

Source: Purple Hell

Ritual For A Day of Peace in the Family

Color: Lavender
Element: Water
Altar: Upon a lavender cloth set a tray of cakes shaped like clasping hands, and many cups full of hot tea.
Offerings: Promise to attempt to be more considerate of those you live with.
Daily Meal: Any food, but it must be served from one great plate for every table, and it should not be in separate portions.

Invocation:

May there be Peace in this house.

(Response: "May there be peace in this house!")

Peace can be a hard mistress.

The daily round of the ordinary,

The simple turn of day and night and day

The presence of the same souls

Can come to be like a shadow on the sun,

And yet Peace still demands

That we find a way to move past

That ordinariness

And all the thousand thorns and briars

And bring Peace into the house.

(Response: "May there be peace in this house!")

Take the hand of your sister, your brother,

The one who shares your roof, your table,

The ground you walk on,

Whose feet know the boards as well as your own,

And swear to find a way

To bring peace into the space between you.

(Response: "May there be peace in this house!")

Chant:

My brother, my heart, my sister, my soul;
My family, my life, come in from the cold;
My sister, my heart, my brother, my soul;
My family, my life, that makes this life whole.

(Instead of a ritual, this period of time should be used to mediate and address problems between members of the family, with emphasis on peacemaking and compromise and useful solutions. At the end of the meeting, all share cakes and tea.)

Found in: Pagan Book of Hours - Breviary

Happy Home Spell

This is a spell to create a happy home. For this spell, gather the following items:

• 1 white candle
• White paper and a pen with red ink (or Dove’s blood ink)

First hold the white candle in both hands and think of all your sorrows and why things are the way they are.

Set the candle down and write down all of your worries, disappointments, and fears on the white paper. Anoint this paper and your writing with honey. Fold it three times.

Light the candle and slowly burn the paper carefully with a fireproof bowl below it. As you do this, chant:

Sadness to the flames

Spirit of Fire quenches my pain

 As you chant, visualize your home being happy. If you have children, you could visualize your children well fed and happy, your husband or partner playing with the children and you smiling through it all. For other home situations, visualize whatever it is that would bring happiness to your home.

 Repeat for as long as is needed.

Spell By Rose Ariadne

Art by Qahtan Design

Protection From Beyond

Romany spiritual traditions combine a dislike of disturbing the dead with a desire for the protective capacities cemetery dirt offers. Although one might not want to disturb one's own ancestors or someone one knows, there's no actual fear of the cemetery, thus an anonymous, unknown grave is chosen.

This spell harnesses abstract, protective qualities inherent in graveyard dirt to protect a child embarking on a long journey. Here's how:

• The parent takes a little dirt from any grave, balancing it on the back of the left hand.
• When the departing child isn't looking, this dirt is tossed over his or her head to provide protection.

From: Encyclopedia of 5000 Spells

Feralia - A Roman Day of the Dead

The Feralia was the closing festival of the ancient Roman festival of Parentalia. During the Feralia, families would picnic at the tombs of their deceased family members and give libations to the dearly departed. It was believed that the shades of the dead could walk upon the earth above their graves during Feralia.

Camphor Moon Spell

Camphor is under the dominion of the moon. The lunar palace of Lady Chang'O is allegedly crafted from cinnamon wood, however both true cinnamon and camphor derive from trees of the Cinnamonium family. Maybe the Moon Lady's palace was built from camphor wood.

Because of this connection, camphor can transmit some of the moon's protective and luck drawing powers. Here's how:

1. Charge spring water with lunar energies by filling a white, blue, or silver container with clear spring water and then leaving it in a windowsill or outdoors on a full moon night.
2. The next day, dissolve a camphor square into the lunar-charged spring water.
3. Use this water to cleanse appropriate magical tools so that they may be used to fulfill your wishes and be imbued with the power of the moon.

NOTE: Be careful, camphor can also be toxic.

Source: The Element Encyclopedia of 5000 Spells

Day of Thunder

Here is a ritual in honor of the feast day of Quirinus, the Sabine God of storms and thunder. This ritual is also quite powerful when performed during an actual thunderstorm.

Color: Grey and black
Element: Air
Altar: Upon cloth of black patterned with grey clouds and yellow lightning place nine yellow candles, a chalice of rainwater, and if possible, a Tesla coil or other static lightning lamp.
Offerings: Go out into the rain during the next storm, and stand unprotected in it.
Daily Meal: Cold food. Only rainwater to drink.

Day of Thunder Invocation
(Call and response, repeating:)

Dark powers of Air, we honor you!
Lords of the storm cloud, we honor you!
Dancers of the lightning bolt, we honor you!
Roar of the summer skies, we call you!
Zeus of the eagle's eye,
Shango, leaper in the fire,
Oya, Lady of the Wild Winds,
Thor, Lord of the Hammer,
We acknowledge your power
And we give you our respect!
But rather than merely fear you
We ask for your protection,
For the Thunder can be your friend
If you know how to ask!
So we ask this, Gods of Thunder,
Summer storm that rolls across the land,
Protect us from your fury!
Protect us from your wrath!
Protect us from your destruction!
Protect us from your floods!
Protect us from your wrenching winds!
Protect us from the heat of your lightning!
Protect us from your eroding rain!
Protect us from your pelting hail!
Have mercy on us, Gods of Thunder!

(During the last nine lines, one candle is extinguished on each line. As the room falls into darkness, the snuffer of candles flings the rainwater into the libation well. All cry out, "Protect us!" and flee the room.)

Found in: Pagan Book of Hours Breviary

Feast of Fools

QUIRINAʹLIA - was the religious holiday of Quirinus, the warlike, divine incarnation of Romulus, The festival was celebrated on the 17th of February, on which day Romulus (Quirinus) was said to have been carried up to heaven. It is also known as the Feast of Fools and was  a day on which public sacrifice (feria publica) was offered and on which no assemblies could meet.

In Roman mythology, Quirinus was a mysterious god.

His name derives from co-viri "men together"; as such, he embodied the military and economic strength of the Roman populus collectively. He also watched over the curia "senate house" and comitia curiata "tribal assembly", the names of which are cognate with his own. His name has also been connected with the Sabine word for spear curis and to the Sabine town Cures. Its inhabitants were called Quirites, a name that was transfered to the community of Sabines and Romans joined under Romulus; the Romans referred to themselves as Quiritesin their civil entity and as Romani in their political and military capacity.

Quirinus was originally a Sabine god of storms and thunder. Sabines had a settlement near the future site of Rome, and they called one of their sites, in which they had erected an altar, the Collis Quirinalis ("Quirinal Hill") after Quirinus; this area was later included among the Seven hills of Rome, and Quirinus became one of the most important gods of the state, as associated with Romulus.

Quirinus' wife was Hora. In art, he was portrayed as a bearded man with religious and military clothing. He was sometimes associated with the myrtle plant.

In the legend, Romulus was taken bodily up to heaven in a cloud and appeared afterward to Julius Proculus with the injunction that the Quirites should not mourn him but rather worship the new god Quirinus and cultivate their ancestral art of war. Quirinus was originally part of the archaic Roman triad, along with Jupiter and Mars. He was concerned with promoting the general welfare of the Roman people. The triad retained this focus even after Quirinus was replaced as its third member by the goddess Minerva, circa 200 BCE.

This was also a special day of devotion to those who lived on the Quirinal Hill, one of the seven hills of Rome, where the Sabine settlement was found. Also on this hill is the oldest shrine of Jupiter, the large gardens of Julius Caesar, Constantine's famous baths, a palace and garden for the Roman Catholic popes; it is currently the official residence and offices of the President of the Italian Republic.

This day was also known as the Feast of Fools (Stultorum Festa) and often coincided with the Festival of Fornax (the Fornacalia), a goddess to whom they prayed to keep the oven heat right for the grain. This feast is thought to mark the transition of the Romans from warriors to farmer, learning through trial and error to properly grow, prepare and cook grain.

The Lupercalia

Lupercalia is uniquely Roman, but even the Romans of the first century were at a loss to explain exactly which deity or deities were being exalted. It harkens back to the days when Rome was nothing more than a few shepherds living on a hill known as Palantine and was surrounded by wilderness teeming with wolves.

Lupercus, protector of flocks against wolves, is a likely candidate; the word lupus is Latin for wolf, or perhaps Faunus, the god of agriculture and shepherds. Others suggest it was Rumina, the goddess whose temple stood near the fig tree under which the she-wolf suckled Romulus and Remus. There is no question about Lupercalia's importance. Records indicate that Mark Antony was master of the Luperci College of Priests. He chose the Lupercalia festival of the year 44BC as the proper time to offer the crown to Julius Caesar.

February occurred later on the ancient Roman calendar than it does today so Lupercalia was held in the spring and regarded as a festival of purification and fertility. Each year on February 15, the Luperci priests gathered on Palantine Hill at the cave of Lupercal. Vestal virgins brought sacred cakes made from the first ears of last year's grain harvest to the fig tree. Two naked young men (called Lupercii) asisted by the Vestals, sacrificed a dog and a goat at the site. The blood was smeared on the foreheads of the young men and then wiped away with wool dipped in milk.

The Lupercii them skinned the sacrificed goat and ripped the hide into strips which they tied around their naked waists and led groups of priests around the pomarium, the sacred boundary of the ancient city, and around the base of the hills of Rome. The occasion was happy and festive.

They then got drunk, and ran around Rome striking everyone they met with strips of the goat hide. This act supposedly provided purification from curses, bad luck, and infertility. Young women who were touched in this manner were thought to be specially blessed, especially in regards to fertility and procreation. 

It is from these implements of purification, or februa, that the month of February gets its name.

Long after Palentine Hill became the seat of the powerful city, state and empire of Rome, the Lupercalia festival lived on. Roman armies took the Lupercalia customs with them as they invaded France and Britain. One of these was a lottery where the names of available maidens were placed in a box and drawn out by the young men. Each man accepted the girl whose name he drew as his love - for the duration of the festival, or sometimes longer.

Lupercalia, with its lover lottery, had no place in the new Christian order. In the year 496 AD, Pope Gelasius did away with the festival of Lupercalia, citing that it was pagan and immoral. He chose Valentine as the patron saint of lovers, who would be honored at the new festival on the fourteenth of every February. The church decided to come up with its own lottery and so the feast of St. Valentine featured a lottery of Saints. One would pull the name of a saint out of a box, and for the following year, study and attempt to emulate that saint.

The Feast of St. Valentine and the saint lottery lasted for a couple hundred years, but the church just couldn't rid the people's memory of Lupercalia. In time, the church gave up on Valentine all together. The lottery finally returned to coupling eligible singles in the 15th century. The church attempted to revive the saint lottery once again in the 16th century, but it never caught on.

During the medieval days of chivalry, the single's lottery was very popular. The names of English maidens and bachelors were put into a box and drawn out in pairs. The couple exchanged gifts and the girl became the man's valentine for a year. He wore her name on his sleeve and it was his bounded duty to attend and protect her. The ancient custom of drawing names on the 14th of February was considered a good omen for love.

Found at: Meridian Graphics

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day has its roots in ancient orgiastic festivals. On February 14, The Romans celebrated Febris (meaning fever), a sacred sexual frenzy in honor of Juno Februa, an aspect of the goddess of amorous love. This sex fest coincided with the time when the birds in Italy were thought to mate.

The ecstatic rites of the Goddess merged over time with those of Lupercalia, the bawdy festivities in honor of the pagan god of sex, drugs and rock-n-roll, Pan, which were observed on the following day, February 15.

On Lupercalia, (named, incidentally, in honor of the she-wolf who suckled Romulus and Remus), men and women inscribed their names on love notes or billets and then drew lots to determine who their sex partner would be during this anything goes festival of erotic games.

Sulpicia, a first century BC Roman poet, describes her participation in the events with hearty candor:

"At last love has come. I would be more ashamed
to hide it in cloth than leave it naked.
I prayed to the Muse and won. Venus dropped him
in my arms, doing for me what she
had promised. Let my joy be told, let those
who have none tell it in a story.
Personally, I would never send off words
in sealed tablets for none to read.
I delight in sinning and hate to compose a mask
for gossip. We met. We are both worthy."

Source: Donna Henes

Invoking Love with Angel Power and the 137th Psalm

Invocation for exciting love in the heart of the person who is the object of our desire with the help of the 137th Psalm.

Pour oil from a white lily into a crystal goblet, recite the 137th Psalm over the cup and conclude by pronouncing the name of the angel Anael (or Hamiel), the planetary spirit of Venus, and the name of the person you love.

Next write the name of the angel on a piece of cypress which you will dip in oil and tie the piece of cypress to your right arm. Then wait for a propitious moment to touch the right hand of the person with whom you are in love, and love will be awakened in his or her heart.

The operation will be more powerful in effect if you perform it at dawn on the Friday following the new moon.

Found in: The History and Practice of Magic

Ancient Etruscan Love Spell

The origins of this love spell are obscure, but there is a litany in archaic Italian of which I have provided an English translation. It is a ritual that requires a bit of effort and a lot of herbal materials as well as a profound belief in its success. Otherwise, its nothing more than empty words. The materials can be obtained readily in any food store, herb market or metaphysical supply store.

Herbal Mixture:

• 3 parts lavender
• 3 parts damiana
• 3 parts patchouly
• 1 part Dragon’s blood resin 13 gardenia petals
• 4 parts red clover
• 3 Saw Palmetto Berries
• 3 parts peppermint
• 3 parts Rue
• 13 drops of your favorite perfume

Other Materials Needed:

• Frankincense incense (stick or resin)
• Mortar and Pestle (for grinding herbs)
• Small red drawstring bag or square of red fabric with red thread or cord

THE SPELL

Prepare space to work in by making sure the area is clean and the floors swept. Meditate on power, success and love, and begin by slowly grinding the herbs in a clockwise movement in the mortar and pestle. Do not add the oils at this time. Stirring the herbs in a clockwise direction with your finger, slowly add the oil mixture until it is well blended. Hold the bowl in your hand and enchant with the words:

Diana, bella Diana!
Che tanto bella e buona siei,
E tanto ti e piacere
Ti ho fatto,
Anche a te di fare al amore,
Dunque spero che anche in questa cosa
Tu mi voglia aiutare,
E se tu vorrai
Tutto tu portrai,
Se questa grazia mi vorrai fare:
Chiamerai tua figlia Aradia,
Al letto della bella fanciulla
La mandera Aradia,
La fanciulla in una canina cinertira,
Alla camera mia la mandera,
Ma entrate in camera mia,
Non sara piu una canina,
Ma tornera una bella fanciulla,
Bella cane era prima,
E cosi potro fare al amore
A mio piacimento,
Come a me piacera.
Quando mi saro divertito
A mi piacere diro.

“Per volere della Fata Diana,
E di sua figlia Aradia,
Torna una canina
Come tu ere prima!”

TRANSLATION:

Diana, beautiful Diana
Who art indeed as good as beautiful
By all the worship I have given thee
and all the joy of love which thou hast known
I do implore thee aid me in my love!
What thou wilt is true
Thou canst ever do
And if the grace I seek thou’ll grant to me,
Then call, I pray, thy daughter Aradia,
and send her to the bedside of the man/woman
And give that man/woman the likeness of a dog
and make him/her then come to me in my room
but when he/she once has entered it, I pray
that he/she may re-assume her human form
as beautiful as ever he/she was before
and may I then make love to him/her until
our souls with joy are fully satisfied
Then by the aid of the great Faery Queen
and of her daughter, fair Aradia
may he/she be turned into a dog again
and then to human form as once before

Draw a bath, and light fresh incense. Place the herbal/oil mixture into the red bag, or tie it up in the red cloth spuare. Submerge it into the bath water, and let it steep while you inhale the incense and focus on your desire. Enter the bath slowly, feeling the tingling of the bath on your entire body as you do. Take a deep breath, filling your lungs to capacity, and submerge yourself completely under the water.

While underwater, exhale all of the air completely out of your lungs, and visualize any obstacles in the way of your success with this spell leaving your body with the air. Do this three times. Let the water run out of the tub while you are lying in it, and do not get out until all of the water has drained. Let your body dry naturally; do not use a towel. When your body is completely dry, dress yourself and apply your favorite fragrance that was used in the herbal mixture. Leave your home and go out for the evening.

Within 28 days, you will have attracted attract the perfect lover.

Source: Anything for love?

Ancient Greek Love Magic

All forms of unrequited love had magical solutions in ancient Greece . The lover could send Eros to do his bidding, curse the loved into her arms, or use aphrodisiacs.

In the ancient Greek world not all was fair in war, but it certainly was in love. Unrequited love and sexual desire are the main reasons for employing a witch in the literary sources and ancient Greek spell books and collections abound with magical cures for heartache, many of which involve supernatural coercing of the beloved. Some even aim, with malicious intent, to separate lovers.

The common method of controlling a prospective lover was through a binding spell. Such magic could incite hunger and desire for the curser and a great unhappiness that could only be quelled by being together. The most popular manner of cursing in all of Classical Antiquity was through cursing tablets, also known as defixiones. Over 1,600 such tablets have been found. Traditionally, the tablet was made of lead, the curse was inscribed in the lead, and then it was folded or rolled up and pierced shut with a nail and deposited, frequently in a cemetery.

Such a spell may take the shape of this 4th-3rd century BCE defixio, found in a Macedonian cemetery:

“Pausanias binds Sime, daughter of Amphitritus (may no one except Pausanias undo this spell) until she does for Pausanias everything Pausanias wants. May she not be able to lay hands on a sacrificial victim of Athena, nor may Aphrodite look kindly upon her, until Sime holds Pausanias tight.”

Another popular form of binding a lover was through the use of clay or wax puppets, similar to the modern popular notion of Caribbean voodoo dolls. Numerous puppets have been found, as well as instructions for making them.

One papyrus from Hellenistic Egypt instructs the man who wishes to bind a woman to make one male and one female figure out of clay. The female figurine is to be placed on her knees and with her hands behind her back. The curser is then to arm the male doll with a sword, like Ares, with which he strikes the neck of the female doll, which is then to be inscribed with a great number of exotic magic words of power. Then, the real magic of binding begins:

“Take thirteen bronze needles and insert one of them into the brain while saying: ‘I pierce your brain {name}’; insert two into her ears, two more into her eyes, one into her mouth, two below her rib cage, one into her hands, two into her vulva and anus, and two in the soles of her feet, while on each occasion saying once: ‘I pierce the {body part} of {name}, so that she may think of no one except me alone, {name}.'"

The violence of the language seen here can be unsettling to the modern reader, but was quite ordinary in the realm of Greek cursing and used by men and women alike.

Deities could be petitioned to participate in the curse on a cursing tablet, but they could also be more directly involved through the use of special rituals or sacred names. The secret name of Aphrodite, one of which has been given as Nepherieri in an ancient Greek spell book, was thought to give its speaker a kind of direct access to the power of the goddess.

Several surviving spells concern the controlling of Eros. The magician was instructed to create a statue of Eros, usually from wax, which was to be imbued with the spirit of the god through a period of consecration or through the burning of offerings. The god-in-wax was then made to serve the magician who, it was instructed, was to send the god forth to create unbearable longing or sensual dreams in the beloved which would ultimately lead him or her to the magician.

As for the success rate, the sources remain quiet.

Source: Greek History

Bring Someone Close Spell

There are any number of ways to do this spell. You can drip water (preferably Full Moon Water) on photos of you and your beloved. You can set a candle in a bowl of water and allow it to burn until the water extinguishes it. You also may want to use Come To Me oil and/or incense for the spell. However you do it, visualize your beloved arriving from afar to find your love!

Sacred water flow from me

To draw him ever near

As endless rivers run to sea

His path to me is clear.

A love that's true once here he'll find

And know his journey's end.

And in his heart and soul and mind

He'll know our lives should blend.

From: Earth Magic

Invcation to the Angel of Venus

Use this invocation to ask the archangel of Venus, Anael, to bless and bring harmony to a romantic relationship. Light a candle at Anael's hour (between 9 and 10am) and burn some rose incense. Scatter a few pink rose petals on your altar, and then say the invocation.

The Invocation:

Archangel Anael, angel of the mystic planet Venus,

as I light this candle,

my consciousness opens to receive your divine influence

and the blessing of your wisdom and loveliness.

I envision you descending to meet me as I rise in thought and in spirit to reach your exalted realms.

I am aware of the exquisite roselight within which you enclose me as in an aura.

It is as if we come together to meet in a temple of the rose.

I ask that you hear my prayer

and that I may receive the benison of your assistance.

Please clear the way

so that the love between [your lover's name] and myself might blossom and flourish.

Please help us to draw light from our hearts so that it may be perfectly expressed

in body, mind, soul and spirit.

Archangel Anael,

you have the romantic affairs of humankind under your divine rulership,

I watch this candle flame burn

and behold the strength and the power of the bond of love

to overcome all resentment and disharmony.

I ask that you cleanse our vision of all illusion

so that we may see the truth and the beauty in one another

and transcend all earthly barriers and limitations.

If this petition is for all good in its conception,
may it succeed.
I see the archangel Anael pouring out blessings upon us as if from a horn of plenty;
and these blessings merge into one brilliant shaft of light,
which penetrates the heart of our love
so that it may be healed and be whole.

From:  Little Book of Love Spells

Art by Brenda Boles

Love Sachet

Items needed:

• leather or pink silk pouch
• pink candle
• 4 white candles
• cauldron
• catnip or jasmine
• paper and pen

 Cast the circle, then consecrate it with salt and water. Call the Goddess and God (optional), and the four elements. Place the 4 candles around the circle, make sure they're in the right spots for each of the directions north, south, etc...) Place the pink candle in front of you, behind the couldron. Light the white candles calling out their elements, then light the pink candle. Write down on a piece of paper what qualities you want ( cute, funny, etc...) Burn the catnip/jasmine and then the paper. Say 3 times:

 

I burn this candle to bring me a lover

I burn this paper to bring me a lover

I burn this catnip/jasmine to bring me a lover

Power this sachet with love

 

When everything is burnt down to ashes, put them in the sachet/pouch. Wear around your neck all the time, and kiss the pouch 3 times each day.

 

~By Trish Patersen

Promised Land Spell for Love

For this spell you will need:

• raisins
• almonds
• milk
• honey

This spell is to bring about a relationship with a soulmate, someone with whom you will feel a divine connection. All of these foods are mentioned in the Bible in association with the Promised Land. The Promised Land is often interpreted as coming home in a love relationship. Eat these foods to attract a holy relationship, one that is filled with God.

Raisins and almonds are said to make someone hear and recognize the call of home. They will help you to be able to answer the question of whether someone is right for you.

Milk and honey are mixed to find happiness and bring fulfillment in love. Milk is also nurturing and represents fertility.

If you want to attract a soulmate, eat raisins and almonds with a glass of warm milk with a teaspoon of honey stirred in. If you want to know if someone specific is your soulmate, before retiring, drink a glass of warm milk with a teaspoon of honey stirred in. Place three raisins and three almonds under your pillow. Your dreams will reveal the answer to your question.

From: The Supermarket Sorceress's Sexy Hexes

Ancient Greek Love Spell

Here is a simple love spell from ancient Greece:


“Whichever woman I give the apple to, whichever woman I throw the apple at and hit with it, may she put off everything else and become crazy with love for me. Whether she takes it in her hand and eats it, or puts it away in her dress, she will not stop loving me.”

The Venus Love Spell

This spell will bring true love to you, but only if the entire course of the spell is completed. Begin the spell on a Friday, Venus' day for love ceremonies, and repeat the ritual for seven consecutive nights.

 

You will need:

• 1 red cloth heart
• 1 red candle
• 1 mirror
• 1 white cloth
• 7 pins
• 1 scent of venus incense stick
• Ylang Ylang oil

 

This spell is cast skyclad (naked) in absolute privacy. After a cleansing and relaxing bath, perfume your body with the erotic oil Ylang Ylang. Choose a magick area in your bedroom, lay out the white cloth and position yourself in front of the mirror. Cast a protective circle, light the red candle and incense, focus your sexual energy and chant:

 

I call to thee, beloved one,

To love me more than anyone,

Seven times I pierce thy heart,

Today the magick of Venus starts.

I bind thy heart and sole to me;

As I do will so mote it be.

 

Repeat the chant seven times, placing one pin in the heart each time you say "Seven times I pierce thy heart." When complete, pinch out the ceremonial candle and incense. Leaving the pins in the heart until the following night. Before the bath, remove the pins, and then continue as you did the day before.

 

Source: Star Fires Circle

Stone Love Spell

Go to a place that contains many water-worn stones. Look for a large, flat rock while visualizing yourself being involved with the perfect mate.

On this rock, mark with red ink two intertwined hearts. As you do this, keep visualization in mind. When you are finished, bury the stone in the earth in an uncultivated place.

From:
Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Crystal, Gem & Metal Magic

Ritual to Honor the Ancestors

• Color: Black and grey
• Element: Earth
• Altar: Spread a black cloth, and lay it with photographs, paintings, and other depictions of our ancestors. Add also symbols of their old tools, and statues of ancestral deities, a bowl of seeds for the future garden, pots of soil, a pitcher of water, and many candles of black and white and grey.
• Offerings: Things they would have liked to eat, drink, smoke, or smell. Tend a cemetery and clean up the graves.
• Daily Meal: Food from an earlier era, using authentic recipes.

Invocation to the Ancestors:

Our ancestors got up at dawn,
Slaved in the dirt,
Sweated in the sun,
Chilled in the cold,
Numbed in the snow,
Scattering each seed with a prayer:
Pray that there be enough,
That no one starve this winter.
Pray that no bird nor beast
Steal the food I have struggled for.
And most of all,
Pray that each seed I save
Of this harvest
Shall next year
Bring forth a hundred more.
We live today
Because they worked
Because they sowed
Because they harvested
Because they prayed.

Chant:

Those who came before
We are your children
Those who came before
We honor your names

(Each person takes seeds from the bowl and plants them in the pots of soil, speaking the name of one of their ancestors as they do so, as in: "In honor of _______." The pots are watered, and the candles put out one by one.)

Found in The Pagan Book of Hours - Breviary

Honoring The Ancient Dead

Today marks the beginning of Parentalia - a Roman festival of the dead for the purpose of honoring family ancestors. The festival began at dawn on February 13th with private ceremonies and ended with the public Feralia on February 21st.

The Parentalia was essentially domestic and familial. There were sacred offerings of flower-garlands, wheat, salt, wine-soaked bread and violets. These offerings were made to the "shades of the dead" called manes, or di manes - (meaning "the good ones") at the family tombs of the extramural necropolis.

The purpose of these ritual sacrifices was to strengthen the mutual obligations and protective ties between the living and the dead. It served as a yearly renewal of the rite of burial. Families gathered among the tombs of loved ones and at the family shrines within their own homes and made offerings or sacrifices of grain and wine tothe  di  parentes (the deified ancestors).

During this festival all other temples remained closed, weddings were forbidden, no official business was done, and all Romans were expected to give offerings to the deceased at the necropolis located outside the city walls.

Collected from various sources.

Feast of Artemis

Colors: Silver, white, and pale green
Element: Earth
Altar: On a white cloth place woodland vines and branches, a silver crescent moon, a bow and arrow, incense of cypress, a chalice of white wine, and the figures of many deer.
Offerings: Stag-shaped cakes of dough, honey, and sesame called "elaphoi", placed on the altar. Make a promise and keep your word. Give something to women in need.
Daily Meal: Venison is best, or else rabbit or quail.

Invocation to Artemis:

Hail, Lady of the deer hunt!
You who are both hunter and hunted,
You who wield the bow
And bring the prey to their knees,
You who are the doe
Who flees and eludes the pursuers,
Come to us and bless our hunt!

We too seek in the darkness,
We too flee through the darkness,
We too are both predator and prey.

Virgin of the crescent moon,
Implacable one with silver gaze
Who is called She Who Slays,
Fearless huntress, skilled tracker,
Shy deer who runs from our
Groping hands and clumsy feet,
Ray of moonlight that shows
Secrets beneath the forest leaves
That are glimpsed once and then
Never seen again in our lifetimes,
Archer with the fierce pack
Who hounds us through our weaknesses
And will not let us compromise,
Remind us that to shun compromise is to remain true
To something that we must keep alive or lose.

Chant:

New moon shining,
Artemis, Artemis

(Pass around the chalice and pour out the rest as libation. Pass around the elaphoi and put the rest out for the woodland creatures as an offering.)

Found in: Pagan Book of Hours

More About Artemis

"Artemis Khryselakatos (with shafts of gold) loves archery and the slaying of wild beasts in the mountains, the lyre also and dancing and strong-voiced song and shady woods and the cities of upright men."

~Homeric Hymn

According to the Homeric Hymn to Artemis, she had golden bow and arrows, as her epithet was Khryselakatos, "of the Golden Shaft", and Iokheira (Showered by Arrows). The arrows of Artemis could also to bring sudden death and disease to girls and women. Artemis got her bow and arrow for the first time from The Kyklopes, as the one she asked from her father. The bow of Artemis also became the witness of Callisto's oath of her virginity. In later cult, the bow became the symbol of waxing moon.

Artemis' chariot was made of gold and was pulled by four golden horned deer (Elaphoi Khrysokeroi). The bridles of her chariot were also made of gold.

Deer were the only animals held sacred to Artemis herself. On seeing a deer larger than a bull with horns shining, she fell in love with these creatures and held them sacred. Deer were also the first animals she captured. She caught five golden horned deer called Elaphoi Khrysokeroi and harnessed them to her chariot. To catch the Cerynitian Hind alive was the third labour of Heracles commanded by Eurystheus. Heracles begged Artemis for forgiveness and promised to return it alive. Artemis forgave him but targeted Eurystheus for her wrath.

Artemis got her hunting dogs from Pan in the forest of Arcadia. Pan gave Artemis two black-and-white dogs, three reddish ones, and one spotted one - these dogs were able to hunt even lions. Pan also gave Atemis seven bitches of the finest Arcadian race. However, Artemis only ever brought seven dogs hunting with her at any one time.

The boar is one of the favorite animals of the hunters, and also hard to tame. In honor of Artemis' skill, they were sacrificed to her. Oineus and Adonis were both killed by Artemis' boar. Hawks were a favored bird of many of the gods, Artemis included.

As for the Guinea Fowl, Artemis felt pity for the Meleagrids as they mourned for their lost brother, Meleagor, so she transformed them into Guinea Fowl; to be her favorite animals.

Some of the best known myths featuring the goddess include:

• Her birth, immediately following which she assisted her mother in the birth of her twin brother Apollon.
• The Trojan War where she was beaten by Hera in an angry contest of the gods.
• The hunter Aktaion who encountered the goddess whilst she was bathing and was turned into a stag.
• The Aloadai giants who attempted to storm Olympos but were tricked by Artemis into killing each other.
• The sacrifice of Iphigeneia whom King Agamemnon offered to her for the passage of the Greek fleet to Troy.
• The giant Orion, a close companion of the goddess, who was slain by the goddess or her jealous brother;
• The Kalydonian boar sent by Artemis to ravage Kaldyon;
• The nymph Kallisto, a companion of Artemis, who was seduced by Zeus in the guise of the goddess.

Sources:  Wikipedia, and Theoi

Artemis - Goddess of the Hunt

Known as a fierce hunter as well as protector, Artemis is one of the major Greek goddesses. Artemis is known as the goddess of the night, the huntress, the goddess of fruitfulness, the goddess of childbirth, Lady of the Beasts, the woodland goddess, the bull goddess, the personification of the moon, and the eternal virgin.

Artemis was one of the few goddesses immune to the enchantments of Aphrodite. In some instances Artemis is linked closely to the Roman and Italian goddess, Diana. There is some controversy as to the goddess that deserves the first rights, but it appears that Artemis was a later goddess. There is no doubt that the similarities are striking. Some people go as far as to call them one, the goddess Artemis Diana.

As a huntress, she happily traveled in woods in the company of dogs, wild beasts, and mountain nymphs. She brought about Orion's death, the unfortunate hunter, who either defied the goddess, or else tried to seduce one of her companions, the virgin Opis, or perhaps attempted to personally ravish her. Artemis sent a scorpion to sting his heel, and thus killed him. But when Orion was subsequently changed into a constellation, Artemis made sure the scorpion received the same honor.

The Meaning of Her Name:

1. From Artemes, meaning strong limbed;
2. From Artamis, meaning she who cuts up (Spartan rendering of her name);
3. From: Airo, meaning high or lofty and  Themis, meaning water, convener, lawgiver

Qualities and Powers of Artemis:

action, death bringer, healing, hunter of souls, instinct, judgement, light bringing, magic, maker of time and systems of measurement, music, natural law, poetry, prophecy, psychic abilities, purification, temperance, transformation, weather changing

Artemis is the Patron and Defender of:
priestesses who taught sexual mysteries, sailors, singers, sports, women's fertility, young girls and women

Animals Sacred To Artemis:
bears, bees, birds, boar, crow, deer, dogs, dolphin, fish, goats, guinea fowl, hawks, horses, kite, lions, quail, snakes, swan, vulture, wild animals in general, wolves

Plants Sacred To Artemis:
almond, amaranth, asphodel, cedar, cypress, daisy, damiana, date palm, hazel, laurel, mandrake, mugwort, myrtle, oak tree, silver fir, walnut tree, willow

Stones Sacred to Artemis:
amethyst, moonstone, pearl,

Objects Representative of and Sacred to Artemis:
bow and arrow, double axe, javelin, lightning, masks and facepaint, Lyre, Moon, Nets, water, torch, Spears, Sirius - the star, swastika

Artemis is associated with:
forest, herbal medicines, Meridiane(full Moon at midnight), Moonwise, numbers 9 and 3, spring, summer, Sun, thunder, waxing sun, zodiac signs Pisces, Aquarius, and Sagittarius,

Places Sacred to Artemis:
forests, Gargaphian Grive, Grove of Nemi, hunting preserves, lakes, marshes, sanctuaries in nature, streams, ocean, woodlands

Rituals and Rites Surrounding Artemis:

Artemis was the protector of young children ages nine and up. These children were just released from their mothers' clutches, yet not quite ready to enter the stage of Aphrodite. The night before they were to be married, young girls sacrificed their tunics, toys, dolls and all youthful belongings to Artemis as a farewell to their youth. It is also believed that these young girls wanted to please Artemis so that she would aid them in childbirth in the future.

At festivals held in Ancient Greece, the young girls would sometimes wear bearskins and played "acting the bear." The female bear is one of the most difficult animals to domesticate. They acted out in dances the gestures and growl of the bear. These dances were for the realization of the physical body, not the body in a sexual or maternal sense. This time in a girl's life is essentially the last chance she gets to play and have fun before entering into the Aphrodite stage.

The sacrifice of a bear for Artemis started from the Brauron cult. Every year, a little girl age not more than ten and less than five sent to Artemis' temple at Brauron. Arktos e Brauroniois, a text by Byzantine writer, Suidas, told a legend about a bear that was tamed by Artemis, and introduced to people of Athens. They touched it and played with it, until one day a group of young girls poked the bear. It was furious, and attacked the girls. One of the girls' brother found out what had happened and killed the bear; Artemis sent a plague in revenge. The Athenians consulted an oracle of how to end the plague. The oracle suggested that,in payment for the bear's blood, every young Athenian virgin should not be allowed to marry until she had served Artemis in her temple ('played the bear for the goddess').

During the full moon in late March to early April, a particularly elaborate festival was held which seems to contain elements of the rites held in honour of the Thracian Moon Goddess Bendis. Young girls referred to as Arkteia who had lived in the Temple of Artemis during the summer were dressed in saffron couloured tunics and leaf crowns, and carried torches or twigs in a great procession. They then passed into the temple of Artemis, where they were said to 'play at being she bears.'

Worship of Artemis was not restricted to young girls and women in during childbirth. Some men took vows of chastity under Artemis, such as Hippolytus. The priests of Artemis castrated themselves voluntarily to se
rve her. Hunters also made sacrifices to the great goddess of the hunt. When a hunter had a successful day he would hand the skin and horns of his prey on a tree or pillar as an act of gratitude towards Artemis.

On the 6th day of the New Moon in February to early March, the festival of Elaphebolia was held in honor of Artemis the Deer Shooter. Stags and cakes in the shape of stags made of honey and sesame seeds were offered to Her. The entire lunar cycle this festival falls in was once the Athenian month of Elaphebolion, and was wholly dedicated to Artemis.

On the 6th day of the new moon in late August to early September, the festival of Kharisteria 'Thanksgiving', in honour of Artemis Agrotera was held. This month was called Boedromion 'running for help.'

On May 30, the Great Full Moon festival honored Artemis as the Moon Goddess and Lady of the Beasts. Full Moon Celebrations in honor of Artemis were popular all over Greece until late historical times. They were celebrated with the forerunners of birthday cakes full of lit candles called Amphiphontes 'shining all round,' and the surrender of Her worshippers to Her power in the forest. There, they would make love without concern for the bonds of marriage or conscious considerations, only the presence or absence of instinctive attraction.

Other ceremonies gave thanks to Artemis for providing game animals. Sacrifices consisted of palm leaves and a female goat, either real or an appropriately shaped cake.

Goddesses Similar to Artemis:

Agdestis; Atalanta of Arcadia; Bendis of Lemnia; Britomartis of Crete; Carya of Southern Laconia;
Chione of Thrace; Diana or Dea Anna of Ephesus and Latium, itself named for Leto; Diktynna of Crete; Egeria of Nemo; Eukleia; Hipta of Lydia; Kallisto of Arcadia; Leukippe; Ma Tau P'o; Ma of Cappadocia and Caria; Niobe; Ortheia of Sparta; Phylonoe; the Telchines; Uma(Umi) of India

Sources: Goddess Myths, Art History, Wikipedia, and Kusadasi

Invocation To Artemis

To Artemis,

Fumigation from Manna.

Hear me,

Zeus’ daughter,

celebrated queen,

Bromia and Titanis,

of a noble mien:

in darts rejoicing,

and on all to shine,

torch-bearing Goddess,

Diktynna divine.

Over births presiding,

and thyself a maid,

to labour pangs imparting ready aid:

dissolver of the zone,

and wrinkled care,

fierce huntress,

glorying in the sylvan war:

swift in the course,

in dreadful arrows skilled,

wandering by night,

rejoicing in the field:

of manly form,

erect,

of bounteous mind,

illustrious Daimon,

nurse of humankind:

immortal,

earthly,

bane of monsters fell,

‘tis thine,

blest maid,

on woody mounts to dwell:

foe of the stag,

whom woods and dogs delight,

in endless youth you flourish fair and bright.

O universal queen,

august,

divine,

a various form,

Kydonian power,

is thine.

Dread guardian Goddess,

with benignant mind,

auspicious come,

to mystic rites inclined;

give earth a store of beauteous fruits to bear,

send gentle peace,

and health with lovely hair,

and to the mountains drive disease and care.

~Orphic Hymn 36

Invocation For Childbirth

To Prothyraia [Artemis],
Fumigation from Storax.

O venerable Goddess,
hear my prayer,
for labour pains are thy peculiar care.

In thee,
when stretched upon the bed of grief,
the sex,
as in a mirror,
view relief.

Guard of the race,
endued with gentle mind,
to helpless youth benevolent and kind;
benignant nourisher;
great nature’s key belongs to no divinity but thee.

Thou dwellest with all immanifest to sight,
and solemn festivals are thy delight.

Thine is the task
to loose the virgin’s zone
and thou in every work art seen and known.

With births you sympathise,
though pleased to see
the numerous offspring of fertility.

When racked with labour pangs,
and sore distressed
the sex invoke thee,
as the soul’s sure rest;
for thou Eileithyia alone
canst give relief to pain,
which art attempts to ease,
but tries in vain.

Artemis Eileithyia,
venerable power,
who bringest relief
in labour’s dreadful hour;
hear,
Prothyraia
and make the infant race thy constant care."

~Orphic Hymn 2 to Prothhyraea [Artemis]

A Song of Artemis

"I sing of Artemis Khryselakatos,
with shafts of gold,

Keladeine,
strong-voiced,
Parthenon Aidoine,
the revered virgin,
Elaphebolos,
dear-shooting,
Iokheaira,
delighter in arrows,
own sister to Apollon Khrysaor,
of the golden sword.

Over the shadowy hills and windy peaks
she draws her golden bow,
rejoicing in the chase,
and sends out grievous shafts.

The tops of the high mountains tremble
and the tangled wood echoes awesomely
with the outcry of beasts:
earth quakes
and the sea also where fishes shoal.

But the goddess with a bold heart
turns every way
destroying the race of wild beasts:
and when she is satisfied
and has cheered her heart,
then Theroskopos Iokheaira,
the huntress who delights in arrows,
slackens her supple bow
and goes to the great house
of her dear brother Phoibos Apollon,
to the rich land of Delphoi,
there to order the lovely dance
of the Mousai (Muses) and Kharites (Graces).

There she hangs up her curved bow
and her arrows,
and heads and leads the dances,
gracefully arrayed,
while all they utter in heavenly voice,
singing how neat-ankled Leto bare children
supreme among the immortals
both in thought and deed.

Hail to you,
children of Zeus and rich-haired Leto!

And now I will remember you
and another song also."

~Homeric Hymn 27

Hymn To Artemis

Mousa,
sing of Artemis,

Sister of Hekatos,
the far-shooter,
Parthenos Iokheaira,
the virgin who delights in arrows,
who was fostered with Apollon.

She waters her horses from the river Meles
deep in reeds,
and swifty drives her all-golden chariot
through Smyrna to vine-clad Klaros
where Apollon Argyrotoxos,
god of the silver bow,
sits waiting for Hekatebolon Iokheaira,
far-shooting delighter in arrows.

And so hail to you,
Artemis,
in my song
and to all goddesses as well.

Of you first I sing
and with you I begin;
now that I have begun with you,
I will turn to another song.

~Homeric Hymn 9

Quick Guide to Casting Spells

– A General Set of Steps to Follow
– By Melinda

Magic spells are amazing ways to take back our power, one which had been taken away for centuries by organized religions and the people who presume that they personally know the Creator and are the only ones who are capable of communing with HER or HIM.Magic spells allow us to use the tremendous energy that each of us have for creating magick in our lives.

However, there are some simple rules that people need to remember when working spells. First and foremost; remember the wiccan Rede; “An it harm none, do what you will.” This means that all of us have the power to do anything, unless it harms someone directly or indirectly. If we hurt someone, then the three-fold law will be set in motion and we will be the recipient of three times the hurt that we inflicted on someone else. That’s a good thing to remember, right?

It is not easy to think of all the people that our actions affect, directly or indirectly. For example, if we love someone and work a spell to increase their love for us, maybe that indirectly affects the time and energy they have for loving the rest of their family! So think deeply before deciding on a spell and how to express your intentions. Make sure your words and thoughts do not hurt anyone or anything.

The next step is to decide what your intentions are and what tools you will need to work your spell. For each intention, there are colors, herbs, gemstones, tools, etc. that will make a huge difference in the ambience or environment around us. Always use your own words while working a spell. Just because the words sound exotic or the words rhyme, it doesn’t mean that your spell will work. Your words have to mirror your intentions; that’s the only way the spell will work. So give yourself enough time to think about what it is you intend and how best to express it to the powers and energies who will be doing the work for you.

Whether you work the spell inside your house or outside, make sure that the area is clean of clutter and old, used things; for everything contains energy. If there are things used by other people around the area where we do our spell, that energy will affect the outcome of our spell. Also, if we use items used by other people, their energies will be part of our spell working. Depending on the items, it could help our cause or hurt it. Remember to consecrate all your tools and also bless them just before you use each of them.

The area where you work your spell is also very important. The best place is outdoors on inside your house where you spend some time in daily spiritual practice. An altar, images or candles representing Goddess and God or any deity that you respect is very conducive to our relaxation and inspiration. Some people use the powers of the creative energies, such as the Earth, Air, Water and Fire. We may use salt, water, incense, or candle flame for consecrating our tools. Also, use the directions, East, North, West, and South for guidance to accomplish our goals.

When we have gathered all our tools, a sacred circle needs to be cast. This is for the purpose of protection so that our energies remain pure and powerful and will not be tainted or reduced by negative ones. Casting a circle may be accomplished using the Athame, Besom, Wand or pointing a finger in the direction of the circle and calling upon the energies mentioned above to guide us in our path.

After the circle is cast and we have all the guides we invited into our sacred space, we have to close the circle so that we remain protected in our sacred space. Now we visualize on the intent of our actions and complete the rituals of spell working. Once the spell is complete, we have to remember to thank our deities and other guides before we open the circle.

Remember to dispose of all the remains of our spell working (such as candle wax, ash from incense, holy water, etc) in the proper ways. Throwing them away as trash is not a good idea. Mother Earth is our first ally. So burying most of the materials used, (as long as they are from nature) is a sensible thing to do.

The best practice is to use very little of nature’s resources and put back into life more than you have taken out of it. This is the only way our Universe will survive and thrive.

Retrieved from:  Articles About Magic