The Witching Hour Read online

  Because I was dead broke and wanted a pretty garden.

  Yup.

  When my kids were small, money was super tight and there just wasn’t extra to buy beautiful plants at the greenhouse. So I would wait for late July and buy the plants on sale across the street at the hardware store. These plants were usually half dead and less than fifty cents each, left to languish in the boiling sun, sucking up the parking lot dust. I would take them home and tell them how much I loved them and how beautiful they could be and how I would be so appreciative if they could grow and be happy. I often used Braucherei chants in a sing-song voice. On summer solstice I would take my boombox outside, turn it up to full blast, and play classical music followed by Enya for them.

  Yup.

  Much to my amazement, year after year, those broken and decrepit plants would bounce back. To this day I will buy plants that look dead at bargain off-season prices just so I can whisper them to health. I have three rose bushes I purchased this year for a few bucks at a season-end sale. They are all doing beautifully. I will be the first to admit that it was touch and go with one of them, but he eventually joined the program and is blooming merrily along.

  Go figure.

  The Elements

  According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word element has a mysterious origin and is first found in Greek texts meaning “complex whole” or “a single unit made up of many parts.” From the ancient up to medieval times there were only four element associations in Europe—earth, air, fire, and water, and, if you were occult oriented, the fifth element was spirit. Cornelius Agrippa and many others called this spirit the quintessence. Other cultures, however, such as China, carry a different set of elements: earth, fire, water, wood, and metal.

  Today, although scientists list more than 100 chemical elements (with some being manmade), magickal people continue to rely on the five basic building blocks of medieval occultism, using some of the additional elements of the modern age to support the original five, depending on the spell or ritual. For example, silver (an element/metal) is used in various spells and is a symbol of the divine goddess, feminine mysteries, moon magick, dreaming, and psychism. Many would see silver as being associated with the earth because it comes from the ground, but others may choose a different correspondence association due to its possible stellar origins. Gold, another precious metal, stands for the god, male mysteries, success, prosperity, general well-being, and all magicks associated with the sun.

  The current theory of the origins of gold tracks its creation as a result of the explosion of a massive star, becoming a supernova:

  Ultra high precision analyses of some of the oldest rock samples on Earth provides clear evidence that the planet’s accessible reserves of precious metals are the result of a bombardment of meteorites more than 200 million years after Earth was formed.7

  Gold piggybacked a ride to this planet via asteroids/meteors. If this is true, it is most interesting that gold and silver are heaven sent and therefore not attributable to the overall earth element category, and that the ancients already attributed these metals to gods and goddesses. Something to ponder. I mention the information about silver and gold because many formulas created by serious alchemists and occultists contain a small amount of gold or silver. When you reach the fluid condenser section in this book, you will find the choice of gold as the driving force of the original formulas. When these fluid condensers are added to magickal powders and blends, they increase the vibratory pattern of the overall formula and help to hold the charge longer, allowing you to send the energy as you choose in a more directed fashion.

  Earth, Air, Fire, Water

  When researching herbs for magickal and medicinal use, you will often find a primordial elemental correlation to earth, air, water, and fire. Over time each of these elements has been assigned spiritual and magickal associations to understand the world around us and our actions in it. Each one of us processes these connections differently, yet we know that these elements have a primordial energy that affects the earth plane. What is universal is the energy; what is not universal are the names we attach to it.

  The universe contains the seeds of all things, drawing toward themselves what they need to grow. At the moment of the acknowledgment of activation, air particles gather together, forming the cosmic wind of karma. This movement activates the fire particles, which gather together to create heat. They ride upon the cosmic wind. The fire particles enable the water particles, which condense to form a torrential rain filled with lightning. This rain vibrates with the intent, and the electrical charge energizes the seed. The earth particles gather and combine with the other elements, and thus solidification of anything is born. The fifth element, spirit, pervades everything and assists in assigning the “address” (pattern) within itself, as Spirit was there before the correlation, and it will be thereafter.8

  Looking at manifestation in this way, we see that it is a process of waves, with one wave calling another in a succession of steps to create a whole.

  In Braucherei, homeopathy, holistic medicine, etc., there is the observation on the imbalance of the elements in any particular malady. This imbalance begins with the original thought, the seed; the amount of each element it draws toward itself and how those particles behave are predicated on the continuous thought.

  A final reason for using the four elements in magick is the commonality they share with everything on this planet. The elements are a conduit to each living thing wherein energy can travel to reach its target. We all walk on the earth. We all drink water. We all use some type of fire energy for heating or cooking or growing food. We all breathe air.

  We are all connected through the elements.

  Universal Element Exercise: The Magick Egg

  Many times people say to me, “This is such a mess. I know how I got here (or maybe not), and I just don’t know what to do to fix it. What do I work for? Do I do lots of spells and rituals? Do I throw magick at it all the time? I am filled with so much hatred (or fear or worry or pain). Do I just do one thing and then forget it?” These are tough questions that each of us face upon our life path. When I feel this way, I go back to the beginning (or what I believe to be the beginning) and consider what thoughts and behaviors I may have used that created the mess in the first place. And then, as is my nature, it seems, I say to myself, “This is ridiculous! I no longer accept this—not for any reason! I will rise, and I will move forward. Now. This minute. Today! What do I want? Joy! What do I need? Joy! What will I manifest? Joy!” And then I feel this line of determination rising within myself, this spear of power that breaks and shatters the crap. And I do an action that vibrates with the message of change.

  When you just don’t know which way to turn, grasp the glowing spear of change within yourself and do any physical action that moves your inner compass in the direction of positive change.

  The following exercise can help you move in a new direction or assist in solidifying a positive direction that is already in process in your life. I suggest doing a spiritual cleansing (see chapter five) and then proceed with this exercise to work for joy.

  You can’t go wrong with joy.

  Joy fills you with feelings of happiness, peace, and rightness of action; it expands beyond you and filters into the universe, attracting more joy.

  Joy heals.

  I have mentioned that all magick begins with a release and ends with a release. Before you do this exercise, I humbly ask that you forget absolutely everything negative in your life. Turn your back on it. Acknowledge and agree within yourself that you will accept the healing power of joy in your life. The exercise, from start to finish, only takes a few moments, and it is best if you are in a place that is peaceful and won’t be disturbed—but, conversely, if you have to, it can be done in the bathroom stall at work.

  Yup. Done that. Actually, worse: in a porta potty. (Hey! There wasn’t any other private place!) And, ev
en among all that shit, it worked.

  Begin by sitting quietly. Relax. Begin releasing negative thoughts. Now, stand up and turn your back so that you are facing the opposite direction. This is a physical action that affirms you are releasing anything that is holding you in a negative pattern.

  Acknowledge the sea of potential as given in chapter one. Realize that it is in you, around you, and part of you all at the same time. It permeates you. Activate that sea of potential for joy.

  Next, let your feet become rooted to the ground as though you were a tree. Raise your arms like the branches of that tree and tilt your palms to welcome sky energy. Visualize yourself as the Pagans of old, one with earth, sea, and sky.

  Fall back into a relaxing position, one where you are comfortable holding your hands, palms up, out in front of you. It is in your hands that you are going to manifest joy. Visualize a beautiful seed in your palms: a big one! A brightly colored one! A sparkling one! This is the seed of joy. Cover the seed with long deep breaths. This is the karmic wind that shakes the seed, urging it to awaken and bring joy into your life. This wind, like the sea of potential, permeates the seed and becomes one with the seed.

  Slowly switch from the idea of the wind to the concept of fire, the warmth that surrounds the seed and urges it to come alive. Breathe deeply several times, envisioning the fire tickling the seed, then slowly sinking into the seed so that now your seed glows with warmth. It is highly possible that your palms will become warm. The licks of flame (and you can turn the flame from red to blue if it helps) call forth the rain, the water of life, gently misting around the seed, then gather power and coalesce around the seed. Right before you sink the water into the seed of joy, see the bolts of lightning crackling within the water.

  Sink the water into the seed of joy along with the flashing light. The seed now glows, sparks, feels warm, and moves as if it is straining to come alive. The flashing light calls forth the earth particles; they dance in your hands around the seed, vibrating, jittering, and shaking as they come in contact with the other three elements. Your hands may begin to shake. See the earth particles sink into the now very active seed of joy. Take a deep breath and bring that vibrating seed in your hands into your heart chakra. Hold your hands over your chest, tilt your head up, raise your elbows…wait for it…wait for it…because this is the moment of birth…and then fling your arms out with a large exhale of breath, palms facing up to the sky, loudly proclaiming, “I birth joy!”

  Your whole body may tingle with delight or you may feel a boost of adrenalin. Know that as you birthed the joy, this energy has permeated your body, mind, emotions, soul, your astral bodies, and the space around you. It clicks into all that is you.

  Take a nice deep breath. Express your gratitude to the universe, and touch the One that there is.

  Blend with it.

  Feel it.

  Welcome the peace.

  Welcome the joy.

  You can use this exercise for any manifestation you desire. A simple way is to begin with the feeling of joy and then focus that feeling on what it is that you desire. For example, do you feel that a new job will bring you great joy? (Notice I didn’t say “do you think”—it is the connection of feeling we are after here.) Then link the joy to the working for the new job. The other important lesson of the magick egg exercise is to realize the joy when you receive it. For example, let’s say you did the working for joy, and during the day you received an unexpected visit from someone who brings you great pleasure the moment you see their face. That fleeting moment? That was your joy. Recognize it. Be grateful for it.

  The magick egg is another technique to put in your magickal toolbox, and you may find it extremely helpful in a variety of circumstances. You can empower any physical item, plant, animal, or human using this method, making adjustments to the situation and the individual. Here it is the base method that is important; you take it where you want it to go.

  Primordial Elements

  In discussing the primordial elements in relation to plants, we are categorizing energy function and plant design rather than chemistry. Such correspondences indicate the similarities of the plant that best match one of the primitive elements. These similarities, then, are carried forward in our choice to use the plant in magick, where the primordial elements have a spiritual function assigned to them:

  Fire: Motivation, passion, creativity and the electricity of form

  Air: Thought, memory, communication, logic, the throttle (or not) of energy placement

  Water: Intuition, emotion, flow, the pathway between the conscious and subconscious

  Earth: Stability, foundation, condensation of power/pattern into a single form

  These associations differ depending on the magickal person, their previous training, their mental process, and to which group (or not) they may belong. There is no one “right” association to these primordial energies.

  Some people choose to believe that the primordial energies have conduits to manifestation on the earth plane. Consider them pipelines that govern the behavior and flow of the primordial patterns of fire, air, water, and earth. They are known as:

  Fire: Salamanders

  Air: Sylphs (fairies)

  Water: Undines (mermaids)

  Earth: Gnomes

  These beings are thought to be the connection between the astral plane and the element as it is expressed on our plane of existence. If you have trouble seeing them as “beings,” try thinking of them as portals or some other type of connection mechanism. What is most important is that you understand that any name is an effort to quantify and understand a particular energy pattern and its use; these names have changed over time as our cultures have changed. Remember, to give something a name is to give it power and funnel the energy into a single pattern. The more the pattern is acknowledged by other humans, the stronger the pattern becomes.

  In magick, the elements are also categorized as methods in which to release collected power (such as a spell), using the material world as a link to the astral, where the desired change will take place. Here, the elements represent devices of release:

  Fire creates a change through combustion

  Air creates a change through dissolution or evaporation

  Water creates a change through blending and dilution

  Earth creates a change through decomposition

  Some magickal practitioners link the elemental signature of a plant to the same element’s method of release. For example, if you collected some herbs for their relation to fire, then they would be dispatched through the element of fire. Conversely, there are other practitioners who do not match the elemental signature of the plant to the method of release.

  These element release factors (fire, air, water, earth) also correlate to human influence and behavior, and it is believed that when the target person encounters the element in their own life, the element attaches your magick to that person. If you have used a matching fluid condenser (for example, an earth condenser to earth magick release), it is thought that the condenser guarantees the attachment of that element to the target and that the working will hold your charge until you dictate the release. The element combined with the liquid fluid condenser dispenses the power like an injection from a syringe, ensuring that there will be no loss of the pattern you have created from the time of the inception of the original working to the time of the delivery. Basically, your work won’t get lost in the mailroom of life. Think of the element release methods as railroad lines named for each element (earth, air, fire, water), where each train only carries a single element.

  For example, let’s say you created a spell for love using water element signature plants (all plants that have been categorized as associated with water in the doctrine of signatures). In this spell you only want the individual to feel that they are loved; you are not trying to make them love you. Perhaps you have a friend who is going th
rough a difficult time or Grandma is in the hospital and you can’t get there. I would like to step aside here just for a moment: when working to influence another, such as in a healing or a love spell, the target always has the right to reject that energy, and the inner core of their being will choose whether or not to accept or reject what you have sent. There is always a choice. If you are worried about this murky territory, state in your working that “So-and-so has the right to refuse this work. If the energy is rejected, please send it to someone who has asked for it and needs it.” Rather than you be the judge and jury, let Spirit choose.

  You might place the herbal mixture in a bowl of water that is chilled to 34 degrees Fahrenheit. As you stir the water, you would sink your feelings of love and compassion into the water, visualizing the person to whom you are sending the love. Add several drops of the liquid fluid condenser and continue stirring. You may feel the energy ramp up a bit after the condenser has been added. Keep stirring until you lose the thought of love to your grandmother. Blow three breaths into the water, then seal the working by drawing an equal-armed cross over the bowl. Strain the herbs out of the water and throw them away; they have no further use. Thank them with gratitude. Place the strained water in a container and then release it in a body of water such as a river, a creek, or the ocean. The release, water to water, is important to keep the chain of the element intact. The theory is that whenever your grandmother comes into contact with the element of water (washing, drinking), your desire is immediately activated, and she will feel your love.

  Let’s say we wanted to create an incredible masterpiece of art, writing, or music where we feel we need the fire of inspiration and creativity. We could choose herbals with only fire signatures and roll them in a piece of paper that has our magickal doodle (see chapter five), our name, and our intent written on it. Dress the rolled paper with a bit of fire fluid condenser, then burn the paper tube in a firesafe bowl, chanting “I welcome the fire of creativity into my work” or whatever verbal charm you choose. Blow into the fire three times while it is active, sending your intent into the flames. Continue speaking until only ash remains. Throw the cooled ashes in the trash. Whenever you come in contact with the fire element via a warm room, a heated stone, sitting in the sunshine, working by candlelight, etc., the fire element will activate the spell that you have cast for yourself.