Book of Witchery (5 page)

The birds begin to increase the volume of their early morning song, as if to welcome the new day. The stars above you, one by one, begin to wink out. And the eastern sky is brightening with an orange-pink glow. This rosy color begins to reflect in the clouds that are floating toward the eastern horizon, and you smile as you watch the amazing show of colors that you are witnessing. You feel hopeful as you see the glimmer of the sun begin to ease its way over the horizon; for a second, you close your eyes and visualize Helios or Sunna beginning their journey across the daytime sky. The clouds to the east turn gold against a sky the color of a robin's egg, and as the sun rises even higher, you get caught up in the beauty of the moment and watch as the sky loses all traces of the night. Day has truly begun.

Today is the day of the week that is devoted to the sun and all solar magick. What better way to honor it than to watch the sunrise and witness a new day being born? Take a deep breath and center yourself. Know that all things are possible. The day spreads out before you, full of possibilities and magick. While you are in this meditative state, make a promise to yourself to go outside and do something active today. Take a walk, ride your bike, go for a jog, or play outside with your kids or your pets. Walk in the rain, play in the snow, kick around in the autumn leaves, work in the yard, or plant some flowers. Just get out into nature and be thankful for your life, your health, and the body that you have. Success, sunshine, and happiness are all around you. All you have to do is grab hold of it with both hands and explore all the enchanting possibilities that are in your world.

Now take another deep breath and ground and center. Look around one last time and see the sun shining brightly down upon you. Take some of that solar energy and magick with you today as you work and play through your day. Open your eyes and return to awareness. Stretch out gently, and now go enjoy your successful and sun-shiny day. Blessed be.

Magickal Plants & Flowers

Chrysanthemum

The chrysanthemum, or mum, is a classic fall flower. Botanically, they are called
Dendranthema
hybrids. The planetary correspondence of the mum is the sun, and the elemental association is fire. In the language of flowers, the mum says “cheer.” And the various colors of this flower have different magickal applications. Classically, the mum will bloom in the spring or the autumn. However, the chrysanthemum always blooms when the daylight and nighttime hours are fairly equal. In fact, nurseries across the United States trick mums into blooming in the fall through a process called vernalization. How do I know? I used to do this every year when I worked at local nurseries. Every June, nurseries start out with a tiny sprig of a mum hybrid and plant it in a large pot. They allow the plant to grow, and then pinch it back every few weeks, removing flower buds and encouraging the plant to branch out and to grow fuller. Eventually, in late August or sooner, depending on the climate and local growing season, they leave the now much larger and bushier plant alone, and the flower blossoms begin to set. Then, as the nighttime temperatures get cooler and the daylight and nighttime hours begin to become more balanced, the plant knows it's time to bloom. This is why, come September, you see dozens of varieties of chrysanthemum parading their brilliant fall colors at roadside stands and nursery displays across the country. According to flower folklore, the chrysanthemum will repel ghosts and roaming spirits. It is generally a cheery, happy, and protective flower. As you would expect, mums do best in rich soil and in sunny gardens.

Marigold

The common garden marigold (
Tagetes
) is a powerful little magickal flower. While its scent is strong and maybe unpleasant to some folks, don't turn up your nose at it! This flower's astrological correspondence is the sun. According to folklore, it was thought that if you gathered marigolds at noon, it would double their solar energy. The marigold is used to encourage wealth and riches. It also helps keep wandering spirits away. By the way, the pot marigold (
Calendula officinalis
) is edible, and its flower petals may be added to salads or used as garnish.

St. John's Wort

The herb St. John's wort (
Hypericum perforatum
) is a perennial herb, blooming typically once a year right around midsummer. St. John's wort is a classic summer solstice herb and is often incorporated into sabbat rituals. This flowering herb is also associated with the sun, and its magickal properties include health, happiness, and protection from faerie magick or trickery. Try gathering the blossoms for a good luck charm, or work with the green foliage and tuck it into a vase with other magickal flowers for its protective qualities.

Carnation

The carnation (
Dianthus caryophyllus
) is one of my favorite solar flowers. As cut flowers, they are inexpensive to purchase, and you can even grow a fragrant and tiny variety of them in the garden quite easily from seed. (Look for the popular perennial dianthus at your local nursery or garden center.) These dainty pink perennials for the garden are also called clove pinks (or simply “pinks”) and are also known as Sweet William or the gillyflower. Whether you work with the multicolored large or miniature varieties of the carnation from the florist or grow your own little perennial dianthus, the carnation's spicy aroma is uplifting and healing. Here is an extra little flower/color magick tip for you: try working with yellow- and orange-colored carnations to give your Sunday flower fascinations an extra boost! A flower fascination is a simple floral type of magick that usually only employs a flower or two. The term
fascination
is defined as “to bewitch or to hold spellbound by an irresistible power.” Therefore, a flower fascination is simply the act of working spells with magickal flowers.

Sunflower

The sunflower (
Helianthus annuus
), while very easy to grow in the home garden, may only bloom for a few months out of the year—typically late June throughout September. However, these days it is available to us year-round, and it is a very popular flower in the florist's trade. So, if you don't have any blooming in the garden at the moment, pop into your local florist and pick up an inexpensive stem or two for Sunday spells. In the language of flowers, the sunflower symbolizes “high hopes and adoration.” If you've ever grown sunflowers in the garden, then you have noticed how they turn their faces toward the sun throughout the day. These sun-worshipping flowers are perfect for you if you are looking to stand out in a crowd or are seeking fame and riches.

Garden Witch Tip

Here is a
practical tip for working with fresh flowers. If you'd like your flowers to stay fresher in the vase for a longer period of time, then give the bottom of the stems a fresh diagonal cut with a knife or scissors just before you plunk them into a water-filled vase. Also, strip off any lower leaves from the stems that may be below the water line. (The only thing you want in the water is the stems.) Change your water every other day so the flowers will stay fresher longer. Adding a bit of white soda, such as 7-Up, to the water is rumored to keep flowers fresher longer, too.

A Sunflower Spell

If possible, work this flower fascination outside. Set a sunflower or two into a vase full of clean water. (If you work with flowers from the garden, you may have to arrange those thick stems in something more substantial, like a decorative metal bucket or heavy vase, so the weight of the stems won't tip over the vase.) At the third line of the spell (below), turn to face the sun. Close your eyes and tip your face up to its light. Remember, while working your way to the recognition, promotion, or raise that you so richly deserve, to be fair and not to step on anyone else as you climb that ladder of success. Repeat the following spell three times:

I will stand head and shoulders above the crowd
I call for wealth and fame; I'll shout it out loud
Like a sunflower, I turn to face the bright sun
Grant me power and triumph, and let it harm none.

Close the spell by saying:

For the good of all, with harm to none

By blossom and leaf, this spell is done.

Put the sunflowers in a spot where you can see them every day to remind you of the flower fascination. Enjoy them until they begin to fade. When it's time to dispose of them, do it neatly. Recycle them by adding them to a compost pile.

Colors, Candles, Metals & Crystals

Colors

Colors for the day include all shades of yellow, yellow-orange, and metallic gold. Actually, the associated metal for Sunday is gold. If you have any gold jewelry, such as a ring, a pair of earrings, a necklace—or even a fun and funky piece of costume jewelry shaped like a sun, such as a pin or pendant—today is the day to wear it and to enchant it. Hold up the jewelry to the sunlight and ask for the energies of the day to imbue it with wealth, purpose, and achievement. Try asking Helios to bless it with drive and ambition. Request that Sunna consecrate you with her radiance, or ask Brigid to strengthen it with her light and divine inspiration. Then you can wear the sun-charmed jewelry any time that you feel the need for a little extra sunshine, warmth, and success.

If you care to coordinate your outfit with the bright energies of the sun, then try a shirt, blouse, scarf, or accessory in any of these warm colors. If you're feeling really adventurous, try the bright colors of hot pink, neon orange, and neon yellow.

A Colorful Sunny Day Spell

Try working this spell on a gloomy, rainy Sunday, or any day. It will lift your spirits, no matter what the weather.

Slip on your sunny outfit or wear your sun-themed jewelry, and then take a moment to imagine yourself either on a sun-drenched beach or in the middle of a bright meadow with the sun streaming down on you. Now picture that a little of the sun's warmth is soaking into the bright colors or jewelry that you are wearing. Do you feel a bit warmer? While you are visualizing this for a moment or two, repeat the following spell three times:

Even though the skies may be cloudy and gray
I will wear the colors of the sun today
For the colors of yellow, gold, and orange, you see

Work their own sunny magick; so mote it be!

Close the spell by saying:

For the good of all, with harm to none
By color and light, this spell is done!

Then take a deep breath, blow it out, and go dazzle 'em today!

Candles

Candle colors for today include yellow and gold. In magick, the color yellow is used to aid communication, knowledge, and creativity. The color gold represents royalty, the God, riches, wealth, and fame. For centuries, candles have been lit to welcome deity and to symbolize a connection to the magickal realms. In actuality, a burning candle is a physical symbol of your spell. Watch for gold metallic tapers and pillar candles around the winter holidays; you can usually pick them up on sale. Yellow may be harder to find, so keep your eyes peeled. For my candle magick, I like to work with scented votives. They come in all colors and lots of yummy fragrances. Try looking for citrus scents to bring health, and cinnamon scents for success and prosperity. These bewitching scents will help link your solar magick with a little magickal aromatherapy.

Metals & Crystals

As stated earlier, the bewitching metal for today is gold. Gold is intimately linked to the sun's energies. It is associated with sun gods and goddesses and a majestic or regal type of energy. Gold has the powers of health, wisdom, prosperity, and success. Gold is also thought to guarantee a long life. Wearing gold jewelry will increase your personal power and give a boost to your self-confidence. Gold, whether white or yellow, has a projective and masculine energy. Also, it's good to know that wearing gold jewelry mixed in with your silver jewelry will help to bring balance into your life and magick.

Carnelian:
The carnelian has the elemental associations of fire. This stone ranges in colors from pink to orange and red. It encourages protection, courage, healing, and sexuality. The carnelian can help you focus on your true path in life, and it will help you make smart decisions and become more organized, plus it can help influence the making of successful choices. Carnelian is thought to bolster a nervous public speaker and will aid in removing doubts and negativity. This is a stone loaded with positive energy, and it keeps you moving forward. Carnelian stones are a good choice for any type of magickal work that affects your job and career. In ancient Egypt, rings of carnelian were worn to calm anger and remove jealousy and hatred.

Tiger's-eye:
The tiger's-eye is a fun tumbled stone to keep around. A very popular stone for magickal use, it too is associated with the element of fire and encourages protection, bravery, and good luck. Tiger's-eye also promotes prosperity and personal protection. On an interesting note, the tiger's-eye stone will also aid in psychic protection, especially if it includes a cat's-eye marking (by this I mean that the markings or stripes in the stone will have the shape of a feline pupil). As my Witch friend Mary says, “The cat's-eye mark allows you to see past any crap that might get in the way of your protection,” thus enabling you to see what's coming before it happens.