Out of the Mouths of Babes

I had a headache so I asked my youngest (8-year old) son for 'a gentle, healing hug'. He came over and started to hug me but then drew back saying 'Hang on, I'm wet. It won't work.'

I have never talked to my children about magic, never included them in any magic I had done. So I was sure my son had not come across the idea of water 'grounding' magic from me. I was familiar with the idea that water has the same effect on the flow of magical energy as it does on electricity. It is like a bottomless hole that you can pour any amount of energy into and it will never get any fuller. It is a path of least resistance and if it is present the energy will go there rather than where you wanted it to go. It is useful when you want to dump a buildup of energy, such as the aura cleaning magic I do using water. But normally you would no more do magic with wet hands than you would plug in your hairdryer with wet hands.

So how did my 8-year old know this? I asked him why being wet would stop his healing cuddle from working and he said that it got in the way of the healing, and sort of spread it around so it couldn't work properly. He went and dried himself and then gave me a cuddle. I still have a headache but I think this is a new one caused by thinking too hard about how my baby son got to be so wise.

Not an Exorcism

My sister asked me to perform an exorcism or banishing spell on her, as she felt that she was being haunted by the spirit of a dead relative. I did a little research into banishing spells but I also asked my sister more questions about what she was experiencing.

I asked her "Imagine we do this spell and it is a fabulous success, more successful than you could ever hope for. Tell me what is different." Her answers had to do with a shadow she felt was hanging over her, a weight which was oppressing her. But they were also to do with a great confusion she had over her own identity, the identity of the dead relative and a few other concepts which she had difficulty separating.

We talked at length about these people and these concepts, about the difference between a real person and the image of a person you hold in your head. We talked about her own expectations of herself, and her relationship with other people. At one point she cried.

Afterwards, I asked her who or what she wanted to banish. She said "No-one, any more".

So I guess that was successful.

Cleaning Day

Today I carried out the cleansing spell from Judika Illes' Element Encyclopedia of 5000 Spells. After cleaning the house in the usual way, the first part of the spell was a simple broom spell. The second part involved a herbal floorwash and the third part involved burning some herbal incense. I added my own prayers to St Joseph, protector of the family, and to Martha (a biblical character who was a close friend of Jesus' and who was chastised by him for spending more time on her household chores than listening to him preach - typical man!). It was quite time-consuming but the house definitely feels cleansed now.

The final piece of magic I want to do today is a personal cleansing. I will be using the personal cleansing ritual from Theresa Chaze's website. It involves at least half an hour of undisturbed time in the bath, with music, incense and candles. As well as completing my day of cleansing it will also be a self-indulgent relaxation and reward. I wonder if I can meaningfully incorporate a glass of white wine into the ritual?

Supplies

I found dried agrimony on eBay from Herbmoon Hollow and black candles also on eBay from Welsh Goddess. But then I discovered there is a magical supplies shop not too far from me. Magical Pagan Supplies is only about 15 miles away so I'll have to go and check it out.

Cleansing

I need cleansing. Myself, my house; it all needs a good clean. Perhaps it is the start of the new year which has brought on this feeling. Perhaps it is the new moon. Perhaps something else.

I look up cleansing spells in The Element Encyclopedia of 5000 Spells by Judika Illes. There are Animal Ally spells, but they don't appeal to me unless they actually make squirrels and chipmunks come and do the laundry like in the Disney film of Snow White. But I rather suspect they don't. There are also Asperging Spells (flicking water about). I can get behind the idea of that for some purposes. There is something very similar in Roman Catholic masses at certain times of year, including last Sunday. But it is not the atmosphere I want to clear, it is the house itself. I keep looking.

There are lots of spells (I just wrote "smells" - a delicious Freudian slip) involving candles and incense and smoke. Again, I feel these are more suitable for "clearing the air". That is not quite what I want. At least, it is not all that I want.

Two kinds of cleansing spells catch my eye - broom spells and floorwash spells. That's what you need to clean a house - a broom and a mop! Some of them specify a single-use ritual broom, but I like the look of one which can be done with my own every-day broom. I could follow this by a floorwash with agrimony, peppermint and vinegar. I might play some calming, soothing music whilst I clean and afterwards light candles. During the whole cleansing I can invoke the archangels to cleanse my house.

I like the sound of this. I can believe in it. I already know that after I have done this I will feel that my house is cleansed.

I have also seen a promising-looking ritual for personal cleansing on Theresa Chaze's website. Again, it is quite down-to earth, doesn't require anything too peculiar or hard-to-get. It has a spoken component which sounds to me very like a prayer. And best of all it requires me to lock the bathroom door and stay in the tub for at least 30 minutes. I don't need to keep looking, this is what I want.

All I really need to find is some agrimony, more baking soda (I have a tiny tub of it for baking, not half a cup) and a black candle. While I am doing that I can get on with tidying up the house.

I Don't Believe in Magic

I don't believe in magic - but I believe in the power of prayer. How do I know this works? From a great deal of personal experience.

I don't believe in magic - but I believe that some substances have the power to cure illnesses, relieve symptoms, alter states of mind, and have other effects on the mind and body (which are actually the same thing). Some of these substances are familiar to us as little round tablets prescribed by the doctor. Some of them are familiar to us as plants or minerals or animal parts. How do I know this works? From a great deal of personal experience.

I don't believe in magic - but I believe that thoughts are powerful. If you think sad, self-deprecating thoughts you will feel sad and depressed. If you think happy, optimistic thoughts you will feel joyful and energised. If someone else can make you feel afraid, you will continue to feel wretched even when that person is nowhere near and has no real power to harm you. Except they already have harmed you by making you afraid. And many other instances of the power of thoughts. How do I know this works? From a great deal of personal experience.

I don't believe in magic - but I believe that actions and objects can evoke certain thoughts. And I have already explained that thoughts are powerful. The action of having a funeral for a loved one can be a powerful part of recovering from the pain of loss, and making the transition from a life in which the loved one was physically present to a life in which they are not physically present. An object belonging to a deceased loved one can have a great deal of power - if the object is stolen or otherwise lost, the owner can be horribly damaged both mentally and physically. And many other examples of the power of objects and actions.  How do I know this works? From a great deal of personal experience.

I don't believe in magic - but I know for a sure fact that nobody alive today, whether eminent scientist or prominent religious leader or powerful magic practitioner, knows everything about this vast and amazing universe we live in.

I don't believe in magic - but I won't let that stop me from using it.

New Moon

Tonight is a new moon.

I'm just saying.